In the quiet, chilly room, two soft lamps were glowing.
Jiang Yuli emerged from the bathroom wearing a black sleeping robe and sat by the bed.
His expression was indifferent, his gaze falling on the bedside table.
On it sat a black box given to him by the old master tonight, next to which was a small red Lucky Baby Huanhuan.
Su Lingyu had given it to him in 2007.
While abroad, he had always kept it with him.
The tiny plush keychain was already old and worn out.
Jiang Yuli reached out and gently grasped the pitiful-looking toy, his movements careful, as if afraid of damaging it further.
He had mended it once in his teens, and then again later.
Ugly stitches covered the small toy, starkly contrasting with the adorable Lucky Baby Huanhuan.
“I wonder what your former owner is doing now?” Jiang Yuli whispered to the toy. “Does she still remember you…”
“Probably not. She must have many, many brand-new plush toys now.”
Something from eighteen years ago was no longer fresh.
He set the toy down and shifted his gaze to the black box.
He stared at it quietly for a minute, struggling internally, though his eyes remained calm.
In the end, he picked up the box and opened it.
Inside was a somewhat aged photo album.
Jiang Yuli opened the album—the first photo was of his mother, Jiang Wanfeng, wearing a white long dress, her pregnant belly swollen, her eyes gentle, and a smile on her lips.
He continued flipping through; the album was filled with photos of his mother during her pregnancy.
In the pictures, his mother wore beautiful dresses, held flowers, and smiled radiantly at the camera.
From when her belly was just slightly protruding to when she looked about eight or nine months pregnant.
His mother seemed so full of anticipation for his arrival.
Did she ever get to see him after he was born?
And these photos—his father had never shown them to him before.
At twenty-six years old, he was seeing them for the first time.
One drop, two drops, three drops… Tears silently fell onto the photos, dampening his mother’s face.
Jiang Yuli hurriedly wiped them away, staring blankly at the wet marks on his fingertips.
It had been a long time since he last cried.
He thought he had shed all his tears back when he was eight years old.
Sitting by the bed, Jiang Yuli flipped through the photo album again from the beginning.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when his phone suddenly chimed.
He picked it up—it was a message from Su Lingyu.
[Pao Pao: Uncle, uncle, I’m returning to Beijing tomorrow! I brought you a gift!]
[Pao Pao: You’re probably asleep by now, right? I’m on a layover in Haikou.]
[Pao Pao: Good night! I won’t disturb you anymore. Hope you have sweet dreams! I’ll deliver the gift to you tomorrow—remember to sign for it~]
Su Lingyu’s three messages were like a rope thrown to a drowning person, pulling Jiang Yuli, who was on the verge of suffocation, abruptly back to the surface.
The overwhelming sorrow was instantly replaced by the joy of receiving a gift from Pao Pao tomorrow.
Jiang Yuli set the photo album aside and replied:
[Jiang Yuli: Thank you. Stay safe.]
[Pao Pao: Uncle, you’re still awake? It’s already 1 a.m.!!!!]
Was it already 1 a.m.?
He had been looking at the photo album for too long, too absorbed.
When he was “exiled” abroad at eight years old, they hadn’t even allowed him to take a single photo with him.
That was why he had been so captivated tonight, gazing at the photos of his mother during her pregnancy with him.
【Pao Pao: You’re not working, are you? Uncle, you’re already so outstanding yet still working this hard? That’s too intense! My brother is probably hugging my sister-in-law having sweet dreams right now.】
【Jiang Yuli: I don’t have a wife.】
【Pao Pao: Well… I don’t know how to respond to that! Go to sleep! I’m not replying anymore, and don’t you reply to me either!】
A slight smile tugged at Jiang Yuli’s lips.
Someone as cold as him actually received concern from Pao Pao.
What had he done to deserve this?
She went on a trip, yet still remembered to bring him back a gift.
Did someone as cold-blooded as him deserve someone as gentle and kind as Pao Pao?
Jiang Yuli didn’t fall asleep until one o’clock, but he slept unusually deeply.
Meanwhile, at the Shen Family Mansion, Shen Qiao barely slept all night.
Due to the time difference, he had been communicating with the technical team overseas throughout the night, only managing to sleep intermittently for less than three hours in total.
Early in the morning, he was awakened by a commotion.
Irritated, he stepped out of his room and saw several servants moving things along the corridor.
They were going in and out of the room that had long been converted into a storage room!
Shen Qiao walked over slowly and was surprised to see his parents and grandfather inside.
Old Master Shen stood in the center of the clutter-filled room, surrounded by an oppressive aura of anger.
Eighteen years.
After Jiang Yuli was sent abroad, this room had initially been preserved.
Shen Zeming had no idea when it had been turned into a storage room.
Shen Baichuan and Shang Shuya stood to the side, not daring to make a sound.
The old master hadn’t involved himself in household affairs for a long time, and since he didn’t live on this floor, he had never noticed.
Early this morning, he had suddenly ordered the servants to clean up Jiang Yuli’s room.
The servants hesitated and stammered, and only upon detailed questioning did the truth come out.
“No wonder…” Shen Zeming’s voice was low, “He’s been back in the country for two years and hasn’t stayed at home even once.”
“Shuya, is this how you manage this household?” He turned his authoritative gaze to his eldest daughter-in-law, “Even if I don’t like him, he’s still my son, a member of the Shen family! Coming back to his own home, and he doesn’t even have a room!”
Shang Shuya quickly explained, “Father, this was an oversight on my part. This room has been used for storage for a long time. I thought if Second Brother came back to stay, the guest rooms are clean and tidy. This one hasn’t been cleaned in so long, it’s really not suitable for living…”
With their father-son relationship so strained, she as the daughter-in-law was caught in the middle and found it really difficult.
Clearly, Shen Zeming had been avoiding Jiang Yuli before, but today he suddenly changed his tune and wanted to make up for the twenty-six years of estrangement.
“Father, let’s go out first. There’s a lot of dust here, it’s not good for your health.” Shen Baichuan stepped forward to support his father, “After the servants thoroughly clean the room and replace the furniture with brand new, beautiful pieces, you can come back and see.”
“Do you know what kind of furniture he likes?” Shen Zeming asked coldly.
All these years, Jiang Yuli had never lived with them, and since returning to the country, he had lived alone outside.
They didn’t even know where he lived, let alone visited, so how could Shen Baichuan possibly know his preferences?
“Father, I’ll make some inquiries. I’ll definitely arrange Younger Brother’s room properly so he’ll be willing to stay next time,” Shen Baichuan promised. “You’re getting older, and I understand you want to reconcile with Younger Brother.”
“You understand?” Shen Zeming glanced at him with penetrating sharpness, “You think he only hates me, and not you?”
Shen Baichuan didn’t conceal it, nor did he need to—for twenty-six years, he had always been this way:
“Dad, you may be able to let go of your resentment and reconcile with him, but I can’t. Just thinking about how Mom died giving birth to him, I…” His tone was stiff.
Shen Zeming sighed: “If your mother knew you brothers were treating each other like enemies, how heartbroken she would be…”
Shen Baichuan’s expression shifted slightly.
Indeed, it was Su Lingyu’s words last time that had moved his father.
Father’s weakness had never been Shen Qiao, nor him, but his late wife.
Standing outside the door, Shen Qiao overheard most of the conversation and immediately volunteered: “Grandpa! Leave this to me! I’ll find out what style of furniture Uncle prefers!”