Chapter 22

Shen Ke brought little luggage when she arrived, but she left with more.

Shi Xu always felt like she didn’t have enough clothes, so she frequently bought skirts for her online.

A skirt costing a few thousand yuan was the cheapest one she had ever worn, but she also knew it was the best Shi Xu could afford within her means.

Although Shen Ke complained about it verbally, on the day she left, she wore the light green fluffy skirt Shi Xu had bought her.

On Saturday afternoon, Shi Xu shouldered a bag and pulled the suitcase as she sent Shen Ke to the rented house.

This was the house Shen Ke had picked out herself. It was very close to school, but houses around school were generally older, and this one was no exception.

Shi Xu set down the luggage, her brows furrowed the entire time.

That morning when Shen Ke first saw the house, she had thought it was too rundown.

Although the interior looked decent enough, how could Shen Ke live in a place like this?!

Shi Xu said, “Baby, can’t you really pick another house?” She had her eye on a spacious flat over a hundred square meters, lavishly decorated and beautiful—perfect for Shen Ke. The rent was steep, but that was fine; she could empty her entire piggy bank if needed.

Shen Ke’s gaze swept over the room. She had already hired a cleaning service when she rented it.

After the cleaning, the room looked even neater and cozier.

“I want this one. I don’t like rooms that are too big.”

Ever since running into that man last time, Shen Ke harbored a faint shadow in her heart. Overly spacious rooms always gave her the illusion that someone might suddenly pop out.

That was why she disliked being alone. If she had to be alone, then she needed a smaller place.

Shi Xu pursed her lips. “Then let me unpack your luggage first, Baby.”

Shen Ke nodded.

She quickly hung Shen Ke’s clothes on hangers and stowed them in the closet. Socks, underwear, panties, and small items went into drawers, neatly sorted and folded.

Then she made the bed…

Once everything was tidied up, Shi Xu came over to Shen Ke and said, “Baby, you can leave your underwear and panties with me. I’ll wash them for you after school every day before heading home.”

Shen Ke no longer blushed at words like that as she had at first. Every day at Shi Xu’s house, Shi Xu washed her worn undergarments.

Shen Ke had grown used to it. She pouted. “No, I’ll wash them myself.”

“Instead of washing clothes for me, you should work more shifts for your dad and earn more money.” With that, Shen Ke pointed at the outfit she was wearing.

“Don’t buy me cheap skirts like this anymore.”

“I don’t like them.”

Shi Xu was at a loss for words, but her heart melted. Shen Ke clearly disliked it yet still wore it—she was too good to her.

Baby really was the best baby.

She bought groceries and cooked dinner for Shen Ke. After they ate, Shi Xu shamelessly stuck around until nearly dark before finally leaving. Her clinginess had shot through the roof.

Shen Ke started to suspect that rewarding Shi Xu the night before had been a mistake.

[Tasker 56417.]

The system’s stiff, icy voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

Shen Ke snorted coldly and ignored it.

A few days had passed, but she was still mad. She had no intention of dealing with the stinky system!

The system fell silent for a moment before silently manifesting its physical form—a plump, round egg that appeared out of nowhere on the sofa.

The egg sported matchstick-thin arms and legs, looking utterly abstract.

Shen Ke shot the system a glance, shifted her legs to scoot farther away, and made no effort to hide her bad mood. Anyone could tell she was pissed.

The system raised a hand, and a black pill slowly materialized in its grasp.

[Cough. I said the wrong thing last time. This is my apology gift to you.] The system spoke awkwardly. It was the first time it had ever apologized to a tasker.

At the time, it had assumed Tasker 56417 was just venting in the heat of the moment and would summon it again in a day or two with her usual spoiled yet domineering calls.

It had never dealt with a tasker like 56417 before. The others were always fawning over it.

It vented to the other systems, but they all told it to ignore her; she’d come around on her own.

The system said nothing more. But when it visited a cultivation world, it snagged a beauty pill from there—low-grade medicines like that could be taken out.

It had heard humans loved beauty. Tasker 56417 should like this.

Shen Ke let out a mocking chuckle, her face full of disdain. “What do you take me for? You think one dingy black pill will make me forgive you? In your dreams!”

System: [This will make you even prettier. Sorry, Ba-Baby. I was wrong.] It was flat mechanical monotone, yet somehow carried a hint of shyness.

System 134 had told it: When apologizing, call them “Baby,” and they’ll definitely forgive you.

