Chapter 7: A Very Strange Woman

Meanwhile, at the internet cafe bar counter, Yi Qingzhuo pulled off her earphones and sat down in the boss’s chair.

She waited for Shen Chaoyi to continue.

“Don’t let him in again, next time.” Shen Chaoyi didn’t let Shen Gan follow her. She stood at the edge of the counter, her expression heavy.

“Doctor Shen, he’s an adult. Didn’t you know that?” Yi Qingzhuo twirled the black earphone cord around her index finger, her cool, pale eyelids slightly lowered.

Shen Chaoyi clenched her back teeth. “I know. But he’s still a high school student, still in school. At this stage, studies are the priority. If he spends every day soaking in an internet cafe, it’ll seriously affect his grades.”

“He’s an adult, but you could still refuse to let him in. That’s your right.”

“But it’s not my obligation.” Yi Qingzhuo’s voice turned heavy.

“You…” Shen Chaoyi was momentarily at a loss for words.

This woman really was impossible to reason with.

Shen Chaoyi took a deep breath. “Miss Yi…”

“Doctor Shen.” Yi Qingzhuo cut her off. “You should solve this problem at its root, meaning your brother. Even if this internet cafe doesn’t let him in, he has legs. Do you know how many internet cafes there are in Ningchuan? Next time he’ll just go somewhere else, and you might not even find him. Instead of wasting time here, you should focus on what matters.”

This was the longest Yi Qingzhuo had ever spoken since Shen Chaoyi first met her.

Shen Chaoyi realized that Yi Qingzhuo’s voice was actually quite pleasant—crisp yet magnetic, very easy on the ears.

Too bad she didn’t like to talk.

Shen Chaoyi was stunned for two seconds, silent.

Yi Qingzhuo crossed her long legs, casually tossed her black hair back, and issued a blunt dismissal. “No need to see me out, Doctor Shen.”

Shen Chaoyi opened her mouth to say something more.

Just then, Shen Gan, who had been locked in the car, suddenly poked his head out. “Sister, I promise I won’t skip class again. Let’s just go back.”

To make his words sound credible, he raised three fingers as if swearing an oath.

“How did you get out?” Shen Chaoyi looked at Shen Gan in surprise, then glanced down at the car keys in her bag.

“I found the spare key you keep in the drawer at home.” Shen Gan stuck out his tongue. Because he was worried about leaving his sister alone with Yi Qingzhuo, he had no choice but to reveal the secret.

Occasionally, when Shen Chaoyi was on business trips, Shen Gan would use her spare key to take her car out for a joyride.

“You!” Shen Chaoyi’s pupils contracted.

Yi Qingzhuo propped her chin on her hand, glanced at Shen Gan, and said nothing.

Shen Gan quickly walked to the counter. “Sorry for the trouble, boss. We’re leaving now.”

With that, he tugged at Shen Chaoyi’s sleeve.

Shen Chaoyi shot Shen Gan a glare. Hitting one wall after another made her face flush with frustration.

Logically, she was still Yi Qingzhuo’s doctor. They would see each other at the hospital again. Yi Qingzhuo shouldn’t have been so sharp and uncompromising.

But Yi Qingzhuo didn’t care at all. She seemed completely indifferent.

So cold.

After being rebuffed, Shen Chaoyi could only nod slightly and walk out of the internet cafe.

Once she sat in the car, she reached out her hand, suppressing her irritation. “Give me the spare key.”

“Sister.” Shen Gan clutched the car key, reluctant to let go. “I already have my driver’s license. Can’t you let me drive once in a while? I just want to have some fun. Going to the racetrack is too expensive, but I’m itching to drive.”

Shen Chaoyi took the key back without hesitation. “This is a sedan. You want to treat it like a racetrack? Besides, you just got your license this summer. During the probation period, you have to put a probation sticker on the car when you drive. Do you know you’re breaking the traffic laws?”

“And driving on the road right after getting your license is very dangerous. What if something happens? Huh?”

Shen Chaoyi pinched Shen Gan’s ear, her two jade-white fingertips gradually applying more pressure as she spoke.

