Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase-Chapter 352 - 331: Still Playing the Victim

Monday, nine o’clock in the morning, Shen Jianian arrived at the symphony orchestra’s studio on time. Her timing was perfect, as the symphony orchestra was preparing for an upcoming performance.

There was no doubt about Shen Jianian’s skills, only the concern about her blending in with other members.

In the following days, Shen Jianian practiced in the studio’s rehearsal room every day. At home, she was surrounded by cats and dogs, then waited for Fu Jichen to come home from work; they would sit across from each other, have a meal, chat about their respective fields, and their days passed calmly like water.

Such peaceful days always have someone trying to disrupt them.

That evening, the sunset painted a red-orange hue across the sky as Shen Jianian, carrying her cello, came out of the studio without using a sunshade, walking towards the parking area.

Suddenly, a figure appeared out of nowhere, and in the next second, her wrist was grabbed. Before she could react, she was dragged a few steps to the side.

Too frightened to even scream, Shen Jianian widened her eyes to see who was holding her wrist. It was a woman with slightly curly long hair, wearing a chiffon dress that was neither blue nor green.

Upon recognizing her after a few glances, Shen Jianian identified the person as Yin Shuyao.

Shen Jianian wanted to shake off her hand, but carrying the heavy cello case made it hard for her to move, so she could only speak up: "Shuyao, what are you doing?"

They reached the front of a café in the complex. Yin Shuyao finally let go of her hand, opened the café door, and the refreshing indoor coolness came over her along with the aroma of coffee.

Yin Shuyao clutched her chain bag at her side, looking eagerly at the person in front of her. She needed some mental preparation before she could confirm that this person was indeed Shen Jianian.

Because it was a completely unfamiliar face.

"Jia... Jianian." Though her heart confirmed it was Shen Jianian, Yin Shuyao hesitated when she greeted her, appearing somewhat unnatural, "We haven’t seen each other for many years, let’s chat for a while."

If she wasn’t at the end of her rope, if her parents weren’t constantly nagging in her ear, she wouldn’t want to lower herself, to humble herself and beg Shen Jianian.

She had waited a long time and finally found this opportunity to approach Shen Jianian; how could she just let it slip away?

She knew that Shen Jianian usually had a personal driver to pick her up. She had seen that driver, wearing a neatly fitted suit that couldn’t hide his muscular build, looking like a bodyguard.

Shen Jianian looked steadily at Yin Shuyao for a moment, weighing her options internally. Eventually, she lifted her foot and walked into the café. She wore flat shoes and her walk was almost silent, while the crisp clicks of high heels next to her came from Yin Shuyao. Shen Jianian looked down and saw Yin Shuyao wearing a pair of silver high-heeled sandals; the plastic sole made a loud noise.

They found a relatively secluded corner to sit down in; Yin Shuyao smiled slightly, "Jianian, what would you like to drink?"

"Plain water is fine." Shen Jianian had been taking medicine to condition her body recently, so coffee and other drinks were off-limits.

Yin Shuyao didn’t insist and ordered a glass of plain water for her, while she herself ordered a latte.

Shen Jianian took a sip of the plain water, her attitude neither cold nor warm, her emotions were faint, as she quietly let her gaze fall on Yin Shuyao, scanning back and forth.

Yin Shuyao used to love beauty; she always went out wearing fashionable dresses and dazzling attire, exuding sophistication from her hair down to her toes.

Now, she had changed a lot. Her hair looked dry and lackluster, her face’s skin loose and couldn’t be covered up by makeup’s cracks and grooves. If she wasn’t mistaken, the dress she wore must have gotten discolored in the wash, becoming neither blue nor green. Her fingers holding the coffee cup were bare and unpolished.

It was too unlike the Yin Shuyao she knew.

However, people do change; she was no longer the same Shen Jianian either.

As Shen Jianian scrutinized Yin Shuyao, Yin Shuyao was silently observing her too. Shen Jianian was better off than she imagined.

Her long black hair was lush and smooth, cascading down almost to her waist, her skin radiant and supple, showing no signs of cosmetic repairs. The simple design of her light purple dress was evidently a luxury brand, paired with a gentle cream-colored knit cardigan. She wore no accessories, but the diamond ring on her ring finger caught all attention, with its large diamond gleaming brilliantly under the light.

Yin Shuyao couldn’t estimate how much this diamond ring cost, but she assumed it was a gift from Fu Jichen, and certainly wasn’t cheap.

Fingers clutched tightly around the coffee cup, the jealousy within Yin Shuyao roiled inside her, threatening to engulf her, yet she had to put on a facade of joy at the reunion: "Jianian, I almost didn’t recognize you."

