If You Could Hear My Heart

Butler Ling didn’t dare to hesitate; at the Shen Family, the Fourth Young Master’s word was law.

“Alright,” she agreed and placed the puppet on the side coffee table before leaving the living room.

Bai Man thought the puppet was quite cute, so she walked over, picked it up, and looked at it from different angles, laughing, “Chaomu even has such a cute little puppet, that actually resembles her quite a bit.”

“Put it down,” Shen Chi said coldly.

Bai Man’s hand trembled, and she glanced at Shen Chi, her face full of grievance: “I was just looking, Shen Chi… when did you become so stingy…”

She put the puppet back on the coffee table, as if questioning the big deal over a mere broken puppet.

Shen Chi remained silent, merely continuing his dinner. His dark eyes held a light of indifference, and as usual, his face was expressionless.

Midway through the meal, Shen Chi set down his utensils.

“I’m going to rest first. You take your time eating,” he stood up, his tall figure leaving the dining table without hesitation.

Of course, he took the puppet from the coffee table with him, heading upstairs without looking back.

“Hey, Shen Chi, Shen Chi!” Bai Man called out twice, but to no avail.

Alright then, she was already used to it, or else she would find herself unable to stop the wild thoughts. She had known Shen Chi for so many years, and he had always kept others at a distance.

However, she knew he loved her and would marry her, and that was enough.

After Shen Chi went upstairs, he headed straight for Xu Chaomu’s room, where he knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Xu Chaomu was immersed in solving problems, thinking that she needed to improve her cultural literacy to avoid being clueless when Lou Yanli quipped lines like “spring sleep unaware of dawn” while all she could think of was “sweat dripping onto the soil beneath the grain.”

“It’s me.” Shen Chi’s voice was low.

“I’m asleep,” Xu Chaomu replied offhandedly and continued with her work.

However, something seemed off.

Why could she answer him if she was asleep?

That lie was so poorly crafted, Xu Chaomu felt embarrassed.

A faint smile played on Shen Chi’s lips: “Open the door.”

Xu Chaomu pretended she didn’t hear and continued to be preoccupied with the earlier scene in the garage. He and Bai Man nestled close, like a celestial couple. These images whirled persistently in her mind, impossible to dispel.

Yet, the villa belonged to the Shen Family, and it didn’t take long for Shen Chi to use his keys to open the door.

His towering presence next to Xu Chaomu made her not even dare to lift her head.

“What new tantrum is this?” Shen Chi frowned, his sharp eyes filled with a cold light as he scrutinized her.

Xu Chaomu was initially a bit afraid of Shen Chi, but at his words, she jumped to her feet.

She was much shorter than him, but her piercing gaze was just as intense as his.

“Who dares to throw a tantrum with you, Shen Chi? I am just doing my problems; can you please not disturb me?”

“Doing problems? Why did you throw it away then?”

Shen Chi placed the puppet on Xu Chaomu’s desk, and as it moved slightly while settling down, his penetrating gaze never left her, the chill emanating from him enough to lower the temperature in the vicinity.

“Shen Chi, you’re really amusing, throwing away things you don’t want, and now you’re concerned about it?” Xu Chaomu said disdainfully.

Shen Chi’s brow tightened, thrown away? Heh, who was it that braved the torrential rain last night in search of their backpack, as if their life depended on it?

“Keep it safe. Once it’s thrown away, it’s gone forever,” he said flatly.

Taken by a fit of defiance, Xu Chaomu snatched the puppet and hurled it to the floor; it clattered with two “thuds” and rolled to Shen Chi’s feet.

“I said I don’t want it, and that means I don’t want it!” Xu Chaomu yelled at Shen Chi.

Though not tall as Shen Chi, her stubbornness was written all over her small face. She glared at him with wide eyes, unyielding.

The little puppet lay obediently next to Shen Chi’s black leather shoes, its face still bearing a smile, oblivious to concerns.

Suddenly, the room fell silent.

Shen Chi’s face was cold, and the temperature of the air around them plummeted!

“Fine, that’s what you said,” he stated expressionlessly.

He bent down and picked up the puppet.

He had no clue what Xu Chaomu’s tantrum was about, she seemed fine in the hospital that morning, but now she behaved as if she had taken the wrong medication upon his return.

He was tired too, with no patience left to coax her.

Wordlessly, he took the puppet and left.

With a “bang,” the door was closed, and Xu Chaomu bit her lip, tears swirling in her eyes.

She wrapped herself in the blanket for the whole night, not understanding why, but feeling suffocated. She had never felt like this before, as if everything was gone, and she was cast away on a deserted island.

She knew, Shen Chi was her only reason to stay with the Shen Family.

Early the next morning, Xu Chaomu donned her lovely miniskirt.

As she came downstairs, Shen Chi and Bai Man were already seated together. They were having breakfast, with Bai Man occasionally speaking to Shen Chi.

In the past, she used to be the one having breakfast with Shen Chi, but not anymore.

She felt like an outsider.

“Miss Xu, good morning,” Butler Ling greeted her with a smile as she came down.

“Morning, Butler. My tooth still hurts, I’ll skip breakfast and head to school,” Xu Chaomu said flatly, not even glancing at Shen Chi and Bai Man as she walked past them towards the door.

Butler Ling was puzzled; Xu Chaomu had always been cheerful, lively even on mornings when she had performed poorly on tests.

What was wrong today…?

Shen Chi glanced at Xu Chaomu but said nothing.

The audacity to wear a miniskirt.

“Shen Chi, eat more, did you get tired yesterday?” Bai Man deliberately added a few slices of fried egg and pancake to Shen Chi’s plate.

Bai Man’s voice was neither loud nor soft, just loud enough for Xu Chaomu to hear clearly.

She snorted coldly and strode outside.

Old Cheng was already waiting outside. As Xu Chaomu was about to get in the car, Old Cheng said somberly, “Miss Xu, I have to take President Shen to the corporation. ”

“You can’t take me?”

“That’s correct.”

Xu Chaomu, fuming, gritted her teeth: “Oh, I understand. I’ll walk myself.”

The Shen Family’s estate was in a prestigious location with beautiful landscapes all around. Anyone living here would have several cars at home.

Therefore, it was utterly impossible to hail a taxi here.

“Yes, I apologize for the inconvenience, Miss Xu,” Old Cheng said.

“Inconvenienced? I never was any ‘Miss’,” Xu Chaomu retorted.

Xu Chaomu was quite clear about her status; being brought from the

orphanage into the Shen Family eight years ago didn’t make her forget who she was.

She was nobody.

Old Cheng stayed silent, not knowing how to respond to Xu Chaomu. He had seen much but could only choose to remain silent on many matters.

The sun was nice today, and the puddles by the roadside had mostly dried up. Wearing her out-of-season miniskirt, Xu Chaomu didn’t feel cold.

Walking along the road, she hummed a tune to herself.