Chapter 4

Shen Zhongyuan suddenly remembered that his son’s injuries had not yet fully healed. He quickly called for the servants in the residence to escort his son and his family back to their rooms.

Shen Lihuan accompanied her parents upstairs. After she disappeared from sight, Shen Pingting pursed her lips, her face full of displeasure.

Liang Yinqiu leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Don’t think Shen Jiashu and the others are fools. Restrain yourself a little.”

Only then did Shen Pingting unwillingly gave up.

Liang Yinqiu was satisfied and took her upstairs.

Shen Jiashu’s old master bedroom had been kept intact. Over the years, the servants had cleaned it regularly, keeping it as pristine as before. The moment Shen Jiashu entered the room and saw that everything remained exactly the same as when he had left, he sighed with emotion. “I never expected my room to stay unchanged.”

Shen Zhongyuan snorted, “Your brother and I have always missed you. We were afraid you’d be upset if you came back and saw the room had changed, so we had the servants clean it daily. The sheets and pillows were only replaced with new ones after we learned you were coming back.”

At the mention of Shen Jiayi, Shen Jiashu’s expression darkened. “How did Big Brother pass away so suddenly? He was only five years older than me.”

A strange emotion flickered in Shen Zhongyuan’s cloudy eyes. He lowered his gaze and said, “After taking over the Shen Corporation, your brother worked tirelessly, ignoring all our attempts to persuade him to take care of himself. Over time, his body deteriorated. None of us expected him to suffer a sudden cerebral hemorrhage.”

Shen Jiashu instantly felt drained of all energy. He had no motivation to do anything. He waved his hand, signaling the servants to help him and his wife onto the bed. Then, weakly, he said, “Dad, I’m tired. Let me rest for a while. We’ll talk about other things tonight.”

Shen Lihuan thoughtfully walked to the bedside and tucked her parents in. In reality, their injuries had almost completely healed thanks to her special ability, but to avoid alarming the doctors, she had slowed the recovery process. In about twenty more days, her parents would be able to remove their casts.

“Dad, Mom, you’ve been on a long flight. Get some rest first. We can talk when you wake up.”

Gu Qinglan smiled and nodded at her.

Shen Zhongyuan understood the deep bond between his two sons. He sympathized with his younger son’s grief over his elder brother’s death, so he left the room with Shen Lihuan.

As soon as they stepped out, Liang Yinqiu approached with a bright smile. “Lihuan, I specially prepared a new room for you, knowing you were coming back. I wonder if it suits your taste.”

Shen Pingting shot a glance at Shen Lihuan, looking jealous. “Mom, you personally arranged a room for our cousin. Who wouldn’t like it? My room is already beautiful, but I still think hers is even prettier.”

“You little jealous thing, are you really envying your cousin now?” Liang Yinqiu playfully tapped Shen Pingting’s nose. Shen Zhongyuan watched with a smile as Shen Pingting pouted and then walked to his side, holding his hand like a filial granddaughter.

Shen Lihuan looked at the mother and daughter acting so familiarly with each other, and an odd feeling grew in her heart.

For some reason, her cousin seemed to hold unexplained hostility toward her. As for her aunt—while she was warm and welcoming, it all felt too superficial, completely devoid of sincerity.

This was their first meeting, so why were they behaving so strangely?

Shen Lihuan pressed her fingers against her forehead, unwilling to keep up the polite facade. She directly said, “Thank you, Aunt, for preparing a room for me. I’m sure I’ll like it. May I go rest now? I’m a bit tired.”

Liang Yinqiu quickly responded, “Of course! Look at me, how forgetful. After a five-hour flight, you must be exhausted. Let me take you to your room.”

With that, she nodded at Shen Zhongyuan and led Shen Lihuan into a bedroom on the right side of the second floor.

The walls were painted blue, decorated with adorable marine creatures. A dazzling crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and a pink carpet covered the floor. At the center of the room was a large bed with pink curtains and matching sheets, while the quilt was green. A few plush teddy bears were neatly arranged on the bed.

