The Eleventh Blood Orange

When it came to Liao Xue, Shen Qiancheng hesitated to go home. No matter how ruthless she was, she couldn't quickly accept someone she had forcibly removed from her world suddenly reappearing without warning.

The butler blinked, reiterating in disbelief, "Miss, you mean no more noodles are to be made in the house?"

What an odd request.

Shen Qiancheng nodded lightly. "That's right. No noodles of any kind, domestic or international."

The butler nodded, puzzled. "Is there anything else?"

Shen Qiancheng closed the door to her room. "No. Don't bother me unless it's important."

The butler nearly hit his nose on the door, staring in shock at the delicate patterns on the wood. Before joining the Shen household, he had heard rumors in his circle that the eldest Miss Shen had a terrible temper and was best avoided.

Clutching his chest, he muttered, "My salary is ten thousand a month, my salary is ten thousand a month."

In the entire Shen kitchen, Liao Xue made the best noodles. The butler specifically found her and relayed the message word by word. "The last time Miss had your noodles, she's now thrown a fit and won't touch a single noodle."

Liao Xue froze at the words, her round eyes swirling with countless emotions, finally settling on a simple, "Alright, I understand."

For an ordinary worker, receiving the same pay but having their workload drastically reduced would be a dream come true. But Liao Xue wasn't ordinary. Last time, she hadn't even seen Shen Qiancheng, and it left her uneasy.

Since then, catching a glimpse of Shen Qiancheng had become nearly impossible.

Liao Xue sighed. Someone nearby asked curiously, "Your noodles are so good—how come Miss doesn't like them?"

Liao Xue smiled, trying to reassure them. "It's fine. Maybe Miss just has different tastes. I can make more than just noodles."

Faced with Liao Xue's almost naive optimism, the other nodded. Liao Xue was pretty, and her cooking—especially her noodles—was outstanding. Everyone assumed Shi Jianren had hired her for other reasons, so the kitchen staff dared not provoke her and kept a respectful distance.

Liao Xue worked quietly, preparing lunch with the others. Today, Shi Jianren would be back for a meal.

Shen Qiancheng thought: After a week away, he finally remembers he has a home?

At the dining table, Shen Qiancheng was reluctant to eat with Shi Jianren. She pulled a long face, poking at her soup with a spoon.

The two ate in silence. Shen Qiancheng prayed for the meal to end quickly so she could leave.

After the meal, Shi Jianren didn't leave. He sat on the sofa, leisurely watching TV.

Shen Qiancheng rested her chin on her hand. Since Shi Jianren had time to spare, she didn't mind adding to his troubles.

"Father," Shen Qiancheng sidled over, picked up a piece of cut dragon fruit from the table, and stuffed it into Shi Jianren's mouth. "I want to join the company."

Shi Jianren guarded the Shen Corporation against Shen Qiancheng like a henhouse against a weasel. Hearing this, he sat up, abandoning the TV to stare at her. "You majored in architecture. If you join the company, what will you manage? Can you handle it?"

Shen Qiancheng barely suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, her fawning smile so forced it made her look like a vengeful ghost. "Shi Yumeng dropped out of high school, and he can do it. Me, with my ETH degree, I'm not good enough?"

"Who told you that!" Shi Jianren shoved Shen Qiancheng away, as if mentioning his precious son was a matter of life and death. "You just marry into the Su family and be a good wife. Stop daydreaming."

Shen Qiancheng raised an eyebrow and watched Shi Jianren storm out, slamming the door.

With that eyesore gone, Shen Qiancheng gleefully applauded herself.

If only the other one weren't in the Shen family home either.

Shen Qiancheng didn't want to stay home either, so she called Xiao Sui. "My treat. Wanna go out and have some fun?"

Shopping was always an instant mood booster. Shen Qiancheng bought a mountain of stuff, loading down Xiao Sui and everyone else with bags. After tiring herself out, she settled in the VVIP lounge, savoring French pastries.

Her mood was excellent, with piles of shopping bags at her feet.

She tapped a few bags with her finger. "You can split these among yourselves. Too heavy for me to carry back."

Everyone was stunned. Was Miss Shen being this generous? With her temperament, there was probably a trick.

Xiao Sui had known Shen Qiancheng the longest and could tell she was serious.

"What are you all standing around for?" Xiao Sui grabbed a limited-edition handbag first and said smoothly, "Thanks, Miss Shen."

Shen Qiancheng gave a faint "Mm." She only enjoyed the act of shopping; these material things meant little to her. Besides, it was Shi Jianren's card—why not spend it?

Shen Qiancheng didn't check the bill, but it must be substantial. Shi Jianren would surely call her once he saw it.

Her self-assigned mission was to annoy Shi Jianren as much as possible.

Sure enough, her phone rang. Xiao Sui shushed the chattering group dividing up the goods.

Shen Qiancheng answered.

"Come to Herbert's immediately." Shen Qiancheng couldn't see Shi Jianren's face, but from his agitated tone, she could picture him looking as dark as a pot bottom.

Herbert's wasn't far. Shen Qiancheng stood, put on her sunglasses, her sharply angled eyes hidden behind the dark lenses, unreadable.

"Xiao Sui, drive me to Herbert's."

At Herbert's, in the private room.

A square table sat with two people across from each other.

