The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 167. May the world treat you kindly (Second update)

Chapter 167: 167. May the world treat you kindly (Second update)

"She wasn’t hit," Shen Xitong’s injuries were actually from her own fall.

Chu Yunrong was speechless for a moment, "But it was still because of his mistake that Tongtong fell."

Having recovered from the initial shock, Shen Xitong managed a forced smile, "Mom, sister is right, I fell on my own just now, and that person was pretty nice about it. Let’s let it go." The person was already gone; she couldn’t let Qinglan take the blame alone.

"But your hand is injured like this." Chu Yunrong was very distressed, "No, we must hurry to the hospital." Saying this, she began to pull Shen Xitong along to hail a taxi.

She threw the car keys to Qinglan, "Qinglan, you go home first, I’ll take your sister to the hospital."

Qinglan took the car keys and headed toward the garage, unaware that Shen Xitong had given her a deep look filled with profound hatred.

Because of the accident, Qinglan no longer felt like wandering around. She drove Chu Yunrong’s car home.

Chu Yunrong and Shen Xitong went to the hospital for a thorough check-up. Aside from a scraped palm, there were no other injuries.

"Thank goodness there’s nothing serious. You really scared me to death just now." Chu Yunrong patted her chest, her face still showing fright.

Shen Xitong smiled silently, only occasionally glancing at her hand, which was bandaged like a bear’s paw, with a cold look in her eyes.

When she got home, Shen Xitong went straight to her room without eating dinner.

Lying in bed, she gently touched the wound on her unharmed hand. Even with medicine applied, the pain at the center of her palm kept reminding her how she had almost died under the wheels of a car today. And she could have been unharmed because she had been closer to Chu Yunrong at the time.

But when danger struck, Chu Yunrong’s first instinct was to save Qinglan. She didn’t even think of her.

Is this what it comes down to between having blood relations and not? Mom, didn’t you always love me the most? You favored me, ignored her, and even hit your own daughter for my sake. So why didn’t you save me today, when I was closer to you?

Her eyes were dark, and she clenched her hands tightly, so much so that she didn’t even notice that the movement made her wound bleed again.

**

On the weekend, Qinglan returned from her morning run, showered as usual, made breakfast for herself, and then leisurely left the house. Today she was going to visit the Shen Family since Xitong had called her last night to say that Leng Qingqiu would be visiting their home.

Qinglan couldn’t help but find amusement in Xitong’s triumphant tone over the phone. Xitong never seemed to recognize her own place.

Today, she didn’t drive, but walked out of the residential area to the bus stop to catch a bus. However, the bus stop was quite far from the Shen residence, and by the time Qinglan walked leisurely to the front gate, it was nearly noon.

She thought she would be the last to arrive, but unexpectedly, the guest who was supposed to be at the Shen Family hadn’t appeared yet. Qinglan glanced coolly at Xitong, showing no emotion in her eyes.

To Xitong, that glance was perceived as contempt. Meeting Chu Yunrong’s gaze, Xitong awkwardly tugged at the corner of her mouth, "Qingqiu is probably stuck in traffic. I’ll call her."

Chu Yunrong smiled, "Okay, go ahead." After watching Xitong step out with her phone, Chu Yunrong turned to look at Qinglan, "Have you eaten breakfast? It’s still a while before mealtime, do you want Sister-in-law Song to make you some snacks to fill your stomach?"

Qinglan shook her head, "I had breakfast before coming."

Chu Yunrong nodded, and as she gazed at her daughter’s cool face, she suddenly didn’t know what to say. But on closer inspection, Qinglan did bear some resemblance to her, such as the curved willow eyebrows and the small yet pert nose.

Chu Yunrong’s expression turned somewhat absent-minded, as if she was thinking of the time when Shen Qinglan was just born, when she held the tiny, soft baby in her arms, and she would smile happily at her. As a child, Qinglan was actually most attached to her, other than her husband.

Wherever she went, Qinglan liked to follow, which was why she brought Qinglan out that day. If she hadn’t taken her out just because she couldn’t bear to see her daughter cry, then would she...?

