Chapter 22

Guan Shanyan recalled the day Shen Youwei confessed to him.
It was graduation season, and most seniors were busy looking for internships. But Shen Youwei had gone viral over a video and decided to try running her own social media channel.
Guan Shanyan was preparing to go abroad, so when Shen Youwei invited him out to eat, he never suspected she was planning to confess.
That day, she looked at him the same way, asking if he didn’t like her.
He unconsciously clenched the hand resting at his side. Three years had passed, and he wasn’t sure what Shen Youwei thought of him now. If he assumed she still liked him, would that be self-deceptive?
After all, she had blocked him for three whole years.
If his mother hadn’t asked her to move in this time, they might not have spoken at all.
“You’re my sister, of course I like you.” Guan Shanyan averted his gaze and turned to the kitchen. “I’ll help Dad.”
Shen Youwei had only intended to tease him and didn’t expect to hear his true feelings, but hearing that again, she couldn’t help feeling flustered.
She almost wanted to block him again.
“Alright, let’s not bother him,” Xie Mingqiu said, holding Shen Youwei’s hand. “I also brought back lots of gifts. After dinner, you can pick whichever you like.”
“Thanks, godmother.” Shen Youwei hugged her. “You care about me the most.”
Xie Mingqiu patted her back, laughing: “Now you’re acting spoiled?”
Since Shen Youwei had moved in, Xie Mingqiu noticed that something between her and Guan Shanyan had changed. When she was little, Shen Youwei also acted spoiled, but only with Guan Shanyan. Wanting something, she would pester him, and he would always agree.
Now, she wasn’t sure why, but the two of them seemed out of sync. After three years apart, it shouldn’t feel this way.
Even after a fight, they should have reconciled by now. When they were kids, they did have conflicts, but Guan Shanyan would always soothe her first.
“Dinner’s ready.” Guan Su came out of the kitchen with dishes and placed them on the table. “These cold marinated pig trotters smell amazing, though they’re a bit spicy, I can’t eat too much.”
Hearing this, Xie Mingqiu raised an eyebrow: “What’s that supposed to mean, you snuck a taste, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t sneak, I was just testing the flavor.”
“It’s already cooked, why test it?”
“To control the seasoning, more or less, you have to check.”
Guan Shanyan quietly brought the other dishes to the table amidst their arguing, then looked at Shen Youwei walking over: “Do you need help?”
“No.” Shen Youwei glanced at him, then went to the table and pulled out a chair herself.
Guan Shanyan placed the pig trotters in front of her and thoughtfully provided a bottle of vinegar in case it was too spicy: “Eat more pig trotters, shape for shape.”
“Don’t think I can’t tell you’re scolding me!”
“Hmph, there’s a famous hotpot restaurant in town. Next time you go, order some pig brain, you can supplement yourself too.” Shen Youwei picked up her chopsticks angrily and started eating.
No joke, the pig trotters really were delicious.
“We actually went to that hotpot place. It was really good,” Guan Su said, changing the topic. “I also bought some hotpot base packets. We can cook hotpot at home this weekend. How about it?”
“Great!” Shen Youwei finally brightened. “Then I’ll prepare the ingredients!”
She’d make sure to buy extra pig brain for Guan Shanyan!
The busy and fulfilling weekend ended with this dinner. That night, Shen Youwei lay in bed, staring at the balloon floating near the ceiling.
She had untied it from her wrist after bringing it to her room. When she was little, she also left balloons floating, thinking they’d stay forever as long as they weren’t popped. Later she learned balloons slowly lose air, deflate, and fall.
Shen Youwei reached out and flicked the balloon’s string.
Who knows how long it would stay afloat?
…
The next morning, Guan Shanyan went jogging in the park.
He ran for exercise, not worried about his figure or stamina.
The early morning air in Lize Park was refreshing. Running a lap felt rejuvenating. The only downside was encountering Lu Zhaoye again.
“Brother Guan, great to see you running again!” Lu Zhaoye ran beside him, smiling. “I heard Shen Youwei hurt her foot. I wanted to check on her.”
Guan Shanyan glanced at him: “She’s alone at home. Not convenient.”
“Then can I visit her another time when you’re home?”
Guan Shanyan internally scoffed. They’d known each other so briefly, and he already wanted to intrude? “Have you two developed that kind of relationship already?”
Lu Zhaoye scratched his head, embarrassed: “Honestly, I haven’t had a chance to confess yet.”
Guan Shanyan said nothing. Lu Zhaoye continued: “Usually we only meet when she’s at the boxing gym. Now she can’t come because of her injury. So I thought I’d go see her myself.”
