When the three of them entered, Shang Chenyan was just coming downstairs.
He was wearing black casual pants and a soft cream-colored sweater on top, the sleeves rolled up to reveal a section of his smooth, well-defined forearm.
The moment his eyes met Shi Ying’s, he subconsciously adjusted his collar.
What was that look supposed to mean?
Was she satisfied with what he was wearing today?
Shang Chenyan had gotten up early that morning and stood in front of his closet worrying over the endless row of suits inside.
If he dressed too formally at home, would she think he seemed old? Like there was a generation gap between them?
After all, even after five years, she hadn’t changed at all. She was still as youthful and vibrant as ever.
In the end, Shang Chenyan dug out the clothes he used to wear back in university from the very bottom of storage boxes. After picking through them for a long while, he finally chose this sweater.
Back then, when she brought him strawberry cake, he had been wearing this exact outfit.
Shang Chenyan walked downstairs and cleared his throat lightly.
“You’re here.”
Shi Ying set her bag on the sofa. The moment she lifted her hand, Shang Chenyan noticed the unnatural redness on her palm.
Looking closer, he also spotted stains on the back of her coat, like melted snow mixed with mud.
“What happened?”
Shang Chenyan frowned and walked over to grab her hand. “Did you fall?”
The warmth of his touch against her wrist made Shi Ying freeze for a moment. She hurriedly pulled her hand back.
“N-No, I’m fine. A car almost clipped me earlier, so I fell.”
From the side, Pei Yanchuan immediately added fuel to the fire.
“We ran into that woman Meng Shuyan on the way here. She deliberately drove into Shi Ying.”
Shang Chenyan lowered his gaze to her injured hand. Beneath his lowered lashes, his expression instantly darkened.
But in the next second, he looked back at Shi Ying, his voice gentle once more.
“I’m sorry. I was careless. Next time, I’ll pick you up myself.”
“I’ll clean your wounds first.”
Shi Ying waved her hands repeatedly. “No need, it’s just a scrape.”
If they waited any longer, the wounds would probably heal on their own.
Shang Chenyan took out the first aid kit. “It still needs disinfecting.”
Shi Ying sat on the sofa, watching him take out iodine and a tube of ointment from the kit. She instinctively shrank back.
“I can do it myself.”
She hated disinfecting wounds the most. Even when it didn’t hurt much at first, iodine and alcohol would make it sting like crazy.
Unfortunately, Shang Nian was lying across her lap watching her the whole time. Shi Ying absolutely could not bring herself to cry out in pain in front of a child.
Shang Chenyan said softly, “Both your hands are scraped, so it’s inconvenient for you to apply medicine yourself. You got hurt because I didn’t go pick you up. Let me help you.”
As he spoke, he had already dipped a cotton swab into the iodine. Shi Ying had no choice but to hold out her hand.
The instant the swab touched the broken skin, her whole body trembled.
“Does it hurt a lot?” Shang Chenyan immediately lightened his movements.
Shang Nian blinked up at her with wide eyes. Grinding her teeth, Shi Ying forced out, “No. Not at all.”
Pei Yanchuan: “……”
This is unbearable to watch.
After the cool ointment was applied, it really didn’t hurt as much anymore. Shang Chenyan even carefully covered the wounds with sterile dressings.
In Shi Ying’s eyes, the man lowered his head and focused intently on tending to her injuries. Under the sunlight, his thick lashes fluttered softly, casting faint shadows beneath his eyes.
He looked so serious, as though he were handling a multimillion-dollar contract.
Only then did a thought belatedly dawn on Shi Ying.
Could it be… that he liked her?
Otherwise, why would he move her into his office to work, hire her to take care of Shang Nian, and personally tend to such a minor injury?
The moment the thought surfaced, Shi Ying abruptly pulled her hand back.
Shang Chenyan’s hand froze in midair.
Embarrassed, Shi Ying tucked her hand behind her back.
Then again… maybe she was just overthinking things. Perhaps he was simply well-mannered.
Still, Shang Chenyan’s attitude made her feel restless and uneasy.
She said awkwardly, “It’s really nothing serious. A little ointment is enough. I-I’ll take Shang Nian upstairs first.”
As she spoke, she hurriedly stood up, while Shang Nian immediately grabbed onto the hem of her clothes.
