Shen Yu looked at the phone screen, at that number she hadn’t dialed in so long, and felt a sensation she couldn’t quite put into words.
It was her father, all the way in Italy.
Shen Ke.
Even though Shen Ke was her father, Shen Yu actually hadn’t taken the initiative to contact him for nearly two years.
Only occasionally would she send a message like, “How have you been lately?” Their relationship was now so distant it barely felt like father and daughter.
In Shen Yu’s memory, back in her middle school years, her father had set off alone to Italy, single-handedly building his own business empire, 【Piton】, from the ground up within just a few years.
After he achieved fame and success, Shen Ke wanted to bring his daughter to Italy so she could inherit his vast fashion empire and become a business elite.
But Shen Yu refused.
She didn’t look down on her father—in fact, she greatly admired his abilities.
But people have different goals. She didn’t want to devote her life to chasing money like her father.
She had her own dreams—she just wanted to stay in her homeland, quietly accompany that person, guard her piano, and chase her musical dream amidst the black and white keys.
Because of this, they had been in a cold war for quite some time, and their last phone call had ended on a sour note.
This was her first time taking the initiative to break the stalemate.
For Lin Lu’an.
Shen Yu took a deep breath and finally pressed the call button.
The phone rang for a long time without anyone answering. Just as she was about to hang up, thinking no one would pick up, the call finally connected.
A steady voice came from the other end, tinged with a hint of surprise.
“Xiaoyu? It’s rare for you to call me on your own.”
“Yeah, Dad, how have you been lately?” Shen Yu tried to make small talk.
“…If you need something, just say it.”
Shen Ke didn’t bother following Shen Yu’s lead with pleasantries. He knew his daughter wouldn’t reach out unless she needed something. With her personality, she would never take the initiative otherwise.
“Dad,” Shen Yu got straight to the point, “I want to ask you for a favor. Has Piton recently received any private, special custom orders? Like, say, a maid outfit?”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.
“Xiaoyu, every service Piton provides for clients is protected by strict confidentiality agreements. I can’t disclose any client information to outsiders.”
Shen Ke didn’t deny that Piton had recently received a custom order for a maid outfit. That steadied Shen Yu’s heart a bit—at least her investigation wasn’t off track.
“Dad, do you see me as an outsider?” Shen Yu unconsciously scraped her index finger along the back of her phone.
“Until you change your mind, I suppose so.” Shen Ke’s tone was calm, as if stating a simple fact.
“Stop clinging to that piano dream. You don’t have the talent for it. Wouldn’t it be better to come out and start a business with me? With your abilities, you’d more than excel.”
Shen Ke wasn’t exactly wrong. Shen Yu might not be the top student in her school, but she was among the best.
Her observational skills and reasoning ability were top-notch—a talent most people could only dream of having in their lifetime.
If she put those gifts to use in business, founding her own company wouldn’t be a problem at all.
Sadly, his daughter didn’t understand his good intentions.
“Dad, I didn’t call to discuss this. Can you stop changing the subject?” Shen Yu said flatly.
“Didn’t we make an agreement? You’d give me three years. If I can’t perform on the biggest stage in the country within three years, I’ll go with you to Italy. Otherwise, I won’t go abroad.”
“You, child…”
“Don’t go back on your promise. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Shen Yu’s tone was decisive.
“If you can’t tell me who ordered that maid outfit, I’ll look into it myself. After all, I’m just an outsider to you. I understand if you don’t want to tell me.”
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.
“Why do you want to know who ordered the outfit?”
“…She ordered the clothes for a friend of mine, but that friend has gone missing. I need to know where he is.”
“Shen Yu, you should know that being able to place this level of custom order means that person’s circle isn’t simple. There are waters here deeper than you imagine. Listen to your father’s advice—don’t wade in recklessly.”
“So you won’t tell me?”
“Unless you promise to come to Italy, I won’t say.”
Shen Yu hung up immediately.
Abroad, again. Every call with her father always came back to this. Do people just repeat themselves endlessly as they get older?
Shen Yu let out a sigh.
She hadn’t expected her father to be so stubborn. Couldn’t disclose client information to an “outsider”…
Shen Yu smiled wryly, rubbing her brow as she put down her phone, ready to try other avenues to find out who placed the custom order.
“Ding dong.”
A crisp notification sounded.