The entire room had a girlish aesthetic. Shen Lihuan’s lips twitched—could she refuse such an overwhelmingly pink color scheme?

“So, Lihuan, do you like how I decorated it?”

Liang Yinqiu looked at her expectantly, seemingly afraid of hearing a negative answer. Shen Lihuan curved her lips slightly, offering a less-than-sincere response, “I like it very much. Thank you, Aunt, for your efforts.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all! I’m just glad you like it. Rest well, then. I won’t disturb you.”

Liang Yinqiu acted as if she didn’t sense Shen Lihuan’s perfunctory tone. Delighted, she withdrew from the room and carefully closed the door behind her.

Shen Lihuan let out a quiet scoff, raised her hands, and loosened her hair. The smooth, jet-black strands cascaded around her shoulders, flowing freely in the air.

She opened the white wardrobe and pulled out a set of pajamas. Her sharp gaze swept the room, meticulously checking to ensure the doors and windows were locked and there were no hidden surveillance cameras. Only after confirming everything was secure did she begin changing out of her clothes.

She had always exercised, so her figure was perfectly sculpted. With a flick of her slender fingers, her rounded shoulders, slender waist, and faintly visible abdominal lines were revealed.

After changing into her pajamas, Shen Lihuan buried her face in the pillow and quickly fell asleep. Talking to the Shen family was too mentally exhausting.

That evening, the whole family sat together for dinner. Liang Yinqiu placed a piece of fish on Shen Lihuan’s plate and said with concern, “Lihuan, you need to replenish your strength. You really suffered from that car accident.”

Shen Lihuan curled her lips into a slight smile. “Thank you, Aunt.”

Shen Zhongyuan looked satisfied as he watched this scene. As if suddenly remembering something, he sighed regretfully, “It’s a pity that Jiashu and the others still can’t sit and eat with us. Otherwise, our family would finally be having a true reunion meal.”

Shen Lihuan quickly comforted him, “Grandpa, don’t worry. Mom and Dad are recovering well. Before long, they’ll be able to move around freely and join us for meals.”

Liang Yinqiu added from the side, “That’s right, Dad. Don’t be anxious. Now that Jiashu and Qinglan are home, there will be plenty of time to reunite.”

Not stopping at words, she also picked up a piece of beef with her chopsticks and placed it on Shen Zhongyuan’s plate. Something flickered through Shen Lihuan’s mind—when her aunt served her food, she used public chopsticks, but when serving Grandpa, she used her own personal chopsticks…

Liang Yinqiu was unaware of Shen Lihuan’s thoughts. After putting down her chopsticks, she said, “Lihuan, since you’re going to study in the Imperial Capital from now on, how about attending Pingting’s school? That way, you two can keep each other company.”

Shen Pingting showed no particular expression. Shen Zhongyuan, after eating the food Liang Yinqiu had given him, nodded approvingly. “That’s a good idea. Pingting has been at Ming High for two years now. If Lihuan goes there, Pingting can look after her, and we won’t have to worry about anyone bullying her.”

Shen Lihuan thought for a moment. She knew about Ming High—it was one of the top elite high schools in Green Nation, a place countless people fought to get into. But being arranged into something like this without any input annoyed her.

Leaning back in her chair, she rested one hand lightly on the table and raised an eyebrow at Liang Yinqiu, her tone laced with feigned innocence. “How could I refuse Aunt’s kindness? I’m sure Aunt wouldn’t set me up, right?”

She had always been domineering by nature, and after becoming a base leader, no one dared say no to her. Since Liang Yinqiu was being so accommodating, she might as well push her limits a bit further—just to see if her aunt was truly as warm and gentle as she appeared.

With that thought, Shen Lihuan’s smile became even brighter. Liang Yinqiu’s eyes flickered slightly, but she replied softly, “How could Aunt ever set you up? If I did, your grandfather would probably tear me apart.”

