His Hidden Feelings Struck a Nerve

Chu Tianqing smoothly picked up the conversation. "It's not bullshit. I mean it. I'm such a kind person that I really can't bear to break your heart, Brother Chen."

"So you want me to play the villain." Shen Heng gritted his teeth, his gaze unfriendly. "Shen Xixi, do you really think I'm your real brother? That I'll do anything for you?"

Those words could no longer hurt Chu Tianqing.

In life, knowing oneself was what mattered. Chu Tianqing didn't expect Shen Heng to act like her real older brother, and her expectations of him were low.

On the contrary, she would remember his kindness. After all, he had helped her quite a bit.

Chu Tianqing wasn't annoyed in the least. She silently leaned closer and stared into her dear big brother's eyes, then suddenly broke into a knowing smile and ventured a sly guess. "Brother, don't tell me you can't bring yourself to do it either. And you still have the nerve to criticize me?"

Shen Heng was at a loss for words and casually looked away.

Actually, she had guessed wrong. He could bring himself to ask Ye Mingchen, and the two of them had only just begun to have feelings for each other, so it wouldn't even be much of a problem.

But doing that would strike at his hidden feelings, and he couldn't get past that himself.

What hidden feelings?

If he stepped in for Chu Tianqing and rejected Ye Mingchen's pursuit, he wouldn't be able to keep himself from feeling happy.

Yet that happiness was shameful, twisted.

He had spoken of Ye Mingchen's good points again and again, urging Chu Tianqing to date him, but fundamentally, that too was for his own sake.

If Chu Tianqing rejected Ye Mingchen herself, that was her business.

He wouldn't feel guilty, and he would feel a little better.

"All right, I understand. I won't force you." Chu Tianqing suddenly spoke, pulling back and sitting up straight.

Shen Heng glanced sideways at her. "What do you understand?"

"Brothers are like limbs, and women are like clothes. Besides, he came all the way from Hong Kong to help you." Chu Tianqing had figured it out and spoke with clear-eyed certainty. "And I'm not your real sister, so of course you don't want to offend him for my sake."

Shen Heng's gaze froze. He wanted to explain that she had misunderstood, but on second thought, it was just as well that she misunderstood.

"Some things are better left unsaid." Shen Heng looked out the car window and spoke coolly. "Spelling them out only invites trouble. Take your time with Mingchen. There's no need to rush to reject him. Give him a chance, and give yourself one too."

Chu Tianqing said nothing and turned to look out the car window as well.

The brilliant neon lights were dizzying. Chu Tianqing felt as if she were floating in the air, unable to grasp anything, including her own emotions.

Was she angry? Not quite.

Happy? Hardly.

She had to admit that when it came to the Shen family, even with a god's-eye view, she had still made a tangled mess of things.

Chu Tianqing wasn't one to get stuck in a dead end. If she couldn't figure something out, she left it alone. She turned all her attention to her career and kept so busy that her feet barely touched the ground.

That way, she would have an excuse to turn down Ye Mingchen's invitations to go out.

To her surprise, Ye Mingchen had no time to ask her out over the next few days. He had gotten busy and had an endless stream of meetings every day.

He could only chat with Chu Tianqing over WeChat. Occasionally, he complained that Shen Heng was still sending emails in the middle of the night, an energy monster and an utterly evil capitalist to boot.

When Chu Tianqing saw his messages, she would occasionally reply with a word or two. That was how the two of them carried on, neither warmly nor coldly.

From Ye Mingchen's complaints, she pieced together her dear big brother's suffocating schedule. No wonder he had been able to pick her up from the police station at two in the morning—he hadn't gone to bed in the first place.

She also understood why he always wore such a cold expression. With work that intense, anyone would find it hard to smile.

In outsiders' eyes, an heir to a wealthy family was heaven's favored child, basking in endless glory. In reality, an heir to a wealthy family reeked of office drudgery and looked as though the world had wronged him.

Chu Tianqing wanted to laugh whenever she thought about it. Suddenly, a new message popped up on her phone. When she saw the name, her breath caught.

