Rebirth from the Ashes

Fu Qingxuan touched his face and saw ink on his hand. He grunted at her angrily, “You brat!”

After saying that, he dipped both hands in the ink until it was dripping, then rushed towards Shen Xi to get back at her.

Shen Xi screamed and fled. “Fu Qingxuan! Don’t you dare come over! I’m leaving tomorrow, so can’t you just let me win once?”

Fu Qingxuan pointed at her angrily. “Don’t run away! If you have the guts to do bad things, don’t hide!”

Shen Xi pretended to be pitiful and cried, “You’re older than me, so you should be the bigger person!”

Fu Qingxuan was amused by her and snorted. He did not fall for her act. “Don’t pretend to be pitiful in front of me. When you told others that I’m your younger brother, why didn’t you think that I’m older than you?”

Shen Xi continued to play the innocent little girl. “I’m a girl and you’re a guy.”

Fu Qingxuan smiled devilishly and approached her step by step. “It’s all about gender equality now.”

Shen Xi pointed at him and made a move to protect herself. “I’ll tell Second Brother that you bullied me!”

“He’s so far away now, so I’m not afraid of him.” The moment Shen Xi stopped, Fu Qingxuan took advantage of this gap to rush towards her.

Shen Xi’s reflexes were quick and dodged him while smearing more ink on his face. Half of his face was black with ink, so she laughed. “Young Master, all’s fair in love and war. I think you’re still quite good-looking if you’re black.”

Fu Qingxuan knew that she was just teasing him and subconsciously touched his face, only to remember that his hands were also inked. Seeing the girl looking at him with that smug smile, he let out an angry roar, “Just you wait!”

Shen Xi ran away while Fu Qingxuan chased her.

In the end, the two of them ran to the courtyard and kept running around in circles.

Shen Xi got tired of running and surrendered with both hands up and her eyes closed. She looked defeated and at his mercy. “Okay, I concede. Do whatever you want.”

Fu Qingxuan looked at the girl with an ink-smeared face. When she closed her eyes, her long lashes fluttered slightly. Her face looked so gentle and soft, so he reached out his index finger to touch it gently. This warm and soft touch made his heart shudder, so much so that he retracted his hand like he was electrocuted.

‘How can meanie’s face be so soft that it melted my heart?’

‘If this meanie removed her facade, she would be so soft like cotton candy. At a glance, she must be so sweet and gentle.’

“Young Master, why are you taking so long?” Shen Xi got a little impatient. She stood there for him to take revenge, so why was he not making a move?

“Don’t open your eyes.” Facing such a cute girl, Fu Qingxuan felt sympathetic and no longer wanted to smear her face. He pulled her hand and led her to the faucet, then said in a deep voice, “Squat here.”

Shen Xi obediently squatted down and heard the sound of running water. After a while, she felt him pulling her hands under the tap. The water was warm and it felt comfortable as it flowed into her hand.

Fu Qingxuan watched as the ink on her hands washed away, revealing her slender and fair fingers. Her hands were very beautiful with well-defined phalanges. In the starlight, they seemed to emit a warm jade-like glow.

“I’ll wash by myself,” Shen Xi opened her eyes and glared at him with disdain, then withdrew her hands.

Fu Qingxuan’s gaze was gentle as he watched her as she washed her hands and face. His heart was whole again. He thought to himself that his Lil’ Sis would probably be just as playful, cute, and gentle as her!

After messing around, the two of them went back to clean up the mess they made in the living room. They mopped and cleaned the place, then put up the spring couplets at the doors to the living room and the courtyard.

Finally, they were so tired that they sat at the door and leaned on the door frame. They flanked both sides of the door like bouncers.

Shen Xi looked at the beautiful starry sky. She could also see the bright Milky Way. It was so beautiful, like a dream. She could not move her eyes and let out a sigh. “Young Master, it’s really beautiful here.”

Fu Qingxuan looked at her seriously, “If you think it’s beautiful, I can allow you to come here often in the future.”

