PSMD – Chapter 106

After Shen Yuankai finished speaking, he lowered his eyes, staring only at the rice in front of him. He poked at it a couple of times, then paused and added, “I didn’t mean anything else. For so many years, Dad thought Yao Yao was your only friend.”

…

Shen Ningruo’s heart, which had slowed down, returned to normal. She had thought Shen Yuankai was directly questioning her relationship with Qiu Yang.

Actually, it wouldn’t matter if he suspected, and it wouldn’t matter if she told him the truth. It was just that she didn’t know if Shen Yuankai could handle it.

If he couldn’t accept it, this meal probably wouldn’t be very pleasant, and it would likely end in an argument again.

She didn’t want to argue. After arguing for so many years, she was tired.

Not hearing Shen Ningruo’s reply, Shen Yuankai looked up at his daughter and smiled. “Hurry and eat. It’ll get cold soon.”

Shen Ningruo hummed in response. She looked at her father, her mouth opening slightly, and decided to test the waters. “Is that really all you were thinking?”

No, this wasn’t testing; this was outright questioning.

She didn’t think Shen Yuankai would ask this question just because he thought she had a new friend.

Shen Yuankai’s expression became heavy. A cold atmosphere permeated the bright dining room. He held his chopsticks and met Shen Ningruo’s gaze. After several seconds, he forced another smile, speaking in a relaxed tone, “What else would it be?”

“Could it be that your relationship with that girl is unusual?” He said it naturally, showing no sign of abnormality.

“Yes,” Shen Ningruo answered immediately.

Shen Yuankai’s movement of bringing food to his mouth stopped. He looked at his daughter, slightly stunned.

The father and daughter didn’t look very alike. Shen Ningruo resembled her mother the most, especially her eyes and brows, as if they were carved from the same mold.

“Let’s… let’s eat first,” Shen Yuankai said after recovering, withdrawing his gaze. Only then did he put the food in his mouth.

But it was strange. This dish was clearly sweet, yet it tasted different in his mouth.

It tasted bitter.

Shen Ningruo said, “Okay.”

Shen Yuankai had spent most of his time at home these past few years. With nothing much else to do, he started researching recipes. After all these years, he could cook very well, but Shen Ningruo hadn’t eaten his cooking often.

When she was in university, Shen Ningruo was very busy, striving for scholarships and planning for her future. After graduation, she threw herself into work and became even more diligent.

She actually came home quite often, but frequently, before they even started eating, she would get into an argument with Shen Yuankai.

The last memory of eating together was the New Year’s Eve dinner. That night, the father and daughter surprisingly didn’t argue, but the next morning, they started again. Shen Ningruo simply went to hang out with Yao Yao instead of staying home.

It was somewhat beyond Shen Ningruo’s expectation that this meal could start so calmly.

According to Shen Yuankai’s previous style, after asking a question, he would chatter endlessly instead of changing the subject.

Shen Ningruo suppressed the doubts in her heart. She looked at Shen Yuankai several times during the meal but ultimately didn’t ask.

Forget it. This was fine too. Some things needed time to digest and accept, especially since in Shen Yuankai’s understanding, she would fall in love and marry a man.

Shen Ningruo didn’t dwell on it. After the meal, she voluntarily stood up and cleared the dishes.

There was a dishwasher at home; she just needed to start it.

Shen Yuankai picked up his teacup. He looked at the closed kitchen door and sighed deeply, his grip on the cup tightening as his mind churned.

Shen Ningruo came out of the kitchen quickly. She looked at her father sitting on the sofa and called out, “Dad.”

“Yes, I’m here,” Shen Yuankai put away all his thoughts and looked at her. “What is it?”

Shen Ningruo pursed her lips, then bent down to grab a tissue to wipe her hands. She hesitated before saying, “I went to Xicheng for the May Day holiday and brought you a gift. It’s in the car. I’ll go get it now.”

“Okay,” Shen Yuankai smiled again. He knew Shen Ningruo felt awkward being with him and was deliberately sending herself away.

However, what Shen Ningruo said wasn’t false. She had brought Shen Yuankai a sculpture from the Xicheng Museum. Shen Yuankai didn’t have many hobbies; when he was free, he would tinker with sculptures. Now, there was a glass display case at home holding all of Shen Yuankai’s works.

And this gift wasn’t bought on the day they visited the Xicheng Museum, but the day before they left. She remembered it and went back to the museum to buy it.

Before going to work this morning, she had specifically put the item in the car’s trunk, but she forgot about it after getting out of the car.

It was true that she was deliberately sending herself away, and it was also true that she needed to get the item.

After leaving her home, Shen Ningruo let out a long breath. She unlocked her phone, looked at the message from Qiu Yang, replied first, and then called her.

Qiu Yang answered quickly. “Hello? Are you coming back?”

“Maybe in a bit,” Shen Ningruo pressed the elevator button.

“Okay.”

Shen Ningruo watched the floor numbers light up, her thumb stroking the side of her phone. Then she opened her mouth and said, “Xiao Yang, I miss you very much.”

“I know. I miss you too.”

The elevator door opened just as Qiu Yang finished speaking. Shen Ningruo’s lips curved slightly. “Okay.”

