Shen Qi wiped her sweat. "Uh... my family too."
"What a coincidence." Shen Wu remained smiling.
Was it because everyone in the Commerce Department was a smiling tiger?
No matter what he said, he always wore that smile.
Shen Qi scratched her head, unsure of what to say to him.
She felt that this person in front of her was so kind that it was hard to refuse him anything...
"I have a younger sister, but unfortunately, she's lost. If she had grown up smoothly, she'd probably be about your age now," Shen Wu suddenly said with emotion. "Our family only had one sister!"
Shen Qi blinked and said, "Mm, I have an older brother..."
Just then, He Yining walked over with a wine glass. "Special Assistant Shen, so you were hiding here. Xiao Qi? You two know each other?"
"Xiao Qi? So your nickname is also Xiao Qi?" Shen Wu's eyes lit up.
Shen Qi gave an awkward smile. "Yeah, because I'm the seventh in my family, so my nickname is Xiao Qi."
"My nickname is Xiao Wu." Shen Wu looked at Shen Qi with bright eyes. "We really are fated to meet."
He Yining suddenly felt very annoyed!
Why did everyone else have such cute nicknames, and such warm ones at that?
Yes, Xiao Wu and Xiao Qi sounded like casually chosen names, but ever since his own wife was called Xiao Qi, he instantly thought numbers sounded great too!
What annoyed him most was that this Special Assistant Shen also happened to share the surname Shen!
Hmm? Shen?
Wait!
It couldn't be that much of a coincidence, could it?
He Yining suddenly had an idea. He lowered his voice, leaned close to Shen Wu, and said quietly, "Does the Shen family of Special Assistant Shen have a famous writer and painter named Shen Ziyao?"
Shen Wu's expression changed dramatically!
His usual smile vanished instantly as he turned to look coldly at He Yining. "How do you know?"
He Yining immediately understood!
"After the banquet ends, I have a surprise for you." He Yining smiled faintly, then glanced at Shen Qi, who was still in a daze, and continued to Shen Wu, "Now isn't the right time."
Shen Wu gave He Yining a meaningful look.
Shen Qi blinked and said, "Can I eat now?"
Her words made both men chuckle.
Shen Qi sat quietly eating while He Yining mingled with others.
It wasn't that no one wanted to greet Shen Qi—they didn't dare. Whenever someone approached her, He Yining's gaze would drift over subtly. Just a slight squint of his phoenix eyes was enough to make them tremble with fear. Who would dare to disturb her?
So Shen Qi happily finished her food, burping as she watched others socialize.
After the banquet, Shen Wu indeed came to find He Yining.
"If you're thinking of using Auntie to threaten me, I suggest you drop that idea," Shen Wu said bluntly.
"Auntie? Just as I thought." He Yining nodded. "So I wasn't wrong."
Shen Wu stared at He Yining intently. "What do you mean?"
"Shen Qi's original name was... Lin Qi." He Yining smiled meaningfully.
Shen Wu's face changed drastically.
Without a second thought, he turned to go find Shen Qi!
He Yining immediately added, "She is now my wife."
Shen Wu's steps came to an abrupt halt.
He slowly turned back, looking at He Yining with a light laugh. "They say President He is an unparalleled genius. Now I see it's not just that. Even fate is on your side!"
He Yining smiled faintly. "They say luck is also part of strength."
Shen Wu nodded and said to He Yining, "If what you say is true, I still won't give you special treatment. Winning this case will still depend on the He Group's strength."
"I know. I never planned to use your connections. In other words, He Yining hasn't sunk to that level yet!" He Yining smiled proudly. "And neither has the He Group!"
Shen Wu nodded. "Everyone recognizes President He's strength! But Feng Manlun is also very confident this time. Be careful."
"Expected." He Yining raised an eyebrow. "Trampling me underfoot has always been his dream. Too bad, it's a dream that will never come true."
As they spoke, Shen Qi approached from a distance. He Yining squinted slightly. "Xiao Qi is coming."
Shen Wu turned around instantly.
From afar, Shen Qi's graceful figure really did resemble Aunt Shen Ziyao.
As Shen Qi drew near and saw them both staring at her, she couldn't help touching her cheek. "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
Shen Wu struggled to control his excitement and asked, "Can I ask what your parents' names are?"
Shen Qi was taken aback.
This was a first.
Who asks about parents on a first meeting?
He Yining nodded at Shen Qi.
Only then did Shen Qi answer, "My father is Lin Yuxiang, and my mother is Shen Ziyao..."
