Chapter 49

Shen Junyu got jealous. It seemed that his sister had not prepared a present just for him. He glared at Yu Bin with a trace of dissatisfaction.

Yu Bin felt the chills from his superior’s gaze. Things got awkward. He bit the bullet and accepted the gift from Shen Junyu like it was a hot potato, before dashing out of the office.

Yu Bin figured he should apply to leave on a business trip for a few days.

In the office, Shen Junyu took out the present given to him by Shen Qinglan. It was a rectangular box, about half a meter long. He opened it. Inside was a painting.

His eyes dazzled in delight when he unfolded it. “It’s Leng Qingqiu’s painting. It’s the one that should be up for auction but was taken down at the last minute.”

He turned to Shen Qinglan, “Lanlan, how did you get this painting?”

“I got it from a friend.”

“Which friend? Why didn’t I know you have such a friend?” Shen Junyu questioned suspiciously. His sister was a quiet one. She barely had any friends.

“A friend I made recently. She’s acquainted to Leng Qingqiu’s agent. Once she knew I wanted that painting, she discussed with the agent and purchased it at a low price,” Shen Qinglan explained.

She did not disclose that she was Leng Qingqiu. She did not want anybody else to know about her identity at the moment.

Shen Junyu did not doubt about his sister’s statement at all. Carefully, he kept the painting. “Dad will definitely like it,” he said.

Shen Qinglan nodded, declining to comment. She did not care whether her father liked it or not. She just did not want Shen Junyu to spend that money recklessly, although the family could certainly afford it.

“Lanlan, has Fu Hengyi returned to the army?”

“Yes.”

Shen Junyu knew it. He guess it from the fact that she came here alone.

“Then have dinner with me tonight. My treat.”

Shen Qinglan responded, “Sure.”

After dinner that night, Shen Junyu brought her back to Jiangxinya Court. He examined the small apartment.

“This place is rather small, Lanlan. Why don’t I get you a bigger one?” He suggested.

“No need. It’s quite nice here.”

Since she was unwilling, Shen Junyu would not force it on her. What he said was just a random remark. The place was small, but it was nicely decorated. More importantly, he knew Shen Qinglan did not say that just to be polite to him.

Shen Junyu did not stay long. He left about ten minutes later.

Shen Qinglan collected the clothes left out to dry on the balcony. She folded the ones that belonged to Fu Hengyi and put them back in the closet. When her hand incidentally graced upon his underwear, her thoughts rewound to the memory of that particular morning and she recalled the thing she had touched. Her fingers retracted as though they had been electrocuted.

Her face flushed. Her aloofness faded. Obviously, she was having lewd thoughts. She felt her cheeks heating, gave them a soft pat, and placed Fu Hengyi’s underwear in the drawer at the bottom part of the closet.

**

Shen Qinglan stayed at home for two days to complete one artwork. She did not simply cast her finished painting aside like she used to, but instead she placed it in a box and kept it nicely.

She had not been to school in days, so she decided to stop by. Mainly, she needed to look for her instructor and hand in her graduation topic.

Her instructor had been pressing her for it, but Shen Qinglan had been occupied with other things and had little time to care. Well, she had time today, so she decided to get it over with.

After stepping out of the instructor’s office, Shen Qinglan made her way to her dorm. Initially, she wanted to invite Fang Tong for lunch, but her roommate was unavailable. It was then that she remembered Fang Tong must have started her internship at Junlan Group, and suddenly she felt quite fortunate that she did not bump into her when she went to Junlan Group a few days ago.

Wu Qian was the only one in the room when Shen Qinglan stepped in. She was wearing an apricot-colored dress while putting on makeup. The dress was from one of the women’s clothing brands Shen Qinglan came across while she was out shopping in the plaza with Fu Hengyi that day.

Wu Qian got a bit flustered when she saw Shen Qinglan. The lipstick she had been applying went a little crooked.

“Qinglan, y-you’re back!” She glanced fretfully at Shen Qinglan, whose gaze had landed on the cosmetic products on her desk. Wu Qian got even more restless and forced a smile. “I-I’m preparing for an interview so, you know, I thought I should put on some makeup to make myself look more energetic.”

“Looks nice on you,” Shen Qinglan said flatly.

Wu Qian froze for a while before reacting to what Shen Qinglan had just said, “T-Thanks.”

“I’m just here to get a few things and be on my way. You go on.”

With that, she simply grabbed a book from her desk and left the room.

Wu Qian watched her leave. For a moment she felt lucky that Shen Qinglan did not question her how she got these things.

Shen Qinglan walked around campus, admiring the view. For the first time ever, she realized the campus of University B was actually quite beautiful. There were several students on the road, and a few more athletic figures showing off their sweaty but youthful forms in the courts.

Shen Qinglan felt like she had missed out a lot over the past three years.