The Fake Heiress: My Brother's Gaze Is a Bit Off - Chapter 4

Shen Chengshan suddenly had an additional business trip, so his leftover workload was assigned to Shen Junhuai. With his working hours extended indefinitely, Shen Junhuai did not return home for a few days, opting to stay at the sprawling Sky Bay apartment closer to the office.

Being buried in work had made his emotions somewhat numb, and he thought that was for the best. It was not until the third day, when he returned to Sky Bay, that he heard Shen Zhaoran’s voice at the entryway.

She seemed to be playing a game. Upon hearing the door open, she set her phone aside and trotted over to take the coat Shen Junhuai had taken off.

Shen Junhuai: “Why are you here?”

Shen Zhaoran: “Mom went to Milan for a fashion show. Her flight was this morning, and I was so bored being home alone.”

Xia Qiaoya was a famous domestic and international designer who ran her own studio, so she was often out of reach when things got busy.

Shen Junhuai: “…”

Great. Now he knew why Shen Chengshan had suddenly added a business trip to Italy to his schedule.

Shen Zhaoran brought out a plate of sliced fruit from the refrigerator. “I just cut these!”

Shen Junhuai glanced at them and praised, “They are very neatly cut.”

Regardless of the type of fruit, everything was sliced into perfect, uniform squares. If they were not being used as a fruit platter, they could easily be used to play Tetris.

Shen Zhaoran: “I also had Auntie Wu save some sauce toppings. I will go boil some noodles for you.”

Shen Junhuai grabbed her quickly. “I will do it.”

He really did not trust Shen Zhaoran in the kitchen.

He rolled up his sleeves, went into the kitchen, took out the noodles and toppings, and washed some bok choy. When the noodles were almost finished cooking, he fried two eggs: one fully cooked and one sunny-side up.

Shen Zhaoran sat obediently, waiting for Shen Junhuai to bring out the noodles. Knowing she was afraid of being scalded, he had even prepared a small bowl for her.

The two ate the noodles in silence. Shen Zhaoran could only finish half before she was full. Shen Junhuai glanced at her and pulled the remaining half-bowl toward himself to finish it off.

After their midnight snack, Shen Zhaoran went to take a shower. Once she came out, she plopped onto the bed, browsing an auction website on her tablet.

Shen Junhuai knocked on the door and walked in holding a hairdryer. He sat down on the edge of the bed, patted the spot beside him, and said, “Change your position.”

Shen Zhaoran scooted over and lay down, her eyes still glued to the tablet.

Once he had finished drying her long hair, he asked, “Is there anything you want to buy? Do you have enough money?”

Shen Zhaoran: “It is enough. I can earn my own money too.”

She never knew who had deposited money into her accounts each time she opened her eyes in the morning. Even after going out and spending all day, she would check at night and realize that the money had actually increased.

Shen Zhaoran sat up and looked at him. “My eldest cousin is getting engaged next week. The day after, Ruan Yan and I are going out to acquire a batch of new gemstones, and after that, we are going to the island for a vacation. How does that sound?”

Shen Junhuai: “I have been very busy lately.”

Shen Zhaoran: “You can squeeze in some vacation time. Xuan Qing said the big projects are wrapping up; you should be free in January.”

Shen Junhuai: “…”

They were born to the same parents. How could Xuan Qing be so loose-lipped? He would send him on a business trip to Africa as soon as he got back.

Shen Junhuai deflected the question: “We will talk about it after you get back.”

Shen Zhaoran pursed her lips, but in the end, she did not say anything more.

The next morning, when she woke up, Shen Junhuai had already left for work. She had breakfast, went downstairs, and got into the car waiting to pick her up.

She glanced at Qi Meng sitting on the other side and asked, “You did not run into my brother, did you?”

Qi Meng shook her head. “President Shen left early.”

Previously, when Shen Zhaoran asked her to hire someone to hack into the location tracking system, she had been terrified, but she was, after all, Shen Zhaoran’s assistant. She helped in the end, though she doubled the number of bodyguards accompanying Shen Zhaoran whenever she went out.

A few days ago, when she went to the Shen residence to deliver documents to Shen Zhaoran, her legs had gone weak the moment she saw Shen Junhuai’s silhouette from afar.

Shen Zhaoran felt relieved. “Go to the studio.”

The office hours at their studio were quite flexible. She had not seen many people when she walked in.

To her surprise, one of the few people there was Ruan Yan.

Shen Zhaoran: “Seeing you at this hour is a rare sight.”

Ruan Yan looked a bit frustrated. “The production timeline for an order was miscalculated, so I am here to catch up.”

