Chapter 26 Part 1

Spring flowers and autumn moon, summer rains and winter snows—the four seasons flowed like poetry, with all things cycling through in the unique rhythm of nature.

Soft and fluffy clouds like cotton candy drifted with the wind across the deep blue sky, as if whispering of autumn’s tranquility and depth. The sunset’s afterglow spilled across the heavens, murmuring of time’s fleeting passage and vicissitudes.

On the dusty roads of the mortal world, spring departed and autumn arrived.

The girl who had wandered to the ends of the earth remained traceless, and on the airport boulevard leading back home, no matter how beautiful the surrounding scenery, Shi Youwan had no heart to appreciate it.

The black business car sped back from the airport to the Old Mansion, chasing the setting sun until it drove out of the city just as night fell.

Qiao Ke held a tablet and turned back several times, wanting to speak but hesitating.

It wasn’t until they pulled into the Old Mansion and Shi Youwan, having rested a bit along the way and regained some energy, asked her just before getting out of the car: “Speak. What is it?”

Qiao Ke opened the tablet and handed it over. “President Shi, you… take a look at this.”

It was a news article page with the headline #Shen Muxi Stuns at Autumn-Winter International Fashion Week#.

Shen Muxi was Shen Munian’s younger sister, which technically made them relatives.

However, Shen Muxi didn’t live in Yinzhou City and didn’t work at the Shen Group. Instead, she had ventured into the entertainment industry alone and, in her twenties, had already won the title of “Best Actress.” Afterward, fans and major media hailed her as the “Most Beautiful Best Actress.”

Her fame rivaled that of the “Triple Crown Actress”—Wen Ruoyi.

Back in March, she had even gone to the Shen Family for Shen Muxi’s 30th birthday banquet held in Yinzhou City.

But their interactions were few and far between. Apart from a handful of necessary occasions, they barely crossed paths once or twice a year, let alone had any private friendship.

“The key is in the second photo,” Qiao Ke added.

At Qiao Ke’s words, Shi Youwan had a premonition. Her fingertip tapped the screen, she steadied her breathing, and then scrolled down.

The first photo in the article was Shen Muxi’s solo red carpet shot. The second was a group photo on the runway, with Shen Muxi rightfully at center stage. And the person to Shen Muxi’s left…

Shi Youwan’s pupils constricted.

It was Chi Yumo—the one she had desperately searched for over a year and two months.

In the photo, Chi Yumo stood with one hand on her hip, wearing an ink-green high-slit off-shoulder long gown.

Her porcelain skin and stern features exuded an air of aloof superiority.

It was Xiao Mo, yet not the Xiao Mo she knew. In just one year, the aura around Xiao Mo had become utterly different from what she remembered.

Shi Youwan’s heart was struck hard.

Her gaze couldn’t tear away.

Undeniably, no matter how much Xiao Mo’s temperament had changed from the past, the moment she saw her, Shi Youwan was still deeply captivated.

Confirming that Shi Youwan had seen the photo, Qiao Ke continued, “I checked online. Mo… she’s now an artist under Shen Muxi’s company, stage name Mo Yu, currently positioned as a model. The earliest entertainment news about her online dates back to last month—August. Probably because Shen Muxi personally promoted her, Mo Yu gained some fame in the domestic fashion circle in just a short month with her perfect proportions, tall figure, and that high-fashion icy beauty look. Otherwise, with her debut experience, she wouldn’t have been able to walk a show of this level.”

“I want her schedule,” Shi Youwan said in a low, rapid voice that betrayed her urgency.

“The Mid-Autumn Charity Night hosted by the Shen Group in mid-month—Shen Muxi will bring her,” Qiao Ke replied. She never missed real-time entertainment trends; after all, it was part of her job.

Heaven rewarded the diligent. She had finally found her.

It wasn’t in vain that she had honed her eagle eyes over the past year by scouring endless posts and news. If she hadn’t found her soon, she feared her eyes would give out.

As expected, gold would shine wherever it went. She had guessed Chi Yumo wouldn’t vanish into thin air or truly hide away forever.

“Compile all her photos and send them to me. On WeChat.”

With that, Shi Youwan got out of the car.

All of them?

Fine, all of them.

Qiao Ke followed her boss’s orders, opening all the saved webpage links one by one and downloading Chi Yumo’s photos. For the blurry ones, she even kindly used software to batch-enhance their resolution.

Good thing she didn’t get carsick, and Zhang Kai drove steadily, or she would’ve puked her guts out several times.

“You know, she’s already publicly debuted and stepped into the entertainment world with both feet—why doesn’t she open a Weibo account?” Stars weren’t always posting photos on Weibo? It would’ve made downloading so much easier.

“Probably because she doesn’t want to,” Zhang Kai said.

Qiao Ke paused her actions and let out a long sigh. “Is it that she doesn’t want to, or that she can’t bear to?”

If Mo Yu had opened a Weibo right upon debuting, could she have found her a month earlier? Could her boss have seen Miss Mo a month sooner?

Zhang Kai couldn’t answer that.

He didn’t respond further.

“Kai Ge,” Qiao Ke turned to Zhang Kai, “I don’t even dare imagine what it’ll be like when President Shi and Miss Mo meet at the Charity Night.”

She had glimpsed the note Chi Yumo left at the Old House when she went in to help Shi Youwan—it was short, so it caught her eye.

But she pretended not to see it and hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.

