Chapter 26

“Yeah, you’re always mentioning her. It looks like Wen Jin holds a pretty special place in Yaoyao’s heart.” Ye Qi smiled, his hands never stopping as he picked vegetables, though his gaze drifted toward Shen Zhirou.

“Zhirou, has Yaoyao ever brought up Wen Jin with you?” Zhang Huichun asked in a light, chatty tone.

“No, that was all a long time ago. If Yaoyao wants to talk about it, she will. I’m not going to pry.” Shen Zhirou’s voice was calm and even, without a hint of irritation at the topic—which caught Zhang Huichun off guard.

Ye Qi glanced at Shen Zhirou, searching her face for some flicker of emotion, but she genuinely didn’t seem bothered by what Zhang Huichun and he had said.

Now that she and Lu Yao were together, Shen Zhirou had chosen to trust her unconditionally on matters like this. Besides, she knew full well that Lu Yao’s mother and Ye Qi bore her no goodwill, so she wrote off their words as nothing more than hearsay—gossip about Lu Yao’s past dredged up to unsettle her.

With Shen Zhirou not rising to the bait, Zhang Huichun shifted to chatting with Ye Qi about other things.

Lu Jitong had caught Shen Zhirou’s reply, and it nudged his opinion of her in a slightly better direction. Whatever else, she clearly trusted his family’s Yaoyao without reservation.

Ye Qi handled most of the lunch cooking. Noticing how at home he seemed in the kitchen, Shen Zhirou felt confirmed in her guess that he dropped by often.

She didn’t comment, just helped carry the dishes to the table. The last one was her salt-baked shrimp—she’d picked up sea salt and spices, and in no time had them plated and ready.

“Uncle, Auntie, give this a try. Shrimp done this way is worlds apart from our usual stir-fry or boil.” Shen Zhirou smiled as she spoke.

“Sounds good. Let’s see.” Lu Jitong helped himself to a shrimp and started peeling it. “Xiao Ye, dig in.”

“Hey, I’ve got it. No worries.” Ye Qi, perfectly at ease, ate while picking up his conversation with Zhang Huichun where they’d left off.

Shen Zhirou felt a quiet pang inside, but she also let out a breath of relief. She’d never been great at navigating elders, so being left out of the small talk actually suited her fine.

“Zhirou, you’ve got some real talent in the kitchen. This salt-baked shrimp is delicious. With Yaoyao staying with you, at least I don’t have to fret about her relying on her assistant to order hotel takeout all the time. Hotel food’s fine, but it gets old—and who knows how hygienic it really is after a while? Nothing beats home cooking for safety and peace of mind.” Lu Jitong said, smiling.

“Then have some more. Next time I’m over, I’ll cook something else for you and Auntie.” Shen Zhirou returned the smile. Lu Yao’s parents might not be her biggest fans, but for Yaoyao, stopping by once a week was no hardship.

After the meal, Shen Zhirou pitched in to clear the plates with Zhang Huichun. She offered to tackle the pots too, but Ye Qi waved her off.

“Go relax on the sofa. I know my way around here better—I’ll handle the washing for Auntie. Can’t have a guest doing chores.” He said it with a smile, but the subtext rang clear: this was his place in the household.

Shen Zhirou met his eyes with a cool glance and a soft shake of her head, amused despite herself. No amount of currying favor with Lu Yao’s parents would matter if Yaoyao had no interest in him—it’d all be wasted effort.

With nothing left to do, she mentioned needing to check on her sister that afternoon, said her goodbyes to Zhang Huichun and Lu Jitong, and headed out.

Once Shen Zhirou had gone, Zhang Huichun turned to Ye Qi and Lu Jitong with a stream of chatter. “That Shen Zhirou’s got some nerve. Didn’t bat an eye at the Wen Jin thing. What do you even make of her?”

“She’s got a point, though,” Lu Jitong replied from the doorway, his gaze on Zhang Huichun. “If she trusts Yaoyao that much, she’ll look after her properly.”

“Tch. Don’t go soft on me just for that. Plenty of people want to take care of our Yaoyao. Xiao Ye’s been waiting patiently—who’s she to cut in line?” Zhang Huichun grumbled.

“Auntie, whatever happens down the road—even if Yaoyao ends up marrying Shen Zhirou—I’ll still swing by to see you and Uncle. Long as you don’t mind the company.” Ye Qi kept it light and joking, his fair features lit with a warm smile.

“Come on, that’s nonsense. Yaoyao’s marriage needs my say-so and her dad’s. No way we’re letting her end up with Shen Zhirou.” Zhang Huichun sighed, inwardly kicking herself for all those blind dates she’d lined up for Lu Yao. In her panic, she’d even considered someone from Shen Zhirou’s background.

“Take it easy, Auntie. I’ll whip up some fruit salad for you later—I picked it up online the other day.” Ye Qi smiled as he scrubbed away at the pots, ever the dutiful helper.

Shen Zhirou stepped out of Lu Yao’s parents’ house and let out a deep breath. She hadn’t liked that atmosphere at all—the sense of being shut out reminded her of her childhood, back when she and her little sister lived at their mother’s place. They were supposed to be one big family, but no matter what they did, the two of them could never quite fit in. Even her sister, who was only a few years old at the time, could see their mother’s blatant favoritism toward her little brother. In the end, she and her sister were nothing more than outsiders in that house. They always had to tread carefully, afraid of upsetting Mommy or Uncle Kang.

