As soon as Shen Qi stepped into the garden outside the villa, she saw Xu Yunxi dancing ahead.
Every movement was so elegant and gentle, rendering beauty to its fullest. No wonder she still maintained herself at over forty like an unmarried woman under thirty—staying beautiful truly required a lot of effort.
Xu Yunxi spun around and spotted Shen Qi. She finished her dance unhurriedly before smiling at Shen Qi. "Xiao Qi, why are you up so early? Did you sleep well in the room?"
"Very well, thank you, Auntie," Shen Qi replied sweetly. "The room is so beautiful, exactly the way I like it."
Hearing this, Xu Yunxi was delighted. "Right, that's how a girl should be—refined and delicate, that's true beauty. Today, I'll take you to a wonderful place. The red leaves fill the valley there, a breathtaking sight. I heard you studied aesthetics and are great at painting? You can set up an easel today and really indulge yourself."
"Great!" Shen Qi's eyes sparkled as she looked at Xu Yunxi. "Thank you, Auntie!"
"What a sweet-talking little girl." Xu Yunxi couldn't help pinching Shen Qi's cheek, liking it more with each pinch.
Shen Qi let Xu Yunxi fuss over her face, her eyes bright. "I've heard for a long time that P City has a Red Leaf Valley, absolutely stunning. In autumn, the red leaves cover the mountains, looking like fire and clouds from afar. I've always wanted to visit but never had the time. Finally, I have this chance—I won't miss it for anything."
Liu Yi came back from jogging outside and saw Xu Yunxi messing with Shen Qi's face. She immediately leaned in and said, "Mom, you're bullying Xiao Qi again!"
"Hmph, what do you know!" Xu Yunxi shot Liu Yi a look. "This is what a real girl is like! You don't understand the beauty of girls at all!"
Afraid of triggering another long lecture from Xu Yunxi, Liu Yi quickly raised her hands in surrender. "Yes, yes, Mom's right! Shouldn't we hurry up and get ready to go to godmother's place? Xiao Qi, let me tell you, my godmother lives right at the foot of Red Leaf Valley. The scenery is like a painting, perfect for someone like you."
Xu Yunxi and Shen Qi laughed together. "We were just talking about that."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! Godmother must be getting impatient too." Liu Yi raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to take a shower!"
With that, Liu Yi turned and ran off.
After a simple breakfast, Liu Yi grabbed the car keys and drove Shen Qi and Xu Yunxi straight to Red Leaf Valley.
Red Leaf Valley was a small canyon, nestled in the rift zone between two mountain ranges. The terrain was gentle, the soil fertile, and the vegetation abundant. With greenery covering the mountains, it was a natural oxygen bar.
It was late autumn now, and the entire valley was filled with maple leaves. From afar, they blazed like fire.
Shen Qi couldn't resist pulling out her phone, snapping pictures of the stunning view, and posting them on Weibo with a tap.
Feng Manlun saw her post immediately and sent her a private message: "Arrived so soon? I'll be there around noon."
Shen Qi replied with a smiley face, acknowledging it.
As Liu Yi drove, she explained to Shen Qi, "Godmother has great taste. Over twenty years ago, she bought a piece of land here and built a retreat. It's divided into two parts: one called the Sanctuary and the other the Bedchamber."
Shen Qi stuck out her tongue. "Only a writer would come up with names like that."
Liu Yi laughed heartily and nodded. "Exactly. Look, that place near the lake is the Sanctuary—it's actually the living room."
Shen Qi followed Liu Yi's pointing finger. The architecture was indeed... quite unique. The entire living room sat triangularly by the lake, all silver-white, reflecting the shimmering water and light.
"Behind the Sanctuary is the Bedchamber, where godmother rests and works." Liu Yi continued, "And behind the Bedchamber is a garden, not too big, about two hundred square meters. It doesn't have any rare plants—just local wildflowers and weeds growing freely. Godmother says you can only appreciate beauty by accepting nature's gifts."
Xu Yunxi chimed in, "Actually, after she built this house, she hardly ever stayed here. After getting married, it was empty most of the time. It's only this year that she decided to come back and settle down, so she finally started using it."
Shen Qi nodded. "It's a shame it sat unused for so long. But the scenery here is really amazing! Living here must lift your spirits, right?"
The three of them stopped the car by the bridge. The small wooden bridge was narrow, allowing only two people to walk side by side, so they all got out and walked.
As Shen Qi walked, she brushed her hand against the wildflowers by the roadside, taking a deep breath filled with the scent of mountain chrysanthemums. It was truly refreshing.
Liu Yi, strong as she was, carried their bags ahead, while Shen Qi and Xu Yunxi followed slowly behind. Xu Yunxi couldn't help but admire, "With such beautiful scenery, I'd want to build a house here too. But I'm too restless to retreat from the world like her."
