Chapter 10: The Most Important Thing Is to Truly Love Yourself!

Shen Family.

Since Shen Mo returned home, he had been absent-minded. His assistant, Zhou Qiang, approached him nervously, swallowing hard.

“If you have something to say, say it quickly!” Shen Mo frowned as Zhou Qiang hesitated to speak.

Zhou Qiang replied cautiously, “President Shen, you asked me to investigate where Miss Gu had been these past five years, but I couldn’t find anything…”

He quickly lowered his head, not daring to look into Shen Mo’s cold, emotionless eyes.

“Then why are you here?”

“President Shen, it’s as if Miss Gu vanished from the world these five years. Even the Lin family doesn’t know her whereabouts. I really did my best…”

“Useless!” Shen Mo spat bitterly, though helpless. He waved his hand, “Forget it. Keep an eye on Luo Sheng. Don’t let her disappear like she did five years ago.”

“And keep digging into what happened five years ago!”

“Yes.” Zhou Qiang slowly withdrew from the Shen residence, his back drenched in sweat. Shen Mo’s oppressive aura was overwhelming; he didn’t even dare to breathe loudly.

Shen Mo opened his phone’s photo album and stared at the picture of Gu Luo Sheng selling barbecue, lost in thought.

…

That day, Gu Luo Sheng didn’t wake up until noon. She’d spent last night pondering over the barbecue seasoning recipe, and still needed to experiment further.

She packed her bag and was about to leave when Gu Yun Zhou called out to her.

“Gu Luo Sheng, where are you off to now?”

“You’re never home, and now you’re heading out without even eating lunch?”

“Second Young Master, you needn’t worry about me. Otherwise, Miss Gu might get upset.”

Gu Yun Zhou scoffed, “I’m not worried about you. Big Brother asked me this morning to tell you not to go out today. He wants you to pick up Mom and Dad at the airport this afternoon, and have dinner together tonight.”

“Uncle and Aunt are coming back?” Gu Luo Sheng understood. Since Gu Yan Feng and Ren Fang were returning, it was only right for her to meet them.

She wanted to see what attitude they would have toward her.

Unable to go out, Gu Luo Sheng simply stayed at the Gu house for lunch.

At two in the afternoon, Gu Yun Zhou announced he’d drive Gu Luo Sheng and Gu Qing Wan to the airport.

…

The three waited by the airport exit, as waves of passengers streamed out. Gu Qing Wan and Gu Yun Zhou craned their necks, searching for their parents.

Only Gu Luo Sheng stood to the side.

Finally, Gu Qing Wan spotted her parents and waved excitedly, “Dad, Mom!”

Gu Yan Feng and Ren Fang saw Gu Qing Wan and pushed their luggage toward her, smiling.

“Mom!” Gu Qing Wan rushed into Ren Fang’s arms, inhaling the familiar fragrance.

Gu Yan Feng smiled, “Sorry to keep you waiting. Retrieving the luggage took longer than expected.”

Gu Yun Zhou took their luggage from their hands. “It’s fine, Dad, Mom. Let’s go home!”

Ren Fang glanced out of the corner of her eye and noticed Gu Luo Sheng standing behind. Their gazes met. “Oh, this must be Luo Sheng, right? You’re back?”

Gu Luo Sheng looked quite different from five years ago. Back then, she wore luxurious clothes and exquisite makeup.

Now, she appeared simply dressed and bare-faced.

“Hello, Uncle, Aunt!” Gu Luo Sheng forced a smile, trying to soften her stiff expression.

She had thought Gu Yan Feng and Ren Fang would say much to her, but in fact, they merely greeted her.

They didn’t mind her calling them “Uncle, Aunt,” either. In their eyes, Gu Luo Sheng wasn’t their biological daughter, and after five years of estrangement, changing how she addressed them was nothing.

Gu Qing Wan looked at Gu Luo Sheng with smugness and a hint of provocation, as if to say, “You can never compete with me—I am the true daughter.”

The four were cheerful, while Gu Luo Sheng followed behind, out of place.

In that moment, she truly felt like an outsider.

Gu Luo Sheng braced herself, recalling five years of pain. She no longer cared about the family’s affection.

Loving herself was the most important thing.

The car could seat five, but Gu Yun Zhou clearly didn’t want Gu Luo Sheng squeezed in with their parents. After loading the luggage in the trunk, he said, “You can take a taxi home.”

The car drove off, leaving Gu Luo Sheng alone.

A raindrop fell from the sky, prompting her to seek shelter.

The rain intensified, mist rising, as Gu Luo Sheng took out her phone to hail a ride. The app showed a long queue—more than twenty people ahead.

She had no way of knowing how long it would take to get a ride.

Gu Luo Sheng had no one else to contact. Gu Yun Qi was likely at work, and she didn’t want to bother him, so she continued to wait.

“Sigh…” Gu Luo Sheng let out a bitter laugh. She was like a drifting duckweed—no friends, no family.

Rain poured down, the sky shifting between light and dark, never dispelling the loneliness spreading in her heart.

She waited an hour before finally catching a ride, arriving home at six in the evening.

“Why are you just getting back? Where have you been messing around?” Gu Yun Zhou complained as Gu Luo Sheng returned late.

Gu Yan Feng sat on the sofa studying the company’s financial reports, Gu Qing Wan chatted with Ren Fang, as if Gu Luo Sheng was invisible.

“I’m asking you! Dad and Mom are home today, don’t do anything foolish!”

Gu Luo Sheng’s clothes were soaked, and she felt chilled. Enduring the discomfort, she replied, “There was heavy rain, it was hard to get a ride.”

Gu Yun Zhou noticed her pallor and frowned, “Hey, Dad and Mom just got back—are you pretending to be sick for attention? Don’t do anything stupid.”

Gu Luo Sheng glared at him coldly, then brushed past him to her own room. She changed clothes and dried her hair, gradually recovering feeling in her chilled body.

Unaware, she drifted off leaning against her headboard.

She was only awakened when Aunt Wang knocked on her door.

“Miss Gu, time for dinner!” Aunt Wang called softly.

Gu Luo Sheng struggled to open her eyes, consciousness returning. “…Alright.”

“Miss Gu, you look pale. Did you catch a chill?” Aunt Wang touched Gu Luo Sheng’s forehead, startled by the burning heat.

“Miss Gu, you have a fever!”

Aunt Wang’s heart skipped a beat, and she turned to fetch medicine, but Gu Luo Sheng grabbed her arm.

“No need, Aunt Wang…”

“Uncle and Aunt are home today—I don’t want to draw attention.”

Just as Gu Yun Zhou had said, if she revealed her fever, everyone would think she was making a scene, deliberately getting soaked to feign illness and gain pity.