The woman wore a smoky-purple dress, holding a cigarette holder, the tip resting between her full red lips as she exhaled a veil of smoke.

Across from her sat a middle-aged man in a business suit with a large gold watch—none other than Shi Jianren.

"Miss Qiao, always leave a way out. We'll meet again," Shi Jianren said, staring into Qiao Manbo's captivating eyes, which held a faint distaste. If not for Shi Yumeng's matter, he wouldn't have come begging to her. "We're old friends. Can't you spare me any face?"

"Hmph," Qiao Manbo's phoenix eyes were aggressively sharp. She exhaled a puff of smoke from her red lips and sneered, "Who's your old friend? If I didn't spare you face, I wouldn't have come at all. My stance is clear—absolutely not."

Qiao Manbo had looked down on Shi Jianren for years. Now that he was groveling before her, refusing was one thing; making him lower his head while she refused was another delight.

At that moment, a knock came at the door. Qiao Manbo noticed Shi Jianren's brow twitch—so he'd called for reinforcements?

"Come in," Shi Jianren said.

The door opened to reveal a young woman in her early twenties, with slightly upturned eyes, dressed in a dark-green uniform skirt, carrying a box in her arms, and wearing a proper smile as she entered.

Qiao Manbo frowned. Who was this "reinforcement"?

The newcomer was Shen Qiancheng, holding a gift. On seeing Shi Jianren and Qiao Manbo, she called out sweetly, "Aunt Qiao," and sat down beside her.

"I'm Chengcheng. When you returned to the country three years ago, I happened to be studying abroad, so I never got to see you..."

Shi Jianren had never received such a pleasant face from Shen Qiancheng. He glanced at Qiao Manbo with a hint of envy, then raised his glass for a sip, adopting a wait-and-see attitude.

After sitting down, Shen Qiancheng looked at the dishes and frowned. "Aunt Qiao has been living in Japan for so long—these dishes must not suit your taste. Waiter?"

Qiao Manbo's career and life were based overseas. She had only returned for business dealings, and indeed, she wasn't impressed with the food on the table.

"Chengcheng's all grown up," Qiao Manbo said with emotion. "When I left, you couldn't even walk yet. In the blink of an eye, you're about to get married."

Qiao Manbo was an old friend of Shen Ya, but Shen Qiancheng didn't know if she still held any affection for Shen Ya's daughter, so she just nodded. "Aunt Qiao looks like a woman in her twenties. You haven't aged a day."

No woman is unhappy being told she looks young by a younger person.

Ever since Shen Qiancheng entered, Qiao Manbo's gaze had been on her. So this was Shen Ya's daughter. She didn't seem to have Shen Ya's weak and spineless nature at all.

"Aunt Qiao, let's exchange WeChat." Shen Qiancheng pulled out her phone like an old friend reunited, eager to add contact. "I'll take you around Tang City. Let me, as the younger generation, fulfill my duty as host."

Qiao Manbo smiled and accepted Shen Qiancheng's friend request, set her phone face down on the table, and took Shen Qiancheng's hand. "Chengcheng, come with me to the restroom."

Shen Qiancheng nodded and turned to shoot a provocative glare at Shi Jianren, who was left out in the cold, as if to say, "See?"

A new message popped up on her phone.

Shi Jianren: [Let her go easy on Shi Yumeng, and I'll let you into the company.]

That was what she wanted. Shen Qiancheng smiled in triumph. The huge mirror in the restroom reflected her flawless makeup. The girl in the mirror had a smile in her eyes. Suddenly, she leaned close to the mirror, extended a middle finger, and glared fiercely at her own reflection.

Qiao Manbo, having finished washing her hands, caught Shen Qiancheng's antics in the mirror and found it inexplicably endearing.

Qiao Manbo leaned in to touch up her makeup, while Shen Qiancheng obediently waited nearby.

"Chengcheng, you want to let Shi Yumeng off the hook too?"

Shen Qiancheng looked up. Qiao Manbo was indeed stunning, but she carried a dangerous air like a venomous snake in the rainforest—yet Shen Qiancheng liked that type.

Shen Qiancheng shrugged. "He's my father's only son, after all. I'm about to be married off. What can I do?"

Qiao Manbo wiped the lipstick that had bled past her lip line and handed Shen Qiancheng a tissue. "You only fool Shi Jianren. The father and son together have fewer tricks than you. It's good—better than your mother."

When Su Tongqin had come to her, Qiao Manbo guessed it was Shen Qiancheng's idea. Plus, she needed to order a batch of firearms from the Su family, and Su Tongqin's price was tempting, and Shi Yumeng was stupid enough.

All of it was leading to...

Qiao Manbo straightened her collar, then reached out and pinched Shen Qiancheng's cheek.

"Little rascal," Qiao Manbo called her affectionately. "What did he promise you?"

Shen Ya only had this one daughter. Qiao Manbo sighed inwardly. If she hadn't chosen to go abroad back then, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way. Maybe Chengcheng would have grown up healthy and happy.

Shen Qiancheng's cheek tickled from Qiao Manbo's pinch. She shrank back, laughing, and answered, "A spot in Shen Corporation."

"Aunt Qiao, you're not helping Shi Jianren or Shi Yumeng—you're helping me, Shen Qiancheng. Everything he has now will soon be mine."