Rebirth from the Ashes

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor:

EndlessFantasy Translation

Shen Xi’s gut told her that Fu Qingli was good at chess.

Giving a nod, Fu Qingli humbly uttered, “A little.”

Shen Xi gave her seat to him. “Have a go with my dad. I’m heading to the loo.”

She then ran off.

Shen Zhanging turned black in the face. The d*mn brat was ditching her dad for her boyfriend!

With Fu Qingli sitting across from him, Shen Zhangqing was not in the position to bail on him. The chess game had to go on, but his daughter needed to be watched too. He summoned Yu Yuanxi. “Yuanxi, go and help out in the kitchen.”

He could dismiss it if it happened behind his back. However, no one was to take advantage of his daughter under his nose!

Shen Xi had no intention of spending alone time with Li Yuan at home. That would be too daring of her. All she wanted was to satisfy her food cravings. After a trip to the loo, she ventured into the kitchen again.

Song Wenye and Yu Yuanxi were around. They were washing cherries and feeding them to each other while at it.

“Xixi, here’s a small bow! for you.” Song Wenye passed her a bowl of washed cherries.

Carrying the bowl, Shen Xi approached Li Yuan and fed him one before helping herself. “Brother, is it sweet?”

“Sweet and sour.” Li Yuan was not a fan of sour food, not even a little. His brows were tied in a knot.

Shen Xi took a bite. “It’s sweet.”

Li Yuan watched as she ate one after another. “Don’t eat too much.”

Giving a nod, Shen Xi pulled a bench over to sit down. She watched the pot as she munched on cherries, popping a question of whether it was ready every now and then.

Song Wenye went out to deliver cherries to the duo who were engaged in chess.

Fu Qingli began to talk a lot with Shen Zhangqing, asking him about Shen Xi’s childhood.

Shen Zhangging could talk about his daughter for days on end. He rattled on about her amusing and embarrassing stories, laughing out loud when the account tickled his funny bone.

Hearing Shen Zhangging’s chuckles, Shen Xi asked Song Wenye, “Is Fu Qingli telling jokes to my dad?”

Song Wenye gave her a look. “Mr. Shen’s making fun of you to Fu Qingli.”

Shen Xi froze before gnashing her teeth in grievance. “Old Shen has turned!”

Nearby, Yu Yuanxi snickered to himself.

At half-past nine, the door was heard opening, Footsteps and chatter followed, and judging by the noise, there were a lot of people.

Shen Xi sneaked another bite of the ribs. She pulled Li Yuan out to meet the approaching group who were talking and laughing at the lawn.

The people in the yard gazed at everyone in the living room. Their gazes lingered on when they fell on Shen Xi.

Shen Xi stood still, not knowing what to do or how to act.

Both parties stared at each other without a word, merely watched on in silence.

The first to pull out of the trance was Fu Qingxuan. He bit hard on the crook of his thumb.

Gasping in pain, Shen Xi yelled, “Fu Qingxuan! Did you lose your mind!”

The voice bore hurt, accusation, bitterness, and happiness as a swirl of emotions simply took over her. In the end, these mixed feelings turned into tears flowing down her cheeks.

Caught in a moment, Fu Qingxuan bawled his eyes out before dashing toward her for a big hug. Unable to hold it in any longer, he cried out loud.

Fu Handing held Shangguan Yangqiu’s hand with tears in his eyes as they advanced step-by-step toward their daughter.

Yun Jinping had already made her way to Shen Zhangqing. With her husband holding her hand tight, Yun Jinping’s eyes were filled to the brim and her heart was full by the sight. She had no idea how to break the silence. Perhaps silence was the best blessing they could give.

Although teary-eyed himself, Shen Zhangqing wiped away Yun Jinping’s tears. “Don’t cry, Honey. More people will love and watch over her from now on.”

Yun Jinping did not want to cry, but she could not help herself.

Shen Xi pushed Fu Qingxuan away with all her might while gasping for air. Her face was red, and her voice was gruff. “Are you trying to suffocate and murder me?”

Fu Qingxuan was taller than her, and boys were stronger than girls anyway. Since he charged and pounced at her without warning, Shen Xi could not breathe being buried against his chest.

Frantically studying Shen Xi’s face, Fu Qingxuan tried to check if she was injured from the jump while choking amid sobs. His arms fluttered in the air, unsure whether he could touch her. It took a while before he said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. Are you okay?”

Shen Xi caught her breath and shook her head. Although she was tempted to retort that she was not dead yet, it might hurt Fu Qingxuan’s fragile feelings. Why did he like to cry? What a crybaby!

Shangguan Yangiu looked at her with teary eyes and smiled. She gently embraced Shen Xi, and uttered in a raspy but her usual gentle voice, “Xixi, I’m Mom.”

She could not say more as tears were released like water from a broken dam. Her shoulders began as a tiny quiver before turning into a full-blown head-to-toe violent shake.

Shangguan Yangiu had imagined countless scenarios of the day she would reunite with her daughter. She thought about what to say, but every time they ended up in an emotional statement that she was her mother.

That was right.

There was nothing else to say.

Out of all the words, this was the only thing she wanted to say to Shen Xi.

Shen Xi gently patted Shangguan Yanqiu’s back as her tears pooled in her eyes and a lump was caught in her throat. Despite her attempt to offer console, her mind was all over the place to come up with words. In the end, she whispered, “Mom.”

Prior to this, Shen Xi believed the term was too foreign for her to say it out loud. Yet, it was a far cry from reality. It was like Shen Xi had called her by the form of address a million times.

Fu Handing looked at his crying wife and his daughter who scrambled to comfort her before pulling them into his embrace.

The strong winds were howling at the front door.

However, no one would interrupt them at a time like this. It was a quiet moment with no one talking.

Fu Qingxuan was still whimpering.

Song Wenye’s jaw dropped to the ground. Was Young Master Qingxuan such a crybaby? Here she thought he was cool, cocky, and tyrannical. When did he become a crybaby?

Standing next to her, Jiang Yin wiped away her tears. Once people hit a certain age, it was hard to take moving scenes like this.

Shen Xi touched Shangguan Yangiu’s chilly hands and felt bad. She tenderly said, “Mom, let’s go in and talk. It’s cold out here. You might catch a cold.”

Shangguan Yangiu was not in the best of health. Her health might take a toll for the worse if she caught a cold.