Extra 5-7: If From school uniform to wedding dress (Part 7)

Su Jia suddenly remembered something and turned to Ji Yanming. “By the way, Xiao Sheng said she’s going to the Imperial Capital International Conference Center the day after tomorrow. Please find time to book a flight for her.”

“Don’t bother,” Tao Sheng waved her hand. “I can do it myself.”

Su Jia stopped her and said, “Xiao Ming has been to the capital a lot in recent years, just let him do it.”

Ji Yanming nodded and asked Tao Sheng, “What time is your event the day after tomorrow?”

Tao Sheng replied, “The press conference is at 10 a.m., so we might need to go there in the afternoon the day before.”

Ji Yanming understood. “From the Xiao family?”

Tao Sheng was curious. “How do you know?”

“I’ve also received an invitation letter. Let’s go together,” Ji Yanming said. “The plane will land at 3:20 tomorrow afternoon, so it shouldn’t be late.”

Tao Sheng was surprised.

They both transferred to the same middle school almost at the same time, lived in the same residential complex, and now were going to the same event in the capital. It felt like fate.

Tao Sheng replied, “Okay.”

Just then, Shen Yue rushed over angrily and said to her, “Tao Sheng, you’re still a student. You should be more sensible. At your age, you should focus on studying, not going far like the capital with this kind of person!”

Tao Sheng was already surprised to see her brother suddenly appear, and was even more shocked after hearing his words.

Ji Yanming also looked at Shen Yue with a look of disbelief.

Shen Yue didn’t care. He pulled Tao Sheng aside and said, “You’re still young, and you just transferred to Mingde. It’s natural for people to take advantage of you. When you grow up, you’ll regret your choices.”

Tao Sheng didn’t give Shen Yue any respect. She said directly, “I asked you to pack my things and send them by express delivery. You have the time to lecture me, but why don’t you worry about Mr. Shen’s business?”

The company was indeed facing problems. When Shen Yue thought about it, he immediately lost his momentum.

Shen Ruojin stepped forward to defend Shen Yue, saying, “Brother cares about you because he loves you. Don’t be so stubborn and hurt your father’s and brother’s feelings.”

Tao Sheng had already left the Shen family, so she didn’t care about keeping up appearances. She immediately exposed their false concern. “I’ve already left the Shen family. I’m not a threat to you anymore. You don’t have to pretend to care in front of Shen Yue. You should tell your good brother to go back earlier.”

“Tao Sheng, what are you talking about?” Shen Ruojin’s eyes started to redden. “I just told brother that if you choose to leave with mom, living in this ordinary community will be hard. I even prepared snacks and gifts for you. It seems I was being too sentimental.”

“I want to suffer with my mother?” Tao Sheng asked calmly, smiling. “You want to suffer with my mother, but she doesn’t want you.”

The tears that had been welling up in Shen Ruojin’s eyes finally fell.

Shen Yue stepped forward, standing protectively behind Shen Ruojin, and glared at Tao Sheng. “Ruojin meant well. How could you say something so hurtful to her?”

“Good intentions?” Tao Sheng asked, scoffing. “How could good intentions involve Peng Xiaoyu? Locking me in the house on my birthday? I’m from a small town, I don’t understand these big city twists and turns. I didn’t know that in the city, ‘good intentions’ meant this.”

Shen Yue responded, “Ruojin has explained that it was all just a misunderstanding…”

“Misunderstanding?” Tao Sheng interrupted, “You’re young, but you’re already making mistakes people only make in middle age. You soften when a pretty girl cries. I thought you were more sensible than Mr. Shen, but it seems like a few tears from Shen Ruojin can confuse you. By middle age, you’ll probably be more confused than your father.”

Shen Yue, embarrassed by Tao Sheng’s words, walked off in anger, muttering “unreasonable.” Shen Ruojin glared at Tao Sheng before quickly following Shen Yue in her little leather shoes.

Tao Sheng watched them leave, suddenly feeling regret.

She shouldn’t have argued with Shen Yue so angrily. At least she should have retrieved the things that belonged to her from Shen Yue’s car.

