Chapter 239 - 239 Are We Like a Family?
“Okay, I’ll join you,” Shen Shihan turned his head and glanced at her.
Mo Shuifu didn’t refuse and nodded gently again.
Soon, Shen Shihan parked the car in front of a fairly large supermarket.
He got out of the car like a gentleman and opened the door for Mo Shuifu, who seemed slightly uneasy, especially when she walked beside him, the awkwardness grew.
He was the vice president of the company, emanating a powerful aura and excellent temperament. She, by contrast, was much less impressive.
She walked with her head down, ill at ease, trying to maintain some distance from Shen Shihan, to avoid the surrounding gazes.
But because Shen Shihan was so conspicuous in the crowd, from time to time, there were glances cast in their direction.
Mo Shuifu tried her best to avoid him, unwilling to stand next to him. But whether Shen Shihan was doing it intentionally or not, the more she dodged, the closer he moved to her.
“Third Young Master Shen, you should stay away from me. It wouldn’t be good if acquaintances saw us,” she said slowly.
“Then tell me, what’s not good about it?”
“Everything is not good.”
“I think it’s fine,” Shen Shihan ignored her objections.
Whenever she strayed a little farther from him, he would move a bit closer to her—he would never let her out of his sight by more than three steps.
At first, Mo Shuifu resisted him, but later, she resigned herself to it.
She kept her head down as much as possible, not wanting acquaintances to see her.
When they reached the supermarket’s fresh food section, Mo Shuifu started to pick vegetables row by row.
After a while, she finally looked up and asked Shen Shihan, “Third Young Master, what do you like to eat?”
“Buy whatever you like to eat.”
“Oh, I’m not picky.”
“Neither am I.”
Mo Shuifu smiled faintly, having thought Shen Shihan would be very picky.
When they walked side by side, Shen Shihan, being tall, would often lower his head when she did.
While she lowered her head to pick vegetables, he would do so to look at her.
When she bowed her head, a few strands of hair would dangle down, and every time, he would reach out to tuck them behind her ear.
It seemed like a very natural gesture, his fingertips always gentle.
There was a moment when Shen Shihan became lost in thought.
“Look, is this enough?” Mo Shuifu raised the transparent bag in her hand.
Shen Shihan was staring at her, and upon hearing her, he looked up, “It’s enough, it’s plenty for two people. I’ll carry it for you.”
Mo Shuifu shook her head, “It’s okay, I can.”
But Shen Shihan did not care about that, he grabbed the bag from her hands without any discussion, carrying it himself.
As a result, she had nothing in her hands and could only follow behind him.
Surrounding glances, filled with various expressions, mostly envy, were cast in their direction, but Mo Shuifu kept her head down, ignoring them.
She knew that between herself and Shen Shihan, it was just one transaction after another.
She was just one of the many women around him.
“What are you thinking about? You’re so distracted, be careful of your wallet getting stolen,” Shen Shihan laughed as he reached the checkout counter.
“Oh, right, I haven’t given you the money for the groceries yet.” Mo Shuifu quickly took out a hundred-dollar bill from her wallet.
Shen Shihan didn’t refuse; he knew this was about her dignity.
Money was the most sensitive topic between them; he would not touch it lightly.
After leaving the supermarket, Shen Shihan looked at the supermarket’s large signboard and suddenly laughed, “Shuifu, do we look like a family?”
Mo Shuifu was stunned and did not respond.
“Just as I thought, you won’t say anything, not even a lie,” Shen Shihan said helplessly.
Before long, Shen Shihan had driven her to her residence, a small and inexpensive rental.
The house might have been tiny, but she made it feel quite comfortable; even the walls, with peeling white paint, were covered with pink wallpaper.
In the corner, there was a plastic vase containing several Ziwei flowers.
“Mr. Shihan, please sit for a while. I’ll go make dinner. It’ll be quick.”
Mo Shuifu always treated Shen Shihan with utmost respect, keeping a proper distance.
This caused Shen Shihan’s brows to furrow again. She insisted on speaking to him with that tone!
Without waiting for him to speak, she hurriedly ran off to the kitchen.
Shen Shihan had no choice but to sit reluctantly in the small living room, looking around at everything.
The rental was indeed very simple and outdated. Even though Mo Shuifu had decorated it with care, it still showed its age.
Shen Shihan wandered around, noticing photos of Mo Shuifu with her father and mother on the table.
Mo Shuifu and her mother were quite alike, both exuding a gentle and elegant charm.
Her father appeared to be a scholarly teacher, radiating an air of academia.
Beside the photos was a small bookshelf, not many books, but neatly arranged.
Shen Shihan picked up a book at random and happened to open to the page Mo Shuifu had marked.
“Memory is a road with no end, where all past springs no longer exist, and even the most tenacious and tumultuous love ultimately turns out to be a reality that vanishes in an instant.”
Marquez, “One Hundred Years of Solitude”.
Shen Shihan was not one to feign sophistication. He had no interest in such pastimes.
But at that moment, his heart stirred as well.
There was also a photo album on the shelf, which Shen Shihan picked up and quietly opened.
The young Mo Shuifu was very beautiful, and even the black and white photos couldn’t mask her delicate features.
Most of the photos were of Mo Shuifu with her family. Looking at the pictures, it was evident that Mo Shuifu once had a happy family.
Shen Shihan liked to focus on Mo Shuifu in the photos, and as he gazed, a smile spread across his lips.
She had grown even more beautiful over the years.
As he continued flipping through, suddenly, he saw a photo of Xu Chaomu in the album.
Xu Chaomu?
Yes, he had not seen it wrong, it was Xu Chaomu, at the age of ten.
In the photo, Little Chaomu was clinging to Mo Shuifu, licking a lollipop, and laughing happily.
Next to Xu Chaomu stood a young woman in a floor-length dress with a lovely smile.
Shen Shihan stared intently at the woman; the 18-year-old Xu Chaomu now looked very much like her.
Shen Shihan carefully took out this single photo and examined it closely.
This young woman resembled his mother a bit. Especially the eyes, they were very similar.
Had Mo Shuifu known Xu Chaomu for a long time?
As he was engrossed in the photo, Mo Shuifu just happened to walk over.
Shen Shihan beckoned for her to come closer, “Shui Fu, this little girl in the photo is Xu Chaomu, right?”
Mo Shuifu nodded, “Yes, it’s her, taken when she was ten.”
“And this woman?” Shen Shihan pointed at the young and pretty woman in the photo.
“Chaomu’s mother.”
“Oh, you knew Xu Chaomu and her mother from a long time ago?”
“Yes, our families used to be neighbors. Right next door, Chaomu often came to my house to play. My father liked her very much.”
“This girl is quite mischievous, full of spirit and wit,” Shen Shihan said with a smile as he looked at the photo.
From the first time he saw Xu Chaomu, he had found that she was particularly challenging to handle. But Chaomu didn’t cling to him; she was closer to Shen Chi.