Chapter 3: Nonsense  

The murmurs of Aunt Zhang and others still lingered in her ears, but Shen Zhansi could no longer focus on them. Her mind was entirely consumed by thoughts of Yan Qingye and Chu Zhi.  

This person, who in the original story was essentially Yan Qingye’s official partner, had always been a thorn in Shen Zhansi’s heart.  

Yan Qingye and Chu Zhi had grown up together as childhood friends. Before college, Chu Zhi had treated Yan Qingye decently, and coupled with their shared history, it was no wonder the Yan Qingye in the story had been so fond of Chu Zhi.  

Back when Shen Zhansi was in high school, she had attended the same school as them. Because their families lived close by, they would walk to and from school together. To outsiders, their bond had always seemed strong.  

Shen Zhansi felt a pang of gloom. According to the story’s plot, Yan Qingye and Chu Zhi would get together during college. She had no idea how the current storyline had changed.  

Just hearing their names mentioned together instinctively made her feel a sour, aching discomfort.  

Glancing at the food on the table, she lost her appetite and stood up. She walked to the doorway and casually grabbed a car key from the rack. Just as she was about to ask Aunt Zhang where Yan Qingye was for her business dinner, her grip on the key tightened momentarily.  

A flicker of embarrassment crossed her face.  

It had been too many years since she last drove—she had completely forgotten how.  

“Xiao Shen, are you heading out?” Aunt Zhang’s voice came from behind her.  

Shen Zhansi hung the key back and turned around, shaking her head. “No, I’m not.”  

She sat back down at the dining table, her chest tight with unease. On further thought, what would be the point of going out to find Yan Qingye now? What would she even say to her?  

She didn’t even know the current state of things between Yan Qingye and Chu Zhi. If she barged in recklessly, Yan Qingye might think she was there to pick a fight.  

She ate in silence. Even though she had accepted her current circumstances, Shen Zhansi still felt restless and lost in this situation where she knew nothing.  

She glanced at Aunt Zhang, who was busy nearby.  

“Aunt Zhang, you all should take a break and sit down to eat with me.”  

“Huh? No, no, we have our own meals,” Aunt Zhang replied, surprised but quick to decline.  

Seeing Aunt Zhang’s firm refusal, Shen Zhansi sighed inwardly and didn’t press further. Still, as she ate, she tried to probe indirectly. “Does Miss Chu have some kind of collaboration with Yan Qingye?”  

Aunt Zhang chuckled helplessly. “How would I know about such things? If you really want to know, you should just ask her yourself.”  

“And I have to say, if you want to know about Miss Yan’s affairs, you should ask her directly. If you don’t ask, how will she know you care?”  

Shen Zhansi froze for a moment. Had she always been like this in the past—trying to glean information about Yan Qingye from others instead of asking her directly?  

“Got it,” she replied, though inwardly she wondered if she should follow the example of other transmigrators and pretend to have amnesia. Otherwise, asking too many questions in her current state would seem suspicious.  

But for now, Shen Zhansi dismissed the idea. Amnesia required some kind of head injury, and her brain was perfectly fine—she couldn’t just go bang her head on something. Besides, she didn’t think her acting skills were good enough to fool Yan Qingye. If Yan Qingye found out she was faking amnesia to deceive her, she had no idea how she would react.

“Xiao Shen, when Miss Yan comes back tonight, don’t pick a fight with her. With such a temper, how will you two get along in the future?” Aunt Zhang reminded her with some concern.

“Yes, I know. I’ll apologize to her,” Shen Zhansi replied.

Aunt Zhang smiled approvingly. “This is how marriage is—when there’s conflict, one side must yield. Especially since you’re both women, you should be even more understanding of each other.”

Shen Zhansi chuckled but didn’t argue, appreciating the older woman’s well-meaning intentions.

“By the way, Aunt Zhang, where’s Wu Xue?” Shen Zhansi scanned the room, her brow furrowing slightly. She hadn’t noticed before, but now that she looked carefully, there wasn’t a single dog accessory in sight.

“Huh? What Wu Xue?” Aunt Zhang looked puzzled.

Seeing her expression, a sense of foreboding rose in Shen Zhansi’s chest. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, “The dog—the one with black fur except for its four paws?”

Aunt Zhang looked even more confused. “When did we ever have a dog here? I’ve never seen any dog since I started working in this house.”

The more she spoke, the more suspicious she became. Today, Shen Zhansi was saying so many inexplicable things.

Shen Zhansi’s hand holding the chopsticks shook. How could this be? Given a dog’s lifespan, Wu Xue, who had been just over a year old back then, should still be alive now.

But Aunt Zhang’s expression showed no sign of deception. So where was Wu Xue?

Wu Xue had been a stray puppy she’d rescued, frail and curled up in a discarded cardboard box. She’d taken it home, nursed it carefully, and raised it into a healthy dog. She’d adopted many stray cats and dogs, but Wu Xue was the only one she’d kept by her side all along.

Aunt Zhang sighed worriedly at Shen Zhansi’s troubled expression but didn’t press further, turning instead to other tasks.

Shen Zhansi remained silent for a long while before finishing her meal wordlessly. At the doorway, she didn’t take the car keys, instead staring at the shoes in the cabinet. Pairs of similar sizes were placed together, and she couldn’t tell which were hers and which belonged to Yan Qingye.

Recalling the style of her room, Shen Zhansi eventually picked a pair of pink-and-white sneakers, grabbed her phone, and left.

Right now, the most important thing was to familiarize herself with the world ten years later—lest she be left behind by the times.

But as soon as she stepped outside, she began to regret it. Though the villa’s surroundings were beautiful, the location was quite remote. There was no way she’d find a taxi here.