At this thought, Chu Yunrong’s face turned pale, and her hand involuntarily covered her heart, where there was a dull pain as if someone was stabbing her repeatedly with a knife.

"Mom, are you feeling unwell?" Shen Qinglan noticed her distressed complexion and asked.

"No, I’m just a little tired..." Chu Yunrong met Shen Qinglan’s cold eyes and suddenly lost her words. She stood up and hurried upstairs.

Shen Qinglan watched Chu Yunrong’s hastening departure, her emotions in her eyes were indistinct, as if her mother really didn’t like her—so much so that she didn’t even want to spend a short while alone with her.

Chu Yunrong hurried up the stairs and closed her bedroom door tightly. She pulled open the drawer in front of her dressing table and took out a bottle of medicine, pouring several pills into her palm. Without looking, she swallowed them down.

After picking up the water glass on the table and taking a sip, she tried to soothe her chest, as if she could only then arrange the breath there. She sat on the chair, her gaze vacant, unknowing where she was looking, yet her pale complexion did not immediately recover.

Suddenly, she got up and lay on the floor, stretching out her hand under the bed to reach for something. Finding it out of reach, she got up again, searched around the room, pulled open her wardrobe, and took out a coat hanger. Then, she lay on the floor again. This time, a little box was pulled out from under the bed.

The box seemed ancient and was intricately carved with patterns. If an expert were present, they would recognize the box was made of golden Phoebe nanmu wood.

It was probably stored under the bed for a long time; a thick layer of dust had settled on the box. Chu Yunrong carefully placed the box on the dressing table, went into the bathroom, and returned with a towel in her hand. She carefully wiped the dust off the box, patiently and tenderly. Such tenderness was unseen by Shen Qinglan, let alone Shen Xitong.

Having confirmed there was no trace of dust left on the box, Chu Yunrong held it tightly in her arms. Although the box was cold to the touch, her expression was as if she was holding a rare treasure, melting all the tenderness in her heart.

She pressed her face against the box for a long time, then took out a delicate and small key from the bottom drawer of the bedside table, which obviously matched the lock on the box.

Inserting the key into the lock, there was a click as it opened. Chu Yunrong’s hands trembled slightly. She wanted to open the box but seemed to lack the courage; she hesitated several times without lifting the lid.

Finally, the lid of the box was lifted, revealing the contents. At the very top were several plush toys—cute and delicate bears, one pure white, another brown, each only as big as a palm. There was also a pink one, smaller than the other two, with soft touchable fur. But, seemingly due to the long years of storage, its fur appeared rather old.

"Mommy, Daddy bought me this bear, isn’t it cute? This one is Xiao Bai, representing Mommy; this one is Xiao Hui, representing Daddy; and this pink one is Baby. They’re a family of three," said a tender, childlike voice in a milky tone. Chubby little fingers pointed at each of the bears one by one, and the child’s sparkling eyes were filled with pure joy and happiness.

Next to the bears was a Barbie doll dressed in a blue princess dress.

"Mommy, I like this dress. Will you buy me one just like it?" Xiao Pang held her hand and swayed back and forth, the gleaming eyes looking at her, full of pleading. "I also want a pair of white leather shoes, and then I can wear the dress and dance for Grandma and Grandpa. Mommy, is that alright?"

Chu Yunrong took out the bears and the Barbie doll, gently stroking them, then laid them on the bed. From the very bottom of the little box, she took out a thick photo album—twice the thickness of a normal one.

The album was light blue, with "My Baby Diary" written on the cover.

She slowly opened the album; the first photo showed a chubby baby, eyes closed in sound sleep, the wrinkled skin on the face red and puckered like a little old lady. Below the picture was a line of delicate handwriting—"Welcome to this world, my Qinglan Baby." The script was elegant and careful, showing the writer’s sincerity.

The second photo still featured a baby, who seemed to have grown a bit, with whiter, more plump skin, gazing out with a pair of big eyes and rosy gums—"Today, Qinglan Baby laughed for the first time."

