Stealing ML’s White Moonlight C18

Chapter 18

Thanks to You Changqing, Shen Lihuan had calmed down. To express her gratitude, she decided to fold a paper rose for You Changqing during the ten-minute break between classes.

She took out a high-quality sheet of white paper, used a ruler to make some precise cuts, and removed the excess. Then, she pulled out a box of watercolor pens from her drawer and colored the paper red. Once the color had dried, her fair fingers skillfully folded the paper. In no time, a lifelike rose appeared.

Some classmates noticed Shen Lihuan’s actions and curiously gathered around, their faces full of interest.

“Lihuan’s hands are so skillful! If it were me, my brain and hands would be tangled up trying to do this.”

“I can’t handle this. My eyes are going blurry, and I feel like little birds are flying around my head.”

This was the wailing of the clumsy ones.

Shen Lihuan glanced at them with a smile while folding the paper, unable to hold back her laughter. Her classmates were truly amusing.

The chattering girls blushed and covered their faces when Lihuan looked their way. Oh no, they had embarrassed themselves in front of Lihuan!

After finishing the rose, Shen Lihuan took the leftover white paper, colored it green, and rolled it into a stem. She attached it to the rose, completing the paper flower.

You Changqing, who had been watching with her chin resting on her hand, observed the entire process with great interest. Unexpectedly, after completing the rose, Shen Lihuan held the flower by its stem, stretched out her hand, and offered it to her.

A smile appeared in You Changqing’s clear eyes as she accepted the rose amid their classmates’ envious gazes. She lowered her head and pretended to sniff the flower, her delicate profile perfect, her slender jade-like fingers holding the rose gracefully.

Shen Lihuan suddenly thought of Xu Zhimo’s poem: That most tender lowering of the head, like a water lily, too shy to bear the cool breeze.

—

At noon, after school, Shen Lihuan returned to the Shen residence, only to see her mother directing the servants. She slung her backpack over her shoulder, walked over quickly, and hugged her mother’s shoulders from behind with a curious expression.

“Mom, what’s going on?”

Gu Qinglan patted her daughter’s hands with a smile. “Your father said we’re moving out. I’m having the servants pack our things.”

Moving out?

Shen Lihuan lowered her gaze. It seemed her father no longer wanted to see Liang Yinqiu and Shen Zhongyuan, those two nuisances.

“What about Liang Yinqiu and Shen Zhongyuan? How is Dad handling them?”

She probed cautiously.

“That’s not for you to worry about. Let your father handle it.”

Facing her inquisitive daughter, Gu Qinglan helplessly pinched her fair cheeks. “You’re still young. It’s better not to get involved in such dirty matters. No need to taint your eyes.”

Shen Lihuan pursed her lips, somewhat disappointed. “Alright then, I’ll go upstairs and start packing.”

“Go ahead.”

Gu Qinglan waved her off. Shen Lihuan puffed up her cheeks and went to her room.

After locking the door, she pulled open the curtains. A snake with a red neck and a green body appeared before her. She walked over and spoke softly, “Xiao Lu, I’m back. Is your tail completely healed?”

Xiao Lu, excited to see its little owner again, flicked its tongue and hissed joyfully. Its tail wagged non-stop. “Yes! Thank you for treating my wounds, little master. Xiao Lu is so happy!”

“No need to thank me. You got hurt because of me,” Shen Lihuan said as she crouched down, gently stroking its smooth body. “Xiao Lu, I’m moving to a new place today. Do you want to come with me?”

Xiao Lu nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes, yes!”

Watching its excitement, Shen Lihuan wondered how she would explain to her gentle mother that she had a pet snake…

—

Shen Lihuan’s new home was a spacious two-story villa with a large swimming pool in front. The clear blue water made her itch to jump in.

Inside, the first-floor living room had a high ceiling, exuding grandeur. A large, two-meter-wide oil painting of a seaside sunset hung on the wall. The ocean, bathed in the sun’s golden light, shimmered beautifully. The floor was covered in a light yellow carpet with elegant yet simple patterns.

Without Shen Pingting and the others around to be an eyesore, Shen Lihuan felt utterly refreshed. Everything she saw seemed beautiful, and she was extremely satisfied with her new home.

“Lihuan, your room is the third one on the right upstairs. Take a look and see if you like it. If not, we’ll change it for you.”

Shen Jiashu, towering at 1.85 meters, ruffled his daughter’s hair from above. Shen Lihuan rolled her eyes at him. Shen Jiashu couldn’t help but chuckle, his deep and magnetic laughter spilling from his lips.

Shen Lihuan turned to her mother for support. “Mom, look! Dad is bullying me. Does being tall make him so great?”

Receiving her daughter’s distress signal, Gu Qinglan pinched Shen Jiashu’s waist playfully. “You’d better watch out. If you tease her too much, she might get mad.”

Faced with his wife’s intimidation, Shen Jiashu could only raise the white flag in surrender. Shen Lihuan shot him a triumphant look before dragging her suitcase upstairs.

Upon entering her room, she didn’t immediately take in the surroundings. Instead, she released Xiao Lu from its cage, letting it explore freely. Excited by the new environment, Xiao Lu slithered around in circles on the floor.

While it had fun, Shen Lihuan opened her suitcase and started unpacking, finally taking in the room’s design.

