Chapter 4 – Stung by a Bee

A curator’s work is far from easy. From the initial theme planning and exhibit selection to layout of the venue and execution of the exhibition process, every little detail required Shen Xia’s personal oversight.

To make sure the collaboration went smoothly, Sister Wen rallied the entire company and formed an elite task force to support her. But even with such backing, Shen Xia still felt an overwhelming pressure.

First, because working with Junli, a well-known five-star international hotel, was an unprecedented opportunity for Zhenbao Company.

If they succeeded, the exhibition would bring Tang-style cast ironware, a traditional craft, to a much wider audience. This wouldn’t just lead to a surge in Zhenbao’s orders—it might also help the product become a signature cultural item of the city, boosting local tourism and promoting intangible cultural heritage. The stakes were high. But if they failed, Shen Xia thought, Zhenbao’s reputation would be ruined. If they couldn’t even deliver on a collaboration with Junli, who else would trust them?

The second reason… was her personal history with Qi Youbai.

Their last reunion had been humiliating enough to make her want to dig a hole and crawl into it. This time around, since she couldn’t avoid him, maybe it was fate offering her a shot at redemption—to prove herself in front of her ex.

She wanted to stage a glorious comeback. Ideally, when Qi Youbai was in his seventies or eighties, thinking back on her would make him smile—not as that carefree college girl who spent her time chasing cats and dogs, nor that disheveled mess of a woman in C City, but as the dazzling professional who took charge of an entire exhibition with grace and strength.

Shen Xia was always a woman of action. Once Sister Wen appointed the team, she immediately held a team meeting to share her vision, assigning roles based on her understanding of each member’s strengths.

The team also cherished the opportunity to work with Junli International. They were so motivated that they worked overtime until 10 p.m. almost daily. This day was no exception. Shen Xia even had to urge them to leave before they reluctantly shut down their computers.

She stayed behind, checking the doors and windows one by one, turning off the air conditioning and water dispensers, neatly filing away documents into drawers, and locking up the office before leaving the building.

The city’s nightlife had just begun. Though the sky was dark, the high-rises were aglow with lights. Neon signs sparkled, cars whizzed by, and the streets buzzed with voices—lively as midday.

In the back of the taxi, she rolled down the window and closed her eyes, letting the soft night breeze brush across her face. The wind tangled her hair, tickling her cheeks, and she raised her hand to tuck it behind her ear.

It had been a long time since she was this busy. Shen Xia sighed inwardly—Qi Youbai, look what you’ve done to me. You’ve dragged me back to the grind of my rookie days. Still, she had to admit: working with a team toward a shared goal felt thrillingly addictive.

By the time she got home, it was nearly 11 p.m. She’d planned to shower and crash into bed, but to her surprise… her entire family was still awake, all seated on the living room couch.

Just as she stepped through the door, three heads whipped around simultaneously to stare at her.

She instinctively shrank back a little. Did I do something wrong? she wondered. Did I forget something? Or commit a crime and forget about it?

While she was still mentally scanning her memory, a loud wail broke the silence—

“Xiaxia, thank goodness you’re back!”

Mother Shen, tears in her eyes, rushed forward to hug her like she was a long-lost daughter.

“Mom, what’s wrong? Don’t cry—did Dad pick a fight with you?”

Father Shen, arms crossed and slouched on the sofa, gave her a lazy glance.

“Would I dare fight with your mother? This has nothing to do with me. It’s your mother’s precious son who caused this.”

“He’s your son too!” Mother Shen snapped.

“My brother?” Shen Xia was no longer surprised. But she still pretended to be stern. “Shen Jun! Get out here and explain how you upset our beautiful mother.”

Shen Jun was hiding behind their father, silent.

Unusually, he was wearing a black face mask, covering his lower face like a wanted criminal. When Shen Xia called his name, he even grabbed a trashy street tabloid from the table to cover his face.

The cover showed a man in only boxer briefs, flaunting hairy legs, with bold red text above:

“Infertile? Come to Huasheng Male Health Clinic!”

“…?”

Shen Xia was speechless. She gently guided their devastated mother to a seat.

Mother Shen slumped into the chair, pounding her chest and sighing.

“Your father and I have such excellent genes! We produced such a smart and beautiful daughter like you—how did we mess up the first time so badly?”

Shen Xia glanced at the culprit and strode over, snatching the magazine away.

“Shen Jun! What the hell—wait… your face?!”

His forehead was beet red and horribly swollen. His left eyelid was puffed up so badly it was nearly shut. He hadn’t looked like this a few days ago when they parted in C City. Could he have been attacked by those thieves?

