Chapter 63
Before meeting Jiang Siyi, Shen Shiwu’s life had been calm and uneventful. In Shen Yun’s eyes, she was a good, obedient child.
Only she knew,
Beneath the surface, was a rotten core.
During the most mundane year of her life, Jiang Siyi had appeared. After that, all pretense had been stripped away, revealing her true nature.
Until now.
Completely unmasked.
“Shen Shiwu, can you help me?”
The girl looked up at her, her eyes filled with expectation, longing, and a flicker of tears.
Shen Shiwu hesitated.
She was self-aware—she was no saint, willing to do whatever it took to achieve her goals, a typical egoist.
Like this time, offering Yuan Chang ten times the penalty for breaching the contract, just to make her change her mind.
But…
Shen Shiwu gently touched the girl’s chin, wanting to soothe her.
Then she asked, “Is it that important?”
Jiang Siyi nodded. “Of course, I’ve been working so hard on revising the script, it can’t just be canceled.”
“Can you help me?”
Shen Shiwu sighed inwardly, like a villain forced onto the path of righteousness. After a moment, she nodded. “Okay, I’ll help you.”
“But I have a condition.”
Jiang Siyi blinked. “What condition?”
“You have to stay by my side from now on,” Shen Shiwu said meaningfully, “always.”
Jiang Siyi, thinking it wasn’t much of a condition, quickly agreed. “Of course.”
“You promise?”
“I promise!”
Shen Shiwu patted her head. “Good girl.”
In the living room, Shen Shiwu stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the river. She held her phone, pretending to call her assistant.
Jiang Siyi, curious, was eavesdropping.
After hanging up, Shen Shiwu didn’t turn around immediately. She looked down at her phone, then said casually, “Could you hear clearly? Why don’t you come closer?”
Little Jiang, caught red-handed, nonchalantly went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.
Returning with the steaming glass in her hand, the condensation blurring her vision,
She said calmly, “Actually, I couldn’t hear anything.”
“Can you say it again?”
Shen Shiwu walked over and tapped her head lightly.
“The problem is solved, that’s all.”
Jiang Siyi was surprised. “So fast?”
“After all these years, you still don’t know your girlfriend’s capabilities,” Shen Shiwu chuckled, “is that right?”
Jiang Siyi, on tiptoe, kissed her.
She rarely took the initiative, and after the kiss, feeling shy, she hurried away, clutching her glass. “Where’s my phone?” she mumbled as she walked.
Shen Shiwu watched her enter the bedroom, her eyes unreadable. She received a new message from her assistant.
“Boss, I’ve talked to Yuan Chang, she’s satisfied with our offer and has agreed to play along.”
Shen Shiwu’s lips curved into a smile.
She glanced at the time and went to find Jiang Siyi. “You were tired last night, go back to sleep for a while.”
Jiang Siyi had been thinking the same thing.
She lay in bed, phone in hand, and told Ah Yun the good news. The other woman was overjoyed, repeatedly thanking her.
Sleepiness washed over her.
She tossed her phone aside and said, “I’m going to sleep now.”
“Mm-hmm, I have to go out for a bit, I’ll be back soon.”
Jiang Siyi, sleepy, fell asleep almost instantly.
She didn’t even hear Shen Shiwu’s words.
It was raining outside, and Shen Shiwu, holding an umbrella, walked at a leisurely pace. She received a message from Shen Yun: “Where are you?”
“Just left, why didn’t you tell me you were coming back to China?”
She got into her car, replied to the message, then focused on driving.
The Beicheng airport was confusing, and Shen Yun, having lived abroad for so long, rarely returned to China. It was her first time at this airport, and she almost got lost.
After they met, Shen Yun asked with concern, then casually, “Why are you in Beicheng?”
Shen Shiwu replied calmly, “Xiao Si is here.”
Shen Yun was slightly surprised—she had thought Shen Shiwu would hide it from her, but she had actually told the truth.
“Yes, Xiao Si is back in China, you two met again?”
