Chapter 35

After listening to the two little ones’ account, Shen Lihuan raised an eyebrow, not particularly concerned as she held General in her arms and stroked its fur. “Thank you, General and Overlord. You two are amazing. Tonight, I’ll give you extra food.”

As for the people from the He and Gu families, whether they would even appear before her was still uncertain. Did they really think her father was a fool? That he would help outsiders force his own daughter to take the blame? They were being too naive.

Not to mention that they had no concrete evidence. Gu Qingrong’s baseless assumptions—could those even be considered proof?

But it was good that Gu Qingrong and the others were coming. Gu Xiu Jin, Luo Jiangyue, and Gu Qingrong had caused her mother so much suffering. As a daughter, how could she not properly “repay” them for that?

Shen Lihuan lowered her eyes, a cruel smile curling at the corner of her lips.

General and Overlord cheered the moment their master mentioned extra food for the night.

“That’s great! Master, I want to eat chicken drumsticks tonight!” Chicken drumsticks had now become Overlord’s favorite.

“Master, I want to eat beef liver and pork liver tonight. Can I?” Since dogs couldn’t eat too much animal liver, Shen Lihuan only allowed General to have some once a week. Because of this, liver had become General’s most desired yet rarely obtained treat.

“Alright, I’ll grant your wishes.”

Shen Lihuan generously agreed to their requests, patted the two little ones, and let them play by themselves. Then, she slowly made her way downstairs to the kitchen. Inside, Gu Qinglan was chatting with the family’s head chef, Liang Si, while cooking. As Shen Lihuan entered, Gu Qinglan poured a bowl of warm water into a non-stick pan, gave the dish in the pan a quick stir, and then covered it with a lid before smiling at her daughter.

“Lihuan, you’re down so soon? There are still two more dishes left to cook. Are you hungry? There are some small cakes in the fridge—go have a bite to fill your stomach.”

Shen Lihuan’s expression softened significantly. She walked over to her mother. “I’m not hungry yet. General and Overlord just came back, so I came to let Uncle Liang know. Our dog, General, will have pork liver and beef liver tonight, and the snake, Overlord, will have a chicken drumstick.”

Turning to Liang Si, she added, “Uncle Liang, sorry to trouble you.”

Liang Si chuckled heartily. “No worries, Miss. I’ll make sure they taste amazing.”

“I trust Uncle Liang’s cooking.” Shen Lihuan praised the family chef, making Liang Si laugh even more. As a chef, nothing was more gratifying than having his skills acknowledged.

Since her daughter wasn’t hungry yet, Gu Qinglan was relieved. She spotted Shen Lihuan sneaking toward the sink, eyeing the vegetables as if she were about to make a move. Gently pushing her daughter away, she said, “The kitchen has a lot of grease and smoke. Go eat some fruit in the living room or watch TV. Dinner will be ready soon.”

Shen Lihuan gave her an innocent look. “Mom, I just wanted to give the vegetables a bath and study the changes that occur when they come into contact with water. We all know that vegetables mainly contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber, while water consists of hydrogen and oxygen. When these substances collide, what kind of reaction will they produce?”

Gu Qinglan looked at her with curiosity. Shen Lihuan smiled slyly and quickly added, “Once I’m done washing the vegetables, I’ll be able to tell you the answer, Mom.”

Gu Qinglan sighed, both amused and exasperated. It was just washing vegetables—why did she have to make such a long-winded excuse? “Fine, fine. Go ahead and wash them. Let’s see what kind of change they undergo.”

“Roger that!” Shen Lihuan cherished this rare opportunity to wash vegetables, which she had secured through a battle of wits with her mother. She took the task very seriously, washing each leaf as delicately as if she were bathing a newborn. The greens turned even more vibrant under her meticulous care, looking exceptionally fresh on a white porcelain plate adorned with a painting of fish swimming among lotus leaves.

Being single for so long had made even a plate of vegetables seem beautiful.

Gu Qinglan plated the cooked dish, and Shen Lihuan handed over the washed greens. “Mom, the vegetables are clean.”

Gu Qinglan glanced at them and teasingly said, “Not bad. You did a thorough job. So, what’s your research conclusion?”

Shen Lihuan answered with a straight face, “The conclusion is that the vegetables became greener.”

Gu Qinglan burst out laughing. “That’s a great discovery.”

Shen Lihuan calmly accepted her mother’s half-hearted compliment. “Oh, not at all, Mom. You flatter me.”

Seeing her smug expression, Gu Qinglan felt the urge to pinch her ear. Just as she was about to do so, Shen Lihuan dashed out of the kitchen. “Mom, since it’s rare for you to cook today, I’ll call Dad and tell him to come home early for dinner!”