She was genuinely angry today. Her face was flushed with rage, her red lips pressed into a straight line.

Her usually warm voice was tinged with a hint of coldness.

Shen Chaoyi had a gentle temperament. Even when angry, she wasn’t particularly intimidating.

But Shen Gan respected her and naturally listened to her. He didn’t want to make her angry.

Shen Gan clenched his teeth silently, even leaning his ear closer, letting Shen Chaoyi pinch him.

“Do you know how worried Mom and Dad are about you? Do you know Teacher Zheng said if you skip class again, you’ll be expelled?” Shen Chaoyi let go of Shen Gan’s ear and bit her lip, refusing to look at him.

Shen Gan rubbed his red ear. “I know. I just didn’t expect her to suddenly come back.”

“Shen Gan!” Shen Chaoyi raised her voice slightly, displeased. “Last time. Otherwise, I’ll tell Dad everything, and I won’t make time to attend your parent-teacher conferences anymore.”

“Okay~” Shen Gan shuddered. Since Shen Chaoyi had put it that way, he had no choice but to behave.

If she told Dad, he’d definitely end up missing a limb.

And since there were frequent parent-teacher conferences now, if Shen Chaoyi didn’t go, Dad would have to.

If Dad found out about all the things he’d done, Shen Gan might not even be able to go home.

Shen Chaoyi always meant what she said. She had tolerated him a few times before, but if it kept happening, her patience would wear thin.

“Mm. I’ll take you back to school to apologize to the teacher.” Shen Chaoyi glanced at the internet cafe sign and started the car.

When Shen Gan heard this, he exclaimed, “Huh? Go back? None of the others are back yet. If I go alone, won’t she just single me out to yell at?”

Everyone was cunning. Shen Gan didn’t want to be the one to stick his neck out.

“If you don’t go apologize, are you willing to be suspended?”

“Then aren’t you heartless, sending your brother into the fire?”

“You brought this on yourself.”

Shen Chaoyi’s eyes were clear and calm. Thinking about what Yi Qingzhuo had said, she didn’t even look at Shen Gan.

“Tch.” Shen Gan snorted.

He crossed his arms, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Remembering that Shen Chaoyi had come looking for someone a few days ago, he asked, “Hey, you came here looking for someone before. Who was it? That fat guy?”

Li Hengyang was slightly chubby with small eyes. When he smiled, his eyes became mere slits.

Shen Gan was highly alert and sensitive toward anyone who might become his future brother-in-law.

Shen Chaoyi glanced at him. Seeing the disgust on his face, she knew his thoughts were heading in the wrong direction.

Before she could speak, Shen Gan had already let his imagination run wild.

“You were holding a black jacket that day, right? Who was it for?”

If Wu Huiyi hadn’t been watching him finish his homework and wouldn’t let him out, Shen Gan would have followed her that day to find out.

“It’s not that fat guy, is it? Or some random customer? Meeting at an internet cafe—that doesn’t seem reliable at all. Sister, you’re a modern elite woman. Your standards should be higher, okay?”

The more Shen Gan talked, the more worked up he got, righteous indignation burning in his voice.

“No, tell me. Who is it?”

“I want to see who managed to catch your eye.”

Shen Chaoyi’s eyes showed exhaustion. Suppressing her anger, she said, “Shut up.”

“Can’t the person in the black jacket be a woman?”

To prevent Shen Gan from spreading rumors to Wu Huiyi, Shen Chaoyi finally explained.

“Ah…” Shen Gan pouted in disappointment. “A woman in a black jacket? Do you have any friends like that?”

“Just a strange woman I recently met.” Shen Chaoyi brushed it off.

Yi Qingzhuo was not only strange but also contradictory.

She had a cold, distant personality, as if she looked down on everyone, yet she was polite enough to say “thank you.”

She wore all black and walked alone.

Shen Chaoyi had lived for thirty-two years. Even working in a busy hospital, she had never met someone like this.

But she didn’t dwell on it. She and someone like that belonged to different worlds. They would never cross paths again.