The first meeting between Shen Chengshan, Xia Qiaoya, and Xie Cangyue took place at a highly private restaurant. When Shen Junhuai brought her in, Xia Qiaoya saw those familiar features and could not help but shed tears. Even Shen Chengshan could not suppress the redness in his eyes.
Xia Qiaoya said, “Child, you have suffered.”
Xie Cangyue simply replied, “I do not think it was suffering.”
She answered whatever Xia Qiaoya asked, her emotions stable; perhaps a bit too stable. Xia Qiaoya and Shen Chengshan exchanged a look, then glanced at Shen Junhuai. He returned a look that indicated she had always been this way.
Xia Qiaoya finally composed herself and began putting food on Xie Cangyue’s plate. “I have been so busy talking that I forgot you must be hungry. Eat first. I am not sure if this restaurant suits your taste.”
Xie Cangyue took a bite. “It is quite good. I am not a picky eater.”
Hearing this, Xia Qiaoya could not help but secretly wipe away another tear.
Once she had finished eating, Shen Chengshan spoke. “Your mother and I have been thinking. Although Zhaozhao is not our biological daughter, she has been with us for so many years that there is no difference. We will announce to the public that your mother gave birth to twins and that you are the older sister. As for your adoptive mother, I will arrange everything.”
Xie Cangyue stated bluntly, “I have no intention of returning to the Shen family.”
In truth, that was a polite way of putting it; she had never once considered returning to the Shen family.
Shen Chengshan remained silent after hearing this, but Xia Qiaoya took her hand. “You can put other matters aside for now. Zhaozhao has a kind personality. You two should meet first. If you get along, you can move into the house. We can discuss the rest later.”
“We have already met, though she did not know the situation at the time,” Xie Cangyue added. “She is a good person.”
Xia Qiaoya was surprised and looked at Shen Junhuai, who nodded.
Xia Qiaoya smiled. “That is good.”
As they left the restaurant, Shen Chengshan and Shen Junhuai walked in front, while Xia Qiaoya walked behind, holding Xie Cangyue’s hand.
“I heard from Xiao Huai that you plan to wait until after your adoptive mother’s surgery to tell her about this.”
Xie Cangyue nodded. Given Xie Xiangxue’s health, the later she found out, the better.
Xia Qiaoya fell silent for a moment before finally saying, “You may not want to hear this, but I am the only one who can say it. Heart surgery is not a minor procedure. Even with the most authoritative doctors, there is no guarantee of one hundred percent success. At least before the surgery, let Zhaozhao see her.”
Shen Zhaoran did not know yet, and Xie Cangyue could not predict how she would feel about Xie Xiangxue once she found out. However, if Xie Xiangxue did not make it off the operating table, Shen Zhaoran would never be able to see her biological mother again. She did not want Shen Zhaoran to live with regrets.
Xie Cangyue was stunned. She had switched Xie Xiangxue to imported medicine and brought her to the capital for treatment until the doctor gave the final ultimatum: conservative treatment was no longer working. Luo Keming had warned her about this possibility; the thought was terrifying, but it was an objective reality. She pressed her lips together, her expression growing heavy.
Xia Qiaoya comforted her, “The worst-case scenario may not happen. I am just suggesting they meet; you do not even have to tell your adoptive mother the truth.”
Xie Cangyue’s expression softened slightly. “I will go back and think about it.”
After returning home, Xia Qiaoya looked through Shen Zhaoran’s childhood photo album again, feeling both heartbroken for the biological daughter who had suffered so much and for Shen Zhaoran, who had been in poor health since she was a child. Shen Chengshan could only stay by her side to comfort her.
When they emerged from the room, Xia Qiaoya found Shen Junhuai and asked him to think about how to tell Shen Zhaoran the news. She was afraid of seeing Shen Zhaoran cry in her arms before she could even explain, yet she was also worried about being discovered if Shen Zhaoran sensed something was wrong. Moreover, the longer this dragged on, the more hurt Shen Zhaoran would be when she eventually found out; keeping it a secret was the most hurtful thing of all. Facing this, Xia Qiaoya felt as though she had aged ten years overnight. When she combed her hair this morning, she had even spotted white strands.
Shen Junhuai waited a long time before saying, “I will go tell Zhaozhao.”
In truth, he had been absent-minded all day, but since no one else in the house was in good spirits, no one had noticed.
Early in the morning, Shen Zhaoran snuck into the car before the driver could start the engine.
Shen Junhuai glanced at her. “Did you not stay up late playing games yesterday? Are you not tired from waking up so early?”
Shen Zhaoran felt guilty. “How did you know? I held myself back from posting my gaming stats.”
Shen Junhuai: “Xia Zeyu posted them.”
Shen Zhaoran: “Oh.”
Damn you, Xia Zeyu!
Shen Zhaoran reached out, placed her hand on his arm, and smiled at him; looking both innocent and vulnerable. “I saw you were in a bad mood, so I wanted to keep you company.”
Even though his winter clothes were thick, he felt as if he could still sense the warmth of Shen Zhaoran’s palm. These past few days, he kept thinking about things he had never dared to imagine before. Feelings of longing expanded rapidly, threatening to swallow his reason.
He hid the emotions in his eyes and pulled Shen Zhaoran’s hand away. “Do not act spoiled.”
“Hehe.” Shen Zhaoran hugged his arm and leaned closer. “You will make yourself sick if you keep all your bad emotions bottled up inside.”
Shen Junhuai paused for two seconds. “Then you must not bottle up your own bad emotions either.”
Shen Zhaoran did not realize he was speaking with a hidden meaning; she simply said, “I certainly would not bottle them up.”
“Are you free tonight? I will take you out.”
“I am. Are we going to eat?”
“We are going to the observation deck to watch a meteor shower.”
“Wow!” Shen Zhaoran’s eyes lit up.
Because of that promise, Shen Zhaoran spent the entire day in anticipation. However, a situation arose at the studio in the afternoon, and by the time they finished, it was very late.
Shen Junhuai drove to pick her up. As she got into the car, he asked, “Have you had dinner?”
Shen Zhaoran fastened her seatbelt and said, “Yes, I have. Let us head straight to the observation deck. We will not miss the meteor shower, right?”
Shen Junhuai checked the time. “Estimated time is in another hour and a half.”
Shen Zhaoran felt relieved. On the way, she looked out the window. “The weather is lovely today.”
As soon as they got out of the car, someone led them to the top floor of the observation deck. The deck was surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a magnificent view, and the climate-controlled interior kept the temperature comfortable.
Shen Junhuai picked up the coat she had taken off and asked, “What would you like to drink?”
“I did not see a menu when we came in,” she mused. “I want to drink ice-cold watermelon juice.”
Shen Junhuai: “No.”
In the end, someone in uniform brought up a cup of hot milk and a cup of coffee.
Shen Zhaoran: “Oh.”
Shen Zhaoran muttered quietly, “You would not let me drink juice, but you asked me what I wanted to order. Why are we drinking coffee so late? I already have insomnia.”
Shen Junhuai calmly picked up his coffee cup. “I heard that.”
Shen Zhaoran hummed in annoyance and began drinking her milk.