Shen Zhaoran: “You are doing it yourself?”

Ruan Yan looked helpless. “I drew the design draft myself; I do not trust anyone else with it.”

Shen Zhaoran: “Alright, take it easy.”

Qi Meng poured coffee for both of them and left.

Shen Zhaoran: “Can you still go to Sri Lanka with me?”

Ruan Yan: “Yes.”

Ruan Yan: “I was thinking of bringing two people from the studio, too.”

Shen Zhaoran: “Sure. Since it is just us, if the cabin is not big enough, I will just borrow my brother’s plane.”

Ruan Yan: “…That is enough, that is enough. There is no need to disturb your brother.”

Ruan Yan: “By the way, is Xia Shengxuan getting engaged next week?”

Shen Zhaoran nodded. “I already picked out a gift. I asked my brother to help me choose it; the set made by Shi Jiashu.”

Ruan Yan: “That is not important. The important thing is, do you know about Xia Shengxuan and An Kexin?”

An Kexin was Shen Zhaoran’s future eldest cousin-in-law. She immediately leaned in and asked, “What about it?”

Ruan Yan was speechless. “I am asking if you know. Is he your cousin or mine?”

Shen Zhaoran blinked. “I did not have a chance to ask. I have not even seen him since I found out they were getting engaged.”

She was still young when Xia Shengxuan and his first love were in a messy relationship years ago, and she had only pieced the truth together by eavesdropping on gossip.

Ruan Yan began to share the gossip she had heard: “It is said that the two families have business dealings. An Kexin’s mother mentioned it while chatting with your aunt. They said the two children are of similar age and could get to know each other.”

Although the Xia family did not engage in forced marriages, they still hoped their children would find someone from a similar background; someone they knew well.

Coupled with the fact that they had a troublesome son like Xia Shengxuan, Lin Qiushuang was even more cautious about this.

However, when Xia Zeyu already had a partner at the time, Lin Qiushuang mentioned it tactfully. Unexpectedly, the other side was not surprised at all and specifically named Xia Shengxuan.

Shen Zhaoran paused for two seconds. “What does that last sentence mean?”

Ruan Yan: “Silly. It means An Kexin has taken a fancy to your eldest cousin and got her parents to play matchmaker. I have not heard how she fell for him, though. You should probe around and ask when you get the chance.”

Shen Zhaoran had a complex expression. “Does she know about the mess my eldest cousin has been involved in?”

Ruan Yan: “Whether she knows or not does not matter. Anyway, a twisted melon may not be sweet, but it quenches thirst. Besides, who does not have a few troublesome exes?”

Shen Zhaoran was deeply shocked by this theory of hers.

When the day of the engagement party arrived, the Shen family set off early.

The engagement party was held at the Xia family’s old residence. As soon as Shen Zhaoran got out of the car, she prepared to run upstairs, but Shen Junhuai grabbed her. “Where are you going?”

Shen Zhaoran: “To see my future cousin-in-law.”

She had met An Kexin at banquets a few times before, but they were not close and had barely spoken a word to each other. Now, she was genuinely curious about her relationship with Xia Shengxuan.

Shen Zhaoran was wearing a very thin dress, but because she was afraid of the cold, she had draped a suit jacket over her shoulders. The jacket had become crooked from the pulling, so Shen Junhuai helped straighten it. “Let us go see Aunt and Uncle first.”

Xia Liangzhe and Lin Qiushuang had been busy all day, but they still looked to be in high spirits.

Xia Qiaoya asked, “Are you managing well?”

Xia Liangzhe: “Everything is arranged.”

Lin Qiushuang took Shen Zhaoran’s hand and said, “My darling, you look so beautiful today, but are you not cold wearing so little?”

Shen Zhaoran shook her head and pointed to her waist. “I have a heating pad stuck on.”

Lin Qiushuang: “Help your aunt check if that boy Zeyu is ready. Also, your cousin-in-law is doing her makeup in the second-floor lounge; go help your aunt take a look at her too.”

Shen Zhaoran’s eyes curved into crescents. “Okay.”

She pulled Shen Junhuai and was about to run upstairs.

Shen Junhuai had no choice but to nod at his aunt and uncle before following her.

Watching their retreating figures, Lin Qiushuang sighed: “These two children are better than the other, unlike my two troublesome boys who are just such a headache.”

Xia Qiaoya smiled and took her arm. “Alright, alright, the troublesome boys are about to start families of their own. Let us go and check everything one more time.”

Xia Liangzhe and Shen Chengshan exchanged a look, both of them wisely keeping quiet.