The aroma always lifted Shen Ruxue’s spirits, but at this moment, it felt especially pungent.
Stepping into the dessert shop, the familiar sweet scent washed over her. In the past, everything here would have relaxed her.
Jiang Leyi cheerfully walked toward their usual spot and warmly called out to Shen Ruxue.
Shen Ruxue mechanically followed behind. After sitting down, she watched Jiang Leyi skillfully order their favorite desserts, but she didn’t even feel like picking up the menu.
After all, she had found this dessert shop specifically for her daughter’s taste. Even though she hadn’t been by her daughter’s side for over a decade, she did everything she could to understand and care for her, trying to make up for past neglect.
But between them, there was always an unbridgeable gap.
Her daughter had clearly told her before, and had sincerely apologized—in her heart, the most important people were her family, and only then came her current self. She couldn’t go against her conscience and say that Shen Ruxue was the most important person to her.
Shen Ruxue understood that. After all, she herself was just an outsider. In her daughter’s mind, perhaps after graduating from university, the two of them would no longer be in contact.
How Shen Ruxue wished she could confess everything to her daughter and tell her that she was her real mother. But could her daughter accept that someone who looked younger than her was the mother she hadn’t seen for so long?
Shen Ruxue had always been a very strong person. Both now and in the past, ever since she realized she couldn’t protect Jiang Lai and her family with her own strength, a desire for power had sprouted in her heart.
To gain the ability to protect Jiang Lai, to live a stable life in the future, Shen Ruxue had begun secretly contacting members of her family, no longer drifting along as before.
As one of the victims kidnapped by Si Yina, Jiang Lai’s compensation was negotiated by Chi Yingyu and Xu Ruobing, and she ultimately received the best possible settlement within the range.
As for Shen Ruxue, it was more complicated. Because her current identity was different from Jiang Lai’s—she was tied to the entire Shen family. That was why Si Yina’s mother had personally come to the estate to resolve the issue.
A small star, even with Xu Ruobing’s help, was nothing in Si Yina’s mother’s eyes. Even if her daughter messed up, she fully had the ability to clean up afterward.
On the surface, it was because Si Yina had gone too far with Jiang Lai that she, as a mother, couldn’t stand by and had to step in. But the deeper reason was Shen Ruxue and the Shen family behind her.
Si Yina’s mother was worried that the Shen family would take the opportunity to strike back. Even if Shen Ruxue was just a nobody in the Shen family, once the matter was exposed, they would have a legitimate reason. Sometimes, a justified reason was more important than anything else.
What was even more terrifying was that if the Shen family used this opportunity to completely discredit Si Yina, the only heir, leaving the entire group without a successor, that would be a truly fatal blow.
In business, everything seemed harmonious and reasonable, but everyone knew—only when the opponent fell could one gain the greatest benefit.
To prevent her daughter from being affected, Si Yina’s mother had even considered sending her abroad to lie low for a while. Unfortunately, Si Yina was still immature and didn’t understand her mother’s good intentions.
Once the company suffered significant damage from this, the losses would far exceed what simple compensation could cover.
Therefore, from beginning to end, Si Yina’s mother had maintained a very good attitude—as long as the matter wasn’t exposed, she would pay any compensation and everything was negotiable.
Jiang Lai’s compensation had been finalized. Besides direct financial subsidies, there was also support and protection for the future development of her account.
As for Shen Ruxue’s compensation, if it had been before, she might have only asked for some money to stabilize her life. But now, what she needed was power to resist risks.
So, when facing the Si family’s “favor,” she didn’t ask for any material compensation. Instead, she made a request—to help her transform from an unknown nobody in the Shen family into someone who could truly stand on the family stage.
When discussing compensation with Shen Ruxue, Si Yina’s mother could clearly sense the immense ambition hidden in this newly adult girl. Her words and demeanor were filled with maturity and confidence beyond her age.
Therefore, she was very willing to help.
For her, this was almost all benefit and no harm—it allowed her to plant a stake in the Shen family while completely eliminating the risk from Si Yina’s incident. It was a win-win.
However, when dealing with outsiders, Shen Ruxue could display the maturity and calm of someone who had lived a second life. But when facing family, she was unusually timid.
Even though she had already accepted her place, there was still a flicker of fantasy in her heart—a fantasy that she might be a little special in her daughter’s eyes.
“Leyi, can’t you really tell me? Aren’t we best friends?”
Shen Ruxue carefully spoke again, her voice tinged with grievance.
Jiang Leyi’s smile froze slightly, a flicker of panic in her eyes.
“It’s really a bit complicated… When the time is right later, I’ll definitely tell you first. Don’t overthink it.”
Actually, even Jiang Leyi herself didn’t know how to describe it.
Should she say that she had become her woman’s “dad” and was now together with her “sister-in-law”? Although she was happy, if others found out, they’d probably think she was crazy.
Besides, she didn’t want others to know about this family private matter.
She reached out and gently patted Shen Ruxue’s hand, trying to comfort her.
Shen Ruxue forced a strained smile and nodded, but inside she was churning.
This feeling of being kept in the dark and isolated gradually gave birth to a dark thought in her heart.
Should she tell her true identity now?
But she hadn’t discussed it with her sister yet. She absolutely couldn’t act impulsively on something like this.
Jiang Leyi could sense Shen Ruxue’s low mood, so when ordering desserts, she ordered all of Shen Ruxue’s favorites.
When the waiter brought the small cake, she moved closer, scooped up a spoonful of cake, and brought it to Shen Ruxue’s lips.
“Let me feed you, okay?”
Shen Ruxue looked at the dessert offered to her mouth but had no appetite at all.
Even though her daughter was right beside her, the distance between them seemed like an entire world.
She had never thought of herself as so melodramatic.
She hated this messy and uncomfortable feeling, but to avoid worrying her daughter, she forced herself to eat all the dessert on the spoon.
Seeing her best friend so down, Jiang Leyi’s eyes also stung. The excitement and smile she had barely mustered slowly stiffened.
She didn’t understand why Shen Ruxue was in such a bad mood.
Was it just because she hadn’t told her about that phone call earlier?
Her heart ached terribly, but she still forced a smile and said:
“I might have to go home this weekend, so I won’t be able to stay at school with you… But would you like to come with me?”