Shen Qi smiled. "Auntie, think of it this way: the house is so big, she can't use it all by herself. When you visit her, staying a few nights is like paying interest on your company."
"Hahaha..." Xu Yunxi burst out laughing. "How amusing! You sound just like her. She said the same thing back then."
Shen Qi slowly walked to the Sanctuary and looked up. The building was designed entirely to fit the terrain. No wonder it was called the Sanctuary—it had a sacred feel to it. The ground wasn't completely flat but layered and varied. There were steps here, a platform there, and in the middle, a pond was dug out, lined with blue stones into a Bagua-shaped flower pool. Most lotuses had withered by this season, but the water lilies in this pool were in full bloom.
In the living room, many beautiful porcelain pieces were placed on the floor, all with some history, giving the room an antique and serene atmosphere. On a platform of about thirty to forty square meters lay a bright red carpet that wasn't tacky. On it sat a low bookshelf with a small incense burner on one side, along with cushions and pillows—clearly a place for chatting and receiving guests.
Shen Qi couldn't resist walking over to the platform, gently touching the exquisite bookshelf. Her fingers traced the book spines, and she felt, inexplicably, that the owner of this house must be an extremely independent and strong-willed person.
Liu Yi put down their things and said to Shen Qi with a smile, "Godmother is probably out picking up ingredients by now. Fresh food is delivered every day."
Shen Qi nodded, walked barefoot onto the carpet, and picked up a book to read while sitting down.
Liu Yi and Xu Yunxi went over to the flower pool to tease the fish swimming in it.
As Shen Qi flipped through the pages, a yellowed, old photo suddenly fell out from the book's flyleaf. She quickly picked it up, about to put it back.
But when her eyes accidentally swept over the photo, her whole body stiffened, and her gaze froze.
Dad! It was a photo of her dad!
Shen Qi remembered this photo better than anyone! It was the one her father often looked at when she was little!
Why was her father's photo here?
Did she know him? What was their relationship?
Who... who was she?
Clutching the photo, Shen Qi panicked. She shot up from the ground, rushed to Liu Yi with the photo in hand, her face pale and voice trembling. "Xiao Yi, what's your godmother's surname?"
Liu Yi was taken aback. "Xiao Qi, what's wrong? You look terrible! Are you sick?"
Xu Yunxi also stared at Shen Qi in shock. "Xiao Qi, are you not adjusting to the environment? I have medicine here..."
Shen Qi was too flustered to speak. She grabbed Liu Yi's wrist tightly, tears welling up in her eyes, ready to spill over.
"Xiao Qi, don't panic. Take your time." Xu Yunxi could tell something was seriously wrong and kept patting Shen Qi's back. "What happened?"
"I... I... saw this photo." Shen Qi held up the picture of her father, Lin Yuxiang, in front of them. "This photo!"
Liu Yi and Xu Yunxi were stunned too.
"Xiao Qi, what's going on?" Liu Yi asked in surprise. "What about the photo? But I've never heard of godmother having a boyfriend outside."
Shen Qi broke down sobbing, tears streaming down her face. "This is my dad's photo! He loved it the most. He said it was the only photo my mom ever took for him! I remember now! He really said that! When I was five, he told me this was the only picture Mom took for him, and if he died, he wanted this photo on his grave!"
Liu Yi and Xu Yunxi's expressions shifted slightly.
Shen Qi pressed on, "What's the name of this house's owner? Is she surnamed Shen? Is her name Shen Ziyao?"
Liu Yi blurted out, "How did you know?"
Shen Qi burst into loud sobs. "My mom's name is Shen Ziyao!"
"No way!" Liu Yi and Xu Yunxi exclaimed simultaneously. "What a coincidence!"
"My mom was born into the Shen family in G Province, the youngest, the only daughter of the Shen family. She's a poet, painter, and writer!" Shen Qi felt she couldn't control her tears anymore. "Where is she? Where is she now?"
Liu Yi stood frozen, pointing toward the entrance. "I don't know where godmother is from either. She should be back around this time."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Shen Qi, without even putting on her shoes, dashed out like a madwoman.
Mom, Mom, is it really you?
Mom, have you really come back?
Don't leave me!
Mom, don't leave me!
Don't...
Shen Qi, clutching the photo and crying as she ran wildly, terrified Liu Yi and Xu Yunxi. Liu Yi had never seen Shen Qi so unhinged. She looked like someone drowning, grasping at the last lifeline, crying so pitifully.
The two of them hurried after Shen Qi, afraid she might accidentally fall into the lake.
Through tear-blurred eyes, Shen Qi saw a figure carrying a basket, walking gracefully toward her.