Chapter 205: Chapter 205

As summer passed and autumn arrived, in the blink of an eye, autumn faded into winter, and spring came again.

The cycle of the four seasons seems long, but as each day passes, by the end of the year, looking back, you find it’s actually quite brief.

Three years of spring and autumn, for some people, is but a fleeting moment.

Jiang City entered the sweltering summer again. Shen Jianian got up early, changed into a yoga vest and exercise pants, and put a loose short-sleeved shirt over her vest, running two laps around the shaded paths in the villa area. Sweat soaked the strands of hair hanging at her forehead and neck, while her fair and smooth cheeks glowed with a healthy blush.

As she neared home, Shen Jianian slowed her running pace, took a tissue from her pocket to wipe her sweat, removed the wireless earbuds from her ears, and placed them back in their case.

Upon opening the door, she immediately smelled the aroma of vegetable porridge.

Zhou Ruo brought a pot of porridge from the kitchen, placed it on the dining table, and turned to prepare the water-fried buns in the electric griddle. Seeing Shen Jianian return out of the corner of her eye, she smiled, "Done with your run? Go take a shower, breakfast is ready."

Shen Jianian nodded, returned a smile, went upstairs to her room for a shower, changed into fresh homewear, and sat in front of the dresser for skincare.

Looking at her face in the mirror, Shen Jianian paused slightly in her actions of pouring toner. This face had been seen many times, yet it still felt unfamiliar.

Three years ago, she survived a severe car accident that left her with multiple bone fractures and 70% of her facial features destroyed. For a long time, her face was wrapped in bandages, unfit for public view.

In the dead of night, unseen by others, she would sneak into the bathroom to secretly remove the bandages and look in the mirror, breaking down in tears at the sight of the frightening and grotesque scars.

She dared not make a sound, fearful of causing concern for others.

Holding her mouth shut tightly, she stifled her breath, tears flowing silently, then rewrapped the bandages and pretended nothing happened as she came out of the bathroom to lie in the hospital bed, unable to sleep.

It took her a year and a half to recover physically, reaching the point where she could walk normally, though intense exercise was out of the question.

In that year and a half, she gritted her teeth through the monotonous and painful daily rehabilitation, shedding countless tears and sweat. Now, through regular exercise, no traces of her injuries were visible.

After finishing her rehabilitation, Pei Che took her abroad to find the most skilled cosmetic surgeons. Altogether, she underwent six facial reconstruction surgeries, gradually enhancing her appearance, though it wasn’t what it used to be.

Even those familiar with her probably wouldn’t recognize her now.

Sometimes, looking in the mirror, Shen Jianian wonders whether she is still the former Shen Jianian, with a different appearance and fragmented memories.

The toner in her palm dripped onto the dresser. Shen Jianian returned to her senses, pulled out a tissue to wipe the surface clean, poured more toner into her palm, rubbed her hands together, and patted it onto her face.

Shen Jianian went downstairs to the dining room where Zhou Ruo was just setting a plate of vinegar on the table.

"Did Ah Che mention when he’s coming back?" Zhou Ruo casually asked as Shen Jianian took her seat.

Pei Che had caught a flight yesterday afternoon shortly after three to Beicheng to handle an urgent matter at the headquarters.

Sipping her porridge, Shen Jianian replied, "He left in a hurry and didn’t say when he’d return. I’ll give him a call later."

Saying so, she immediately set down her spoon and grabbed her phone from the table to call Pei Che.

After the line connected, Shen Jianian first asked if he’d had breakfast, then inquired when he would be back in Jiang City.

Pei Che didn’t directly answer, but there was a gentle tone in his voice, "Miss me?"

Shen Jianian suddenly felt a fleeting sense as if another voice was echoing in her mind, overshadowing Pei Che’s voice. She found it odd and rubbed her temple, blaming herself for having a night full of bizarre dreams that left her unrested.

"It was Auntie who asked me to inquire," Shen Jianian said.

"Oh," Pei Che’s voice did not conceal his disappointment.

Taking advantage of Zhou Ruo’s return to the kitchen to fetch something, Shen Jianian raised her hand to cover her mouth and whispered softly, "Of course, I also wanted to ask."

Instantly, Pei Che beamed with a smile, replying honestly, "At the latest, by tomorrow morning."

After exchanging a few words, Shen Jianian hung up and informed Zhou Ruo.

Zhou Ruo was relieved and asked, "You don’t need to go to the orchestra today?

"I’ll rest at home in the morning and head over in the afternoon." Shen Jianian took a bite of a vinegar-dipped water-fried bun, her smile sweet, "I decided to help you clean up this morning."

Zhou Ruo didn’t work outside and usually spent her time drinking tea with other ladies in the villa area, learning flower arranging, painting, and cooking, concocting difficult yet delicious dishes for Shen Jianian and Pei Che.

Every Saturday, there was a routine cleaning of the villa.

