Heartbeat - Chapter 4
Even the lecturer noticed the extra person in the class. The classes were small to begin with, and since it was a specialized course, hardly anyone ever skipped.
With a quick glance, she could tell who was absent that day. The lecturer’s eyes immediately fell on Su Jianyue beside Shen Xun. After all, such a stunning female Alpha would have caught her attention long ago if she’d been a regular student.
The lecturer’s gaze flickered back and forth between Shen Xun and Su Jianyue several times before she teased with a smile, “Shen Xun, is your friend here to see you?”
Caught off guard by her teacher’s curiosity, Shen Xun quickly explained with a smile, “Yes, my sister’s here to visit for a few days.”
The lecturer gave them a knowing look, smiled warmly, and began the lesson without further comment.
Shen Xun remained focused on the lecture as usual, while Su Jianyue, bored, grabbed some A4 paper and started doodling with a pen. Having studied fine arts in college, she had no background in finance or related fields.
The family fully supported this decision. If no one could take over Su Yubing’s company in the future, they could always hire professional managers to run it. The same applied to Mo Yuxin’s studio; with enough capital and equity, there would be no shortage of people willing to manage it.
As Su Jianyue watched Shen Xun, she doodled on an A4 sheet of paper. Before long, she had sketched Shen Xun’s outline. She didn’t want to disturb Shen Xun, so she quietly continued drawing.
After listening to the lecture for a while, Shen Xun turned to look at Su Jianyue and saw her drawing. The subject of her sketch was none other than herself.
Seeing the little puppy so diligently drawing her, Shen Xun’s eyes curved into a smile. She reached out and gently ruffled Su Jianyue’s hair.
Su Jianyue didn’t mind being touched by Shen Xun. Her eyes crinkled as she looked up at Shen Xun, pointing to the drawing on her desk.
Shen Xun nodded, signaling her to continue drawing, while she resumed listening to the lecture.
By the break, Su Jianyue had finished her drawing. She held it up to Shen Xun, her voice full of playful affection. “Sister, what do you think of my drawing? Is it good?”
“It’s beautiful,” Shen Xun said. “Won’t you be bored sitting here during class? Why don’t you go wander around? I’ll see you after class.”
“No, no, I just want to stay with you,” Su Jianyue insisted, continuing to cling to Shen Xun.
“Alright, if you’re not bored, you can stay with me.”
By the second class, Su Jianyue was exhausted. She had woken up early to catch her flight that morning. After sitting for a while, she leaned her head on the desk and fell asleep.
Seeing his little puppy sleeping so obediently, Shen Xun’s eyes softened even more. Little puppies are adorable no matter what they do, he thought.
When class finally ended, Shen Xun gently nudged Su Jianyue. “Class is over. Let’s go home.”
“Mwah, mwah, going home? Are you abandoning me again?” Zhang Qiao teased from behind.
“Yeah, I’m going back to spend time with my little sister,” Shen Xun replied with a smile.
“Fine, fine, fine. It’ll be quieter in the dorm anyway.”
Su Jianyue woke up, rubbed her eyes, and gave Shen Xun a sweet smile. “Sister, is class over?”
“Hmm, are you tired? Let’s go home and get some more sleep.” Shen Xun reached out to pinch Su Jianyue’s cheek, but at the last moment, she forcibly redirected her hand to gently smooth Su Jianyue’s slightly disheveled hair.
Su Jianyue gazed at Shen Xun with starry-eyed admiration. My Sister Shen Xun is so thoughtful, she thought, even fixing my hair.
“I’m still sleepy,” Su Jianyue said after a moment, finally fully awake. “I’ll go to bed early tonight.”
“Okay. What do you want for dinner? I’ll have the housekeeper prepare it for you,” Shen Xun said with a smile.
Su Jianyue had never been a picky eater. Since childhood, she had enjoyed everything she ate. Even when she was a child on variety shows, while other kids needed coaxing to eat, she would open her mouth wide after each bite, eagerly waiting for her mother or mommy to feed her the next.
Because of this, many parents who watched the show would tell their own children, “Look at little Yueliang!”
Seeing that Su Jianyue didn’t have any particular cravings, Shen Xun took the initiative. “The crawfish are good this season. How about I have the housekeeper prepare crawfish tonight? Two flavors—garlic and spicy—sound good?”
“Mmm, and don’t forget the crawfish noodles! Eating crawfish without noodles is soulless!” Su Jianyue suggested.
Shen Xun laughed and agreed. “Alright, you always know the best food. I’ll call the housekeeper right now.”
As they walked out of the building, Shen Xun dialed the housekeeper.
The villa had a dedicated supplier who delivered fresh ingredients directly to their door, so they didn’t have to worry about the food being stale.
By the time she finished the call, they had reached the outside of the teaching building.
Su Jianyue walked with Shen Xun toward the school gate, and they soon boarded Shen Xun’s family car.
