After the Early-Deceased White Moonlight of a Wealthy Family Returns (GL) - Chapter 13

“This is your room,” Su Wu said, pulling open the guest room door and turning to introduce it to the girl behind her. “It only has basic furniture for now. If you need anything else later, we can add to it.”

In fact, even this basic furniture had been a last-minute emergency selection Su Wu had her assistant pick out just a few days ago.

“This is already wonderful, Sister Su!”

Shen You’an was already deeply grateful just to have a place to sleep. As someone being taken in, she didn’t have high demands for her environment. In fact, even if Su Wu had just given her a flat patch of floor, she would have been able to sleep soundly.

“Daily essentials are in the closet. I wasn’t sure what style you liked, so I had someone buy things based on the preferences you showed during our last shopping trip.”

“Get some rest early,” Su Wu said.

Shen You’an replied, “Goodnight.”

She closed the door, looked around, and immediately went to check the closet. It was full of clothes organized by color. Su Wu was indeed very observant; every piece was something Shen You’an would have chosen herself.

The bed was very soft. Shen You’an sat on it to test it out; the pale orange patterns on the bedding set added a touch of warmth to this autumn night. A cute teddy bear sat on the pillow—soft and fluffy, looking perfect for hugging.

It almost felt like home.

As that thought crossed her mind, the slight smile on Shen You’an’s face suddenly vanished.

Yes, almost.

Inevitably, she thought back to the scenes she had witnessed today. The storm that had been suppressed by the presence of others came rushing back now that she was sitting alone in the silence of the night.

Shen You’an buried her head in her arms, hugging herself tight.

She felt the space around her compressing rapidly, the air turning solid. Everything in the world seemed to be trying to crush her, and she could do nothing but remain trapped here, letting out a low, guttural growl like a cornered beast.

After an unknown amount of time, a sudden knock came from the door. Su Wu was calling her name, her voice laced with panic: “You’an?”

Shen You’an’s sanity finally snapped back into place.

She looked down abruptly and discovered that her human fingernails had been replaced by sharp blades. These knife-like appendages were dug into her own arms; blood flowed out only to be absorbed back by the tips of the blades, a bizarre crimson spreading across the nails. On her pale skin, the gashes torn by her five claws were bleeding, yet healing at an unnaturally fast rate.

Her pupils constricted violently.

This was the “differentiation” that occurred when her emotions became too intense!

Su Wu’s voice calling her name rang out again from behind the door.

Shen You’an looked up in terror, biting her lower lip hard, not making a single sound.

Why would Su Wu suddenly come to knock on her door?

Shen You’an stared at the door, hesitating between pretending to be asleep or answering. No matter what, she could not let Su Wu see her in this state. Just thinking about the possibility of that moment made her blood run cold.

No, she absolutely could not let that happen.

The knocking turned urgent for a split second.

In Shen You’an’s memory, she had never known Su Wu to act this way.

Fear eventually lost out to worry.

“Sister Su! I’m here!” Shen You’an quickly called out.

Shen You’an hunched her body, curling up as she moved toward the door.

“Did something happen?”

Su Wu was silent for a long moment before saying, “It’s thundering. I’m scared.”

Shen You’an froze for a second. She looked up toward the window just as lightning split the night sky, leaving behind a streak of silver-white.

She hadn’t even noticed the storm until now.

Closing her eyes, she silently counted to ten and focused on her breathing. Shen You’an retracted the out-of-control blades, quickly changed out of her torn pajamas, crumpled them into a ball to stuff into the very back of the closet, and pulled on a fresh set.

After this frantic maneuvering, Shen You’an’s eyes briefly flashed with a beast-like glint as she checked the darkened room one last time.

Confirming everything looked normal, she breathed a sigh of relief, flicked on the light, opened the door, and rubbed her eyes while letting out a massive yawn. “Sister Su, I just fell asleep. I didn’t even hear the thunder.”

Su Wu was standing right at the door.

Wearing a long-sleeved silk pajama set with her hair slightly tousled, she had shed her daytime poise, revealing a hint of vulnerability rarely seen by others.

Shen You’an was stunned.

Su Wu’s gaze shifted uneasily. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

“I—” Su Wu only managed one word before the rest was drowned out by a crack of thunder. The woman shivered for a moment, her hands clutching her arms turning a frantic white. She asked softly, “Could I trouble you to stay with me for a bit? Just for a while.”

Something deep inside Shen You’an’s heart suddenly caved in.

“Sister Su, why don’t we sleep together tonight?”

Su Wu pondered for a moment and then agreed. Shen You’an grabbed her pillow and followed Su Wu to the master bedroom. A person’s room is an externalization of their inner world; Shen You’an always believed that, but now she looked at this excessively minimalist bedroom in disbelief. The grey bedding set exuded a deathly, silent stillness.

After lying down side-by-side, Shen You’an asked, “Are you still scared?”

Su Wu shook her head and said thank you.

Seeing that Su Wu’s expression had stabilized, the hollow feeling in Shen You’an’s heart filled back up.

“Goodnight, Sister Su.”

Su Wu also said goodnight.

This time, Shen You’an truly fell asleep. Because of this small interlude, her soul, which had been wandering lost in the middle of the night, seemed to have found a place to belong, allowing her to sleep peacefully.

By the pillow, Su Wu, who had been feigning sleep, suddenly opened her eyes. Despite the rolling thunder, her gaze remained cold and sharp.

She quietly took out her phone hidden by the pillow and scanned an app with the brightness at its lowest setting.

Not long ago, the emotion and health tracking lines that had suddenly spiked into abnormal territory had returned to a calm state.

In the history of notifications, red text displayed urgent messages:

[Your child’s emotions fluctuated wildly today; she might have encountered something! As a parent, you should talk to her more!]

[Warning, Warning: Your child’s physical state is showing as abnormal, please check immediately!]

[Warning, Warning: Your child’s emotional state is out of control, please check immediately!]

Scrolling further back…

In the mood logs, Shen You’an’s emotions—from arriving at the manor in the afternoon, seeing Shen Zhiyu, learning about what happened afterward, to her birthday celebration in the evening—had fluctuated with a range comparable to the Himalayas.

Su Wu pursed her lips tight.

She asked herself: Was there a way to have avoided Shen You’an’s pain today?

Had she not planned thoroughly enough?

What if I contact Shen Huaijin? she asked herself. Su Wu, you can fool everyone, but you can’t fool yourself. Is keeping this from Shen Huaijin for a high-minded reason, or out of an unspeakable selfishness?

She knew Shen Huaijin; once she found out, she would either take Shen You’an and continue to run away, or she would cause a massive scene at the Shen house.

Her choice was not wrong. Staying by her side was Shen You’an’s best option.

Before the app had issued the alarm—warning of abnormal data and invalid logs, and before the mood chart lines had begun to fluctuate in that bizarre way—Su Wu had truly believed that.

But now, lying next to Shen You’an, Su Wu felt a trace of regret.

In Su Wu’s entire life, this kind of emotional intensity had only ever appeared because of Shen You’an.

She rolled over and, in the darkness, gazed at the girl sleeping with her back turned toward her.

Shen You’an was hiding a secret.

Su Wu was certain of it.

And that secret was tied to the ten years she had been missing.