Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Qin Mingchuan's accusatory WeChat message had barely arrived for two seconds when Su Xingyao's phone vibrated softly.

Unusually, the other party had taken the initiative to contact him.

Interrupted while trying to blacklist, Su Xingyao expressionlessly looked at the incoming call and then hung up without a second thought.

But the next second, the phone vibrated again.

The typically aloof nobleman, Qin Mingchuan, persistently called once more.

Su Xingyao did not give in despite the other's persistence and was ready to hang up again.

However, just then, Sunset, a few meters away, saw him squatting by the flower bed and excitedly pounced on him.

Its tiny paws landed on Su Xingyao's right hand, causing his finger to press the wrong spot on the screen.

Thus, Qin Mingchuan's call was accidentally answered.

A deep, familiar voice immediately came through the phone.

"How long do you plan to keep running away?"

Qin Mingchuan's tone was relatively mild, but the message was clear.

He had already labeled Su Xingyao's absence—

The over a month absence was just a tantrum of running away.

Hearing this, Su Xingyao neither explained nor intended to.

He knew that not only Qin Mingchuan but everyone around him likely held the same attitude and view about his disappearance.

After all, those who truly care and believe in you do not need your explanations, and those who demand your strenuous explanations never really cared about the truth.

Su Xingyao remained silent, and Qin Mingchuan on the other end did too.

After a few seconds, he spoke again.

"Tomorrow is Aunt Wen and Xiao Xi's birthday, don't forget."

Understanding the call's purpose, Su Xingyao responded accordingly, "Got it."

With that, Su Xingyao, not wishing to engage further, was about to hang up.

But before he could, Qin Mingchuan, who hadn't spoken more than three sentences to him in ages, spoke again.

"Will you come back?"

"Huh?" Su Xingyao was puzzled by the other's unusual talkativeness today.

Qin Mingchuan on the other end seemed unaccustomed to it as well, pausing before adding, "Don't upset Aunt Wen."

Then, as if he hadn't made his point clear, he added, "She's very particular about this birthday."

Qin Mingchuan, more than anyone, knew how much Su Xingyao cared about his mother, so he emphasized it again.

Su Xingyao barely heard Qin Mingchuan, absentmindedly humming in acknowledgment, his attention drawn to Sunset trying to bite the peony petals.

Seeing that the puppy was about to bite the petal, Su Xingyao quickly reached out to stop it.

"Sunset, don't bite it."

He gently covered Sunset's head with his hand, warning it softly.

Sunset, as usual, took advantage of the situation, tilting its neck and licking Su Xingyao's palm affectionately.

Su Xingyao's soft voice came through the receiver to Qin Mingchuan's ears.

He held the phone, quietly listening to the sounds from Su Xingyao's side.

When the moment seemed right, he casually asked, "Who is Sunset?"

"My..." Su Xingyao quickly corrected what he was about to say. "Just a little dog."

Silence followed on the other end of the line.

"Did you get a dog?"

Su Xingyao didn't answer.

Qin Mingchuan sighed, not getting a response.

"Xiao Xi is scared of dogs and allergic to their fur. Don't bring it back tomorrow when you come home."

Su Xingyao moved the phone away from his ear and, free from Sunset's disturbance, finally hung up.

Then, he blocked Qin Mingchuan's number as well.

Looking at his growing blacklist, Su Xingyao realized that cutting ties with Qin Mingchuan wasn't as hard as he thought.

His nominal fiancé, who once genuinely cared for him, later truly came to despise and distance himself from him.

He used to not understand how someone's attitude could change so quickly.

It was only after dying once that he realized Qin Mingchuan actually liked Shen Huaixi.

When the person you like hates you, how can your heart not lean the other way?

Compared to a childhood sweetheart, a friend met later in life naturally doesn't hold much weight.

Qin Mingchuan's phone call made Su Xingyao linger by the flower bed a bit longer.

When he stood up, his calves felt numb.

Su Xingyao sat on the nearby swing and gently rubbed his numb calves.

He remembered when he was suddenly told about the engagement, he had even explained to Qin Mingchuan that they could annul it later.

Looking back now, Su Xingyao felt nothing but foolishness.

Qin Mingchuan's dislike was never about the engagement contract from the start.

Once his blood started circulating better, Su Xingyao's legs felt much more comfortable.

The weight in his chest from losing his friendship with Qin Mingchuan finally loosened.

With so many people disliking him, one more Qin Mingchuan didn’t really matter.

Su Xingyao stood up, recalling the reminder Qin Mingchuan had given him earlier.

Qin Mingchuan’s reminder was timely; he really did need to go back tomorrow.

