Qin Auntie, Save Me [Rebirth] 102

Chapter 102

Since getting together with Qin Qianrou, Shen Yiqiu no longer resisted returning to Hai City. She had even secretly thought about accompanying Qin Qianrou home when she wasn’t busy with work.

However, as she sat restlessly on the plane, that familiar anxiety returned. But to clear her father’s name, she had to be brave, she had to return to Hai City.

She thought that if necessary, she might have to stay there for a while.

This thought weighed heavily on her as she disembarked, but she didn’t slow down.

Messages arrived on her phone, and Shen Yiqiu quickly scanned them. Qin Qianrou had messaged her, simply asking if she had landed safely, Li Wan had also messaged her, asking why she had suddenly returned to Hai City.

Shen Yiqiu pursed her lips, replied to Qin Qianrou, but temporarily ignored Li Wan’s message.

Wen Shao Ze was already waiting outside the airport. He had called her as soon as her flight landed.

The Hai City night air, with a slight breeze, still carried a chill, and Wen Shao Ze took her small backpack, settling everything before starting the car.

“You have quite the temper, leaving without a word, if you two have a fight one day, are you planning on running away from home like this?”

Shen Yiqiu knew what he was referring to and explained, “I wasn’t throwing a tantrum, I just didn’t want Jiejie to worry about me.”

Wen Shao Ze glanced at her, his look saying, Don’t give me that.

“Ask yourself, honestly, weren’t you angry?”

Shen Yiqiu sulked and remained silent.

Wen Shao Ze looked at her again, wanting to say something more, but he held back.

“I just finished a board meeting, I’m exhausted, Qianrou insisted I pick you up, said she was worried about your safety in Hai City. If she hadn’t insisted, I would have knocked some sense into you.”

Shen Yiqiu had already guessed it was Qin Qianrou’s arrangement when she received his call. Regardless of her mood, her close relationship with Qin Qianrou couldn’t be denied, which included sharing their network of contacts,

and perhaps out of consideration for Qin Qianrou, or perhaps for Yuan Qi, Wen Shao Ze, besides his initial annoyance, had been relatively calm throughout the journey.

“Have you booked a hotel? You can stay at one of my company’s hotels.”

Shen Yiqiu thought for a moment, then refused. “I’m going home.”

Wen Shao Ze was surprised, she hadn’t expected Shen Yiqiu to return to the place she had been avoiding.

“Have you really thought this through?”

“Shao Ze, I’m back to take care of some things, I have to go back.”

Shen Yiqiu’s tone was serious and resolute, and Wen Shao Ze nodded, driving her to the faculty housing area of Hai City University.

The apartment had been maintained by their housekeeper, who came once a week for cleaning. Shen Yiqiu regularly transferred money to her, but they rarely discussed anything about the apartment.

She had hidden a spare key before leaving last time, even the housekeeper didn’t know about it. Wen Shao Ze offered to accompany her upstairs, but she declined, after all, he wasn’t Qin Qianrou, he couldn’t offer her the strength she needed, and she didn’t have the energy to deal with anyone else right now.

“Mom, Dad, I’m home.” Shen Yiqiu slowly opened the door.

As she turned on the light, the familiar action felt slightly different. After a moment, she realized it was because she had grown taller, the position of the light switch had changed for her.

The apartment was clean, except for the lack of human presence, it hadn’t changed much.

Returning here brought back memories of her life with her parents, she wasn’t as heartbroken and helpless as before, but she still felt a pang of sadness.

Familial love, a bond that transcended time and distance.

Unlike her previous hurried visits, Shen Yiqiu had already decided on the plane to stay here, she put down her bag and sat in her favorite armchair,

the armchair that looked out of place in the living room, but her parents, wanting her to be happy, had insisted on keeping it, she had been the little princess of the Shen family, her every whim indulged.

Shen Yiqiu sniffled, suppressing her emotions, then went to the kitchen and filled the kettle, rinsing it clean.

The sound of running water, the clicking of the stove, the apartment gradually coming back to life.

Shen Yiqiu’s mood, however, wasn’t light, a distance, an invisible barrier, seemed to have formed between her and Qin Qianrou, she knew Jiejie cared about her, but she wasn’t sure if she was angry with her,

on the plane, after calming down and replaying their conversation, she realized that Qin Qianrou’s reaction, besides being calm, hadn’t seemed like someone hearing this for the first time. Could it be that Jiejie had already known? But why hadn’t she told her?

They had spent so much time together, it would have only taken a few words, yet Jiejie hadn’t said anything.