Shen Xi smiled and shook her head, “You hate me so much. I don’t wanna come over.”

Fu Qingxuan almost said that he did not hate her, but he swallowed it and said, “At least you still have some self-awareness!”

Shen Xi did not say anything and just hooked her lips. Her hands made a framing gesture as she looked at the starry sky seriously. Her eyes were overflowing with brightness like those stars. After a long time, she said, “Thanks for taking care of me these few days. If you ever come to China one day, I’ll also take care of you.”

Fu Qingxuan snorted and said indifferently, “I don’t need you to take care of me.”

Shen Xi kept the starry sky and happiness she felt here deeply in her heart. After a breath of relief, she stood up and casually turned around while she said, “I’m very happy about this trip.”

Fu Qingxuan only felt the tip of his nose getting sore. He looked at her relaxed back with red and watery eyes.

‘Meanie.’

‘She’s leaving.’

‘She was even sentimental with me.’

Fu Qingxuan was never afraid of goodbyes, but the thought of her leaving made him feel reluctant to let her go.

***

The next day.

7:30 am.

On a flight from Vienna back to the Capital in China.

The Su family also went back to China today.

Su Yi’s face was glum. He made this trip and wasted nearly a week trying to settle some problems, but none of them were solved. He did not win over the Huo family and even failed to bring Shen Xi back.

Su Muxuan sat next to his father, took a magazine, and flipped through it. He did not dare to speak for fear of making Su Yi angry again.

Last night, his father asked him to check which flight Shen Xi was on, but he did not manage to find out and was scolded by his father. Su Yi pointed at him and said that he was a useless and incompetent brat. Since then, he was in a bad mood.

Li Jingran and Su Ruowan sat together.

Su Ruowan showed the latest entertainment news to Li Jingran. Her voice was very low as she said, “Mom, it’s all over the news that Lil’ Sis is Ms. Shu’s apprentice. Look, those tabloid accounts all say that. Didn’t Ms. Guan say that Lil’ Sis wasn’t their student?”

‘This damned Shen Xi! Hasn’t she been rejecting Shu Baiyu? How did she suddenly become her apprentice? Now the entire entertainment industry knew that Shen Xi had found another good teacher.’

Li Jingran looked at the viral news. Her eyes turned dark as she said, “She knows better than anyone that having Shu Baiyu as a teacher will only benefit her. She’s so smart, so it’s not that she refused to be Shu Baiyu’s student, it’s just not the right time.”

It was indeed not the best time at this moment. This brat who only cared about her own benefits truly planned it all so well. She replaced Shu Baiyu on stage and was shot to fame with one dance.

Shen Xi and her “Flower Fairy” dance already stole the headlines of many mainstream media in various countries. Many of them said that she was the next rising Oriental Pearl after Shu Baiyu.

World-class dancers had also been posting videos of Shen Xi’s performance on their social media. They all praised her talent, grace, and beauty.

This time, Shen Xi had maximized her benefits and made her name in the world. Overnight, she became the most promising newcomer in the international dance scene and was watched by billions of people.

“Mom, Lil’ Sis is not like that,” Su Ruowan tried to speak for Shen Xi and sounded happy for her. “Lil’ Sis achieved such good results, so I’m really happy for her. I wanna congratulate her in person.”

Li Jingran sighed in anger, “You’re just too simple-minded. I don’t think she even needs our wishes.”

‘Shen Xi, that scheming brat! She planned it step by step. First Jiang Yin, then Shu Baiyu. Who will fall into her trap next?’

“Mom…” Su Ruowan still wanted to say good things that went against her heart, but before she finished her sentence, she inadvertently glanced at a young man who came in.

Li Jingran’s eyes also lit up as she sized up the young man in front of them.

The young man was about the same age as Su Mushi. Even though he wore sunglasses, it still could not hide his handsome face. Not to mention his noble bearings and reserved temperament. One glance was enough to tell that he was unmistakably the son of a prestigious family.