The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 85. Confess

Chapter 85: 85. Confess

"Lanlan, are you going home?" Shen Junyu looked at Shen Qinglan.

"Please take us back to school."

"Alright."

After dropping the three girls off at the school gate and watching them go inside, Shen Junyu drove away.

"Qinglan, do you owe us an explanation?" Yu Xiaoxuan’s melancholy voice came from behind, and Shen Qinglan stopped in her tracks.

"Shall we take a walk around the campus?" Shen Qinglan suggested.

The two had no objections, so the three of them sat down on Lover’s Slope inside the campus.

"I really am a member of the Shen Family, the one you know about." Shen Qinglan began, her voice steady.

"When I was five, I was kidnapped by a human trafficker and was adopted by a couple. But after they had their own child, they sent me to an orphanage. I grew up in that orphanage until I was fifteen years old when suddenly a couple came looking for me. They said I was their long-lost daughter, that they had been searching for me for ten years before they found me, and then I returned to the Shen Family."

"After I returned to the Shen Family, I found out I had an older brother, the one you just met. I also have an older sister who was adopted. I heard that the year I got lost, my mother suffered from severe depression because she couldn’t find me; she nearly died. To help my mother recover, my father adopted a girl from the orphanage, and gradually my mother got better."

Shen Qinglan calmly narrated her life story, as if she were talking about someone else’s life.

"Qinglan, your childhood was truly tragic," Yu Xiaoxuan said, her eyes brimming with tears.

Fang Tong also looked saddened, feeling sorry for Shen Qinglan.

"It wasn’t as bad as you think. Before fifteen, I didn’t know my own background, and I just lived simply. After returning to the Shen Family at fifteen, I lived a life without worries about food or clothing. My family felt they owed me and treated me very well."

"But that kind of affection can’t make up for the ten years of lost family love," Yu Xiaoxuan said.

She knew that some orphanages, although welfare institutions, were not well-conditioned, and many children could only maintain basic subsistence. Now she finally understood how Shen Qinglan’s cold personality was developed. She must have often been bullied as a child, which is why she disliked interacting with others and avoided physical contact with others.

Yu Xiaoxuan even pictured a young Shen Qinglan being bullied by others but having no one to help her, which made her feel even sadder.

Although Fang Tong did not react as strongly as Yu Xiaoxuan, she was also quite upset.

"Qinglan, does your family really treat you well?" Yu Xiaoxuan spoke up, "Why have I never heard of you before?"

Everyone knew of the Shen Family’s eldest daughter, Shen Xitong, who was known as a beautiful and gifted lady, but no one had heard of a Miss Shen Qinglan.

Fang Tong did know that there was a Second Miss Shen in the family, but she truly didn’t know the name or the appearance of this person.

To think that the mysterious Second Miss Shen turned out to be their classmate, Shen Qinglan, with whom they had shared a dorm for three years—nobody would believe it even if they told.

"Qinglan, is it possible that this so-called older sister bullied you, and that’s why you’re like this..." Yu Xiaoxuan’s imagination ran wild.

Fang Tong gave her a disdainful look, "Is Qinglan that easy to bully?"

Yu Xiaoxuan paused, "Right, anyone who dares to bully Qinglan, I definitely won’t let her get away with it."

"It was me who asked the Shen Family not to disclose my information. I just want to lead a normal life. Whether I’m the Miss of the Shen Family does not matter to me at all."

"But having kept this from you for so long was indeed my mistake. I apologize." Shen Qinglan sincerely apologized, as she highly valued these two friends and did not want there to be any hard feelings between them.

Fang Tong and Yu Xiaoxuan exchanged a look, and Yu Xiaoxuan said with a smile, "Oh Qinglan, we really aren’t mad at all, just a bit surprised, that’s all. We’ve known each other for three years now, don’t we understand you?"

Fang Tong also expressed understanding since she herself had been keeping her identity a secret from Ding Minghui.

The three of them looked at each other and smiled. Some things are better understood without too much explanation.

Fang Tong and Yu Xiaoxuan suddenly remembered that Old Madam Shen had passed away a few months ago. That time, Qinglan had also said her grandmother passed away, also a Shen, also having lost her grandmother. In fact, Shen Qinglan had never intentionally hidden it from them, if they had been clever enough to connect the two.

"Qinglan, does your family really live in that big compound? Are there really soldiers guarding it?" Yu Xiaoxuan suddenly asked curiously.

"Yes, there’s a gate with a guard, and outsiders need to verify their identity and also undergo a check. My grandfather has security guards too."

Yu Xiaoxuan’s eyes twinkled. "Are those soldiers very handsome? Do you often get to see those people who appear on TV?"

Yu Xiaoxuan continued asking one question after another, Fang Tong did not ask but listened intently.

"If you’re curious, please come over to my place this weekend, and you can see for yourselves," Shen Qinglan suggested.

Yu Xiaoxuan waved her hand, "Let’s not. I heard those soldiers carry real guns, what if..."

"You think it’s a battlefield there, where they just shoot randomly?" Fang Tong retorted.

Yu Xiaoxuan, "I really want to split open this dead woman who always spoils my mood."

"Will us visiting cause you any trouble?" Fang Tong asked, knowing those places were not easy for outsiders to enter.

"No. My brother will come to pick us up on Saturday."

So it was settled. Neither Fang Tong nor Yu Xiaoxuan objected, and Shen Qinglan called Shen Junyu right away to let him know to pick them up on Saturday.

Before returning to the dormitory, Fang Tong stopped by a snack stall outside the campus and bought a bowl of vegetable porridge for Wu Qian.

When the three returned to the dormitory, Wu Qian was already asleep. Fang Tong called her several times but got no response, so she didn’t disturb her further. Seeing the untouched food on the table, she threw it into the trash can.

The three took turns washing up and went to bed. That night, they all slept very well.

The next morning, Shen Qinglan returned from her run and brought them breakfast, this time including Wu Qian.

Before, whenever Shen Qinglan bought breakfast, Fang Tong and Yu Xiaoxuan would give her money or buy her lunch or dinner in return, although Shen Qinglan always said she didn’t mind the small amount of money. However, having learned about her background the previous night and knowing she genuinely didn’t care about the money, they ate without any reservation today.

Wu Qian had also gotten up, still pale, but her complexion was much better than the paper-white color from the day before.

"Wu Qian, I bought breakfast for you. Have some."

Wu Qian, who hadn’t eaten all day yesterday, didn’t stand on ceremony this time and quietly thanked her, silently eating the plain porridge and side dishes Shen Qinglan had bought.