Gu Qinglan laughed and scolded her retreating figure. “That little rascal, running so fast.”

After receiving his daughter’s urgent calls, Shen Jiashu immediately put down his unimportant documents and rushed home. His wife was cooking—money could always be earned, but nothing compared to his wife’s cooking.

Shen Jiashu arrived just in time. All the dishes were already placed on the dining table, waiting for him to start the meal.

“Dad, hurry up! Mom’s food smells so good. If you were any later, I would’ve started without you.”

Shen Lihuan eagerly ushered her father to his seat. General and Overlord were also waiting obediently, ready to eat together with the family.

Handing his suit jacket to a servant, Shen Jiashu sat down beside his daughter with a smile. “If you’re hungry, you can start eating. You don’t have to wait for me.”

“That won’t do. I want to eat with both you and Mom.”

Shen Lihuan picked up her chopsticks and placed some food on her parents’ plates, beaming.

Gu Qinglan placed a bite of vegetables on her husband’s plate and playfully said, “Try this—it’s the vegetables your daughter washed.”

Shen Lihuan let out a dramatic “Oh~.”

Shen Jiashu chuckled and looked at his daughter before picking up the greens and eating them. He then exaggeratedly sighed in admiration.

“It’s delicious.” Shen Jiashu gave a thumbs-up. “This flavor should only exist in the heavens; it’s rare to taste it in the human world.”

Gu Qinglan resisted the urge to roll her eyes and sighed in resignation. As expected of a true father-daughter pair—this exaggerated reaction was identical.

After the laughter died down, the family got to discussing serious matters.

“Daughter, the medicinal ingredients you wanted arrived in the imperial capital today. You can begin large-scale production now.”

Shen Lihuan’s skincare products and medicinal pills were all refined using these ingredients. To mass-produce her products, she needed a substantial supply of high-quality herbs. Shen Jiashu, with his high status and extensive connections, had secured the best herb cultivation base to provide for his daughter.

The four most famous medicinal herb cultivation bases in Green Nation were Ganxi Longcheng, Mong’an Yudu, Lingbei Youzhuang, and Xiangmin Houlake.

However, the absolute best was Bailong Villa in the Bailong Mountain Range.

Bailong Villa only supplied its medicinal herbs to prestigious noble families. A newly established cosmetics company like Shen Lihuan’s wouldn’t be able to get even a single stalk from them, no matter how much they begged. But since this company belonged to Shen Lihuan, Shen Jiashu would only give his daughter the best.

My dad is truly best.

Shen Lihuan sighed emotionally, opened a bottle of red wine, and poured a glass for both her parents. “Thank you, Dad and Mom, for doing so much for me. I just lie at home without having to do anything—this is true happiness.”

After saying that, she raised her glass and downed the wine in one go.

“Silly girl, what’s there to thank us for?” Seeing his daughter being so filial and keeping her parents in her heart, Shen Jiashu was overjoyed. He lifted his own glass. “Come, let’s toast as a family of three. In just over nine months, we’ll be celebrating again as our family of three becomes a family of four.”

Shen Lihuan poured herself another glass of wine and clinked glasses with her parents. “Cheers!”

The next day, Shen Lihuan, accompanied by Shen Jiashu, went to her company—Shengyan. The newly built three-story office building was beautifully designed, exuding a strong sense of modern style. Every department had already recruited the necessary personnel, each performing their duties.

Shengyan’s products had already become a hot topic on internet, with everyone eagerly anticipating their launch. Although it was uncertain whether regular households would buy them, the noblewomen of the imperial capital would undoubtedly snatch them up like crazy. Once the brand’s reputation was established, there would be no shortage of markets for Shengyan’s products. The employees were equally eager for an early launch, knowing that a well-managed company would secure their futures as early employees.

Shen Lihuan toured the departments, chatted briefly with each department manager, and gained a general understanding of the company before holding her first official company meeting.

Only high-level executives attended the meeting. Some had been personally recruited by Shen Jiashu and would serve as Shen Lihuan’s key aides. Others were hired by Gu Qinglan—they were motivated, intelligent, and experienced in the industry.

At first, these executives were skeptical of Shen Lihuan, a sixteen-year-old CEO. They assumed she was just playing around and that they would end up managing the company themselves. However, as soon as Shen Lihuan entered the room, she delivered a powerful show of authority.

By the end of the meeting, every executive walked out sweating, their legs weak, both shaken and thrilled. A strong leader meant they could work with confidence. As long as they performed well, they might even have a chance to obtain company shares in the future.

The CEO was indeed the eldest daughter of the Shen family. Her presence alone was intimidating, her words were articulate and decisive, with no unnecessary nonsense. She was entirely familiar with the company’s operations and executed her strategies with remarkable efficiency.

