Chapter 12

After fifteen minutes of anxiety, Xu Qingling calmed herself down.

In this life, she never intended to have any entanglement with the Shen family or Yuanxing Corporation. That night had been a mere coincidence; let Shen Anwu think whatever he wanted.

If he suspected her of colluding with the kidnappers, let the police come and arrest her.

Xu Qingling slipped out of her clothes and collapsed onto the bed.

Perhaps from exhaustion, Cao Siqing, who was sleeping on the other bed, had already begun to snore softly. Xu Qingling slowly closed her eyes.

In her previous life at Yuanxing, her direct supervisor was Zhang Heng, but the entire sales department was under Shen Anwu’s direct control.

After his leg was disabled, Shen Anwu became sullen and irritable, his temperament growing increasingly harsh. No one in the company dared defy him; Xu Qingling especially feared him terribly.

To stay closer to Shen Luan, she braved working under Shen Anwu. After marrying Shen Luan, since he didn’t want her to continue at Yuanxing, she resigned.

When Shen Anwu met with misfortune, Shang Huilan also fell ill. Her mother's death was a heavy blow to Shen Anwu.

...

Xu Qingling gradually drifted into sleep, though the night was restless, haunted by many scenes from her past life.

At one moment, Shen Anwu was furiously cursing Zhang Heng, with Xu Qingling trailing behind silently, afraid to breathe. Another moment, Shen Luan was roaring into the phone: “I’m not the kind of man indulging in wine, women, and wealth. The only woman I want beside me is the one I truly love. Is that wrong?”

Xu Qingling spent the entire night arguing in her dreams. When she woke up the next morning, her head felt as if it had been beaten, heavy and fuzzy.

Cao Siqing, however, had slept soundly and was already sitting on the bed watching the morning news, where a local station was reporting the capture of an armed robbery gang.

“Tsk tsk! These people have no regard for the law, carrying guns and grenades with them.”

Xu Qingling sat up abruptly, eyes fixed on the television. The fully armed SWAT officers were pinning down three criminals in their twenties. The leader, young but already partially bald, wore a sinister smile that sent chills down one’s spine.

Upon recognizing his face, Xu Qingling was instantly wide awake.

It had been less than a week since, and all three impostor police officers had been arrested. She wondered who had sent that tattooed man in the white vest.

Brushing her teeth, Xu Qingling pondered briefly, then dismissed her worries—since the Shen family was involved, the truth would surely come out.

When she went downstairs to check out, the receptionist gave her a scrutinizing once-over.

The receptionist whispered something to a male colleague beside her, who then retrieved a small paper box from a storage locker and handed it to Xu Qingling with a smile. “Miss Zhang, President Shen asked me to give this to you. Also, this is the refund for the room you paid for yesterday. President Shen instructed me to return it to you.”

At Yuanxing, only one person was entitled to be called “President Shen.”

Xu Qingling opened the box and blushed—Shen Anwu had recognized her long ago.

He must have noticed her broken sneakers and replaced them with a brand new pair, far more expensive than hers.

She didn’t refuse. “Thank you.”

Cao Siqing leaned over and saw the logo on the box. “These sneakers are pricey! Who’s President Shen? Why would he give you such expensive shoes and even pay for our room?”

Xu Qingling smiled faintly. “Someone I used to know.”

Before Cao Siqing could ask more, Xu Qingling tugged her away. On their way out, they ran into other classmates.

He Jinghui grinned cheekily, “Cao Siqing, so you stayed here last night too? How much did you spend?”

Cao Siqing rolled her eyes at him. “Why do you care how much we spent? If we have money, we spend it how we like.”

He Jinghui was rendered speechless, replying awkwardly, “Still mad, huh?”

“Qingling, you should have left later yesterday,” Wan Yue approached and greeted Xu Qingling. “This hotel belongs to Shen Luan’s family. Last night, Shen Luan treated all classmates to free rooms.”

Xu Qingling glanced at her coldly. “Sounds like something he did. Clearly, he only wanted to treat one person but was afraid of being noticed, so he invited a whole bunch—like buying oranges.”

Wan Yue’s face flushed crimson. “What are you saying? Is Shen Luan that petty? Besides, aren’t you related?”

Xu Qingling smirked slightly. “What relation do we have? Don’t talk nonsense; he hates it when people connect me to him.”

In truth, the Xu and Shen families were barely related—the only link was Xu Qingling’s uncle marrying Shen Luan’s aunt. Xu Demao initially hoped to leverage this relation, but Xu Deyou saw it as unnecessary and refused to meddle. After discovering their children were classmates, Xu Demao began pushing his daughter’s involvement.

Sometimes when preparing food for his daughter, he would also prepare a portion for Shen Luan. Though the Shen family looked down on such gestures, at least they knew Xu Demao existed.

Because Xu Qingling went out of her way to curry favor with Shen Luan, many classmates, aware of the slight family connection, started gossiping that they were engaged since childhood.

...

Now, Xu Qingling just wanted to be a bystander watching the spectacle. She leaned close to Wan Yue’s ear and whispered, “Shen Luan’s mother prefers girls from scholarly families. She wouldn’t look twice at a frail girl like you. I have no chance with him. But you and he suit each other. Don’t worry, if you two get together, I won’t be upset. It’s just that he hates me, so I’ll keep my distance.”

