Captivating Beauty 86p3

Chapter 86 p3

A few minutes later, Shen Shu’s phone vibrated. She glanced at the caller ID, then answered.

It was Wei Wuqing, whom she hadn’t spoken to in a while.

“Shu Shu, it’s your birthday! Come home and celebrate! I made all your favorite dishes,” she said.

“No, thank you. We have plans,” Shen Shu replied.

“Come on, I’ve already prepared everything. Bring Nannan with you. She’s been working so hard lately, managing both her own company and the Xu Corporation. I’ll make her something nutritious,” Wei Wuqing insisted.

Shen Shu’s mood soured, her patience wearing thin. She almost said, Stop pretending.

“We’re at the old house. I dreamed about your grandmother last night. She misses you. She wants you to visit. So, we came here early this morning,” Wei Wuqing continued.

Shen Shu paused, and Wei Wuqing continued, her voice softening slightly. “Even if you don’t want to see us, you should at least visit her, shouldn’t you? Bring Nannan with you for dinner. And you still have to pick up the gift she left you.”

With the car windows closed, Xu Jinnan could still hear snippets of the conversation.

After Shen Shu hung up, Xu Jinnan asked, “She wants you to go back?”

“Yes,” Shen Shu replied, the earlier lightness in her mood replaced by a familiar heaviness.

Not wanting to burden Xu Jinnan, she suppressed her annoyance. “I’ll think about it,” she murmured.

Xu Jinnan, seeing through her reluctance, said, her voice firm, “I’ll go with you. We’ll pick up the gift and come straight back.”

“You can wait in the car,” she added.

Shen Shu looked down, her emotions a tangled mess, her usual composure crumbling.

“Shu Shu?”

Shen Shu bit her lip, then looked up at Xu Jinnan, her eyes pleading. “Xu Jinnan, can I have a hug?”

She felt a strange unease, a growing sense of dread, the dream from last night feeling more and more real with each passing hour.

Combined with the Shen family drama, everything felt… wrong.

Something was stirring within her, a memory struggling to surface, the pressure building, making her want to cry.

Xu Jinnan paused, then pulled over to the side of the road, unbuckling her seatbelt and pulling Shen Shu into a hug, her arm circling her waist.

“What’s wrong, Shu Shu?” she asked softly, her voice full of concern. She had been worried for the past two days, but she hadn’t wanted to push Shen Shu, afraid of triggering another panic attack.

Shen Shu’s arms tightened around Xu Jinnan’s neck, her eyes filled with anxiety. “Kiss me,” she whispered, her face pale and her lips slightly trembling.

The enclosed space of the car suddenly felt charged with tension.

Xu Jinnan leaned in, her lips finding Shen Shu’s, her hand moving to the back of Shen Shu’s head, her fingers tangling in her soft hair, her touch gentle yet firm.

She was always so tender with Shen Shu.

But now, her kiss deepened, her teeth gently nipping at Shen Shu’s lower lip, wanting to distract her from her nightmares, to chase away the shadows.

Shen Shu’s back arched against the seat, her body responding to the kiss. Their earlier kisses had been hesitant, almost clumsy, but now, they moved together seamlessly, their bodies attuned to each other’s rhythm.

The midday sun warmed the car, the air thick with the scent of their mingled pheromones.

Shen Shu’s hand, resting on the back of the seat, brushed against Xu Jinnan’s arm, the coolness of her skin a stark contrast to Xu Jinnan’s warmth, her fingernails digging into Xu Jinnan’s arm unintentionally.

Shen Shu winced, pulling her hand away, her fingers brushing against the damp spot on her jeans where she had spilled some water earlier, the coolness of the fabric a momentary relief against her burning skin.

She leaned her head against Xu Jinnan’s shoulder, the contact comforting, yet also insufficient, her body yearning for more.

Xu Jinnan’s heart was racing, the occasional honking of car horns outside a jarring counterpoint to the quiet intimacy of the car’s interior. She swallowed, her throat dry. “Should we go back?” she murmured.

Shen Shu’s earlobes were flushed, her voice soft and slightly breathless.

“What do you think?” she asked, her tone playful.

Xu Jinnan chuckled softly, cupping Shen Shu’s chin and tilting her head back slightly.

She didn’t answer with words, her lips finding Shen Shu’s, a soft, lingering kiss, a silent reassurance.

But she didn’t push it, mindful of their surroundings.

