Rebirth from the Ashes

Chapter 299: Beautiful Since Birth

Shen Xi unhurriedly uttered, “Mom, Dad, stop with the questions. I can see that my brother here is feeling shy about it.”

Sitting next to her, Fu Qingxuan’s eyes darkened as he drowned in bitterness. Just how many brothers did she have? They were everywhere!

Now that Shen Feng had some breathing space, he quickly changed the topic. “Uncle, I hope Xixi doesn’t have a boyfriend yet.”

Shen Zhangqing glared at him. “No way. Xixi is focused on her studies and doesn’t have one.”

Shen Feng gave him a look and said, “Well, you better keep an eye on Xixi. She’s beautiful. You know how boys can be nowadays.”

He then glanced at Fu Qingxuan in hostility.

Fu Qingxuan returned the dirty look. Sure, Shen Feng may suspect him, but Fu Qingxuan questioned the former’s motive as well. The mean girl was adopted, so Shen Feng was not actually her brother either.

Shen Xi gazed at Shen Feng in the front with warm and grateful eyes.

Old Shen and his older brother were the only ones left in their family after their parents passed away early on in life. As the eldest and eight years older than Old Shen, Shen Zhanglin practically raised Old Shen.

Uncle Shen Zhanglin was an honest man. Instead of getting out there in the world, he engaged in a small business by opening a restaurant back home. The business was doing pretty well.

Old Shen’s brother was the one who scraped together the money to borrow from the elders for Old Shen to kickstart his entrepreneurship. Uncle Shen Zhanglin’s wife was nice as well. She never said a bad word about them and was always ready to lend a hand.

When Old Shen began raking in profits, Uncle Shen Zhanglin never asked for a penny. He would refuse money offered to him, saying that he was not short of cash and wanted Old Shen to use the money for his business instead.

In the past life, Uncle Shen Zhanglin’s family lost everything trying to pay for Old Shen’s debt following his bankruptcy. However, the money was far from enough to settle the damages.

Uncle Shen Zhanglin’s family was never heard of again after Old Shen’s death. They were minor characters in the book who did not have much of a presence anyway. Shen Xi had no idea what happened to them in the end.

…

The Shen family lived in a little town in Jiangnan. The view of mountains and lakes made it quite the scenery.

Both Shen Zhangqing and Shen Zhanglin’s families often got together. A crowd in the neighborhood amassed at the gate because of the family’s return.

Once the car came to a stop, Shen Xi and Fu Qingxuan got down.

The onlookers could not keep their eyes from them. The Shen family’s daughter, Shen Xi was beautiful and had been so since birth. Everyone knew she was the fairest of them all.

Back then, many parents of boys her age wanted Shen Xi to be their daughter-in-law once she was all grown up.

Nevertheless, Old Shen made a fortune from a successful estate business and became a locally renowned entrepreneur. His daughter was equally successful, dancing her way to countless awards. The whole family moved to the capital for Shen Xi to grow further in dancing.

The townspeople gradually gave up the idea of getting Shen Xi’s hand in marriage as Old Shen’s daughter was someone beyond their reach. Shen Xi really made a name for herself recently, becoming a major designer, working for celebrities, and hitting the international dance stage. Only the best dancers in China could grace the stage and she made headlines on national news!

Shen Zhanglin and his wife, Du Juan, were smiling from ear to ear as they went over to help unload stuff from the car.

Shen Xi greeted them, “Uncle, Aunty.”

Fu Qingxuan initiated a greeting, “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Shen.”

Fixating on the handsome young man, Shen Zhanglin let out a friendly smile and nodded, “Hi, hello.”

According to his sister-in-law, the young man was Xixi’s friend from abroad. The handsome young lad was keen to experience the New Year in China.

Du Juan cheerfully responded while thinking to herself how the young man and Xixi looked good together. She uttered with a smile, “You must be tired from the journey. Come in, come in and chat.”

On the other side, a group of mischievous children quickly gathered around and extended their arms for a red packet[1] as taught by their adults.

Shen Zhangqing handed over the red packets to Shen Feng in a jolly manner so that Shen Feng could distribute them to the kids.

Hiding the chill in her eyes, Shen Xi nudged Fu Qingxuan and gave him a look to head into the house first. If their hometown and Uncle’s family were not here, Shen Xi would never return to this place.

Fu Qingxuan took a fleeting glance around. He was sick and tired of the people’s greedy and dirty eyes. Unable to shake off the discomfort, Fu Qingxuan stepped into the house.

Shen Xi and Shen Zhangqing went around the neighborhood to say hello. Standing by Shen Zhangqing, Shen Xi kept a faint smile on her face and acted like the golden child.

She did not care for unnecessary socialization, nor was she interested to see certain people’s greedy faces. Sometimes, terrible living conditions and horrible customs bore the worst citizens. The area may be small but man, the huge personalities were too much to bear!

It was fine if Shen Xi did not say hello but soon, word would go around town that her ego had inflated following her success and that her parents did not raise her well enough to greet elders.

There were all kinds of people in the world. Sure, there were those who sincerely wished her family well, but most of the townspeople were green with envy and wanted a piece of the success as Shen Xi’s family thrived in career and wealth.

It was plain to see when the elders urged the kids to ask for red packets from Shen Zhangqing. He was always nice, hence the people really thought him to be a pushover. Over the years, there were many who never returned the money they borrowed from Old Shen, stole money from him, slacked off, and threw weight around while working under him.

On the surface, they were friendly, but God knows what darkness lurked within them.

The crowd showered Shen Zhangqing and Shen Xi with flattery.

They said how great Shen Zhangqing was, earning big bucks from his growing business, but not to forget his roots and his poor relatives back home. They also said Shen Xi was getting prettier by the day and had a bright future because she was a major designer and working for the A-listers. She even performed on an international stage, bringing honor to the town.

All were praises and compliments.

“Xixi.”

A sweet and pleasantly surprised voice rang in her ear.

Lifting her chin, Shen Xi took notice of the beautiful girl with her hand against the door frame.

The girl was in her twenties and a classic beauty with a collagen-filled oval face and gorgeous features. She looked like an ethereal fairy lost in the mortal world dressed in a white down jacket.

She had beautiful and sparkling almond eyes that were bright and clear like crystals. However, her pupils appeared unfocused upon closer inspection.

“Sis,” Shen Xi’s voice was hoarse. Her body froze despite the urge to run to the girl and give her a hug. Shen Xi stared at the girl with eyes welling up.

The girl knew her way around the gate. Having ascertained that it was Shen Xi’s voice, she steadily approached Shen Xi and placed her fingers over Shen Xi’s head. She said with a grin, “Oh, my. How you’ve grown.”

Shen Xi nodded with a smile, “Yeap.”

In her last life, Shen Xi had no idea what happened to Uncle’s family in the end after Old Shen faced bankruptcy.

However, she knew what was to come for the girl. At the time, the girl had married off to a scumbag who was after her looks and her voice.

The man later orchestrated a plan, using her good looks and amazing singing vocals to make the girl a well-known blind singer.

Nevertheless, the dirtbag of a husband never loved her and only thought of her as a money maker. He leeched off of her body and money.

The girl wanted to help pay off Old Shen’s debts with her own money, but the man claimed she stole his money. During the argument, the scumbag pushed her off the twentieth floor, and thus, her life ended.

[1] A red packet is filled with money and it’s given during special occasions such as the New Year, weddings, etc

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