The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 190. Yan Family’s Past Events

Chapter 190: 190. Yan Family’s Past Events

Ya Xi picked up the photo and saw her father, still young, with a woman beside him who was not her mother. Her father was holding a little girl in his arms. The three people in the photo were smiling very happily.

Especially her father, she had never seen him smile that happily. Although her father had pampered her since she was young and always smiled at her, this smile was different.

This photo wasn’t the one she had seen before, but the little girl in them both was the same person.

Ya Xi stared at the photo, her complexion turning somewhat pale.

"Xiao Xi, what are you doing?" Yan Anbang said in a stern voice.

Startled, Ya Xi’s hands dropped the box to the floor, spilling the letters everywhere, holding only that photo in her hand.

Yan Anbang’s face changed when he saw the photo in her hand and the scattered letters on the floor. He quickly stepped forward and snatched the photo from her hand, "Who allowed you to come in and rummage through other people’s things? Is this how your mother taught you?"

Having never seen her father like this, Ya Xi was scared, her face pale, "Daddy, I didn’t mean to."

Seeing his daughter’s pale face, Yan Anbang realized he had frightened her and eased his expression, "Xiao Xi, don’t go into Daddy’s study without permission in the future and don’t rummage through Daddy’s things, okay?"

Ya Xi nodded, eyes downcast, looking at the photo in Yan Anbang’s hand, "Daddy, is that you in the photo? Who are those two people with you?"

Yan Anbang’s face changed slightly but quickly returned to normal, "You’re mistaken, the person in the photo is just a friend of mine, not me."

"No, the person in the photo is Daddy. I’ve seen photos of Daddy when he was young, and that person is you. But who are those two people with you, and why are you with them?"

"Ya Xi, I told you the person is just my friend, not me."

"Daddy, please don’t treat me like a three-year-old child. I’m already nineteen, an adult. Can I not recognize my own father?" Ya Xi looked up at her father steadfastly, her face obstinate. She might be naive, but she wasn’t stupid. She could tell that Daddy was very nervous about this photo, or rather, about the people in the photo.

What was their relationship? Why was Daddy so nervous? Ya Xi wanted to know the answer.

"I’ve said you’re mistaken, and you are mistaken," Yan Anbang said in a deep voice, his voice somewhat cold.

"Daddy, if you don’t tell me, I’ll go tell Mom."

"What is it that you need to tell me?" Mrs. Yan happened to come up and overhear this. She asked with a smile.

Ya Xi and Yan Anbang’s faces changed instantly, they hadn’t expected Mrs. Yan to enter suddenly, especially just in time to hear their conversation. Yan Anbang discreetly put the photo in his pocket, "It’s nothing, just joking around with Xiao Xi."

He didn’t notice the envelope on the ground, but Mrs. Yan did. Upon seeing the handwriting on the envelope, her expression turned sharp, though it gave nothing away. She glanced at Yan Anbang and simply said to Ya Xi, "Xiao Xi, it’s late, you should go take a bath and go to bed."

Ya Xi still wanted to ask about that photograph, but she also knew that now was not a good time, so she silently walked out of the study.

Yan Anbang followed Mrs. Yan’s gaze and only then did he notice that she had seen the envelopes. Just as Ya Xi left, and he was about to pick them up, Mrs. Yan was one step ahead; she squatted down and picked up the envelopes from the ground.

"After so many years, I didn’t expect you to still keep these things," Mrs. Yan said indifferently, her tone tinged with mockery.

Yan Anbang’s face stiffened, "They’re just some old things from the past, I forgot to throw them away; don’t overthink it."

"I didn’t even say anything, why are you feeling guilty?" Mrs. Yan stared fixedly at her husband, her eyes dark and unclear, "Since they are old things that you wanted to throw away, let me do it for you." With that, she was about to tear up the letters.

Yan Anbang’s complexion changed, and he snatched the letters from Mrs. Yan’s hands, "What are you doing?"

Mrs. Yan laughed, but it was a tragic laughter, "Didn’t you say you were going to throw them away? Now you can’t bear to do it, just because they are letters she wrote to you. If she were standing in front of you, would you abandon this family for her?"

Yan Anbang frowned, "She’s been gone for so many years, why must you still hold on to it so tightly?"

