Chapter 69

“I’m using Shengyan’s skincare product, Peach Glow Essence. The name sounds lovely, and the results are amazing. In just one week, my acne scars have faded so much. If I keep using it for another week, they’ll completely disappear.”

Wiping away her tears, Ruan Cheng excitedly recommended her newfound favorite—one she swore would remain her favorite forever.

Shengyan had saved her, and she was now a die-hard fan for life!

“Shengyan? What brand is that? Why have we never heard of it?”

Bai Qianqian looked utterly confused.

“Shengyan is a new company. The Peach Glow Essence I’m using is just one of its products. If it weren’t for my idol recommending this brand on Skynet, I wouldn’t have even known about it. I’m so grateful to her—she’s beautiful inside and out!”

Ruan Cheng made a mental note to thank her idol. She was truly a wonderful person.

“Is it really that magical? Does Shengyan have any whitening products?”

Bai Qianqian asked eagerly. She didn’t struggle with acne, but her skin wasn’t exactly fair.

“Yes! This Radiant Beauty Powder is for whitening. I haven’t used it yet—I’ll start once my acne scars are completely gone.”

Ruan Cheng took out a bottle of Radiant Beauty Powder for them to see.

“This packaging looks so high-end. It has an elegant feel to it. And the scent is really nice—it doesn’t smell like cheap perfume, but rather like herbal medicine.”

Her roommates started discussing it excitedly.

Ruan Cheng smiled. “All of Shengyan’s products are made with premium medicinal ingredients, so of course, there’s no artificial fragrance.”

“They even have a Fat-Burning Pill. When combined with moderate exercise, it helps shed excess fat and brings the body to its healthiest state. I bought that one too.”

“A weight-loss product?”

Huang Tang was thrilled. “Did you try it?”

“I didn’t use it myself—I’m already slim enough. I gave it to my mom. She’s lost seven pounds already, and all she does is take leisurely walks—no real exercise. Her complexion is getting rosier too, and she’s feeling great.”

Ruan Cheng’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. Her mother had started gaining weight in middle age, but she was too lazy to exercise, making weight loss nearly impossible. Her father never minded, but being overweight wasn’t good for health. That’s why she’d urged her mother to try the Fat-Burning Pill.

“Really? That’s amazing! I need to buy it too!”

Huang Tang had always been on the chubby side—not to the extent that she gained weight from just drinking water, but if she didn’t exercise, the pounds would pile on quickly.

“I recommend getting it soon, but Shengyan’s products are a bit pricey. I’m not sure if you guys are okay with the price.”

Ruan Cheng hesitated.

“How much?”

“This Peach Glow Essence is 4,888 yuan, the Radiant Beauty Powder is 5,666 yuan, and the Fat-Burning Pill is 6,888 yuan…”

“Hiss—this is more than just ‘a bit pricey’…”

Her roommates inhaled sharply in shock.

“There’s no helping it. Skincare products this effective would sell even at sky-high prices—people would still fight to buy them.”

Ruan Cheng didn’t mind the cost. She had never lacked money growing up and didn’t find the prices outrageous.

“We’ll think about it…”

Bai Qianqian and the others wiped their sweat as they left, but deep down, their desire to buy the products only grew stronger.

—

Shengyan’s debut was an undeniable success. Skynet’s trending topics were almost entirely about Shengyan. Even in daily life, greetings had changed from “Have you eaten?” to “Have you bought Shengyan’s skincare products?”

Even at school, Shen Lihuan overheard classmates constantly discussing Shengyan. The brand was truly blowing up.

At first, when people learned about Shengyan’s prices, many mocked the company online.

“A newly established small brand dares to set such high prices? Must be desperate for money.”

But when Shengyan’s sales exploded, they turned to ridiculing the buyers instead.

“People must’ve lost their minds. Flocking to buy overpriced products from an unknown company—typical brainless women. Hope they enjoy ruining their faces with cheap knockoffs.”

Seeing these comments, the wealthy ladies of the Imperial Capital, who had bought stacks of Shengyan products, were not having it.

