After Flirting with the God-Tier Beautiful Tycoon - Chapter 36.1

Shen Xiaojiang only partially understood the weight of the phrase “treat her like a daughter.”

An airplane cut across the sky, its wing lights flickering rhythmically.

Shen Xiaojiang withdrew her gaze and took two steps toward the edge of the terrace, merging herself into the boundless night. Her voice was calm and steady: “She will.”

She had a gut feeling that she was getting closer and closer to the hidden secrets surrounding Chen Yi.

Mother He had divorced right after giving birth to He Zhong, and as a single mother, she had tasted all the bitterness of society. Shen Xiaojiang listened to her stories with great patience. Having been raised under the protection of her parents, Shen Xiaojiang hadn’t experienced those hardships herself, but she was more empathetic than most.

“But life is much better now,” Mother He said, a smile blooming on her face as she held the warm water the nurse had brought.

Shen Xiaojiang nodded.

“It’s different for Xiao Qi.” When Mother He mentioned Chen Yi, worry crept back into her aged eyes.

Shen Xiaojiang wanted to know about Chen Yi’s past more than anyone. However, she would never ask Chen Yi directly. To do so would be like peeling back someone’s scars and making them hurt all over again.

She didn’t want that she couldn’t bear to do that to her.

Shen Xiaojiang toyed with the transparent handle of her cup, remaining silent.

“Her heart is full of bitterness, but she can’t find a way out,” Mother He put down her cup, staring blankly into the distance. “The lack of maternal love led to a very poor upbringing.”

Maternal love? Lack?

Shen Xiaojiang listened in silence. She wanted to know exactly what kind of “lack” it was, but Mother He hesitated and stopped herself.

“Child,” Mother He changed the subject, “Xiao Qi is different toward you.”

Shen Xiaojiang scratched her neck. “How… how so?”

Mother He studied Shen Xiaojiang with a friendly gaze. “Xiao Qi is very lonely. She has no friends. You are the first.”

Shen Xiaojiang’s ears turned slightly red.

Mother He narrowed her eyes, staring at Shen Xiaojiang’s ears for a few seconds. Although she couldn’t be one hundred percent certain, she felt the relationship between Shen Xiaojiang and Chen Yi was unconventional. However, this connection still seemed quite ethereal.

So, Mother He decided to give them a push.

“Child, I heard you’re still a student?” Mother He looked at her with motherly affection.

“Yes, I’m at Nancheng University,” Shen Xiaojiang replied.

“What’s your major?”

“Computer Science.”

Mother He smiled. “An elite student, then.”

“No, no.” Shen Xiaojiang lowered her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

The Computer Science department at Nancheng University was famous nationwide. It was on the list for early admissions, and its required scores were far higher than the standard first-tier university line. As the top student in her major, Shen Xiaojiang truly deserved the title of “elite.”

“What do you do in your spare time?”

Mother He seemed to have switched into “matchmaking mode,” but out of politeness, Shen Xiaojiang answered honestly: “I work part time at a pet shop.”

Mother He’s eyes rolled slowly as she gave a muffled “Mhm.”

The two chatted for a while longer before Mother He was escorted back to her room by the nurse.

After updating Sister Meng on her situation via phone, Shen Xiaojiang crept into the room. The little “dumpling” (the baby) was sleeping soundly. Not wanting to make too much noise, Shen Xiaojiang lay down on the cot fully clothed. Closing her eyes, she whispered a “goodnight” to Chen Yi in her heart.

The next morning, after waking up, Shen Xiaojiang helped Sister Meng take care of the baby and accompanied her for a walk in the hospital garden. After they parted ways, Shen Xiaojiang prepared to head to the pet shop.

Just then, Mother He was wheeled over in her wheelchair by the nurse.

“Student Shen, could I trouble you with something?” Mother He handed over a business card.

Shen Xiaojiang took the card and saw that it was for a tattoo parlor.

“Um… Auntie, what does this mean?”

