Sheng Yanzhou’s voice was not loud, but it was audible to everyone present.
When they had sat down earlier, Sheng Qingshan had made sure to seat Sheng Yunshu closer to the head of the table to avoid direct contact between her and Sheng Yanzhou.
This was not the first time Sheng Yanzhou had provoked her. Previously, she would have just endured it, but now, considering she might not even live through the month, why should she act as a live target?
“Since I am dying anyway,” she said, raising her eyes. A hint of a smile still lingered on her lips, as if she were commenting on some trivial matter. “Can you not just indulge me? What do you mean by ‘ungrateful wretch’? She just loves me. She is willing to give me whatever I ask for. Isn’t that right, Sister?”
Her voice was soft, and her tone was even lighthearted. She sounded like she was acting spoiled.
Sheng Yanzhou’s eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting her to talk back, let alone in such a nauseating tone.
“Do not talk nonsense.” Sheng Qingshan squeezed her hand, then turned her gaze toward Sheng Yanzhou. “What did I say last time? Apologize.”
Sheng Yanzhou crossed her arms and sneered. “You told me not to lay a hand on her, and did I? Did I name anyone specifically in what I just said? If she wants to jump into the fire herself, that is none of my business.”
Sheng Yunshu blinked as if she were seriously considering Sheng Yanzhou’s words.
“You are right,” she nodded, her tone sincere. “You did not name anyone. It was my own choice to jump.”
She paused, then smiled again. “In that case, if I say there is a mad dog at this table that bites everyone it sees, you should not assume I am talking about you, right?”
Sheng Yanzhou’s expression darkened visibly.
Shi Yun looked over from the side, as if she were anticipating the scene about to unfold.
Sheng Qingshan’s grip on Sheng Yunshu’s hand tightened, a pressure that hovered between restraint and indulgence.
“Yunshu.” Her voice was low, not scolding, but reminding.
Feeling the pressure at her fingertips, Sheng Yunshu obediently lowered her head and muttered, “She did not say I could not talk back.”
The tone was incredibly aggrieved, as if she were the one being bullied.
Sheng Qingshan shielded her very well; from Sheng Yanzhou’s angle, only half of her face was visible.
A soft chuckle broke the silence.
“Fine,” Sheng Yanzhou leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. “Sheng Yunshu, you are something else.”
“I am not much of anything,” Sheng Yunshu ladled a bowl of soup for Sheng Qingshan, her tone casual. “After all, I am dying. My body’s functions are declining in every aspect, so I am really not much of anything.”
She paused, then added, “But I am probably better than you, at least my sister is willing to marry me.”
When she said this, she deliberately leaned out from behind Sheng Qingshan, afraid that Sheng Yanzhou might miss the expression on her face.
Sheng Jiazhen, sitting opposite them, was very glad she had told Sheng Yunshu the truth earlier.
“Enough.” This time, it was Sheng Jiuyuan who spoke.
She put down her chopsticks. The movement was gentle, but the sound of the porcelain clinking was piercingly clear in the quiet dining room.
“Do not talk about these things while eating.” She glanced at Sheng Yanzhou, then looked at Sheng Yunshu, her gaze lingering on the latter for a moment longer. “We are all one family.”
Sheng Yanzhou sneered and said nothing more.
Sheng Yunshu also lowered her head honestly and stopped provoking her.
In her heart, she silently gave herself an “A” for her performance tonight.
Shi Yun, however, sighed with great regret.
After the meal, Sheng Qingshan was called into the study by Sheng Jiuyuan.
Before leaving, Sheng Qingshan told Sheng Yunshu to wait for her in the side parlor and not to wander off.
“Is this necessary?” Sheng Yanzhou leaned against her wheelchair, her eyes sweeping over Sheng Yunshu, who was acting obediently in front of her with contempt. “Can I eat her or skin her alive? Sister, is your favoritism not a bit too obvious?”
“You have too much of a track record.” Sheng Qingshan looked at her, clearly distrustful.
Sheng Yanzhou wanted to retort, but thinking of the things she had done, she had no grounds to argue, so she just stubbornly clung to the point of favoritism.
To that, Sheng Qingshan had no defense.
When the side parlor was left with only Sheng Yunshu, she laid sprawled out on the sofa, just as she used to at home, and began to savor everything that had happened today.
They were married, Sister had held her hand the whole time, and she had stood up to Sheng Yanzhou.
What a beautiful day!
Just as she was immersed in the dream of being able to sleep in the same bed with Sheng Qingshan tonight, a figure suddenly entered her field of vision.
“Yunshu, can we talk, Mother and daughter?”
Sheng Yunshu sat up with a start. Just as she was about to stand, Sheng Jiazhen patted her shoulder and sat down on the other side.
