Chapter 20: She Should Move Out

This night, Shuangxu didn’t sleep well. Her dreams were fragmented, many scenes from her childhood.

When she woke up, the sky was bright. Sunlight poured in through the curtains, illuminating the shimmering wall covering with a gentle glow, serene and peaceful.

Shuangxu lay in her bed, looking around her room.

She had lived in the Shen family for ten years. Every lamp’s warmth, every tile’s pattern, was as familiar as her own blood. She could climb the spiral staircase on the second floor with her eyes closed.

This house was a 15-minute drive from the High School; she learned to swim in the pool; the turtle she impulsively adopted at the age of 12 was still living happily in the pond in the yard.

The concrete image of “home” in her mind was this house, but after turning 18, many things changed.

The five years she was sent away were like a long process of desensitization. From the moment she returned to China, she had been counting down to her departure from this home.

She should move out.

When Shu Yang learned about her plans, she didn’t comment, but silently offered her support: “You can stay at my place first. You have the key anyway. I have two spare rooms. If you like, you can live with me forever.”

Shuangxu understood her meaning: “Don’t worry, I have a place to go. I have a house on Songming Road No. 9.”

Shu Yang, who was taking medicine, almost choked on the water. She coughed twice: “Songming Road No. 9?”

“What’s wrong? Is there something wrong with that place?” Her intense reaction made Shuangxu a little confused. She hadn’t been in China for a few years. Had something happened on Songming Road?

“The problem with that place is that the house prices are so ridiculously high that it’s out of reach for us mortals.” Shu Yang patted herself in a comforting gesture.

“You lack some of the decadent habits of a rich girl, making me forget that you’re actually a wealthy person!”

“You have the nerve to say that?” Shuangxu snorted. “I threw away twenty million!”

Shu Yang: “Woof.”

“You’re crazy.” Shuangxu laughed and scolded.

Shu Yang laughed too, then asked her: “Have you told your brother about this?”

Shuangxu paused, holding the empty plastic medicine plate, tearing off all the aluminum foil: “I haven’t figured out how to say it yet.”

“Excuses are easy to find.” Shu Yang saw through her. “The main thing is that you have to get over this hurdle in your heart.”

It’s normal for grown-up children to move out and live on their own, but Shuangxu’s situation was different. The Shen family wasn’t her real family, and there was the incident five years ago, a barrier they couldn’t talk about.

Before Shuangxu could contact Shen Yu, he called: “Free up your evening, I’m taking you to meet someone.”

That evening, Shuangxu changed into a formal but not too grand blue checkered dress, knee-length, with a spring-like color, elegant and lively. She put on a milky white windbreaker before going out.

At 7:05 pm, Shen Yu’s car drove into the yard. Shuangxu was already waiting at the door.

Shen Yu was on a work call, his gaze slowly falling on her through the car window.

Shuangxu jogged over, the driver got out and opened the door for her. She bent down and got in, saying: “Brother, you’re late.”

Shen Yu curled his lips: “Yeah, what do you want this time?”

The subordinate on the other end of the phone, who was reporting work, asked in confusion: “…Mr. Shen?”

The curve of Shen Yu’s lips remained, but the tenderness in his voice disappeared. He said in a businesslike manner: “Submit a report later.”

When Shuangxu was studying, she had a dedicated driver, but she always hoped that Shen Yu would pick her up. If he was late, she would be unhappy, and he would buy her gifts to appease her. It gradually became a routine.

After he hung up the phone, Shuangxu spoke.

“Brother, I want to move out.”

Shen Yu didn’t speak for a long time, the smile in his eyes slowly fading.

Shuangxu felt a little sadness in his gaze.

She opened her mouth to explain, but Shen Yu’s phone rang again.

He answered the call, and it didn’t end until they reached the restaurant.

The person Shen Yu took Shuangxu to meet was the director of the Yancheng Aviation Research Institute.

During dinner with the director, Shuangxu behaved impeccably.

In Yancheng, this city of power, every brick and stone was laid with the foundation of power. At the top of the pyramid were the powerful families like He, Shen, Zheng, and Yue.

Old Master Song was also a prominent figure, but compared to the Shen family, he lacked the accumulated foundation from generations past.

Coincidentally, Director Xu and Song Mianzhi were high school classmates, and they had a bit of a personal relationship. He remembered the daughter he brought with him, a lively and spirited, somewhat spoiled girl.

He had never met this one before.

Outsiders didn’t know the Song family’s affairs, but classmates had heard some inside information. This eldest daughter wasn’t the current Mrs. Song’s biological child.

But with Shen Yu backing her up, no one dared to neglect her.

Director Xu praised Shuangxu: “Women in the aviation field are very rare. The hardships of this industry are invisible to the outside world. I didn’t expect Miss Song, a gentle and delicate girl, to have such passion and ideals.”

Shuangxu said: “I’m not gentle, nor do I think I’m delicate. My brother has always supported me, letting me try anything I like.”

Director Xu laughed: “Then we should really thank Mr. Shen for his encouragement, so that we haven’t lost a talent.”

“In recent years, the drone market has developed rapidly. From agriculture to freight logistics, including the military field, it has unique advantages. The prospects in this area are very broad in China. Our institute has its own drone research and development team, undertaking many national projects. High-end technical talents like Miss Song are exactly what we need. If you have time these days, you can come to our institute for a visit.”

Shuangxu said: “Maybe sometime.”

The intention of this dinner was clear to both parties. Shen Yu wanted to arrange his sister to work at their research institute. Director Xu, who had the opportunity to speak with Shen Yu, naturally arranged everything clearly.

But does Ms. Song mean she’s not interested in their institute? He subconsciously looked at Shen Yu beside him.

The latter didn’t show any change in expression, just slowly glanced at Shuangxu, subtly changing the topic: “I heard that Mr. Xu started his own business?”

“Yeah, he’s been fond of cars since he was a kid. He quit his good job at the Tobacco Bureau and insisted on starting a new energy vehicle company with his friends. He’s poured a lot of money into it, but there’s still no sign of the car.”

Speaking of his troublesome child, Dean Xu sighed. Their family wasn’t like those wealthy families, they didn’t have enough money to waste.

“He’s been busy running around for loans lately, I haven’t seen him for days.”

“It’s good for young people to have this kind of drive.” Shen Yu smiled faintly, “I’ll give Zhou, the general manager of Hengtai Bank, a heads-up later. Whether it works out or not depends on their company’s qualifications.”

Dean Xu was overjoyed, quickly picked up his wine glass with both hands: “Thank you so much, Mr. Shen. I’ll drink to you on his behalf.”

The dinner ended, the car ride back was quiet.

Shuangxu wanted to explain, but seeing Shen Yu’s closed eyes and serene profile, she didn’t say anything.

As they were approaching the Shen family’s house, Shen Yu opened his eyes and told the driver to pull over.

He got out of the car, lit a cigarette and slowly smoked it.

Shuangxu watched for a moment in the car, then got out and walked over: “Brother, are you angry?”

Shen Yu tapped the ash off his cigarette, looking at her in the night: “You want to move out again, and you refuse the job I arranged for you. You’ve grown wings and want to fly solo, haven’t you?”

“I just don’t like this job.” Shuangxu said, “In a place like this, I wouldn’t have any development. They would just treat me as a mascot, but they’re actually paying for ‘privilege’, and they might even sneer at me behind my back for being a nepotism case.”

“Isn’t it good to have privilege, no one can bully you.”

“When you can enjoy the privilege, of course it’s good.” Shuangxu lowered her head and kicked a small pebble on the ground, silent for a while.

“What if one day, I don’t have you to back me up?”