The third photo showed the little baby dressed in a white princess gown, sitting in a woman’s arms. The woman, cradling her, looked down at the little baby with tender affection—"Qinglan Baby, today is your 100th day in this world. Congratulations on growing a little bit more."

The fourth photo had the little baby sitting in a crib, holding a tambourine in hand, smiling broadly at the camera—"Qinglan Baby has grown her first tooth; it hurts a bit when she bites."

The fifth photo showed a baby girl wearing a dress and a small hat, standing on the grass. One tiny hand was steadying herself against a stroller next to her, while the other reached forward. Pouting, her little eyebrows knitted together, she looked somewhat unhappy—"Qinglan Baby, even though you were unwilling, you still bravely took your first step, Mommy is proud of you."

In the sixth photo, a little boy was holding a little girl. The girl, with her two pigtails, nestled obediently in the boy’s arms, making a "V" sign at the camera with her chubby and fair hand—"My darling, congratulations on turning one. May the world always treat you with tenderness."

The seventh, eighth, ninth pictures...

Each one featured the same little girl, some with her wailing, some looking wronged and sad, others laughing joyfully, and there were...

Every little detail was captured in these photos, and under each one was a line of small text— a mother’s best wishes for her daughter.

The final photo showed the little girl dressed in a blue princess gown, identical to one a Barbie doll would wear, with a pair of white leather shoes on her feet. She was waving her arms and legs at the camera, smiling happily—"Qinglan Baby, this is the best dance Mama has ever seen."

The photos came to an abrupt end here; the thick album was blank after that.

A tear quietly slid down, landing right on the smiling face of the little girl. Chu Yunrong was startled and hurriedly reached out, carefully wiping away the water stain.

She carefully removed the photo, relieved to see it was still clean, a tender light flickering in her eyes.

Her hand gently caressed the face of the little girl in the photo, but the face that flashed through her mind was Shen Qinglan’s cold one, along with her eyes, indifferent and distant when they looked at her. "Qinglan, did Mommy ultimately lose you after all?"

Chu Yunrong collapsed on the bed, still clutching that photo close to her chest, tears streaming into the quilt. Her eyes were filled with pain.

"Qinglan, my Qinglan, Mommy is sorry," she whispered softly.

Her body trembled slightly, her face abruptly as pale as paper. The hand holding the photo suddenly tightened, and she was startled, releasing her grip.

Even though her chest hurt fiercely, her first instinct was to check if she had wrinkled the photo. Seeing the creased photo, she endured the pain in her chest, carefully smoothed out the photo, and then propped herself up to walk over to the vanity, where she took several pills.

This time, it took a while for the pain in her chest to subside. Once she regained some strength, she slowly got up and began tidying up the scattered belongings on the bed. Her fingers paused on a Barbie doll, then she picked it up and smiled gently, "Qinglan, it seems Mama can’t find you anymore, what should I do?"

In the silent room, there was only her quiet murmuring as she hugged three teddy bears, her expression a mixture of laughing and crying.

**

Shen Xitong walked out into the courtyard to call Leng Qingqiu. The first call went unanswered, but the second went through. Leng Qingqiu was already on the way and would arrive in about half an hour; knowing this, Shen Xitong felt relieved.

Upon entering the living room, she realized Chu Yunrong was not there, and only Shen Qinglan was present, "Where’s Mommy?" Shen Xitong asked.

Shen Qinglan, who had picked up a book from somewhere, was flipping through it casually. Upon hearing Shen Xitong’s question, she didn’t even lift her head, "I’m not sure."

This indifferent attitude infuriated Shen Xitong inside, but remembering she was at home and even though Old Sir Shen was not there at the moment, he could return at any moment, she thought better of it and suppressed her anger, taking a seat on the sofa.

"Little sister, Qingqiu said she’s already on the way, she’ll be here in half an hour."

At this, Shen Qinglan showed no change in her expression, "Oh."

