Chapter 16#

Shu Yuan, still a girl of just over ten, was already graceful and slender, her words and actions carrying a maidenly innocence. She winked at me and the man she called “Cousin,” pure and adorable…

I… felt rather melancholy.

Wang Zhenghui stepped forward and patted my shoulder. His gentle aura was nothing like the usual overbearing manner of the Wang family. “White Nephew, how did you come to know our young master? Zheng Zheng, come over and greet White Nephew as well. You’ll have much to learn from him in the future.”

Wang Zheng walked over from behind, smiling as he shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with the young man named Bai Junrui. Bai Junrui recovered quickly, speaking calmly with Wang Zheng for a few words. Wang Zheng’s eyes darted and landed on Shu Yuan, who was clinging closely to Bai Junrui.

“So you must be Miss Shu. A pleasure to meet you.” Wang Zheng’s smile widened, radiating warmth. Shu Yuan’s cheeks suddenly flushed. Her voice was soft, shy but not lacking in poise, as she replied, “The pleasure is mine,” while her large eyes kept glancing at Wang Zheng.

Mother Ru urged from behind, “Now that the distinguished guests have arrived, the family can finally sit down for a proper meal.”

Everyone took their seats. The seat next to Old Madam Ren at the head of the table remained empty, and it suddenly struck me—why hadn’t I seen…

Perhaps the uncles and aunts present had the same thought, as they sat stiffly, waiting. Finally, Aunt Zhang hurried in, walked over to Old Madam Ren with a troubled expression, and whispered something. Old Madam Ren’s face darkened. She slammed her hand on the table and said harshly, “What?! Is he throwing a tantrum at me now? Does he think this old woman is useless?!”

“A few words from me and he throws a fit. He can’t even bear to have a meal with his own mother?”

Mother Ru quickly tried to soothe her, but Old Madam Ren waved her off dismissively. She sighed as if in lamentation, “Enough, enough! My heart has been cold for years. I don’t expect anything from that unfilial son—every single one of them is like this!”

Then Old Madam Ren’s dark gaze fixed on me. Rarely, she took my hand and patted it gently, saying, “Now… you’re the only one I can count on.”

The uncles and aunts remained silent. It seemed the rumors about the rift between Old Madam Ren and Third Master Ren held some truth.

I suddenly remembered something.

Back then, when Old Madam Ren was terminally ill, I had returned to visit her. She was so thin I barely recognized her. Many people came to see her, but she turned them all away, screaming at anyone who dared enter. It happened to be summer break from university, and Wang Zheng and I were back for internships. Yet Old Madam Ren only called me to her bedside.

She stared at me for a long time before speaking: “Riwa, do you blame Grandma for not loving you enough?”

My relationship with Old Madam Ren was not close, but she was still my blood. At that one sentence, tears welled up in my eyes. Her bony hand patted the back of mine, and I held it tightly. For that moment, the estrangement between granddaughter and grandmother melted away. In twenty years, nothing had brought us closer.

Holding my hand, she said, “Now… you’re the only one I can count on.”

Later, she showed me a photograph.

She said, “Grandma never misjudges people. That good child lacks cunning, and this Shu girl is highly educated and beautiful. She’s a perfect match for you.”

…In any case, hearing those words from Old Madam Ren now brought me no warmth. Instead, an uncanny feeling crept over me, as if a snake’s eyes were fixed upon me.

Having lived thirty extra years, I had honed my perceptiveness to perfection. Old Madam Ren let out a hearty laugh, completely different from her earlier rage. She smiled at Shu Yuan and Bai Junrui, who were seated farther away, and beckoned, “Why so distant? Junrui is the only one who talks with this old woman these days. Come sit here—Shu Yuan, come sit next to your brother Qiri.”

My mood instantly shifted from melancholy to utter desolation, as if a wind of chaos was blowing through me.

The seat beside me was originally occupied by Wang Zheng. At the family table, such formalities weren’t strictly observed. Next to Wang Zheng sat a distant cousin, whose name I had forgotten. He quickly stood up to give up his seat—probably thinking that since Wang Zheng’s spot was being given to Shu Yuan, Wang Zheng would then move down to his spot.

