When Shen Yelan got out of the taxi in front of the gates of the Shen estate, her gaze swept across the road at the car that was parked at a far distance, partially obscured by the shadows of the trees lining the road. Shen Yelan looked away after barely a second as if she had not noticed anything. Sun Lili, who had not realized anything, pushed the wheelchair inside.
"I'm not trying to criticize you, sister-in-law. I'm simply saying that as the lady of the house, you should be more careful about how things are managed. The company is already dealing with enough problems right now. We can't afford to have chaos at home too, can we?"
Shen Yelan didn't recognize the voice, but she knew exactly who it belonged to.
Shen Meli. Her father's younger sister.
Sun Lili wheeled her closer to the living room entrance, and Shen Yelan finally got her first in-person look at her aunt.
Shen Meli was somewhere in her late thirties, though she'd clearly spent a fortune making sure she looked a decade younger. She wore a designer dress in navy blue and had her hair pulled back in a bun. She was sitting on the sofa with perfect posture, one leg crossed over the other, and was holding a teacup.
Everything about her screamed: I belong here.
Ever since waking up in this body, Shen Yelan had not met her before. However, she had done her long research. Shen Meli was a few years younger than Shen Chengwei and had married into the Kai family. Unlike the Shen family that Shen Yelan had never heard of in her past life, she had indeed heard of the Kai family in the South City, which meant it was worthy enough for her to keep an eye on.
Shen Meli's marriage into that family was totally a business proposal to elevate the Shen family's status and give them access to South City's elite circles.
At that time, Shen Meli was totally against this marriage and had a lover of her own, yet she was forced into this marriage for her family's benefit. But just like her father and brother, she herself was an ambitious woman. Before getting married, she was already involved in the family business, yet her father had never taken her seriously simply because she was a woman. No matter how much she contributed, she'd always been overlooked in favor of her older brother.
The resentment from that had never quite gone away. Even after getting married, she had been part of the Shen family business, and with the support of the Kai family behind her, she had gotten bolder.
Now that trouble had come, how was she going to stay behind and do nothing?
Feng Xin sat right across her, wearing an equally expensive dress and holding a similar smile.
"Thank you for your concern, Sister Meli, but you really don't need to worry about the Shen family's affairs. I heard Master Kai has been spending quite a lot of time at the office lately, so he barely makes it home these days. You should really look after him better. All that work can't be good for his health."
Shen Meli's hand paused for a second, and the smile on her face faltered.
Her marriage to the Kai family was purely business and even after marriage, her husband had kept his playboy lifestyle. In fact, with advancing age, his appetite had grown bigger. He kept changing his mistress every month. His current favorite was his new secretary, whom he was keeping by his side and would often spend the night with at the hotel.
Shen Meli did not care who that man was keeping around as long as they did not harm her interests or pose any threat to her children. But still, no woman liked to hear anyone gossip about her failed marriage.
She opened her mouth, ready to retort.
Shen Yelan decided it was time for her to reveal her presence. She raised her hand slightly and Sun Lili immediately pushed the wheelchair forward.
Both women on the sofa turned their heads.
"Yelan, you're back. Did you have a good time outside?" Feng Xin smiled at her, just like a mother who would greet her child when they returned home.
"Mm," Shen Yelan gave her a nod.
Shen Meli looked at Shen Yelan, and a flicker of something unreadable passed through her gaze. It has been a long time since she has seen this niece of hers.
Back when the incident happened, and Shen Yelan was brought back after waking up from the coma, she was unable to meet her because no one had informed her in the first place. It was only later, through someone else, that she learned that her little niece had gone missing and was sent to some small village to recuperate. Later, she had to investigate on her own to find out the truth that she was instead kidnapped.
It turned out she was not the only one who had suffered under the Shen family. At least, she was treated better because she was still of use to them. But after that incident, whatever small affection the family might have had for Shen Yelan had evaporated completely because she was no longer of any use.
Perhaps because of this, Shen Meli felt a thread of genuine emotion for this niece she barely knew.
"Look at you, you have grown into such a beautiful young lady, I almost did not recognize you," Shen Meli said, and her smile was softer than it had been moments before.
"Aunt Meli," Shen Yelan gave her a small smile.
"Why are you still sitting there so far away? Come here. Let your aunt get a good look at you."
Feng Xin's eyes narrowed.
"I think we should let Yelan take some rest. You know her health is not good, and she just came back from outside. Isn't that right, Yelan?"
Shen Yelan glanced at Seng Xin and saw the hidden threat deep within her eyes. Feng Xin did not want the two to interact. In fact, she did not want Shen Yelan to interact with anyone for fear that someone might actually care for her. This was the reason why she was even trying to limit her interaction with Old Master Shen.
Shen Yelan was not stupid to not see this. Even though Feng Xin always pretended to care for her and was nice to her, Shen Yelan could see the hatred and disdain that she always kept hidden inside.
The Shen family was playing a game with her, but none of them had realized that the rules they were following had been written by her all along.
Shen Yelan nodded. "Yes. I am feeling a bit tired."
She looked back at Shen Meli with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Aunt Meli. Perhaps we can catch up another time when I'm feeling better?"
Shen Meli's expression showed a flicker of disappointment and she shot a glare at Feng Xin before smiling at Shen Yelan. "Of course. Go get some rest. We'll have plenty of time to talk later."