"Hold on to it tightly?" A flash of anger crossed Mrs. Yan’s eyes, "Yan Anbang, ask yourself, over these years, has your heart ever stayed with me for a moment? Everyone says a living person can’t compete with a dead one, yet she’s still alive, and I can’t even compete with her. If she died, should I just step aside for a dead person?"

"Zhao Jiaqing, don’t make a scene," Yan Anbang said, his face looking very displeased, as bringing up the past was like tearing open a scar in his heart.

"I’m making a scene? You, Yan Anbang, still haven’t woken up. Remember that it wasn’t me who broke you two apart; it was your father, my father-in-law. You couldn’t blame your own father, yet you made me bear your anger. Don’t you feel any guilt inside? After all these years, you who are seen as a good husband and father by others, ask yourself, have you truly fulfilled your responsibilities as a father?"

Reminded of the past, Yan Anbang’s face turned ashen. Before he married Zhao Jiaqing, he actually had a lover named Qin Yan. However, Qin Yan came from a humble background and was an orphan, so his family did not approve of their relationship. At that time, the Yan Family encountered a crisis, and his father, due to backing the wrong side, was suppressed by his opponents.

No one was willing to help their family, and that’s when his father set his sights on the Zhao Family, which was indeed influential in Nancheng. If they were willing to lend their hand, then his father could survive the ordeal.

However, there was no real relationship between their families and no common interactions. Without any reason, others would not offer help. Thus, his father thought of matrimony as a solution.

The young Yan Anbang was considered a talented young man in Nancheng, and Zhao Jiaqing naturally liked him. So, when the Yan Family came to propose, her father did not bluntly refuse.

Knowing the purpose behind the Yan Family’s proposal for marriage, Mr. Zhao originally did not want to agree, but considering his only daughter liked the young man from the Yan Family, he could only consent, after all, the issue the Yan Family was facing wasn’t something the Zhao Family couldn’t help with. Therefore, the marriage between the two families was settled.

When Yan Anbang found out, his father had already decided everything for him, even setting the wedding date. He threw a big fit at home, but it was of no use. To prevent him from making a fuss at the Zhao Family’s place, his family even confined him, preventing him from going out. They went to Qin Yan and drove her out of Nancheng.

By the time he was free to look for Qin Yan, she had already disappeared. He searched everywhere but couldn’t find her. Knowing his family’s situation, if they did not have the help of the Zhao Family, his father’s future was as good as over. Out of despair, he married Zhao Jiaqing.

Because the Yan Family had kept it under wraps, the affair between Yan Anbang and Qin Yan was completely unknown to the Zhao Family. Zhao Jiaqing could sense Yan Anbang’s coldness towards her. She only thought it was because their marriage was arranged and they hadn’t spent much time together, hence lacking affection. She believed that after spending more time together, their feelings would develop.

Yan Anbang did want to have a good life with Zhao Jiaqing, but not long after their marriage, about a month later, Qin Yan came back to find him. Compared to before she left, she was thinner and looked haggard. When she saw him, instead of causing a scene or berating him, she softly said, "I just missed you so much that my heart hurt, so I wanted to come back to see you, just one glance, and then I’ll go right away."

Yan Anbang, who had always deeply loved her, couldn’t bear to see Qin Yan like this, and somehow they got entangled with each other again. Yan Anbang rented a house for her outside, settled her in, and would visit her from time to time, occasionally even staying the night there.

Zhao Jiaqing initially noticed nothing unusual, but after repeated instances, she couldn’t help but pay attention. Once she did, she discovered the secret and felt as if struck by a bolt from the blue.

She caused a huge scene, and naturally, Yan Anbang’s father became aware too. At that time, Mr. Zhao was still alive and refused to let his daughter be taken advantage of for nothing, leading to a fierce clash between the two families.

However, in that era, divorce was a scandalous matter, especially for people of their social standing. The end result was that Qin Yan left, while Zhao Jiaqing continued her life with Yan Anbang.

Unknown to them at the time, Yan Anbang brought Qin Yan back less than a month after she left because she was pregnant. The child she carried would later be Qin Mu.