The forced smile on Shen Xitong’s face stiffened. She had hoped to catch a glimpse of a change in Shen Qinglan’s demeanor, but her apparent lack of reaction made Shen Xitong feel incredibly stifled, as if she were flaunting a precious treasure painstakingly acquired, hoping to evoke envy, jealousy, and hatred in others, only to find them utterly disdainful, perhaps even scoffing at her ignorance in their hearts.

Such awareness made Shen Xitong’s gaze toward Qinglan fill with malice, but who was Qinglan? Even if she sensed the ill intent in her eyes, such malice was nothing more than an itch through boots to her.

Unable to carry on a conversation with Qinglan, and not knowing where Chu Yunrong had gone off to, Shen Xitong didn’t want to be with Qinglan for another moment and excused herself to go meet Leng Qingqiu at the entrance.

Qinglan continued to read her book, and not long after, Old Sir Shen returned, with Old Sir Fu accompanying him.

"Grandpa," Qinglan stood up and greeted the two elderly men.

"I told you Qinglan would be at home at this time, and you still didn’t believe me," Old Sir Fu glared at Old Sir Shen, speaking with a hint of dissatisfaction. "Good thing I told you to come back early, otherwise Qinglan would be bored at home all alone."

"She isn’t alone, her mother is at home too," Old Sir Shen paused, then glanced at Qinglan, "Lanlan, where is your mother?"

Qinglan glanced upstairs, "Mom said she was tired and went to rest for a bit." She added, "Shen Xitong went out to meet Leng Qingqiu."

"What Leng Qingqiu?" Old Sir Fu asked, puzzled.

"A painter, my dad likes her paintings a lot," Qinglan added.

Old Sir Fu liked to play chess, to taste tea, but not to appreciate paintings—his interest lay more with antiques and jade than art. The moment he heard ’painter,’ his interest waned immediately.

The sound of an engine approached from outside, and soon after, Shen Xitong appeared at the entrance with a woman. Seeing the people in the living room, they greeted each one in turn.

Then, pointing to the woman beside her, said, "Grandpa, Mr. Fu, this is Leng Qingqiu, the painter I mentioned, a very famous young artist nowadays."

"Qingqiu, this is my grandpa," she pointed to Old Sir Shen, then pointed to Old Sir Fu, "and this is Grandpa Fu, a good friend of my grandpa."

Leng Qingqiu bowed slightly to greet the two older men, who returned a polite, somewhat distant smile.

She handed a bag she was holding to Shen Xitong, "This is a gift for Old Sir Shen, I hope it won’t be considered too humble. I didn’t expect to meet Old Sir Fu here and hadn’t prepared anything in advance, so please forgive me. I will be sure to make it up another time."

Old Sir Shen smiled slightly, "It’s the thought that counts, sit down. You are all young, feel free to relax. We old folks won’t join the fun." With that, he gestured for Old Sir Fu to go upstairs with him.

Before leaving, Old Sir Fu winked and gave Qinglan a look that said, "I’m rooting for you," which amused her greatly.

Shen Xitong’s smile stiffened slightly, seemingly taken aback by Old Sir Shen’s cool demeanor towards Leng Qingqiu. He had always liked Leng Qingqiu’s paintings so much, so why was he being so indifferent now that he had met her in person?

Leng Qingqiu didn’t seem to notice Old Sir Shen’s coldness and maintained a proper smile on her face.

Shen Xitong shifted her gaze to Qinglan, who had been sitting on the couch without speaking, "This is my sister, Qinglan."

Qinglan had closed her book when they entered. She set her book down on the couch and lifted her head to take in the woman before her, who had delicate features, a proper smile, and a gentle demeanor.

As Qinglan examined her, "Leng Qingqiu" was also taking a close look at Qinglan. She had already seen photos of Qinglan, but this was her first time seeing her in person so closely. The woman was even more refined and attractive than in the photos, but her demeanor was excessively cold, giving off a sense of keeping people at a great distance.

A flash of curiosity appeared in her eyes.

If Jin Enxi were here, she would certainly recognize that the woman in front of her was the same one who had followed Qinglan at the Junlan Group’s annual meeting that day.