The room was spacious, with two large white wardrobes that immediately caught her attention. A light blue fabric sofa, adorned with a few plush teddy bears, seemed to invite her to sit. A bookshelf, already neatly filled with books, delighted her. Beside it stood a white desk, complete with a computer, and two small potted succulents—one bear’s paw and one jade plant—sat atop it.

Seeing the succulents, Shen Lihuan thought of her little plant friends at the Shen residence. When they found out she was leaving, they had cried so pitifully that she nearly dug them all up to bring them along.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t realistic, so she had promised to visit them whenever she could, which finally stopped their tears.

Thinking of this, Shen Lihuan couldn’t help but laugh. People often say that humans are not like plants and trees—how could they be devoid of emotions? But in her opinion, some people truly had no heart, not even comparable to the most ordinary plant, just like Shen Zhongyuan and Liang Yinqiu.

One was her eldest uncle’s father, and the other was her eldest uncle’s wife, yet they both abandoned him without a second thought, caring only about their own pleasure.

People like them—how could they have a heart?

During lunch, Shen Lihuan brought Xiao Lu downstairs with her. Even though Gu Qinglan had already seen Xiao Lu before, she still couldn’t help but twitch the corners of her mouth. It was the first time she realized that her daughter’s interests were so unique. Instead of keeping a cat or a dog as a pet, she had chosen to raise a snake.

Shen Lihuan picked up a chicken drumstick and placed it in Xiao Lu’s feeding bowl, then turned to her parents, who were staring at the snake, and said, “Dad, Mom, I want to become a medical scientist in the future. Can you help your beloved daughter with something?”

A medical scientist?

Shen Jiashu and Gu Qinglan exchanged glances. Their daughter had been involved in the company’s affairs before, so they assumed she intended to take over Jialan and become an entrepreneur. Had she changed her mind?

However, neither of them were authoritarian parents. Their daughter’s preferences were their priority, so they both nodded in agreement without even asking what kind of help she needed. “No problem. Whatever you want to do, we’ll support you.”

Shen Lihuan felt a warmth in her heart, like drinking a sip of warm water. “Thank you, Mom and Dad! I love you both so much. I’d like you to help me find some medical books, and if there are any ancient texts on traditional Chinese medicine, that would be even better.”

Ancient texts were hard to come by; they were almost nonexistent on the market. Only her parents would have the means to obtain them. Shen Lihuan felt a little embarrassed as she touched her face. At the same time, she was dissatisfied with her own lack of power. She had no capable subordinates, which meant she couldn’t accomplish many things on her own. It was clear she still had a lot to do.

She planned to establish a research institute to develop various medicines, but the cost would be astronomical. She couldn’t rely on her parents for everything.

“That’s a small matter. Don’t worry, your bookshelves will be filled with books in no time,” Shen Jiashu promised without hesitation, and Gu Qinglan also agreed without a second thought.

Shen Lihuan pushed aside her stray thoughts and, smiling, picked up some food for her parents to show her gratitude through action.

It wasn’t long before people with a keen eye noticed that the Shen Jiashu family had moved out of the Shen residence. News of this spread quickly throughout the Imperial Capital’s business circle. Some of the Shen family’s collateral relatives tried to visit the Shen residence to gather information, but Shen Jiashu publicly announced that Shen Zhongyuan was in poor health and did not allow visitors, so everyone who attempted to enter was turned away.

Shen Pingting, after learning the truth about her origins, felt both ashamed and resentful. She had no desire to disclose Shen family matters to outsiders, so she drove away anyone who came probing for information. She had already given up hope of inheriting the Shen family business. Her so-called father had now become her elder brother, and her second uncle had become her second brother. Would her “second uncle” be willing to hand over the Shen family business to her? And as for her “second brother,” that was even more uncertain.

She was deeply anxious about her future. Overnight, her mother had disappeared, and her… father was imprisoned in his room, which terrified her. She feared that Shen Jiashu might also find her displeasing and decide to get rid of her.

She finally understood that being the Shen family’s young miss sounded prestigious, but in reality, it was completely useless. If she could do it all over again, she would never have offended Shen Lihuan.

You Changqing, having heard many rumors, couldn’t help but ask about it when she and Shen Lihuan went to a bookstore to buy books.

Shen Lihuan turned her head nonchalantly. “Why make such a big deal out of it? Plenty of young couples live separately from their parents. Why is it such a problem when it comes to our family?”

“But isn’t it said that your grandfather is in poor health? And you all still moved out at this time?” You Changqing asked, puzzled.

While scanning book titles, Shen Lihuan replied, “That’s just a diplomatic excuse. My dad just doesn’t want people bothering my grandfather, so he said that.”

Seeing that Shen Lihuan spoke so casually about it, You Changqing lost interest in the matter. If it didn’t involve Shen Lihuan, she wouldn’t have paid attention to other people’s family affairs anyway.

The two had come out specifically to buy books. Shen Lihuan wanted medical books, while You Changqing wanted comprehensive science practice tests, particularly chemistry ones.

When Shen Lihuan found out, she raised an eyebrow teasingly. “If you don’t understand chemistry problems, just ask me. I’ll tutor you for free.”

You Changqing’s hands itched, and she couldn’t resist scratching Shen Lihuan’s arm.

“You little rascal, always making fun of me.”