Tan Si was slightly stunned. Before, she always called him Brother Tan. Now, this "Assistant Tan" just didn't sound right to his ears.
It was winter when she left and summer when she returned. Under the scorching sun, Qing Mian didn't feel any warmth.
The black sedan slowly drove on the bustling avenue in the urban area of Emperor City. She looked at the scenery constantly receding outside the window, feeling both familiar and strange.
It had only been three years. But in this fast - paced era, many places had changed. Even the ice - cream shop she used to love the most had now become a lottery store.
Tan Si would occasionally look at Qing Mian in the back seat through the rear - view mirror.
She was more beautiful than before. The baby fat on her face had faded, and she had grown into a standard oval face. Her face was no longer as rosy as before. Instead, it had a sickly pallor, just like a ceramic doll on the street.
There was no longer the smile in her eyes as before. Now, her eyes were just dull, showing no sign of joy or sorrow. Her hair had grown a lot. He remembered that before it was shoulder - length short hair, but now it had grown long and was tied into a ponytail.
She was wearing a simple white long - sleeved T - shirt and a pair of slightly faded blue jeans.
Tan Si shifted his gaze back to the avenue, sighing inwardly. The little princess who was once held in Chen Yu'an's palm now didn't even have a decent set of clothes.
Not long after, the car drove onto a slate road full of greenery. Soon, the words "Qingyuan" came into view, followed by the familiar villa.
This villa was built by Chen Yu'an at the age of 20 with a huge amount of money for Qing Mian. Every plant and tree in the yard was designed according to Qing Mian's preferences. She liked sunflowers, so the back yard was filled with them. She liked the piano, so a glass music hall was installed in the side hall. There was also a row of "cat gas stations" in the yard. She loved cats, but Chen Yu'an was allergic to cat hair, so they could only install some cat houses in the yard to let the stray cats spend the winter safely.
The row of cat houses was still the same as before. She wondered if the cats had continued to spend the winter there after she left. After all, Chen Yu'an didn't like cats.
After Tan Si parked the car steadily, he got out and opened the back - seat door. Bowing his head, he said, "Miss, we're home."
Qing Mian's train of thought was interrupted. She came back to her senses, nodded to Tan Si, and bent down to get out of the car.
"Sir is still in a meeting at the company. He'll be back soon," Tan Si explained beside her.
"What about An Ya?" After three years, Chen Yu'an should have married her by now. Maybe they even had a child.
Hearing this name, Tan Si didn't notice the stone under his feet and almost tripped. He cleared his throat and said, "Miss An doesn't live here."
She didn't live here? It made sense. The villa was filled with traces of her and Chen Yu'an's life. Naturally, An Ya wouldn't be willing to live here.
Qing Mian walked through the sycamore trees in the yard. As soon as she entered the main door, Aunt Zhou came up to her, took her hand, and gently stroked it with heartache. The next second, tears welled up in her eyes. Her voice was choked with suppressed sobs. "You're back... It's good to be back. It's good to be back..."
Qing Mian was also infected by her emotions. Her eyes turned slightly red as she called out, "Aunt Zhou."
Aunt Zhou was the person who had treated her best in the first 18 years of her life, apart from Chen Yu'an. During those hell - like days and nights in Mexico over the years, the person she missed the most was Aunt Zhou.
"Miss, Sir has had someone clean and maintain your room over the years. It's still the same as before. The bed sheets were just changed this morning. You must be very tired from the flight. Go upstairs and rest for a while. Sir will be back soon," Aunt Zhou said, looking at Qing Mian with full of heartache in her eyes. She had watched Qing Mian grow up. Now that the girl was back, besides being happy, she felt more heartache. The originally chubby little girl was now so thin. How could anyone not feel heartache?
When Qing Mian entered the bedroom, the first thing that caught her eye was the photo of her and Chen Yu'an on the wall. It was a photo taken when she won a prize in a piano competition at the age of ten.
In the photo, she was holding the trophy in one hand and leaning on Chen Yu'an's arm with the other. She was smiling brightly at the camera. Her favorite things and the dearest person were all by her side. The picture was warm and beautiful.