One after another, they posted photos of their purchases on Skynet, captioning them:

“Shengyan’s skincare is so high-quality, and it’s not even 10,000 yuan per bottle—such a steal. If you’re thinking of buying, don’t wait too long. Once it sells out, you’ll be waiting forever!”

Over a dozen socialites and wealthy ladies made similar posts, leaving netizens stunned.

“Were their accounts hacked? Or did they all rise from the dead? They never post anything normally.”

“What the hell is going on? Wasn’t Shengyan just some random new company? How did it get all these big names backing it?”

“Who told you Shengyan is just a small company? It’s been less than three months since its founding, yet they’ve already mass-produced and launched products? And their business partner is Bailong Manor—do you think just any ‘small company’ can sign a contract with them?”

“Whoa, are you an insider? How do you know so much?”

“Shengyan is really that impressive? And it’s working with Bailong Manor? Does anyone know who founded it?”

“I’m not an insider, but rumor has it that Shengyan’s CEO’s last name is Shen.”

“… …”

“… …”

“… I can’t stay silent. Is it that Shen?”

“Holy crap—no wonder all those socialites came out in support…”

Once people realized that Shengyan was founded by the Shen family, many of those who had mocked it quickly deleted their previous comments. They were small fries who couldn’t afford to offend such a powerful family.

Their self-slaps amused the bystanders, while also bringing even more attention to Shengyan. Many people who had never heard of the brand became interested in its products.

A week later, countless customers who had used Shengyan’s skincare products enthusiastically posted their before-and-after photos, raving about the brand and recommending it to everyone.

Shengyan became an instant sensation.

—

On October 20th, Shen Jiashu and Gu Qinglan received a call from the Shen residence—Shen Zhongyuan had passed away.

The two of them remained indifferent. Given the state of Shen Zhongyuan’s broken body, it was already impressive that he had lasted this long.

“Jiashu, Shen Zhongyuan is dead. What about Liang Yinqiu?”

Gu Qinglan recalled another person she held in contempt and asked softly.

“She’s dead too.”

Shen Jiashu shook the newspaper in his hand and replied.

“Hm?” Gu Qinglan looked at him in confusion. Shen Jiashu’s voice was calm as he said, “She couldn’t endure the suffering and committed suicide.”

“Oh.” Gu Qinglan blinked. “You never mentioned it to me.”

Shen Jiashu put down the newspaper and hooked his pinky finger around hers. “It happened just recently. I was too busy and forgot.”

“Now that both of them are dead, what about Shen Pingting?”

“She’ll continue living in the old house. I’ll transfer the property to her name and give her a five percent share of the Shen Corporation when she enters university. Whatever happens to her afterward will be her own concern.”

Shen Jiashu held no affection for his so-called younger sister. Although he knew Shen Pingting had no choice in choosing her parents, the fact that her father was Shen Zhongyuan was enough for him to never accept her.

“That’s good. At least she’ll have a financial source and won’t starve to death.”

Gu Qinglan hadn’t interacted much with Shen Pingting, but she remembered how the girl had once schemed against her daughter. Because of that, she had no goodwill toward her. However, since Shen Pingting was still a minor, Gu Qinglan wouldn’t go so far as to wish her a miserable life.

“We need to return to the old house to take care of Shen Zhongyuan’s funeral arrangements. After all, in the eyes of outsiders, we never completely severed ties.”

“Alright, I’ll go change. The outfit I’m wearing now is too bright.”

—

While Shen Lihuan’s little fortune was steadily growing, she received the news—Shen Zhongyuan had died.

Ever since she moved out of the Shen residence, she hadn’t seen Shen Zhongyuan again. Now that she heard about his death, she felt nothing. After all, there was no bond of affection between them as grandfather and granddaughter.

Shortly after the news of Shen Zhongyuan’s death spread, news of Liang Yinqiu’s passing followed. Some people were curious about the causes of their deaths, but since it didn’t concern them, no one truly bothered to investigate why the two had died so close together.