During Qin Mu’s hundred-day celebration, Qin Yan, holding her baby, visited Zhao Jiaqing, who was then pregnant and on bed rest at home. The shock caused Zhao Jiaqing to go into preterm labor, giving birth to Yan Shengyu.

Knowing she had caused a disaster, Qin Yan dared not stay in Nancheng any longer. By the time the Zhao and Yan families went looking for her, she had vanished without a trace.

It was then that the Zhao and Yan families learned that not only had Yan Anbang not cut ties with her, but he also had a daughter—a few months older than Yan Shengyu. Mr. Zhao couldn’t withstand the shock and ended up in the hospital, while the Yan Family was thrown into chaos.

Yan Anbang knew he was at fault and knelt before Mr. Zhao begging for forgiveness. Mr. Zhao was unwilling to forgive him so easily, but since his daughter had already borne a child for the man, what else could he do? Yan Anbang swore never to seek out the mother and daughter nor acknowledge the child, and only then did the matter rest.

Zhao Jiaqing also had her own untold sufferings. She wanted a divorce but her father disagreed, and if she divorced, the child would definitely go to the Yan Family, which she couldn’t bear. So she had no choice but to hold her nose and continue living with her husband.

The icy relationship between husband and wife lasted two years, after which Zhao Jiaqing fell seriously ill and nearly died. It was Yan Anbang who busied himself taking care of her. Touched by his actions, Zhao Jiaqing finally forgave him, and their relationship began to thaw, even seemingly better than when they had first married.

Zhao Jiaqing thought that perhaps she could still grow old with this man, as the saying goes, "A prodigal who returns is more precious than gold." That is, until four years later, while pregnant with Ya Xi, she found letters stashed in her husband’s book with photos inside. Among them was the photo Ya Xi had seen today. That’s when Zhao Jiaqing truly lost hope, understanding that the woman was the eternal longing in her husband’s heart.

She had thought about reporting her husband — after all, he was a soldier and if his personal life were unclean, he could kiss his career goodbye. But just then, word came out that the child had gone missing and could not be found. Eventually, the woman also left Nancheng in a disturbed mental state.

For a time, Yan Anbang was in a state of utter dejection. Seeing her husband’s heart was not at home, Zhao Jiaqing proposed divorce again, but Yan Anbang disagreed, even kneeling to beg her. Zhao Jiaqing momentarily softened, especially with the birth of their daughter, and quieted down. The matter was thus left unresolved, and Yan Anbang returned to the family.

In the many years that followed, Yan Anbang seemed to have indeed turned over a new leaf, residing peacefully at home and showing great love for his two children. Although the love between husband and wife was not as good as outsiders thought, they at least maintained a respectful cordiality.

**

Because of the recollections, Yan Anbang’s complexion looked terrible, "It’s been so long already, what’s the point in bringing this up now?"

Zhao Jiaqing sneered, "It’s quite meaningless. Yan Anbang, don’t think for a moment that I don’t know why you’ve been so affectionate towards Ya Xi all these years. It’s because Ya Xi somewhat resembles that illegitimate daughter of yours, isn’t it? If not for that slight resemblance, would you be so loving towards Ya Xi?"

"Zhao Jiaqing, are you looking to pick a fight today?" Yan Anbang grew angry too. The disappearance of Qin Mu had always been a painful spot in his heart, and being reminded of it by Zhao Jiaqing surely made him both embarrassed and furious.

Where would Zhao Jiaqing be afraid of him? She looked at him coldly, "Yan Anbang, marrying you has been the foolishness of a lifetime. My father was right not to agree to our marriage. It was my own disobedience that’s led to the bitter fruits I bear today. If you want these letters, take them all. It’s probably best for you to spend the rest of your life clutching these letters, waiting to see if your eternal longing will come back for you."

The couple in the study were arguing fiercely, unaware that Ya Xi, who should have returned to her room, stood outside the door, covering her small mouth, her face filled with disbelief—especially upon hearing the latter part, her complexion turned utterly ashen.

When Zhao Jiaqing opened the door and came out, she saw Ya Xi’s pale face, and her own countenance changed drastically, "Xiao Xi, what are you doing here?"

Yan Anbang also saw his daughter, and especially when he saw her face was even paler than a sheet of white paper, he could no longer care about those old things from the past and quickly walked over, "Xiao Xi."

