Chapter 232: Cigarette Butt

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Third Lady?” A maid wearing an apron appeared from behind a screen that separated the kitchen from the dining area.

“Where are the others?”

“Sir and Madam took First and Second Lady to a charity banquet. They won’t be having dinner at home…” The maid spoke while carefully observing Shen Wan’s expression. Both of them were daughters of the Shen family, but the first two had gone out looking elegant and glamorous, while she had been deliberately overlooked and left behind, making her feel pitiable.

Shen Wan didn’t notice the sympathy in the maid’s eyes, and even if she did, she wouldn’t have cared.

In her previous life, she had endured far worse mistreatment in this household. After growing accustomed to it, she became indifferent to it.

“Let’s start dinner,” she said as she pulled out a chair and sat down. “I’m hungry.”

“Uh…”

Soon, the dishes were served: two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup, with appealing colors, fragrances, and flavors.

The maid set two pairs of chopsticks and bowls on the table. Shen Wan paused for a moment.

“Please wait a moment, Third Lady. I’ll go call Young Master He.”

“My brother is home?!”

“Yes, he’s been at home all afternoon… Young Master He! You’re here…”

Shen Wan looked towards the entrance of the dining room. The man was dressed casually, lacking his usual sharpness but exuding a sense of ease. He had just finished reading a newspaper, evident from the folded pages in his hand. His glasses were still perched on the bridge of his nose, with the gold wire frames reflecting a faint glint. Due to the angle, Shen Wan couldn’t discern the true emotions behind those eyes hidden behind the lenses.

“Brother.”

The man nodded slightly and sat beside her. “Hungry?”

“A bit.”

“Let’s eat.”

“Young Master He, Third Lady, please enjoy your meal.” After saying this, the maid bowed and left the dining room.

While eating, Shen Wan remained focused, her gaze fixed either on her plate or her bowl. She chewed slowly and gracefully, appearing delicate and refined.

Shen Qian’s table manners had been cultivated from a young age, impeccable and beyond reproach. Even a simple act of passing a dish displayed an air of aristocracy.

The two of them ate in silence, without a word.

“Try this…” Suddenly, Shen Qian placed a piece of spare rib into her bowl.

Shen Wan didn’t raise her head but softly thanked him.

They almost simultaneously set down their chopsticks. Shen Wan got up and went to the living room. By this time, it was already dark outside, with nightfall beginning, and the room remained unlit.

She subconsciously furrowed her brow, walked to the switch, and with a click

The sudden brightness made Shen Wan squint involuntarily, and a smell of smoke wafted into her nostrils. The closer she got to the sofa, the stronger the smell became.

Sure enough —

In the ashtray under the coffee table, there were densely packed cigarette butts, maybe a dozen or even more, perhaps twenty or more.

There weren’t many people in the house who smoked, except for Shen Chunjiang and Shen Qian.

A scene from her conversation with the maid suddenly flashed in her mind — “My brother is home?!”

“Yes, he’s been at home all afternoon…”

So, he had been sitting in the living room smoking all afternoon?

Shen Wan’s initial reaction was that something went wrong with Tian Shui Real Estate. However, upon further thought, she felt that it didn’t make sense…

Shen Qian had gone to great lengths to offend Lu Shen and curry favor with the Yan family through that, presumably securing the development project with Huihai Real Estate. He should have been in high spirits, but he was alone, smoking his troubles away?

Could it be… there was another issue with the company?

No, that couldn’t be it.

Shen Wan quickly dismissed this speculation.

Based on her understanding of Shen Qian, if there were setbacks in business, he would become more determined, calmly thinking of ways to solve the problem, rather than using nicotine to numb himself.

Her thoughts lasted only a moment, and Shen Wan turned and went upstairs.

It seemed that she needed to send someone to investigate…

Back in her room, just as she was about to call Miao Miao, there came a knock at the door..