This thought made Shen Yiqiu even more hesitant to contact Qin Qianrou, she was afraid of knowing the truth, it would only make her feel even worse,

Qin Qianrou’s deliberate concealment couldn’t be out of malice, but it was still hurtful, Shen Yiqiu couldn’t believe Jiejie would keep secrets from her, she had thought they were completely honest with each other.

She leaned against the sink, her hands gripping the edge, shaking her head, trying to dispel these troubling thoughts. The view outside the window remained the same, the Hai Da campus always strangely quiet, a stark contrast to the bustling metropolis.

Shen Zhifeng, when tired, would sometimes smoke in the kitchen, and Shen Yiqiu would occasionally peek at him from the doorway,

his tall, broad back, a reassuring presence in her childhood, she silently compared her current height to his, he would have been happy to see how much she had grown.

Returning here inevitably brought back a flood of memories, thankfully, besides the initial sadness, she had the strength to face them now, whether her parents were still here or not, these memories, their shared past, were precious.

After resting briefly, Shen Yiqiu started searching the apartment. She didn’t know what she was looking for, she wasn’t even sure if her father had left anything behind, she touched every object, hoping for a clue, a premonition,

but after over an hour, she found nothing.

This wasn’t unexpected, but the lack of any leads still discouraged her,

she had spent most of her time in her parents’ bedroom and his study, the places Shen Zhifeng frequented the most, she had searched every corner, but there had been nothing,

Shen Yiqiu tried her usual trick again, pricking her finger and letting a drop of blood fall onto the desk in the study, but still, nothing.

**

Qin Qianrou was busy, too busy to even drink any water.

After Shen Yiqiu left the television station, Qin Qianrou had made several calls, Li Wan rushed back, and hearing what had happened, her brow furrowed in annoyance.

“What’s with this child, I told her she needed time, and she’s already acting so impulsively!”

“It’s not entirely her fault, anyone would be anxious in this situation.”

“At a time like this, you’re still defending her?” Li Wan shook her head. “No wonder you didn’t want to tell her, if she had known earlier, it would have been even worse.”

Qin Qianrou’s heart, however, wasn’t as calm as she appeared.

Regardless of when Shen Yiqiu found out, she hadn’t been certain how to handle this situation,

she had intended to go to Hai City to see Shen Yiqiu, even if she couldn’t persuade her to come back, at least she couldn’t let her be there alone,

Li Wan, after venting her frustration, had calmed down.

“Just hand over your work before leaving, I’ll take care of the rest, but I probably won’t be able to leave on time, I have to explain things to the others.”

This was the most efficient arrangement, the He Chao program was their current priority, and everyone was working at full capacity. If Qin Qianrou left now, Li Wan wouldn’t be able to handle it alone.

This was also why Qin Qianrou had been hesitant, she didn’t want her personal matters to affect their work, and now, Li Wan, who had just been scolding Shen Yiqiu, was the one persuading her to leave,

“Work is indeed important, but Shen Yiqiu’s matter is also important. Don’t hesitate, if you don’t go, she’ll misunderstand, and the damage to your relationship will be difficult to repair.”

“But what about you…”

Li Wan waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about us, think about all the overtime you’ve put in these past few years, all the help you’ve given, never asking for anything in return, we all owe you a favor.”

Qin Qianrou’s lips twitched, her hesitation easing.

“She’ll be here this weekend, I’ll ask her to help out then, an extra pair of hands.”

She? Qin Qianrou thought for a moment, then realized she was referring to Lin Shuangzhi.

She had thought the distance would strain their relationship, but it seemed absence did make the heart grow fonder, their weekend reunions passionate and intense.

Li Wan had let it slip once that perhaps this distance was a good thing.

After handing over her work, Qin Qianrou went to inform her mother of her departure, after all, Wen Yirong was still in Meng City.

“Xiao Rou, stay here.”

“What?”

“I said, stay in Meng City, don’t go back yet.”

Qin Qianrou hadn’t expected her mother to prevent her from returning to Hai City.

“I know why you’re in such a hurry to go back, but this matter is complicated, you going there now won’t achieve anything.”

“I should at least be there for her.” Qin Qianrou’s rare display of emotion made Wen Yirong study her carefully.

After a moment of silence, Wen Yirong still didn’t agree to let her go to Hai City.

Qin Qianrou, having already informed her of her intentions, wasn’t planning on passively waiting, she couldn’t bear to leave Shen Yiqiu alone in Hai City, her worry growing with each passing day.

Wen Yirong suddenly said firmly, “Xiao Rou, you have to stay this time!”

Her tone so forceful, Qin Qianrou almost didn’t recognize her,

was this still her usually gentle and elegant mother? The mother who had rarely ever raised her voice at her? Although the Qin family had strict rules, the elders rarely resorted to such forceful demands, reasoning and persuasion their usual approach.

“This is your father’s decision.”