She looked at Shen Shu’s flushed face, her lips slightly swollen, and smiled faintly. She seemed more relaxed now.

“Better?” she asked, her voice teasing.

Shen Shu, her fingers digging into Xu Jinnan’s waist, a playful yet slightly painful gesture, pulled away and sat back in her seat, her voice regaining its usual calm indifference. “So, you’re not calling me ‘wifey’ anymore?”

Xu Jinnan, hearing the subtle disappointment in her voice, felt a strange pang of… something.

She attributed it to human nature, the desire to see the other person affected by your actions, to witness the transformation, the melting of the ice, the breaking of the rules.

While she liked this playful side of Shen Shu, she still preferred the flustered, blushing Shen Shu.

“Wifey, let’s go home,” she said, her gaze fixed on Shen Shu’s face, a smile playing on her lips, a promise in her eyes.

Shen Shu’s eyelashes fluttered as she met her gaze.

“Okay,” she murmured.

Xu Jinnan’s eyes darkened slightly, then she started the car, her thoughts returning to the task at hand.

–

A few minutes later, they both realized they were supposed to be going to the Shen residence.

They exchanged a look, a shared smile, the earlier intimacy having eased the tension between them, Shen Shu’s mood noticeably lighter.

The Shen family’s ancestral home was much older than Xu Jinnan had imagined, a small, three-story villa with a red brick exterior, a traditional design.

Xu Jinnan told Shen Shu to wait in the car, and Shen Shu, staring at the familiar black gate, was flooded with memories.

“I’ll go in,” she said.

Xu Jinnan nodded, then, as Shen Shu approached, reached out and took her hand, her warm palm a silent reassurance, a gesture of support.

Xu Jinnan always knew how to make her feel safe, protected.

Perhaps that’s why I feel so possessive of her, Shen Shu thought. Anyone who experienced this kind of unwavering support, this unconditional love, would fall for her.

That was why, whenever anyone showed even the slightest interest in Xu Jinnan, she felt a surge of possessiveness, a primal urge to protect what was hers.

Like with Lin Wei, at the orphanage, even though Xu Jinnan had been holding her hand, it hadn’t been enough.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the gate opened.

Wei Wuqing, Shen Guotao, and Shen Jun were there to greet them, their smiles overly solicitous, almost fawning.

Before, Xu Jinnan had been just another wealthy heiress, someone they had to appease, but now, with her control over the Xu Corporation, they saw her as a potential savior, their eyes gleaming with greed.

Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu walked through the gate, the small courtyard dominated by a large, old maple tree, its leaves a vibrant mix of red and gold, scattered across the lawn like fallen confetti.

They walked along the stone path towards the house.

“Dinner’s almost ready! Just waiting for you!” Wei Wuqing exclaimed. “I made all of Shu Shu’s favorites. I wasn’t sure what Nannan liked, so I just made the dishes she used to enjoy.”

“Be careful. The path is slippery,” Shen Guotao added.

Shen Jun remained silent, his presence barely noticeable.

He had been terrified of Xu Jinnan ever since the frog jump incident, avoiding even mentioning her name, and whenever Wei Wuqing criticized her, he would instinctively shut down, as if suffering from PTSD.

They entered the house.

The villa, well-maintained, wasn’t the kind of place that had been hastily cleaned for their arrival.

Shen Shu stood at the entrance, scanning the familiar yet unfamiliar living room – the floral carpet replaced with a dark brown one, the old wooden chairs gone, the chandelier new, even the paintings on the walls different.

But she could still picture her grandmother sitting in her favorite chair, holding Shen Shu’s hand, her voice warm and loving. “Shu Shu, my good girl, what do you want to eat? Grandmother will make it for you.”

She remembered tripping on the carpet and falling, her grandmother picking her up and gently blowing on her scraped knee. “Does it hurt? Be more careful next time. There, there, Grandmother’s here.”

Her eyes started to sting.

She felt a warm hand on her back, and Xu Jinnan leaned closer, her voice soft. “I’m here.”

It was the third time Xu Jinnan had said those words today.

But Xu Jinnan didn’t know how much those words meant to her, how they made her heart ache even more.

She wasn’t one to cry; tears were useless, a sign of weakness.

But with Xu Jinnan, she didn’t have to be strong.

Xu Jinnan would wipe away her tears, her expression full of concern and tenderness, reminding Shen Shu of the saying, Tears are an Omega’s deadliest weapon.

Of course, she didn’t want Xu Jinnan to feel sad.

