Chapter 293

As the door opened, Tang Yi parked his car outside and walked along the familiar stone path towards the Shen house, which he had visited many times before.

However, not once prior to today had he come looking for Shen Yue. The reincarnated Shen Yue had saved him but also seemed to want nothing more to do with him afterwards.

Otherwise, Shen Yue was clearly the one who had first convinced him to come here, yet the person he had interacted with the most ended up being Shen Yichen instead.

As Tang Yi walked forward, he sorted through everything that had already transpired in reality. Only then did he realize that after bringing him here, Shen Yue had barely communicated with him since.

Passing through the outer corridor into the inner courtyard, Tang Yi saw the butler already waiting there, undoubtedly at Shen Yue's behest.

Sure enough, when the butler saw Tang Yi, he came over and said, "Miss Shen Yue is in the living room."

Tang Yi put on his practiced smile and nodded at the butler before stepping into the Shen family living room he had visited many times.

The Shen residence was massive but could be divided into three main sections. One was the outer residence, consisting primarily of the reception hall and other areas for receiving guests. Another was the inner residence where the Shen family members themselves lived and spent their daily lives.

Finally, there were some private sections, such as Shen Hui's study and Shen Wu's dissection chamber. At this point, the living room Tang Yi had entered was part of the Shen family's living quarters, indicating that his current status in the Shen household, in Shen Yue's eyes, was no longer just a simple guest.

Upon realizing this, Tang Yi's heart suddenly began pounding uncontrollably.

He knew full well what this feeling was.

It was clearly the same feeling in his heart when he had first seen Shen Yue outside the prison gates in his dreams.

He stepped into the living room. Shen Yue was casually reclining on the sofa, leafing through a book in her hand. Her skin glowed with a smooth, lustrous sheen. Bathed in the stray rays of sunlight streaming in, her long silky black hair cascaded freely down her back. Strands would occasionally slip over her face and she would reach up to brush them back behind her ears.

As her vision was suddenly unobstructed, Shen Yue caught sight of Tang Yi in her peripheral and looked up.

Those dark eyes that had appeared countless times in his dreams now stared straight into Tang Yi's unprepared heart. In that brief moment their eyes met, Tang Yi felt an indescribable scent suddenly arise around him. The smell was intoxicating, seeming to forcibly drag out the deepest desires buried in one's dreams.

Whether it was the most innocent naivety of youth or the most profound cravings along the long road of life, or even the extremely deep yearnings and stirrings of the heart, in this moment, reality and fantasy had fused completely into one.

"Why are you standing over there staring blankly? Old Brother Shen isn't home today. Did he ask you to come find me?"

With just one glance, Shen Yue noticed something off about Tang Yi, but she didn't dwell on it. She merely assumed he had been tormented again by the two little ones at home. In a casual tone, she informed him of the disappointing fact that his savior was not home today.

Only then did Tang Yi lower his eyes to rein in the turbulent emotions within them.

He was wrong.

Before coming to the Shen house, before seeing Shen Yue again, he had truly believed his memories would have no effect on him now.

But that was not the case.

He was different from others.

Tang Yi considered himself clever and would even unconsciously look down on others at times. Yet when it came to things he planned to do, he could also devise strategies with a 100% success rate. This demonstrated his absolute confidence in his own intelligence.

And it was precisely because of this confidence that when he was convinced everything in his memories was real, the impact he experienced would be greater than that of others. The current Tang Yi firmly believed in himself, and even more so in his own logical reasoning. Once he came to a conclusion, he would no longer harbor doubts but accept it instead. In a certain sense, there was essentially no difference in essence between the Tang Yi in prison and the one now. It was just that the external constraints they faced were different.

The one in his dreams was unscrupulous while the current one still wore shackles.

But even with shackles, they could only restrain his actions and not the gradually awakening stirrings within him.

"I didn't come to see Old Brother Shen today." Tang Yi was unusually nervous but still managed to get the words out without faltering.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yue put her book down and beckoned for him to sit. "Don't just stand there, come have a seat. Si Chengyou isn't here today so he won't bother you."

Shen Yue's words reminded Tang Yi of something that had happened not long ago.

Because the two children at home had caused trouble, at Old Brother Shen's urging, Tang Yi had temporarily handed the kids over to Shen Wu for disciplinary education. He would then come to pick them up after getting off work.

That day, because of a client meeting for work running late, by the time he was done it was already near the end of the promised pickup time. So he headed over to the Shen house earlier than usual.

As expected, the Shen family received him in the living room to wait.

By some twist of fate, he happened to sit directly across from Shen Yue that day.

Shen Yue was also casually reclining on the sofa, holding a tablet which she scrolled up and down with casual flicks of her finger. She had even offered him some mango to share.

Tang Yi recalled how guarded he still was towards Shen Yue back then. He was even somewhat afraid of this girl who could see right through him. Compared to facing Shen Yue, he actually preferred Old Brother Shen's company, hence barely exchanging more than a few words with her.

Even so, when Si Chengyou came in later and saw Shen Yue sitting face to face with him, he threw a little tantrum for quite a while afterwards.

Sitting opposite this couple, Tang Yi could keenly feel Si Chengyou's gaze piercing into him like needles the entire time.

Not to mention the endless syrupy confirmations directed at Shen Yue.

In the end, Tang Yi summed it all up in five words. Si Chengyou was mentally ill.

At that time, he hadn't wanted to become entangled with Si Chengyou. After all, regardless if it was Si Chengyou or Shen Yue, he didn't want to get involved with either one.

But it was different now.

Tang Yi hesitated briefly before asking, "Can I sit next to you? There are some things I find difficult to say while looking straight at you."

Shen Yue gazed up at Tang Yi, seeming to discern something yet also as if she saw nothing at all.

She set her book down and gave a faint nod. "Go ahead and sit. Let me make you a cup of tea."

Tang Yi took a seat while Shen Yue got up and left the room. Soon after, she returned with tea and began demonstrating her improved tea skills for him.

A rich tea fragrance now suffused the entire living room, gradually masking that other scent which had been bothering Tang Yi earlier.

Shen Yue poured the tea into a cup and slid it in front of Tang Yi. "Try it."

Without overthinking, Tang Yi picked it up and took a sip, scalding his tongue in the process. And that wasn't the only problem he discovered: "It's so bitter."

Unfazed, Shen Yue blithely continued her ruse: "It only tastes bitter because you're not used to it yet."

Hearing this, once the tea had cooled a little, Tang Yi downed the entire cup without any hesitation.

He slid the empty cup back towards Shen Yue. "I'll get used to it very quickly."

But instead of pouring him a second cup, Shen Yue only said meaningfully: "You're the second person capable of drinking the kind of tea I make."

There was a flash in Tang Yi's eyes. Although he already knew the answer in his heart, he still couldn't resist asking again: "Then who was the first?"

"It was Si Chengyou," Shen Yue replied, her eyes fixed on Tang Yi's. "Do you still want another cup now?"