Qin Qianrou turned around, puzzled. With Wen Yirong’s forceful tone, there must be someone waiting outside, she wasn’t in a hurry to leave now, she wanted to understand what was going on.

“After receiving those photos, your father, besides asking me to talk to you, also launched his own investigation. You weren’t exactly hiding your relationship, it wasn’t difficult to find out.”

Qin Qianrou’s brow twitched slightly, although a little surprised, she had anticipated this.

“And after those forum posts at Meng Da, your father was furious, he’s already investigating who’s behind it.”

Qin Qianrou, however, wasn’t pleased, and she said softly, “So Father intends to interfere?”

She didn’t want too many people involved in her relationship.

Wen Yirong looked at her stubborn daughter and sighed helplessly, “He’s your father, how can he possibly not be concerned?”

Qin Qianrou thought, He wasn’t very concerned when I was a child.

Having missed out on his presence during her childhood, his sudden interference now made her feel uncomfortable. However, her upbringing and her respect for her parents made her suppress her emotions, she didn’t want to bring up the past.

“So I have to stay in Meng City and wait for the results of his investigation?”

Wen Yirong sighed heavily, where had her intelligent and rational daughter gone after falling in love?

“Silly child, your father is testing you, or rather, he’s testing Shen Yiqiu.”

“Testing what?” Qin Qianrou’s defensiveness rose, she could understand her parents’ interference with her own life, although she didn’t like it, but if they harassed Shen Yiqiu, that was unacceptable.

“Any parent would be concerned about their child being with someone… unsuitable, someone whose ability to protect their child is uncertain.”

Qin Qianrou’s expression turned cold, she crossed her arms defensively, and said, her voice chilling, “This is between Shen Yiqiu and me, we can take care of each other.”

“That’s just your opinion, objectively speaking, Shen Yiqiu is… not your equal, not even close.”

This was the first time they had so openly and frankly discussed this since Wen Yirong’s arrival in Meng City.

Qin Qianrou knew her parents wouldn’t readily accept her choice, but she hadn’t expected them to think so little of Shen Yiqiu.

“She has her own strengths, qualities I… need. I don’t lack material possessions, why would I need someone who only adds to what I already have?”

What she needed was someone who could offer warmth and support during difficult times.

Wen Yirong had regained her composure, she hadn’t intended to tell Qin Qianrou this so soon, but now that she had, she might as well explain.

“I understand your feelings, otherwise, I wouldn’t have… relented when I first arrived in Meng City, but if you truly want this relationship to last, you have to get your family’s approval, my opinion doesn’t matter, but your father’s, your grandfather’s, do you really not care about their feelings?”

Qin Qianrou frowned, of course she cared, but she didn’t like their methods.

“Don’t worry, your father won’t resort to any underhanded tactics. You should give Shen Yiqiu a chance to prove herself, to show that she’s someone you can rely on.” Wen Yirong paused, then added, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to entrust you to her either.”

Wen Yirong’s words were a subtle hint.

The atmosphere eased slightly, and Qin Qianrou’s expression softened. She asked, “So how will you test her, and for how long?”

“This Shen Zhifeng matter, let her handle it herself, strictly speaking, it’s a Shen family matter, and you’re not even married yet, taking on their burdens isn’t appropriate.”

Qin Qianrou’s expression turned slightly uncomfortable, she wasn’t used to her mother speaking like this.

“How can she possibly handle it alone?” She and Xiao Wan had been investigating for so long and had barely scratched the surface, it would be impossible for Shen Yiqiu to do this on her own.

“Xiao Rou, you can’t solve all her problems for her. Actually, your father was quite impressed by her handling of the forum incident. Why not let go, let her do things her own way, perhaps she’s more independent than you think?”

Qin Qianrou knew further arguments were pointless, and she trusted her father’s integrity, he wouldn’t harm Shen Yiqiu,

seeing that her daughter had calmed down, Wen Yirong instructed the housekeeper to bring in dinner,

“You’re here, stay and have dinner with me.”

Qin Qianrou kept glancing at her phone, afraid of missing Shen Yiqiu’s call, Shen Yiqiu had messaged her, saying she had arrived safely in Hai City, and Wen Shao Ze had also called to confirm, having personally seen her enter her apartment building,

he had even waited downstairs, observing the lit windows and the surroundings for half an hour, before leaving,

“Focus on your food, a brief separation isn’t a big deal.”

Wen Yirong couldn’t deny that Shen Yiqiu’s presence had changed her daughter significantly. She had softened the once cold and aloof Qianrou, who had always kept her emotions hidden behind a wall of indifference, making her more vulnerable, even.

She wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but at least the Qin Qianrou before her now was more vibrant, more expressive, more real.