When Spring Burns - Chapter 28

At the intersection of the Thailand night market, the clamor of the crowd faded into the distance, and along with it, the worries of being Chinese tourists in a foreign land slipped away.

Sheng Tingmian, holding the kitten, followed closely beside He Jianxue, frequently glancing at her to see if this woman ten years her senior was truly serious about taking a Thai stray cat back to China to raise.

The procedures would surely be complicated, right? After all, even people had to go through customs checks and fill out various documents, and this little kitten understood nothing, could it even pass through customs?

What if there was something wrong with the kitten, or if it involved smuggling? Wouldn’t that be a serious issue?

“What’s on your mind?” He Jianxue noticed her gaze and stopped.

The assistant, who had just opened the car door for her, paused as well.

Sheng Tingmian tightened her hold on the kitten and lowered her eyes. “Sister, if the procedures are too complicated or troublesome, I… I could just let it go now.”

By the end, her voice was so soft that only she could hear it.

But He Jianxue still caught it. “What are you thinking? Since I’ve promised you, I’ll definitely bring it back to the country. Procedures aren’t a problem. Once we have the quarantine documents sorted, we can just charter a flight.”

“Won’t it involve smuggling or something?” Sheng Tingmian asked worriedly.

The assistant looked at Chairman He and couldn’t help but smile along with her.

“Such a tiny kitten can’t bear the weight of a smuggling charge.”

He Jianxue was doing her best to hold back her laughter, but a hint of amusement still escaped. “Let’s get in the car.”

Pretending not to notice the smiles on the two women’s faces, Sheng Tingmian lowered her head and soothingly stroked the kitten’s thick fur. Her anxious heart gradually settled as she got into her sister’s car.

The car moved steadily along the broad avenue, taking them to the best pet hospital in Bangkok. There, the kitten underwent a full check-up, was bathed, vaccinated, and given a quarantine certificate. A carrier, cat food, and various other supplies were all prepared.

Since Sheng Tingmian had no experience raising a kitten, it was temporarily boarded at the pet hospital under professional care. The next day, when they were ready to return to China, the pet hospital staff personally delivered the kitten to the airport.

Sheng Tingmian boarded the chartered flight, where there were no other passengers, the entire first-class cabin was reserved for their group. The flight attendants’ warm hospitality and service made her feel like a VIP.

It was only then that she learned the Siamese cat was a brachycephalic breed, sensitive to temperature changes. Most airlines would refuse to transport them, which was why her sister had chartered the flight. With a private jet, there were no concerns, the kitten didn’t have to go in the cargo hold but could be held in her arms in first class, and the temperature could even be adjusted to a suitable level.

With the kitten back in her arms, Sheng Tingmian finally felt a sense of reality. As the plane took off, she held the kitten and gazed out the window at Bangkok, Thailand, a Southeast Asian city brimming with Thai charm. The faint echoes of the Thai language she couldn’t quite understand still seemed to linger in her ears.

The vacation with her sister had been so brief, yet so profound that she would remember it for the rest of her life.

They had spent about four or five days touring here, a short holiday indeed. Even on the first day, her sister had to attend a business banquet, leaving Sheng Tingmian alone in the hotel, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, an unfamiliar language, and an unfamiliar country. Yet, even such a mundane experience, once colored by her sister’s presence, felt utterly worth cherishing.

Perhaps many years later, she would look back on this memory, during the May Day holiday of her nineteenth year, she had waited by the private beach of a resort hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, watching the sunset as she anticipated her sister’s return from a business banquet.

The flight, neither too long nor too short, quietly came to an end after three hours. When Sheng Tingmian woke up, she found her sister’s black jacket draped over her.

Glancing to the side, she noticed the kitten curled up on her sister’s lap, its head resting on her sister’s slender, well-defined wrist.

Her sister’s hand, adorned with a ruby ring, gently cupped the kitten’s ear against her palm, idly scratching its head with her fingertips.

Unlike other fluffy cats, the Singaporean cat had smooth, glossy, and dense fur. Its coat was short with few markings, except for an “M” pattern on its head. Its ears, set wide apart like an equilateral triangle, gave it an intelligent appearance.

Its eyes were round, a mix of yellow and olive green.

Seeing this scene, a warm, overwhelming feeling surged in Sheng Tingmian’s chest. She suddenly felt an intense love for her sister, her sister actually liked her kitten too.

As they prepared to disembark and go through immigration, the kitten was placed back into the pet carrier. Sheng Tingmian carefully carried it as she followed He Jianxue through customs without any issues.

After transferring to the He family’s home, she opened the carrier to let the kitten adjust to its new surroundings.

