Chapter 38

On the day of the financial report meeting, seeing Wei Xiaolu’s grave expression, Shen Siyan decided to stop scaring the girl.

“Xiaolu, come here.” She beckoned to Wei Xiaolu, who was fidgeting in place and checking her phone over and over again. “Help me check the PPT for typos.”

Wei Xiaolu was still tense when she stood beside her, but after skimming a few pages, she gradually relaxed.

The cash-flow issue and the online incident only came up briefly at the beginning. After that, there was the switch in partners, the launch of new projects, improved user satisfaction, the establishment of support systems... the achievements Shen Siyan had been quietly pushing forward without making a fuss. Those were the backbone of this report.

Compared with those major accomplishments, that small mistake was nothing at all.

And by the end of the presentation, she had also laid out the future development direction and remedial measures for the financial losses in enough detail to offset any blame the executives might have wanted to heap on her.

Watching Wei Xiaolu, Shen Siyan’s pride grew clearer by the second.

“CEO Shen,” Wei Xiaolu’s eyes seemed to sparkle. “What kind of meeting is this? You’re not going to get criticized at all; you’re practically going there to broaden their horizons!”

Shen Siyan waved her hand. “No typos now, right?”

“None,” Wei Xiaolu said, then drifted off into wild speculation again. “Oh, and when the time comes, CEO Shen, if they bring up the smart finance and tax project, just show them these later parts. They’ll definitely have nothing to say.”

“Good.” Shen Siyan lightly patted her waist. “Don’t worry.”

Wei Xiaolu clenched both fists and held them in front of her chest, cheering her on.

She looked full of energy.

Shen Siyan smiled.

It wasn’t as though she had ever been afraid of this meeting, but after all, it was still a judgment on her; it also concerned the department’s future standing in the company. So Shen Siyan still took it very seriously.

The financial report meeting was held on the last day of September, at two in the afternoon, right on time.

The atmosphere in the conference room was solemn and severe. The group’s top executives sat at the main table, while the back rows were filled with department heads. When Shen Siyan walked up to the podium, she could clearly feel those eyes on her, already waiting to enjoy the spectacle of “a high-rise built only to come crashing down.”

Sure enough, when she briefly mentioned the setbacks in smart finance and tax, one vice president immediately cut in. “Department Head Shen, this project was launched with a huge investment of resources. Now that such a serious problem has appeared, as the person in charge, you need to bear the main responsibility.”

Shen Siyan looked straight ahead at the audience and admitted it frankly. “Yes. As the person responsible, I can’t shirk it.”

Before the other side could press her further, she changed tack at once. “Precisely because of that, once the problem was discovered, we immediately terminated the partnership. Within a week, we completed the selection of a new team and rebuilt the collaboration structure. Through user retention measures, we also reversed the ratings and have now restored everything to the level before the incident.”

The vice president fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded and asked no more.

Two other executives also took turns targeting her, but Shen Siyan answered every sharp question with calm composure. Then, through the material she presented afterward, she completely dispelled everyone’s doubts.

After the report ended, the room was silent for at least five seconds before low murmurs broke out.

But within those murmurs, the weight of the doubts had turned into appreciation and recognition. The vice president who had asked the first question even said to her, “You stay composed under pressure, and you’ve got real substance and practical ability. Not bad.”

Shen Siyan had expected this long ago. She lowered her head with graceful modesty and accepted the praise openly.

The meeting ran very long. Shen Siyan knew she wouldn’t make it back before work ended, so she sent Wei Xiaolu out to buy some snacks as holiday treats to hand out to everyone.

The week-long National Day holiday was next. She arranged for a few volunteers to stay on duty in the department, and all other work was suspended.

Since that was the case, there was no need for her to stay and work overtime at the company. Then these seven days—Shen Siyan thought for a while and sent Shen Gaolang a WeChat message.

[Shen Siyan: Dad, I’m coming home for the National Day holiday.]

She knew this message would sink without a trace, and that late that night or the next morning she would probably receive nothing more than a single “Okay.” Even so, she stared at the phone for a while, then turned it off when the sales department head nearby came over to strike up a conversation.

Today she had already kept herself restrained. She hadn’t even mentioned the team’s latest results, yet she still received at least some respect. The sales department head repeated “I’ll learn from you” several times in a row, and Shen Siyan smiled modestly and replied, “We’ll look after each other.”

After the meeting ended, the social obligations continued.

Colleagues who had previously worked at headquarters invited her out to dinner. A few of them admired her quite a lot, so Shen Siyan agreed.

She also needed to maintain these personal connections; they would help when it came time to take root and develop future plans back at headquarters.

It was just...

If she went out to eat, she wouldn’t be able to see Wei Xiaolu. The little girl had been talking about the holiday for ages; maybe the moment she punched out, she’d race straight home without stopping.