Shen Shiwu nodded, still holding the umbrella.
Shen Yun, pretending not to know about their relationship, changed the subject. “There’s a nice Western restaurant in the Beicheng business district, let’s go try it.”
Shen Shiwu glanced at the time. “I don’t really like Western food anymore.”
“Thai food then, Xiao Si likes it, and so do I.”
Shen Yun was momentarily stunned.
Then she quickly recovered and said, “Sure, anything is fine.”
As soon as they got into the car, Shen Yun took out her phone, seemingly busy with something. She said to Shen Shiwu, “I’ll make a reservation.”
“Okay.”
She messaged Yang Yu while calling the restaurant. “Yes, the VIP room.”
Arriving at the restaurant, Shen Yun went inside first. By the time Shen Shiwu parked the car and went upstairs, Yang Yu was already there.
Seeing her, Yang Yu smiled. “Senior, long time no see.”
Shen Shiwu suddenly understood Shen Yun’s strange behavior earlier.
All that effort, just for this.
Shen Yun pulled her over to sit down and said, half-scolding, “Why did you block Xiao Yu’s contact information?”
“Unblock her.”
Shen Shiwu pulled her arm away. Without even looking at Yang Yu, she said to Shen Yun, “I don’t add irrelevant people on WeChat.”
Silence.
Yang Yu chuckled awkwardly, her expression stiff.
“Senior, that’s a bit harsh,” she tried to make light of it, “we’re friends, aren’t we? How am I an irrelevant person?”
Shen Yun also frowned. “Why are you being so rude?”
“Since you think I’m being rude, I’ll be going then.” Shen Shiwu stood up, and Shen Yun couldn’t stop her.
Shen Yun called out her name, “Shen Shiwu, do you have somewhere to be? You can’t even stay for a while?”
The woman finally turned around.
Her tone was casual, almost boastful. “I have a rabbit at home, I have to go back.”
“Or it’ll throw a tantrum, and it’s very difficult to coax.”
With that, she walked out, slamming the door behind her. Shen Yun’s frown deepened. She knew her daughter had a rabbit, so she wondered, “Did she bring the rabbit to Beicheng?”
Yang Yu had already lowered her eyes.
She had liked Shen Shiwu for almost ten years, but she couldn’t even have a meal with her as a friend, not even as important as a rabbit.
She gritted her teeth, the thought of giving up crossing her mind.
“Auntie, maybe… we should just forget about it,” Yang Yu said, her voice tired, as she finished her drink in one gulp. “If she doesn’t like me, she doesn’t like me.”
“Pushing her like this will only make things worse.”
Shen Yun, of course, wouldn’t give up—Shen Shiwu and Jiang Siyi couldn’t be together, even if they were back together now, she had to separate them.
Otherwise, how could she face her deceased friend?
Would she tell her, “Sorry, my daughter turned your daughter into… the thing you hated most, a homosexual?”
It was too much.
The mere thought filled Shen Yun with guilt.
Since this wasn’t working, she would try a different approach, starting with Jiang Siyi. Shen Yun comforted Yang Yu, “Persistence is key, right? You have to persevere in the pursuit of true love.”
But she was already planning to contact Kong Yin.
The rain intensified.
Shen Shiwu, holding the umbrella steadily, sent Jiang Siyi a message: “Xiao Si, are you awake?”
“What do you want to eat? I’ll bring you something.”
Getting into her car, she didn’t start driving immediately, but sat in silence for a while.
When could she finally go public with her relationship with Jiang Siyi?
She didn’t care, she was ready anytime, but it was Jiang Siyi…
Four years ago, when they had talked about this, Jiang Siyi had always said, “Let’s wait a little longer.”
And they had waited for so many years.
Shen Shiwu sighed.
Seeing that Jiang Siyi still hadn’t replied, she started the car and drove off. Passing by the city center, she thought for a moment, then turned.
She had been too rough last night, she needed to buy something to appease her.
