Chapter 11: Sister

It had been a long time since Shen Zhiwei had seen Qu Bainan’s emotions slip out.

The last time was four years ago.

She glanced at the slightly ajar bedroom door and took the initiative to walk over to Qu Bainan. “Bainan, women are all emotional. I know you see Chen Su only as a little sister, but you treat her so well, it’s easy for her to misunderstand.”

Under the thin veil of smoke, Qu Bainan’s absent expression immediately snapped back.

He glanced sideways at Shen Zhiwei, choosing not to expose her thoughts.

“You said it yourself—she is my sister.”

Those words sealed off Shen Zhiwei’s remaining possibilities.

At the same time, they also sealed off Chen Su’s.

The two returned to the dining table to eat. Chen Su didn’t go down but stood by the second-floor railing, looking down.

After dinner, Mrs. Qu smiled warmly and took Shen Zhiwei’s hand. “Zhiwei, it’s already so late. Why don’t you stay over tonight? It would be nice to keep this old woman company.”

Shen Zhiwei smiled sweetly. “I don’t mind at all. It’s just that I don’t know if Bainan agrees.”

Qu Bainan glanced upstairs and said calmly, “If you want to stay, then stay.”

He didn’t specify which room.

Chen Su watched this scene coldly, a bitterness spreading in her heart, pain beyond measure.

Shen Zhiwei’s presence had not only stolen her love but also occupied the little family affection she had left.

She had to pretend to be good to get any affection from Mrs. Qu.

In an unprecedented move, she returned to the bedroom, opened the wardrobe drawer, took out her white lingerie, and walked straight to Qu Bainan’s room, slipping it under his pillow.

At nine in the evening, everything happened just as Chen Su had expected.

Mrs. Qu, probably due to the commotion Chen Su caused at the bathroom door, had taken the initiative to suggest Shen Zhiwei stay overnight.

To make everything seem natural, she even volunteered to let Shen Zhiwei see Qu Bainan’s room.

A moment later, Mrs. Qu came out, leaving only Shen Zhiwei and Qu Bainan alone.

A man and woman alone in a room.

Usually reserved and gentle, Shen Zhiwei boldly leaned closer to Qu Bainan. “Bainan, it’s late. How about we go to sleep early?”

Qu Bainan looked at the hand resting on his arm, frowning lightly.

“Sleep on your own.”

He didn’t refuse outright. “I still have work.”

Taking his phone, he went to the balcony, made a call, and lit a cigarette.

Shen Zhiwei was annoyed but didn’t dare to try seducing him again.

After all, whether four years ago or now, Qu Bainan had never regarded her, his childhood playmate, as anything more.

The reason he allowed her to stay this time was very likely just for show, to perform for Chen Su.

After brief consideration, while Qu Bainan didn’t look back, Shen Zhiwei took a gamble. She lay on Qu Bainan’s bed and took a selfie with her phone, posting it to her social feed.

Only Chen Su could see it.

Two minutes later, Chen Su, having finished her shower and sitting on the sofa drying her hair, saw Shen Zhiwei’s post.

“Missing person returns—guess where I am now?”

The photo was a selfie of Chen Su lying on Qu Bainan’s bed.

That bed was once a place where she and Qu Bainan had been wildly intimate in every corner.

Now, someone else lay there.

After Shen Zhiwei’s post went up, a comment appeared: “At home?”

Shen Zhiwei replied: “(Blushing) At my boyfriend’s.”

Chen Su clenched her phone, sending a sarcastic private message to Shen Zhiwei: “The spot where you’re lying—there’s a surprise under the pillow.”

Then she turned off her phone and went to sleep.

Thinking about Shen Zhiwei’s embarrassment upon discovering what was under the pillow, Chen Su rarely allowed herself a smile.

She messaged Qu Bainan: “Last time I was in your room, some lingerie got left on your bed. Make sure to keep it safe—don’t let Miss Shen find it.”

Qu Bainan was on the phone with Chu Shaowen. Upon seeing the message, he immediately hung up and returned to the bedroom.

Shen Zhiwei sat on the sofa. On the nearby bed, something white stood out.

She asked, “Chen Su’s?”

Qu Bainan glanced at the white bundle, hummed, and casually put it into a drawer nearby.

He looked at Shen Zhiwei. “Not leaving?”

Shen Zhiwei hadn’t expected Qu Bainan to directly give her the boot, using her and then discarding her.

She exhaled slowly and said seriously, “Qu Bainan, I came back this time for you.”

“I know,” Qu Bainan’s tone was calm, avoiding the topic she raised. “There are guest rooms upstairs. Pick whichever you want.”

Shen Zhiwei felt that if she pushed further, she’d be kicked out.

Ten minutes later, sitting on the living room sofa, she, feeling indignant, messaged Chen Su.

“Chen Su, it’s best not to leave your intimate clothes lying around.”

“Also, Bainan likes them big.”

Chen Su didn’t know how she kept reading the messages, only that at two a.m., she sat on her bed hugging her knees, all her pride drenched in cold water.

Never before had she hated her own imagination so much.

At this moment, she feared Shen Zhiwei was beneath Qu Bainan, sharing pleasures as intimately as she once did.

Chen Su felt she was going mad.

She tossed and turned, unable to sleep, finally throwing off the covers and barefooted, went to Qu Bainan’s door—but hesitated to knock.

She was afraid that if the door opened, she would see something she never wanted to witness in her life.

In the end, she turned and went downstairs, leaving the Qu residence.

The next day, Qu Bainan woke up and, as usual, knocked on Chen Su’s door.

“Su Su, time to get up.”

Receiving no response, he assumed she was still asleep and reached for the doorknob—surprisingly, it opened easily.

She hadn’t locked the door.

Qu Bainan pushed it open and stepped inside. “Su Su?”