Chapter 5

Li Yuan hugged her and told her, “I’m sorry for being late.”

Then, he looked at the members of the Su family as if he saw a swarm of ants. “Don’t worry, I’ll make damn sure that the Su family will burn with her!”

Two days later, the Su family members either died or went mad.

That time, she had already made her decision.

If there was a next life, she would do whatever she could to repay him.

Shen Xi was contemplating when she sensed someone’s cold, hard gaze on her. She jolted in fright and made contact with the man’s penetrating yet emotionless stare.

He had beautiful eyes. They were narrow and had a subtle, upward curve that made him look unusually charming and enigmatic.

However, what laid beneath his icy, hostile gaze was a bottomless chasm devoid of life and light. It was as still as an uninhabited pool of water, where nothing could stir up ripples on its surface.

By staring into his eyes, Shen Xi felt as if she had tumbled into a vast abyss and her body turned stiff and frozen.

Those intense feelings of angst and hatred towards humanity and the world struck a chord with her. Instead of experiencing terror, she felt sorry for him.

As if, nothing in this world could ignite the spark within him anymore.

He was alive but spent his living days like a dead man.

Li Yuan observed the young girl behind the wall. She seemed terrified of him, for she hid herself after revealing half of her head.

After a while, he heard some sounds from the other side.

“Brother, you must have moved in today, haven’t you? I’m your neighbor.” Suddenly, Shen Xi stood up and chirped joyfully.

Had she not returned to the Su family back then, or if she had at least made a trip back home, she might not have missed him and end up meeting him on her deathbed.

Li Yuan kept quiet. He scanned her coolly.

The rays of sunset illuminated the girl’s body with a warm, orange glow.

She wore a red outfit and carried a pot with a red flower in it.

The flower was nice.

The girl, however, was prettier than the flower.

At this very moment, he felt his heart leap. He had not felt anything like this for a long time.

“It’s a welcome gift for you!” Shen Xi held the pot and laughed cheerily. “Brother, welcome to your new home!”

Li Yuan’s expression remained unchanged. It was like the surface of a lake that was frozen for a million years, where no ripples could form.

“Brother, I’ll lower the pot for you with a rope. Catch!” Instead of waiting for his response, Shen Xi placed the pot down in an upright manner and carefully lowered it with the rope.

Li Yuan realized that the girl had made up her mind and passed him the pot. Hence, he wheeled his chair forward to take it.

Bearing a vibrant hue and intricate textures on its petals, the little red flower was lovely and looked like the stars in the night sky.

It was remarkable that a flower could grow in midwinter. Evidently, whoever planted it loved flowers.

“Brother, I’m Shen Xi. What’s your name?” Shen Xi coiled up the rope and hung it around her shoulders.

Li Yuan did not reply but gazed at the flower.

Perhaps, it had been too long since he heard somebody else speaking.

Surprisingly, he did not get annoyed, which might also be due to the fact that she resembled his little girl.

When Kun Lun entered the courtyard with a lunchbox in his hands, he got a shock. He stood still, not knowing whether to head over or to leave.

He could not believe his eyes. The big boss was by the wall and listening to a young girl telling him nonsense.

Usually, the boss hated it when people talked nonsense to him.

Whenever he and his co-workers reported to the boss for work, they would get their figures correct first before heading to him.

The girl by the wall was adorable, indeed. The little woolen balls on her beanie would sway whenever she spoke. One would melt at the sight of such cuteness.

Still, she was babbling away, and the boss actually listened to her.

No doubt, the boss, who was often distant, cold-blooded, and aloof, behaved patiently towards the young girl.

“Brother, someone’s looking for you.”

Shen Xi was the first to spot the man standing at the entrance.

The man was clothed in a finely tailored suit. He was tall and attractive and had a fancy lunchbox in his hands.

She had seen him by Li Yuan’s side before. The latter called him Kun Lun.

Li Yuan looked at him.

Kun Lun met his gaze and bowed to him respectfully. Then, he walked towards the villa.

Shen Xi saw something and her eyes glimmered with excitement. “Brother, my dad, Old Shen, is back. I’ll be heading home, you should go home and have dinner too!”

Li Yuan seemed unmoved by her words and did not respond to her. He swiveled his wheelchair around with his back facing her.

Deep down, Shen Xi sighed. She said so many things and her mouth felt dry.

Yet, he remained silent and behaved as if she was invisible and non-existent.

This wretched life was hopeless!

Noticing that the man was about to leave, she cried, “Brother, today’s my birthday. Could you wish me ‘Happy Birthday’?”

The only replies she got were the whoosh of the northern breeze and the creaking sound of the wheelchair as it moved about on the ground. The man had drawn boundaries with the whole world with his inhospitable mannerisms.

Shen Xi let out a long sigh. ‘Alright, don’t give up, at least he took the flower with him. That means there’s still hope.’

Soon, Old Shen’s car arrived at the entrance to her home. He carried several large sacks with him.

Her ladder was placed behind a loquat tree that shielded her from view. Therefore, Old Shen did not see her when he stepped into the courtyard.

The flowers in the courtyard were planted by Old Shen and Madam Yun.

Madam Yun loved planting flowers and her attic was filled with different species of flowers, especially rare ones.

The loquat trees in the courtyard were shipped here painstakingly by Old Shen from his old residence. There were a total of eight trees here.

Eight was her lucky number. No matter what Madam Yun and Old Shen did, they wanted the number “eight” to be represented.

At the turn of the seasons, she would feel uncomfortable. She often itched and coughed.

In the summer, Madam Yun would prepare and stock up some loquat syrup1 for her. She asserted that her homemade remedy was of better quality than the ones sold on the market, and safer for consumption as well.

Old Shen had begun speaking before he even entered the house. His voice was particularly loud, too. “Dear, I bought a cake. Make two more dishes for dinner, and don’t forget about the longevity noodles.”

Shen Xi frowned. She already reminded Madam Yun not to inform Old Shen that she was back. She wanted to give her father a surprise.

Madam Yun had broken her promise!

Shen Zhangqing entered the house, changed his shoes and took out the cake. He counted the seventeen candles on it. “Our Xixi is seventeen years old today, and I wonder how things are for her at the Su family. They are wealthy and I’m sure they will host a lavish birthday party for her.”

Before Shen Xi had a chance to step inside the house to surprise her father, tears began streaming down her cheeks.

Old Shen was unaware of her return. He had even bought her a birthday cake.

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