Su Jia and Luo Xin had been friends for many years, so they knew Shen Yue was unreliable. They didn’t like him, especially since he had been raised by the Shen family and hadn’t contacted Luo Xin in years.

Watching Tao Sheng confront Shen Yue, Su Jia applauded her in her mind, thinking she was venting her mother’s anger. It felt really good.

Then she thought about her own Ji Yanming, feeling a little disappointed. She realized she’d probably never get the chance to vent her anger on her father like that.

Tao Sheng smiled sheepishly at Su Jia. “I’m actually quite good at arguing. I even won the school debate championship before.”

Ji Yanming raised an eyebrow. “Haven’t you picked up your things yet?”

He had the mind of a top student, even while watching the scene, staying focused on what really mattered.

Tao Sheng nodded sadly. “It’s not a big deal. It’s just stuff. I can buy another one later.”

It seemed like losing her things made her sadder than losing the Shen family.

Ji Yanming smiled. “That’s fine.”

_

After Tao Sheng got off the plane, she soon saw Xiao Ze, who had come to pick her up.

Two of his bodyguards held a sign with hand-painted bows and candy elements in pink. The sign said, “Welcome Miss Tao Sheng.”

Tao Sheng covered her face, wishing she could pretend not to know them.

Xiao Ze greeted her with a smile and looked surprised at Ji Yanming. “What a coincidence. You’re on the same flight. I usually come around the same time as the press conference, but now you’re here early. Let me introduce you. This is my friend, Tao Sheng.”

Before Xiao Ze could finish the introduction, Ji Yanming cut in. “No need, Mr. Xiao. We already know each other.”

Xiao Ze’s face showed surprise, remembering the scene where Xiao Yi took Hu Taosheng away from him. “You guys are friends too?”

“We’re classmates,” Ji Yanming said.

Xiao Ze’s mood lifted instantly.

Ji Yanming was a young, talented, and competitive boy, and Tao Sheng having such a friend wasn’t ideal.

But Xiao Ze felt relieved: “Oh, so you’re just classmates.”

After the college entrance exam, everyone would go their separate ways, so it wasn’t a concern.

Feeling better, Xiao Ze smiled at Ji Yanming. “In the past, you always arrived on time for events. I didn’t have the chance to take you around the capital. I’m free tonight, so let’s have a simple meal together. You deserve a treat.”

“He’s the Hero?” Tao Sheng was confused.

“Yes,” Xiao Ze said. “He’s the genius I told you about. He’s also in D city now.”

Tao Sheng thought: Just now I thought Ji Yanming was too young to understand how expensive food and necessities are. Now I realize he’s the real hidden boss, with a much bigger bank balance than mine… Or maybe I’m just superficial.

Xiao Ze was in a good mood. When they got in the car, he asked what they wanted to eat.

Tao Sheng didn’t have any strong preferences. She wasn’t picky and believed in Xiao Ze’s taste.

“I can eat anything,” she said.

Ji Yanming didn’t seem to take Xiao Ze’s question as a courtesy and immediately named a restaurant.

Xiao Ze frowned. “It’s a little far, but it’s fine. You’re the hero. I’ll make the reservation now. But there might be traffic, so it’ll take at least an hour and a half to get there. Tao Sheng, you don’t mind, right?”

Tao Sheng shook her head.

The restaurant Ji Yanming chose was one she had visited before and liked. She hadn’t expected Ji Yanming to also like it.

Seems like there are more coincidences than I thought.

After dinner, Xiao Ze had another event. He left the car with them to go around while he attended his event.

Ji Yanming ordered milk tea from a nearby shop. Tao Sheng realized it was her favorite flavor after receiving it.

The nightlife in the capital was much more exciting than in City D. They had dinner near a commercial street. Ji Yanming didn’t go into the clothing stores or boutiques around, but instead dragged Tao Sheng into a record store that looked niche.

Tao Sheng was surprised while drinking her milk tea. She didn’t expect that she and Ji Yanming would share such similar hobbies. 

Maybe this was “fate from a past life.”

This trip to the capital city was just a small part of high school, but after returning, Tao Sheng and Ji Yanming became more familiar. 