Ya Xi’s eyes lightly moved as she watched her parents looking at her with worried faces. She had always thought that her parents were very loving, the model couple in others’ eyes, and that she had a very happy family. Had it all been nothing but her own wishful thinking?

"Is everything you said true?" Her voice was very soft, her face very white, and her body gently shaking as if she would collapse the next moment.

When Zhao Jiaqing gave birth to Yan Shengyu back then, she had injured her body and gotten sick. She was not supposed to be able to conceive again, but then she became pregnant with Ya Xi. The doctors had even said that the child was not well-developed and it would be best to abort.

By the time Zhao Jiaqing was pregnant with Ya Xi, her father had already passed away, and with Yan Shengyu and the child in her womb being her only family, she simply couldn’t bear to let go and insisted on giving birth.

Fortunately, Ya Xi was born without any missing limbs, but she had a weak constitution and suffered from severe asthma. The Yan family took great care of her, resulting in the now healthy and lively Ya Xi.

Seeing her daughter like this now, Zhao Jiaqing was filled with infinite regret. She should not have argued with her husband earlier, let alone brought up those old matters, which were overheard by her daughter. Her daughter had always been naive, what should she do now?

"Was what you said just now true? Does Daddy really have an illegitimate daughter?" Ya Xi asked her parents calmly, with tears shimmering in her eyes.

Zhao Jiaqing and Yan Anbang fell silent.

Ya Xi looked towards Yan Anbang, "Do you love me so much only because I look like that illegitimate daughter?" Her voice trembled.

Yan Anbang immediately shook his head, "No, Xiao Xi, you are Daddy’s daughter, Daddy loves you."

Ya Xi smiled, yet tears flowed. Was the happy family she believed in a lie, and even her father’s love too?

"Xiao Xi, where are you going?" Ya Xi turned and ran, Zhao Jiaqing failed to catch her, and as Ya Xi was about to run out of the house, it was ultimately Yan Anbang who grabbed hold of his daughter.

It was far too dangerous for a young girl to be out late at night.

"Xiao Xi, let’s talk at home, don’t be headstrong." Yan Anbang held onto his daughter, ignoring her struggle as he tried to bring her back to her room.

Ya Xi was covered in tears, sobbing breathlessly, as Yan Anbang brought her back to the room, "Xiao Xi, listen to Daddy. I’ve always loved you, not because you resemble someone, but simply because you are my daughter, my most beloved daughter."

Ya Xi wept continuously, hardly listening to Yan Anbang’s words, and despite his long consolation, it was of no use; Zhao Jiaqing also tried to comfort and persuade her, but to no avail.

With no other option, the couple helplessly left the room, hoping to give Ya Xi some time to calm down.

Ya Xi called Shen Qinglan, but the phone was turned off, completely unreachable. She wanted to call her brother, but what if he didn’t know? If he found out, would he be as devastated as her?

Zhao Jiaqing returned to her room, while Yan Anbang went to the study, tossing all those letters and photos into the trash. It wasn’t that he had no feelings for that mother and daughter; they would always have a place in his heart, but now, his current family was what mattered most, especially his two children.

However, the next morning when Zhao Jiaqing brought breakfast up to Ya Xi’s room, she found that Ya Xi was gone, and the photo that should have been thrown into the trash by Yan Anbang from the study was also missing—more precisely, half of it was gone.

**

Shen Qinglan listened to Ya Xi’s story with a complex look in her eyes, she hadn’t expected that Qin Mu was indeed a member of the Yan Family, and moreover, an illegitimate daughter.

"Big sister, do you think my dad really likes me so much just because I look like that person?" Ya Xi asked, her voice choked.

Shen Qinglan didn’t think Ya Xi looked much like Qin Mu, although she hadn’t seen Ya Xi when she was young, nor had she seen Qin Mu grow up, but judging from their facial contours, Ya Xi and Qin Mu could only be said to bear a slight resemblance. Even having known Ya Xi for so long, she had never connected her with Qin Mu.

If it wasn’t for that art exhibition where Ya Xi recognized Qin Mu, perhaps Shen Qinglan would have needed to investigate for a long time to find out Qin Mu’s background, or perhaps, she might never have found it at all.

