Shen Yelan looked up slowly, meeting Shen Chengwei's angry glare. A tiny spark of amusement flickered in her eyes that he did not notice.
"It's good to see you too after ten years, Father," Shen Yelan mused.
"You-"
"What?" Shen Yelan tilted her head slightly. "We haven't seen each other for ten years. I thought maybe you missed me."
Shen Chengwei opened his mouth to retort, but then he met her eyes. Those were the eyes he had always hated. No one in his family had eyes like that. And if he remembered correctly, her mother's eyes were brown. These unusual colored eyes made her stand out like a freak, giving him another reason not to like her.
For some reason, a chill ran down his back. Something about the way she looked at him made his heart clench with a strange fear. But the feeling disappeared just as fast as it came, and he wondered if he had imagined it.
Feng Xin reached over and placed her hand over his, "Honey, don't be hard on her. She's been through so much. We shouldn't expect too much all at once."
Her tone was soft, and she sounded like she was caring for Shen Yelan. But in reality, she was calling her an uncultured girl who had no manners.
Shen Chengwei scoffed but did not say anything further and continued eating.
Feng Xin then turned to Shen Yelan. "Don't be mad at your father. He has been worried about you since the day you went missing. He even hired private investigators back then. He's really happy that you're back. He just... doesn't know how to express himself."
"Of course," Shen Yelan said.
"You must be tired from the trip." Feng Xin gestured to one of the maids, "I knew that your health was not good, so I had the kitchen prepare a separate meal for you."
The maid stepped forward and placed a bowl in front of Shen Yelan. Inside was plain white rice porridge. Compared to the feast on the table, it looked quite pitiful.
She smiled. "Thank you, Aunt Feng."
"It's nothing at all. We're family, after all. Eat it before it gets cold."
Shen Yelan picked up a spoon and put it in her mouth. She lowered her gaze, and something old flashed in them which went unnoticed by others.
It was one thing to serve her plain porridge while everyone else ate a feast, but to lace that porridge with slow-acting poison? Ha...These people really did have a death wish.
Shen Yelan continued eating as if everything was perfectly normal. From the corner of her eye, she saw Feng Xin glance briefly in her direction with a satisfied look before turning back to her own meal.
At that moment, Shen Wanwan decided it was her turn to speak.
"Sister."
Shen Yelan turned to look at her.
"I am so glad you are back."
Shen Wanwan had recovered from her earlier shock and was now smiling at Shen Yelan like they were best friends reuniting after years apart. Her big, round eyes were warm and friendly.
"You know, I used to think about you all the time. I always wondered how you were doing. If it hadn't been for that accident…" She suddenly stopped and put a hand over her mouth. Her eyes went wide, like she had just said something she shouldn't have. "Oh, sorry, sister! I didn't mean to bring up the past. Please don't be mad at me."
Shen Yelan waved her hand nonchalantly, "It's fine. I don't remember it anyway."
Shen Wanwan blinked in surprise.
"You really don't remember?"
She had originally thought the news reports were just exaggerating.
"Wanwan, don't be impolite," Feng Xin chided, though she did not sound like she was actually scolding her.
"Oh," Shen Wanwan muttered and looked at Shen Yelan with an aggrieved look. "I am sorry, sister. That was insensitive of me."
She paused slightly, as if hesitating.
"I heard the orphanage only found you a year after you disappeared. You were so young back then, and you don't even remember what happened. But don't worry. I just want you to know that no matter what happened during that year, it doesn't matter to us. You are still part of our family."
Shen Yelan looked at her, feeling amused.
She had to give her credit. Under the guise of being worried, she'd just dropped the reminder into everyone's heads about a whole year unaccounted for. She hadn't said anything wrong. But she had planted a seed of doubt in the heart of those who heard her. The rest was left to their imagination.
Sure enough, Shen Chengwei's frown deepened. He glanced at Shen Yelan with something between disgust and suspicion.
"That's enough. Stop bringing it up." He looked at Shen Yelan, "Now that you're back, I expect you to conduct yourself properly and not create problems for this family."
Shen Yelan stared back at him for a few seconds.
This man had not seen his biological daughter in ten years, and he did not even bother to ask how her life was. To him, her kidnapping and disappearance for ten years and returning in a wheelchair was nothing but a situation that needed to be managed so that it didn't reflect badly on the Shen name.
When Shen Yelan did not give any reply, Shen Chengwei frowned. "Aren't you going to answer me?"
"I understand, father." Shen Yelan responded, making him give a satisfied nod.
"Good. Now that you're back, you'll need to continue your education. You may have dropped out years ago, but the Shen family cannot afford the embarrassment of having an uneducated daughter. I've already made arrangements with a school. In two weeks, the school will run a placement exam to figure out what grade you will go into. I'll have someone bring study materials to your room later."
"Of course," Shen Yelan said. Then she picked up her spoon and took another bite.