The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 67. She’s Still Not Qualified (Second Update, PK for Collections)

Chapter 67: 67. She’s Still Not Qualified (Second Update, PK for Collections)

The day after returning home, Shen Qinglan received an invitation card from Shen Xitong, inviting them to her piano recital.

It was then that Shen Qinglan remembered what Chu Yunrong had mentioned before about organizing a piano recital for Shen Xitong, which had been in the works for some time; unexpectedly, the date was set for this Friday.

She initially didn’t plan to go, but Chu Yunrong personally called her, mentioning that Shen Qian would also be attending, so Shen Qinglan reluctantly agreed.

If Shen Qinglan was going, Fu Hengyi would naturally accompany her.

Shen Qian returned on Thursday and because of his return, both Fu Hengyi and Shen Qinglan were called back to the Shen Family home for dinner.

"Daddy," Shen Qinglan called out, her voice clear and melodious.

"Daddy," followed Fu Hengyi, politely and gently, although he hadn’t uttered this title for over twenty years; it came out without a trace of dissonance or discomfort.

Shen Qian smiled and nodded, intending to reach out and touch his daughter’s head, but remembering that she disliked bodily contact with them, his raised hand instead fell on Fu Hengyi’s shoulder.

"I heard you were injured this time, are you feeling better now?"

"Thanks for your concern, Daddy, I’m much better now."

"That’s good," Shen Qian said with a relieved smile, looking at Fu Hengyi with gentle eyes. No matter why his daughter wanted to marry Fu Hengyi, and whatever reason his own father had for agreeing to the marriage, Shen Qian had never shown his own attitude towards the marriage, neither opposing nor approving it.

"Lanlan, it’s still early, would you accompany Daddy for a walk in the garden?" Shen Qian sought Shen Qinglan’s opinion.

Shen Qinglan hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Okay."

"Why don’t you go home and see Grandpa first?" This was addressed to Fu Hengyi.

"Don’t worry about me," Fu Hengyi said softly.

Shen Qinglan indeed didn’t bother about him any further and followed Shen Qian outside.

"Lanlan, how has married life been for you so far?" Shen Qian was the first to speak.

Shen Qinglan had thought that Shen Qian truly didn’t want to inquire about her marriage. Her eyes flickered, "Very good, he treats me very well."

Shen Qian looked at his daughter in front of him, his voice tinged with emotion, "Daddy always thought you’d marry a businessman, a teacher, a doctor, or even an artist—never once did I consider a soldier."

Shen Qinglan pursed her lips, "He’s already been discharged from the military, strictly speaking, he’s not one anymore."

"But he once was and it’s in his bones," Shen Qian said, "You dislike the military so much, I thought you would never want to associate with it in any way."

He said this casually, but Shen Qinglan was surprised. She had believed she hid it well, never revealing a hint of her emotions, and she didn’t understand how Shen Qian had picked up on it.

"You’ve always masked it well, but Lanlan, I am your biological father. Although we haven’t spent much time together, I can still guess some of your thoughts. I don’t know what you’ve encountered all those years on your own that made you develop such a cold demeanor. Perhaps you know, or maybe you don’t, but actually, when you first returned, both your grandfather and I had people investigate you."

Shen Qinglan remained silent, she knew of this matter.

"The results turned out exactly as you said they would, not a thread out of place. However, Lanlan, Daddy knows that isn’t your real past. I won’t pry into those years of your life; since you’ve made the effort to conceal them, you must have your reasons for not wanting anyone to know."

"What are you trying to say?" Shen Qinglan asked bluntly, unable to discern the purpose behind Shen Qian’s words.

Shen Qian looked at Shen Qinglan with her faintly distant demeanor and felt a twinge of helplessness, "Lanlan, Daddy has no ill intentions in telling you this today. I just want you to know that no matter what your purpose for returning home is, Mommy and I love you, especially Granny Shen. She adored you more than anyone else in her life."

"I will not harm this family," Shen Qinglan interrupted him.

Shen Qian rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on; for the first time, he found communication to be such a tiring task, "Lanlan, you’ve misunderstood what Daddy is saying. I know that you harbor no ill will toward the family. It’s just that..."

"You just know that I don’t get along with Shen Xitong, and Shen Xitong’s beloved is Fu Hengyi. But Fu Hengyi married me instead. Do you think that I married Fu Hengyi just to take revenge on Shen Xitong? To take back everything that was rightfully mine?"

Shen Qinglan’s eyes were cool and detached, "You wish for family harmony and hope that I can get along with Shen Xitong. After all, she has called you ’Daddy’ for over a decade, while I, in your view, am someone who hid my past and returned to the Shen Family with ulterior motives, am I right?"

Shen Qinglan stared directly at Shen Qian, her gaze sharp.

Shen Qian felt a jolt in his heart. He opened his mouth to say that wasn’t the case, but meeting Shen Qinglan’s incisive gaze that seemed to see through to the core, he ultimately couldn’t voice any other words.

Shen Qinglan shifted her gaze away, setting it onto the distance, her eyes deep, "You can rest assured, I have no ulterior motives toward the Shen Family. I returned because I know I am part of the Shen Family, that’s all. I haven’t done anything to harm the family in the past, I’m not doing so now, and I never will in the future."

Had it not been for that person, perhaps she would never have come back.

"Lanlan, that’s not what Daddy meant. I’ve never doubted you."

"Never doubted? The acute insight, the agile skills, a past too clean... you’ve never doubted any of these? If I were you, I would definitely have my suspicions."

Shen Qian found himself at a loss for words. He admitted that deep down, he always harbored suspicions about Shen Qinglan’s identity and her reasons for returning to the Shen Family. But still, "Lanlan, I’ve always known, you are my daughter, my own flesh and blood."

He had always known that the girl before him was his daughter whom he had lost for eleven years and owed a lifetime.

"Should I feel fortunate that I am your biological daughter, and that’s why I’ve been able to stay in the Shen Family for so many years?"

In Shen Qinglan’s cool gaze, there was a hint of weariness. Was returning to the Shen Family a mistake all those years ago?

As a grown man, Shen Qian felt at a loss for the first time. The normally composed man was now somewhat anxious, "Lanlan, listen to Daddy. I admit I’ve had my suspicions, but Daddy truly loves you."

Shen Qinglan let out a faint sigh, "It’s my fault. I was too extreme just now. If I’ve said anything wrong, please forgive me. My marriage to Fu Hengyi was for Granny, to let her see that I have someone who loves and cherishes me, who will take care of me for life, so she could be at peace. As for Shen Xitong, she doesn’t have the status to make me sacrifice my own happiness for revenge."

Shen Qinglan walked away, leaving Shen Qian standing there, feeling a profound sense of powerlessness, with Granny Shen’s words echoing in his mind, spoken just to him in her final moments in the hospital room.