The Fake Heiress: My Brother's Gaze Is a Bit Off - Chapter 9

When Shen Junhuai returned from his meeting, he saw Shen Zhaoran sitting in his chair with a scrunched-up face.

He walked over and asked, “Are you angry because I did not come to pick you up?”

“Of course not.”

Shen Junhuai ruffled her hair. “Then why the expression?”

Shen Zhaoran tilted her head to dodge his hand and pointed at a spot on his desk. “Where is the photo?”

Shen Junhuai remained composed. “The old frame was fading, so I sent it out to be reprinted.”

Shen Zhaoran stood up and stared at him.

Shen Junhuai remained calm.

“Fine, I will believe you this time.” Mostly, she could not think of any other reason for it.

Shen Zhaoran began playing with the fountain pen on his desk. “I have this one, too.”

Shen Junhuai replied, “The one you have is the one I gave you.”

Shen Zhaoran fiddled with all the items on the desk before standing up to give him back his seat. “You can at least have dinner with me tonight, right?”

Shen Junhuai glanced at the time. “I have another meeting later.”

Shen Zhaoran understood what he meant and pouted. “Regardless, I am having dinner with you tonight.”

She sat on the sofa, pulled her notebook from her bag to look at the new design sketches submitted by the designers, and pondered what kind of brooch she should make with that blue gemstone.

Halfway through, a message from Ruan Yan popped up.

【Ruan Yan】: No way. I see you are online in the system. You are actually working?

【Shen Zhaoran】: Is there a problem with that?

【Ruan Yan】: Logically speaking, given your temperament, after returning from a business trip, you should first go home to soak in a bath, get a massage, do a full skincare routine, rest well for two days, go out to relax for a few days, then come back to do a tiny bit of work, and finally say you are tired and do not want to do it anymore.

【Shen Zhaoran】: [Image: Swords slashing]

【Shen Zhaoran】: Do you want to die?!

【Ruan Yan】: In this day and age, you really cannot speak the truth.

Shen Zhaoran glanced at the busy Shen Junhuai and lowered her head to type.

【Shen Zhaoran】: My brother is working right next to me. I can hardly turn on my mic to play games, and besides, I have not selected the final design for the blue gemstone yet.

【Ruan Yan】: …

【Ruan Yan】: I am speechless.

【Ruan Yan】: Is everyone with an older brother like this?

【Ruan Yan】: As an only child, I would not know.

【Ruan Yan】: Wait, I am looking for you because of something else.

【Ruan Yan】: Anna’s birthday is tomorrow night. Are you going?

【Shen Zhaoran】: Who is Anna?

【Ruan Yan】: …

【Ruan Yan】: Anna would be devastated if she heard that. She is our high school classmate, the mixed-race girl. You even said she was pretty. Her family works in logistics; our families even collaborated last quarter.

【Shen Zhaoran】: Now that you mention it, I remember. She might have sent me an invitation. It should be with Qi Meng, but I did not accept it.

【Ruan Yan】: I asked around. It is not a formal banquet, just a small gathering. No elders involved.

【Shen Zhaoran】: If you want to go, I will accompany you.

Just as Shen Zhaoran finished typing, Ruan Yan’s next message popped up.

【Ruan Yan】: They say there will be plenty of male models and minor celebrities invited.

【Shen Zhaoran】: …I see why you want to go.

Shen Zhaoran put down her phone and instinctively glanced at Shen Junhuai, thinking to herself that no male model or celebrity could ever look as good as her brother.

The afternoon meeting went much faster. Shen Junhuai finished work just before six.

Shen Zhaoran organized her things and followed behind him. “Do you have any vacation time in January?”

Shen Junhuai replied, “Want to go on a trip? I will have someone arrange it.”

Shen Zhaoran grabbed his sleeve. “I meant you.”

Shen Junhuai had to stop and look at her. “I cannot get away.”

Shen Zhaoran’s expression changed several times. Finally, she lowered her eyes and said, “Never mind.”

Shen Junhuai reached out and pinched her cheek. “If you want to go, go. Why do you not take Ruan Yan with you?”

