Chapter 331: Chapter 331: Could it be their accomplice?
In order to avoid interruption and have a quiet face-to-face conversation with Shen Yi, Chu Xi arranged to meet him at the Chu Family private estate.
The estate was a place Chu Tian and Li Sulan visited only once or twice a year, and it was usually cleaned periodically by hired housekeepers.
The housekeeper had just cleaned the estate yesterday, and today, there wasn’t a single person around—there was no worry about their conversation being overheard.
It was Sunday, and there were no classes at school. After setting a time with Shen Yi, Chu Xi left early for the estate, wanting to casually prepare the venue before Shen Yi arrived.
After all, this was her first time being alone with Shen Yi, and she valued this opportunity greatly.
Inside the estate was a small garden, where a French-style long table had been set. Chu Xi found an empty vase from the estate and picked fresh flowers from the garden to arrange in it.
Chu Xi entertained the thought that it would be nice if it were nighttime—she could set up a candlelit dinner atmosphere, which would be more romantic.
With the long table adorned with fresh flowers and a simple afternoon tea prepared, the arranged meeting time with Shen Yi arrived perfectly.
Shen Yi was a punctual person—he arrived at the estate almost precisely on time.
Chu Xi seemed to have a radar for Shen Yi; despite there being no surveillance, she inexplicably could sense his presence.
Sure enough, as she walked to the entrance ready to greet Shen Yi, he had already arrived.
The special gate Chu Xi had left open for Shen Yi now ushered him directly inside the estate.
He was dressed casually, as always, and the baseball cap on his head seemed to have become a semi-permanent fixture—whenever he wore his own casual clothes, this particular item would never be missing.
Shen Yi remained as strikingly handsome as ever, but there was no hiding the weariness written across his face.
Chu Xi thought Shen Yi’s lowered gaze carried a faint melancholy, as if his entire being was engulfed by an air of fragility. It was precisely this vulnerable side of him that stirred her heart; she couldn’t help but want to step forward and give him a big hug.
Gritting her teeth, struggling with her impulse for a mere second, Chu Xi managed to suppress it. Instead, she proudly displayed a smile that was neither exaggerated nor overly polite: "Mr. Shen Yi, you’re here. I personally prepared some afternoon tea; have a little bite to fill your stomach, and try my cooking while you’re at it—feel free to give me some feedback."
For a fleeting moment, Shen Yi seemed dazed, sensing that Chu Xi’s demeanor felt different from before. Her current tone seemed more pleasant.
"Thank you. You’ve gone through a lot of trouble."
Chu Xi was polite in her speech, making it hard for Shen Yi to refuse her offering despite his lack of interest in afternoon tea.
If not for the concern over how it would look, Chu Xi would’ve been jumping for joy on the spot—Shen Yi didn’t reject her!
Brimming with happiness, Chu Xi led Shen Yi to the garden and seated him at the long table, pushing the entire afternoon tea spread she made in front of him: "Mr. Shen Yi, if you like it, just eat it all! Don’t be shy; I can always make more."
Her enthusiasm was irresistible, especially since Shen Yi had something to ask her. Considering the effort she put in, he picked up a spoon and scooped a bit of cream cake into his mouth.
Chu Xi’s skills weren’t bad, but he generally couldn’t stomach sugary desserts like cake. He held back the urge to gag and forced himself to swallow the piece.
Watching Shen Yi eat the cake, Chu Xi appeared content, feeling a strong sense of accomplishment.
Yet what Shen Yi said in the very next moment darkened her mood completely.
"I’m here for Sang Ning." Shen Yi wasn’t much for tactful socializing. When discussing matters with others, he never bothered with small talk or building up to the key topic. He believed in getting straight to the point from the start.
"Mr. Shen Yi, do you really have to bring up such an unpleasant topic right now?" Though Chu Xi liked Shen Yi, she wasn’t without temper. Sang Ning was her most sensitive subject, something she wouldn’t tolerate being brought up—even by Shen Yi.
"I’ve seen the online gossip. You lived in the Sang Family for twenty years. You know better than the netizens what kind of people Sang Ning’s parents are. So whether they’ve abused you or not, I imagine you’d know the truth in your heart. Can you really tolerate watching the parents who raised you for twenty years being slandered by those who don’t know the full story?" Shen Yi detected Chu Xi’s change in expression but remained committed to saying what was on his mind.
The light in Chu Xi’s eyes faded. She bypassed the long table to sit directly across from Shen Yi, her face carrying an injured expression as she stared at him: "So, Mr. Shen Yi, you believe I’m lying, don’t you? You’ve chosen to trust Sang Ning and her parents, which means you’re choosing not to trust me."
"Yes." Shen Yi nodded honestly.
Chu Xi’s heart seized, the sudden suffocating pain nearly swallowing her whole. Yet she still maintained her calm, playing innocent: "Mr. Shen Yi, what you’re saying to me right now is so unfair. You haven’t experienced the suffering I went through. Now, with netizens finally speaking up for me, for justice, aren’t you even a little happy for me?"
Two lines of tears silently slid down Chu Xi’s cheeks. This time, she wasn’t acting. She was genuinely heartbroken—heartbroken that Shen Yi refused to believe in her.
Chu Xi couldn’t pretend not to know what Sang Youming and Hu Zhi were going through. Occasionally, she would come across comments from netizens—their words of abuse were simply unbearable.
She had once entertained the thought of clarifying things for Sang Youming and Hu Zhi, but it was a fleeting impulse, gone as quickly as it came.
Her own circumstances were bad enough; she didn’t want to stir up additional trouble.
When she returned to the Chu Family, Chu Tian and Li Sulan had comforted her, saying they didn’t want her to be subjected to public scrutiny, which was why they had suppressed the truth about her and Sang Ning being swapped for twenty years.
But now, it seemed Chu Tian and Li Sulan no longer cared much for her dignity. To advance the Group’s interests, they’d sacrificed her insignificant pride and self-respect, completely exposing the curated facts to the public and making her a target for gossip and scorn.
At school now, Chu Xi was nothing but a laughingstock. Before the scandal broke, everyone had flattered her, admiring her privileged background and beautiful appearance—she was the epitome of envy and success.
But after the truth of her twenty-year stint in the Sang Family was revealed, her classmates looked at her through tinted lenses, no longer respecting the Chu Group. They openly and covertly mocked and excluded her.
School life was anything but pleasant for her now, and the only thing keeping her there was her determination to make it into college.
Chu Xi constantly reassured herself that in less than a year, she’d escape the hellhole that was school.
But now Shen Yi’s words had iced over her heart. Everything she had done was to try to move closer to Shen Yi, but Shen Yi was pushing her away instead...
"I came here just to ask you for the truth. After all, you are Chu Tian and Li Sulan’s biological daughter, aren’t you?" Shen Yi no longer dwelled on whether Chu Xi had suffered and instead reframed his approach.
Chu Xi was even more disheartened now, her ability to feign tears gone, her expression frozen stiff.
What did Shen Yi mean by that? Was he suggesting that Chu Tian and Li Sulan were lying and that she, their daughter, was acting as their accomplice?