But in those moments of vulnerability, she felt Xu Jinnan’s unwavering support, her undivided attention, her unconditional love.

As if she would indulge Shen Shu’s every whim, her eyes filled with nothing but affection.

–

Wei Wuqing led Shen Shu upstairs, saying her grandmother’s gift was in one of the bedrooms.

Xu Jinnan had wanted to go with them, but Shen Shu shook her head.

She understood; Wei Wuqing wanted to speak to her privately. Since Shen Shu didn’t object, Xu Jinnan didn’t insist.

Shen Shu followed Wei Wuqing upstairs. There were four bedrooms on the second floor.

Her childhood bedroom was also on this floor, but it had been empty since she moved out, though the layout remained the same.

However, as she entered the room, she was surprised. She had been here before, after moving out, and it had been empty, like a model home.

But now, it was filled with her belongings, things she thought had been discarded.

“How could I throw away your things? These are your memories! You were raised by your grandmother; you were so close to her. I put them away because I didn’t want you to be sad, seeing them,” Wei Wuqing explained, patting her shoulder.

Shen Shu knew better than to believe her, but her childhood belongings were undeniably there, right in front of her.

She couldn’t understand it.

Her already heightened emotions, her sensitivity, intensified, the memories of her childhood flooding back.

Wei Wuqing, seeing her silence, mistook it for sentimentality and reached for her hand. “Oh dear, your hands are so cold! Why aren’t you wearing something warmer?”

Shen Shu, uncomfortable with the physical contact, pulled her hand away. “Mom,” she said, looking up at her, “just give me Grandmother’s things.”

“I know you’re eager to see them. They’re right here,” Wei Wuqing said with a smile. “Shu Shu, there’s something I wanted to discuss with you.” Her tone was overly sweet, a stark contrast to her usual coldness.

Shen Shu had been expecting this, knowing Wei Wuqing had an ulterior motive.

But hearing it now, she still felt a surge of anger and resentment.

“Go ahead,” she said calmly.

“It’s about last month’s… financial difficulties. We wanted to ask you for help, but you and Nannan were both so busy… We’re really struggling now. Can you talk to Nannan for us? Just a little help to tide us over?”

As expected.

“Xu Jinnan already gave you eight million,” Shen Shu said.

“That money… it’s all gone! Your father… he used it all to cover his losses! You don’t know how much the company has been struggling since you left. Shu Shu…”

“That eight million came with a contract,” Shen Shu interrupted, reminding her.

Xu Jinnan had said if the Shen family couldn’t repay the loan within three months, they would have to use company shares as collateral.

“It hasn’t been three months yet. And besides, that’s not important now. Nannan wouldn’t actually take our shares, would she? It’s your grandmother’s company, after all. She invested in it. You wouldn’t let that happen, would you?”

Shen Shu didn’t know what to say, her frustration growing.

She didn’t want to stay here any longer. “I’ll talk to Xu Jinnan,” she said. “Just give me Grandmother’s things.”

Shen Shu had always kept her word, and Wei Wuqing, relieved, retrieved a small cardboard box from a nearby table and placed it on the windowsill, the midday sun casting a warm, golden glow on its surface.

Wei Wuqing opened the box. “Here. These are all from your grandmother. Many of them are from your childhood.”

Shen Shu’s eyes welled up as she picked up a small, pale pink sweater, a simple, hand-knitted garment.

It had been her first birthday gift from her grandmother, after she had been brought to the Shen family.

She took out the other items – a small wind chime, a paper crane her grandmother had folded for her, a copy of The Secret Garden they had colored together.

As she picked up the coloring book, she felt something inside and opened it, a small, rectangular pendant on a red string falling out. It was smooth and cool to the touch, the back plain.

Her heart pounded as she held it in her hand, a strange sense of foreboding, as if she were holding a grenade, the simple act of turning it over like pulling the pin.

“You were wearing this when you arrived. Your grandmother said the ‘X’ was the same as her last name, that it was fate,” Wei Wuqing explained.

Shen Shu’s vision blurred, her mind reeling.

It was a name tag, engraved with a few lines of text.

X4.

Birthdate: 1xxx, 1121.

And below it, the same Bazi chart she had seen on Xu Jinnan’s phone.

–

Bazi, also known as the Eight Characters or Four Pillars of Destiny, is a form of Chinese astrology that looks into the unique set of characteristics surrounding the date and hour of one’s birth, so as to interpret people, situations and objects in one’s life.