After the Early-Deceased White Moonlight of a Wealthy Family Returns (GL) - Chapter 46

Yunshan Building is situated on the top floor of Chens City’s center, a traditional, antique-style hotpot restaurant perched in a spot that commands a view of the entire city.

It was Shen You’an’s first time here. When she looked at the menu and saw a plate of cabbage cost 599, her hunger vanished instantly.

Times have truly progressed, she thought. This is daylight robbery.

“Shen Huaijin is treating,” Meng Xi said. “Everyone, order whatever you like.”

Shen Huaijin: “…?”

Shen Huaijin: “Since when was I the one treating?”

She had no problem treating others, but Su Wu was at the table, and she wasn’t particularly happy about that.

Meng Xi smiled. “What do you think? Do you really want me to spell it out for you?”

Shen Huaijin: “…”

She gritted her teeth. “Fine, I’ll treat. Order whatever you want.”

Then she turned tenderly toward Shen You’an. “Xiao An, order anything you like. Let’s get an order of shrimp dumplings and luncheon meat, how about that? I remember you really like fish balls and shrimp paste. Come, sit by your sister and see what else you want.”

It was a round table. Meng Xi and Shen Huaijin had entered the room and sat down first.

Shen You’an instinctively glanced at Su Wu.

Shen Huaijin: “…?” What was this? Since when did her sister have to check Su Wu’s face before deciding where to sit? She stood up directly and pulled You’an to her side.

Meng Dongdong immediately made a move to sit next to Shen You’an without a word.

Meng Xi grabbed her by the back of the collar. “Where do you think you’re going? I haven’t finished settling the score with you yet. Why did you hang up on me earlier?”

Meng Dongdong had a grievance she couldn’t voice. “I… I didn’t notice. Meng Xi! Let go of me!”

Su Wu patted the back of Meng Xi’s hand. “Let the two kids sit together; it’ll be more lively.”

Meng Xi let go, and Meng Dongdong instantly darted to Shen You’an’s side.

For some reason, Shen You’an felt a fleeting sense of loss. That emotion was quickly covered by Meng Dongdong’s rapid-fire questions.

“And who is this?”

“Shen Huaijin,” Meng Xi said. “Call her whatever you want; she’s not close with me anyway.”

“Xizi,” Shen Huaijin said helplessly. “I’ll do three penalty shots later to make it up to you, alright?”

“Don’t call me that.” Meng Xi broke out in goosebumps. She raised her hand to rub her arm. “I can’t take it.”

“Six shots?”

“Down them in one go.”

“Deal.”

Meng Xi let out a huff and said to Meng Dongdong, “Just call her ‘Sister’ then.”

“Sister Shen.” Meng Dongdong’s mouth was sweet, but after saying it, she realized something was off. She felt the name was very familiar. Shen Huaijin, Shen… Meng Dongdong’s eyes went wide, as large as bells, in disbelief. “You’re Shen Zhirou’s sister!”

The warmth on Shen Huaijin’s face froze instantly.

Meng Xi gasped and immediately checked the expressions of the two people beside her, beginning to regret calling Meng Dongdong out to dinner.

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Meng Xi couldn’t take it; she made Su Wu stand up and yanked her sister’s chair over, having Su Wu sit next to Shen You’an instead.

Meng Dongdong was dazed by this sudden “Great Shift of Heaven and Earth.”

“I’m not talking nonsense!” she argued. “Shen Huaijin—I remember now—she is Shen Zhirou’s sister, the eldest daughter of the Shen family.”

“Wait.” Before Meng Xi could reply, Meng Dongdong denied it herself. “But she just said she was An-jie’s sister…”

Meng Dongdong’s head was spinning. “What exactly is going on here…”

Sister, sister, sister. She was beginning to forget what the word even meant.

“You’re just a kid, don’t worry about it.” Meng Xi stuffed the menu into Meng Dongdong’s palm. “Just order your food.”

To bribe her sister, she specifically added, “Yunshan Building’s cocktails are quite good. If you’re craving one, I’ll make a special exception today and let you have one or two, provided the alcohol content isn’t too high.”

Upon hearing this, Meng Dongdong hurriedly refused, flipping the menu back from the drinks page. “No, no, I’m not drinking.”

Meng Xi found it strange. “You little alcoholic, you used to beg to drink every day. What’s wrong today?”

Meng Dongdong said righteously, “Drinking is bad for the health. Big Sis, you should drink less too.”