Shen Ke slowly turned her face toward the system, narrowed her eyes, and extended her hand toward it with a stubborn little pout. “I’m not unreasonable. Since you’re apologizing so sincerely, I’ll forgive you.” She certainly wouldn’t admit it was because this round thing could make her prettier that she was letting the stinky system off the hook.

The egg on the sofa shifted and placed the pill in Shen Ke’s palm. [Eat it and sleep a night. You’ll wake up prettier.] System 134 had been right after all.

Shen Ke finally deigned to show the system a sliver of goodwill. “Hmph. We’ll see if you dare snap at me again. I’m not easy to coax.”

System: [Sorry. I won’t do it again.]

[I’ll come find you next time.]

It oversaw too many taskers. In that short time, another one’s life countdown had started ticking down—it had to hurry over.

With that, the egg on the sofa vanished.

Shen Ke’s lips curved up just a touch. The system was willing to coax her, which made her happy. It proved the system didn’t completely disregard her.

That night, after washing up, Shen Ke swallowed the pill the system had given her. She opened her phone and replied to the long string of messages from Shi Xu. Suddenly, she remembered something: she hadn’t taken Yue Lingqing off her blacklist.

Shen Ke tapped around and removed Yue Lingqing’s account from the blacklist. The moment she did, Yue Lingqing’s video call came buzzing in impatiently.

Shen Ke hesitated for a split second before accepting.

Yue Lingqing’s elegant and refined face immediately filled the screen.

“Shen Ke, where are you right now?” Yue Lingqing’s voice matched her name—clear and cool, like jade clinking on a plate, pleasing to the ear.

Shen Ke let out a small yawn, tears welling in her eyes. Her cat-like eyes looked all watery. She hid nothing. “I’m living in Morning Flower Neighborhood. I just rented the place today.”

Yue Lingqing frowned on the other end of the line. “Shen Ke, I could have rented it for you. Why didn’t you tell me?” Morning Flower Neighborhood? She knew of it—not the worst, but still an old complex with average living conditions.

How could Shen Ke’s pampered body endure a place like that?

She must be broke after the Shen Family kicked her out.

“If you don’t want to rent, I can buy one for you.” Yue Lingqing loved money, but when it came to Shen Ke, it wasn’t that important.

Shen Ke shook her head. “No. I like it here.”

Yue Lingqing’s expression soured. She transferred a hundred thousand yuan to Shen Ke.

Her status might be a stain in elite circles, but that old man was generous enough for the sake of his reputation.

He gave her plenty every month.

“Shen Ke, this place is too run-down. Tomorrow, I’ll come over and go house-hunting with you. Use this pocket money for now. Tell me if you need more.”

Yue Lingqing’s voice lingered in her ears, and Shen Ke’s sleepiness suddenly surged—even though it was only half past seven.

She accepted the transfer and aimed a huge yawn at the screen. Her red lips parted wide, giving Yue Lingqing a clear view of her pink, soft tongue.

Unaware of Yue Lingqing’s evasive gaze on the other side, Shen Ke was so drowsy her eyelids struggled to stay open. Her words came out all soft and mushy.

“Yue Lingqing, I’m so sleepy.”

“But I have to say this: I want us to get married. You have to agree, got it?”

“I—”

Her voice cut off abruptly. Yue Lingqing’s screen went a pale blue—Shen Ke’s phone had fallen onto the pillow.

Gradually, soft, even breathing sounded from the other end. Shen Ke had fallen asleep.

Yue Lingqing gripped her phone tightly and didn’t hang up. She couldn’t bear to. She hadn’t expected Shen Ke to even pick up her video call.

Now that she understood her own feelings, everything about Shen Ke struck her as unbearably cute.

Her eyes, brows, nose, mouth—even her sulky, angry face was cute.

Her strongest memories were of Shen Ke throwing tantrums: furrowed brows, pursed red lips, chin tilted up as if looking down her nose.

Shen Ke was half a head shorter, so Yue Lingqing always gazed down at her.

In hindsight, she remembered every single tantrum and misdeed Shen Ke had ever committed.

Shen Ke had once asked why she always disliked her partners. It was jealousy.

She didn’t know exactly when she’d fallen for her, but Yue Lingqing felt it was only natural.

And now Shen Ke knew about their arranged marriage and even wanted her to agree—what a stroke of fortune. How could she refuse?

Yue Lingqing sighed. “Why does time crawl by so slowly? If only I could wake up tomorrow already twenty.”

Then she could marry Shen Ke.

Meanwhile, at the Shen Family.

The weather in the city was peculiar, as if it only had summer and winter.

Summer stretched from May all the way to December.