"Ya Xi, how your father treats you is something you should feel for yourself," her distinct voice carried a faint warmth. Although Ya Xi was part of the Yan Family, and Qin Mu’s disappearance many years ago might be related to the Yan Family, she couldn’t bring herself to dislike this simple and lively young girl.

Ya Xi felt silent, her head bowed as she pondered, "Big sister, the Qin Mu you mentioned..."

"She’s already dead, died over a decade ago." Shen Qinglan’s voice was cool, a hint of sadness crossing her eyes as the blood-red of that day seemed to slowly unfold before her.

She still remembered the words Qin Mu liked to say to her, "Xiaoqi, no matter how painful or desperate, you must persevere, you must survive, only by surviving can you go home, and return to your loved ones."

She told her to survive and then go home. So she survived, and she went home.

Ya Xi looked up at Shen Qinglan, disbelief in her eyes, "Dead... dead."

Shen Qinglan nodded, "Yes, she’s dead."

"Big sister, is she the person in the photo?" Although Ya Xi knew that she had an illegitimate sister and it was hard to accept, and she knew that the child had been lost long ago, she had never wished for her to die. So when she suddenly heard that she was dead, a faint hope arose in her heart, hoping that the deceased wasn’t her illegitimate sister.

Shen Qinglan wanted to nod, but, looking into Ya Xi’s eyes, she eventually shook her head, "It shouldn’t be, the person I knew was an orphan, and we met in an orphanage."

It seemed as though a weight lifted from Ya Xi’s heart, "How did she die?"

"Sick, from a serious illness, with no money for treatment, she passed away."

Ya Xi was silent again for a long while before she slowly spoke, "Big sister, what if one day that person comes back to find my dad? Would my dad recognize her?"

Shen Qinglan’s eyes flashed lightly, would Qin Mu come back if she could and seek her family? She thought she would, after all, she had longed to go home; surely, in her memory, her parents must have treated her very well, or she wouldn’t have constantly thought about returning home.

"What about you? Do you wish for her to come back?" Knowing that Qin Mu could never return, Shen Qinglan still wanted to know Ya Xi’s attitude toward Qin Mu, after all, Ya Xi was also part of Qin Mu’s family.

Ya Xi lightly shook her head, "I don’t know, her mother is the one who destroyed my mother’s happiness; by all accounts, I should hate her, but I can’t bring myself to. In fact, being born isn’t something she could choose, the ones who did wrong are my dad and her mom, not her. Big sister, do you think my thoughts are strange?"

Shen Qinglan laughed, her eyes brimming with genuine amusement, "Ya Xi, you’re very kind. Don’t worry about adult matters, just be yourself."

"Can I?" Ya Xi looked lost.

Shen Qinglan nodded affirmatively, "Of course, you can. You are you, and they are them."

Ya Xi did not speak, merely gazing at the ground in front of her, lost in thought.

Shen Qinglan said no more, suddenly having learned of Qin Mu’s origins, she still hadn’t digested this information. Her gaze settled on the photograph brought by Ya Xi, her expression inscrutable as she looked at Qin Mu in the picture.

It had been Yan Shengyu who brought Ya Xi here today, but he had not come up, choosing instead to wait outside.

After running away from home that day, Ya Xi had headed to Beijing to find Shen Qinglan, but as luck would have it, Shen Qinglan had been abroad at the time. With no other choice, she stayed in a hotel. After the Yan Family realized Ya Xi had disappeared, they searched everywhere for her. Eventually, Yan Shengyu speculated that she might have gone to Beijing to find Shen Qinglan, thus redirecting the search there, and that’s how they found Ya Xi and took her back.

Ya Xi stayed at home for two days before school started. The Yan Family, fearing she might do something foolish, ferried her back and forth by car every day, never giving her a chance to be out of their sight. Even after Shen Qinglan had returned to the country, Ya Xi had no opportunity to go see her.

Yan Shengyu had noticed his sister had become much quieter since she returned, often locking herself in her room. He had asked what happened, but she wouldn’t say, and the family also refused to tell him.

Yan Shengyu felt powerless once again, a feeling he first experienced when he found out at the art exhibition that Shen Qinglan was already married.