But the reason for returning wasn’t because of Wen Ningshu and Shen Huaixi’s birthday.

That birthday hadn’t mattered to him in a long time.

What mattered was the various documents and household registry he had left at the Shen family villa; he needed to retrieve them as soon as possible.

After all, without these documents, he couldn’t even get a new SIM card.

Su Xingyao rubbed his slightly sore fingers.

Blocking these people one by one was actually pretty exhausting.

*

The next afternoon, Su Xingyao returned to the Shen family.

He’d planned to take a taxi, but Auntie Zhang, worried about his health, insisted the family driver take him instead.

He couldn’t say no to Auntie Zhang’s concern, so Su Xingyao ended up taking the car that Lu Jiuxu had left at the villa.

He left late and arrived at the Shen mansion after dark.

As Su Xingyao had expected, the usually lively Shen residence was oddly quiet at this hour.

Except for a few low-level servants still around, everyone else had gone to the Shen family’s hotel to attend the birthday banquet.

After all, it was the birthday of the Shen family’s matriarch and her most favored son; no one in their right mind would miss such a big event.

Su Xingyao walked all the way to his room without encountering a single person.

The room looked just like he’d left it.

But he didn’t care to look around this place that was never really his. He headed straight for the bookshelf, opened a drawer, and took out a folder.

Inside were all the documents he had prepared earlier.

He opened the folder and went through each document carefully. Once he confirmed he had all the documents, he slipped his household registry inside.

The household registry was brand new, with just his name on it.

Most people didn’t realize that, even after years back with the Shen family, he still hadn’t been able to move his household registry over.

Not just the registry, but even his birthday and name—his parents had never wanted him tied to the Shen family.

Like the birthday Qin Mingchuan kept bringing up—Shen Huaixi’s birthday.

It used to be his.

Not just the birthday, but even the name “Shen Huaixi” had been his once.

Huai Xi… Huai Xi.

Unfortunately, after their biological son, whom they had once placed all their hopes and expectations in, went missing, his parents gave everything to the child they later adopted.

Only after accidentally discovering this secret, and because he deeply despised the birthday his adoptive parents had given him, did he naively ask his parents if he could celebrate his birthday on the same day as Shen Huaixi.

When he made this suggestion, he actually had a little hidden agenda.

Because if that were the case, his and his mother's birthdays would be on the same day again.

Although this couldn't compensate for the maternal love he had missed out on since childhood, it could at least make the connection between him and his mother a bit closer.

Thinking back to these childish ideas he once had, Su Xingyao couldn't help but smile.

He no longer remembers how he made that "rude" request back then.

But he clearly remembers his father's instantly darkened face and the inexplicable scolding that followed.

His usually composed father, as if suddenly triggered by something, angrily threw the pen in his hand and pointed at his head, harshly reprimanding him.

"Yue Shuang, everything in this family is already yours; why do you have to compete with Huai Xi over something as trivial as a birthday?"

Su Xingyao was totally taken aback by his father's scolding.

He didn't know what terrible wrong he had done to make his father misunderstand his intentions so badly.

So he kept his mouth shut, never mentioning the birthday again, and silently accepted that he didn't need to celebrate it.

Naturally, he also wisely never brought up the fantasy of having his parents add him to the Shen family's household register, or changing the name Yue Shuang, given to him by his adoptive parents, which had brought him endless humiliation and suffering, when updating the family registry.

Su Xingyao flipped through the family registry, his fingers gently tracing the words on it.

The name Su Xingyao was something he had changed himself before going abroad to study.

But now, thinking back, he is grateful for his parents' initial rejection.

Su Xingyao smiled as he secured the file folder and walked into the deepest part of the walk-in closet to find an old, yellowed suitcase.

This was the suitcase he had brought with him when he returned to the Shen family, containing all his belongings from the orphanage.

Su Xingyao placed the file folder inside, packed it up, and pulled the lightweight suitcase, leaving the room without a second thought.

As he passed by the garden, he stopped, his gaze falling on a distant corner.

Dan Huang used to live there.

Because Shen Huaixi was afraid of dogs, the family flat-out refused to allow him to bring back the disabled dog that had been his companion for six years in the orphanage.

It was only after he pleaded desperately, repeatedly reliving the memories of being abused by his adoptive father along with his sister, and telling his parents how Dan Huang had become disabled while saving him, and firmly stating that he absolutely could not abandon it...

That they finally agreed to keep Dan Huang in a hidden corner of the garden.

Su Xingyao walked over to that spot and crouched down, guiltily gathering up a handful of soil.

He had brought it with him when he came, but now, as he left, he could no longer bring it along.