Shen Zhaoran took his hand and continued walking. “I will not go. Mom said she would be busy until the New Year and likely will not be home. Dad definitely will not be home either. I cannot leave you here to work overtime at the company all by yourself, with no one to even eat dinner with at home.”

Shen Junhuai’s heart skipped a beat, and he gripped her hand tighter.

Shen Zhaoran was completely oblivious. She had not really wanted to go on a trip for herself; she just wanted to take Shen Junhuai to help him relax. She did not feel it was a pity anymore; instead, she asked him with a smile where they should eat for dinner.

After eating out, the two returned to Tianhai Bay. Shen Zhaoran took off her coat and flopped onto the sofa, having no intention of moving.

Shen Junhuai hung up her coat and pulled her back up. “If you are tired, go to bed to rest.”

“It must be jet lag. I will take a short nap.”

Shen Junhuai patted her head. “Go ahead.”

Shen Zhaoran slept until the middle of the night. When she woke up and checked the time, she debated whether she should try to sleep again or stay awake.

In the end, she went to the living room to pour a glass of water first.

As she put the glass down after finishing her water, she heard a faint sound coming from the balcony.

She pulled open the balcony door and looked out, making eye contact with Shen Junhuai, who turned his head upon hearing the movement.

The balconies of this large apartment were connected; Shen Junhuai’s room balcony was linked to the outer terrace.

She looked at the ashtray in front of Shen Junhuai, pushed the door open, walked up to him, and asked, “Why are you out here smoking instead of sleeping?”

She remembered that Shen Junhuai did not smoke.

Shen Junhuai seemed to have just realized what he was doing. He crushed the cigarette in his hand and pushed her inside. “It is cold outside.”

“Then why were you staying outside?”

“…” He could hardly admit it was to cool his head down.

Afraid she would catch a cold, Shen Junhuai pulled her into the room and covered her with a blanket to drive away the chill from her body. “Do you feel unwell?”

Shen Zhaoran replied, “I am not that fragile. I will not get sick just from a little cold wind.”

When she had come in, she noticed that Shen Junhuai’s bed was perfectly neat; he had not even slept in it at all.

She leaned in close and asked, “Why are you unhappy? It cannot be an issue with the Group, right?”

If things were really serious enough to keep Shen Junhuai awake, she would have received word by now. Moreover, given Shen Junhuai’s character, if the Group had a real problem, he would be thinking of ways to solve it instead of smoking on the balcony to decompress.

It felt… it felt like he had encountered a problem that could not be solved at all.

Shen Zhaoran blinked and asked even more softly, “Brother, are you in love?”

Due to his internal turmoil, Shen Junhuai missed the best window for an explanation, and Shen Zhaoran assumed she had guessed correctly.

She immediately pulled a long face and said, “I read online that a healthy relationship should only make you become a better version of yourself.”

“…”

“You should nip bad romance in the bud!”

“…”

Shen Zhaoran did not know who the other person was, but she understood Shen Junhuai. How much grievance must he be suffering in this relationship to stand outside in the middle of the winter night, smoking and unable to sleep?

Shen Junhuai rubbed his temples and explained, “I am not in a relationship.”

Shen Zhaoran wanted to continue asking, but Shen Junhuai covered her mouth.

“I am not lying to you.”

Shen Zhaoran gestured toward her covered mouth.

Only then did Shen Junhuai let go.

Shen Zhaoran grumbled twice. “Fine, I will not ask, but you cannot abuse your health by not sleeping and acting like an ice sculpture outside.”

“…”

“If you cannot sleep, I will watch a movie with you. I found a lot of movies that help with sleep earlier.”

“Go put on a coat first.”

“Oh.”

After Shen Zhaoran left, Shen Junhuai composed himself, changed his clothes, and then pushed the door open to leave the room.

Shen Zhaoran was wearing fluffy pajamas and curled up on the sofa wrapped in a blanket. Seeing Shen Junhuai arrive, she draped the other half of the blanket over him and pressed the play button.

Shen Junhuai’s mind was not on the movie, so he had no idea if it actually helped with sleep, until he felt a weight on his shoulder.

Shen Zhaoran had fallen asleep while leaning against him.