After leaving First High School, Old Master Shen was excited the whole way back.
When they returned to Shen Family Villa and saw Su Yuqing sitting on the sofa, he puffed out his chest, looking smug. With a cold snort, he went upstairs.
Su Yuqing, who had been drinking tea and getting ready to greet him, was left wondering…?
That morning, she had received a message from Shen Jiao saying that Old Master Shen had taken Shen Yue to First High School and even angered one of the teachers there.
Preoccupied with other things, she hadn’t given Old Master Shen’s attitude much thought. She called out coldly to Shen Yue.
“Your grandfather is old. Don’t bother him with school matters. I’ll find you somewhere else.”
“I’ve already found a school.” Shen Yue slung her backpack over one shoulder, one leg slightly bent as she stood there in a relaxed, careless pose, her expression cool.
There was something strikingly unconventional about her, and just looking at her made Su Yuqing angry.
Hearing Shen Yue say that, Su Yuqing couldn’t be bothered to ask further.
She didn’t care what school Shen Yue attended anyway. As long as Shen Yue didn’t go to First High School and bother Jiaojiao, Su Yuqing didn’t care.
It had never crossed her mind that Shen Yue could get into First High School, so Shen Yue naturally had nothing more to say to Su Yuqing.
She went upstairs to sort through the things she had brought back from the Capital.
There wasn’t much. She had only taken out a few things she needed before, so she finished unpacking quickly.
That was right: Shen Yue had never planned to keep living with the Shen family after coming back. It would only mean more trouble.
She dragged her suitcase downstairs. When Su Yuqing saw it, her brows knit together, irritation plain in her eyes.
Impatiently, she asked, “What are you up to now?”
Now? It was a good choice of word. Shen Yue paused. “I rented a place near school. I won’t be living here.”
“What are you trying to do? Is there no room in this house? Why do you have to move out?”
There were three children in the Shen family. The second, Shen Jiao, had always been driven to and from school in a private car; she had never boarded or lived elsewhere.
The youngest, Shen Yun, was a first-year student at Second High School. Since Shen Yue disappeared, he had lived at school and rarely came home.
And now Shen Yue had barely returned before moving out. What would that look like? If people found out, who knew what they’d say about the Shen family?
Su Yuqing’s voice suddenly rose, sharp enough to grate. Shen Yue touched her ear.
Tsk. What a racket.
Shen Yue gave her a languid sidelong glance. “Grandpa agreed.”
With that, she dragged her suitcase toward the door.
Hearing Shen Yue invoke Old Master Shen only made Su Yuqing angrier.
If Su Yuqing hadn’t gotten pregnant back then, Old Master Shen would never have agreed to let her marry into the Shen family.
Of all the people in the Shen family, Su Yuqing feared Old Master Shen most, and Shen Yue was using him to put pressure on her.
With her chin held high, Su Yuqing’s anger reached its peak. “If you walk out that door today, don’t think you can come back.”
Su Yuqing was convinced Shen Yue wouldn’t leave the Shen family so easily. She thought she had Shen Yue under control.
But Shen Yue didn’t even pause for her. She walked away without a backward glance, as if escaping a cage.
…
Huayuan Residence was an apartment Shen Yue had bought before. It had three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
After tidying up the apartment and taking a shower, she came out.
Damp strands of hair clung to her long, pale neck. Her features were cool and languid, carrying an indefinable air.
Shen Yue blow-dried her hair until it was half-dry, then took out her phone and messaged Fang Shiming.
【I’ll send you a package today.】
Yaowan: 【All right. Thank you for your trouble, Miss Qian.】
This wasn’t the first time he had received an S+-grade pill, but Fang Shiming still couldn’t hide his excitement when he saw the message.
Packages from Miss Qian arrived quickly. If she sent one today, it would be there first thing tomorrow morning—though the shipping was a little expensive.
Fang Shiming immediately told someone to start making preparations. Once the Pill arrived, they would announce it, and there would be no need to worry about finding bidders for the auction on the tenth.
After Shen Yue sent the message, a phone call came in.
“Hello, All-Pass Express. You have a package.”
“Just a moment.”
