Chapter 417: Chapter 417

Luo Wan yawned as she headed back to her room, leaving the two of them alone.

"Your aunt is really nice," Gao Yuyue couldn’t help but say.

"My uncle recently got promoted, so he’s been busy. He’ll probably be back around eleven. I have a cousin who shares a room with my aunt. He’s studying in their room right now. There are quite a few people around, so I hope you don’t mind."

Shen You’an lowered her head to eat her noodles after speaking.

Gao Yuyue nodded. "Your family seems really happy."

After finishing her noodles, Shen You’an picked up the two bowls and went to the kitchen to wash them.

When she finished drying her hands, she went into her bedroom, found a set of pajamas, took a new towel and a neatly packaged pair of disposable underwear from the bottom drawer of her wardrobe, and handed them to Gao Yuyue. "Take a shower."

Gao Yuyue stood motionless, quietly watching her. "Aren’t you going to ask me why I came to see you?"

"I don’t like prying into people’s reasons. Everyone has their secrets."

Gao Yuyue smiled and said, "That’s my favorite thing about you—you know boundaries."

"Wait here. Once I’ve cleaned up, I’ll come back and pamper you," she teased, throwing a playful wink as she turned and walked into the bathroom.

Shen You’an let out a sigh. No matter how well Gao Yuyue masked her feelings, she couldn’t hide the heavy melancholy that lingered in her expression.

It seemed likely she’d already discovered that her father had betrayed their family long ago. For someone as proud as Gao Yuyue, how could that be something easily accepted?

Shen You’an opened her wardrobe, took out the bedding, and began spreading it on the floor.

Her bed was only 1.5 meters wide, too tight for two people to sleep comfortably. Gao Yuyue, who had grown up pampered, probably wouldn’t get used to it.

Gao Yuyue pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing Shen You’an squatting on the ground preparing a sleeping arrangement, she frowned. "What are you doing?"

"You’re sleeping on the bed."

Gao Yuyue pouted, looking somewhat dissatisfied but didn’t say anything further. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel⦿fire.net

While Shen You’an went to take a shower, Gao Yuyue’s eyes wandered around Shen You’an’s bedroom, an inexplicable sense of excitement stirring within her.

This was Shen You’an’s private room; just like her, it had a minimalist aesthetic. It seemed devoid of all excess, almost as if it belonged to someone in a bare-bones existence—definitely not what one would expect from a young woman’s bedroom.

She walked over to the desk, where everything was arranged meticulously. On the bookshelf were several English books and a thick stack of practice papers. Gao Yuyue glanced at them: textbooks on finance and computer programming.

Shen You’an has these kinds of interests?

A desk lamp stood beside a notebook computer, and next to it was a water cup pressing down on a partially completed math worksheet.

Gao Yuyue glanced at the worksheet, and—to her dismay—found she couldn’t understand even the questions.

Her heart sank halfway in defeat.

So it turns out Shen You’an was secretly working this hard.

A faint crack between the drawer revealed a sliver of light. Through it, Gao Yuyue caught sight of a radiant young face within.

She knew she shouldn’t snoop, but driven by impulsive curiosity, she opened the drawer and saw the photo that had been hidden in the darkness.

It was a picture of a young couple, posed intimately, like lovers deeply in love.

Their looks were striking, their presence captivating—even for someone like Gao Yuyue, accustomed to seeing beauties and handsome faces in elite circles, she found herself moved by them at first glance.

They had an aura of purity, their gazes clear and bright—completely untouched by the world’s impurities. They seemed perpetually luminous, and utterly pure.

Even one photo could stir such strong feelings; if this couple stood before her in real life, how stunning would they be?

Footsteps echoed from the doorway. Panicking, Gao Yuyue hurried to shove the photo back into the drawer, but in her haste, it fell to the ground and the frame shattered.

Her face went pale, and she dared not lift her eyes. "An’an, I’m sorry, I... I didn’t mean to. If you want to scold me, go ahead."

In her field of view, Shen You’an squatted down, picked up the photo, and carefully brushed off the dust as though it was the most precious of treasures.

Gao Yuyue felt even guiltier. The couple in the photograph bore a resemblance to Shen You’an. They must be her parents. Not only had Gao Yuyue intrusively looked at the photo, but she’d also broken it. Shen You’an must be upset.

"I was the one who brought you into my room, so you don’t need to blame yourself."

Not just anyone could enter her room. For someone she willingly let in, Shen You’an wouldn’t care much about whether boundaries were crossed.

With her saying that, Gao Yuyue felt even worse.

She had just praised Shen You’an for having boundaries, yet here she was, unable to respect hers.

"Is... is that your mom and dad?"

Shen You’an murmured an "Mm," her eyes gentle as they rested on the people in the photo.

"Your mom and dad are so good-looking."

Gao Yuyue glanced at the girl illuminated by the soft light. "You inherited all their best features."