Guan Shanyan: “She doesn’t like being pursued aggressively.”
“Really?” Lu Zhaoye asked humbly. “Then what should I do?”
“Take it slow. Wait for her to reach out, don’t contact her first.”
“Oh. I see.” Not exactly what Lu Zhaoye expected, but if brother Guan said it, it must be right.

After finishing his run, Guan Shanyan returned home. Guan Su and Xie Mingqiu were already having breakfast.
An extra pair of empty bowls were set at Shen Youwei’s usual spot.
Guan Shanyan paused, asking: “Shen Youwei got up this early?”
Xie Mingqiu looked at him and slowly sipped from her bowl: “Wow, now so formal, calling her full name?”
“I learned from her.”
Xie Mingqiu stared: “Didn’t she call you ‘Brother Guan’?”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
“Forget it.” He turned away, not wanting to dwell on it. “I’ll go shower first.”
On his way to the bathroom, he noticed Shen Youwei’s room door was open, but she wasn’t inside.
“Where is she?” He returned to the dining area.
Xie Mingqiu picked the last shumai from the plate: “She went out with Luo Yu.”
Guan Shanyan frowned: “Out with Luo Yu? For what?”
“What do you mean? Luo Yu is her real brother. Can’t he go with her?”
Guan Shanyan didn’t respond. Guan Su added: “Something about the shop renovation, I think. Shen Youwei’s opening a studio.”
Xie Mingqiu exaggeratedly sighed: “Ah, it has to be her real brother. See how much he cares about his sister? Not like some people, huh.”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
He went to change clothes, and before entering the bathroom, picked up his phone and sent Shen Youwei a message: [Are you checking the shop with Luo Yu?]
After two minutes, she finally replied:
Sister: [Yes, the shop’s decided, contract signed. We’re checking the renovations today.]
Guan Shanyan: [Will you be back for lunch, (he typed, then deleted it, and rewrote)
Guan Shanyan: [Will you be back for dinner?]
Sister: [We’ll probably be back in the afternoon.]
Ah, so she was having lunch out with Luo Yu.
Guan Shanyan: [Stay safe]
Shen Youwei read the message, raising an eyebrow. Luo Yu noticed her spacing out and asked: “What’s up? Who are you chatting with?”
Shen Youwei put her phone away: “Oh, Guan Shanyan, telling me to stay safe.”
When Luo Yu heard this, he wasn’t pleased: “Hah, he’s really something. You’re going out with your own brother, and you need to ‘stay safe’?”
He clearly thought it was only necessary to be careful around Guan Shanyan, the fake older brother!
Luo Yu snorted disdainfully and pointed at the computer screen: “What do you think of this design?”
Shen Youwei nodded: “I think it’s good. Just some minor tweaks to the original layout, and the effect looks fine.”
The designer across from them said: “Yes, this plan is relatively simple to implement, so you can start using it quickly. All the requirements you mentioned before have been taken into account in this design.”
“Then let’s go with this version.”
“Alright. I’ll also follow the renovation process throughout.”
“Yes, don’t worry about the renovation, I’ll keep an eye on it,” Luo Yu said, taking all the work onto himself, hoping to score a lot of goodwill points. “For the interior decor, you can make a list of what you want, and I’ll prepare everything for you. If it’s too much trouble, you can leave it to the designer, and he’ll make a list for you to check.”
Shen Youwei’s studio didn’t require major structural changes, but the soft furnishings would need more attention. Since it was her own studio, she felt she should choose things herself to achieve the effect she wanted: “I’ll pick first. If I’m unsure, I can ask Designer Zhou.”
“Sure, feel free to contact me anytime if you have any needs.”
After finalizing the design plan, Shen Youwei took some videos on her phone, planning to edit them into a vlog later. It could document the studio’s creation and also help promote it.
“By the way, have you decided on the studio name? It would be troublesome to change it after designing the logo,” the designer asked.
Shen Youwei had been struggling to think of a name the past few days, but then suddenly realized the truth of simplicity: “Just call it Shen Youwei Image Studio. The English name can be ShenYouWeiStudio. Using my name directly brings traffic and attention.”
Of course, there was a risk: if she ever faded from popularity, the studio might too.
“That’s a good name.” Luo Yu switched to praise mode: “It’s nice and catchy. I’ll handle all the paperwork, and it’s best to register a trademark first.”
“Mm-hmm.” Shen Youwei blushed. Her lawyer had already reminded her to register her name first to prevent others from claiming it. “I’ll take care of it.”