Chapter 62 p1
The pantry, like the rest of the office building, was spacious and brightly lit, with large windows and a sleek, modern design in black and white. It was equipped with a refrigerator, water dispenser, coffee machine, toaster oven, and everything else one could possibly need.
It was large enough to accommodate twenty people, yet at this moment, it was occupied by only two.
“Xu Jinnan, what are you doing?” Shen Shu asked, her voice softer than usual, perhaps due to their close proximity.
Xu Jinnan looked down at her, a smile playing on her lips. “What are you doing? It’s your wife’s company, and you’re waiting in line for water?”
Your wife’s company…
Shen Shu repeated the words silently.
“The two pantries are separate,” she said, pulling her hand away from Xu Jinnan’s and placing her container of lemon slices on the counter.
Xu Jinnan stood beside her. “You could have come to my office,” she said, taking out a small container of grapes.
Shen Shu watched silently as Xu Jinnan opened the container, peeled a grape, and offered it to her.
“I had Viola buy these this morning. I washed them earlier. Want to try one?”
Shen Shu took a small clip from her lemon slice container. “Just put it there for now,” she said.
Xu Jinnan paused, then lifted her hand, holding the grape to Shen Shu’s lips.
Shen Shu looked at her, then opened her mouth slightly.
The translucent grape disappeared between her pale pink lips.
Their eyes met, the simple act somehow amplified, the air between them charged with a subtle tension, the temperature in the pantry rising.
Xu Jinnan’s gaze lingered on Shen Shu’s lips, stained with grape juice, then she swallowed, as if she had tasted the sweetness herself.
She leaned closer—
Just then, they heard voices approaching.
Shen Shu, flustered by the thought of being seen like this, quickly popped the grape into her mouth.
As the door opened, two employees, seeing their boss and her wife, one washing her hands, the other adding lemon slices to her water, froze.
While it was a perfectly normal scene, their presence felt intrusive, and they quickly greeted them, filled their water bottles, and left.
“Was it good?” Xu Jinnan asked.
“Yes,” Shen Shu replied, filling her water bottle. “Very sweet.”
“Want another one?” Xu Jinnan asked, peeling another grape.
Shen Shu bit her lip, her gaze fixed on the water dispenser as she pressed the button for warm water. “You’re acting… strange today,” she said softly.
“Strange how?” Xu Jinnan asked, smiling faintly, offering her the peeled grape.
Shen Shu glanced at her, then took the grape without touching Xu Jinnan’s fingers.
After swallowing it, she said, “I should go back now.”
“Okay,” Xu Jinnan replied, handing her the container of grapes.
As Shen Shu reached the door, Xu Jinnan called out, “What do you want for dinner?”
Shen Shu turned around. “Porridge.”
“Shrimp porridge?”
“Sure.”
—
Back in her resting area, Tong Jia, seeing Shen Shu return, put down her phone. “What took you so long? And where did you get those grapes?”
Shen Shu opened the container and offered some to Tong Jia. “Xu Jinnan brought them.”
Tong Jia’s eyes widened. “No wonder you were gone so long. Kissing and cuddling, huh? I knew it! Some people pretend not to care, but they’re secretly seething with jealousy.”
“Xu Jinnan?” Shen Shu asked.
“Who else?” Tong Jia recounted the afternoon’s events. “When you and Xia Chun hugged, I could practically see the green monster on CEO Xu’s face.”
The sweet and sour taste of the grapes still lingered in Shen Shu’s mouth, and her lips curved into a faint smile.
“Seriously, though, your relationship with Xia Chun is a sensitive topic. Be careful not to upset your wife. Remember how concerned she was about that super topic? She was the one who warned me,” Tong Jia said.
The smile faded from Shen Shu’s eyes, and she nodded. “I know.”
“Speaking of which, I just told her we managed to suppress the Sheng Xia CP rumors, but the super topic is trending again. With those huge cash giveaways, people don’t even care about the actual CP; they’re just in it for the money. Now people are accusing us of using Xia Chun for clout, of clinging to her fame,” Tong Jia said, her voice laced with frustration. “We need to do something. I’ll talk to Xia Chun’s agent later and see what she thinks.”
She wasn’t very hopeful. Xia Chun’s agency should be the most concerned, considering Shen Shu was married, and they wouldn’t want any scandals.
But so far, they hadn’t done anything.
Tong Jia popped a grape into her mouth. “These CP fans are… intense. Shipping a married woman with a single woman? It’s like those obsessive solo stans. And we can’t interfere as a studio. They’re saying it’s their right to ship whoever they want. It’s frustrating.”
Shen Shu opened Weibo and checked the “Sheng Xia” super topic. The follower count and activity level were indeed high.
After a moment of thought, she said, “The studio can’t interfere, but I can.”
“What are you going to do?” Tong Jia asked.
Shen Shu found the “NanShu” super topic and reposted the pinned giveaway post.
“Nice! Shipping your own CP? That’s brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“No matter what they say, I just need to make my stance clear,” Shen Shu explained.
“If Xia Chun’s agency is willing to cooperate, it would be best if she liked or reposted the post as well.”
“Mm.”
—
Within half an hour of Shen Shu’s repost, hundreds of comments appeared.
Even the real couple is here! Those delusional CP fans should back off now.
Ahhh, I’m dying! Is Shu Shu shipping herself with Xu Jinnan?! NanShu forever!!!
Did you all see that? This is the real deal! Stop accusing them of using Xia Chun for clout! They don’t need her!
Two hours later, Shen Shu scrolled through the comments. Tong Jia, glancing over, said, “It’s working! I just checked the Sheng Xia super topic. Someone even posted a farewell message. Hilarious.”