As soon as the carrier was opened, the little one darted out to find a hiding spot. Sensing that it needed time to adapt, Sheng Tingmian decided not to disturb it. Sitting on the sofa, she gazed softly in the direction where the kitten had hidden. The whirlwind of emotions from the past day and night slowly settled, yet she still found it unbelievable, she had actually brought a kitten back from Thailand.

If her aunt found out, she would surely be astonished by her eccentric behavior.

But this was her very first kitten, one she and her sister had brought back together from Thailand.

Sheng Tingmian decided to name it Tyrande, since it had come from Thailand.

Tyrande adapted well to the new home. Her sister was about to return to work at the corporation, and Sheng Tingmian herself was set to begin her role as a young huadan actress at Changyuan Theater.

The night before starting work, she asked her sister for permission to visit her aunt. Once granted, she brought along souvenirs from Thailand for her.

If there was anything good, of course, her aunt would be the first to receive it.

She also brought printed photos taken by her assistant sister. When Sheng Xiaoyun saw the bikini pictures, she clicked her tongue in amusement. Embarrassed, Sheng Tingmian reached out to cover the photos.

“Auntie, don’t look at those, look at the others instead.”

“I never expected you to have such a well-developed figure, you little rascal.”

“…Auntie, please stop looking.”

“Alright, I’ll look at the others then.”

As Sheng Xiaoyun browsed through the travel photos, she felt a wave of relief seeing how well-cared-for her niece appeared, so radiant, youthful, and lovely. It was hard to believe that Tingmian was just a young dan actress who had grown up singing opera with her aunt. Instead, she resembled a refined young lady of noble upbringing, graceful in both demeanor and speech.

It seemed Miss He truly treated Tingmian as her own younger sister.

Sheng Tingmian shared stories of her adventures in Thailand and even mentioned bringing a kitten back.

Sheng Xiaoyun exclaimed, “Really?!”

Had Miss He allowed her to go through all that trouble?

“Of course, it’s true!” Sheng Tingmian showed her the photos. “It’s staying at my sister’s house now.”

In two days, the custom cat tree would be delivered to their doorstep. Tyrande would never have imagined it would have its very own cat tree.

“Looking at it this way, Miss He probably sees you as her own little sister.”

Sheng Xiaoyun actually knew a thing or two about the situation, especially the recent news about the He Corporation, the way she had upheld justice at the expense of her own relatives was truly jaw-dropping.

Still, she wasn’t worried about Mian’er facing any danger in the He family. After all, the relatives Miss He had cut ties with were a bunch of toxic individuals, and Miss He herself seemed like a decent person.

Sheng Tingmian recalled what her sister had promised her not long ago. “Sister said I’d be her lifelong little sister.”

Sheng Xiaoyun shot her a teasing look. “What did I tell you? Last time, your aunt wanted you to formally recognize her as your sworn sister, and you accused us of scheming. But in the end, you still went ahead and did it, didn’t you?”

“That’s different. Sister was the one who brought it up.”

It wasn’t at all the same as them taking the initiative to propose such a relationship. Sheng Tingmian still held firmly to her opinion.

Sheng Xiaoyun mulled it over a couple of times before realizing how clever her niece really was. If they had been the ones to suggest becoming sworn sisters, it might have come across as social climbing. But if Miss He was the one to acknowledge Mian’er as her sister, then the upper hand would lie with Mian’er.

That was a smart move.

Setting aside all the talk of status and wealth, Sheng Xiaoyun still worried about Mian’er. “If you ever have a disagreement with her, or if you feel wronged or unhappy there, you can always come back to your aunt. We don’t have to be afraid of her.”

What did the theater troupe matter? What did fame and fortune matter? Opera was just a way to make a living, Mian’er was what truly mattered.

Sheng Tingmian understood her aunt’s concerns. She was worried that if she ever argued with her sister, she’d be outmatched and might even be threatened, left to suffer alone in the He household.

But she didn’t believe her sister was the type to bully her younger sister maliciously.

“Don’t worry, Aunt. I won’t let myself be mistreated. If Sister and I argue, I’m sure I can hold my own. And if I can’t, I’ll just pack my things and come back to you.”

Sheng Tingmian gave her assurance.

…

After two days of work, Sheng Tingmian, feeling sympathetic toward He Jianxue’s busy schedule and grateful for the expensive custom cat tree her sister had gotten for Tyrande, decided to cook something for her sister herself.

First, she prepared a nourishing soup to boost energy and blood, then made some sushi rice balls.

She packed everything into an insulated lunchbox and personally brought it to the corporation.