“Mother knows about your situation.” Sheng Jiazhen sighed, her gaze softening with genuine emotion. “You have always been such a healthy child; I never thought you would contract this illness. However, why did you marry Qingshan? Is it just because you wanted to be on the family register?”
Sheng Jiazhen understood Sheng Qingshan; she knew she already had someone in her heart. This kind of arrangement could only have been proposed by Sheng Yunshu.
“I…” Sheng Yunshu felt a bit guilty and did not dare meet her eyes. “I just wanted to be with her. Mother, do not worry, I will not live past this year. After I am gone, Sister will slowly forget about me.”
While waiting for Ji Jingxing’s message that afternoon, Sheng Yunshu had searched online for information about Dissociation Disorder.
After understanding it in depth, Sheng Yunshu understood why this illness had a one-hundred-percent mortality rate.
Because the patients would choose euthanasia between one and three weeks before total organ failure.
There were no exceptions.
Sheng Jiazhen looked at the daughter in front of her, no, she should now be called the legal wife of her daughter, and suddenly realized she was not as fragile as she had imagined.
“How could she forget you? You grew up by her side since childhood; compared to me, she is more like a mother to you.” Sheng Jiazhen reached out and took her hand, her voice growing hoarse. “When you are gone, she will be the one who is most devastated.”
Sheng Yunshu lowered her head, hiding her reddened eyes.
“It is alright, she will be fine after some time.” She held Sheng Jiazhen’s hand and said softly, “She only sees me as a younger sister, a little sister she raised from childhood who shares no blood relation. Now that the little sister is dying and wants to marry her and come home openly, she agreed. Once I die, she might be sad for a while, but not for too long.”
As she spoke, she looked up and smiled at Sheng Jiazhen. “You know how she is, she will forget everything once she gets busy.”
Sheng Jiazhen looked at her smile, feeling a bitterness in her heart.
“And what about you?” she asked. “What do you want?”
Sheng Yunshu tilted her head and thought for a moment.
“I want her to rest more and not be so exhausted,” she said. “I hope she does not always keep herself on edge. When she is free, I want her to go out and have fun with friends, and if there is something bothering her, she should not bottle it up. Being a ‘bottled-up person’ is the worst.”
She paused, her voice dropping. “I also want her to meet someone who truly loves her and whom she loves back after I die, so she can be happy in the future.”
Her own life would be short, but she did not want Sheng Qingshan to stay trapped in the past.
By the time Sheng Qingshan came out of the study, it was nearly ten o’clock, so she decided to stay the night.
Sheng Yunshu had no objections; the moment she saw Sheng Qingshan, she walked over, hugged her arm, and complained of being sleepy.
“I will take you back to your room to rest.” After bidding farewell to Sheng Jiazhen, Sheng Qingshan took her away.
At first, Sheng Yunshu did not notice anything wrong, but when she realized the path was becoming increasingly familiar, she stopped in her tracks.
“Where are we going?”
Sheng Qingshan turned to look at her. “To your residence; do you not remember?”
A flicker of panic flashed in her eyes; Sheng Qingshan immediately reached out to check her forehead.
“No!” Sheng Yunshu grasped her hand, her cheeks blushing slightly. “Are we not going to your place? And besides, was this building not given to her?”
Sheng Qingshan looked at the small building with the lights on and shook her head. “No, this place has always been yours.”
Sheng Qingshan did not say much, but Sheng Yunshu could guess that she must have traded something better to get this building back from Sheng Yanzhou.
“You idiot; where one lives does not matter, if she wanted it, you could have just given it to her.” Sheng Yunshu complained in a low voice, but her heart softened. “I do not want to live here; today is our first day of marriage! I want to live with you!”
The words were too blunt. Sheng Yunshu blushed as soon as she finished speaking, diving into Sheng Qingshan’s arms and hugging her tightly, refusing to let go.
But Sheng Qingshan did not think in that direction; she just assumed she was still afraid of sleeping alone. Given her current condition, Sheng Qingshan truly did not feel safe letting her be by herself.
“Alright, then let us go to my place.”
She had guessed that she would agree, but she had not expected her to agree so quickly, without suspecting anything at all. Sheng Yunshu felt both annoyed and relieved; she could only secretly call her an idiot in her heart.
Late at night, when Sheng Qingshan finished washing up, Sheng Yunshu was already asleep buried under the covers.
She was likely too tired; she was sleeping very soundly, and her loose pajamas were bunched up, revealing a large expanse of skin.
Sheng Qingshan pulled back the quilt and got into bed. She first checked her pulse, then smoothed out her pajamas, and lay down beside her to sleep.
Her movements were very light, but Sheng Yunshu still stirred. She rolled toward her in a daze, rubbing her face against the pillow, and mumbled stickily:
“Sister.”
Sheng Qingshan paused, then pulled her into her arms and gently patted her back. “Sleep now.”
