Shen Nanyue and Bai Youwei quickly reached a partnership agreement.
The two signed the contract at the Shen Group, and Bai Youwei warmly shook hands with Shen Nanyue.
“Please take good care of me in the future, President Shen.”
“Thank you for your trust, Madam Bai. If there’s ever anything we do poorly, please feel free to point it out anytime.”
Both women were humble and courteous.
Bai Youwei still had matters to attend to that afternoon and was about to leave.
Shen Nanyue escorted her out.
The moment they stepped out of the office, Shen An’an arrived carrying the documents Shen Nanyue had forgotten to bring.
The instant Shen Nanyue saw her, she hurried forward first and asked with a frown,
“An’an, why did you come? Didn’t I ask Uncle Liu to deliver the documents for me?”
Shen An’an shook her head and typed a response on her phone for Shen Nanyue.
“I didn’t want to stay at home all the time, so I stole Uncle Liu’s job.”
Shen Nanyue helplessly patted Shen An’an’s head.
When she noticed the sweat on Shen An’an’s forehead that had not yet dried, along with strands of hair plastered against her skin from perspiration, her heart immediately ached for her.
“I wasn’t in a hurry. Why were you running so fast? Look at how drenched in sweat you are. What if you catch a cold later?”
At that moment, Shen Nanyue no longer cared that Bai Youwei was standing nearby.
She searched her pockets but failed to find any tissues.
So she turned and went back into the office to grab some tissues to wipe Shen An’an’s sweat.
The moment Shen Nanyue left, the entire office erupted into whispers.
“Oh my god, is that person dressed like some nighttime ghost, wrapped up from head to toe, President Shen’s younger sister?”
“Showing up at the company dressed so creepily in broad daylight just to scare people—she really is something.”
“And what’s wrong with her left hand? Those look like scars.”
“Keep your voices down! What if someone hears you?”
“…”
The hushed gossip did not escape Shen An’an’s ears.
Ever since she was young, her hearing had been sharper than most people’s.
She heard every single word.
Silently, she tugged down the sleeve on her left arm, covering the scar-covered skin.
Seeing this, Bai Youwei felt something stab painfully into her heart, so much so that her body trembled.
Even though she was not part of the Shen Group, she still lifted her eyes coldly toward those employees.
“It seems the employees of Shen Group all have rather long tongues?”
The staff did not dare offend President Shen’s important client.
Hearing Bai Youwei speak like that, every one of them lowered their heads and hurriedly returned to work.
The murmuring instantly vanished.
Shen An’an nodded toward Bai Youwei in gratitude.
But Bai Youwei looked at Shen An’an’s familiar features, and her emotions stirred even more deeply.
She suddenly took Shen An’an’s left hand and gently stroked the scars on it, heartache filling her eyes until tears shimmered there.
“Child, don’t pay attention to what those people say. You’re not scary at all.”
Shen An’an looked at Bai Youwei in surprise, her own eyes becoming slightly moist as well.
She truly regarded Bai Youwei as an idol.
To receive such warmth and care from someone she admired made her entire heart feel warm.
Using one hand, she typed out a line on her phone.
“Madam Bai, thank you. Don’t worry, I have a very strong heart! I would never fall into emotional turmoil because of irrelevant people.”
“That’s good.”
At that exact moment, Shen Nanyue returned.
Besides bringing tissues, she had also brought her thermos cup.
She poured some warm water into the bottle cap and held it out to Shen An’an.
“Drink some warm water. Go wait in my office for a bit—I’ll be right back.”
Shen An’an obediently allowed Shen Nanyue to wipe the sweat from her face while she quietly drank the warm water.
Shen Nanyue lifted the hair at the back of Shen An’an’s neck, revealing the unburned fair skin beneath.
On the back of Shen An’an’s neck was a red fish-shaped birthmark that appeared especially noticeable beneath the office’s cold lighting.
Bai Youwei, who had been about to leave, happened to catch sight of it by accident.
Her heart nearly stopped beating.
Just as Shen Nanyue was about to let Shen An’an’s hair fall back down, Bai Youwei suddenly stepped in front of them.
She brushed Shen An’an’s hair aside and stared intensely at the birthmark on the back of her neck.
Tears suddenly overflowed from her eyes, and even the hand clutching Shen An’an’s hair trembled slightly.
Shen Nanyue looked at Bai Youwei in confusion.
“Madam Bai… what’s wrong?”
Bai Youwei did not hear Shen Nanyue’s question.
Her reddened eyes were fixed only on Shen An’an, who had turned around to look at her in confusion.
Could Shen An’an really be the child she had been separated from for so many years?
But Shen Nanyue had said that Shen An’an was her biological younger sister.
Should she… trust her own instincts?
Realizing she had lost control of herself, Bai Youwei hurriedly looked away and let Shen An’an’s hair fall back down.
“N-No… I just think the birthmark on the back of your neck is quite unique.”
Shen An’an did not think much of it and simply smiled as she explained to Bai Youwei.
“This is my symbol. Doesn’t it look just like a cute little goldfish?”
Bai Youwei smiled softly.
“Yes… a cute little goldfish.”
From the moment Bai Youwei noticed Shen An’an’s birthmark, Shen Nanyue had been watching her with a puzzled frown.
Why was she paying so much attention to An’an’s birthmark?
And judging from her expression, it did not seem like simple curiosity about the mark itself.
Instead, it felt more like she had some inexplicable sense of closeness toward Shen An’an.
Could it be…
Bai Youwei wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and smiled as she said goodbye to Shen Nanyue.
“President Shen, take good care of your sister. There’s no need to escort me—I can head downstairs myself.”
Since Bai Youwei had already said so, Shen Nanyue naturally could not insist further.
Bai Youwei left directly, her right hand clenched tightly against her chest.
Her heart pounded violently, as though it might burst right out of her chest.
And hidden in her tightly closed hand… was a strand of hair she had secretly taken from Shen An’an just moments earlier.
At this point, only science could give her the answer.
After Bai Youwei left, Shen Nanyue brought Shen An’an back into the office.
Only after pouring her a glass of water did Shen Nanyue begin speaking earnestly.
“An’an, don’t run around so fast anymore. Your body is weak. If you catch a cold, you won’t recover quickly like ordinary people do. It could even endanger your life.”
Shen An’an nodded and took another sip of the water Shen Nanyue handed her.
After putting the cup down, she took out her phone and typed to Shen Nanyue.
“Big Sister, did you really form a partnership with Madam Bai?”
Shen Nanyue knew Shen An’an admired Bai Youwei and simply thought it was a young girl’s admiration.
Smiling, she tucked the hair from Shen An’an’s forehead behind her ear and said softly,
“Yes. Madam Bai will be endorsing Shen Group’s new brand next quarter. You’ll have plenty of chances to see her in the future.”
“Focus on recovering properly. Next time, try taking a photo together with Madam Bai.”
Shen An’an nodded vigorously, looking full of anticipation.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she quickly typed another sentence on her phone.
“Big Sister, then… are you going to collaborate with Li Che too?”
Li Che—the man they had met at the restaurant that day.
The smile on Shen Nanyue’s face gradually faded.
She looked at Shen An’an but did not immediately answer her question. Instead, she asked teasingly,
“Speaking of that, An’an… when exactly did you and Li Che meet? Why do I feel like your relationship with him is a little unusual?”
— The end of the Chapter–
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