Chapter 21

Shen Siyan felt it was better to eat quietly.

As he ate, he had to admit that, although his mother didn’t enjoy cooking, she was quite skilled at it.

After finishing his meal, Shen Siyan didn’t return to his room right away. Shen’s mother went to take a shower, leaving Shen Guangyuan and his son on the sofa, digesting their food before bed.

Suddenly, Shen Siyan seemed to recall something and called out, “Dad.”

Shen Guangyuan looked at him.

Shen Siyan rubbed his nose and asked, “Does your company hire interns every summer?”

Shen Guangyuan responded, “Why?”

He looked at his son in surprise. “You want to be an intern?”

Just as Shen Siyan was about to reply, his father looked at him with a serious, authoritative gaze and said, “You can sit in my office, but don’t cause trouble for the other employees.”

Shen Siyan: “…”

He doubted whether he was truly Shen Guangyuan’s biological son.

“No,” he said, “it’s not for me.”

Shen Guangyuan raised an eyebrow. “Then who needs to beg me?”

Shen Siyan replied, “It’s not the right time to ask, is it?”

Shen Guangyuan snorted and laughed but said nothing further.

Shen Siyan ignored his father’s opinion and asked calmly, “What are the requirements? Are there any age restrictions?”

Shen Guangyuan fixed his gaze on him. “Are you trying to get a minor to intern?”

Shen Siyan: “…”

He remained silent.

Shen Guangyuan stared at him for a few seconds. “Is it Zhilu?”

“Yes,” Shen Siyan confirmed. “Is that okay?”

Shen Guangyuan glanced at him meaningfully. “No.”

Seeing Shen Siyan’s expression, Shen Guangyuan explained, “If you recruit someone under 18, it’ll be reported.”

He added, “Why does Zhilu want to work?”

Shen Siyan replied, “I’m not sure. She said she wants to save money.”

Shen Guangyuan reflected on the situation next door and sighed. “That’s understandable. She has been sensible from a young age.”

He looked at Shen Siyan and said, “You’ll be in your third year of high school soon. There’s no need for her to work at this stage. If she wants to come back next summer, have her contact me.”

Shen Siyan raised an eyebrow. “Okay.”

Shen Guangyuan added, “If you want to make changes, be serious.”

He advised, “High school is very important. Don’t be lazy. Motivated people are more likable.”

Shen Siyan: “…”

After Shen Siyan returned to his room, Shen’s mother, curious about the conversation, asked Shen Guangyuan what their son had said.

Shen Guangyuan relayed Shen Siyan’s request.

Shen Man nodded and said, “Every family has its own issues.”

Shen Guangyuan rubbed his temples, closed his eyes, and lay on the sofa for a while. “I’ll do my best to help.”

Shen Man responded with a “Hmm” and then turned to him. “I’ve always been curious about something.”

Shen Guangyuan opened his eyes and looked at her.

Shen Man asked, “Why do they treat Zhilu so poorly?”

Shen Guangyuan hesitated. “I don’t keep her with me.”

Shen Man tugged at her lower lip and continued, “If I had raised her, things might have been different. After all these years since Zhilu came back, we should have developed some bond.”

Shen Guangyuan remained silent.

Shen Man talked for a while and then stopped.

“Go take a shower. I’m going to sleep,” Shen Guangyuan said.

“…Okay,” Shen Man replied.

—

For a while afterward, Xu Zhilu lived a very happy life.

She attended dance classes on weekends and stayed on campus from Monday to Friday, so she wasn’t bothered.

Although Xu Zhijia and Xu’s mother would find faults with her when she was at home, she managed to cope with it.

She had long regarded Xu’s mother and Xu Zhijia as distant strangers.

Xu Zhilu felt there was no need to be overly polite to strangers.

Xu’s mother had tried several times to control her but had failed.

Xu Zhilu’s living expenses were covered by Xu’s father’s assistant, just like Xu Zhijia’s, so there was no difference.

As a result, even if she offended Xu’s mother, her living expenses wouldn’t be deducted. This was a small advantage.

Soon, the preliminary round of the English speaking competition approached.

It was scheduled for a Saturday.

On Friday, the English teacher spoke with Xu Zhilu, reviewed her speech, and inquired about her preparation.

After reading it, the teacher couldn’t find any mistakes. “It’s very well written.”

She asked curiously, “Are you nervous?”

Xu Zhilu shook her head. “Not really.”

The English teacher smiled. “You’ll first compete in the city’s preliminary round. The top few will advance to the provincial competition, and then the national competition.”

Xu Zhilu understood.

The teacher asked, “Do you have confidence?”

Xu Zhilu smiled. “I’m feeling good about it.”

The teacher said, “I’ll accompany you tomorrow. Besides you, there are several other students from our school participating.”

Xu Zhilu replied, “Okay, thank you, teacher.”

The English teacher encouraged her. “Be confident. I believe you can do it.”

Xu Zhilu smiled and said, “Thanks.”

When Xu Zhilu returned to the classroom, Xin An’an looked at her eagerly. “How did it go?”

“There were no issues,” Xu Zhilu replied.

Xin An’an exclaimed, “Wow! I’ll cheer you on tomorrow. Shall we go together?”

Xu Zhilu shook her head. “The teacher is coming with us. Let’s meet at the auditorium for the competition.”

Xin An’an thought for a moment and nodded. “That works. I’ll make a banner for you.”

Xu Zhilu: “…”

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “No, let’s keep a low profile. What if I don’t even make it to the preliminary round?”