Meng Xi: “…???”

Fine, whatever she wants. Anyway, her goal had been achieved: forcibly diverting the conversation away from Shen Zhirou.

Dangerous—it was truly too dangerous. She had almost forgotten such a major detail. As someone “in the know,” Meng Xi knew with her toes that “Shen Zhirou” was likely a forbidden word in the current situation. If they wanted to finish the meal in peace, it was best if no one mentioned her. Otherwise, it would be awkward for everyone.

She checked Shen Huaijin’s expression; it hadn’t cleared up yet. Fortunately, Shen You’an was in a good state of mind. She finished ordering and naturally said to Su Wu, who was now sitting beside her: “A-jie, I ordered some blood pudding for you, as well as spinach and some beef and mutton, okay? Is there anything you don’t eat?”

Hearing these items, Su Wu understood Shen You’an’s intent immediately.

“I’m fine,” she said softly. “I have no dietary restrictions; these are all fine.”

Shen You’an nodded. “Then I’ll order a few more portions.”

Shen You’an studied the menu intently, deep in thought about which other dishes had blood-replenishing properties.

Sitting on the other side of her, Shen Huaijin watched their interaction, feeling quite unsettled. She waited for a long time, but her sister never turned to ask her what she wanted or if she had any restrictions.

A line inexplicably floated through Shen Huaijin’s mind: Only the laughter of the new is heard, while the weeping of the old is ignored. [1]

She felt a strange pang of jealousy. Thinking about it, the time her sister had spent with Su Wu wasn’t nearly as long as the seventeen years they had spent together. You’an had been raised by her; after she stopped breastfeeding, it was Huaijin who had spent her days carefully mixing milk powder in a baby bottle.

But then, who could she blame? She was the one who made the choice. Shen Huaijin clenched her fists secretly, blaming herself and feeling guilty.

“Sister, see if there’s anything else you want to add.” The menu was handed back to Shen Huaijin. She took a look; among the dishes Shen You’an ordered, besides those she mentioned to Su Wu, there were others.

Seeing her look so seriously, Shen You’an grew worried instead. “Is it because you don’t like boneless chicken feet anymore? And the pig brains? I ordered a portion of those too.”

“I like them.” Shen Huaijin smiled. “Thank you, Xiao An.”

She surreptitiously shot a glance at Su Wu.

Fine. She hadn’t lost. Her sister still remembered her preferences.

Su Wu felt that Shen Huaijin was being a bit childish. She sipped her tea, unmoved. Yunshan Building’s free tea was a house-made herbal tea, perfect for hotpot. It wasn’t sweet and was very refreshing; Su Wu finished it in one gulp. Just as she set down the cup to reach for the teapot, Shen You’an had already picked up the small pot to refill her cup.

“A-jie, if you need anything, just tell me. I’ll do it.”

Su Wu chuckled. “Is such exaggeration necessary?”

Shen You’an blushed slightly. “It’s what I should do.”

Meng Dongdong let out an “ao-ao” and held out her cup. “An-jie, An-jie, I want some too!”

Meng Xi’s gaze traveled back and forth between Shen You’an and Su Wu. Seeing Su Wu’s composed and unshakeable attitude in front of Shen Huaijin, and thinking back to the bizarre scene from this morning, Meng Xi was suddenly choked by her herbal tea.

She turned her head away, looking at no one, and thought in terror: No way, no way… things couldn’t be the way I’m imagining, could they?

Shen Huaijin, watching this, felt even more bitter. She raised her cup and downed the tea. She took the pot from her sister’s hand, refilled her own cup, and then refilled You’an’s.

It was at this moment that Ji Lan finally arrived. Her signature silver-blue hair was eye-catching. As soon as she entered, she apologized with a smile: “Traffic was bad, sorry I’m late.”

Meng Xi greeted her: “Auntie Lan, we were just waiting for you. Come and sit. Dongdong, move over a bit and make some room for Auntie.”

Meng Dongdong was a bit displeased. “Me moving again?”

Despite saying so, she still shifted over. Ji Lan sat between Su Wu and Meng Dongdong.

With six people, the table was finally full.

“Let me introduce everyone. Ji Lan, my aunt. That’s Shen Huaijin, my friend. You should know everyone else here; we met last time.”

Ji Lan nodded, greeting Shen Huaijin, then Shen You’an and Su Wu.

Meng Xi nudged Meng Dongdong with her elbow. “Meng Dongdong, what are you doing? Greet her.”