Shen Yu instinctively looked down. On the screen, a new message from her father popped up.
She silently opened the message.
There were no long sentences, no unnecessary pleasantries—just a few concise lines.
【I can’t give you client information, but I can find out where the man you’re looking for is. I’ll send you the info later.】
Below that, a small line of text, sent right after:
【Once you get the news, don’t do anything reckless…】
And finally.
【Your father.】
Shen Yu stared at the phone screen in a daze, then suddenly smiled.
That old stubborn man… Hasn’t anyone told him being tsundere is out of style?
***
In the VIP ward of the private hospital.
Lin Lu’an still lay quietly on the hospital bed, breathing steadily, his face pale from blood loss, looking like a fragile porcelain doll.
The anesthetic hadn’t fully worn off, and he was sunk in a deep sleep.
Su Jin sat on the chair by the bed, holding a Fuji apple and a small fruit knife.
She lowered her head, intently peeling the apple, her movements a bit clumsy. After all, she wasn’t used to this—normally, Song Li would do it for her.
The long strand of apple peel hung trembling from the fruit, but Su Jin’s eyes were vacant.
Did I… really fall for him?
Yet, the thought lasted only a moment before she hurriedly forced it away.
No, impossible!
She immediately rebuked herself.
How could I possibly like a “rental boyfriend” I bought with money? Someone from such a completely different background from mine?
Su Jin shook her head.
I’m just… just used to having him around. Like raising an especially obedient, eager-to-please little dog.
That little dog would greet you enthusiastically every time you came home, looking up at you with wet, adoring eyes, relying on you and trying to please you with no reservations.
He’d obey your every command, and even his little acts of rebellion seemed adorable.
His world was full of you—you were his everything.
Tell me, if such a perfect, devoted little dog suddenly died, who wouldn’t be upset?
Yes, that’s all it is.
Su Jin convinced herself, straightening her back a little.
This anxiety and worry I feel now—even that tiny trace of fear—it’s only because I’m not used to losing something that belongs to me.
It’s like losing a favorite luxury item you’ve gotten used to—anyone would be annoyed for a while, right?
It’s not that I like him.
I just… can’t accept my little dog being gone.
That’s all.
Su Jin nodded slightly to herself.
Just then,
With a light “pa,” the long strand of apple peel, painstakingly kept intact, finally broke and fell onto the spotless floor.
Su Jin stared blankly at the snapped peel.
Right at that moment, Song Li, who had been quietly standing by, suddenly spoke up.
“Miss, you’ve stayed here the whole night.” Song Li’s tone was laced with concern. “There are a few urgent documents at the company that need your signature.”
“And also, about last night’s incident… Some scattered videos and messages are already circulating online.”
“Although we handled PR right away, the topic of ‘incident outside Indigo Tech’s press conference’ is starting to trend. Some media are trying to contact you and the company, hoping for an official response.”
“And Piton, after their CEO learned what happened, sent his regards and asked me for the hospital room number and Mr. Lin’s condition. Their domestic agent will bring some gifts over shortly.”
Song Li continued to rattle on.
The world wouldn’t stop spinning for any one person. In the past two days, public opinion was already shifting in a negative direction.
If Su Jin didn’t respond soon, it would definitely be harmful to Indigo Tech’s long-term development.
Su Jin, hearing all this, looked back at Lin Lu’an’s face.
His vital signs were stable now. There was no real danger. Staying by his side wouldn’t make him wake up any sooner.
“…..Understood.”
Su Jin gently set the roughly peeled apple and fruit knife on the bedside table, then stood up.
Song Li promptly handed her a black mask and a low-key baseball cap.
“Miss, please put these on—just in case. The car is ready in the underground garage.”
Su Jin accepted them, quickly putting on the mask and cap, covering most of her face and her striking long hair.
In an instant, the clumsy woman who’d sat by the hospital bed disappeared, replaced by the business leader ready to face the storms of the outside world.
She took one last look at Lin Lu’an, then left the ward with Song Li.
Lin Lu’an’s ward was number 1703, on the 17th floor. They had to take the elevator down.
By the elevator, Song Li pressed the down button, waiting for the car to slowly rise from the first floor.
When the elevator reached the 17th floor, the metal doors slid open. Out stepped a girl with long, straight black hair, dressed simply in a white sundress.
It was Shen Yu.