Accidentally Becoming a Green Tea Goddess Everyone Loves - Chapter 32

She had spent a night on the cruise with Qi Yan.

The following morning, after waking up, Shen Shirou stood on the deck, idly gazing at the buildings on the shore.

“Are you having a good time?” Qi Yan appeared out of nowhere, standing beside her. “Next time, I’ll prepare an even more interesting place.”

Shen Shirou didn’t answer her.

At noon, the cruise docked, and the brief journey came to an end. Whether it was just her imagination, Shen Shirou vaguely felt that Qi Yan had been in an exceptionally good mood since they set foot outside.

Back at Qi Yan’s mansion, Shen Shirou decided to strike while the iron was hot. Taking advantage of Qi Yan’s good mood, she set her plan into motion.

It happened to be teatime.

The butler was about to send someone to deliver desserts to Qi Yan and Shen Shirou. Shen Shirou intercepted him halfway. “Let me deliver the afternoon tea. I happen to have some things to discuss with Miss Qi.”

Qi Yan had instructed early on that Shen Shirou held a status in the house equal to her own.

Naturally, the butler had no objections. “Certainly.” He added, “At this time, Miss Qi is usually in the art studio. You can find her there.”

Shen Shirou took the tray and thanked the butler.

When she reached the studio, she knocked. She waited for a full minute, but no sound came from within. Did she not hear me?

Shen Shirou turned the handle and entered the studio directly. The window was open, and a gentle breeze fluttered the beige curtains.

Qi Yan wasn’t there.

Sunlight spilled across the windowsill, illuminating a room filled with paintings. Shen Shirou’s gaze was drawn to a drawing on an easel.

It was a sketch.

What caught her eye wasn’t the technique, but the subject. The drawing depicted a woman, though it appeared to be an unfinished work. Only a rough silhouette of a back was visible; the face had not yet been drawn.

Shen Shirou felt the figure looked somewhat familiar.

As she stared at it, lost in thought, footsteps sounded behind her.

“Darling, what brings you to the studio?” Qi Yan asked. “Are you here looking for me?”

Meeting Qi Yan’s gaze, Shen Shirou replied calmly, “Bringing you afternoon tea.”

“Anything else?” Qi Yan asked, as if she had already sensed that Shen Shirou had an ulterior motive.

“I have something to say to you.”

“Talking here might not be appropriate.” Qi Yan took the tray from Shen Shirou’s hands. “Come, let’s talk elsewhere.”

Qi Yan turned and led her out of the studio. Walking behind her, Shen Shirou suddenly thought of the sketch again.

“Did you paint all those pictures in that room?” she asked.

“Not all of them.” Qi Yan glanced back at her. “I bought most of them.”

“See something you like?” Seeing her interest, Qi Yan added, “You can pick a few later and hang them in your room.”

Qi Yan spoke casually, as if she didn’t value the collection at all. Shen Shirou was only mildly curious about that specific sketch; she had no interest in the rest. Besides, she had been staying here for free for nearly a week. How much longer she would remain was still an unknown.

“No, thank you,” Shen Shirou declined.

Qi Yan seemed slightly dissatisfied with the answer. She arched an eyebrow. “Is there nothing you want?”

Shen Shirou stated a plain fact: “What I want, you cannot give me.”

She wanted to go home. Qi Yan couldn’t help with that. In fact, it would be a blessing if she didn’t become an obstacle.

Qi Yan pondered for a few seconds, her lips curving. “If all you want is your Sister Jiang, then I truly cannot give her to you, nor would I agree to. But if it’s anything else, I should have the power to fulfill it. Won’t you reconsider, darling?”

“What benefit is there for you in agreeing to my requests?” Shen Shirou felt Qi Yan was acting strange.

Jiang Peixing hated the “Shen Shirou” of the book for approaching her with ulterior motives. Qi Yan, on the other hand, constantly acted as if she hoped Shen Shirou would covet her wealth and status. The two were polar opposites.

“There is a benefit,” Qi Yan said. “I want you to stay of your own free will.”

They reached the living room. At Qi Yan’s signal, the servants withdrew, leaving a private space for the two of them.

Shen Shirou sat on the spacious sofa. “How about we make a deal?”

Qi Yan looked up, her gaze locked on Shen Shirou. She neither refused immediately nor agreed instantly, waiting for her to continue.

“I want my freedom to go out normally. In exchange, I promise not to go looking for Sister Jiang during this time. Also,” Shen Shirou added, “you must stop interfering with the development of her company for at least one month. Just these two points.”

