Captivating Beauty 44p1

Chapter 44 p1

Given Yin Xue’s personality, the second possibility, surrogacy, seemed more likely.

Xu Jinnan had occasionally seen news about surrogacy abroad. It was just a guess, and only the original Xu Jinnan and Yin Xue knew the truth.

Besides, she had a nagging feeling that the original Xu Jinnan’s attitude in that memory fragment wasn’t entirely accurate.

At least, when Xu Jinnan thought about the child, she didn’t feel any aversion or disgust.

Even a sense of familiarity.

She carefully reviewed the memory, finding a name written in the corner of Little Crescent Moon’s drawing – Yuhua Orphanage.

There were many orphanages with that name across the country. Xu Jinnan made a note of the surroundings in the drawing and asked Chen Yue to put the Wang Zheng investigation on hold and locate this orphanage.

While Chen Yue seemed like a lazy delinquent, he had his own channels for gathering information, his connections extending to the shadier corners of society.

This task wouldn’t be difficult for him.

—

Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu stayed at the hospital in Rongcheng for a day.

By the time they returned to North City, Yin Xue had been transferred back to the Special Ward. The police said her sentence would be extended. The drug incident remained unresolved, with no clear evidence.

On the way back, Xu Jinnan couldn’t shake the image of Yin Xue’s hateful gaze, the chilling despair in her eyes.

As she was thinking, she realized something wasn’t right.

She had assumed Yin Xue had something on the original Xu Jinnan, but despite the severity of the situation and the depth of her hatred, she hadn’t revealed anything.

Had she been wrong?

Or was the situation not dire enough for Yin Xue to use her leverage?

Her phone vibrated, interrupting her thoughts.

It was Li Lan, unexpectedly.

“I just heard from someone at the Special Ward… You’re quite the troublemaker, aren’t you? Always getting into something. Weren’t you trending online a few days ago? Are you alright? Are you hurt?” Xu Jinnan heard someone say “Good morning, Director” in the background. “I have half an hour free. I’ll come see you,” Li Lan continued.

Xu Jinnan raised an eyebrow, surprised by her concern.

“No need. I’m on my way back,” she said with a smile.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Your brother isn’t back yet. He’ll be worried when he finds out about all this.” She knew the original Xu Jinnan hadn’t disliked Xu Yincheng, but judging by Li Lan’s tone, they were actually quite close?

But Lu Yun had also seemed caring and affectionate at first. She couldn’t take it at face value.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” she reassured Li Lan.

Shen Shu, who was driving, glanced at her as they stopped at a red light.

Xu Jinnan thought Li Lan’s tone sounded almost… sisterly.

She had never met Xu Yincheng and didn’t know Li Lan well. And Li Lan had mentioned Xu Yincheng rejecting her, so she wasn’t sure about their relationship.

Having met so many shady characters recently, her expectations of people had become simple – as long as they weren’t enemies, it was fine.

The midday sun was scorching.

Xu Jinnan felt drowsy and glanced at Shen Shu, who had come with her to Rongcheng yesterday morning, missing her meeting with the director.

She hadn’t even changed her clothes, having spent the entire day and night taking care of Xu Jinnan.

Shen Shu’s hair was casually pulled back, her features softened by the sunlight, a hint of weariness in her eyes. Her lips looked dry.

But instead of looking unkempt, she resembled a rose, slightly parched, its delicate pink petals still beautiful.

Xu Jinnan’s own throat felt dry.

She opened a bottle of water and handed it to Shen Shu. “Have some water.”

“I haven’t driven in a long time,” Shen Shu said.

Xu Jinnan: “?”

“I don’t want to die in a car accident because I was thirsty,” she explained.

Xu Jinnan: “…”

Looking at her beautiful, impassive face, Xu Jinnan couldn’t tell if she was joking or serious.

“Okay,” she said. Safety first. There was another red light up ahead.

She took a sip of water, the coolness soothing her parched throat.