It was the tail end of October now, but days were still sweltering hot. Nights, however, had turned chilly, carrying the feel of late autumn.

Shen Yi slipped on a camel-colored long trench coat—not thick, but it accentuated her tall, upright figure.

Shen Yi strode toward the front door.

From the sofa in the living room, Shen Mother called out, “Where are you going?”

Shen Yi’s eyes flickered. She replied flatly, “I have something to do.”

Shen Mother shot to her feet and fixed Shen Yi with a cold stare. “What? To find Shen Ke?!” Her voice brimmed with barely suppressed fury.

Shen Yi turned slowly to face her, her expression barely changing. “You know.”

Shen Mother pinched the bridge of her nose. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”

Shen Yi lowered her gaze, hiding the murkiness in her eyes. “Of course I do. I’m just pursuing the person I like.”

That set Shen Mother off. She snatched a ceramic cup from the table and hurled it at Shen Yi.

Shen Yi didn’t dodge. The cup struck her forehead.

The living room held more than just them—servants were present, and Shen Yu with Feng Jian watched from the second-floor railing.

The servants all kept their heads down, not daring to breathe.

“I poured so much effort into raising you—not so you could turn lesbian! And set your sights on Shen Ke, whom we raised in the Shen Family for eighteen years!”

“Tomorrow, you’re going to the branch in M Country. Don’t come back until you’ve cured your illness!” Shen Mother’s face darkened as she issued the order in two short sentences.

Warm blood trickled from her forehead, but Shen Yi’s expression didn’t shift. Her voice remained even. “What if I don’t want to?”

From the second floor, Shen Yu let out a “Wow,” a playful smile curling her alluring face. “Sis is really courting death. Mom doesn’t tolerate defiance—she hates anyone who goes against her.”

Shen Mother sneered. “Shen Yi, do you think you have what it takes to defy me now?”

“Don’t forget—I have more than one daughter.”

Shen Yi merely shook her head lightly. “Do as you please.” With that, she turned, flung open the door, and marched out.

Shen Mother sank back onto the sofa and pressed her temple. Her face, marked by the traces of years, was full of gloom.

She wouldn’t allow Shen Yi to continue down this wrong path.

After a moment, Shen Mother opened her eyes and saw Feng Jian approaching.

She still had some patience for this biological daughter she’d only recently brought home. She softened her expression. “Little Jian, what is it?”

Feng Jian lifted her dark, heavy-lidded eyes. “Mama.”

“I want to become.”

“The heir.”

“Teach me. I will.”

“Do it very well.”

“Better than her.”

Her words came slow and steady, laced with undisguised ambition.

Up on the second floor, Shen Yu’s smile faded. She hadn’t prompted Feng Jian to say any of that—those were her own words.

Mom would love someone so brimming with ambition.

Sure enough, even those not raised in the Shen Family carried that bloodline—no good ones among them.

Shen Mother stared fixedly at Feng Jian for a moment. Her gaze carried scrutiny, the kind that made one tense to the point of being unable to breathe.

But Feng Jian did not evade or flinch. She met Shen Mother’s gaze directly, fully exposing her desire for power before Shen Mother.

Shen Mother exhaled. “Two months. During this period, I’ll have someone teach you. After two months, I want to see your results.”

The nighttime lights, set against the darkness, always shone with exceptional brilliance.

Shen Yi stood at the roadside, gazing at the pitch-black sky. Her eyes were profound, her emotions indiscernible.

The blood from her forehead had dried and coagulated on her face, causing some discomfort, but Shen Yi did not wipe it away.

The evening breeze carried a chill as it blew through her long hair.

Shen Yi raised the Sapphire Butterfly Necklace in her hand. She remembered that Shen Ke loved wearing those gorgeous, vibrant skirts.

This necklace, with its vintage and intricate craftsmanship, should match perfectly.

She had simply passed by the Treasure Shop on her way home and gone inside to select it.

At the time, the shop assistant had joked, “Customer, you have a great eye. Young people love this necklace the most.”

Shen Yi said softly, “Why don’t you think it’s for me to wear?”

The young shop assistant had no idea who the woman before her was and simply voiced her honest thoughts. “The way you looked at this necklace wasn’t with liking, but with contemplation.”

“So I guessed you were buying it for someone you love.”

Shen Yi paused for a moment, then nodded lightly. “Yes, my love—she likes these pretty, exaggerated accessories.”

It turned out that even someone like her would spend a long time carefully selecting an item because she thought someone would like it.

She put away the necklace and walked forward. She wanted to see Shen Ke, do nothing extra—just hug her.