Su Xingyao lingered there for a while, silently saying his final goodbye to Dan Huang.

Afterwards, he placed a credit card on Shen Liangyu's desk.

This was given to him by his father Shen Liangyu when he first came back, saying he could use it whenever he needed money.

But he had never used this card.

To this day, he didn't know the card's limit, but he clearly remembered that the password was Shen Huaixi's birthday.

After finally returning the last item tied to the Shen family, Su Xingyao left without looking back.

His household registration was separate, his name was changed by himself, and he had just transferred the six years of living expenses he owed the Shen family into this card.

Now, he was completely done with the Shen family.

*

At the Shen family birthday banquet.

Before the banquet started, Wen Ningshu got a thoughtful and pricey gift.

The gift was hand-delivered by the head of a famous gallery.

"Madam Shen, this is a gift Mr. Su made just for you, and he asked me to bring it over personally."

As everyone watched with curiosity and envy, the gloved director carefully unwrapped the gift to show Wen Ningshu what was inside.

Soon, a vibrant painting was revealed to everyone.

The painting showed a huge sunflower field, with a young girl walking leisurely in the sunlight.

"This painting, called 'A Girl in the Sunlight,' is Mr. S's latest piece."

After introducing it, the director quickly added, "It's been authenticated by the gallery," worried people might not realize its worth.

Being gallery-authenticated made it incredibly valuable.

A few art-savvy folks in the crowd chimed in, "Mr. S's paintings are priceless, Madam Shen. Whoever sent this really went all out."

After all, anyone into art had heard of Mr. S, a talented and mysterious new artist who popped up just two years ago.

Private collectors loved his work, but he didn't make much.

The weirdest part was that he only worked with one gallery and never showed up anywhere, so collectors couldn't even track him down.

So, getting a real piece like this for Wen Ningshu today took some serious effort.

The director smiled and nodded, "Yep, Mr. Su started working on this for Madam Shen a year ago."

As he spoke, he glanced subtly at Wen Ningshu.

He left out a few details about the painting.

This painting was part of a pair; Mr. S had made two.

Besides this one, there was another painting with a similar look but a totally different vibe, called "Fantasy in the Rain," about family love.

But Mr. Su had said that if he didn't pick it up himself, the director should deliver "A Girl in the Sunlight" today.

The other painting would be taken care of by the gallery.

Of course, these were private arrangements between the two of them, and there was no need to share this with others, nor to reveal Mr. Su's identity.

Not even the recipient of the gift today needed to know.

Wen Ningshu didn't notice the director's glance.

Upon hearing that this painting was specially prepared for her by Xing Yao, Wen Ningshu's previously upset mood, caused by her difficult son's running away from home, instantly lifted.

Her difficult son had finally put in some effort for her this time.

She even felt as if the painting was tailor-made for her by him.

The style and content of the painting perfectly matched her tastes.

Even the flowers in the painting were her beloved sunflowers.

Wen Ningshu turned her attention to the young girl in the painting.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but she even felt that the girl's silhouette somewhat resembled her younger self.

As the crowd showered her with compliments, Wen Ningshu gleefully accepted the painting.

Finally remembering her son's absence, she turned to Aunt Liu, who had helped raise Shen Huaixi, and asked, "Has Xing Yao arrived yet?"

Aunt Liu shook her head, "Not yet."

She watched Wen Ningshu's expression carefully and, seeing the joy in her eyes, said, "The young master really went all out this time."

She then deliberately emphasized his "misdeeds," "He's been gone for so long and upset you, so he must be trying to apologize."

Wen Ningshu didn't argue with Aunt Liu's assumption.

She felt the same way.

After all, she was livid when Su Xingyao hung up on her and told everyone not to reach out to him, waiting for him to come around.

But despite her anger, her son's thoughtful birthday gift for her had softened her anger significantly.

So when Aunt Liu suggested calling Su Xingyao, Wen Ningshu finally decided to pick up her phone and opened Su Xingyao's WeChat.

"I'll check with him myself."

As she spoke, she hit the voice message button and asked softly, "Xing Yao, the banquet is about to start. Are you almost here?"

She let go of the button, and the voice message went out.

Then Wen Ningshu noticed a red exclamation mark pop up on the screen.

Seeing that the message failed to send, Wen Ningshu looked at Aunt Liu in confusion.

"What's happening? Is the reception bad here?"

After saying this, she moved to a different spot and tried sending it again.

When the message failed to send once more, Wen Ningshu, who had been immersed in joy, suddenly changed her expression. Finally catching on, she was so stunned that her hands shook.

Su Xingyao had actually blocked her!