Mother He’s brow furrowed slightly as she spoke in a pleading tone: “I remember you said yesterday that you work at a pet shop. A puppy belonging to a friend of mine is sick. Could you go take a look? You’ll be compensated, and it won’t take much of your time. Is that okay?”

Shen Xiaojiang thought for a few seconds and nodded in agreement.

She arrived at the tattoo parlor on time. The shop wasn’t large, but the interior was quite exquisite. Shen Xiaojiang couldn’t fathom how a woman nearly seventy years old would know someone here. Was this shop a decades old legendary institution with a master craftsman who was also nearly seventy? Or was Mother He herself a tattoo enthusiast with two giant butterflies hidden somewhere secret?

While Shen Xiaojiang was lost in these wild thoughts, a woman wearing black gloves and a black mask walked out. “Hello, are you Student Shen?”

Student Shen?? What on earth??

That was definitely the way Mother He spoke. Shen Xiaojiang was certain she was in the right place.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Hello, I’m the shop manager. Follow me.”

Shen Xiaojiang followed the manager inside. The decor was indeed beautiful much nicer than it appeared from the outside. One wall was entirely glass, covered in high-quality photos of the shop’s best work taken with an Instax camera.

Almost the moment she stepped inside, Shen Xiaojiang noticed the most prominent photo on the wall: a tattoo of irises.

It was the same back, the same purple Siberian irises, and the same uneven texture. Without even thinking, Shen Xiaojiang recognized the person in the photo.

At that moment, the manager brought over a small dog. “I don’t know what’s wrong with this little guy; he’s been very lethargic.”

Shen Xiaojiang pulled her gaze away and held the dog. She felt and prodded him here and there, eventually confirming the dog had simply overeaten. She performed a series of “gas relief exercises” for him, noting he should be fine shortly.

That’s it?

Shen Xiaojiang was puzzled. Wouldn’t it have been faster to just take the dog to a pet shop? Was it really necessary to call her here?

After fifteen minutes of observation, the puppy’s condition indeed improved significantly. She refused to take any money. As she was about to leave, she approached the manager and carefully formulated her question: “Excuse me… do many people get iris tattoos?”

“Irises?” The manager instinctively glanced at the glass wall. “To be honest, very few. In all my years running this shop, I’ve only seen a handful. The one on the wall is the only one like it I’ve ever encountered.”

“How so?” Shen Xiaojiang’s heart rate quickened for no reason, and her fingers gripped the strap of her chest bag tightly.

“The shape of an iris is complex and a nightmare to execute. Clients who get them usually report that it’s too painful, some have even given up halfway through,” the manager laughed.

Shen Xiaojiang gritted her teeth. “And what about her?”

“The one on the wall?” The manager thought for a moment. “Right, she was very different. She had about sixteen or seventeen flowers done. I felt the pain just watching, but she just bit down on a towel and didn’t make a single sound.”

Shen Xiaojiang was stunned. The question she hadn’t yet asked already had a definitive answer.

“She left quite an impression on me. It was raining when she arrived, and she was soaked to the bone. I had just opened the shop not long before, and there weren’t many customers. I spent a long time tattooing her. She was young but had incredible endurance. The most important thing was… she had seven scars on her back from a fruit knife, of varying depths.” As the manager spoke, her expression turned solemn.

Seven knife wounds?

Shen Xiaojiang’s knuckles turned white. “When did this happen?”

The manager counted on her fingers. “It’s been about ten years.”

Shen Xiaojiang’s heart sank heavily.

At that time, Chen Yi was nineteen years old. What on earth was she going through back then?

Shen Xiaojiang turned around and walked to the glass wall. She suddenly said in a weak voice, “Boss… could you give me this photo?”

“Hmm?” The manager hadn’t expected someone to suddenly ask for a ten-year-old photo.

“Do you like irises? I could tattoo one for you?” the manager suggested.

Shen Xiaojiang shook her head. “I only like the irises on her body.”

Elsewhere, Chen Yi had just stepped off a plane when her ears suddenly felt a bit hot.

Chen Yi: Who is talking about me?