"I understand." Mingyue picked up the book again and turned a page. "But if you still think this way after we get back from this trip, I respect your decision."

Shen Yu had nothing to say, but she felt that the adults were acting strangely.

This time, their route was towards Huaizhou, and they arrived at Jinghu Town, where they had met before. "My lord, isn't this the place where we first met?"

Shen Yu is only fifteen years old now. Without any makeup, her skin is as smooth as cream, and she is already a beautiful young lady with delicate features.

"Um."

Mingyue sniffed, her expression aloof. So cold, this awful weather…

"Would you like to visit the Shen family?"

Shen Yu's bright eyes immediately dimmed, and she hesitated, "I...want to go."

She wondered if her only blood-related father in the world was really that heartless.

Let's go.

It's good to let this female lead experience cruelty. If she's raised like a delicate flower, she'll inevitably be bullied in the future.

The Shen family was considered a wealthy family in the area, with five shops and a restaurant in their mansion. The Shen mansion was magnificent and grand.

"Miss Shen? Miss Shen is back?!"

The steward, who had just stepped out, spotted Shen Yu standing outside the mansion. Despite the freezing weather, Shen Yu stood gracefully wrapped in a pink mink coat, her hair adorned with a plum blossom hairpin.

"Uncle Butler."

She originally wanted to go back with the adults, but they said they would come to pick her up in a few days, so she agreed.

"Miss, please come in first. I'll go and inform the master and madam."

Shen Yu nodded obediently. The Shen family was still the same Shen family she remembered, without any change.

"You mean Shen Yu is back?" Madam Shen said in surprise, then frowned slightly. "Wasn't she kidnapped to a bandit stronghold? How did she come back?"

"It's possible that when the bandit stronghold was destroyed, the young lady met a benefactor. I noticed that her clothes were made of the finest silks and satins."

The butler was knowledgeable and immediately noticed the changes in Shen Yu. "Most importantly, the young lady's muteness has been cured."

"What?!"

Madam Shen hurriedly put down her teacup, spilling tea. She looked cautiously at the butler, "Are you sure?"

The butler nodded, quite certain.

"That Shen Yu is really lucky. What's the point of her coming back?" Madam Shen gritted her teeth, her tone full of disgust. "Master is back?"

"The master stayed outside yesterday and hasn't returned yet..."

Madam Shen was so angry that she cursed loudly, saying that there wasn't a single good person in the Shen family. After a long while, she finally caught her breath and said, "I want to see what this little slut is up to when she comes back."

Madam Shen was dressed in a dignified and luxurious manner. She was a top beauty in her younger days, and the years have only made her more charming.

When Shen Yu saw Madam Shen from her memories, she trembled inexplicably. She still remembered being bullied in the past, and the coldness in Madam Shen's eyes made her afraid to complain.

"Ayu, you're finally back. Master and I thought something had happened to you."

When Madam Shen saw that Shen Yu was just as the steward had said, she gritted her teeth inwardly, but she was also worried that the other party might not have really met a benefactor and was just putting on a good show. She anxiously held Shen Yu's hand.

"I am well, Madam. I have only come back to visit my father."

Shen Yu withdrew her hand, unaccustomed to being so close.

Madam Shen concealed the sarcasm in her eyes, thinking it was something beneath her dignity, and turned to warmly invite people to sit down. "Master is out on business, so I had the steward go and call someone. By the way, where has A-Yu been these days?"

"He went to the capital."

Shen Yu answered politely, but the adults specifically instructed her not to say anything, and she followed the adults around doing things.