“Mr. Shen, these are rare leather bags we’ve collected from all our stores, do you see any you like?”
Inside the VIP room, Shen Shiwu leaned against the sofa as the manager introduced the bags. “These two are lizard skin, and the other three are crocodile skin.”
“This aurora pink crocodile skin bag is extremely rare, I went through a lot of trouble to get it for you, what do you think?”
Shen Shiwu glanced at it and nodded. “Okay, wrap it up.”
The manager quickly nodded. “Alright, what about the others?”
“I mean, I’ll take them all.”
The sales associate standing beside her perked up, eager to claim the commission, but the manager glared at her. Shen Shiwu didn’t care and simply said, “I’m in a hurry to go home, be quick.”
The manager immediately smiled obsequiously. “Right away, right away.”
Carrying so many luxury shopping bags, she attracted countless stares. Shen Shiwu ignored them, her expression calm and indifferent, as she entered the elevator.
Only after entering her apartment and swiping her key card did the coldness surrounding her gradually dissipate. She placed the bags on the sofa and quietly entered the bedroom.
The girl in bed was fast asleep, her breathing even.
Shen Shiwu had only wanted to take a quick look, but she ended up standing there for a long time—Jiang Siyi looked different when she was sleeping.
Completely relaxed, her guard down, like a child.
Shen Shiwu looked at her, remembering the seventeen or eighteen-year-old Jiang Siyi.
Awkward, stubborn, and rebellious.
Yet also adorable.
Even in her sleep, Jiang Siyi sensed a gaze on her. Opening her eyes, she thought, As expected.
She grumbled, “Why are you standing there trying to scare me?”
“Scaring myself.”
“…”
Having slept for so long, Jiang Siyi was finally well-rested. She rubbed her eyes, sat up, and asked, “What time is it?”
“One o’clock in the morning.”
Seeing that the girl was about to hit her, Shen Shiwu quickly corrected herself with a smile. “Almost five o’clock.”
Jiang Siyi, thinking she must be a reincarnation of a sleeping god, got out of bed. After washing up, she rushed back to the bedroom and checked her phone for messages from Ah Yun.
“Ms. Jiang, the copyright issue has been resolved, we can continue recording.”
“But…”
Jiang Siyi continued reading and saw that Ah Yun had written, “Ms. Yuan wants to change the voice actress.”
“Xiao Si,” at the same time, Shen Shiwu called out from the doorway, “come out for a bit.”
“What’s wrong?”
Jiang Siyi, holding her phone, walked over and was pulled into a hug.
The woman whispered in her ear, “I have a few small gifts for you.”
When Jiang Siyi saw the numerous luxury bags, she almost dropped her jaw.
These were “small gifts”?
“How much did this cost?”
“One hundred yuan.”
“…”
Shen Shiwu, seeing her expression, said, “Don’t worry about the price, as long as you like them.”
“So, do you like them?”
It would be a lie to say she didn’t.
Jiang Siyi, a true aesthete, her eyes lit up at the sight of the aurora pink bag. But she felt they were too expensive.
So she didn’t say anything.
Just then, Ah Yun called. Jiang Siyi answered, and the other person’s tone was strange. “Ms. Kong has to leave.”
“Kong Yin is leaving? Why?”
Jiang Siyi wasn’t particularly concerned about Kong Yin, she was just curious and surprised.
“It’s Ms. Yuan’s decision.” Ah Yun, no longer bothering with the formal address, clicked her tongue, her voice filled with helplessness. “It’s so strange.”
Just as Jiang Siyi was about to reply, she felt a hand on her lower back. Shen Shiwu leaned closer, her voice not soft, “Baby, answer me, do you like them?”
Jiang Siyi’s mind went blank.
Her first instinct was to end the call, but Ah Yun, sensing the situation, quickly said,
“Ah, Ms. Jiang, you continue, I won’t disturb you.”
Then she hung up.
Jiang Siyi: “…”
Shen Shiwu, I’m going to kill you.
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