Chen Yu'an was 18 years old that year.
She walked up, took the photo off the wall, and gently stroked the glass frame with her fingers. The photo must have been wiped every day, for there was not a single speck of dust on it. Qing Mian stared at the photo for a while, then put it into the drawer under the bed.
The room was still the same as before. Even the little cat doll on the table was still in its original position, as if nothing had happened.
Qing Mian walked into the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror and took off her top. The glaring scar on her waist immediately came into view. The more skin was exposed to the air, the more scars appeared in the mirror.
She turned around, and the mirror reflected the appearance of her back.
Painful memories came flooding back. She never thought that Chen Yu'an would send her to such a place.
The dark warehouse was filled with ragged people. There were guards at all four doors of the warehouse. She had witnessed with her own eyes how those who tried to escape were beaten to death. The great fear and torture almost cost her life in the warehouse.
But she wanted to live and come back. She didn't want to die wrongly like this.
This was also the first time in these years that she clearly saw the appearance of her back. The thin and long scars were densely covering her already thin back. The hypertrophic scars actually made her back look a bit wider, which was rather ironic.
She just glanced indifferently at the scars that had already healed, then turned on the shower. The cold water pouring on her body made Qing Mian feel a moment of comfort.
When she came downstairs, she had already changed into the clothes prepared in the cloakroom. Looking at the all - skirt collection, she frowned slightly, randomly picked one and put it on. The size was one too big, so she found a leather belt and casually tied it around her waist to make it fit a bit better.
Qing Mian walked down the spiral staircase. As soon as she entered the living room, she saw that familiar yet strange face. Her steps subconsciously paused. She adjusted her breathing, trying to look more natural.
She walked forward, deliberately keeping a distance from that tall figure. "Brother."
Chen Yu'an turned his head.
Three years had passed. She had grown into a different person. She was no longer the little girl who always had a bright smile on her face. There was more alienation and coldness in her.
She used to dislike calling him brother, but now that she had grown up, she had become more obedient.
Chen Yu'an gave a faint smile and waved to her. "Erbao, come and sit next to brother." He still looked as gentle and elegant as before. If she hadn't seen the Chen Yu'an that night, maybe she would have thought so for the rest of her life.
Qing Mian stood still, with resistance in her eyes. After hesitating for two seconds, she still sat on the sofa, but the distance between her and Chen Yu'an was so wide that another Tan Si could sit in between.
Chen Yu'an didn't mind. He said, "Tan Si has already completed the admission procedures for you. You'll go directly to school to register next week. The major is also the music department you filled in on your college application form before."
Her student status was still there, and she didn't need to take the college entrance examination again. It was a good thing for her.
"Thank you, brother," she said, her eyes wandering. She didn't look into Chen Yu'an's eyes while speaking.
The piano was what she used to like. Now, she didn't like anything, and it didn't matter what major she studied.
"Erbao, you're still blaming brother," Chen Yu'an said, his eyes fixed on Qing Mian, his pupils as deep and unfathomable as a dark well.
Qing Mian avoided his gaze and didn't respond. How could she not blame him? It was he who gave her a home, and it was also he who took this home back with his own hands. How could she not blame him?
She had been abandoned twice in this world. Once by the mother she had never met, and once by her dearest brother. Why couldn't she blame him?
But compared to blaming him, now she was more afraid of him. Under this gentle and elegant mask, how much disgust must he have for her to send her to such a place?
"Erbao has changed. She's starting to hide things in her heart," Chen Yu'an said, looking at Qing Mian intently, his voice soft, with a hint of heartache.
But this voice sounded like a different kind of threat to Qing Mian's ears.
She tightly grasped the corner of the sofa with her fingers until a sharp pain came from her fingertips, then she slightly loosened her grip. She lowered her head. "No, brother. You're overthinking."
Qing Mian didn't want to stay any longer. She found an excuse and left the living room as if fleeing.
"Aunt Zhou seems to have made something delicious. I'll go and take a look."