—Farewell forever; we shall not recognize each other if we meet again.

Not just strangers to President Shi, but to her and Zhang Kai as well?

“Don’t imagine if you don’t dare.”

“Sigh, Kai Ge, you’re so insightful.” Qiao Ke flattered him and went back to sorting photos, sending over all the good ones.

Shi Youwan highly approved of Qiao Ke’s efficiency.

She left Aunt Han’s steaming hot dinner untouched, didn’t even change clothes, went upstairs, opened a bottle of whiskey, and drank alone in the recliner.

The view outside the window remained the same year after year, but Xiao Mo had quietly changed her youthful face behind her back. Yet in her dreams, they met as they always had, as if Xiao Mo had never left.

On the third glass, her phone buzzed repeatedly.

Seeing the twenty-plus photos of Xiao Mo from Qiao Ke, she finally believed it—this wasn’t an illusion.

She really had news of Xiao Mo again. She really could see Xiao Mo again.

She had thought she would grow old in this waiting, that her world would have no one returning. Just as she wanted to close her heart’s door, a single photo rippled her desolate heart, igniting new life.

[Qiao Ke: September 12th, 8 PM, XX Hotel, Mid-Autumn Charity Night. Invitation received; auction items not yet finalized.]

The 12th.

Today was only the 5th.

Xiao Mo, just 7 more days.

[Shi Youwan: Decide tomorrow. Thanks for the hard work.]

After a thought, she messaged Yin Man too: [Manman, don’t go to the Shen Group’s Mid-Autumn Charity Night this year. I’ll explain later.]

…

“The Shifeng Group is extraordinary—donating an auction item like a million-yuan Ruby Necklace.”

“The Shi and Shen families are in-laws; which year does the Shi Family not support the Shen Family’s events?”

“Who knows if President Shi has ever worn that necklace. If she has, its value would far exceed a million.”

“I want to see who claims this ruby tonight.”

“Forget the ruby—you’re here to see which house the high mountain flower President Shi falls to, right?”

“Last year with the New Yin Green Energy marriage alliance, everyone thought it was a done deal, waiting for the official announcement. Then Shi Youwan called it a misunderstanding and shut it down amid all the buzz. After that, she vanished for quite a while, even bringing back Chairman Shi, who hadn’t handled affairs for years, to take charge.”

“But I see the Shi and Yin Families didn’t fall out over it? That lovesick fool from the Yin Family is still pining for Shi Youwan, sending all the best stuff to the Shi Family eagerly.”

“Could this ruby be from Yin Man?”

“You know, last year and the year before, it was Yin Man who came from the Yin Family. This year, it’s her stepmother.”

As one of the nation’s top 100 enterprises, the Shifeng Group had its own charity fund and had always done philanthropy quietly, never hosting a large-scale charity event as the organizer.

The Shen Group’s Mid-Autumn Charity Night was in its third year, initiated and led by Shen Muxi.

Leveraging her star power in entertainment and the Shen Group’s credibility, she gathered fans online and businesses offline to contribute to charity.

Shi Youwan greatly admired Shen Muxi for this.

So every year at the Shen Group’s Mid-Autumn Charity Night, a Shifeng Group representative attended in full formal attire.

The first year, it was her; last year, her mother Shi Yan.

This year… seeing Xiao Mo mattered more than charity.

At the banquet, Shen Muxi paraded Chi Yumo around, toasting and introducing her to everyone: “My Silly Mo—take good care of her.”

Shen Muxi’s parents were both S-Level, and her brother was S-Level from birth. By chance, she was only B-Rank at birth, and even after secondary differentiation at sixteen, just an A-Rank Alpha.

Troubles abounded in wealthy families. Gossip about the Shen daughter had swirled since her birth.

Some speculated she had some congenital hidden illness causing her low rank.

Others envied her good fortune: even if she coasted as a mediocre B-Rank Alpha her whole life, she’d have wealth for generations.

Some even questioned in her childhood whether she was truly the Shen Family’s biological daughter.

No smoke without fire. Due to such rumors spreading like wildfire, Shen Muxi had gotten into plenty of fights in elementary school with loose-lipped, annoying classmates.

She stopped fighting by middle school.

In their teens, she and her peers were no longer naive kids fearless of power; words and actions came with reservations.

Strong-willed from youth, at eighteen after coming of age, she did a paternity test and boldly posted the report in the Shen Group lobby, with bold words: Shen Muxi didn’t care for the Shen Family’s wealth; without a single cent from them, she’d carve her own path to prosperity and live richly.

After entering entertainment, her uninhibited true personality won countless fans, though haters abounded too—netizens’ views on her were mixed.

Halfway through the drinks, Shen Muxi led Chi Yumo to Shen Munian and the others’ table. She slung an arm around Chi Yumo’s shoulder with a beaming smile: “Bro, sister-in-law, President Shi—let me grandly introduce her.”

“Mo Yu, 23 years old, my newly signed artist. A shining pearl from the sea.”

Compared to a year ago, Chi Yumo’s long black hair was cut much shorter and dyed maple red—seductive and aloof.

She wore a classic white one-shoulder gown, and between her straight collarbones hung a Ruby Necklace.

That necklace was the one Shi Youwan had selected from her personal jewelry and donated on behalf of the Group for the Charity Night auction. Shen Muxi had bid it down just an hour ago.

Sale price—1.5 million.