When she said “tear,” she emphasized the word, her gentle gaze shifting toward Shen Zhongyuan. Seeing her expression, Shen Zhongyuan’s smile turned rather peculiar. “Lihuan, don’t listen to your aunt’s teasing. Grandpa guarantees that Ming High is a good school. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have sent Pingting there.”

Shen Pingting was oblivious to the subtle exchange between her mother and grandfather, but Shen Lihuan found the whole situation increasingly odd.

After dinner, Shen Lihuan went to her parents’ room to chat and keep them company.

Shen Jiashu and Gu Qinglan were both born and raised in the Imperial Capital. Even though they hadn’t returned in years, their knowledge of the city was still extensive.

Bit by bit, they shared what they knew with Shen Lihuan.

The Imperial Capital was now ruled by three major families: the Shen family, the You family, and the Jun family. None of them would yield to the others.

The Shen family founded Shen Corporation. The You family established Dingshang International. The Jun family created Junyue Group. Together, the three families controlled nearly sixty percent of Green Nation’s economic power.

Currently, the Shen family had only two heirs: Shen Lihuan and Shen Pingting. The current head of the You family was You Zongzheng, who had two children—his eldest daughter, You Changqing, and his younger son, You Changhong. The Jun family’s current leader was Jun Ningjing, whose situation was somewhat unique. She had married her same-sex partner and raised two daughters.

Hearing this, a flash of light seemed to pass through Shen Lihuan’s eyes—yet another reason why she found this world fascinating.

Nowadays, most countries had legalized same-sex marriage, and Green Nation was the first to do so. If same-sex couples wanted children, they could apply to the government and then go to a hospital for embryo cultivation.

One of Green Nation’s greatest medical achievements was this: same-sex genes could be used to cultivate embryos, eliminating the need for sperm or eggs from the opposite sex.

The openness of Green Nation’s social and cultural landscape was truly an eye-opening experience for her.

“You Changqing is also attending Ming High. The Shen family and the You family don’t exactly get along, but on the surface, things are still civil. Whether you choose to associate with her is entirely up to you. Dad trusts that you can handle it.”

Shen Jiashu gazed warmly at his beloved daughter.

As Shen Lihuan nodded, she carefully peeled an apple for her parents. Her control over the knife was precise, producing a single long strand of apple skin.

Shen Jiashu understood that his father had called him back home to take over Shen Corporation. With his older brother’s sudden passing, the company was left without a leader, which would undoubtedly cause turmoil. Shen Pingting was still too inexperienced to command authority. Their father, though still present, was old and unable to handle the heavy responsibilities of managing Shen Corporation.

Thus, the most logical solution was for Shen Jiashu—once the heir, now the chairman of Jialan Group—to return and take charge of Shen Corporation.

However, Shen Corporation had been managed by his older brother all these years. If his brother were still alive, he would surely have wanted Pingting to inherit it.

“So my plan is this—I won’t let Jialan Group merge into Shen Corporation. I’ll manage Shen Corporation for a few years on my niece’s behalf. Once she’s capable enough to take over, I’ll hand it back to her and return to Jialan as its chairman.”

Gu Qinglan supported his decision. If not for Shen Jiayi’s death and the necessity of her husband stepping in to take charge, she would never have set foot in the Shen family’s old residence.

Shen Lihuan carefully sliced the apple into small pieces and fed them to her parents. But her mind was occupied with another thought—Grandfather had only just considered having Dad take over Shen Corporation, and their family had already suffered a car accident. Was this really just an unfortunate coincidence?

If their family had been targeted, who stood to benefit the most?

Thinking about Shen Pingting’s inexplicable hostility toward her, Shen Lihuan suddenly felt an even deeper suspicion toward her and Liang Yinqiu.

But why did the names You Changqing and You Changhong sound so familiar? It was as if she had seen them somewhere before…