She probably wouldn’t wait for me to go back.

But she still remembered the “mental compensation” Wei Xiaolu had promised her that night.

Did that still count?

After a slight hesitation, Shen Siyan sent Wei Xiaolu a message: [When you get off work, just go straight home for the holiday.]

Right after that, Wei Xiaolu replied.

[Wei Xiaolu: I’m at the apartment. I’ll leave after you get back; I still have a gift for you~]

“Come on, Siyan. What do you want to eat tonight?”

Shen Siyan put her phone away and smiled at her former colleagues. “Sorry, I’ve got something to take care of today, so I won’t be going. I’ll treat you all another time.”

“Oh, so busy now that you’re a department head.”

“Get some rest over the holiday.”

“Remember to contact us next time you come back to headquarters! Let’s make plans again.”

Shen Siyan smiled and answered them one by one, saying goodbye to the colleagues she had once worked with. Yet that smile didn’t fade after she left their sight, as it usually did.

She was still smiling. After getting into the car, she even glanced at herself in the rearview mirror; her makeup was appropriate, her outfit was elegant, and her brows and eyes were bright and lively.

Before Shen Siyan drove into the garage, she was even thinking of tidying her hair once she got inside. But the electric door slowly opened, and the little kid dressed in all sorts of colors bounced out. At that moment, she no longer cared whether she looked refined.

“CEO Shen!” Wei Xiaolu clasped her hands behind her back and blinked mysteriously. “Drive in first! Then I’ll give you the present.”

Shen Siyan looked at her, her eyes trembling slightly.

Then she smiled and drove in. “What gift did our Xiaolu prepare?”

“I bought you a pot of flowers,” Wei Xiaolu said, holding out a vividly red rose in her left hand. “I saw there weren’t any plants on your desk. If you put a pot of flowers there, your mood will get better when you’re working.”

Shen Siyan got out of the car, leaning back against the door as she took the flower and brushed the petals with a smile. “Little sister, this flower is way too bright.”

“That’s because it matches a gorgeous beauty as dazzling as you!” Wei Xiaolu shouted.

“No matter how bright the flower is,” Shen Siyan said, glancing at Wei Xiaolu, “it still can’t compare to how sweet your mouth is.”

Praised, Wei Xiaolu puffed out her chest and giggled proudly.

“What about the other hand?” Shen Siyan lifted her chin.

“This one.” Wei Xiaolu pulled a white plush toy from behind her back. “This is a white-furred dog. I saw your computer screen at the meeting last time, so I bought one that looks kind of similar. I don’t know if you’ll like it?”

For a moment, Shen Siyan froze.

“I can’t buy you too many things for now,” Wei Xiaolu said a little awkwardly, shrinking her shoulders. “So I picked a bigger one; you can hug it while you sleep.”

Shen Siyan took it and held the little white dog in her arms.

She looked down at it for a few moments, then finally smiled softly. “Thank you, little sister. I really like it.”

“I’m glad you like it!” Wei Xiaolu leaned closer. “I already heard about it; you totally dominated the financial report meeting today and held the whole room in check.”

Wei Xiaolu even added two chopping motions, then straightened up and said, “CEO Shen, you were so cool.”

Not as cute as you.

That was what Shen Siyan was thinking. What came out after the corners of her lips lifted was: “That’s because I knew someone was waiting for me, so I could be this confident.”

Wei Xiaolu suddenly looked overjoyed. She covered both cheeks with her hands, her bright eyes blinking again and again.

“Then I’ll wait for you every day from now on,” Wei Xiaolu said, unable to hide the happiness in her voice even with her face covered, “so you can be this confident every day!”

“How could you wait every day? Just on workdays,” Shen Siyan said with a smile. “Aren’t you going home for the holiday?”

“Oh, right, I am, I am.” Wei Xiaolu laughed awkwardly. “Um, CEO Shen, my parents came to pick me up. They’re waiting outside the neighborhood, so I’ll head off first?”

Shen Siyan nodded and thanked her again. “Thank you, little sister. I’ve accepted the gift; I really like it.”

“Bye, CEO Shen.” Wei Xiaolu skipped out of the garage and stood outside waving at her. “Happy holiday in advance, sis.”

“You too, little sister. Happy holiday.” Shen Siyan waved back.

Only after watching the little girl’s figure disappear did Shen Siyan turn her attention back to today’s gifts.

She was going to take them back to the apartment before driving home, but after climbing two flights of stairs, she suddenly stopped. She turned back to the car, put the gifts in the passenger seat, and then set off for home with the flowers and the plush dog riding along with her.