Meng Dongdong snapped out of her daze. “Aiyah! I’m busy ranking up, don’t touch me. Auntie, hello, Auntie.”

Ji Lan smiled. “What are you playing?” As she asked, she leaned in, her body suddenly very close to Meng Dongdong’s. Meng Dongdong’s hand slipped, and her ultimate missed, hitting the tower.

“…” Oh, for f—.

She immediately turned off her screen. “Nothing.”

“Auntie, what are you eating? Take a look and see if you want to add anything.” Meng Dongdong handed over the menu.

Ji Lan took it but didn’t look, only saying, “Anything is fine, I’m not picky.”

Meng Dongdong thought to herself, Yeah.

Not picky at all.

She had been drunk on the ship, but Ji Lan hadn’t. Why had she joined in the madness? While grumbling in her heart, she didn’t show it on her face. She stood up abruptly from her seat and pulled Shen You’an to get the dipping sauces. Shen You’an agreed, but before leaving, she said to Su Wu: “A-jie, shall I get yours for you?”

Su Wu said yes.

Ji Lan sighed. “Su Wu, you really have a good sister.”

Shen Huaijin: “…?”

Sister, would you care to repeat that?

Who has a good sister?

Meng Xi, seeing that Shen Huaijin could no longer hide her eye-roll, hurriedly shouted: “Meng Dongdong, get me a sauce too.”

Meng Dongdong sneered. “Sure. Two thousand.”

Meng Xi: “…?” She couldn’t distinguish who was more miserable, her or Shen Huaijin.

“Don’t mind them.” Meng Dongdong pulled Shen You’an’s hand and walked out. “An-jie, I’m going to share my top-secret, extraordinarily delicious sauce recipe with you! I’m telling you, the chili oil in this shop is super fragrant, and the sesame paste… that taste is just incredible.”

Shen You’an smiled and walked with her. At the sauce station, she watched as Meng Dongdong scooped three spoonfuls of minced garlic into her bowl.

“Dongdong?” Shen You’an asked. “Is something on your mind?”

Meng Dongdong snapped back to reality, looked down at her bowl full of garlic, and sighed helplessly.

“Not exactly.” She looked back to confirm the adults weren’t there, then leaned into Shen You’an’s ear and whispered, “I’m just frustrated.”

“What happened?”

Meng Dongdong thought of the final events on the ship and felt her cheeks burn.

“I have a friend,” she said. “She got drunk a few days ago and accidentally… did this and that with an acquaintance.”

As she said the last words, Meng Dongdong pouted her lips as a gesture.

Shen You’an analyzed seriously: “Do you have a mouth ulcer?”

Meng Dongdong: “…”

Meng Dongdong: “…?”

She stamped her feet in frustration. “Not that! I mean this!”

She pulled Shen You’an aside to make room for people at the station, then held You’an’s arm and cautiously made a sound: Mwah! Mwah!

Seeing that Shen You’an still didn’t quite get it, Meng Dongdong gave up the pretense and spoke directly: “Smooching, kissing, making out. Do you get it now?”

Shen You’an nodded. “I get it. You could have said so just now.”

“…” Meng Dongdong was in despair. How could she say it out loud?

“And then?” Shen You’an asked earnestly. “Your friend kissed an acquaintance. What are you worried about?”

Shen You’an added: “She didn’t kiss you.”

“Wait, was it you she kissed?”

“…How do I put this.” Meng Dongdong was a bit speechless. Her An-jie truly didn’t seem to get what the “I have a friend” trope meant, yet she had subtly captured a piece of the truth. “That’s not important.” Meng Dongdong waved it off. “What’s important is that the relationship between my friend and her kissing partner is very delicate.”

“They aren’t a couple, and there’s no possibility of them becoming one.”

“Why?” Shen You’an was confused again. “What makes it impossible?”

“That person wouldn’t like my friend,” Meng Dongdong said without hesitation. “And they… they aren’t from the same world.”

“Dongdong, I don’t know much about romance, but I think whether to like your friend is a decision for that person to make. Have you asked each other? Besides, if you’re both breathing the same air, I don’t think the latter statement really holds up.”

If one really had to talk about who wasn’t from the same world as someone else… she would be the prime example. After all, she wasn’t even strictly human.