Apart from going to school, Ya Xi spent all her time at home. Zhao Jiaqing came from Nancheng to take care of her. Facing a daughter who had become silent and had lost her former innocence and liveliness, Zhao Jiaqing’s heart ached as if it were being pierced by knives.

Today, for the first time, Ya Xi had asked to go out. Zhao Jiaqing was at first overjoyed that her daughter wanted to speak, but she also feared her daughter might be considering something drastic. She wanted to ask what her daughter wanted to do but didn’t dare to. Finally, reassured only when Yan Shengyu said he would take her out, she let Ya Xi leave.

When Yan Shengyu called Shen Qinglan, Ya Xi had already fallen asleep on the sofa. Shen Qinglan glanced at the peacefully sleeping Ya Xi and suddenly couldn’t bear to wake her.

"She’s asleep right now. You go back first, I’ll bring her home in the evening."

"No need, I have some other things to take care of first. I’ll come back for her later," Yan Shengyu said.

After some thought, Shen Qinglan agreed.

After hanging up the phone, Shen Qinglan fetched another blanket from the bedroom to cover Ya Xi. Looking at her face, she scrutinized it carefully. In fact, there was indeed a resemblance between Ya Xi and Qin Mu—a similarity that had gone unnoticed before. Now that she knew of their relationship, Shen Qinglan finally understood where her inexplicable fondness for Ya Xi came from.

Ya Xi had been living in oppression, with many issues weighing on her heart, leading to poor quality sleep. This conversation with Shen Qinglan allowed her to release her pent-up emotions and finally take a breath of relief, unwittingly falling asleep on the sofa.

Seeing that Ya Xi was well-behaved in her sleep, unlikely to fall off, Shen Qinglan left her be and went to the bedroom to call Jin Enxi. Jin Enxi had already returned to Country Z, but he had been making no progress in investigating the Yan Family’s affairs. However, Shen Qinglan had just provided him with a valuable clue.

"An, don’t worry, this time I’m sure I can find out. But, An, Qin Mu is already dead. What’s the point of looking into this now?"

What’s the point? Shen Qinglan knew that even if she found out everything, Qin Mu would not come back, but she still wanted to know what kind of existence Qin Mu’s family, who he had always missed, truly was, and whether there was another untold story behind her entering the Devil Base.

"Do your best to investigate, but it’s okay if you can’t find anything. Any recent moves from the BK side?"

"KING has escaped. The BK members suffered heavy casualties in this operation, especially KING’s right-hand men, who were almost completely wiped out. He’s furious, and according to rumors, he’s already vowed to take revenge on the troops from Z country that surrounded and attacked him," Jin Enxi relayed the latest information she had obtained.

Although she had seemingly retired in the past few years and hadn’t actively participated in operations, she had many sources for her intelligence network. Many people in the underworld also traded information with her, which had become a side business for her.

Shen Qinglan’s eyes flickered slightly. "He wants revenge?"

"Yes, and he has already started gathering forces. He is now extending olive branches to smaller mercenary groups, and because of BK’s reputation, many people are willing to join. Some individual mercenaries have also been recruited by him."

Shen Qinglan’s gaze darkened. After ending the call with Jin Enxi, she called Fu Hengyi and briefed him on the situation.

Fu Hengyi had been constantly called to meetings lately. The upper leadership was already aware of the intervention by a third party in this operation. Even though they had helped on their side, the party was unknown, and their motives unclear, so naturally, it warranted an investigation.

Everyone involved in the operation had been called in for questioning. They only knew that the parties were one male and one female. No one knew what they looked like or who they were, making it impossible to start an investigation.

Even though Fu Hengyi knew it was Shen Qinglan, he kept silent. The outcome of this matter was bound to simply fizzle out.

When he received Shen Qinglan’s call, he had just returned to his dormitory after coming out of the senior officials’ office. His expression remained unchanged upon hearing Shen Qinglan’s words.

"Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. If he dares to come, I can catch him a second time." Fu Hengyi was not content with KING’s escape and was concerned about not having a chance to catch him.

Shen Qinglan strongly disagreed. "I don’t object to you capturing him, but you can’t use yourself as bait. Fu Hengyi, you promised me you wouldn’t get hurt." She hadn’t yet settled the score with him over this incident.