This was Sheng Tingmian’s second time visiting the He Corporation, so she was somewhat familiar with the route. Just as she was about to schedule a meeting with her sister at the front desk, before she could even turn around, the receptionist informed her that from now on, she wouldn’t need an appointment, she could go straight up using the chairman’s elevator.

“Okay, thank you.”

Carrying the insulated lunchbox, Sheng Tingmian went up to the eighteenth floor. She knew where her sister’s office was and, guided by the beautiful secretary, she entered the office.

As soon as she stepped inside and turned the corner, she saw her sister organizing documents on her desk, looking as though she was about to head out for lunch.

She remembered her sister had a very regular work and rest schedule, meals and leaving work were always punctual.

She had arrived just in time.

“Sister, I brought you lunch.”

He Jianxue looked up and saw a slender figure standing before her, holding a lunchbox. She had changed into a butterfly-strap sundress, her long, straight black hair falling on either side, looking both sweet and delicate.

A smile touched her red lips as she walked out from behind her desk. “What did you bring?”

Sheng Tingmian pressed her lips together, watching her sister walk toward her. “I made soup for you, sister, and also prepared some sushi rice balls.”

The insulated lunchbox was taken from her hands by her sister. Sheng Tingmian followed behind as her sister sat in a lounge chair by the floor-to-ceiling window, placing the lunchbox on the afternoon tea table and opening each compartment one by one.

Sheng Tingmian pulled over another chair and sat beside her. “Sister, try it and see if it tastes good.”

He Jianxue laid out the meal her younger sister had prepared. The rich aroma of simmered soup wafted through the air, accompanied by a full plate of sushi rice balls in various flavors.

“You made this soup?” He Jianxue noticed the abundance of medicinal herbs in the simmered broth.

Sheng Tingmian nodded. “But the recipe was taught to me by Auntie. You should try it quickly.”

He Jianxue took a sip. The soup and ingredients melded together, releasing a rich fragrance. “The simmering was perfectly timed.”

Sheng Tingmian’s gaze hardly left He Jianxue. Hearing the answer she had hoped for, she couldn’t help but let a smile curl at the corners of her lips. “I kept a close watch on the heat the whole time. I knew it wouldn’t turn out badly.”

He Jianxue glanced at her. “It seems I’m the lucky one, then, to get to enjoy such a delicious soup.”

Sheng Tingmian’s face flushed. “Sister, don’t praise me like that. Hurry up and eat, don’t let yourself go hungry.”

About half an hour later, Sheng Tingmian watched as her sister finished every last bite of the meal she had prepared. A sense of pride welled up inside her as she cleared the dishes.

She prepared to head home. “Sister, I won’t disturb you any longer.”

He Jianxue walked her out, but the moment the door opened, Sheng Tingmian collided with a woman approaching from the other side.

With a clatter, the insulated lunchbox fell to the floor.

Sheng Tingmian stumbled backward, but He Jianxue caught her in time. “Are you okay?”

Realizing she was in her sister’s arms, Sheng Tingmian shook her head and steadied herself. “I’m fine, sister.” Seeing that her younger sister was unharmed, He Jianxue turned her attention to the woman in front of them. “You’ve graduated?”

The newcomer was He Jianxue’s friend, Ji Siyi, who came from a well-off family but had chosen to study in Germany.

At the mention of graduation, Ji Siyi’s nerves twitched. She and He Jianxue had attended the same high school, but she had chosen to study abroad in Germany. Those three years of studying felt like the longest nine years of her life.

Now, He Jianxue had already become the head of a major corporation, while Ji Siyi had only just graduated.

“Yes, I’ve graduated.” Ji Siyi didn’t want to dwell on those painful nine years. She had struggled through them just to enjoy the rest of her life.

After returning from abroad, she had heard about He Jianxue’s experiences over the past few years: first, He Jianxue’s mother passed away, then she became paralyzed and fell into a long period of depression. Not long after, He Xiu also passed away.

It wasn’t until recently, when He Jianxue took a stand against her own relatives, that everyone realized how venomous those relatives had been, like parasitic ticks.

Fortunately, the hardest times were behind her, and her career was back on track. Ji Siyi wouldn’t bring up such painful memories now.

“And who is this?” Ji Siyi’s gaze fell on Sheng Tingmian.

He Jianxue explained, “This is my younger sister, Sheng Tingmian. Mianmian, this is my friend, Ji Siyi.”

Sheng Tingmian nodded politely. “Hello, Siyi sister.”

Ji Siyi studied her for a long moment before extending her hand. The other girl reached out, her slender, pale fingers resting in Ji Siyi’s palm. Ji Siyi tightened her grip, soft and sweet.

“Hello, I’m Ji Siyi.”