Perhaps due to her exhaustion, the simple act of drinking water brought a sigh of contentment to her lips.

Shen Shu’s throat tightened as she glanced at Xu Jinnan, then quickly looked away, but the image of the glistening water droplets on her lips lingered in her mind.

—

Shen Shu dropped Xu Jinnan off at Xingcheng International, then drove to her meeting with the director in Xu Jinnan’s car. She had missed their original appointment yesterday, but fortunately, he had been understanding and had rescheduled.

After the meeting, she went to Sacred Heart Pictures. By the time she returned home, it was past 6 p.m.

Before even opening the door, she smelled the familiar aroma of tomatoes, the comforting scent of home-cooked food.

The exhaustion and stress of the day melted away, replaced by a sense of warmth and peace.

This feeling of belonging, so rare in her life, was now associated with Xu Jinnan.

And it wasn’t unpleasant.

“Miss Shen, dinner’s ready,” Xu Jinnan called out from the kitchen, peeking out from behind the counter.

She was wearing the Winnie the Pooh apron over a black T-shirt, the apron tied tightly, the ears framing her face. The T-shirt ended at the same length as the apron, revealing her long legs.

“Okay,” Shen Shu replied, quickly looking away. “I thought you weren’t feeling well?”

Xu Jinnan returned to the cutting board, her voice light. “I slept all day. I feel much better.”

Three dishes and a soup were on the table – tomato and shrimp, steamed eggs, stir-fried bamboo shoots and pork, and seaweed soup.

“How did the meeting go?” Xu Jinnan asked.

“It’s basically confirmed. Filming starts next month,” Shen Shu replied.

Xu Jinnan, who preferred leaving the shells on the shrimp, noticed Shen Shu struggling to peel them.

“That’s great! What kind of drama is it?” she asked, placing a peeled shrimp in Shen Shu’s bowl.

Shen Shu looked down at the shrimp. “The modern workplace drama Tong Jia mentioned. Filmed here in North City. A supporting role.”

“Who’s the lead?” Xu Jinnan asked casually.

“They haven’t announced it yet.”

Regardless, it was a good start for Shen Shu.

Thanks to the recent trending topics, her popularity had soared, exceeding their expectations, her follower count reaching two million in just two days.

Several brands had already contacted her for endorsements, and Tong Jia had shortlisted two, scheduling a meeting with Shen Shu tomorrow to discuss them.

Xu Jinnan wasn’t familiar with the entertainment industry, but she understood the concept of commercial value.

Popularity was value.

And value determined Shen Shu’s future opportunities and freedom.

It was a positive feedback loop.

Shen Shu would only become more successful, until one day, she wouldn’t need Xu Jinnan’s protection anymore.

–

After two days of rest, Xu Jinnan returned to work, catching up on pending tasks, while Shen Shu stayed home, reading scripts and memorizing lines.

Zhou Pei entered her office, reporting on the old apartment. “Two suitcases, mostly handbags, about a dozen. Should I deliver them to Miss Shen’s apartment now?”

Xu Jinnan messaged Shen Shu, confirming she was home, then told Zhou Pei to go ahead.

–

Over an hour later, Xu Jinnan was in a meeting, discussing the development of the live streaming platform.

Shen Shu sent her a short video. She muted the meeting and clicked on it.

Then, she froze.

A row of luxury handbags lined the sofa in Shen Shu’s living room. The camera panned, and she saw the two suitcases Zhou Pei had delivered, one of them blue.

She didn’t even have to think; the sight of the suitcase immediately brought back the memory of that morning, handcuffed to Shen Shu, emptying the suitcase and its embarrassing contents…

Xu Jinnan facepalmed. She had intended to get rid of those things, perhaps late at night when no one was around.

But after moving in with Shen Shu, she had completely forgotten.

…Shen Shu must have recognized the suitcase.

What was the meaning of this video? Had she said anything?

She couldn’t listen to the audio during the meeting, so she tapped her fingers on the folder in front of her, her anxiety growing.

