She ran hurriedly to the door and pulled it open. Two handsome faces instantly appeared before her.
Pei Yanchuan had assumed that at this hour, since Aunt Zhang hadn’t arrived yet, the one opening the door would definitely be Shang Chenyuan. So the moment the door opened, he flashed a wide grin, showing all eight of his teeth.
“Shang—” His smile froze on his face as his eyes widened in shock.
“Hello, are you looking for President Shang?” Shi Ying asked politely, not recognizing the two men.
Pei Yanchuan jumped back several steps, hiding behind the other man. “Is this a ghost?!”
Shi Ying: “…” You’re the ghost.
Ji Huanzhou adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. His usually composed face cracked slightly as he spoke hesitantly:
“Shi Ying?”
Shi Ying looked surprised. “You know me?”
Ji Huanzhou’s glasses slid down a bit.
Pei Yanchuan peeked out from behind him. “This is unreal…”
The three of them stared at each other when Shang Chenyuan walked over and pulled Shi Ying behind him.
“The housekeeper hasn’t come yet. Could you help change Nian Nian’s clothes?” he asked.
Shi Ying nodded quickly and went upstairs with Shang Nian in her arms, eager to get away from the two strange men.
Only after she disappeared up the stairs did Shang Chenyuan turn around. “Come in.”
Pei Yanchuan rushed in. “What’s going on? Was that Shi Ying?”
Shang Chenyuan sat on the sofa, a faint smile softening his deep features. His voice carried a warmth it had never had before.
“Yes.”
“She’s back.”
The two men exchanged looks. Pei Yanchuan, unable to hold back, plopped down beside him.
“What do you mean she’s back? Where has she been all these years? She disappeared out of nowhere five years ago, and now she just comes back to rekindle things with you? Do you know you nearly went crazy trying to find her back then?”
“What if she ran off with someone and now came back?”
Shang Chenyuan kicked him in the leg. “If you can’t speak properly, then shut up.”
Ji Huanzhou was much calmer. His eyes flickered behind his lenses. “She doesn’t seem to recognize us.”
He hadn’t missed the unfamiliar look in Shi Ying’s eyes earlier.
Shang Chenyuan fell silent for a few minutes before speaking.
“I don’t know how to explain it. But she really just… appeared again. And she doesn’t remember me.”
Pei Yanchuan ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “What kind of situation is this? Are you sure she’s Shi Ying? What if she’s just someone who looks like her, pretending to be your wife to get your money?”
The noise grated on Shang Chenyuan’s nerves. He loosened the top button of his shirt and leaned back, his gaze firm.
“She is Shi Ying.”
“I wouldn’t mistake her.”
Ji Huanzhou nodded. “You spent more time with her than we did. If you’re certain, I won’t argue.”
“What about Nian Nian? I came to check on her.”
Ji Huanzhou wasn’t just his friend—he was also Shang Nian’s psychologist.
Shang Chenyuan shook his head. “Not for now.”
“Yesterday… she spoke.”
Ji Huanzhou immediately became serious. “She spoke? What did she say? I think you need to bring her to the hospital right away—I need to run a full evaluation.”
Even Pei Yanchuan went quiet. He knew how important Shang Nian was to Shang Chenyuan.
Shang Chenyuan paused.
“She called… ‘Mom.’”
The living room fell silent.
Pei Yanchuan suddenly remembered five years ago.
Back then, Shang Nian was just over a month old. He and Ji Huanzhou had come to visit. Shang Chenyuan had dumped the baby on them and went out with Shi Ying, who had just finished her confinement.
That day, the first winter snow fell over Jiang City. Everything was blanketed in white.
He had wrapped little Nian Nian up like a dumpling and stood by the window with her, watching the snow.
The baby reached out her soft little hands, touching the glass and giggling happily.
After taking care of her all day, it was nearly dark, and Shang Chenyuan still hadn’t returned. Pei Yanchuan was about to call and scold him when he saw a figure standing outside.
Shang Chenyuan looked like his soul had been stripped away.
Snow covered his shoulders and hair. He stood there motionless, staring at the baby in Pei Yanchuan’s arms.
In that vast white world, he looked utterly alone.
Pei Yanchuan didn’t know what had happened. He glanced behind him.
“Where’s Shi Ying? Why didn’t she come back?”
At the mention of her name, Shang Chenyuan slowly lifted his head.
After a long silence, he exhaled heavily.
“She’s gone.”
In Pei Yanchuan’s arms, baby Nian Nian seemed to sense something. Her smile vanished, and she began to cry.
Her cries grew louder, mixing with the sound of the wind and snow, heart-wrenching.
…
When Shi Ying came downstairs holding Shang Nian’s hand, she saw three men in the living room.
The man in casual clothes with peach blossom eyes grinned at her.
The other, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a sharp suit, nodded politely.
Shang Chenyuan introduced them:
“This is Pei Yanchuan, my friend. This is Ji Huanzhou, Nian Nian’s psychologist.”
“Oh,” Shi Ying responded. “Hello.”
“Hello, hello!” Pei Yanchuan grabbed her hand and shook it enthusiastically. He wasn’t used to her being so polite—back in school, she used to throw her bag at his head whenever they met.
Shi Ying felt awkward and glanced at Shang Chenyuan for help.
He pulled Pei Yanchuan’s hand away and said gently, “I’ll take you home.”
“Okay.”
Shi Ying picked up her coat, but before she could put it on, she felt something tugging at her leg.
Shang Nian was hugging her tightly.
The little girl looked up at her with big, round eyes.
Shi Ying crouched down and patted her head. “I’ll come play with you another day, okay?”
She genuinely liked the child—there was an inexplicable sense of closeness.
Shang Nian pouted, her eyes blinking as tears rolled down.
Shi Ying hurriedly wiped them away, flustered.
“If you’re free on weekends, could you come spend time with her?” Shang Chenyuan asked. “She likes you a lot. If you agree, I’ll count it as overtime—triple pay.”
Shi Ying hesitated. Facing triple pay, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.
Shang Nian traced something on her palm.
Seeing her hesitation, Shang Chenyuan added, “Five times.”
“Deal!” Shi Ying agreed immediately.
Playing with a child on weekends—and she could gather information about Shang Yu at the same time.
A perfect win-win.
Shang Chenyuan smiled.
“Then I’ll pick you up this weekend.”