Wan Yue followed her gaze and saw Shen Luan not far off, her cheeks flushing deeper.

Having said what she needed, Xu Qingling didn’t wait around. She and Cao Siqing hopped on their bikes and left. By the time Feng Bo remembered to ask her to take Wan Yue back to Oak Village, they were nowhere to be found.

On the way back, they weren’t as excited as before, but the two raced each other and rode quite fast.

A few days ago, Cao Siqing had been painting a mural for a restaurant renovation with her cousin. That project was now finished, and she was about to start a new one.

They agreed on a meeting spot before each went home.

*

At Xunda Convenience Store, after finishing his nap and folding up the cot, Xu Demao saw his daughter lift the curtain and enter.

Seeing her return, he smiled. “You’re back? Come, I have something to tell you.”

Xu Qingling, reading his expression, guessed what it was. She calmly picked up her tea cup and drank a tumbler of cold water. “What is it?”

Xu Demao sighed. “I talked it over with your mother. Since you’ve been accepted to college, you should go. Don’t let this cause you any resentment. If you graduate and do well like your sister, don’t forget to help your brother. He’s the youngest; as his older sisters, you should support him.”

Xu Qingling had expected her father to bring up school but hadn’t anticipated his quick change of heart. It seemed the visit from her uncle and aunt had made an impact.

With age, Xu Demao had grown more talkative. He was four years older than Wu Guifen and now in his fifties. In Xu Qingling’s memory, her father’s appearance hadn’t changed much in his forties, but after fifty-five, signs of age began to show in his daily mannerisms.

Who would have thought that, looking so vigorous, he wouldn’t live to see sixty?

After Xu Demao’s passing in her previous life, Wu Guifen ceased speaking to her two daughters, transferring all property to her son, giving the master bedroom to her son and daughter-in-law, and moving into the room where the daughter used to store clutter. She handed over the family business and happily stayed home to care for her grandson.

Sometimes Xu Qingling wondered if her mother would have been less biased had her father lived longer.

Xu Demao said, “Next month your sister is coming back to host a banquet. You and your brother will be the bridesmaid and best man. When the store is less busy, we’ll all go shopping for new clothes.”

Xu Qingling nodded. “Okay.”

Xu Demao wiped his sweat and stood up. “Some items are out of stock; I’ll head to the market to restock. This afternoon, you’ll watch the store.”

Xu Qingling wanted to tell her father she’d start working part-time with classmates and wouldn’t be at the store, but seeing him in a hurry, she decided to wait until evening.

That afternoon, with few customers, she sat behind the counter, drowsy. Suddenly, the store’s landline rang—it was her sister, Xu Hongjiao.

In the days since returning, Xu Qingling hadn’t spoken to her sister on the phone. They had been close as children, but over time, their relationship grew distant as the parents frequently criticized the eldest for being heartless.

Hearing this repeatedly, Xu Qingling had grown resentful of her sister too.

Years later, when those experiences replayed in her own life, she fully understood her sister. Unfortunately, by then their bond had long since faded.

Hearing her sister’s voice warmed her heart. She had always loved receiving her calls, listening to tales of university life, filling her heart with longing.

“Yesterday, Mom and Dad called me and said a lot, but basically, they didn’t want you to go to university, worried that with Xu Junwen going next year, supporting two college students would be too burdensome. Dad said he would cover your tuition, and I would handle your living expenses.”

Xu Hongjiao was willing to bear that cost for her younger sister. Emotionally, she was closest to her. But toward their parents, she harbored resentment. Now about to be married, she had given most of her early earnings to the family, had little savings, and the house was bought by her fiancé’s family. Weddings and celebrations cost a lot, yet her parents still asked for money to support her sister’s living expenses. She knew the family business was thriving, and her parents were far from short on money.

On the phone, Xu Hongjiao repeated their parents’ words.

Xu Qingling clenched the handset tightly; her smile had long since frozen into ice. No wonder they agreed so quickly—it was all calculated on her sister.

“They’re ridiculous. Of course you should go to college! If they’d asked me, I’d have supported you.”

Xu Hongjiao had been a top student, quick-witted and fast-talking, calculating expenses on the other end.

“When I was in college, Mom and Dad gave me three hundred yuan a month. Combined with tutoring on weekends, it was barely enough in Jing City. Living costs in Xuncheng aren’t low either. I don’t know how much you need each month now—will four hundred yuan be enough?”

Her sister’s voice seemed both near and far. Xu Qingling took several deep breaths to suppress the turmoil in her chest, clearing her dry throat to maintain a normal tone.

“Sis, you shouldn’t have to pay my living expenses. No one pays me a salary watching the store. I plan to do summer jobs with my classmates.”

Her sister was surprised. “Summer jobs? Are they reliable?”

Xu Qingling assured her repeatedly before Xu Hongjiao reluctantly agreed.

“Try it out this summer, but be safe. Before school starts, get a bank card and send me the account number. I’ll transfer your first semester’s living expenses.”

Xu Qingling gritted her teeth. “Don’t worry, sis. If the money isn’t enough, I’ll ask you for more…”

Ha, it was clearly their parents’ responsibility—why should it fall on her sister?