Rebirth from the Ashes

Just by listening to the man’s voice, Shen Tang could tell that he was a young chap that was probably around Shen Feng’s age. It was a voice that she had never heard before. He spoke without an accent, so he was probably from out of town. She nodded at him and smiled lightly. “No, I’m not.”

Yu Qiubai looked at the girl’s long and luscious eyelashes that fluttered, which cast a faint shadow over her porcelain white skin. She looked so adorable that his heart seemed to skip a beat. When he watched her leave, he called out to her, “Do you know where Shen Xi’s house is?”

“You’re Xixi’s friend?” Shen Tang paused in her footsteps and turned back to ask him.

When she smiled, she looked especially sweet because she had cute little dimples on her cheeks.

“Mm.” Yu Qubai was shaken by the girl’s sweet and warm smile. He caught up to her and said, “Can you tell me where her house is?”

Shen Tang nodded and smiled. “You’ve found the right person. Come with me!”

‘So… he’s Xixi’s friend. Xixi has made a lot of friends after going to the capital!’

Yu Qiubai walked next to Shen Tang and could not help but glance at her. He was worried that she would fall like earlier. If he had not been there, it would have been so painful and pitiful for this fragile girl to fall like that.

“Are you Xixi’s classmate? I’m her cousin.” Shen Tang could feel that this boy was a gentleman and not a bad person.

“Yeah, my name is Yu Qiubai. What’s your name?” he asked.

“I’m Shen Tang.” She had not heard Xixi mention this name before and did not ask why he was looking for Xixi.

It was the first day of the New Year, yet he was not at home celebrating with his family and came to find Xixi, so it must be something important.

“Let me help you with the flowers,” Yu Qiubai looked at her.

“It’s okay. Even though I can’t see, my hands still aren’t broken,” Shen Tang smiled.

Yu Qiubai heard her joke about her condition and felt more sympathetic. Shen Tang was so open and gentle, which was extremely different from Shen Xi.

Shen Xi and Shen Feng were in the yard setting off firecrackers.

When Yu Qiubai came in with Shen Tang, he was afraid that Shen Tang would trip over the threshold, so he reached out to help her.

Shen Xi suddenly looked at him vigilantly and warily. ‘What the f*ck is this damn fox doing here?’

Shen Feng also had a look of displeasure and frowned as he wondered if this boy was his sister’s blind date, but he looked younger than him and did not look like someone who had graduated from university.

“Xixi.” Yu Qiubai had a sly smile on his face as he beckoned to greet her.

Shen Feng suddenly turned his head and nudged Shen Xi. ‘What the hell is going on? Why did this girl attract so many people who look very troublesome? First, it was Fu Qingxuan, then the delivery man last night, and now, this pretty boy who doesn’t look that innocent…’

This boy was very handsome, but his cunning fox eyes and sly smile were inscrutable, so Shen Feng did not like him.

“What are you doing here?” Shen Xi saw him and was not very friendly.

“I heard that you kidnapped Fu Qingxuan.” Yu Qiubai raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a smile. “Can I meet him?”

“He left.” Shen Xi walked over and pulled Shen Tang behind her in an overprotective stance. She could not stand this guy and felt disturbed. “If you go after him now, you may still be able to catch him.”

‘This damned fox, why is he looking for Fu Qingxuan?’

“If he’s gone, then forget it,” Yu Qiubai spoke as if they were very close. “Are Auntie and Uncle at home?”

Shen Xi just wanted to tell him to get lost when Yu Qiubai looked in the direction of the living room with a smile. He greeted, “Hello, Auntie and Uncle.”

Yun Jinping saw that it was him and looked puzzled. “Lil Yu, why are you here? Is there something going on?”

He came from the capital on the first day of the New Year, so it must be a big deal!

“Nothing important.” Yu Qiubai already went up to them and said with embarrassment, “I came in a hurry, so I didn’t get to buy any New Year’s gifts for you. I hope you don’t mind.”

Yun Jinping greeted him warmly. “You must be tired from the journey. Come in and talk!”

“Auntie, you’re still so nice to me,” Yu Qiubai said sweetly as he followed Yun Jinping into the living room.

Shen Xi glared at him viciously.

Shen Feng sensed her displeasure. “Who the hell is he?”

Shen Xi coldly spat out, “Classmate.”

Shen Feng reminded her. “When you make friends outside, you ought to pay attention to their character and be picky. Don’t just be friends with everyone.”

Shen Xi said, “I am not friends with him.”

Yun Jinping heard that Yu Qiubai was looking for Fu Qingxuan and asked worriedly, “Is someone sick, so you came to look for him?”

Yu Qiubai nodded sadly. “My mother’s health hasn’t been good lately. I heard that he was with Xixi, so I thought I’d come over to try my luck. I’ve tried looking for him many times in the past two years, but he’s just too out of reach.”

He was telling the truth. Last night, he went to Yu Yuanxi’s house to pay his respects and overheard Song Wenye saying that Xixi was with Fu Qingxuan.

Yu Qiubai thought that even if Xixi did not want to see him, her parents would help him if he begged them. Then perhaps Fu Qingxuan would go back to the capital with him to check on his mother’s condition. He did not expect that he would miss the genius doctor.

“He just left this morning. You should’ve come a little earlier.” Yun Jinping sighed and thought that this was all too coincidental. She asked, “What’s wrong with your mother?”

“It’s a chronic issue, nothing too serious,” Yu Qubai smiled and comforted her. “Since he’s gone, forget about it.”

Yu Qiubai could not make them feel bad and make it difficult for them.

His mother had a hereditary mental illness and had been living in a daze for as long as he could remember. Recently, her condition had gotten worse, so much so that she sometimes would not even recognize him.

Shen Xi had been paying attention to Yu Qiubai’s expression and found that there was a pain that she had never seen in him before when he talked about his mother. Thus, she knew that he was not lying. However, she was curious about what illness would make Yu Qiubai come over at this time to look for Fu Qingxuan.

Yu Qiubai did not even stay for lunch and left in a hurry, so it also confirmed that every word he said was true.

Yun Jinping sighed. “What a pity… Lil Yu is such a filial child!”

He came all the way here to find a doctor to treat his mother and left because he missed the chance. He must have felt so down.

Shen Xi did not say anything as she thought about Yu Qiubai’s mother’s illness. ‘This damn fox is too unreadable…no one can see through his thoughts…’

Shen Tang sat on the side a little lost in thought. She could feel from Xixi’s reaction that Xixi disliked this boy and had a deep prejudice against him.

However, all she could think about was the boy’s clear voice of concern earlier.

He was gentlemanly, courteous, and well-spoken, so he should not be that irritable. ‘Perhaps he’d done something to annoy Xixi…’

After lunch, the matchmaker, Mrs. Lee, went over again to ask if Shen Tang was ready. The boy would be waiting for her at a cafe in town at 2:30 pm.

When Shen Xi and Shen Feng got the address, they looked at each other and went out first.