Worried, she reached out to pull down his mask, but he slapped her hand away.

“Don’ touch meh!” he mumbled. (His tongue was swollen.)

Shen Xia burst out laughing. “Your tongue’s swollen too? What happened to you? Did you decide to play thug and hostage at home while I was gone?”

She teased, “Was it those thieves from C City? You said that gang was sneaky, been hiding under the police’s nose for years…”

She patted his shoulder. Judging from his overly dramatic reactions, she could tell the injuries weren’t serious, so she let the mystery be.

But then Father Shen nudged the fire again. “Just let your sister take a look. We’re family. What are you being shy about?”

Shy?

Shen Xia was now utterly confused as to what exactly Shen Jun had done to warrant her father calling him shy.

Then, with great sorrow, Shen Jun finally pulled off the black mask.

Shen Xia was about to give a perfunctory glance before heading to bed—but one look at his face had her completely awake.

A massive welt bulged on his forehead. His cheeks were swollen like steamed buns. His lips were ballooned like sausages. He looked like a different person entirely.

“You…”

“Yesh. Bee shting.” he said, in a garbled voice.

“You got stung so bad you can’t even talk properly! Stop talking!” Mother Shen scolded, though she was clearly worried. She wiped her tears and headed to the kitchen.

A clay pot was simmering with detox herbal medicine for Shen Jun.

Father Shen then explained the incident in a few words.

After returning from C City, Shen Jun’s superior, seeing him in poor health, gave him a light duty—just to answer phones and mediate minor domestic disputes at the police station.

But the first call he took? An elderly man begging the police to help get his cat down from a tree.

None of the other officers wanted to deal with it. They told Shen Jun to talk the old man down—say it was too hot, not safe, and the cat would come down on its own.

But the old man insisted—he said his cat couldn’t climb down.

Soft-hearted, Shen Jun grabbed a ladder and went himself. Two colleagues followed just in case.

Things were going well… until the cat moved further up the tree. A bystander handed Shen Jun a fishing net to help. He lifted the net, scooped into the branches, and shouted in excitement—

“I got it!”

Then he looked up…

It was a massive beehive.

…

Mother Shen reentered with the herbal medicine, her temper flaring again.

“Do you know what’s even more ridiculous?” she said to Shen Xia.

“What?” Shen Xia asked dutifully.

“Your brother not only got stung into a pig head, but also got other people hurt. Three people were stung and filed complaints! The old man’s cat got spooked and fell out of the tree and broke its bones! He’s demanding compensation!”

“And look at these—vet bills for a full-body checkup! This old man thinks he’s hit the jackpot!”

“I can’t even show my face anymore! You think I can still play mahjong with my friends if they find out my son—a police officer—went to rescue a cat, stirred up a beehive, got stung half to death, and now can’t go to work?”

“They’ll laugh and say, ‘He died saving a cat?’ You think the government’s going to name him a martyr?!”

“No! They’ll mock him on the internet: ‘Look, today we found a dumb cop who died trying to save a cat from a tree!’”

“Mom—” Shen Jun groaned. “Pleash shtop…”

Shen Xia couldn’t take it anymore. She burst out laughing, clutching her stomach, her eyes tearing up.

Mother Shen glared, while Shen Jun sent her a pitiful glare from his swollen face.

“It’s not funny!” Mother Shen snapped. “Your brother’s nearly thirty and still causing trouble like a schoolboy. And you? You’ve been out of college for years and haven’t even dated once! You two better get ready for blind dates soon!”

“Okay okay, don’t be mad, Mom,” Shen Xia quickly said, afraid the scolding would be redirected.

“It’s fine, let him rest for a few days. He went to the hospital, right? What did the doctor say?”

Father Shen sighed.

“He went behind our backs. Doctor said the bee venom wasn’t too strong. Gave him some ointment and told him to get a few IV treatments. He didn’t tell us until he couldn’t pay the medical bill and called us for help.”

At that, Shen Xia touched her nose guiltily. She had seen missed calls from him earlier that day but ignored them to focus on work.

Now Shen Jun gave her a wounded look, reaching out a hand—pay me back, it said.

Well, there went her hard-earned money.

Shen Xia looked at her WeChat wallet with sorrow and sighed.

“Brother… have you ever thought, maybe… maybe you’re just not cut out to be a cop? You’re still young. Maybe you should switch careers… find something where you can sit in an office and sip tea…”

As expected, Shen Jun rolled his eyes and downed his medicine before storming off to his room.