Chapter 45 Chapter 45 "What did you do to Xia Xia?" ...

After waking up from the dream, Yao Yingxia opened the messaging app, clicked on Xiao An's long-gray profile picture, and sent a message:

"Brother, where are you?"

"Can we still meet?"

She took a long breath, her fingers trembling slightly: "I miss you so much."

After arriving in S City, Xu Nian quickly found a house he liked. It was only a ten-minute walk to S University. The layout was nice, the decoration was simple, and the furniture was already ready. The owner decided to sell the house before moving in because he was going on a long-term overseas assignment.

Xu Nian liked it very much at first sight and paid the full amount after two days of consideration. That’s how they got their new home.

After Yao Yingxia started school, Xu Nian was not idle either. He inspected the surrounding area every day and finally decided to buy a milk tea shop.

On the third day of opening, they met an unexpected guest.

The boy, wearing a baseball cap and a mask that covered his entire face, pointed to the job posting at the door and asked, "Are you still hiring here?"

The familiar voice made Yao Yingxia stop what she was doing and stared at him in surprise: "Qingyuan?"

The boy took off his hat and mask and greeted them with a smile: "Aunt, sister."

This address made Xu Nian's face stiffen. Yao Yingxia hadn't expected to see Shen Qingyuan again, and it brought back memories of the past. She avoided his overly bright eyes and asked, "When were you discharged?"

"Before school started." Shen Qingyuan looked dejected. "Sister promised to come see me, but why hasn't she come yet? I've been waiting for her every day."

Yao Yingxia was a little embarrassed: "Sorry, I was very busy during that time."

Xu Nian then asked, "Qingyuan, are you studying at S University?"

The boy nodded. "I'm in the Physics Department." As if understanding their concerns, he took the initiative to explain, "The doctor gave me a detailed examination and said I have partial memory loss, but it won't affect my studies."

Yao Yingxia felt sincerely fortunate. With Shen Qingyuan's intelligence and learning talent, it would be a pity if he could not continue his studies.

She handed the milk tea she had just made to Shen Qingyuan: "Congratulations."

This was made by my sister herself.

He took it carefully, took a sip, his eyes lit up, and took another sip before speaking: "This is the best milk tea I have ever tasted."

Yao Yingxia was a little amused and asked, "Is this your first time drinking milk tea?"

After all, Shen Qingyuan never drank this kind of stuff before. He only liked to brew it himself.

Shen Qingyuan scratched his hair a bit embarrassedly: "I can't remember much about the past, but I'm not lying. This is really delicious. Many of my classmates are recommending it."

Xu Nian finally relaxed her expression: "Thank your classmates for me. The store uses the best ingredients." She paused, still a little concerned, and asked, "Qingyuan, how did you find this place?"

He opened his phone, pulled out a photo, and showed it to Xu Nian: "Someone in the class group sent this photo."

Xu Nian handed the phone to his daughter and took a look: "Oh, this is a really good photo."

It was a snapshot of Yao Yingxia making milk tea with her head down. She was wearing a very ordinary solid-color T-shirt and an even more ordinary apron hat, but the sunlight shining on her face made her look like a deity with compassion for the world, with a breathtaking beauty.

Many classmates praised his sister for her beauty. He felt proud but also a little worried. He didn't know why he felt so uncomfortable, so he found this place during his break.

He asked again: "Aunt, can I come here part-time?"

Xu Nian had to remind him: "Your uncle and I have broken up. Just call me aunt from now on." She paused and asked, "Is your uncle feeling better?"

Shen Qingyuan shook his head. "The healing after the operation wasn't very good. My uncle has been bleeding repeatedly. He was still in danger before I started school."

Upon learning that Shen Changhe's recent condition was very bad, both mother and daughter breathed a sigh of relief.

Yao Yingxia said, "Send me a copy of your class schedule. Can you start working part-time tomorrow?"

Shen Qingyuan nodded: "It's fine now, I don't have classes until tonight."

Yao Yingxia gave him an apron and a hat and said, "Come on, I'll teach you how to cook tapioca pearls."

In this way, the milk tea shop was open from summer to winter, and life was busy yet peaceful and happy.

The only thing that made Shen Qingyuan unhappy was that every day too many boys came to get close to his sister under the pretext of buying milk tea, and forced him to order takeout or deliver things to the store. Fortunately, his sister never responded, otherwise his chest tightness symptoms would be aggravated.

After the final exams, winter vacation came. Shen Qingyuan was not in a hurry to return to City A. He still stayed in the store to help. It was not until the New Year that he bought a return ticket at the urging of Xu Nian and Yao Yingxia.