When they arrived home, Shen Tian and Lu Ningwan were already back.
“Mommy, Mama, why are you home so early today?”
“Xiao Yueliang is coming over today, right? Your mother and I wanted to finish work early so we could spend more time with you two,” Shen Tian said with a smile, looking at the two young ladies who had grown so much.
“Thank you, Auntie Shen and Auntie Lu! Hehe, I’m here to freeload again!”
“We’re always happy to have you, dear. It’s so nice to have someone to keep our Xunxun company,” Shen Tian said with a smile.
Shen Tian’s gaze fell on her daughter again. Her daughter’s temperament was more composed than both Shen Tian’s and Lu Ningwan’s. She treated others with a detached politeness, but she had a special fondness for Su Jianyue, the younger sister she had known since childhood. Whenever Su Jianyue visited, her daughter was always the happiest.
“Then I’ll come over more often when I have time, as long as the aunties don’t mind my noise,” Su Jianyue immediately said, her voice sweet and pleading.
“How could we mind? You’re our little ray of sunshine,” Shen Tian replied warmly. After all, she had watched Su Jianyue grow up; how could she not love her?
“Lu Ningwan and I are going upstairs to change. We’ll be back down to join you in a bit,” Shen Tian said, reaching for Lu Ningwan’s hand to lead her upstairs.
Lu Ningwan’s face flushed crimson under the children’s watchful eyes. She tried to pull away, but Shen Tian held firm. “The kids are still here,” she whispered, “what are you doing?”
“So what if they’re here? I’m holding my own wife’s hand, not someone else’s.”
Lu Ningwan shot her a glare.
Shen Tian gave Lu Ningwan an apologetic smile before continuing to pull her upstairs.
Shen Xun felt embarrassed. Her mothers were always putting on a public display of affection at home, and now Su Jianyue had witnessed it too.
Su Jianyue glanced at Shen Xun beside her and smiled. “Your moms are so sweet, just like mine. They’re always showering me with PDA.”
“Let’s go wash our hands and wait for dinner,” Shen Xun said.
“Okay,” Su Jianyue replied obediently, following Shen Xun into the bathroom.
After washing their hands, they settled on the sofa, chatting while waiting for dinner. Shen Xun even asked the housekeeper to make fresh orange juice, knowing Su Jianyue had loved freshly squeezed juices since childhood.
After a while, Lin Man arrived home first. Having taken over the Qin Family’s business, her mothers had dumped the company on her and gone on vacation a month ago, still not back. Lin Man was completely overwhelmed.
“Sis, you’re home?” Shen Xun greeted Lin Man.
Lin Man nodded. “Yeah, it’s finally been a bit less hectic these past few days. Mom and Ma have been gone for a month, leaving me to run the whole company. I’m exhausted.”
“Hello, Sister Lin Man,” Su Jianyue greeted Lin Man sweetly.
Lin Man smiled back. “You two should cherish your time in college. Once you graduate, you’ll end up like me, working like a horse for the company.”
“But Sister, aren’t you the big boss? How can you still be a workhorse?” Su Jianyue asked with a laugh.
“Even bosses have to work,” Lin Man sighed. “Oh, I remember you have a younger sister, right? If you don’t want to work, you should train her well. I have no choice—I have to manage the Qin Group’s businesses myself, and Shen Xun will have to work for the Shen Group after graduation. No one gets to slack off.” She stretched lazily and grumbled.
Su Jianyue smiled sweetly, her voice brimming with pride. “I’m majoring in art. My mom said if I don’t want to manage the company later, I can just hire someone to do it. But of course, my sister will be perfect for the job. I can just hand the company over to her.”
“You sure know how to enjoy life,” Lin Man said enviously. How could Su Jianyue live such a carefree life?
“Hehe, of course!” Su Jianyue tilted her head back proudly.
Soon, everyone was seated at the dining table. The aunt brought out the crawfish, placing two small bowls in front of each person, along with a plate of noodles.
Su Jianyue immediately chose the bowl with garlic sauce. After eating a few crawfish with gloves, she stirred the noodles into the garlicky broth.
She tasted a bite of the noodles—savory, sweet, and thoroughly infused with the crawfish flavor.
Su Jianyue ate with great delight, and before long, a small mountain of crawfish shells had piled up in front of her.
Seeing how much she was enjoying her meal, Shen Tian smiled. “You’re still the same as when you were little, not much has changed. I remember you never being picky on the show, always eating with such gusto.”
Su Jianyue nodded with a smile. “That’s right, Auntie. I’ve loved eating everything since I was a child.”
Watching Su Jianyue devour her meal with such relish, the others at the table surprisingly ate more than usual.
After dinner, Su Jianyue felt drowsy. Though she still wanted to stay close to her sister, Shen Xun, noticing her fatigue, urged her to rest.
Back in her room, Su Jianyue sent a message to her family group chat, updating them on her day’s activities before finally drifting off to sleep.