Although it was only hot milk, Shen Zhaoran drank it with pleasure. She gripped the cup and looked out the window from time to time, her face filled with anticipation.
Watching her like this, Shen Junhuai wondered for a moment whether he should tell her or if it would be better to delay it. But in the end, he had the document bag brought over. Shen Zhaoran looked at it with confusion, and before she could ask, she heard Shen Junhuai’s voice.
“Zhaozhao.”
“What is it?”
“Do you remember Xie Cangyue?”
Shen Zhaoran nodded. “A very beautiful and tough girl. Come to think of it, I always feel like she looks very familiar, but I cannot recall who she resembles.”
Shen Junhuai’s heart skipped a beat. He almost thought she had already discovered the truth. He pulled her into his arms, holding her in a way that offered a great sense of security.
Shen Zhaoran looked up at him, puzzled.
“She came to see me and told me something about you and her.”
Shen Junhuai placed the document bag in her hands and said slowly, “Brother will always be here, so do not be afraid.”
Shen Zhaoran looked down at the bag, remained silent for two seconds, and then slowly opened it to pull out all the documents. Time ticked away, second by second, until she finished reading every page.
“So, I am not Mom and Dad’s child.”
Her voice was soft, so soft it felt as if it would scatter with a gust of wind.
Shen Junhuai’s breath hitched. He held her close and said gently, “As long as you want it, nothing will change.”
Shen Zhaoran was only in her twenties and had been pampered and spoiled by her family since childhood. Suddenly learning something like this, she had exhausted every ounce of effort to suppress her emotions, but now, being coddled by Shen Junhuai, she could no longer hold back. She buried her face in Shen Junhuai’s chest, using his high-end custom suit as a tissue to wipe away all her tears.
Crying could not solve the problem, but it provided a release for her emotions. Shen Zhaoran cried until the first meteor streaked across the night sky.
Shen Junhuai patted her and said, “Zhaozhao, the meteor shower is here.”
Shen Zhaoran only gripped his waist tighter, refusing to lift her head even a little. Shen Junhuai sighed to himself and continued to stroke her back to soothe her.
Once she had vented her emotions, she did not forget to wipe her face clean before sitting up. However, her red, swollen eyes completely exposed the fact that she had just been crying.
The waiter, very observant, brought over a tray with a sterilized hot towel.
Shen Zhaoran: “…”
Thank you, but there is no need to be that observant.
Shen Junhuai’s suit was wrinkled and stained, but he paid it no mind, simply taking the towel to wipe the tear tracks from Shen Zhaoran’s face. Shen Zhaoran glanced away and saw a meteor streak by. She suddenly remembered her childhood, when Shen Junhuai would feed her a piece of candy after she finished her medicine. Now, the meteor shower felt like a piece of candy meant to comfort her.
“Is she okay?”
“She is fine, but her mother is not doing well.” Shen Junhuai observed her expression before continuing, “She has been in poor health. When Xie Cangyue was admitted to the university here, she brought her mother along, and they are now waiting for surgery.”
“What kind of surgery?”
“A heart transplant.”
Shen Zhaoran was somewhat startled.
“You can take your time to consider whether you want to meet her before the surgery. There is no rush.”
Shen Junhuai told her about Xie Cangyue taking the college entrance exam three times, hoping to shift her focus. Shen Zhaoran was indeed stunned, listening intently. “She has so much courage.”
She looked at Shen Junhuai and suddenly reached out to touch his brow.
Shen Junhuai’s heart missed a beat. “What are you doing?”
Shen Zhaoran suddenly smiled. “I remember who Xie Cangyue looks like. She looks like you when you were in your teens, right here in the eyes.”
Even though she was smiling, her expression seemed lonely. Shen Junhuai saw through her thoughts and pinched her cheek. “You little fool, stop letting your imagination run wild.”
Shen Zhaoran leaned against him and stared blankly at the meteor shower. After a while, she asked in a low voice, “Do Mom and Dad know?”