When he was leaving, he was still reluctant to leave and carefully tested: "Sister, can't I really stay here to spend the New Year with you?"

Xu Nian advised: "You should go back and visit your mother."

Shen Qingyuan was particularly disgusted by the word "mother". He lowered his eyes and said in a muffled voice, "She's too scary."

He had visited Shen Suxi several times before school started. Every time the woman saw him, she would rush over with tears streaming down her face, hug him and shout and scream, making a fuss, which was really a headache.

"But she is your mother after all."

"I know." Shen Qingyuan looked at Yao Yingxia again, "Sister, what will you do if those 'flies' come to bother you again when I'm not around?"

Yao Yingxia was a bit amused and confused: "We live in a society ruled by law now, they wouldn't dare to do anything." She pointed to the roadside and said: "Qingyuan, your taxi has been waiting for a long time. If you don't leave now, you will miss your flight."

Finally, he reluctantly dragged his suitcase away. Xu Nian smiled and said, "Even though Qingyuan has lost his memory, he still cares about you, Xia Xia. If you still have him in your heart..."

Yao Yingxia shook her head: "Mom, he is a member of the Shen family."

Xu Nian then stopped talking.

Three days before Chinese New Year's Eve, Xu Nian closed her milk tea shop and prepared to greet the New Year with her daughter. The house was actually quite clean, but they still spent the entire day cleaning it and bought some festive decorations. Even though it was just the two of them at home, this was the New Year they were most looking forward to.

The next morning, they went to a nearby supermarket together again, bought some clothes and purchased a lot of food.

At noon, Xu Nian showed off his cooking skills and prepared to cook a few hearty dishes. Halfway through cleaning up, he realized that the shacha sauce at home was used up.

Yao Yingxia went out to buy it and never came back.

Xu Nian was busy cooking and didn't pay much attention. When she came to her senses, almost an hour had passed. She then realized that her daughter had been away for too long.

Xu Nian called Yao Yingxia several times, but no one answered. She put on her coat and was about to go out to look for her, only to find an old acquaintance standing at the door.

The man looked at her frightened face and smiled with some pleasure: "Nian Nian, long time no see."

After undergoing multiple surgeries, Shen Changhe's body is no longer as strong as before, and his face has become much thinner, making it difficult to associate him with the Shen Changhe of the past.

But the expression on his face was still so familiar, as harsh and heartless as ever, with a dagger hidden in his smile.

Seeing that she was completely frightened and stunned, Shen Changhe took another step forward, covering her completely in his shadow: "Won't you invite me in to sit down?"

Xu Nian took a step back and subconsciously wanted to close the door, but then he heard him ask: "Don't you care about your precious daughter anymore?"

Xu Nian suddenly grabbed his collar, his eyes almost spitting fire: "What did you do to Xia Xia?"

This sudden approach caused Shen Changhe to cough deeply, and his expression turned a little ugly: "Xu Nian, you'd better be polite to me. Yao Yingxia is fine now, but it will be hard to say later."

Xu Nian finally let go and stepped aside to make way. Shen Changhe walked in on his own and looked around the tiny space that stretched as far as the eye could see. "Can you get used to living in such a small house?"

Xu Nian didn't say anything, but just stood far away from him.

Shen Changhe walked to the dining table and sat down, picking up the chopsticks at hand very naturally, as if he was the real owner of this house. "It's been a long time since I had a meal cooked by you. Come and have some with me."

Xu Nian had no appetite at all. She just sat stiffly opposite him and watched him slowly eat the lunch she had carefully prepared.

He was obviously very satisfied with the taste and ate more than before. When he put down his chopsticks, Xu Nian knew that the real negotiation had begun.

Shen Changhe looked up at her. Xu Nian must have been living a very happy life recently. Her complexion was much better than before. That was the result of her relaxed mind and peaceful state of mind. It seemed that her body was much healthier than before.

Shen Changhe didn't waste time talking to her, but simply announced the result: "I've booked a flight for you to City A at 4 pm."

Xu Nian asked in despair, "Where is Xia Xia?"

Shen Changhe sneered: "You don't need to know."

She protested: "Then I won't go back."

Shen Changhe smiled and shoved the plate beside him to the ground. A loud noise accompanied his mockery: "Xu Nian, I haven't settled the score with you yet."

He kept throwing the dishes she had painstakingly prepared onto the floor until the restaurant was a mess. He finally spoke again: "I raised you in luxury, giving you the best of everything, but I didn't expect you to be such an ungrateful person."

He walked over to Xu Nian with a sullen face and pulled her up: "A few months ago, I almost died in the hospital, Xu Nian, you are so cruel."

