As Shen Qi started to recall… why would she get into the car with her? Since she was with Yan, she should be going to Yan’s place and not the Han residence.
“Mr. Han has some business affairs to attend to, but he’ll be back in an hour. So, Miss Shen, you may rest here while waiting for him.”
“No, I have to go.” Shen Qi stood up. Although Han Xueyou was away from home, her broken friendship with Han Xueyou didn’t make her feel at ease staying there any longer. Upon saying that, Shen Qi bowed to Su Jiu. “You have my thanks today, Secretary Su. Please thank Mr. Han as well on my behalf. I’ll have to go now as my friend could be waiting.”
Witnessing her desperate look, Su Jiu only revealed a faint smile. “Are you sure you really want to leave, Miss Shen? Mr. Han may want to have a few words with you.”
Upon hearing Assistant Su, Shen Qi paused. “A few words?”
“Yes, it’s… rather important.” Su Jiu wasn’t sure if it would be too soon to tell her at that moment. Who would have thought Han Qing had to leave for something else out of the blue? After all, her plan was to wait until she was calmer before bringing up the matter to her.
“If it’s so important…” Shen Qi looked down and pondered for a moment. Then, she looked back up as if something suddenly dawned on her. “I think I know what you guys are going to say.”
“Huh?” Su Jiu sounded a little surprised. “Miss Shen, you know what we’re going to say?”
Shen Qi hadn’t batted an eyelid while she said, “Han Xueyou and I used to be inseparable besties, but now, our friendship is no longer the same as before, so…”
“No longer the same?” Su Jiu was taken aback. “How would the friendship between the two of you no longer be the same as before? Was it because of something you discovered?”
Upon hearing that, Shen Qi swiftly looked up and gazed at her with her eyes wide open.
Have they also discovered something? Is this why Han Qing had come for me this time? Without a second guess, Shen Qi easily figured that Han Qing would stand by Han Xueyou. Even if Han Xueyou was in the wrong, they are family after all. Perhaps, Han Qing is trying to persuade her to leave?
At the thought of that, Shen Qi bit her lips hard. “I’d like to thank Mr. Han for his help as well as generous hospitality. However, I have nothing much to say to him, for I will not give an inch on this matter.”
Su Jiu was rendered confused. She thought Shen Qi had discovered the truth of her birth, but judging from what she was saying, it sounded like it was something else. Could there be a bigger conflict between Shen Qi and Han Xueyou besides her birth? Could that be the catalyst behind their broken friendship?
“Excuse me, Miss Shen. If I may ask, what actually happened that turned the both of you against each other?”
When Shen Qi heard that, she paused, then looked at Su Jiu in bewilderment. “Did you not know?”
“Of course not, Miss Shen. How would I know something like this?”
“You said that Mr. Han would like to have a few words with me, so I thought…”
“Miss Shen, you must be mistaken. What Mr. Han would like to speak to you about is likely not the same as what you’re thinking, but still… it’s somehow related to you and Han Xueyou.”
Shen Qi scratched her head upon hearing Su Jiu’s words. It was related to her and Han Xueyou, yet not what she thought it was. Then, what could it be? She couldn’t figure out an answer, but she wasn’t that eager to find out. One way or another, Shen Qi and Han Xueyou would never be close besties again as they once were.
Pondering her friendship with Han Xueyou, Shen Qi said, “It’s fine. Whatever it is, I’m not interested to hear more. Secretary Su, you have my thanks, but I have to go.”
As she was about to leave, Su Jiu started to become a little anxious when she thought there was no chance that Shen Qi would stay. It wasn’t easy having her here, and she might not come for a second time. So, Su Jiu quickly responded. “Miss Shen, you’ve been in the Shen Family for so long. Have you ever not doubted the truth of your birth?”
With merely a few words of hers, she managed to make Shen Qi slow down her paces and bring them to a stop. She turned around and looked at Su Jiu. “Secretary Su, what do you mean by that?”
Seeing Shen Qi’s interest piqued, Su Jiu seized the opportunity and took control of the situation by saying, “Despite being in the Shen Family for years, you were never their favorite, for your mother only has eyes for your sister. Nevertheless, you’re still expected to be a good sister to the extent that your mother even made you marry someone in your sister’s place, just because she didn’t want to. Considering all these unfair treatments, have you ever not doubted the truth of your birth?”
Shen Qi was rendered speechless. Indeed, in the past, the question had occurred to her whether her mother was really her biological mother. After all the things her mother had done, Shen Qi had attempted questioning her, only to be greeted with her mother’s long face followed by a terrible scolding.
However, her doubt had only appeared to her as a flash of thought, and she had not deliberate on the matter. After all, she was raised by her parents since she was little. Despite the unfair treatments at times, more often than not, they were merely just caring for the family. Moreover, she was the elder sister, and so she was duty bound to take care of her younger sister.
Of course, she had been thinking to herself for countless times that if she had been the younger sister, her mother would have made sure Shen Yue treated her like how she did to Shen Yue. Upon convincing herself that way, Shen Qi felt better deep down. Therefore, she never really deliberated on the matter. However, it was only until now when Su Jiu brought up the matter that she realized things might be scarier than she had imagined.
“Miss Shen, have you ever thought… that maybe… you’re not the biological daughter of the Shen Family?”
Taken aback by Su Jiu’s words, Shen Qi’s body uncontrollably shrank back, only to be stopped by a table, of which her back happened to lean on.
Upon seeing this, Su Jiu immediately walked closer to pull her back. “Come here and sit down. We have a lot more to talk about.”
Soon after, Shen Qi followed her like a strung marionette. Upon sitting down, Shen Qi suddenly recalled the words Han Qing told her in the restaurant after he sent Zhu Yun and Mr. Jin away. He said he was looking for someone, but had no luck in it. Then, he showed her a photo of a baby and an amulet. Furthermore, he seemed like he was always holding back his words. Therefore, Shen Qi started to sense something unusual as she slowly recalled.
“Miss Shen, are you alright? Since this is no small matter, I initially wanted to let Mr. Han tell you himself. After all, he is your family, which makes it more appropriate for him to explain everything himself.”
Family? Shen Qi swiftly looked up at the mention of this word. Am I Han Qing’s family?
“However, since you insisted on leaving, I suppose I have no choice but to tell you ahead, as well as to save Mr. Han the trouble of figuring out how to tell you later on. Miss Shen, I’ll just cut to the chase. You’re not the daughter of the Shen Family, but the daughter of the late Madam Han, whom she gave birth to twenty years ago.”