The second condition wasn’t actually for Jiang Peixing’s sake. Shen Shirou was simply worried that Qi Yan moving against the company too early would derail other plot points. To ensure nothing went sideways, keeping Qi Yan in check for a while was the best course of action.

“And what do you intend to give me in return?” Qi Yan asked.

“I will stay here voluntarily,” Shen Shirou said. “Is that condition enough?”

Whether Qi Yan agreed or refused, Shen Shirou wouldn’t lose anything.

“Are you sure?” Qi Yan knit her brows, her expression unreadable. “Is it worth it for Jiang Peixing?”

It seemed Qi Yan had misunderstood her intentions, thinking she was so deeply in love with Jiang Peixing that she was making these sacrifices. Shen Shirou didn’t bother explaining. It was better to use Jiang Peixing as a valid excuse so Qi Yan wouldn’t grow suspicious.

A flicker of dejection passed through Shen Shirou’s eyes. She let out a soft sigh. “If it means Sister Jiang can live well, what does this matter? This is the last thing I can do for her.”

Qi Yan fell silent.

Shen Shirou thought her reaction was reasonable; after all, she was technically the one getting the better end of this deal. Just as she was hesitating about whether to compromise further, she heard Qi Yan’s low voice.

“I agree.”

“As long as you stay.”

The first thing Shen Shirou did after gaining her freedom was to go find Lu Yanwei. Since it was a workday, she originally planned to meet her over the weekend, but Lu Yanwei messaged her saying she could meet the very next day.

Shen Shirou was confused but didn’t think too much of it—until she arrived at Lu Yanwei’s home.

“Shirou,” Lu Yanwei told her, “I handed in my resignation yesterday. From today onwards, I won’t be working at Jiang Peixing’s company anymore.”

The moment the words left Lu Yanwei’s mouth, the teacup in Shen Shirou’s hand fell with a clang, shattering against the floor. Scalding tea splashed onto the back of her hand, but she didn’t react, standing frozen by her chair.

The sudden crash startled Lu Yanwei.

Lu Yanwei’s words were still echoing in Shen Shirou’s mind; she didn’t care about the burn at all. She stared at her friend. “Yanwei, you, you resigned?”

Lu Yanwei nodded.

Watching a patch of red bloom on Shen Shirou’s previously pale, flawless skin where the tea had scalded her, Lu Yanwei felt a sharp pang of distress. She hurried to find the first-aid kit.

She wanted to treat the burn immediately, yet she hovered over Shen Shirou’s hand, terrified that even the slightest touch might cause her more pain.

“Let me apply some ointment for you,” Lu Yanwei said softly. She dabbed a cotton swab into the cream and spread it over the back of Shen Shirou’s hand. Her movements were incredibly light and slow, as if a feather were brushing against the skin—the very definition of cautious.

Despite her gentleness, Lu Yanwei’s face remained clouded with worry. “Does it hurt?”

Shen Shirou shook her head. “Yanwei, I’m fine. Really.”

Lu Yanwei’s knit brows did not relax. “I’m sorry. Was it because I brought up Jiang Peixing, was that why you were distracted?”

“It has nothing to do with her,” Shen Shirou denied without a second thought.

To Lu Yanwei, however, this immediate denial looked more like a painful refusal to face the truth.

As soon as Lu Yanwei finished applying the medicine, Shen Shirou gripped her hand tightly. “Yanwei, did you resign because of me?”

If Lu Yanwei quits, the last remaining link between her and Jiang Peixing is severed. Under these circumstances, getting the two of them together would be nothing short of a miracle. Shen Shirou set her mind on convincing Lu Yanwei to return to the company.

“I want the truth,” Shen Shirou insisted.

Lu Yanwei knelt down, bringing herself to eye level with Shen Shirou on the sofa. “Yes.”

“Yanwei.” Shen Shirou looked down, her face a mask of self-reproach. “I never wanted my situation to affect your career.”

“It’s not your fault,” Lu Yanwei replied. “I’ve been planning this for a long time.”

“Even before you left Jiang Peixing, I was considering resignation,” Lu Yanwei said with a small smile. “But I decided to stay.”

“I stayed because it meant I could see you every day at the office. I couldn’t bear to leave you.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I have no lingering feelings for that company. The only person I’ve ever been attached to is you.”

“But things are different now,” Lu Yanwei continued, her gaze fixed steadily on Shen Shirou. “A place without you holds no meaning for me.”

“But your position.” Shen Shirou lowered her eyes. “How can you let all the hard work you put into your career go to waste just because of me?”

“Jobs can be replaced,” Lu Yanwei said, her tone absolute.

But there was only one Shen Shirou. To her, no career could ever be more important than the woman standing before her.