Shang Chenyan’s expression didn’t change. He remained as gentle as ever.
“Alright. Take her upstairs and play for a while.”
Shi Ying’s retreating figure looked slightly flustered. Only after she disappeared around the staircase corner did Shang Chenyan turn toward Pei Yanchuan with a dark expression.
“What did you say to her?”
Pei Yanchuan looked baffled. “What could I possibly say to her? I even helped her out—you should be thanking me.”
Shang Chenyan let out a cold laugh and immediately sent Jiang Wen a message, canceling every collaboration with the Meng family.
“Oh right.” Pei Yanchuan crossed his legs lazily, clearly enjoying the show. “Little Ying asked me earlier if she looks a lot like your wife. I told her no. Let’s see how you explain that one.”
Shang Chenyan frowned.
If he told Shi Ying right now that she was his wife, he would probably scare her into fleeing immediately.
He still didn’t know why Shi Ying had suddenly disappeared back then, nor why she had suddenly reappeared now.
More importantly, she looked exactly the same as she had five years ago. Her appearance and age hadn’t changed at all.
Which was obviously impossible.
Shang Chenyan thought to himself that, at the very least, he needed to uncover the truth first. At the very least, he needed the ability to keep her by his side before he could tell her who she really was.
***
Second floor bedroom.
Shang Nian sat on the carpet playing with her dolls. She handed one of the beautifully dressed dolls to Shi Ying and stared at her expectantly with her large eyes.
Shi Ying felt like she was beginning to understand the little girl’s expressions now, so she nodded seriously and praised her.
“It’s so pretty. Did Shang Nian do its hair herself?”
Shang Nian nodded.
Shi Ying played dress-up with her for a while. She realized Shang Nian actually had really good taste. Every doll outfit looked stylish, and delicate little hair clips had even been pinned into their hair.
After the two of them played for a while, Shang Nian suddenly ran over, picked up a phone, and held it out in front of Shi Ying.
“What are you trying to show me?”
Shang Nian opened a photo.
It was unmistakably Shang Yu—the man Shi Ying had met once before.
Shi Ying froze in surprise and asked in confusion, “Why are you showing me this, Nian nian?”
Shang Nian tilted her head slightly, as if asking whether she liked him.
After all, she had specifically saved these photos from her cousin’s social media posts.
Shi Ying couldn’t help laughing.
Most likely because she had asked for Shang Yu’s contact information last time, Shang Nian assumed she liked him, so she had deliberately found photos for her to look at.
Shi Ying pulled Shang Nian into her arms and rubbed her affectionately.
How could this little girl be so sweet?
Breathing in the pleasant scent on Shi Ying’s body, Shang Nian’s little cheeks flushed pink as she enthusiastically opened several more photos for her to see.
“Nian nian, what does your cousin like to eat?” Shi Ying quickly followed up while the opportunity was good. If she learned more about his preferences beforehand, she’d have conversation topics once they added each other as friends.
Shang Nian shook her head.
But then she opened her chat window with Shang Yu. Her tiny fingers tapped across the screen as she typed:
【Cousin, what do you like to eat?】
When Shang Yu received the message from his little cousin, he stared at it in shock for a full ten minutes.
Was he seeing things?
This was Little Shang Nian? His youngest uncle’s daughter who couldn’t speak?
When his uncle got married, Shang Yu had been attending boarding school and had never even met his little aunt. By the time he came home during vacation, his uncle already had a child.
He still remembered how, every time he saw little Shang Nian at the family estate, no matter how hard he tried to entertain her, this little cousin of his never paid him any attention.
Shang Yu immediately flipped upright in bed and began furiously typing:
【Little cousin?】
【What made you suddenly ask what I like to eat? Are you inviting me over to your house? But first you’ll have to help me tell your dad not to send me to Africa anymore. Otherwise there’s no point knowing what I like—I won’t even be able to come.】
Shang Nian ignored all his nonsense.
A moment later, Shang Yu sent another message:
【I like fish.】
Shi Ying silently noted it down in her mental notebook.
Shang Nian: 【Then what color do you like?】
Shang Yu: 【Blue.】
Shang Nian: 【What do you like to do for fun?】
Shang Yu: 【That’s not appropriate for children~】
Shang Nian: 【。】
Shi Ying: Noted. All noted down!