In the hotel room, after she showered, Shen Qi wrapped herself with a towel and curled up under the blanket. However, it was only after her shower that she realized she didn’t bring any extra clothes.
She was caught off guard by everything that had happened today. Therefore, there were many other things that she was too distracted to notice until they had happened.
For instance, she only realized she didn’t bring her clothes after the shower; she only realized she hadn’t eaten anything when her stomach started to grumble; she only realized her phone had died when she wanted to make a call, and she didn’t even have her charger with her.
Ah well, it doesn’t matter. I need some peace of mind anyway.
While contemplating, Shen Qi buried her head in her knees.
Ding dong—
The doorbell suddenly rang. Yet, Shen Qi remained unmoved.
Who could it be at this hour?
Ding dong—
The doorbell continued ringing, as if it wouldn’t stop until she opened the door.
After remaining still for a while, Shen Qi finally decided to crawl out of the bed and walked barefoot to the door. Upon answering the door, she was greeted by a few men who were standing outside.
Before she could realize what was going on, she heard an indifferent voice.
“Turn around.”
Before everyone could react or even saw what Shen Qi was wearing, they were all commanded to close their eyes and turn around.
Shen Qi was still dumbfounded when Han Qing looked away and walked straight into the room. After locking the door, he didn’t even bother to look at her, but, instead, indifferently said, “Go to the bathroom.”
Shen Qi couldn’t help but feel surprised upon seeing Han Qing. “What brings you here?”
Realizing she still hadn’t budged, Han Qing didn’t look back, but instinctively grabbed her wrist and led her to the washroom, before leaving her inside and closing the door.
For a long while, Shen Qi remained in the bathroom, with her mind still filled with puzzlement.
It was in the dead of the night but Han Qing showed up in her hotel room.
After not knowing how long, Shen Qi heard his indifferent voice resonating from outside the door. “Open the door.”
Shen Qi was stunned for quite some time before opening the door. She then stuck her head out, only to be greeted by a bag from Han Qing. Soon, a loud ‘bam’ was heard as the door was closed once again.
When Shen Qi opened the bag, she found a set of clean clothes in it, and was surprised to find that he had actually thought of this.
After a short hesitation, Shen Qi decided to put on the new clothes. Before that, she was still wondering whether she should wear her soiled clothes the next day, but fortunately, she had some new clothes to change into now.
After she was done changing, Shen Qi exited the bathroom to find Han Qing sitting on the chair. He was gazing at the table with a preoccupied look, making her wonder what was on his mind.
Upon hearing her footsteps, Han Qing raised his head, his gaze finally falling upon Shen Qi’s face.
It was only now did Shen Qi realize Han Qing had prepared all the things that she could find in the room for her.
Han Qing rose and walked up to her. Being over six feet tall, he was like a mountain towering over Shen Qi when he stood in front of her, giving off a suffocating intimidating aura.
Shen Qi found it uneasy to face Han Qing, especially after what Su Jiu had told her.
Could this man… be her family? Her brother? Shen Qi was used to being an elder sister, so it had never crossed her mind that she would one day have an elder brother.
This feeling was strange indeed; she just wasn’t used to it.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to go home. You’re free to stay here for as long as you want. I’ve already paid for your accommodation throughout the whole week, and all your clothes have been prepared for you. Your meals will be delivered to you on time every day, and there is a charger and a phone on the table. I have also brought you a laptop, so that you can surf the internet when you’re bored.”
Shen Qi was stunned. “Mr. Han, you…”
She never thought that he would be so thoughtful.
For the first time ever, she felt love and care from a sibling; his thoughtfulness was truly heartwarming.
“Don’t call me Mr. Han.” Han Qing interrupted. With a purse of his lips, he asked, “Didn’t Su Jiu make it clear to you?”
Shen Qi bit her lips in silence. After all, so what if Su Jiu had made it clear to her?
“I know you won’t be able to accept the truth now so it’s fine if you don’t want to call me brother, but don’t you call me Mr. Han either. It would make us look like complete strangers.”
How else should she address him then? Shen Qi cast a look at him while remaining silent.
“Alright. Let’s put all this aside and come grab something to eat.”
Shen Qi then followed him outside, where she found some food served on the table, food that was easily digestible.
As he pulled the chair away, Han Qing’s voice became rather gentle.
“Come sit here.”
Shen Qi cast a glance at him hesitantly but decided to do as told anyway and sat down. Han Qing then scooped her a bowl of porridge and handed her a spoon. Feeling embarrassed about it, Shen Qi looked down and remained silent.
After that, Han Qing sat right opposite Shen Qi, and she soon heard the sound of him eating.
She curiously looked up and, true indeed, Han Ching was eating right opposite of her.
Finding it strange, she bit her lips. “Don’t you find this weird?”
“What?” Han Qing raised his head. “You mean… us? Or your identity?
“The news was too sudden. But how did you manage to get over it so soon?”
Upon hearing that, Han Qing calmly smiled while saying, “Who said the news was sudden? It may be sudden to you, but to me… it’s something that has been bothering me for over twenty years. Plus, I’ve been checking up on your identity for a while.”
Upon recalling what Su Jiu had told her, Shen Qi frowned and asked, “Since the day you saw me at the airport?”
Han Qing nodded. “You could say that. I had my doubts upon seeing you the first time.”
“Aren’t you worried that my mom is lying to you? After all, everybody wants the title of the Han Family’s Young Miss…”
“Su Jiu said you had been to the room. In that case, you should know that you can’t fake the truth for certain matters.”
If that was the case, it did make sense indeed. Shen Qi pursed her lips and asked, “What are you going to do to Han Xueyou then?”
“Her surname is not Han.” Han Qing drew a deep breath and coldly stated, “She stole your identity and has long been lurking by your side so she knows everything. Silly girl, how could you not know what she knows?”
Shen Qi said, “I didn’t know. I had never doubted the truth of my birth.”
Because of that, she didn’t know how Han Xueyou came to learn about this matter. Not only that, she had gotten every single detail correct..
“Well, you managed to comfort yourself even under such a harsh circumstance. It was no wonder you never doubted the truth of your birth.” Upon saying that, Han Qing looked at her, pain apparent in his eyes. “Come on, finish your meal. I heard from Su Jiu that you had a pretty bad day today. So, rest early when you’re done eating. I’ll come over to see you again tomorrow.”
He sounded so natural as if the two of them had long known each other.
However, Shen Qi was still not used to it. As much as she wanted to push him away, she couldn’t bring herself to do it when she looked up and saw the warmth and kindness in Han Qing’s eyes.
After all… he had been searching for his sister for over twenty years.