Shu Yuan stood beside me, her face flushed. She softly called out, “Brother Wang…”

Wang Zheng understood and stood up, but walked over to the vacated seat, politely pulled out the chair, and bowed slightly to invite the lady to sit. Shu Yuan didn’t mind—either way, she’d be sitting next to her Brother Wang. She smiled happily, her eyes full of admiration as she looked at Wang Zheng, who smiled back.

For some reason, I felt a kind of glaring spark between them, crackling, and my mind flashed with a phrase starting with the word “beast”…

Ahem, let your imagination run wild.

Bai Junrui sat across from me. My heart, which had been hanging in midair, finally settled a bit. If I had to dine opposite that nasty fellow for the whole meal, I wouldn’t have tasted a thing and would later need an exorcist. With that thought, I suddenly found young Bai Junrui’s face quite amiable and gave him a friendly smile.

Bai Junrui nodded and smiled back. His originally somewhat fierce expression softened, adding to his handsomeness—strangely, that smile felt familiar.

Old Madam Ren was also a fan of Chinese cuisine. This was a family dinner, so no one bothered with formalities, making the meal quite relaxed.

During the meal, Old Madam Ren chatted with some uncles and aunts, occasionally mentioning matters about the Ren Corporation. It subtly suggested that even after retiring for a few years, she wanted to meddle in company affairs again. Wang Zheng would chime in with keen remarks, making Old Madam Ren beam with joy. She kept praising how sensible Zheng Zheng had become.

Then Bai Junrui suddenly placed a piece of goose meat on my plate. I looked up in surprise. He seemed perfectly at ease, as if it were a habit, and just said with a smile, “Don’t just eat vegetables. Goose meat is nutritious. Since you like it, have some more.”

Wang Zheng glanced at me and said, “Qiri likes goose meat? I didn’t know that.”

Bai Junrui raised an eyebrow. Wang Zheng turned to me and smiled, “Do you really know Young Master Bai? When did that happen? You never mentioned it before.”

I nearly choked and quickly smoothed things over: “Uh, maybe I was staring at the roast goose so obviously that Young Master Bai noticed… Here, this fish is fresh—try it.” I deboned the fish and placed it in Wang Zheng’s bowl. Only then did Wang Zheng’s smile warm up.

The meal went pleasantly enough. Wang Zheng and Shu Yuan quickly became familiar, and after dinner, Shu Yuan was pulling Wang Zheng into conversation, laughter bubbling occasionally. Bai Junrui was talking with Old Madam Ren and some uncles about something or other, leaving me with some leisure.

When it grew late, most people had left. Bai Junrui and Shu Yuan had originally arranged for a car to take them back to the hotel, but Old Madam Ren surprisingly showed some hospitality. She insisted they stay for the night, saying, “We have plenty of guest rooms. It’s so late—stay here. Tomorrow morning, I can show you around the garden and fulfill my duties as host.”

Bai Junrui declined a few times, but then glanced at me and said teasingly, “Does Young Master want me to stay?”

Why was this turning back to me? I quickly nodded and smiled, “I’ll take you upstairs. This house has only a few people living in it. You could change rooms every hour and still have plenty.”

“Then I’ll respectfully accept.”

Shu Yuan had just seen Wang Zheng off outside. When she returned and heard her cousin was staying overnight, she clapped her hands joyfully: “Great! Brother Wang said he’d come by tomorrow morning. If we’re staying here, I’ll get to see him first thing in the morning.”

“Look at this girl, aren’t you ashamed?” Bai Junrui shook his head. “What happened to all the manners you learned?”

Shu Yuan immediately quieted down and pouted, “Cousin, you’re always picking on me. Brother Wang is so much better than you.”

I chuckled and, following Old Madam Ren’s wishes, personally led them upstairs. Bai Junrui seemed quite at ease, not craning his neck like Shu Yuan. At the second-floor landing, however, he turned toward the west wing. I quickly said, “You’re going the wrong way. It’s this way.”

