Chapter 32

Shen Xiao parked the car and wasn't in a hurry to get out. He unlocked his phone and checked the location again, the red dot showed that the person was still at home and hadn't moved at all.
His expression instantly darkened. Had he guessed wrong? Did she really not care that he was going out for a fancy dinner with Bai Muqing?
Recalling the past few days, Shen Yu had seemed like she'd lost her soul, ignoring him and keeping her distance. It made him furious.
It was like going back to the way things were a long time ago, her being afraid of him, avoiding him, wishing she could turn invisible. No matter what he gave her to eat, she would just eat it silently with a pale face, completely resigned to her fate.
Back then, without any comparison, he found her frightened, animal-like demeanor amusing. But over the past few months, he had watched her slowly change, like a black-and-white photo gradually being colored in, becoming vibrant and lively, so vivid that just looking at her a few times could brighten his mood.
He absolutely refused to let that photo fade again...
The ringing of his phone interrupted Shen Xiao's thoughts. He glanced at the caller ID, frowned, and answered.
Bai Muqing's voice came through, sweet and syrupy, "Are you on your way? I've already reserved a table."
Before, he had thought this woman's voice was soft and somewhat pleasant to listen to. But now, thinking about it, his sister's clear, slightly androgynous voice was much nicer. Even though her wailing was incredibly piercing, it was more enduring.
After comparing their voices, he lazily replied, "I'm here. Wait for me."
He hung up the phone, checked the location one more time, then got out of the car with a dark expression, he looked less like he was going on a date and more like he was heading for a fight.

Shen Yu held her rice bowl, her chopsticks hovering in the air for a long time, unable to muster the will to pick up any food.
She never expected Shen Xiao would use this to pressure her. He must have figured out she didn't like Bai Muqing and decided to provoke her with it.
It seems the past few days of cold war had truly made him uncomfortable, to the point where he actually knew to put in effort to resolve the issue.
Shen Yu set down her chopsticks and asked Uncle Li, "Besides that, did my brother say anything else?"
Uncle Li replied, "He mentioned he’s going to the Western restaurant in the Imperial Star area."
Shen Yu: “…”
A date is just a date, but reporting his location so clearly was obviously hinting for her to come find him.
Shen Yu fiddled with her chopsticks, pursed her lips, and thought: Should she take this opportunity to reconcile with Shen Xiao, disrupt their date, and make her stance clear? Or should she continue giving him the cold shoulder and not speak to him?
Uncle Li placed a piece of fish in her bowl and said, "Here, eat more. You’ve been in a bad mood lately, eating fish can make you happier."
Shen Yu smiled and said, "I’ve only heard that eating bananas can make people happy. Does fish work too?"
Uncle Li chuckled, "So you really are unhappy? Why is that?"
Shen Yu: “…”
The older ginger is spicier, he actually managed to fish for information from her!
Shen Yu thought for a moment and said, "Some of my brother’s actions have made me really angry."
"But no matter what, he’s still your brother. You’ve already given him the cold shoulder for a few days, just forgive him this once." Uncle Li coaxed her and added, "The night before last, when I went to check the doors and windows before bed, I saw him pacing outside your door. You had your door closed, so I don’t know if you were asleep or not."
Shen Yu froze, somewhat surprised. "What was he doing pacing outside my door? Did he want to talk to me?"
Uncle Li said, "I think so. I watched from the stairs for a while, but in the end, he went back."
Shen Yu: “…”
That usually arrogant and eccentric guy was actually so unsettled by her cold treatment that he paced outside her door, and she hadn’t known a thing about it!
But this didn’t seem like something Shen Xiao would do at all!
An image involuntarily surfaced in her mind: Shen Xiao standing outside her door, hesitating whether to knock. Shen Yu’s heart suddenly softened.
So she put down her bowl and chopsticks and said, "Uncle Li, you go ahead and eat. I have something to take care of outside."
Uncle Li also set down his bowl and chopsticks, asking with concern, "No matter where you’re going, you should finish your meal first."
Shen Yu shook her head and turned to go upstairs to change. Uncle Li followed her a few steps and asked, "Should I get the car ready and drive you there?"
Shen Yu glanced at the sky outside and finally nodded. "Then I’ll trouble you, Uncle Li."
After Shen Yu went upstairs, Uncle Li smiled and turned toward the garage, muttering to himself as he walked, "Our young master still lacks experience in this area."
The husky originally wanted to follow him out, but upon seeing the white cat leisurely returning to its bed, it hesitated for a moment before happily trotting over, it loved the cat bed!
As the car left the villa complex, Uncle Li didn’t ask where she was going, simply driving toward the city center.
Shen Yu glanced at him and noticed Uncle Li’s kindly smiling face. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she spoke up voluntarily, "I just think Bai Muqing isn’t right for him!"
Uncle Li nodded and said, "After hearing you mention it, I also looked up some news about her. It’s really not good. She had a past with Situ Yi, and after they broke up, she kept using his fame to stir up gossip. Later, she was linked with many others, it’s just too messy."
After a pause, Uncle Li added, "Our young master has never been in a serious relationship before. We can’t let that woman ruin his reputation."
Shen Yu nodded repeatedly, feeling that Uncle Li was truly a godsend, so incredibly sharp!
The evening rush hour had already passed, and traffic was smooth. Uncle Li quickly drove Shen Yu to the city center's Emperor Star Tower.