They couldn’t help but wonder—how had she been trained? If their own children were even half as capable as her, they’d wake up laughing in their sleep.

After leaving the company, Shen Lihuan rushed to the factory. Shengyan’s first batch of skincare products included eight types. The signature products were “Hongyan Powder,” “Yingji Powder,” and “Taorong Dew.” The other five were wrinkle cream, fat-reducing pills, hydrating cream, anti-redness cream, and nose-lifting pills.

These products targeted different issues: removing wrinkles, reducing fat, hydrating and nourishing the skin, eliminating facial redness, and treating rosacea.

Due to the complexity of production, the factory had eight separate production rooms, ensuring that each product was manufactured independently. This wasn’t out of fear that their process would be stolen—every employee had signed a contract prohibiting them from disclosing factory details to anyone. Even after resigning, they were not allowed to open their own cosmetics shops or sell any techniques they had learned.

If caught, they would face hefty fines and imprisonment.

Green Nation had strict laws, and no one was reckless enough to risk breaking them—unless they had a death wish.

This setup also saved time, preventing employees from having to relearn different production processes.

Fortunately, the employees were all experienced professionals. With the latest equipment, even the most intricate procedures were mastered after a few trial runs, and the skincare products were successfully produced.

Shen Lihuan personally examined them—checking the color, sniffing the fragrance, and finally applying them to her hand to feel the effect.

The semi-artisanal, semi-mechanical production process couldn’t fully match the quality of products she personally made, but it wasn’t bad either. Shen Lihuan nodded in satisfaction and rated them an eight out of ten.

She spent the entire morning and afternoon at the factory. Only after ensuring that all employees had learned the production process did she return home.

After a whole day without seeing Chang Qing, Shen Lihuan decided to video call You Changqing.

Today, You Changqing’s maternal relatives were visiting, making her home noisy and chaotic. A bratty child even tried to barge into her room. Being highly territorial, she rarely let anyone into her space, so the child started crying when she refused. To make matters worse, the child’s mother—her aunt—scolded her for not giving in to the child.

Even with her usual good temperament, You Changqing’s patience wore thin. Guests should at least have some manners, yet her aunt had the audacity to act like she owned the place.

She let out a cold laugh on the spot. Some relatives tried to mediate, saying, “We’re all family, don’t get upset.”

You Changhong, who had always disliked this aunt, crossed his arms and sneered, “Auntie, are you really this oblivious? It’s clearly our cousin who’s in the wrong, yet you still have the nerve to blame my sister?”

Aunt’s face immediately turned bright red, and Uncle quickly pulled his wife aside and scolded her. She really had no sense of propriety. Did she think that just because she was Changqing’s aunt, she could show her attitude? Without the You family’s support, their Yang family wouldn’t even qualify as a second-rate family. Offending the You family’s heir—was she trying to distance Changqing from them in the future?

After being reprimanded, Aunt finally quieted down, and the atmosphere gradually warmed up again. However, You Changqing’s mood had already been ruined. Seeing that Lihuan was calling her via video, she quickly retreated to her room.

“Changqing, how was your day?”

Hearing Shen Lihuan’s gentle voice, a wave of grievance surged in her heart. She spoke in a low tone, recounting what had just happened.

“Changqing, don’t be angry. Your aunt is already that age and still so immature. Of course, someone as gentle and poised as you wouldn’t stoop to her level.”

“Just think about it—bratty kids usually have bratty parents. She’s spoiling her son now, but one day, she’ll end up suffering because of it. If you imagine how unlucky she’ll be in the future, doesn’t that make you feel better?”

You Changqing was amused by Shen Lihuan’s words and chuckled. “In your eyes, am I really such a gentle and poised person?”

“Not just that. In my eyes, you’re beautiful, outstanding, intelligent, dignified, and kind. Even if I used every word I’ve ever learned, I still wouldn’t be able to fully describe all your good qualities.”

Shen Lihuan gazed at her seriously. You Changqing cupped her cheeks with her hands, looking at her shyly. “I’m not as good as you say.”

“You are. And also adorable. I’ve never met anyone as cute as you.”

To outsiders, You Changqing was cold and distant, but only Shen Lihuan knew that beneath her frosty exterior, she had a heart as pure as a snow lotus on a distant mountain.

“Lihuan, I…” I really like you so much!

“Hmm? What is it?”

Seeing Shen Lihuan’s puzzled expression, You Changqing swallowed back her feelings. She couldn’t say it yet. Lihuan was so slow on the uptake—if she didn’t let her figure it out on her own, she might scare her away.

This was fine for now. After all, she was the only one who could stay close to Lihuan. When they went to college and became adults, if Lihuan still hadn’t figured it out, she would just take the initiative! Let’s see if this fool would dare to sleep with her and not take responsibility!