A youth with a cherubic face and a mushroom-style haircut stepped forward, a faint smile still gracing his lips, exuding an aura of innocence that had yet to dissipate.
Peering through the slightly ajar door, one could catch a glimpse of the room's partitioning screen, yet the imposing figure that occupied the room remained concealed.
Shen Qian's gaze gently swept over before averting his eyes.
Song Lin's stay was also brief.
Across Ning City and its various powers, all held a degree of wariness toward Sixth Lord Quan. They all desired to connect with him, and some even sought to attach themselves.
However, his responses were rare, with only the He family catching his attention, likely due to He Hongye's role as his close friend.
This spoke volumes of his aloofness.
Hence, neither Shen Qian nor Song Lin felt disappointed.
"Ling Yun, you're here too!" He Huai approached with a cheerful smile, reaching out to rest his hand on the baby-faced youth's shoulder.
However, in the next moment, he was pushed away.
The young man with a baby-faced appearance frowned in irritation. "You're emanating the scent of cheap perfume, keep your distance from me."
He Huai didn't get upset; he simply shrugged, acting as if he couldn't do anything about it. "You have allergies, so can you really blame me?"
"It seems you want to go in and see Sixth Lord," the baby-faced youth remarked.
He Huai's neck tensed up. "No, no, no, I have something else to do. I'll leave first."
With that, he quickly gestured to Shen Qian, Song Lin, and Qin Zeyan, and made a swift exit.
From beginning to end, Ling Yun hadn't intended to speak to anyone other than He Huai.
He was, after all, a subordinate of the Sixth Lord – being proud was entirely justified.
Hmph!
"Ah-choo!"
Oh no! He was having an allergic reaction to the perfume again!
This He Huai!
Ling Yun gritted his teeth in frustration.
Shen Qian returned home, well past midnight.
He had no intention of turning on the lights and made his way upstairs in the dark.
Suddenly, a shadow blocked his path, resembling a ghost.
The man's eyelids twitched, and he came to a sudden halt, "Yan?!"
"Brother..."
"What time is it? Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I was waiting for you," Shen Yan, wearing nothing but a thin nightgown, stood at the staircase, her eyes shining brightly.
"What's the matter?"
"Brother, Shen Wan deliberately pushed me down the stairs and even threatened me..."
The next day.
Shen Wan woke up at six o'clock, watering the cactus on the windowsill before getting ready. After changing her clothes, she came downstairs just in time for breakfast.
"Grandfather, father, aunt, brother, Xiao Yan, good morning."
Shen Zongming showed little reaction, Yang Lan and Shen Yan pretended not to notice, only Shen Chunjiang and Shen Qian responded with a "morning".
Shen Wan smiled, showing no sign of disappointment.
Seeming indifferent but satisfied with their responses, as if they were enough and she didn't greedily desire more.
Shen Chunjiang felt a pang of heartache for his daughter.
A shadow of darkness crossed Shen Qian's eyes.
Breakfast passed in tranquility.
"Shen Wan—stop right there!"
Just as Shen Wan was leaving the Shen residence's front gate, a shrill voice called from behind, lacking politeness.
Shen Wan halted and turned around, smiling sweetly, "Second sister, is there something you need?"
As soon as Shen Wan spoke, it made Shen Yan utterly disgusted. "Second sister? Do you even qualify to call me that?"
Shen Wan pursed her lips, her eyes briefly revealing hurt before swiftly concealing it. She obediently corrected herself, "Xiao Yan..."
"Is that amusing? We're alone now. Is pretending still interesting to you? You were so pleased with yourself after pushing me down the stairs yesterday, weren't you?"
Shen Wan looked puzzled. "What are you talking about? Clearly, you pushed me. How did it become that I pushed you?"
In comparison to Shen Yan's aggressiveness, the young girl's voice was consistently soft and submissive, tinged with a hint of plaintive choking.
"Wretched woman! Still pretending?! What's the difference between you and dad's mistress?"
Shen Wan clenched her teeth, although she was trembling with anger, she maintained a non-aggressive demeanor. Her eyes were gentle like water, far from the sharpness of last night.
Shen Yan felt anxious, and her face grew increasingly flustered.
Observing the scene, Shen Wan's eyes flickered—
Indeed, there was something fishy...