She went back inside and said to Aunt Zhang, “Aunt Zhang, I don’t feel like driving myself. Could you take me to the Shen Corporation building?”

The Shen Corporation building had been a landmark in Huaicheng ten years ago. With the Shen family’s solid foundation, no serious internal conflicts, and a diligent leader at the helm, surely they hadn’t ruined it in just a decade?

Though surprised by the request, Aunt Zhang didn’t refuse. After giving instructions to the other two servants, she took a set of car keys and led the way. Shen Zhansi followed her to the underground garage, where rows of luxury cars and supercars made her heart skip a beat.

Were these Yan Qingye’s or hers? She didn’t recall having a hobby of collecting luxury cars.

But then again, she wasn’t so sure—after all, she’d never imagined having a room decorated in powder blue either.

Dropped off at the foot of the Shen Corporation building by Aunt Zhang, Shen Zhansi stepped out of the car and looked up at the towering structure. After ten years, it seemed to have dimmed considerably.

As Aunt Zhang drove away, Shen Zhansi glanced around. Apart from being more prosperous, the surroundings didn’t seem much different from a decade ago.

Rubbing her temples, Shen Zhansi still felt a lingering headache. She debated whether to take the risk and feign amnesia. After all, aside from having some guesses about her relationship with Yan Qingye, she knew nothing about her connections with others. Prolonging this would inevitably raise suspicions.

She wandered into a nearby café. When it came time to pay, a simple tap of her phone completed the transaction.

Sitting with her bitter iced Americano, Shen Zhansi’s thoughts drifted. With such convenient payment methods, was it easier for thieves to steal money just by brushing past someone?

Pulling out her phone, she checked the family group chat with her parents. Most of the messages were from them, while her own contributions were pitifully few.

A pang of sorrow hit her. After ten years, how had her life ended up like this?

She had been reborn into this world. The Shen family was a prominent clan—Old Master Shen had married three times, fathering four sons and a daughter. Her father, Shen Junxin, was the second son, never the favored one, with the best resources seldom reaching their branch. Yet her parents were loving and harmonious, content with their quiet, uncompetitive lives. They had never pressured her to outshine others.

Truth be told, Shen Zhansi had received immense love and respect from Shen’s parents in this transmigrated life. She truly regarded them as her own mother and father. But now, a decade later, she had no idea how they were doing.

Ding—

A coffee cup lightly tapped against the table, snapping her out of her thoughts. A woman had taken the seat opposite her.

Frowning slightly, Shen Zhansi studied her with mild confusion.

The woman was strikingly beautiful, yet her bearing carried a bold, unrestrained charm that was undeniably captivating.

But… who was she?

Noticing Shen Zhansi’s puzzled gaze, the woman arched a brow, her lips curling playfully. “Let me introduce myself—I’m Hu Zhou.”

Nonsense?

Shen Zhansi’s eyes widened slightly. Who would name themselves that?

“It’s Zhou as in birdsong, not the ‘nonsense’ Zhou.”

Clearly, she was used to this reaction.

After a brief silence, Shen Zhansi offered an apologetic smile but didn’t return the introduction.

Hu Zhou didn’t seem to mind. Leaning forward, she said, “Miss Shen, you must be facing something quite troubling lately, aren’t you?”

“You know me?” This time, Shen Zhansi’s frown deepened, her gaze turning wary. She had assumed this was just a random encounter, but the woman knew her surname…

“In Huaicheng, it’s rather hard not to know Miss Shen.” Stirring her coffee, Hu Zhou’s eyes gleamed with meaning. “Chairman of EG Ventures, married to the Yan family’s eldest daughter—your relationship is the envy of many.”

Shen Zhansi pursed her lips. So in the eyes of outsiders, she and Yan Qingye really seemed to have a good relationship…

“Then may I ask what Miss Hu’s purpose is now?”

The smile on Hu Zhou’s face grew slightly more unrestrained, her gaze toward Shen Zhansi brimming with even greater interest.

“I suddenly find you quite intriguing and just wanted to chat for a bit.”

Shen Zhansi: “…”

Her wariness toward this woman remained unshaken. She truly couldn’t fathom what this action of hers could bring, and there was something about this person’s attitude—whether it was her imagination or not—that carried a hint of mockery and even pity.

But why would a complete stranger feel pity for her?

“You mentioned earlier that I was facing some troubles. What did you mean by that?”

Is this person some kind of fortune-teller?

“Miss Shen, just tell me if it’s true or not.” Hu Zhou wore a confident smile.

Her overly bright and self-assured demeanor gave Shen Zhansi an uncomfortable feeling of being seen through, but in the end, she pursed her lips and gave a slight nod.

She wanted to see what this woman was really up to.

Seeing her nod, Hu Zhou picked up her coffee cup and took a sip, in no hurry to speak. Her gaze occasionally lingered on Shen Zhansi, as if waiting to see when she would lose her composure.

Shen Zhansi also took a sip of her coffee. The bitterness spread the moment it touched her tongue, sharpening her mind further.

After all, she had lived two lifetimes—she wouldn’t be so easily manipulated.

If Hu Zhou wasn’t speaking, she wouldn’t press. The silent stalemate continued.

Finally, Hu Zhou burst into laughter, saying with admiration, “You’re becoming more and more interesting.”

Shen Zhansi remained expressionless. She didn’t understand how her earlier behavior could have seemed “interesting” to this woman.

Perhaps some people’s thoughts were just inherently strange.

Hu Zhou suddenly stood up, flashing Shen Zhansi a smile that inexplicably sent a wave of unease through her.

“I think you’ll thank me later.”

A sharp pain shot through her head. As her consciousness blurred, Shen Zhansi could still hear Hu Zhou’s voice. Her last thought was:

Well, now I have a reason to fake amnesia.

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