That same feeling from her childhood had suddenly washed over Shen Zhirou just moments ago. She wasn’t sure if it was some deep-seated rejection, but the sensation—one she hadn’t recalled in years—had come flooding back. Shen Zhirou sighed, telling herself it was just Yaoyao’s parents’ attitude. As long as Yaoyao still cared about her, that was enough.

Shen Zhirou drove to the supermarket, figuring she could browse the aisles and clear her head. She was standing in front of the refrigerated shelves, picking out some yogurt, when she heard someone call her name from behind.

“Shen Zhirou.”

She turned at the sound of the voice and spotted Ning Lei and Liu Fengxia. Sure enough, it was Ning Lei who had called out to her.

“No way, it really is you, Shen Zhirou. Didn’t you snag yourself a rich sugar mommy? What are you doing shopping at the supermarket by yourself? Don’t tell me she already kicked you to the curb?” Ning Lei asked with a sleazy grin. He spoke louder than usual, sounding just like one of those old busybodies at the village entrance who loved dishing out the latest gossip.

“Living off a sugar mommy without lifting a finger is your pipe dream, isn’t it? But looking at you, no one would ever go for it. Now get out of my way.” Shen Zhirou swept her gaze over him, her voice stripped of the gentle tone she usually used with others.

“What the hell do you mean by that, Shen Zhirou? You think I won’t run and tell Second Aunt? You actually look down on me?” Ning Lei snapped, clearly pissed off.

Liu Fengxia jumped in from the side. “Exactly! Is that any way to talk to your own cousin? You’ve really changed—you’re so full of yourself these days.”

Shen Zhirou let out a scoff. Her gaze shifted calmly to Liu Fengxia, her voice level but loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. “Whether I’m arrogant or not is my business. You should focus on keeping your son in line. He’s in his twenties and still mooching off you, spending every day scheming how to leech off other people. He doesn’t even have the basics to support himself. What’s so great about being a lifelong mama’s boy?”

“You—” Ning Lei lunged forward as if to shove her, but Shen Zhirou stepped back, easily dodging.

She waved her phone in the air, fixing Ning Lei with a steady look. “Cameras everywhere in this supermarket. Lay a hand on me, and I’ll call the cops right now. I’m not like my mom—you’re welcome to test me.”

Liu Fengxia, terrified her son might actually do something stupid and bring the police down on them, grabbed his arm and whispered urgently, “Ning Lei, drop it. Don’t waste your time on someone like her. She grew up without parents around, starved for affection—people like that turn out twisted. Just stay away from her from now on.”

“Yeah, who the hell would bother with you anyway?” Ning Lei shot Shen Zhirou a glare before letting Liu Fengxia drag him away.

Shen Zhirou gave her head a slight shake. Her mood, which hadn’t been great to begin with, plunged even lower. She pushed her cart straight to the checkout.

Carrying two bags of snacks and fruit, Shen Zhirou headed over to Lu Yao’s blue Bentley. She tossed the bags into the back seat before sliding into the driver’s seat herself.

Not far behind, Ning Lei watched as Shen Zhirou approached the Bentley. His eyes bulged when she climbed right in and drove off. He yanked at his mother’s arm—she was still muttering under her breath.

“Mom, Shen Zhirou really did hook up with a rich babe this time. I’ve been eyeing that car forever. Guess how much it costs?” Ning Lei kept staring at the blue Bentley until it disappeared from view.

“How much could it be? Shen Zhirou pulls in maybe two hundred grand a year at most. She wouldn’t blow it all on a car, right? Probably just over a hundred grand?” Liu Fengxia said dismissively.

“That’s a Bentley—over two million bucks.” Ning Lei practically crowed, like he’d just hit the jackpot.

“Two million? Her new girlfriend’s that loaded? She must be some big shot at the company. Ning Lei, your job’s in the bag now. Shen Zhirou won’t lift a finger, but we can work on Second Aunt. She dotes on you and your dad more than anyone. No point waiting—let’s head over this afternoon, the three of us. Grab a nice gift to butter her up. Your job’s all riding on her.” Liu Fengxia grinned so wide her eyes disappeared into slits.

“You got it, Mom. I just want one of those no-show jobs where the money rolls in anyway. What’s it called again?” Ning Lei was already daydreaming about his easy life ahead.

“Talk about drawing a salary for doing nothing—my son’s just got all the luck.” Liu Fengxia was thrilled beyond words too, acting as if Ning Lei’s job was already locked in.

Ning Lei and Liu Fengxia hopped into the family car in high spirits. The vehicle had cost a total of 150,000 yuan altogether, including 50,000 that they’d borrowed from Ning Jianfang. They only called it a “loan” for Kang Defa’s benefit—whenever Liu Fengxia and her family borrowed money from Ning Jianfang, they never paid it back. After all, Ning Jianfang had a soft spot for her little brother and nephew.

Shen Zhirou had bumped into Ning Lei and the others at the supermarket. Combined with her already rotten mood from Lu Yao’s place, she had no energy left for anything else once she got home. She took a quick shower and promptly passed out.

Shen Zhirou slept like the dead, feeling as though she’d spent the whole day doing grueling manual labor. Her body was limp and drained of strength, her mind foggy, and her eyelids so heavy she couldn’t pry them open.

Lu Yao had wrapped up her work in Jing City and returned to Jiangbei City early that Sunday afternoon. She had Jiang Chen drive her home, intending to take a proper break before diving back into work. When she opened the door, she noticed the living room curtains were still drawn. Frowning slightly, Lu Yao hurried over and yanked them open, wondering why Shen Zhirou would keep them closed in the middle of the day.