Getting out of the car, Shen Yu waved to Uncle Li and said, "You can head back first, no need to wait for me. Once I find my brother, we'll go home together."
Uncle Li nodded and asked, "Didn't you forget your phone? What if you can't find him?"
Shen Yu replied, "Then I'll just take a taxi back myself."
Uncle Li offered, "Why don't you take my phone with you?"
Shen Yu shook her head and declined again.
The Western restaurant where Shen Xiao and Bai Muqing had made their reservation was quite famous, located on the top floor of the tower and easy to find.
As she made her way up, Shen Yu pondered several strategies for making her entrance without seeming too deliberate.
But when she reached the top floor, she couldn't help but chuckle. She discovered that the Western restaurant only occupied half of the floor, while the other half housed several high-end women's clothing boutiques!
Without a second thought, she headed straight for the boutique closest to the restaurant.
Since she had left in a hurry, she was only wearing an ordinary windbreaker and jeans, and she hadn't even brought her phone. So, when she entered the boutique, she felt a bit self-conscious. She pretended to browse around, occasionally sneaking glances through the glass wall at the restaurant next door.
The sales assistant had initially approached her enthusiastically, but upon seeing her suspicious, almost "catching a cheater" demeanor, her expression cooled. She asked, "Miss, would you like to try on the piece you're holding?"
Shen Yu decisively handed the clothes back to her. "No need, I'm just looking."
The sales assistant took the clothes back with a look of disdain.
Shen Yu glanced back at her and said, "Wait, come back here."
The sales assistant replied impatiently, "How can I help you?"
Shen Yu pointed to a dress hanging on the wall and said, "Bring that one for me to try on. And the matching shoes and bag, bring them all for me to try."
The sales assistant: "..."
She thought to herself, "Just a moment ago, this person looked shabby and broke, but in the blink of an eye, she's acting all extravagant?"
But since the customer had made a request, she had no choice but to comply. She quickly fetched the items Shen Yu wanted.
When Shen Yu took the dress into the fitting room to change, then stepped out wearing the appropriate high heels, the nearby sales assistant even had the illusion that the lighting had brightened by several degrees.
Her full chest, slender waist, and perky bottom, the dress showcased her figure to absolute perfection.
Though she wore thin-framed glasses, with her hair let down, there was almost no sense of incongruity.
Shen Yu looked at herself in the mirror and felt quite satisfied. She turned to the sales assistant and said, "This dress is beautiful. Please ring it up for me."
The sales assistant was very surprised. The dress Shen Yu was wearing, along with the leather bag in her hand and the high heels on her feet, added up to a considerable sum. She hadn’t expected Shen Yu to ask for the bill without even inquiring about the price.
The sales assistant immediately beamed and said, "Of course, please come this way to pay."
But to her surprise, Shen Yu didn’t follow her. Instead, she grabbed the assistant’s arm and pulled her over to the glass wall, pointing at the restaurant next door. "Look over there, the table near the glass wall."
The sales assistant was baffled but followed her gaze. She saw what appeared to be a couple. The man, with a tall and broad-shouldered figure, was sitting closer to the glass wall, making him clearly visible. His female companion, however, was seated across from him, further inside, so she couldn’t be seen.
"I see them. What about it?"
Shen Yu smiled and said, "Go ring up the items, then take the bill to that man and have him pay for it."
The sales assistant: "..."
What kind of outrageous move was this?! Was this woman the scorned wife catching her cheating husband, or a mistress fighting for attention?!
Seeing the assistant’s doubtful expression, Shen Yu added, "Do you want to sell these items or not? If you do, just do as I say."
"Will he really come?"
"He will. Hurry up, or once he finishes his meal, you won’t be able to sell anything."
Half-convinced, the sales assistant went to inform the store manager, then prepared the bill. After Shen Yu signed it, she headed over.
Shen Xiao was distracted throughout the meal. When he had received Bai Muqing’s message inviting him out, he had casually agreed. But he hadn’t expected it to be so boring. Several times, he had considered getting up and leaving outright.
If he had known it would be this dull, he would have rather stayed home playing with his cats and dogs.
The thought of home inevitably brought to mind his sister, who was still giving him the cold shoulder, and his irritation flared up again.
Bai Muqing had been talking for a long time, only to realize Shen Xiao hadn’t been listening at all. She was annoyed but couldn’t show it. "Why do you keep looking at your phone? Is something wrong?"
Shen Xiao was checking a location tracker, but the person hadn’t moved from home, which frustrated him to no end.
"Just eat. We’ll leave when you’re done," he said.
Bai Muqing frowned. "You, "
Just then, a well-proportioned young woman approached them politely and said, "Excuse me, sir. A lady at our store has made some purchases but forgot to bring money. She asked if you could come and pay for them."
Bai Muqing frowned and asked, "Are you sure you have the right person?"
Shen Xiao also looked displeased.
The young woman, though lacking confidence, handed over the bill and said, "Sir, please take a look."
Shen Xiao glanced at the signature on the bill, raised an eyebrow, and stood up immediately. "Lead the way."
The young woman looked delighted and quickly guided him out. In no time, the two of them hurried off.
Left behind, Bai Muqing was utterly bewildered.
She had gone through so much trouble to get Shen Xiao to come out, and before she could even discuss the important matter, some nameless woman had snatched him away?!
She was determined to find out who it was!