If You Could Hear My Heart

Shen Chi’s temperament, before he met Xu Chaomu, was almost aloof and arrogant, with no one able to catch his eye.

Many a young girl pursued him, yet he would not even spare them a glance. He could even scold them to the point of driving them away.

Of course, when he first encountered Xu Chaomu, Shen Chi was also exceedingly indifferent.

One truly wonders how that girl managed to melt his heart of stone.

It seems, fate is indeed a strange thing. In this life, that person, walking along, ends up hand in hand with you.

From then on, whenever she faced the wind and rain, he would habitually shield her from the storm.

“She was adopted by the Shen Family, wasn’t she?” Mo Shuifu asked indifferently.

She had heard it from Xu Chaomu last time.

“Yes, her mother passed away when she was ten, and she was then taken into our Shen Family.”

“Chaomu was orphaned, her background pitiable. But being adopted by your family was also a good thing.”

“Shui Fu, how long has the Mo Family known their family?”

“When I was very small, Chaomu’s mother arrived near our home, heavily pregnant. Our area was quite remote, and the houses were not worth much. I heard that her mother sold a few pieces of jewelry and settled down near our home.”

Perhaps because they finally had a topic in common, Mo Shuifu began to talk more.

“Was her mother called Xu Mengxi?”

“Yes, I’ve always called her Aunt Xu.”

“Then…who was Xu Chaomu’s father?”

Mo Shuifu shook her head: “I don’t know. During those ten years, no stranger ever came to Chaomu’s home.”

“Not even one unfamiliar man?” Shen Shihan didn’t believe it.

Mo Shuifu’s eyes flickered, seemingly on the verge of saying something, yet she shook her head again: “No.”

“Oh, Chaomu must have been quite mischievous as a child, right?” Shen Shihan laughed.

Recalling the past, Mo Shuifu rarely smiled: “She was capable of all sorts of mischief, but she’d always be extra good and sensible in front of Aunt Xu. The mother and daughter had an especially close bond, and Chaomu adored her mother the most.”

“How much did she adore her?” Shen Shihan asked again.

He remembered that he had just found out that Xu Chaomu’s mother had been harmed by Zhou Ran…

If Xu Chaomu loved her mother very much, perhaps even more than she loved Shen Chi, then how could she accept such a truth?

No wonder Shen Chi had kept it a secret from Xu Chaomu for so many years.

And surely, Shen Chi wanted to keep it a secret from Xu Chaomu for a lifetime.

“There must be an unbreakable blood bond between mother and daughter, and besides, they relied on each other for survival. Aunt Xu was especially gentle, buying beautiful clothes for Chaomu, cooking her many delicious foods, never beating or scolding her. Chaomu definitely loved her mother.”

Mo Shuifu sighed, just as she loved her own mother.

“Chaomu and her mother resembled each other a lot.” Shen Shihan looked down at the photo.

“Yes, they’re both very beautiful. After Chaomu arrived at the Shen Family, did she cause any trouble for the Shen Family?”

“Not at all, Chaomu is pretty good,” Shen Shihan curved his lips in a small smile.

Apart from often infuriating Shen Chi to no end, she was, in all other ways, very good.

“That’s good. Chaomu is very well-behaved, just a bit obstinate at times, and she has been like that since she was young.”

“I can tell. In the eight years she’s been at my house, she’s had quite a few temperamental moments with her fourth brother.”

Upon hearing Shen Shihan mention “fourth brother,” Mo Shuifu’s brow furrowed. Shen Chi…

She looked up and said, “Is she not on good terms with her fourth brother?”

“Not at all. Her fourth brother, ah, indulges her too much, which is why Chaomu dares to be temperamental with him.”

“Eight years have passed, and Chaomu’s little temper hasn’t changed at all,” Mo Shuifu laughed softly.

Recalling the past, touching the softest part of her heart, Mo Shuifu was filled with a myriad of emotions.

The years gone by were so good, everything was good.

Back then, her family was also very happy.

“We all liked her very much,” Shen Shihan said with a smile.

“Take good care of her,” Mo Shuifu parted her lips, “I’ll get back to the kitchen to continue cooking.”

Mo Shuifu walked away again, and Shen Shihan looked at the photo in his hand for a long time.

The little girl in the photo was innocent and pure, unaware of the complexities of life. Shen Shihan sighed in his heart…

He could not bear to tell Chaomu the truth…

He hoped that Chaomu could be with Shen Chi, could marry the man she loved, and be happy for the rest of her life.

It wasn’t long before Mo Shuifu had ready the dinner, and she brought all the dishes to the table. Although the table looked very crowded, Shen Shihan didn’t mind at all.

“Third Young Master, it’s a little cramped, please bear with it,” Mo Shuifu said indifferently.

“I’m not that delicate,” he replied.

Mo Shuifu smiled and took out some wine from the storeroom.

“What, you’re serving me wine as well now that I’ve come for dinner?” Shen Shihan asked with a laugh.

“It’s old wine my dad has kept for many years, reserved for honored guests. Third Young Master, please try it, it’s been many years,” she said.

Upon finishing, Mo Shuifu took out wine glasses and filled one for Shen Shihan.

Instantly, the fragrance of the wine permeated, filling the entire living room with its strong aroma.

She took out the wine, thinking that maybe being drunk might make things a bit easier to bear.

“I still hope that you can see me as a friend, or even as family, instead of as the Third Young Master of the Shen Family,” Shen Shihan said, looking into her eyes.

Mo Shuifu slightly tugged at the corner of her lips: “Alright, let’s drink and eat before the dishes get cold and waste my effort.”

“Then… would you like to drink a bit?”

“Okay…” Mo Shuifu also poured herself half a glass of wine.

She rarely drank, but today, she preferred to be drunk.

Her slender fingers glided over the glass, and she watched the liquid inside quietly, then tipped her head back and downed it in one gulp.

The alcohol was strong; that big gulp burned her throat so much that she couldn’t speak.

Even while working at a place like Weiyang, she didn’t drink.

Actually, she should thank Shen Shihan, shouldn’t she…

If it weren’t for him speaking up for her that time, the people at Weiyang would have definitely made things difficult for her…

“For you to drink such a large cup, aren’t you afraid it will be bad for your health? Besides, wine should be sipped slowly to be fully enjoyed, especially since, as you said, this is a wine your father has treasured for many years,” Shen Shihan said, laughing.

Mo Shuifu frowned, feeling too uncomfortable to speak.

Shen Shihan shook his head, moved to sit beside her, and poured her a glass of plain water.

“First time drinking? Feeling bad? Come on, stop torturing yourself. Just try a couple of sips, drinking so much all at once will just lead to a sleepless night.”

He held the glass of water to her lips, and Mo Shuifu instinctively shied away, but he held her hand steady.

She had no choice but to drink the water.

Underneath the light, her head began to throb with pain. As she looked up at Shen Shihan, the light illuminated his handsome features and soft lines, causing her to squint and take a few more glances at him.

Actually, he wasn’t that unpleasant, was he…

“You’re not allowed to drink anymore, eat,” Shen Shihan removed the wine glass from in front of her.

Mo Shuifu pouted and reached out to grab the wine glass: “Give it to me, I still want to drink, I have never even tried this wine my dad kept…he stored it for so many, many years…”

Shen Shihan saw that she was already drunk—otherwise, she wouldn’t be talking so much to him.