Shen Shu, staring at the second most popular comment, said, “The name is awful.”
Tong Jia: “Huh?”
Shen Shu closed Weibo. “It’s nothing. I’m going to take a nap,” she said.
“Okay, you have about fifteen minutes. I’ll wake you up.”
“Okay.”
Shen Shu closed her eyes, not expecting to actually fall asleep.
In her brief ten-minute nap, she dreamed of a bustling street, paved with gray stone…
A child led her through the crowded street, the air thick with the aroma of food, then stopped at an intersection.
The child let go of her hand.
“Go. Run. Don’t look back,” the child said.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“If I leave, Mommy will be sad. Go! They’ll see us if you don’t leave!”
“Come with me.”
“We’re not the same. I’m a bad person.”
—
Shen Shu woke up with a start, Tong Jia gently shaking her arm. “Bad dream? Five minutes until your next scene.”
She sat up, her heart still racing, and took a large gulp of water, trying to calm down.
This was the third time she had dreamed of this place.
She had never had such dreams before.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she exhaled, taking it out and seeing a message from someone she hadn’t spoken to in a while – Chen Xiaxia.
Chen Xiaxia: [Cousin, can’t you help me?]
Chen Xiaxia: [Just ask Jinnan-jie to talk to the director. I really want that role.]
Shen Shu: [She can’t help you.]
Chen Xiaxia had contacted her a few days ago, asking for help with a role in another production.
While Shen Shu had refused, she had looked into it and learned that Chen Xiaxia had already auditioned and been rejected, due to both her tardiness and her poor acting.
Chen Xiaxia: [You just don’t want to help me, do you?!]
Chen Xiaxia: [And the Emperor Hotel incident… I almost… because of you! Why can’t you just help me? You didn’t even ask Xu Jinnan, did you?]
Shen Shu took a deep breath. While Chen Xiaxia had been deceived at the Emperor Hotel, Shen Shu still felt partially responsible.
If it was just an audition, she could help, but she wouldn’t do anything more.
But she knew Chen Xiaxia, if she didn’t get what she wanted, would try other methods.
—
As expected, during a break in filming, Tong Jia handed her her vibrating phone.
“It’s your mother. That’s the second call.”
Shen Shu nodded, taking the phone and stepping aside to answer it.
It was probably about Chen Xiaxia. Her mother had always been like this, always trying to fulfill Chen Xiaxia’s every whim, even at Shen Shu’s expense.
After all, Shen Shu wasn’t her real daughter.
“Shu Shu,” Wei Wuqing’s voice said, “it’s been a while. How are you?”
“I’m fine,” Shen Shu replied calmly, waiting.
Wei Wuqing paused. “Your cousin hasn’t been well lately. Your aunt is worried sick. I asked around, and it’s about her acting career. I don’t know much about that industry, so I thought I’d ask you. Do you have any connections that could help her?” Perhaps because of Xu Jinnan’s earlier warning, her tone was much more conciliatory, but Shen Shu’s heart remained cold.
“I asked around. Chen Xiaxia failed her audition. I can’t help her,” she replied.
Wei Wuqing’s voice hardened slightly. “If you can’t help her, there’s always Nannan.”
“Xu Jinnan can’t help her either,” Shen Shu said firmly. “Instead of relying on connections, she should focus on improving her acting.”
Wei Wuqing was silent for a moment, then said, her voice softening again, “Alright, I won’t pressure you. Shu Shu, I found something while cleaning out the attic today – a sweater your grandmother knitted for you. Wasn’t it a birthday gift?”
Shen Shu remembered. It had been her fifth birthday, the first one her grandmother had celebrated with her, the first birthday she could remember.
Her memories before the age of five were hazy, but she vaguely remembered living in an orphanage… or perhaps she had just imagined it.
She wasn’t sure. But lately, the memory had been fading.
She wasn’t even sure if she had actually lived in an orphanage.
Another set of memories, clearer and more vivid, seemed to be surfacing.
She couldn’t explain it.
As for the birthday gift, she had been at school when her grandmother passed away, and by the time she returned home, Wei Wuqing had burned everything, leaving her with nothing to remember her by.
“How could I have burned everything? I know how much it meant to you. I kept it for you. I told you I burned it because I didn’t want you to be sad. When are you coming to pick it up? Bring Nannan with you. After all those misunderstandings, it’s time for our family to reconcile.”
Shen Shu understood. This phone call had two purposes – to ask for help with Chen Xiaxia’s career, and to mend their relationship with Xu Jinnan.
She had also heard that the Shen Corporation was struggling financially. She wasn’t feeling sentimental, but if it was truly something her grandmother had made, she would go back and get it.
“I’ll come over sometime. Please keep it safe for me,” she said.
“Shu Shu, I’m your mother. It’s no trouble at all,” Wei Wuqing replied.
Shen Shu didn’t say anything more and hung up.
Tong Jia, who had been watching her, noticed her somber expression. “What’s wrong?” she asked softly.
“Family matters,” Shen Shu replied.
“Don’t worry, let CEO Xu pamper you when you get home!” Tong Jia said, leaning closer. “How did the foot-washing go?”
Shen Shu looked at her. “…You’re my agent. Can you be more professional?” She knew Tong Jia was trying to distract her.
It worked.
Her earlier gloom lifted slightly.
And Tong Jia’s words had reminded her of Xu Jinnan, her gaze drifting towards the box of grapes.
The darkness in her heart seemed to dissipate, like sand trickling through a funnel in the sunlight and the wind.
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