After seeing off Shen Wu, Shen Qi also became busy. Although the convoy was moving forward, Mr. Charles's assignments never stopped. Shen Qi diligently completed every task Mr. Charles assigned and submitted them on time. For such a serious and adorable student like Shen Qi, Mr. Charles felt he had truly hit the jackpot!
Finally, the convoy arrived at P City. The airport in P City wasn't far, so everyone drove directly there. After waiting about half an hour, the plane landed, and a tall, strikingly beautiful girl pushed her luggage cart out of the exit.
Shen Qi instinctively looked at He Yining. But He Yining didn't look at her; instead, he walked straight toward the girl. An inexplicable panic gripped Shen Qi's heart.
Who was this girl? For He Yining to personally pick her up, she must be... extraordinary, right? These past few days, though Shen Qi hadn't said a word, countless thoughts had raced through her mind. Especially that phone call He Yining had made the other day... Could they be the same person?
Just then, He Yining had already accompanied the girl over and stood before everyone. Shen Qi stood there, watching them, and inexplicably felt that they seemed more suited for each other than she was for him. A dull ache spread through Shen Qi's heart once more. This pain wasn't sharp, yet it left her breathless. It was an instinct that erupted from a sixth sense— Muffled yet piercing. Truth and lies were separated by a single line. One step forward was truth; one step back was lies.
When Shen Qi felt the beautiful girl's gaze sweep over her, her body was clearly trembling. Her sixth sense told her that this girl was anything but simple. Sure enough, the next second, He Yining's words confirmed her intuition.
"Come, let me introduce you. This is my wife, Shen Qi, and this is my sister, Cui Yuelan." He Yining introduced Shen Qi and the girl to each other.
The name Cui Yuelan exploded in Shen Qi's mind like a bomb. Cui Yuelan, Lanlan... So it was true, so it was true...
Cui Yuelan immediately linked her arm through He Yining's and said to Shen Qi, "Hello, Miss Shen." She addressed her as Miss Shen, not Second Sister-in-law or Second Young Madam Shen.
"Hello," Shen Qi forced herself to stay calm, barely managing a smile. "Welcome back to the country."
"No, you should say welcome home. Wherever my brother is, that's where my home is." Cui Yuelan affectionately pressed her face against He Yining's shoulder, looking more like the legitimate wife than Shen Qi herself.
He Yining glanced at Cui Yuelan and said helplessly, "You're so grown up now, why are you still acting like a child?"
"No matter how old Lanlan gets, she'll always cling to her brother. Brother, you wouldn't abandon me just because you have a wife now, would you?" Cui Yuelan shook He Yining's arm, rubbing her impressive chest against it.
He Yining looked a bit awkward. He raised his head to glance at Shen Qi, but she had lowered her eyes, as if she hadn't seen what was happening. He hoped Xiao Qi wouldn't misunderstand. There was nothing between him and Lanlan.
"How could I? You'll always be my sister." He Yining said seriously, "I'll treat you like a sister for life."
Hearing this, Cui Yuelan pouted in displeasure. "I'm hungry. I want to eat."
He Yining immediately replied, "Alright, we'll go now."
Shen Qi said flatly, "Feng Manlun is still waiting outside. Let's head out first."
Cui Yuelan seemed not to hear Shen Qi and continued clinging to He Yining. "Brother Yining, I can never get authentic Chinese food abroad. I heard your chef makes the best dishes. I want to eat every single one without repeats, okay?"
He Yining laughed and answered, "Fine, fine, whatever you want. Let's go out first."
Only then was Cui Yuelan satisfied. She held He Yining's arm and dragged him forward without even glancing at Shen Qi. He Yining tried to turn back to call Shen Qi, but Cui Yuelan had already pulled him several steps away.
Xiao Chun helped push the luggage ahead, leaving Shen Qi alone where she stood. Shen Qi's lips twitched painfully as she tried to force a magnanimous and kind smile, but she found she couldn't. How could this be? She shouldn't be like this. Cui Yuelan was his adopted sister, just a sister. Her actions were just old habits from childhood that hadn't been broken yet. He Yining's affection for her was because she was his sister, not because she was...
Shen Qi raised her hand to rub her cheeks, waiting until her expression softened before slowly catching up with them.
Ahead, Cui Yuelan was practically hanging off He Yining. And He Yining didn't push her away. Even if they were siblings in name, they weren't blood-related, were they? They... And I... I'm the outsider, aren't I?
They shared so many happy memories, and what did I have? What did I have? I couldn't even compare to the girl he was searching for, let alone Cui Yuelan, whom he cherished like a real sister. Was I being too greedy? Was I wrong to crave his tenderness?