Boom... Shen Wu's mind went blank, and his heart seemed to skip two beats!
He had found his sister!
Unable to contain his excitement, Shen Wu stepped forward and suddenly hugged Shen Qi.
Shen Qi was completely stunned.
This man...
"Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi, I've found you!" Shen Wu actually started crying, a grown man sobbing like a child. "After all these years, I've finally found you!"
Shen Qi was dumbfounded.
What was going on?
Could someone explain?
Don't leave me in the dark!
He Yining smiled and said, "Why don't we talk at home?"
Shen Wu immediately let go of Shen Qi, turned to wipe the tears from his eyes, and said, "Alright, let's go back now!"
Shen Qi was still bewildered, looking at He Yining for answers.
But He Yining only gave a mysterious smile without any explanation.
So Shen Qi, full of confusion, followed everyone back to Jinghua Manor.
As soon as they entered, Shen Wu snapped back to reality and shouted, "Wait, let me make a call first!"
With that, he dialed a number.
The moment the call connected, Shen Wu yelled, "I've found Xiao Qi! I've finally found Xiao Qi!"
There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by an even sharper scream: "Where is she? Where is she?"
"In H City, H Province." Shen Wu choked with emotion. "She's already married—she's He Yining's wife!"
After Shen Wu hung up, Shen Qi was still in a daze.
Why was Shen Wu so excited?
And that call seemed to be about her?
"Xiao Qi, I'm your brother!" Shen Wu grabbed Shen Qi's arm, barely able to speak through his excitement. "I'm your Xiao Wu gege!"
"Huh?" Shen Qi was still confused. "But my brother is Shen Lu, not Shen Wu!"
Shen Wu was almost in tears at his sister's cluelessness.
He Yining stood nearby, opening a bottle of red wine and pouring three glasses.
He just watched his Xiao Qi, adorable in her confusion, with a smile.
Yes, his Xiao Qi was adorable no matter what she did.
"Were you once called Lin Qi?" Shen Wu felt like he was talking to a schoolgirl.
Shen Qi nodded. "Mm."
"That's right! Your ranking isn't based on your father's side, but your mother's. It was an agreement your parents made when they married—all children would follow the Shen family ranking. So your brother is sixth, and you're seventh." Shen Wu explained patiently.
Shen Qi thought blankly. "That does ring a bell. I was too young back then to remember. I just knew I was ranked seventh."
Shen Wu wiped the tears of excitement streaming down his face and answered emotionally, "Yes, I'm ranked fifth, so I'm your Xiao Wu gege!"
Shen Qi's mind finally clicked.
Her eyes went wide. "What? You're my cousin from my uncle's side? How is that possible? How could it be such a coincidence?"
Shen Wu was almost in tears again.
It didn't matter—he'd love his sister even if she was clueless!
Who else in the Shen family had all boys, with only one girl?
In their father's generation, it was all boys, with just Auntie as the one girl.
And now, in this generation, it was the same!
All the uncles had sons, and only Auntie's family had a daughter.
Unfortunately...
After what happened back then, Auntie gave birth and then left home, with no news since.
And then Uncle remarried another woman, which infuriated the Shen family. Uncle took the two children far away, and they lost all contact.
Later, when the Shen family tried to find the two children, they heard Uncle had died unexpectedly, and the stepmother had taken them somewhere unknown.
In the vast sea of people, finding two children was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Just when the Shen family had given up hope, fate made this arrangement in the unseen!
Fate had sent his sister back!
Shen Qi was utterly shocked!
She never imagined she would run into her cousin from her uncle's side!
What kind of incredible luck was this?
"Xiao Wu gege..." Shen Qi said, as if in a dream. "You're really my cousin?"
Shen Wu nodded. "Good sister, I've come to take you home! We're going home! The Shen family will always be your home!"
Shen Qi's eyes welled up too, and she suddenly didn't know what to say.
She had thought she had no family left in this world except her brother.
But fate really knew how to play tricks.
It had given her a brother and a home, just like that.
Everything felt like a dream.
He Yining handed the wine glasses to Shen Wu and Shen Qi. "A family reunion is something to celebrate and be happy about. Cheers, to your reunion, to your coming together."
Shen Qi and Shen Wu took the glasses, clinked them gently, and drank it all in one go.
That night, Shen Wu stayed in a guest room at Jinghua Manor.
He was so excited he couldn't sleep, receiving several calls from home, all asking about Shen Qi.
Shen Qi couldn't sleep either.
Anyone who suddenly gained a cousin out of nowhere probably wouldn't sleep well, right?