Their funerals were held on the same day. Shen Lihuan attended with her parents. At the ceremony, she saw Shen Pingting dressed in black, crying pitifully. But to Shen Lihuan, her grief didn’t seem entirely genuine.

Later, Shen Pingting approached her and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Shen Lihuan shook her head. There wasn’t much deep-seated hatred between them, and they would probably never cross paths again in the future. Whether she forgave Shen Pingting or not no longer mattered.

Because of the funeral, Shen Lihuan took two days off from school. When she returned, You Changqing asked with concern, “Lihuan, how are you feeling? Do you want me to take you out for a walk to clear your mind?”

“I’m fine. I never had any emotional attachment to my grandfather, so his death doesn’t really affect me.”

Shen Lihuan paused for a moment. “But I do like your idea of going out. The weekend is coming up. Let’s go to Green Manor for a little trip.”

Green Manor was a famous countryside resort in Jiangyang Province, near the Imperial Capital. It was only a four-hour drive away.

“Sounds great!” You Changqing excitedly clung to her arm. “Just the two of us?”

She looked at Shen Lihuan expectantly.

Shen Lihuan pinched her cheek with a smile. “If not just the two of us, do you want to invite Chang Hong along?”

“No way.”

You Changqing immediately rejected the idea. “I think he has a girlfriend now. I see him glued to his phone, chatting with someone every day.”

No way—she wanted to enjoy a trip with just her and Lihuan, like a couple’s getaway. Having Chang Hong tag along as a third wheel would be a disaster.

“Really? Chang Hong is at that age where he’d start dating.”

Shen Lihuan mused, though she suspected the person he was chatting with was Brother Ye. Chang Hong was only fifteen this year—Brother Ye would have to wait quite a while.

“Exactly. So let’s not call him. Interrupting someone’s romance is asking for a lightning strike.”

You Changqing chimed in quickly.

Shen Lihuan couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, we’ll do as you say.”

You Changqing was really looking forward to the trip. She spent over an hour picking out two outfits to bring to Green Manor—she wanted to dress beautifully and take couple photos with Lihuan.

But there was still one day before the weekend. On Friday, the school held an all-campus competition event, so there were no regular classes that day.

The competitions covered various categories, including technology, sports, and literature. Each category had multiple sub-competitions—for example, the literature category included trivia contests, poetry composition, and calligraphy challenges. Each activity had its own designated area, and all students were free to participate.

Shen Lihuan and You Changqing wandered into the sports section. You Changqing wanted to try the balloon-shooting competition since winners received prizes, and she had her eyes on a pair of adorable teddy bears.

“Lihuan, I really want those teddy bears. We can each have one.”

You Changqing tugged on Shen Lihuan’s sleeve.

Shen Lihuan glanced at the prize table, noticing that many people were already lined up. Holding You Changqing’s hand, she led her to join the queue. “If you want them, I’ll win them for you.”

You Changqing beamed sweetly.

The balloon-shooting game had a board with thirty balloons arranged in five rows, with six balloons in each row. Many of the participants ahead of them weren’t very accurate, failing to hit all thirty balloons. The spectators sighed in disappointment whenever a shot missed.

Before long, it was Shen Lihuan’s turn. You Changqing didn’t participate but stood to the side, cheering for her.

Shen Lihuan took the gun from the referee, loaded it, aimed, and fired swiftly. The sharp popping sounds echoed as each balloon burst one after another.

The onlookers gasped and then burst into applause.

“Shen, you’re amazing!”

“That was so cool!”

“Shen, I want to be your disciple!”

Shen Lihuan put down the gun, glanced at them with a smile, and handed the weapon back to the referee. The referee, visibly impressed, grinned as he said, “Congratulations! You’ve won. Which prize would you like?”

Shen Lihuan pointed at the two teddy bears. “I’d like that pair of bears.”

“Alright, here you go.” The referee handed them over.

Shen Lihuan politely thanked him and left with You Changqing.

You Changqing played with the teddy bears’ arms, grinning adorably.