As she drove out of the neighborhood, Shen Siyan saw, outside the bank across the road, Wei Xiaolu beside a Wuling Hongguang van, grinning as she boxed and kicked at a boy who looked about her age. Next to them stood a pair of middle-aged parents with gentle temperaments; they seemed to be her parents, and not only did they not stop her, they were laughing so hard they could hardly straighten up.

The boy dodged Wei Xiaolu’s attacks nimbly. Maybe he had tried to hop into the car, only to be tripped by Wei Xiaolu and fall to the ground. Then her father went over and helped him up, and in the end the whole family dissolved into laughter.

Across more than ten meters of roadway, Shen Siyan could still feel that warmth and closeness flowing naturally in the sunlight.

In truth, Shen Siyan had also seen Wei Xiaolu throwing herself into her mother’s arms and acting spoiled; she had also seen her brother, looking disgusted, casually taking her bag.

But Shen Siyan forced herself to pretend she hadn’t seen any of it.

Because not long from now, the home she was about to return to would still be quiet, cold, solemn, and austere.

There, all concern came with calculation, and all love came with conditions.

She had lived in that kind of environment until today and had long since grown used to it.

Her parents had given her an excellent platform, but in return, they also needed to evaluate her abilities. Stepping into that home was like stepping into a strategic command center; her father always emphasized maximizing benefits, while her mother constantly talked, in her words, about the principle of optimizing resources.

So she had been guided from a very young age to become skilled at navigating the world. She also learned how to obtain top-tier resources, how to weigh the pros and cons, and how to excel through ability.

So even though she ultimately had not relied on her parents’ power and had gone out to carve a path on her own, she could not deny that her success and status today were inseparable from the upbringing and influence of her parents.

After parking the car in the courtyard, she came to the facial recognition device.

With a beep, the villa’s south gate opened for her, and Shen Siyan walked inside.

Aunt Liu, who had been idle all day, saw her return and was about to prepare dinner, but Shen Siyan didn’t trouble her. She went to the kitchen and boiled herself a bowl of noodles. After eating, she went to the third-floor study and read for a while.

By midnight, no one else had returned.

Looks like everyone’s busy.

Shen Siyan put the finished book back on the shelf, then went back outside to the car to fetch the rose and the plush toy. She returned to her room with them.

These two things didn’t suit her room at all, especially that white dog. Twenty years ago, such trivial things would no longer have existed in her world.

The computer wallpaper had been chosen at random. At the time, she had only thought it was cute and set it without much thought.

But now, the little animal in that wallpaper had turned into a huge fluffy white thing, soft and light, something she could hold in her lap.

Her phone rang. A call came in.

Shen Siyan glanced at it; it was Qi Lang, so she answered without hurry.

“Miss Shen,” Qi Lang’s background was noisy, and she didn’t know which nightclub he was in, “my dad finally handed the company over to me. We can finally unbind now; you’re happy, right?”

“Unbind what? We were never bound.” Shen Siyan said.

“Oh, so now it’s not the time when you needed me to block your admirers anymore.”

“...” Shen Siyan was speechless. “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”

“There isn’t much,” Qi Lang said. “I finally took over the company today. We should celebrate. You’re the big contributor, so come out and have some fun.”

Shen Siyan didn’t even need to think to know that Qi Lang’s idea of fun meant a bunch of people singing, dancing, drinking, making noise, and throwing their arms around each other, plus flirting right up against the edge of propriety while playing around with feelings.

So she simply said, “I’m not going,” and decisively hung up.

The room returned once again to utter emptiness.

Shen Siyan lay down on the bed, preparing to sleep. But she really wasn’t sleepy, so she sat up and found some work to do, using it to make this stretch of time feel less empty, less monotonous.

There wasn’t much to do. By the time she finished, it was only one in the morning. After shutting down her computer, she picked up the plush toy and gently stroked the fur on its body a couple of times.

It was time to sleep. As usual, before bed, she opened Moments and scrolled through a few posts. At this hour, everyone was sharing how they were celebrating National Day.

Wei Xiaolu had also posted a photo of dinner: a table full of home-cooked dishes, with the caption saying that Old Wei’s cooking was earth-shatteringly amazing.

That description made Shen Siyan laugh out loud. But after laughing, she put down her phone, and the vast, silent room suddenly made her realize that even if her arms could be filled by a plush toy, it still couldn’t hide the fact that she was always alone. Shen Siyan’s heart still felt empty for a moment.

She had no bad habits, and no intimate relationship. She had broad connections through casual acquaintance, and knowledge and status beyond the reach of ordinary people. To everyone else, she was flawless; a goddess, a success story, an elite, a model.

Only sometimes, she was also Shen Siyan.

Shen Siyan would feel lonely.

TL Note:

National Day holiday (国庆假期) = China’s Oct. 1 national holiday break, usually part of the week-long Golden Week.

Wuling Hongguang van (五菱宏光) = a very common, affordable Chinese minivan.