Fu Hengyi detected the implied meaning in her words and chuckled lightly. "I was wrong this time, I promise, it won’t happen again. Don’t worry, I won’t let KING have the chance to hurt me."

Upon hearing his words, Shen Qinglan felt somewhat relieved. When she went out, she saw Ya Xi had woken up, sitting on the sofa in a daze.

"Big sister, how did I fall asleep?"

Shen Qinglan smiled. "Are you hungry? Would you like some noodles?"

Ya Xi touched her stomach. She was indeed a bit hungry and nodded her head.

Shen Qinglan went into the kitchen and cooked two bowls of tomato and egg noodles. Her culinary skills were still average, but her noodles were quite good. Ya Xi finished an entire bowl.

"Big sister, your noodles are really tasty. I’m so full." Ya Xi rubbed her stomach, finally showing the first smile of the day.

Shen Qinglan smiled along. "There’s still some in the pot; want more?"

Ya Xi shook her head. "I can’t eat anymore. If I were like a cow and had two stomachs, that would be great."

Shen Qinglan grinned. Yu Xiaoxuan had said the same thing once. Upon reflection, Ya Xi’s temperament was actually more like Yu Xiaoxuan’s.

Ya Xi stayed at Shen Qinglan’s place until Yan Shengyu came to pick her up. Her mood was visibly better when she returned, and although she still didn’t talk much, she had become much closer to Zhao Jiaqing.

Zhao Jiaqing was eager to find out who had induced such a change in her daughter. After asking her son, she learned it was the daughter of the Beijing Shen Family. She was aware of the Shen Family daughter, but she hadn’t expected her daughter to know her.

"If she has time one day, invite her to our house as a guest. She helped us out so much; we should definitely thank her." Mrs. Yan spoke to her son.

Yan Shengyu didn’t object and thought of calling Shen Qinglan one of these days.

The next day was Saturday, which was when Shen Qinglan had agreed to have dinner with her mentor and his daughter. First, she stopped by Daniel’s place to pick up a painting, then drove to the agreed meeting spot.

Upon arriving, her mentor and his daughter were already there. "Teacher Zhang, I’m sorry I’m late."

Zhang Lin smiled. "It’s me who arrived early."

He pointed at the young girl who had been watching Shen Qinglan intently since she entered. "This is my daughter, Zhang Shanshan."

Zhang Shanshan, an 18-year-old high school art student focusing on the fine arts, had initially liked another painter, not Leng Qingqiu. But ever since the video of Shen Qinglan’s rescue efforts was revealed, she became very fond of Shen Qinglan. Later, when she learned that Shen Qinglan was actually Leng Qingqiu, she became utterly infatuated with Leng Qingqiu’s paintings.

Knowing Shen Qinglan was her father’s student, she had always wanted to meet her, but her father didn’t agree. It had taken a lot of cajoling for her father to arrange a meeting with Shen Qinglan.

"Teacher Zhang, I really apologize for last time. I missed our scheduled appointment," Shen Qinglan sincerely apologized. She was always someone who kept her promises, and last time’s event was indeed her fault.

Zhang Lin was casual about it. "People inevitably encounter emergencies; don’t worry about it." He understood that although Shen Qinglan was not often at school, she must be busy, being a well-known painter like Leng Qingqiu.

Zhang Shanshan’s eyes glistened as she looked at Shen Qinglan. "Sister Shen, I’ve finally met you."

Shen Qinglan had obviously noticed her gaze and smiled at her, presenting a long box. "A little gift for you."

As soon as Zhang Shanshan saw what it was, she hastily refused. She knew how much a painting by Leng Qingqiu was worth; such a piece was invaluable and equivalent to her father’s annual salary. There was no way she would accept it.

"Really, we can’t accept this. I just brought my daughter to have a meal with you. If we accepted this, what would that make me?" Zhang Lin refused.

Although Zhang Shanshan adored Leng Qingqiu’s paintings, she also knew their worth and didn’t reach out to take it.

Shen Qinglan chuckled. "Teacher Zhang, this isn’t for you; it’s for your daughter. Since she’s my... ’fan,’ a small gift shouldn’t be much of an issue, right?"

Money was of no importance to Shen Qinglan, let alone a single painting. She was grateful for the help she had received from the person before her and remembered the kindness shown to her.