After waking up for the first time, Shen Changhe learned that Xu Nian had already taken Yao Yingxia out of the villa. He was so angry that his blood pressure soared and his heart ached, and he was sent for emergency treatment again.

Although he knew that he shouldn't have any expectations of her, Shen Changhe felt that he was very kind to her. He gave her luxury brand bags, clothes, gold, diamonds and jade without blinking an eye, not to mention a considerable living allowance every month.

After more than a thousand days and nights, even if it was just an animal, it would have developed feelings for him. But Xu Nian actually took advantage of him being seriously injured and slipped away without even looking back.

It's really abominable.

He dragged Xu Nian to the bedroom: "There is still some time before the plane takes off, we can catch up on the past."

Shen Changhe and Xu Nian almost missed the 4 o'clock flight, and because of excessive fatigue, Shen Changhe kept coughing throughout the flight, as if he was going to cough out his lungs.

Xu Nian only wished that he would cough out his heart and lungs and die instantly, but life and death were not hers to decide. At this moment, Xu Nian was heartbroken, for her daughter who was missing, and for herself who had lost her freedom again.

They were sitting in the first class cabin, so the flight attendants would have paid special attention to them. But now, seeing that one of them looked sick and kept coughing, and the other had red eyes and kept crying, the flight attendants took turns to approach them to express their concern and comfort them softly.

Shen Changhe was annoyed and finally gave in: "Yao Yingxia's flight is at 6 o'clock. You can reunite at home tonight. Don't cry anymore."

He paused and added, "You'd better think of a reason in advance and comfort your precious daughter. I don't want to hear her talking nonsense at home."

He finally emphasized: "Otherwise, I don't mind teaching Yao Yingxia a lesson."

Frightened by his cold tone, Xu Nian began to tremble slightly. He turned his head to look out the window evasively. They were thousands of miles high in the sky, above the clouds, and could not see the road ahead at all.

Even when she ran to S City, which was thousands of miles away, she couldn't escape Shen Changhe's control, not to mention that she was about to return to A City.

From now on, she would have to walk on thin ice every difficult day and night, and she would hardly have a chance to breathe.

Thinking of this, Xu Nian began to cry again.

Yao Yingxia returned to the villa at ten o'clock in the evening. Xu Nian and Shen Changhe were watching TV in the living room. They looked normal, and she felt as if time had gone back to her high school days.

But it clearly shouldn't be like this.

She pretended not to see Shen Changhe, walked straight towards Xu Nian, and asked anxiously: "Mom, are you okay?"

At noon, she went downstairs to buy something. As soon as she came out of the supermarket, she was dragged into a car on the side of the road. Seeing the burly man in the car, she was almost scared to death. Just as she was about to scream, someone covered her mouth and nose, and then she lost consciousness.

When she woke up again, she was already at the airport. The person leading the group said to her, "Ms. Yao, your mother is flying to City A and will land in half an hour. If you still want to reunite with her, you can join us on the next flight."

At that time, Yao Yingxia was not sure which of the Shen brothers did it, but now she finally knows that the culprit is Shen Changhe.

Her angry look was so much like her mother's that Shen Changhe narrowed his eyes slightly.

Xu Nian was afraid that the conflict between them would escalate, so she quickly held her daughter's hand, smiled gently, and said, "Xia Xia, I'm fine."

She paused, spoke with difficulty, and told a lie that even she couldn't deceive: "I have reconciled with your Uncle Shen. When you start school, I will sell the milk tea shop. Mom will not go back."

Xu Nian's eyes were lifeless and a little swollen, not looking alright at all. Yao Yingxia kept shaking her head and pointed at the smug-looking man on the sofa and asked, "Did he force you to do that?!"

Shen Changhe sneered and finally looked up at the mother and daughter: "Xu Nian, the daughter you raised is really rude."

Yao Yingxia was about to fight back, but Xu Nian covered her mouth. Her eyes were full of pleading: "Xia Xia, go up and rest first. Mom will explain to you later. Just think of it as Mom begging you."

This time when he came back, the security in the villa was different from before. There were several bodyguards guarding the door in shifts 24 hours a day. They could do anything bad with just a command from Shen Changhe.

Xu Nian was so afraid that Shen Changhe would be angered by his daughter that he almost burst into tears again.

Yao Yingxia had never seen her mother so humble, and she knew that she had no power to compete with Shen Changhe.

She felt extremely distressed, even her heart ached. She was worried that Shen Changhe could easily destroy their hard-earned stable life, and that she was really as Shen Xingchuan had cursed, and that she would soon reach the end of her rope.

The clock struck twelve at midnight, and it was already New Year's Eve. She stood in front of Shen Xingchuan's door, finally made up her mind, and raised her hand to knock on the door.