“An-jie, I don’t need you to tell me; I already know you really don’t understand romance.” Meng Dongdong chuckled. “Some things just can’t be asked at a time like this. You’ll know if you ever fall for someone. You’ll start caring about how you act in front of them, whether you’re being interesting, if you look pretty, and whether they’ll like you more or hate you more because of these tiny details.”

“To just walk up and ask ‘Do you like me?’… An-jie, that’s no different from surrendering in a war. The translation of that sentence is: ‘I like you very much, and I hope you like me too’.”

“It’s too embarrassing,” Meng Dongdong said. “I can’t do something like that. If the other person refuses…”

Meng Dongdong didn’t even dare to imagine it. That would be a devastating blow to her.

“If the other person likes you, they might find your bravery cute. If they don’t, and they use your feelings as an excuse to hurt you… Dongdong, that doesn’t show you’re bad, it shows the other person is.”

Seeing Shen You’an comfort her so seriously, Meng Dongdong’s worries lessened slightly. She teased, “You talk a good game, but once you actually fall for someone, An-jie, I’m telling you—you’re finished.”

“An-jie, have you really never liked anyone?”

For some reason, after Meng Dongdong asked that, the first face that appeared in Shen You’an’s mind was Su Wu’s. They had been standing on the mountain top, surrounded by mist, with a cliff behind them, and Su Wu’s expression had been both mad and certain. Recalling it now, Shen You’an’s heartbeat quickened slightly.

“Whoa, something’s up?” The light of gossip suddenly flared in Meng Dongdong’s eyes.

Shen You’an avoided her gaze. “No.”

Her relationship with Su Wu wasn’t what Meng Dongdong was talking about.

“Liar,” Meng Dongdong said. “Who were you just thinking of!”

Shen You’an said, “I just… couldn’t think of anyone.”

Meng Dongdong let out an “eh-eh”: “No way, An-jie, you’ve lived this long and never felt a flutter of the heart? You’ve never felt like someone was particularly good, particularly perfect—like you had a filter on whenever you saw them?”

Shen You’an truly had never had such an experience before.

“Boys are very boring,” Shen You’an thought carefully. “And very childish.”

A truth that Chibi Maruko-chan understood in kindergarten, Shen You’an understood as well. Especially after studying art, she found the male of the species to be truly peculiar. Take her art exam prep class: there were the hypocritical male teachers who used painting as an excuse to flirt with female students. And then there were the “artistic” guys who claimed to be unique, playing out the “melancholy prince” drama all day, wanting all the girls around them to be their mothers.

Men were too boring. Shen You’an couldn’t think of a single reason to like them.

Meng Dongdong let out a “hai-ya”: “An-jie, don’t be so narrow-minded. Open up your perspective and look further. Come, look at this shop. What do you see?”

Shen You’an was puzzled. “People…?”

“Exactly. Among all these people, there are men, women, old, and young. If you ask me, we girls shouldn’t just focus on that tiny little patch of ground. Look outward—besides guys, there are plenty of good things out there.”

It was Shen You’an’s first time hearing such a thing. “You mean… women and women?”

In her era, this matter was never as clear as it was now.

“And it’s more than that,” Meng Dongdong said. “I’ve even seen people online dating AI. You know AI, right? Those electronic programs.”

“An-jie, love is a torment, but it also makes you very happy. Because once you like someone, all your emotions can be magnified ten thousand times.” Meng Dongdong looked radiant as she mentioned this. “A very ordinary, average day might be lit up by a single word from them—maybe just an extra emoji in a reply, or the fact that they remembered your preference.”

“Of course, it’s not just happiness that gets magnified ten thousand times.”

Meng Dongdong patted Shen You’an’s shoulder with the air of an experienced elder. “An-jie, you still have a lot to learn in this department. No rush. They say love is a ‘tribulation’ (jie)—since it’s a tribulation, no one escapes. It’s just a matter of arriving early or late.”

“What are you two whispering about?” Meng Xi’s head suddenly popped up from behind.

Meng Dongdong was startled and nearly fell back, but Ji Lan reached out to support her waist. Meng Dongdong shuddered, and once steady, she immediately cried, “Auntie, thank you.”

“The pot is about to boil,” Meng Xi said. “The two of you went to get sauces and disappeared; I thought you’d been dropped into the pot.”

Meng Dongdong made a face. “Going back now, going back now.” She hurriedly carried her sauce away. Shen You’an followed.

Ji Lan, walking in front of her, suddenly turned and looked at her. After Ji Lan turned back, Shen You’an tilted her head in confusion. She felt as if Meng Dongdong’s aunt held a bit of hostility toward her.