He paused, turned back with a smile, showing no embarrassment, and said, “Aren’t the guest rooms over there?”

“Oh, it’s this way. The layout here is a bit confusing.” I’ll remember to change that direction in the future—of course, I didn’t say that aloud.

After settling Bai Junrui and Shu Yuan in their rooms, I went downstairs, exhausted. The old-fashioned yellow lights on this floor made my poor eyesight worse, and I was mentally drained. I didn’t notice someone coming and collided head-on with Uncle Jing.

The things on Uncle Jing’s tray spilled all over the floor, a bowl of porridge scattering everywhere. I panicked and bent down to help him. “Young Master, it’s nothing.” Uncle Jing’s voice was as low and respectful as ever, yet distant. “I’ll handle this. Please go rest, Young Master.”

“No, I was the one who bumped into you while half-asleep…” I looked at the mess on the floor and muttered involuntarily, “Was this… for Third… Third Uncle?”

Uncle Jing suddenly looked up at me. The light seemed to flicker, then brightened.

I stepped back, startled.

Uncle Jing picked up a few pieces of the broken dish, slowly straightened up, and fixed his murky, yellowish eyes on me. It felt like an eternity before he spoke: “Young Master, could I trouble you with something?”

Before I could come to my senses, he continued, “Third Master is ill. He’s been sleeping all day on medicine and just woke up. I’ll clean this up. Could you please go to the kitchen and fetch another bowl of hot porridge, then take it to Third Master?”

I hesitated, my lips moving, but my voice seemed stuck.

“Third Master doesn’t allow outsiders into his room.”

I had no choice but to nod. After all, it was my fault. The porridge had spilled on the carpet; if not cleaned quickly, it would be a hassle. Fully awake now, I went gloomily to the kitchen and ladled another bowl of porridge. It had many medicinal herbs, a strong, bitter smell, and the broth had a strange taste. This was what he ate every day…?

I had often heard that Third Master Ren used traditional Chinese medicine to regulate his health, but to eat like this, only he could endure it—and he had been at it for over a decade. Still, the prescriptions seemed effective. In my past life, he had kept this up until nearly fifty and hadn’t died.

I stood outside his door, hoping Uncle Jing would finish quickly and come back. A ridiculous thought crossed my mind: what if I just left the porridge outside, knocked, and walked away?

How romantic.

Steeling myself, I knocked on the door. My palms were sweaty. The metal doorknob felt icy cold, chilling me to the bone.

I opened the door a crack, swallowed hard, and saw only darkness inside—a faint, eerie feeling. I stepped in, and a thick smell of sandalwood hit my nose. I instinctively covered it, then felt rude, so I forced myself to walk forward naturally. I could make out a figure sitting up in bed.

It seemed Third Uncle was indeed ill. This time, Old Madam Ren showed no sympathy, which hinted at how intensely they had argued in private.

Perhaps the open door let in too much light; he raised his hand to shield his eyes.

My throat felt dry, and I was extremely uncomfortable.

“Third Uncle.”

He didn’t answer, still shielding his eyes.

“…Third Uncle?”

He suddenly flinched as if trying to get out of bed, but his hand knocked over a cup on the bedside table. It shattered on the floor with a crisp sound.

Startled, I turned to switch on the light.

“Don’t turn on the light—!”

I think that was the first time in my life I heard him scream in panic.

But my hand was already on the switch, and I pressed it. The room flooded with light.

“Get out—!!”

Before I could even see his face clearly, he shouted again.

“Third… Third Uncle…?”

What was this man doing, going crazy like this?

I quickly put down the tray and said nothing more, turning to leave. But in that fleeting moment, my eyes caught something.

An easel by the window, and an unfinished painting.

The background was a blur of green, with only one figure clearly depicted. A young man, wearing a gentle smile, sitting on the ground and looking up at something unknown, radiating a warmth like a spring breeze.

Even after the door clicked shut, I stood there for a long time, unable to come back to my senses.

The person in that painting…

Was it me?