–

An hour later, the meeting finally ended, and the relieved attendees filed out of the room, as if they had just survived a minor earthquake.

“What was wrong with CEO Xu today? She agreed to the proposal, but she didn’t seem happy.”

“Ask Zhou Pei.”

“I don’t know either.”

Then, someone, more observant than the others, said, “I think she had a fight with her wife. She seemed fine at first, then her expression changed after checking her phone.”

“She’s usually quite approachable, but when she’s expressionless, she’s terrifying. When it was my turn to present, her stare made me sweat.”

“Same here. Good thing I have an off-site meeting this afternoon.”

“I’m meeting with the software developers.”

They all looked at Zhou Pei.

“Good luck, Zhou Pei,” they said, their voices full of sympathy.

Zhou Pei: “…”

She knew Xu Jinnan’s temper well and didn’t dare to say anything when she was angry. She glanced at Xu Jinnan’s closed office door, but lately, she couldn’t understand her moods or her thoughts.

She felt like Xu Jinnan didn’t trust her as much as before.

–

Back in her office, Xu Jinnan immediately turned on the sound.

Shen Shu’s calm voice, accompanied by the image of the suitcases on the screen, said, “Your… things arrived.”

Xu Jinnan: “…”

She hadn’t said anything explicitly, yet she had said everything.

Shen Shu definitely thought it was her “personal collection.” Xu Jinnan sighed. Why hadn’t she thought of this when Zhou Pei asked her about the suitcases?

It was past 3 p.m. when she finally finished working, and she decided to leave early.

Due to the lingering effects of Yin Xue’s drug, her hands were still slightly shaky, so she had Zhou Pei drive her.

As she got into the car, she noticed a bouquet of roses on the back seat, their vibrant red petals still closed, a beautiful sight.

“I replaced the plants in the lobby with new ones. The owner saw you and said she’s a fan of yours and Miss Shen. This is a gift from her,” Zhou Pei explained.

Xu Jinnan touched a petal, surprised.

–

Back at the apartment, the suitcases were gone. Hearing a noise from the bedroom, she opened the door and saw Shen Shu putting away laundry on the balcony.

Shen Shu turned around, noticing the roses in her hand, a question in her eyes.

Xu Jinnan, on a whim, said, “They’re for you.”

Shen Shu looked at her for a moment, and Xu Jinnan quickly corrected herself. “…Someone sent them.”

Shen Shu turned away, returning to her task.

“Do you have a vase?” Xu Jinnan asked.

A few moments later, Shen Shu returned with a vase. “This is all I have,” she said.

It was a clear, Scandinavian-style vase, about twenty centimeters tall, the opening slightly flared. Perfect.

Shen Shu placed the folded clothes on the bed and watched as Xu Jinnan, crouching on the balcony, trimmed the rose stems and arranged them in the vase.

She seemed to enjoy it.

Xu Jinnan stood up, placing the vase on Shen Shu’s bedside table. “Pretty, right?” she asked, her voice carrying a note of satisfaction.

Shen Shu glanced at the roses. “Someone sent them to you. Why are they on my bedside table?”

“They weren’t for me. They were for us,” Xu Jinnan replied, explaining the situation.

Shen Shu looked at the vase for a moment. “They’re fine.”

“Wow, getting a compliment from you is truly a rare occurrence,” Xu Jinnan said, bending down to pick up the discarded leaves and stems.

After a few seconds, she heard Shen Shu say softly, “They’re beautiful.”

Xu Jinnan looked up, surprised, but Shen Shu had already turned away. Had she been looking at her?

She smiled faintly, feeling strangely pleased, as if she had been coaxed into doing something.

Not having enough vases for all the roses, Xu Jinnan found a white ceramic soup pot and arranged the remaining flowers in it, placing it on the kitchen counter.

Then, she saw the two suitcases in the living room, one blue and one pink, and the row of designer bags on the sofa. She had forgotten about them. She carried everything into the guest room, planning to sort through them later, discarding the unwanted items.

–