Fu Hengyi knew that Grandma Shen had been discharged from the hospital. After all, he had dropped by the Shen's the day before. It just so happened that Shen Qinglan had not been around, for she had gone to school.
"So, Mr Fu... what business do you have with me today?" Shen Qinglan, not intending to play guessing games with him, directly asked when Fu Hengyi failed to mention why he was looking for her.
A trace of awkwardness flashed across his eyes, but Fu Hengyi remained calm, "You're Junyu's sister, yet I haven't seen you all these years since your return. I shall be leaving in a few days, so I thought I should treat you to a meal before then."
Shen Qinglan apparently did not believe him, but she was not the one to get to the bottom of things. If Fu Hengyi was unwilling to tell her, she would not force it out of him.
Coincidentally, they met Han Yi right as they exited the restaurant. Next to him stood a slender woman in a fiery red dress, looking quite enchanting and delicate. The woman clung to Han Yi's arm rather intimately.
"You..." Han Yi was surprised to see Fu Hengyi and Shen Qinglan together. When had they started dating?
Just a few days ago, he recalled someone making an oath that he would not be 'robbing the cradle'. It had only been a few days, and he had already managed to make a much younger woman fall for him?
Shen Qinglan's face remained peaceful, as though nothing from the outside world could affect her.
"Keep your thoughts to yourself," Fu Hengyi said coolly. The two were like brothers in arms so, with just a glance, he could tell what Han Yi was thinking.
Han Yi teased, "Miss Qinglan, we've met before, but maybe you don't recognize me. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Han Yi, Fu Hengyi's best friend, and a friend of your brother, too."
Han Yi stretched out his hand and smiled gentlemanly without a hint of frivolity in his amorous eyes. Even calling her "Miss Qinglan" did not sound teasing.
Shen Qinglan reached out, shook his hand, and broke off upon contact, "Mister Han."
Fu Hengyi looked at their interaction, his eyebrows furrowed slightly but quickly loosened.
Han Yi raised an eyebrow. The Shen family's daughter was certainly a stone-cold fox. It was a wonder that she could stay calm while he behaved the way he did. Oh, wait. That was untrue. She was disregarding him.
While Mr Han was curious, at the same time he could not help feeling a little discouraged. Had he lost his good looks?
"We've got to go. There are other matters to attend," Fu Hengyi took Shen Qinglan by the wrist and walked straight out of the restaurant.
Han Yi raised a brow craftily as he watched them leave, hand in hand.
"Where next? School, or home?" Fu Hengyi asked.
"Home." Shen Qinglan gave a simple answer, as usual.
Fu Hengyi's car stopped in front of the Shen family's front gate. He did not get out.
"Thanks," Shen Qinglan said lightly as she fumbled with the seatbelt before getting out of the car.
"Wait," Fu Hengyi called out to her. "Have you saved my number?"
Shen Qinglan looked at him doubtfully.
"If anything happens, you can call me. You're my sister after all, all things considered," Fu Hengyi explained.
"Sure."
Fu Hengyi did not stop her this time. He watched as Shen Qinglan entered the villa's courtyard before driving off.
"Qinglan." A sweet, female voice called out from behind her.
Shen Qinglan paused. She turned around to find Shen Xitong stepping out from behind her, with a look of complication on her face, "That was Fu Hengyi who brought you home, wasn't it?"
"So what?" Shen Qinglan said, looking rather blandly.
"How's it that you're with him?" Shen Xitong asked, her hands clenching in the dark.
Shen Qinglan sized up Shen Xitong. Added to her general indifference was a touch of interest—it seemed Shen Xitong was fond of Fu Hengyi.
"What's that got to do with you?"
"Shen Qinglan," Shen Xitong said angrily. That was her crush they were talking about, how could she not be nervous?
Fu Hengyi never approached the opposite sex easily. In the many years she had known him, she had never seen him getting close to any woman. That was the first time she came across him with a woman, who happened to be Shen Qinglan, the one who had stolen everything from her.
Shen Xitong would not rest until she could make sense of the relationship between Shen Qinglan and Fu Hengyi.
"Well, what is he to you then? Why did he have to bring you back?" Shen Xitong questioned softly. She did not dare to raise her voice, for fear that the residents of the household might notice.
"Whatever's between him and I is none of your business," Shen Qinglan spoke of it rather lightly, but her words upset Shen Xitong on the spot.
Shen Xitong approached Shen Qinglan and warned her in a low voice: "Shen Qinglan, I warn you, no matter what you think of him, he's not yours to have, so I urge you to stay away from him."
But Shen Qinglan had no reason to fear Shen Xitong's warning.
She eyed her the way she would a clown performing tricks in the circus, "Shen Xitong, who do you think you are to say something like that, huh?" She punctuated with a slight chill.
They gave each other dirty looks.
"What are you two doing here?" Chu Yunrong's voice sounded from the door.
Frightened, Shen Xitong instantly reverted to her usual tenderness and looked back at the front door of the villa.
"I was going on a walk just now and I happened to see my dear sister come back. I haven't seen her in such a long time, and I've been so busy these past few days, so I thought I should have a chat with her."
Shen Xitong smiled, looking at Shen Qinglan as though she missed her long-lost sister.
"It's dark out there. If you want to chat, come inside," Chu Yunrong did not doubt Shen Xitong at all, "It's already June, and yet it's still quite chilly at night. Don't catch a cold now, especially you, Tongtong. You have a performance coming up. It'll be troublesome if you catch a cold."
Chu Yunrong kept nagging.
Shen Xitong stepped forward, still smiling, held Chu Yunrong by the arm and rested her head on her shoulder. Then she pouted, "Mom, I'm fine. I won't fall sick that easily." The two seemed intimate.
As Shen Xitong was talking to Chu Yunrong, she did not forget to give Shen Qinglan a provocative look.
From the corner of her eye, Chu Yunrong noticed her other daughter still standing there. She was about to call her in when, before she could even speak, Shen Xitong dragged her away, "Right, Mom. The evening gown I ordered has arrived. Come take a look and tell me what you think."
Distracted by Shen Xitong, Chu Yunrong soon forgot about Shen Qinglan, who was still standing in the courtyard, as she followed Shen Xitong into the house.
----
As soon as Fu Hengyi entered the Fu's household, he saw Grandpa Fu hovering at the door with his hands on his hips. He could glance at the front gate from time to time and, when he finally saw his grandson, his eyes glimmered for a moment before dissatisfaction crossed his face again.
"Kid, why are you back so early?"
Fu Hengyi looked at him inexplicably. "It's already nine. How is this early?"
Of course it was early! Grandpa Fu would rather his grandson stay out for the whole night, if that meant he could get a great grandson sooner.
"Aren't you having dinner with Qinglan?"
"We finished our food, so I came back."
Furiously, Grandpa Fu glared at Fu Hengyi, as though the young man had done something unforgivable.