The next morning, the Shen family was still in complete chaos.
Shen Chenwei had not come home the entire night, and Feng Xin was close to losing her mind. Since early morning, her phone had not stopped ringing. The wives of the investors kept calling one after another, asking what was happening and whether the rumors outside were true.
Feng Xin herself had no answer. All she could do was force herself to stay calm and give vague answers.
"Don't worry, there's probably some misunderstanding."
"Yes, President Shen is handling it."
"We'll explain everything soon."
She repeated these words again and again.
Compared to her panic, Shen Wanwan looked much calmer. Of course, she was worried too, but she trusted her father's ability. In her mind, Shen Chenwei had always been someone who could solve any problem.
So after breakfast, she simply packed her bag and went to school as usual. She even made plans to go shopping with her friends after class.
As for Shen Yucheng, he had long forgotten there was any problem to begin with and had gone to school.
Meanwhile, the real person behind all this chaos was sleeping peacefully in her room.
Shen Yelan had stayed up late again binge-watching a web drama. By the time she finally slept, it was almost dawn. Naturally, she did not wake up until around one in the afternoon.
After washing up and changing clothes, she casually left the estate without telling anyone
The guards at the gate glanced at her pushing her wheelchair down the road, then they looked away as if they hadn't seen anything. Shen Yelan had not brought a car with her, and getting a taxi here was almost impossible. The estate was located in a private neighborhood, and taxis were not allowed.
But Shen Yelan did not seem worried at all.
She moved down the road slowly, the cold wind brushing against her face, leaving the tip of her nose and cheeks slightly red from the cold. Snowflakes drifted lazily from the gray sky, landing softly on her dark hair. Shen Yelan pulled the scarf a little higher, covering half of her face.
About five minutes later, she spotted a taxi parked beside the road.
The moment the driver noticed her, he immediately stepped out of the car.
The man was tall and broad-shouldered. He was wearing a short-sleeved white shirt despite the cold, which showed off his muscular arms. He did not look like a taxi driver at all, but rather a gangster, especially if one judged him from the heavy tattoos snaking along his arms.
"Miss, would you like a taxi?" he asked.
Now any sane person would have turned around went the other way if they saw him. Shen Yelan, on the other hand, gave a sweet smile.
"You came at the perfect time. I really do need a taxi."
"You're in luck, miss. We've just launched a new premium service in this area. You'd be our very first customer."
"Then I'm expecting a big discount," Shen Yelan mused.
Then, she got in the passenger seat without any help. The driver folded her wheelchair and placed it into the trunk before getting into the driver's seat.
But instead of driving immediately, he turned slightly toward her.
"Boss,"
The sweet smile on Shen Yelan's face disappeared instantly, replaced by her usual lazy and indifferent expression.
"To the ghost market," she told Li Yifan and closed her eyes.
"Yes boss,"
.
.
The ghost market was located near the outskirts of South City. By the time they left the crowded streets and entered the mountain roads, nearly an hour had passed.
Ever since Shen Yelan arrived in South City, it had snowed every few days. The entire city was covered in thin layers of white, making everything look quiet and almost unreal.
Shen Yelan rolled her window down. She rested her arms against the window and leaned her chin on them while quietly watching the snowy scenery outside.
She had always loved snow.
She loved the way snowflakes floated slowly through the air. She loved the cold feeling when they landed against her skin.
Under the pale winter sunlight, her gray eyes sparkled faintly like frost melting under warmth.
Li Yifan noticed the rare peaceful look on her face through the mirror. Usually, Shen Yelan always looked distant, cold, or bored, as if nothing in the world interested her.
Seeing her quietly enjoying the snowfall like this made him unconsciously slow the car down. He wanted the moment to last longer.
.
.
At this moment, another car was slowly approaching them from behind. In the back seat, Huo Ziyan was staring out of the window. Her golden-framed glasses hid the sharpness of cold phoenix eyes. His long, slender fingers tapped a slow, irregular rhythm on the armrest.
Suddenly, he noticed the taxi up ahead, or rather, the face peaking out of the rolled-down window in the passenger seat.
"Slow down the car,"
"Huh?" Mo Shiyu looked at him through the review mirror and then followed his gaze to see where he was looking.
"Oh…Oh!" his eyes widened in realization, and he looked back at Hao Ziyan and then at that girl. His expression immediately became strange.
He slowed the car after making sure they were close enough to have a clear view, while far enough not to raise any suspicion.
But inside, his mind was exploding.
No way.
Absolutely no way.
He kept stealing glances between Huo Ziyan and that girl, and the more he looked, the more he found the pair pleasing to the eyes.
Was this finally the arrival of spring in this man's frozen life?
Mo Shiyu nearly lost control of his excitement.
He wondered if he should tell others or keep this shocking news to himself. He could not wait to see the look on everyone's face when they heard of this news.
At this moment, it never crossed his mind that no one would actually believe him. This was Huo Ziyan they were talking about. He had been allergic to women since he was a young boy. The news of him kicking a famous actress at a party because she deliberately fell into his arms was still trending on the tabloids.
.
.
Shen Yelan seemed to have noticed the intense gaze on her. She tilted her head and looked at the inconspicuous black sedan that was following them at a distance. She immediately recognized that car as the one she had seen on her first day in South City. Back then, she had felt the same intense gaze on her, but due to the tainted window of that car, she could not tell who it was.
She obviously did not feel any hostility from the gaze, so she did not give any reaction and looked away as if she had not noticed anything.
"Have someone look into the car following behind. Find out who it belongs to and who is inside right now." She told Li Yifan.
"Yes, boss," Li Yifan looked at the car she was talking about through the mirror and frowned slightly when he saw the number plate on it. Only one family used such an arrogant number plate.
"It seemed to be the car of the Huo family."
"Oh?" Shen Yelan quirked an eyebrow.
There was nobody in the country who had not heard of the Huo family.
They were known as the unofficial royal family of the nation and held deep influence in both the country's military and economy.
Shen Yelan had never had any direct dealings with them. Not in her previous life, where she had existed in entirely different circles, and not in this one, where she was currently a girl in a wheelchair.
So why was this car appearing on the same road as her for the second time?
Was it just a coincidence, or was someone following her?