If You Could Hear My Heart

Xu Chaomu rubbed her eyes and reached for the small mirror by the bed. Did she cry again last night? Her eyes were all red.

She hugged her pillow, not wanting to get up, but just when she felt like staying in bed, she suddenly smelled a clear fragrance of alcohol on the pillow.

Where did the smell of alcohol come from?

Xu Chaomu was baffled.

Her head was still aching vaguely, and she really hated Shen Chi. How was she supposed to attend class looking like this today?

And yet this stingy man wouldn’t even keep her company for one night. He acted as if she was a sex maniac that would do something to him. Although she admitted, she did have a bit of a bad intention.

“Miss Xu, good morning.”

When Xu Chaomu went downstairs, breakfast was already set on the table, and no one else was in sight, so she sat down at the dining table by herself. “Where’s brother number four?” Xu Chaomu spread a bit of salad on her bread.

“The young master went to the group,” the servant replied.

“When did he leave? Did he show any concern for me when he left?” Xu Chaomu asked leisurely.

“No, the young master left very early.”

A basin of cold water poured down, and Xu Chaomu’s mood immediately soured.

“Yo, Chaomu, eating breakfast alone? Your brother number four left early in the morning; do you miss him?” Liu Rumei walked in from the entrance of the living room, with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile on her face.

She touched her freshly combed hair and pulled up the jujube-red shawl on her body a few centimeters.

As soon as she walked in, her high heels clicked loudly on the floor. Xu Chaomu did not lift her head and continued eating her own breakfast.

Liu Rumei sat next to Xu Chaomu, very considerately taking a piece of cheese for her: “Eat more; you’re growing right now, you need the nutrition, and then you won’t even need essential oils for breast enlargement.”

After saying that, she laughed to herself.

Xu Chaomu smelled the pungent perfume on her and frowned, no longer wanting to eat her breakfast.

She intentionally sat a bit further away from Liu Rumei; this woman was nothing like Aunt Zhou.

If Aunt Zhou was like a delicate orchid, elegant and refined, then Liu Rumei was like a gaudy red rose, flamboyant and charming. She really had no idea how Shen Cexian’s taste could differ so widely, to have married Aunt Zhou and still not be satisfied.

By her reckoning, it had been eight years since she had seen Aunt Zhou.

Her thoughts drifted to Shen Chi again. She wondered if Shen Chi was like his father, favoring gaudy women.

It seemed likely, since he liked big breasts. Ugh! How vulgar.

“What’s wrong, Chaomu? You seem to be in a bad mood? If you miss your brother number four, I can drive you there. I heard that there’s a ball at Shen Group today, very lively. It’d be a pity not to go.”

“I still have classes,” Xu Chaomu responded indifferently.

“Isn’t it Saturday tomorrow, and you’re off? The ball is just at night; it won’t affect your studies. Your second sister and third brother will be going too. How come, didn’t your brother number four tell you?”

“No,” Xu Chaomu still paid little attention to Liu Rumei.

But inside, she felt a bit complicated. How come no one told her about the ball that both her second sister and third brother were attending?

Was it that Shen Chi didn’t consider her part of the family…

“Are you going to go? We all plan to be there tonight, and it would be dull for you to be alone at home,” Liu Rumei said, “Your brother number four is really something. How come he didn’t tell you about your own family’s ball at the group? Not bringing you along.”

“I can’t dance anyway. Going to a ball would only embarrass him,” Xu Chaomu said with a tone of displeasure.

All she wanted now was to finish breakfast quickly; this woman was really talkative.

“If you don’t want to go, just forget it; I was just afraid you’d be bored. Eat more, don’t starve yourself,” Liu Rumei said, handing another piece of cake to Xu Chaomu.

After finishing her milk, Xu Chaomu picked up her backpack and left the Shen residence. Maybe because of her young age, she was not good at hiding her feelings, and Liu Rumei could tell she was unhappy.

That day, from morning till night, Xu Chaomu was distracted in class, but then again, she rarely paid full attention. It was just that, today, she was exceptionally inattentive.

“Chaomu, what’s wrong? Why are you injured?” Yu Weiwei asked with concern as she circled around Xu Chaomu’s head.

Even though the gauze was covered by her ponytail at the back of her head, it was still quite obvious.

Xu Chaomu replied irritably, “Dabai bit me.”

“No way, that Tibetan Mastiff? It bit you, and you’re still alive? Then aren’t you tougher than it is? There’s a saying, what is it? Oh, you’re more of a beast than a beast!”

“…” Xu Chaomu rolled her eyes.

“You’ve been poking this puppet all day; what are you doing that for? It hasn’t provoked you,” Yu Weiwei sympathized as she watched Xu Chaomu jab at the pitiful puppet in her hand.

She had been better off not bringing it up because as soon as she did, Xu Chaomu poked the puppet even harder.

Indeed, this puppet was a gift from Shen Chi on her tenth birthday. She had always carried it with her over the years.

But eight years had passed, and Shen Chi had never given her anything else. “Don’t you think it looks annoying no matter how you look at it?” Xu Chaomu threw the puppet on the table.

Yu Weiwei leaned in, “Not at all? It’s quite cute, kind of like you. If you find it annoying, why do you carry it around every day like a treasure?”

“Who treasures it? It’s so ugly; I’ve wanted to throw it away for a long time!” Yu Weiwei gloated, “Then throw it away! Can’t bear to? I’ll throw it for you!” Yu Weiwei grabbed the small puppet from the table and pretended to throw it out of the window.

“Don’t you dare! If it’s going to be thrown away, I’ll do it myself!” Xu Chaomu hurried to grab it.

Yu Weiwei knew she couldn’t part with it, no matter who had given it to her. Clearly treasured, yet she acted as if she didn’t care.

Xu Chaomu held the small puppet in her hand and stared at it intently without saying a word.

Yu Weiwei wondered if being bitten by Dabai had changed Xu Chaomu somehow, as she seemed very unhappy.

“Chaomu, ahem, I’ve got something to show you, and I’m sure it’ll cheer you up,” Yu Weiwei said mysteriously, clearing her throat.

“What?” Xu Chaomu didn’t look up, nor did she show any interest.

“Ta-da, look!” Yu Weiwei pulled out an envelope from her Chinese textbook, “Guess who wrote to you? This person even made me promise to hand it to you personally; he’s too shy to give it to you himself.”

Xu Chaomu slightly lifted her eyelids, then drooped them again, “Not interested.”

In truth, she was still bothered by Liu Rumei’s words.

The Shen Group’s ball, everyone in the Shen family could attend except her. She wasn’t even granted the privilege of knowing about it.

“Not interested? If you’re not interested then I’m opening it! Let’s see what’s written inside…” Yu Weiwei took a small knife, ready to open the envelope. Xu Chaomu quickly extended her hand and snatched the envelope.

“Snooping around in privacy, be careful or I’ll sue you!” Xu Chaomu murmured.

“I’m not looking, I’m not looking. I don’t want to be sued,” Yu Weiwei covered her eyes.

Xu Chaomu turned the envelope over a few times, examining it. The light green envelope was adorned with a few small pink flowers, which looked fresh and beautiful, like a breath of spring breeze that made the earth brim with the promise of spring.

She opened the envelope, and a plain piece of stationery paper leaped out. The first thing that caught her eye was row upon row of elegant regular script..