The family had hired a housemaid, who stayed for less than a month before Zhou Ruo claimed she was unnecessary. She could manage on her own, she said, handling cooking and cleaning just fine.

Pei Che was afraid she’d get exhausted, but she said that when the two of them weren’t around, she got bored staying at home alone, so doing something helped pass the time.

So Pei Che let her be and occasionally hired a part-time helper to come and do a thorough cleaning.

After breakfast, Shen Jianian tied up all her long hair, put on a mask and gloves, and was responsible for cleaning the second floor, while Zhou Ruo took care of the entire first floor.

Pushing open the study room door, Shen Jianian twisted the cloth to wipe the desk clean.

She rarely used the study; it was mostly used by Pei Che. She only came here when she needed to look for a book.

There was just a computer and some unimportant documents on the desk. Shen Jianian tidied up the documents and placed them at the corner of the desk. She crouched down to wipe the dust off the drawer, and casually pulled it open. It contained office supplies like printer ink cartridges, a stapler, and pens, a bit messy, so she reorganized it.

Opening the bottommost drawer, Shen Jianian saw a clear plastic bag and took it out.

Inside was a thin chain that didn’t look like a bracelet or necklace, adorned with a delicate little lock pendant and a piece of high-quality jade, translucent and lustrous, carved into a sleeping lion, hanging on a black braided cord. Judging by the cord’s length, it seemed to be a hand accessory.

Shen Jianian had never seen Pei Che play with hand accessories, not in the past or now.

Sitting on the floor, guided by the principle of asking when unsure, she took a picture with her phone and sent it to Pei Che via WeChat: "I was organizing the study and found these two items in the bottom left drawer of the desk. Are they yours?"

Pei Che always replied instantly to her messages. This time, she saw "The other party is typing" flash at the top of the screen, but no message came through.

After a while, Pei Che chose to tell the truth: "They’re your items. When you had the car accident, the doctor who operated on you removed them from you and gave them to me. I stored them away and forgot to give them back to you."

Gazing at these items, Shen Jianian fell into deep thought; she had no recollection of them.

Pei Che, guessing her thoughts, sent another message: "Maybe you bought them yourself and just don’t remember."

Shen Jianian accepted this explanation, took the items out of the plastic bag. The thin gold chain was a bracelet. She tried it on; it fit her wrist perfectly, like it was custom-made. It indeed seemed to be hers.

She then took out that hand accessory. Its icy touch soon warmed in her palm. Her fingers stroked over the lion’s back, and a fleeting image crossed her mind—a slender hand playing with this jade piece.

Shen Jianian sat there dazed for a moment, the strange feeling dissipating.

She messaged Pei Che: "Can I take these with me?"

Pei Che replied: "They originally belong to you. You can do with them as you please."

Shen Jianian tucked in the corners of her mouth, not quite sure why but she liked the jade at first sight. Perhaps she bought it before simply out of fondness.

It was two or three in the afternoon, the hottest time of the day. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on NoveI(F)ire.net

Shen Jianian changed into a white dress with thin straps, threw on a light blue long-sleeve shirt with the front open and sleeves rolled to her elbows, and carried her cello out from the villa.

She ordered a car via her phone to take her to the studio where the orchestra was located.

Outside the car window, the fierce sunlight streamed down upon the skyscrapers of Jiang City.

Almost three years since arriving here, Shen Jianian hadn’t developed much of a sense of belonging to this city.

After finishing facial reconstruction surgery abroad and about to return to China, Pei Che suggested that they settle down in Jiang City. She worried about nobody managing the family business, and Pei Che, after a moment’s silence, told her that during the time her parents passed away and she was recuperating, the company couldn’t continue operations and had gone bankrupt, with all the related procedures completed.

Everything that had happened became, in Shen Jianian’s eyes, a clear case of "things have changed and people are different."

Arriving at the studio, Shen Jianian casually picked an empty rehearsal room, took off her shirt and hung it on the chair back, took out the cello from its case, and started practicing the piece to be performed next.

Holding the bow, she immersed herself in the melodic and graceful music, unaware of the middle-aged man outside the glass window standing with his hands behind his back, gazing at her side profile for a long time without entering to disturb her.

At this moment, Yan Hong, the orchestra’s manager, walked up, about to greet the man, who raised his palm in a gesture to stop her.

Yan Hong fell silent, her gaze following his into the rehearsal room.

Shen Jianian was the cellist she chose at first sight, having to talk at length to convince her to join the orchestra.

Her cello skills were as excellent as Yan Qiusheng’s, the world-renowned cellist’s apprentice, and even their names were identical, making it hard not to associate them.

However, they looked different, presumably just sharing the same name by coincidence.

Years ago, the other Shen Jianian amazed audiences when she debuted on the variety show "Shining Starlight," captivating everyone with both her beauty and cello skills. The first episode broke platform ratings records, with no subsequent episode surpassing it.

This Shen Jianian, standing before her, had a more understated and graceful beauty.