Shen Qi felt her eyes grow moist and quickly wiped away the tears. She had to smile; she couldn't cry. She had to be magnanimous; she had to stay calm. She had no right to throw a tantrum.
Feng Manlun had been standing outside the whole time, watching as He Yining had a giant koala clinging to his arm, with Xiao Chun silently pushing the luggage behind him. And Shen Qi walked at the very back. Though she was smiling, her eyes betrayed a hidden pain.
Feng Manlun admitted that at that moment, his heart clenched. A thought even crossed his mind: if He Yining didn't want her, he would take her.
He Yining led Cui Yuelan over to Feng Manlun and said, "Lanlan, I've been quite busy lately. How about Feng Shao looks after you for a few days..."
"No!" Cui Yuelan cut him off before he could finish. "If you dare ignore me, I'll tell Mom and Dad!"
Shen Qi's heart trembled slightly. Cui Yuelan called her in-laws Mom and Dad, yet she had never even met them. Just based on that, she was already powerless to compete, wasn't she?
He Yining said helplessly, "But I really am busy."
"That's fine. Since Miss Shen has nothing to do, she can keep me company," Cui Yuelan said matter-of-factly. "Also, I want to stay at Jinghua Manor. I want the second floor, the room next to yours, and I want to use your study."
Hearing Cui Yuelan's domineering tone, He Yining turned back to look at Shen Qi. Shen Qi still kept her eyes lowered, making it impossible to read her expression. Xiao Qi, was she unhappy?
Cui Yuelan suddenly turned to Shen Qi and said, displeased, "Is Brother Yining ignoring me because she's unhappy? Brother Yining, is she more important than me?"
He Yining's phoenix eyes darkened slightly. How could she compare to his little angel?
Before He Yining could speak, Shen Qi quickly lifted her head and replied with her best professional smile, "How could that be? She's your sister, so of course she's more important."
Satisfied with this answer, Cui Yuelan said, "Since you're so clear on that, do you have any objections to me moving into Jinghua Manor?"
Shen Qi's eyes flickered as she glanced at He Yining. His face showed no expression. So he probably wanted this, right? In that case, she would decide for him.
"Of course not." Shen Qi's smile grew even more formulaic. "Why would I?"
Cui Yuelan turned back to He Yining and continued to wheedle, "Brother Yining, see? She doesn't mind. I just want to be with you! Mom and Dad said you have to take care of me. You can't ignore me, or I'll tattle to them!"
Seeing Cui Yuelan's childish pout, He Yining's heart softened instantly. Since Xiao Qi didn't object either, he'd let her come. The sisters-in-law would have to get along eventually anyway. The sooner they built a bond, the better.
"Fine, fine, I'm really afraid of you." He Yining pinched Cui Yuelan's nose. "Always tattling to Mom and Dad."
Cui Yuelan finally smiled contentedly, throwing her arms around He Yining's waist and burying her face in his chest. "I knew Brother Yining was the best! I love Brother Yining the most!"
Shen Qi couldn't take it anymore and turned away. She hugged her own brother too. But that was her real brother! Whether it was Shen Wu or Shen Lu, they were her blood relatives! But them...
Shen Qi, Shen Qi, stay calm! Maybe it wasn't what she thought! Maybe they... maybe they were just like her! Don't overthink it, don't, don't!
Feng Manlun stood to the side, silent. He could finally enjoy the show.
"Xiao Qi, the teacher said there's a mistake in your assignment and asked me to bring you over," Feng Manlun finally spoke.
When Shen Qi heard this, her first reaction was relief! She really didn't want to keep walking with them. P City was only a few hours' drive from H City, but those hours would be torture for her.
Shen Qi knew Feng Manlun was deliberately helping her, since her assignments had no issues. She immediately put on her formulaic smile and said, "Sure, Senior Brother. Sorry to trouble you!"
Turning to He Yining, she added, "Sorry, I might not be able to go with you. I'll go with Senior Brother first. You know how much I care about the teacher's feedback."
He Yining's phoenix eyes darkened. "Then I'll come with you..."
"Brother Yining, let her go! I'm so hungry! I flew all this way to see you, and the airplane food was terrible. I'm starving!" Cui Yuelan kept whining. "She's not a child anymore, and there are others with her. She won't get lost!"
Shen Qi closed her eyes tightly, refusing to look at He Yining and Cui Yuelan again. She immediately turned to Feng Manlun. "Senior Brother, let's go."
With that, she turned and walked away. He Yining wanted to reach out and stop her, but Cui Yuelan grabbed his hand and cheerfully dragged him off, already dialing an international call to report to He Yining's parents.
Listening to the footsteps fading behind her, Shen Qi's heart plummeted into an abyss.