For example, when they went to Su Jia’s house for dinner, they didn’t stay silent like before. They started to talk about things they both enjoyed. After breakfast, if they had time, they walked to school together.

Later, students from the liberal arts group were split into science and arts. Tao Sheng went to the art building for evening classes. Since the art building was far away in a new district, Ji Yanming picked her up every night after class.

When walking side by side, Tao Sheng and Ji Yanming attracted a lot of attention at school. Even younger students waited by the road just to get a glimpse of the beautiful Tao Sheng and handsome Ji Yanming.

Shen Ruojin, who always watched Tao Sheng, noticed them walking together. He often ran into them after evening study. He told Shen Yu and Shen Yue about it in an exaggerated way.

Shen Yu was just as surprised as Shen Yue. Tao Sheng is his biological daughter, and he always thought he treated her well. He never felt there was any issue between them. He also believed that if Tao Sheng could find a good family, it would bring him many benefits.

Ruojin was right—Shen Yu couldn’t stand watching her get involved in the wrong things.

Recently, Shen Yu had solved a business problem through private loans and had more free time. He was often reading the newspaper or walking in the garden. He started to take Tao Sheng and Ji Yanming seriously. His plan was to talk to Luo Xin and have her discipline Tao Sheng.

But Luo Xin had disappeared for months. Shen Yu couldn’t contact her at all. She blocked all his phone numbers and WeChat accounts, and didn’t reply to any mutual friends’ messages.

Shen Yu was at a loss until Ruojin reminded him about Mr. Luo and his wife’s wedding anniversary in a few days. Every year, the Luo family would hold a party and invite relatives and friends.

Luo Xin would definitely be there, so Shen Yu planned to speak with her at the Luo house.

One morning, Shen Yu brought Shen Ruojin and Shen Yue to the Luo family home and knocked on the door. 

The housekeeper, Uncle Zheng, came out slowly, opened the door, and sarcastically said to Shen Yu: “I’ve never seen Mr. Shen come so early. You always avoided our events before. Now that we are no longer relatives, you’re more diligent.”

Before Shen Yu divorced Luo Xin, he used to look down on his father-in-law, thinking he was just an artist with no business sense. But after the divorce, he learned that Mr. Luo’s paintings had become famous, especially among overseas Chinese, and could sell for millions.

Shen Yu began to regret his decision and now thought Sang Fei, who was only good at shopping, wasn’t worth it.

Shen Yu knew that Butler Zheng was loyal to Mr. Luo, so he ignored the sarcasm and smiled. “I came to tell the old man that I found Tao Sheng.”

Butler Zheng didn’t make things difficult. He took them to the living room and said, “The old man is still in the study and doesn’t see visitors right now. Please wait here.”

After a while, Shen Yu saw Butler Zheng, Luo Xin, Tao Sheng, and a young man walk by. They went upstairs.

Shen Yu was anxious and asked Butler Zheng, “Didn’t you say the old man doesn’t see anyone?”

Butler Zheng answered, “You forgot. I said the old man doesn’t see outsiders. The eldest daughter and Tao Sheng can visit the old man.”

Shen Yue pointed at the young man and said, “That person is Ji Yanming, who is close to sister.”

Shen Yu was furious.

Ji Yanming could go upstairs, but Shen Yu was stuck waiting.

As Shen Yu was feeling angry, an old acquaintance approached and greeted him: “Mr. Shen, nice to meet you.”

It was Mr. Lin, a former business partner. Recently, Mr. Lin had moved to the capital for business. After some small talk, they flattered each other. Shen Yu was surprised when Mr. Lin mentioned his new connections with the Xiao family.

Mr. Lin said, “I heard that the Xiao family gave Ji Yanming and Luo Taosheng eight-figure dividends. That’s a lot for young people.”

When Shen Yu heard about the huge dividends, he became interested. “This family is lucky.”

Mr. Lin continued, “Yes. Ji Yanming and Luo Taosheng attended a launch event together. I heard they’re connected to the Luo family. Luo Taosheng is probably here today.”

After hearing these two names, Shen Yu felt like thunder struck his head. The sound of rumbling thunder filled his ears, and he couldn’t hear anything around him.