After a long while, when Sheng Qingshan had fallen asleep, the person in her arms quietly opened her eyes and secretly kissed the scar on her chest:
“Idiot.”
Because Sheng Yunshu insisted on enjoying every day to come and refused to go to the hospital or take medicine, and with Ye Lingyun’s persuasion, Sheng Qingshan stopped forcing her to take medication.
However, she continued to pressure Ye Lingyun and that team of experts.
At the same time, she had to submit a report detailing her marital relationship with Sheng Yunshu. Since Sheng Yunshu was a public figure, she probably needed to coordinate with regulatory departments. Regarding the financial side, Sheng Qingshan had already arranged everything so there would be no issues.
After finishing the report, Sheng Qingshan swiped her finger across the desk, and a holographic screen lit up. A flood of information and emails poured in.
Twenty-seven encrypted communications, thirty-four pending reports, and two emergency notification summons from her superiors.
Sheng Qingshan clicked on them one by one and began to process them.
These tasks were not difficult for her, and she quickly handled a third of them.
However, when she saw an email from the Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Committee with the agenda “Regarding the compliance review of the cooperation project between the Security Department and the Sheng Yun Welfare Agency,” Sheng Qingshan slowed down her processing speed.
She did not know who had sent this email to her, but one thing was certain: it was not with good intentions.
However, Sheng Yun was a welfare agency established two years ago, and all procedures, charitable income, and expenditures were detailed and documented, capable of withstanding any investigation.
Sheng Qingshan carefully read the content of the email. Finding no distorted facts or malicious smears, she processed it according to official procedure.
At noon, Sheng Qingshan made a video call to Sheng Yunshu as usual, watching her eat, but the moment the call rang for two seconds, the other party hung up instantly.
“Hmm?”
Before Sheng Qingshan could call back, the other party called her, but it was a voice call.
“What is wrong? Why did you not pick up the video? Where are you now?”
“Why are you being so aggressive! You are so fierce!” Sheng Yunshu reversed the blame, then said in a forced, sweet tone, “Wuze and I are eating outside. When you get off work tonight, come pick me up at the film set, you must come! I have a surprise to show you.”
Listening to the chattering sound on the other end, Sheng Qingshan relaxed, and a smile gradually spread in her eyes. “What kind of surprise must wait until night to tell me? Can you not say it now?”
“I said it is a surprise, how can I tell you now! But you can guess!”
Sheng Qingshan took a bite of rice, accompanying her in this childish game.
“Did you change your hairstyle?”
“…I am ignoring you! You are so annoying!”
Hearing this, Sheng Qingshan chuckled softly. “Then I take it back; pretend you did not hear it, okay?”
“No! Fine, guess what you want, but you definitely do not know what I look like now! In the afternoon, when you are free, you can think about it more.”
Anyone could hear the woman’s hints, but Sheng Qingshan was so used to her acting spoiled that she was long accustomed to it. She asked her to send a photo of her lunch, then ended the conversation.
In the evening, Sheng Qingshan did not let her driver pick her up, choosing instead to drive to the film set herself.
Summer was approaching quickly, and the sky turned dark later than before. The wind in the air was no longer bone-chillingly cold, but carried a touch of lingering warmth.
Sheng Qingshan arrived at the agreed-upon location but did not see Sheng Yunshu. She called her, the ringtone played for a few seconds, and then a bright figure jumped out from around the corner.
“Sister!”
Her pink long hair traced a vibrant arc in the air with her movements, like a peach blossom suddenly blooming in spring.
She was wearing a camisole with a short hollow-knit cardigan on top, and an asymmetrical skirt on the bottom, paired with brown long boots. The whole look made her appear like a college student, youthful and vibrant.
“Ta-da!” Sheng Yunshu spread her arms and twirled in place. Her long hair fluttered, bringing with it a burst of fragrance. “How is it! Does it look good!”
But Sheng Qingshan’s reaction disappointed her greatly.
“Did I not tell you not to mess around with things? You should not be dyeing your hair right now; the chemicals in that will make you, uh—”
Sheng Yunshu raised her hand to cover her mouth. “I do not want to hear those words! Whether I use them or not, the result will not change, so why should I wrong myself?”
Hearing this, a flash of pain crossed Sheng Qingshan’s eyes.
“Sister…”
Sheng Yunshu let go of her, took her hand, and placed it on her own face. Her lovely eyes were filled with a smile:
“Do I look good?”
Caressing her cheek, Sheng Qingshan nodded. “You look good no matter what.”
Sheng Yunshu was satisfied with this answer. She stepped forward, head tilted back, wanting to get even closer, but her heart lost its courage. Instead, she moved her hand to her waist.
“Sister, I hope that in your eyes, I will always be beautiful.”
If the ending could not be changed, she wanted to make Sheng Qingshan’s life more colorful during this final stretch of time.