Tears shimmered in her eyes, as if she was crying tears of joy.

Shen Jianian looked at her quietly, the words Fu Jichen had said to her surfacing in her mind, without revealing any other emotions.

Yin Shuyao suddenly felt a bit awkward, lowered her head and stared at the coffee in the cup, pursed her lips, her voice was low, seeming sad and desolate: "Did Fu Jichen tell you something, and that’s why you wouldn’t come to see me? That day I waited for you in the private room, but instead it was Fu Jichen who came, later when I called you, I found my number was blocked, that’s when I guessed. I don’t want to justify the past... I was young, easily provoked, made a mistake and targeted you, but I never hated you. Jianian, you are my sister, how could I possibly hurt you. These years, I always regret every time I think about it..."

Tears in her eyes turned into teardrops, falling and hitting her legs.

Yin Shuyao seemed like she didn’t expect to cry, hastily looking for tissues to wipe her tears, but she couldn’t find any. At this moment, a fair and slender hand reached over from across, handing her a tissue.

It was Shen Jianian who took it out of her own bag.

The tears in Yin Shuyao’s eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, she knew Shen Jianian would soften. She took the tissue and dabbed her tears, continuing her efforts: "Do you remember? We used to lie in the same bed, sharing secrets with each other, I really envy those times, there were no worries. I wish we could never grow up."

She quietly raised her eyelids, seeing Shen Jianian’s gaze fixed on an empty space, seemingly drawn into memories by her words.

Yin Shuyao continued: "I saw what you went through online, I cried under the covers for a long time, if only we were there by your side at that time."

Shen Jianian remained silent, sipping water, listening to Yin Shuyao.

"Actually, we haven’t lived well these years either." Yin Shuyao continued to pitifully seek sympathy, "Fu Jichen probably told you. I got married, then divorced, my in-laws treated me very poorly, I lost two pregnancies."

At this point, she seemed very sorrowful, deeply bowing her head.

An unexpected feeling passed through Shen Jianian’s heart, and she couldn’t help but put a pack of tissues in front of her, gently advising: "Don’t cry."

Yin Shuyao sniffled, trying hard to hold back her tears, yet like a river bursting its banks, she couldn’t control them. If the tears earlier were pretend, as she spoke, she couldn’t help but feel that fate was too harsh on her, and she couldn’t hold back the tears.

"The family’s company was taken over by my in-laws, they gave my dad an idle position, he couldn’t stand it and soon quit. He wanted to start a business again, but who knew he’d be deceived by a partner, all his savings drained. We left Yicheng, where we lived for decades, and came to Beicheng. My dad never gave up, found an opportunity to open a factory, still doing building materials as before. Beicheng’s business wasn’t easy, the factory now barely sustains itself..."

Yin Shuyao sobbed while wiping her tears, using up a pack of tissues.

Her words were half-truths, after Yin Chengde left the company, he got into bad habits, squandered decades of savings, and even incurred debt. With no way out, he set his sights on Shen Jianian, came to Beicheng to ask for money. At that time, Shen Jianian was very cold-hearted, not only refusing him a cent but also treated him with harsh words.

Yin Chengde was not deterred, he went to Junshan Group Building to block people, intending to ask Fu Jichen for money. He thought it through, Junshan Group Building was frequent with elites, Fu Jichen, for the sake of face, wouldn’t get too entangled with him, would rather use money to dismiss him. After all, he was Shen Jianian’s uncle.

At that time, Yin Chengde, in his addiction, didn’t care about dignity or face anymore.

Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to block Fu Jichen, but fortunately, he ran into the fourth daughter of the Fu Family, Fu Jianfang. After stating his identity, Fu Jianfang, for reasons unknown, signed him a check for fifty million without a word.

Yin Chengde, receiving a huge sum, contentedly returned to Yicheng.

Hu Yuzhi, worried he would squander it again, snatched the check away, threatening with her life, which made him give up the idea, taking the money for business instead.

If it were someone with brains, they might have used the fifty million capital to make a comeback.

But Yin Chengde’s mind wasn’t as sharp as when he was younger, in the place of Yicheng, he toiled without making a name, the money spent left him with little.

The family turned to Beicheng, started their old business, opened a building materials factory, initially barely maintaining balance, but business started to decline in the past year, closing seemed near. Used to a comfortable and smooth life, the family refused mediocrity, always thinking of regaining their past glory, the more anxious they were, the worse life got, dragging on, they couldn’t even pay the rent for the factory.

Facing survival problems, suddenly explosive news about Shen Jianian appeared online, they couldn’t help but have ideas.