Speak of the devil. She had barely finished grumbling about him, and there he was.

She opened the message. Shen Heng had written: When are you coming home? Mom asked me again. Don't make me remind you a third time.

The message was full of threats. Chu Tianqing could almost see him typing it with a blank expression.

She took a deep breath, checked her schedule with Jiang Lean, and replied respectfully: I'm free next Wednesday and Friday. Which day works for you? Or do neither of them work?

Shen Heng: Wednesday. Stay for dinner. Tell Mom in advance. Dad will be home too.

Chu Tianqing: As you command.

Shen Heng: ...

Shen Heng: Is your forehead itching?

Seeing those words, Chu Tianqing's expression gradually twisted.

She swore to herself that the next time her dear big brother dared lay a hand on her, she would pay him back!

Chu Tianqing cursed under her breath as she switched to her conversation with Jiang Youyi. A gentle, sweet expression immediately appeared on her face, and she hummed the tune of "Only Mother Is Good in This World."

She felt this same contradiction toward everyone in the Shen family.

As for Ms. Jiang and Papa Shen, reason told her she had to stay away, yet the thought of seeing them made her happy in spite of herself.

As for the real young lady, Shen Bufan, she genuinely admired and liked her, but given her own identity, she could only steer clear of her.

As for her dear big brother Shen Heng, the less said, the better.

Chu Tianqing chose her words carefully and sent Jiang Youyi a WeChat message that was polite but distant.

Jiang Youyi replied quickly. As loving and thoughtful as ever, she said she would prepare Chu Tianqing's favorite dishes and make dessert for her with her own hands.

Chu Tianqing pressed her lips together, warmth spreading through her heart.

Wednesday arrived in the blink of an eye. After lunch, she headed out early, carrying a large bouquet of white roses to the Shen family home.

White roses were Jiang Youyi's favorite flowers. Never mind anyone saying they weren't appropriate for a daughter to give her mother; Chu Tianqing wanted to give them to her and make her happy.

Returning to the Shen family home, she no longer felt that same sense of unease.

Carrying the white roses, she walked briskly through the ornate gate, followed the path, and climbed the steps. Jiang Youyi was already waiting in the entryway.

When Jiang Youyi saw the white roses, a delighted smile appeared on her face. She took the flowers with one hand and wrapped the other around Chu Tianqing's shoulders, affectionately leading her into the house.

This was the home where Shen Xixi had lived for more than twenty years. Chu Tianqing quickly recovered the familiar feeling and relaxed completely.

She drank tea and chatted with Jiang Youyi, made dessert with her, and personally simmered a pot of Chinese yam and pigeon soup.

It was autumn turning to winter, a good time for nourishing food. Chu Tianqing spoke knowledgeably about giving Ms. Jiang and Papa Shen a nourishing boost.

Ms. Jiang was deeply touched. She sent her husband a string of WeChat messages, urging him to make sure he came home on time for dinner.

Chu Tianqing felt a little sheepish. She had only made a pot of soup, nothing particularly special. There was no need to make such a fuss, as if this were some kind of gourmet tasting.

Before long, it was six thirty, and the sound of a car came from outside.

Jiang Youyi got up to greet them, and Chu Tianqing followed. Papa Shen came through the door with a broad smile, followed by an icy-faced figure.

Jiang Youyi cried out in surprise and hurried to greet her son.

Shen Heng rarely came home. He wasn't close to his parents and had always lived in a hotel away from home.

Papa Shen knew his beloved wife's heartache and smiled as he smoothed things over. "I asked him to come back. I told him there was good food at home today, and that Xixi had personally made a lovely nourishing soup."

Chu Tianqing smiled awkwardly and hurriedly signaled her dear big brother with her eyes, telling him not to expect too much.

But Shen Heng played dumb and asked, half serious and half joking, "What's with that look? You can't bear to let me have any?"

Chu Tianqing froze. Did he eat gunpowder? If he didn't want to come back, he shouldn't have. He's so annoying, deliberately picking a fight!