“Then wait for me to come back.”

“Okay.”

The call ended there. Shen Ningruo entered the elevator, feeling a strange sense of disorientation.

After getting the sculpture, Shen Ningruo went back upstairs.

It was a sculpture of the Xicheng Museum’s exterior, with intricate details. The sculpture wasn’t large, but it was exquisite.

Shen Ningruo carried the bag. When she got out of the elevator again, that nervous feeling swept over her once more.

She knew that once she entered the door again, certain topics would have to continue.

Shen Yuankai was still sitting on the sofa, but his eyes were closed. He looked very tired. Hearing the sound of the door opening, he opened his eyes and looked towards the entrance.

Shen Ningruo put on her slippers again and placed the bag on the coffee table. “Dad, here.”

“Thank you,” Shen Yuankai sat up, took the bag, and took out the box inside. He didn’t even open it, just looked at the pattern on the box surface and hummed, “I like it very much.”

He said again, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The father and daughter were more polite than strangers. Shen Ningruo realized this, and her expression stiffened. Then she went to the bar counter to get a glass, preparing to pour herself some water.

Shen Yuankai wasn’t in a hurry to open the souvenir. His eyes weren’t as clear as before, looking at Shen Ningruo with a slight blur. He clasped his hands in front of him. After Shen Ningruo had poured the water, he spoke again, “Ruoruo, the other day…”

“Guo Ming’an called me to wish me a Happy May Day.”

“He said he met you in Xicheng. He said he still likes you very much. He…”

“Dad,” Shen Ningruo’s brows furrowed when she heard the name “Guo Ming’an.” She looked into her father’s eyes. “Do his words matter?”

“He said he was sorry for the mistakes he made and hopes you can give him another chance. His attitude was quite good.”

Shen Yuankai kept saying “he,” and Shen Ningruo felt like she was listening to a chant. Seeing that Shen Yuankai was about to continue, Shen Ningruo placed the glass on the coffee table with a crisp sound. The water inside sloshed, some playfully splashing out and pooling around the glass.

“Dad.”

“I don’t believe you don’t know he’s already married. I don’t believe you don’t know he was already engaged yet still pursued me. I don’t believe you don’t know what kind of person he is.”

“But you still want me to give him a chance, is that right?”

Shen Yuankai unclasped his hands and placed them on his knees. Listening to his daughter’s questioning, his expression faltered for a moment, then he quickly said, “The mistakes he made before, he can make up for them in the future. He’ll definitely treat you very well from now on. Just trust him one more time.”

“Then the mistakes you made before, have you made up for them? Can you make up for them? What were you doing back then?” Shen Ningruo’s eyes instantly turned red. She tried hard to control her emotions. “You’re very good at standing in Guo Ming’an’s shoes, thinking and considering things for him. What about me? Have you ever thought about me?”

“You haven’t.”

“You never stood in Mom’s shoes before, and you don’t stand in mine now. You just want everyone to follow your ideas, to obey you, to walk the path you’ve arranged for me.”

“Don’t you think you’re going too far?”

“Dad.”

Shen Yuankai pressed his lips together tightly, his hands on his knees gripping harder and harder. He didn’t look at Shen Ningruo, but stared at the box on the coffee table.

Shen Ningruo’s words were clear, entering his ears one by one. He didn’t miss a single sentence, and therefore understood even more clearly what Shen Ningruo was saying.

Shen Ningruo had initially thought her father was going to talk about Qiu Yang, but she didn’t expect him to start with Guo Ming’an. This was unacceptable to her. Seeing Shen Yuankai stunned and unresponsive, she picked up a tissue and wiped away the water that had splashed out.

The moment the tissue went into the trash can, she turned around. Without saying anything else, she lifted her foot and walked towards the door.

Only then did Shen Yuankai raise his head and look at Shen Ningruo’s back. His lips trembled. As Shen Ningruo stood at the entrance bending down to change her shoes, he said, somewhat brokenly, “Am I supposed to just watch my daughter not get married or have children in the future, and be with a woman?”

Shen Ningruo straightened up, her brows furrowing deeper. “What’s wrong with being with a woman?”

“Is Guo Ming’an, a man who only knows how to sleep with women, better? Dad, you don’t think he’s dirty, but I do.”

“Stop forcing me.”

After saying that, Shen Ningruo opened the door and slammed it shut with a bang. She let out a deep breath, composed herself, and then pressed the down button for the elevator.

Tonight’s argument was relatively calm. Shen Yuankai didn’t yell and shout like before, but the calmer it was, the more uncomfortable Shen Ningruo felt.

She had held onto a faint glimmer of hope, thinking that since her father had guessed her relationship with Qiu Yang, he might have prepared himself mentally over the past few days. But Shen Yuankai personally blew out that faint light and even stepped on it fiercely, crushing the candle into a puddle of mud.

Shen Ningruo’s breathing was a little rapid. On the way back, she called Yao Yao. As soon as the other person answered, she said, “Yao Yao, do me a favor.”

“Tell me.”

“It was one thing when Guo Ming’an didn’t bother me, but now…”

“I want to ruin him.”