After Fu Hengyi left, Shen Qinglan regained some peace in her life. The end of the finals meant summer break had arrived, and Shen Qinglan moved back home from school. No one could be sure of how much time Grandma Shen had left. Shen Qinglan wanted to spend more time with the old woman, who had cared so deeply for her.
Just a few days after Shen Xitong had fallen from the stairs, Shen Junyu returned from a business trip abroad. He had never expected such a commotion to happen in the family during the week he was away.
"Lan Lan, were you hurt?" Shen Junyu examined Shen Qinglan.
She shook her head, "I'm fine." The perp is currently in the hospital.
"That's a relief." Shen Junyu patted her on the head, "I don't believe you're the one who pushed her."
Shen Qinglan was startled to hear that. She allowed Shen Junyu's hand to meddle with her hair. "You haven't even asked about it and, just going from that, you believe I'm not the one who did it? What if I happen to be the vicious and jealous type, who can't stand Shen Xitong being better than me, so I push her down the stairs on a whim?"
That was what her mother thought anyway. A faint sneer could be detected in Shen Qinglan's eyes.
"Lan Lan, I know you won't do that," Shen Junyu said tenderly. He had always treated his sister like that. "Although you didn't spend your childhood with us, I've always known you're a kind-hearted girl who won't stoop to that level."
Shen Qinglan stared into Shen Junyu gentle eyes and knew that her brother had been very kind to her from the moment she had stepped back into the house. At first she had thought his kindness was a manner of debt payment or compensation; then, she realized how superficial she had been.
"I'm not that nice a person," Shen Qinglan spoke clearly, without a trace of emotion. Shen Junyu could not figure out the deep meaning of her words.
If, one day, he were to find out everything, would he still believe that she was a kind woman like he did then?
"Dummy, even if you're not that nice, you're still my sister, and a daughter of the Shen family," Shen Junyu softly smiled when he noticed the sudden alienation coming from Shen Qinglan.
From the first day Shen Qinglan had returned home, Shen Junyu had known that Shen Qinglan always kept her guard up against members of the family, or anyone else for that matter. She only trusted herself. He did not know what his younger sister had experienced as a child that made her behave so defensively toward everyone else.
She accepted the family, but had not fully integrated into it. She kept everyone else at a distance, except her grandparents.
She was like an outsider, living in this house but looking in from the outside, keeping a cold, watchful eye on everything that went on in the family.
All that made Shen Junyu feel helpless and sorry for her.
Because of it, Shen Junyu knew that Shen Qinglan would never push Shen Xitong downstairs out of jealousy for her mother's love.
But Shen Xitong...
Darkness crossed in Shen Junyu's eyes.
----
"Qinglan, this wine is great, try it." Yu Xiaoxuan pushed a glass filled with orange liquid in front of Shen Qinglan.
Shen Qinglan held it up and took a sip. The faint taste of wine mixed with fruity aroma gave off a hint of sweetness. It was fine indeed.
The two of them were currently at a bar which Yu Xiaoxuan had been dying to visit for a long time.
"The aftertaste is quite strong. You might want to slow down," Shen Qinglan stopped Yu Xiaoxuan by grabbing her hand when she watched her finish one glass and was out to get another.
Yu Xiaoxuan giggled and waved her hand casually. "Nothing to it. I can hold my liquor very well. Don't forget, I was the last one standing at the party in our room last time."
Yu Xiaoxuan gloated. Shen Qinglan rolled her eyes. She really did not have the heart to remind her that she had sung all night long in her drunken state, so much so that the dorm administrator had come knocking on their door and had give them a good scolding afterward.
"Alright, Qinglan, I swear I won't get myself drunk. Let me have another glass, just one more," Yu Xiaoxuan lifted one finger and looked at Shen Qinglan pitifully.
Frustrated, Shen Qinglan let go of her arm. Yu Xiaoxuan swiftly grabbed another glass and drank a mouthful, feeling content.
The two beautiful ladies had managed to attract a lot of attention from the patrons the minute they had stepped into the bar. Shen Qinglan's cold and distant appearance had kept them all at bay—the patrons could only watch them from afar.
Right then, when the two began to help themselves to seconds, someone could not wait anymore. A foppish man with sleek hair took his glass of wine and sat down next to Shen Qinglan with a charming smile… or so he thought.
"You don't look familiar. First time here?"
Shen Qinglan had known that someone was approaching, but they were in public. She could not refuse him the seat.
She kept to herself and drank her wine in sips, completely ignoring the greasy-haired man.
The man thought nothing of it. A beauty such as her had the privilege of being stand-offish.
"First time seeing you around her. I think we're fated to meet. Drinks are on me today, girls. Order whatever you want," the greasy-haired man waved proudly.
Treating strangers to drinks was quite common in bars. Everyone just smiled in unspoken agreement.
"Oh, whatever we want?" Shen Qinglan finally raised her eyelids and glanced at the greasy-haired man. In that glance, her usual apathy was absent, replaced with amorous charms. The man stared at her, transfixed. He nodded, "O-Of course."
After receiving an affirmative answer, Shen Qinglan snapped her fingers and turned to the bartender. With a stony face, she said, "Give me two bottles of 1982 Lafite."
As soon as Shen Qinglan made her order, the bartender gave the greasy-haired man a perplexed look. The man was a frequent patron of the establishment and had often visited since the bar opened. The bartender could not be sure of the man's financial situation, but at the very least he knew the man could barely afford the glass of wine in his hand, not to mention two bottles of 1982 Lafite.
"What are you looking at him for? Didn't he say that he'll bear the cost for our drinks tonight? We can order whatever we want," Shen Qinglan's voice was soft and faint, but she managed to arouse the man's senses.
His face paled. It was obvious he had been played. As the bartender went to get the wine, the man hastily said, "Hang on." If he accepted the order, his wife would skin him alive once he returned home. He usually enjoyed treating beautiful women to a drink in exchange for a good impression and, if the women were willing, he did not mind getting to know more about each other.
"What, you're backing out now? A man's words can't be trusted after all," Shen Qinglan said. She even peered at him disdainfully.
The man got even more upset, but he refused to admit he was low on cash. He was about to get mad when his eyes met Shen Qinglan's icy ones. It was as though he could see tall, snowy mountains reflected in that single glance. Cold, and filled with bloodlust.
The greasy-haired man's rage instantly went out as though a pot of cold water had just poured down on him. His legs trembled and he staggered out of the bar.