“Yes. They cried even harder than you did.”
“…”
She felt they could not possibly have cried harder than her.
Shen Junhuai touched the corners of her eyes. “We will go back to Tianhai Bay tonight. We will head home only after you have recovered.”
After a while, Shen Zhaoran nodded. She had not yet adjusted to the situation and did not know how to face Shen Chengshan and Xia Qiaoya.
The meteor shower grew fainter. Shen Junhuai pulled her up and used a scarf to cover most of her face to prevent the wind from making her skin hurt. “Let us go.”
The ride back was silent. Shen Zhaoran did not speak again until they returned to Tianhai Bay. Shen Junhuai helped her unwrap the scarf. “Do not think about anything; just go take a hot shower.”
When Shen Zhaoran returned to her room, she still felt a bit dazed. Despite what she had been told, it was impossible not to think about it. As soon as she got out of the shower, she picked up her phone to look at Xie Cangyue’s social media profile.
There was not much content on her profile, only a photo taken in March of last year showing her and Xie Xiangxue. Xie Xiangxue had been sick for many years and did not have a great complexion, but she was smiling very gently. Every time she thought about how difficult their lives had been over the years, she felt a lump of cotton stuck in her chest.
Shen Zhaoran’s bedroom door was not closed, only left slightly ajar. Shen Junhuai knocked twice before entering. He was not at all surprised to see her hair still dripping wet.
Shen Junhuai tapped her, told her to turn around, and sat on the edge of the bed to blow-dry her hair. Not until her long hair became soft and fluffy did Shen Junhuai put the dryer away and ask, “Want to watch a movie?”
Shen Zhaoran looked up at him, nodding after a long while.
Shen Junhuai pulled her to the living room, adjusted the projector to play a random movie, and then wrapped Shen Zhaoran in a blanket, letting her lean in his arms.
“Forgot what you promised me this morning?”
“What?”
As soon as she spoke, Shen Zhaoran remembered. She was not supposed to keep bad feelings bottled up inside. She lowered her eyes and said nothing.
He must have seen the phone screen.
Shen Junhuai pressed on her waist, forcing her to straighten up and meet his eyes.
“Shen Zhaoran, being disobedient again?”
Shen Zhaoran shivered. Shen Junhuai rarely addressed her by her full name; usually, when he did, it meant she was in trouble.
“I just feel a bit sorry for them.”
Shen Junhuai sighed, his tone softening. “Do not put mysterious shackles on yourself; you are not at fault in this matter. I will handle everything. Trust me, okay?”
Shen Zhaoran looked at him, nodded, and then added, “Please do not be angry.”
“Then do not do things that make me angry.”
Shen Zhaoran leaned back against him and said in a low voice, “She can come home to live. If she feels uncomfortable, I can move out.”
Shen Junhuai frowned. “Why move out? Is there not enough space at home?”
After a while, Shen Zhaoran shifted in his arms, moving closer, her voice thick with hidden sorrow. “The name was originally hers too.”
“Your name was chosen by me.”
When Shen Zhaoran was born, she had been transferred from a hospital in Qingcheng to one in Beijing. Shen Chengshan felt the name they had picked before was unlucky since the child had endured such a great ordeal before birth. In the end, it was Shen Junhuai, who had come to the hospital to see his sister, who gave her the name. Shen Chengshan and Xia Qiaoya thought it was good, and after consulting a master, they officially changed her name.
Shen Zhaoran sat up and looked at Shen Junhuai in surprise; this was the first time she had heard this story.
Shen Junhuai pulled her into his arms again. “There is only one Zhaoran.”
Shen Zhaoran felt that no matter what terrible things happened, Shen Junhuai would always stand up and tell her that everything was solved, and that all she had to do was move forward.
Perhaps it was because his embrace was too warm, or perhaps because Shen Junhuai’s presence was reassuring, she stopped thinking about anything and fell quietly asleep.