Shen Yue picked up the medicine bottle, found something to wrap it in, and headed for the door.
When she opened it, a man dressed in black and wearing a black cap stood outside.
There was a ring-shaped design on the cap.
The man was holding a long, beautifully packaged cardboard box. He handed Shen Yue a pen, his manner respectful.
“Your package. Please sign for it.”
After signing, Shen Yue looked up and saw two figures stepping out of the elevator.
The man in front had an extraordinary bearing and handsome, classically refined features. His jaw was taut. When he saw her, he visibly froze for a moment.
The person behind him was looking at the courier, his expression puzzled.
After only a brief glance, Shen Yue looked away. She took the cardboard box, which had only an address written on it, and handed over the bottle she was sending.
The courier lowered his head and left.
“Miss Shen.”
Cheng Sui called after Shen Yue as she was about to leave. He let out a soft breath. “Hello. We meet again.”
Shen Yue glanced at the fine sweat on Cheng Sui’s forehead. Holding the box, she leaned casually against the doorframe and remarked pointedly, “I’m doing quite well. You, Mr. Cheng, don’t seem to be.”
Cheng Sui gave a helpless, faint laugh. His voice was gentle but weak. “You can tell, Miss Shen. I wonder if I could ask you to give me a couple of injections?”
Behind Cheng Sui, Cheng Di had been frowning thoughtfully. At that, he looked at Shen Yue with immediate wariness.
Their Young Master’s health had inexplicably begun to go wrong two years ago.
Every so often, he would be overcome by unbearable pain, followed by a rapid decline in his bodily functions and unconsciousness.
The doctors couldn’t figure out what was causing it.
They had been outside just now, but when Young Master began feeling unwell, they hurried back.
Only a few people close to Young Master knew about his condition. Could this woman in front of them know about it?
And Young Master was asking her to give him acupuncture?
She looked only seventeen or eighteen. Did she even know how?
Cheng Di hurriedly spoke up. “Young Master, the doctors we’ve consulted haven’t been able to help. Shouldn’t we avoid troubling Miss Shen?”
Cheng Sui shot him a cold look. “You have the nerve to bring up those useless doctors?”
Cheng Di was at a loss for words, but he still wanted to point out that the doctor they had consulted was one of the most renowned in the country—not some useless doctor!
If that doctor couldn’t help, there was even less chance this young woman could!
Cheng Sui ignored him. Turning to Shen Yue with a smile at the corner of his mouth, he asked again.
Shen Yue raised an eyebrow and answered calmly, “One hundred thousand per session.”
Cheng Di’s eyes widened, and his voice rose. “Why don’t you just rob us?”
Shen Yue’s price already seemed outrageous to Cheng Di. What he found even more outrageous was that their Young Master agreed to it.
Why?
While he was still wondering, the two of them had already gone inside and closed the door.
Inside, Shen Yue told Cheng Sui to lie down on the sofa and rest for a while. Then she went into the bedroom and opened the package in her hands. Inside lay a violin.
After checking that it was undamaged, Shen Yue put it in a cabinet, opened a locked drawer, took out a bundle of silver needles, and went back out.
Hearing the door open, Cheng Sui—who had had his eyes closed—opened his reddened eyes and looked at the needles in Shen Yue’s hand. “Thank you for this.”
His breathing was unsteady, his voice strained, his lips pale, and the veins on the back of his hand stood out. The pain had clearly intensified.
Shen Yue didn’t waste time. She motioned for Cheng Sui to lie still and began inserting the needles. In that instant, it was as though she had become a different person.
Gone was her usual languid carelessness. A soft glimmer fell across her face as she worked with focus and precision.
Cheng Sui had seen Shen Yue’s medical skills before. The doctor Cheng Di had found couldn’t begin to compare with her.
He wasn’t the least bit worried as Shen Yue performed the acupuncture. In fact, he felt more at ease than ever.
As Shen Yue inserted the silver needles one by one, Cheng Sui could feel the pain easing and his body relaxing. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
He woke an hour later. His body had returned to normal, and the pain was gone. The needles had been removed.
But the moment he opened his eyes, he saw Cheng Di—who had been outside—crawling on the floor…