“What were you talking about just now?” Her hearing was good; she heard Ji Lan ask as she walked beside Meng Dongdong.

Meng Dongdong: “Nothing.”

“We’ve grown distant? You have to hide this from me too?” Ji Lan said.

Meng Dongdong acted as if her tail had been stepped on. “It’s really nothing! I was just chatting with An-jie!”

Shen You’an could clearly see that as Meng Dongdong said this, the back of her neck turned red.

Ji Lan stopped asking and took the small bowl from Meng Dongdong’s hand. “If you won’t say, you won’t say. Why the rush? The sauce was almost spilled.”

Meng Dongdong huffed. Ji Lan’s pace quickened.

Shen You’an saw Meng Dongdong quietly look up at Ji Lan’s back. That gaze… instinctive happiness followed by a dull disappointment brought by reason.

Shen You’an suddenly understood exactly what Meng Dongdong’s long speech had meant. So the “impossible” she spoke of was this kind of impossible.

A deep sense of empathy rose in her heart. Shen You’an stepped forward and asked, “Want some fruit? Let’s take some back.”

Meng Dongdong: “An-jie—!”

“The watermelon looks very sweet,” Shen You’an said. “Do you want some?”

Gazing into her calm eyes, Meng Dongdong’s turbulent heart settled as well. “Sure,” she said with a smile. “Take more; let’s share with them too.”

And so, when they returned to the private room, Shen You’an was carrying two sauce dishes, while Meng Dongdong was carrying two fruit plates.

As soon as Shen You’an sat down, the first thing Shen Huaijin did was pick out some food for her. The luncheon meat was cooked fastest, and the shrimp paste was floating.

“Thank you, Sister,” Shen You’an said, catching it with her bowl.

Shen Huaijin said it was nothing, but she thought to herself: the old Shen You’an was never this polite. Ten years was still too long. She sighed inwardly but knew there was simply no way around it.

Su Wu also put food into Shen You’an’s bowl—freshly blanched beef, curled into a ball.

“Thank you, A-jie,” she said.

Shen Huaijin thought that it seemed Su Wu’s treatment was about the same as hers. The next second, she saw Shen You’an get busy, using a spoon to scoop the cooked food from the pot, placing it on a clean plate to cool, and then blanching food for Su Wu.

Shen Huaijin: “…”

Meng Xi, sitting beside her, said, “Old Shen, what about those six shots we agreed on?”

Shen Huaijin: “I’ll drink them, all of them.”

After six shots, Shen Huaijin wasn’t drunk, but she had loosened up significantly and began chatting animatedly with Meng Xi. Shen You’an, worried she’d drink too much, kept an eye on her. Su Wu never had much interest in alcohol; she either ate or picked out food for Shen You’an.

Ji Lan and Meng Dongdong sat to one side.

“So quiet today?” Ji Lan asked.

Meng Dongdong chewed the beef slowly, swallowing before looking at her. “Huh?”

Ji Lan’s words had hidden meaning. “You’re minding your table manners today. Who are you being considerate of?”

Meng Dongdong was also feeling angry. She could use the excuse of being drunk to pretend she didn’t remember anything, but what about Ji Lan? She clearly knew everything, yet still wore that indifferent look.

“None of your business,” she replied.

Ji Lan let out an “oh.” “Is there someone here you care about?”

Meng Dongdong was startled and glared at Ji Lan. “It has nothing to do with you!”

Seeing her expression, Ji Lan confirmed her suspicion. “You’re still young, don’t be in a hurry to date.”

Meng Dongdong was about to explode. Wasn’t Ji Lan just using this as a roundabout way to reject and warn her? She gritted her teeth. “Yes, I understand. Thank you, Auntie.”

She stood up abruptly.

Ji Lan: “Where are you going?”

“The restroom!” Meng Dongdong sneered. “What? Do you want to follow me?”

Ji Lan said, “I don’t have that habit.”

Meng Dongdong mocked bitterly: “Then why even ask? People who didn’t know better would think you’re going to come along and hold my hand while I pee.”

She was being malicious. She found Ji Lan’s face annoying right now.

Ji Lan laughed. “It’s not as if I haven’t done that before.”

Meng Dongdong: “…”

Meng Xi and Shen Huaijin were drinking and chatting. Vaguely hearing the two of them, Meng Xi turned with a look of disgust: “We’re eating! What are you two talking about? Can you talk about something clean?”