Chapter 2076 - 2074: Intertwined Time and Space, Changed Lives (22)
Chapter 2076: Chapter 2074: Intertwined Time and Space, Changed Lives (22)
It is now afternoon, and the weather in the Imperial Capital in September is neither cold nor hot, which is a good season. So, even though this place is somewhat remote, many people living here take leisurely strolls outside, digesting their food and getting some exercise.
However, the surrounding facilities cannot be compared to those in the West City District; this is just an ordinary residential community.
Gu Qiaoqiao bit her lip as she stood in a secluded corner, casually drawing an invisibility talisman for herself before walking again toward the Garden Community.
Someone as proud and lofty as Shen Manru lives here for two reasons: firstly, she does not wish to see the neighbors from the past, and secondly, she does not want Xiao Yu to continue living in a stimulating environment.
After all, this is a completely unfamiliar place.
And although it’s somewhat remote, the scenery here is nice, and the environment is quite elegant.
However, evidently, this hasn’t had much effect.
Gu Qiaoqiao sighed deeply, letting her powerful divine sense spread around. After all, having lived together before and being this close, she naturally locked onto them instantly. Gu Qiaoqiao then stepped toward the third building, where Qin Xuan now lived on the top floor of Building No. 3.
The building has four floors, there’s no elevator, and you need to climb stairs step by step.
Qin Xuan wasn’t home. Qin Xiaoyu sat on the balcony in a wicker chair, arms wrapped around her knees, head buried in her knees, while Shen Manru was tidying up the house.
With each step she took closer, Gu Qiaoqiao’s heart grew heavier and heavier.
If it were just after she was reborn, back then when she returned to this world, she might have silently turned away from Xiao Yu’s situation, maybe not even sparing a glance. But after these years of interaction, she truly began to treat her like her own sister, Qianqian.
Shen Manru is a smart person. After an incident, she saw Bai Yun’s true colors, so she immediately started educating Qin Xiaoyu.
Qin Xiaoyu, who had grown up in such a privileged family environment, was pampered from childhood. When others would find even cornmeal a luxury, she would get tired of eating white rice.
Growing up in such an environment, Qin Xiaoyu naturally had a proud and willful personality. Under Bai Yun’s manipulation, she did one foolish thing after another, causing harm to herself and to Gu Qiaoqiao.
In the life she had lived again, Qin Xiaoyu was considered to have pulled back from the brink; one thing after another made them gradually realize the world wasn’t as they imagined, not everything made sense, and naturally, their temperaments and way of dealing with things changed.
In this life, Qin Xiaoyu paid the price for her arrogance and recklessness, and the price is her current state.
By now, Gu Qiaoqiao was standing at the door, unable to enter, but her powerful spiritual power clearly saw what was happening inside.
The apartment they currently lived in was quite large, over a hundred square meters, with good ventilation from north to south. Qin Yize was never home, a mere figurehead, so it was just the three of them at home.
Qin Xuan had little contact with his brothers, leaving the house cold and deserted. After some incidents, Shen Manru’s spirit suffered great trauma. Her hair was now completely white, and she was frowning as she wiped the dining table, eyes lacking the brilliance they once had.
The only time a slight loving glow passed through her eyes was when she occasionally looked up at her daughter.
Qin Xiaoyu sat on the balcony, but the balcony was currently drawn with thick curtains. Despite the day being gloomy, it was still afternoon and the light was quite bright, yet the lights were on inside the house.
Qin Xiaoyu was thin and weak, with skin unnaturally pale. Her head was buried in her knees, hiding her eyes, but one could imagine they were filled with timidity and fear.
Gu Qiaoqiao thought for a while and decisively started knocking on the door.
Gu Qiaoqiao didn’t use light force; the knocking was loud, not to mention Qin Xiaoyu, even Shen Manru was startled, her hand shaking.
She didn’t open the door, but immediately looked toward her daughter.
As expected, Qin Xiaoyu suddenly sprang up like a startled rabbit from the wicker chair, eyes wide with terror as if she had heard something terrifying, mouth open, hands flailing wildly, and then a piercing scream escaped her lips. She crouched in a corner of the balcony, clutching her head with her hands.
Tears streamed from Shen Manru’s eyes as she ran over quickly, holding her daughter’s trembling body and gently soothing her. Gu Qiaoqiao’s heart sank bit by bit, not expecting Xiao Yu to be this severe.
Gu Qiaoqiao frowned tightly. From a medical perspective, Xiao Yu should be in a mental hospital for treatment now, but to Shen Manru, she would never send her daughter there, willing to endure at home with her like this.
Gu Qiaoqiao didn’t stop knocking; she continued relentlessly, banging loudly. Even the neighbors across the hall could hear it. The young woman opened her door impatiently, and Gu Qiaoqiao paused. To the young woman, there seemed to be no one in the hallway.
She wondered where the knocking came from, frowning irritably and cursing before closing her door heavily. She had to work in the afternoon and was woken from a hard-earned nap.
Shen Manru still didn’t open the door. Without her opening it, Gu Qiaoqiao couldn’t get in or face-to-face assess Qin Xiaoyu’s condition. Using divine sense couldn’t maintain long-term focus as fatigue would set in eventually; she wasn’t an Immortal and didn’t possess such great power, so she still had to mercilessly keep banging.
Then, the young woman across did not come out but was cursing inside her apartment. She thought the noise came from downstairs. At this point, Shen Manru finally couldn’t take it anymore. She had brought her daughter into the bedroom where the warm-colored bedside lamp was on, and the curtain was drawn thickly.
Nothing that the girl would like was in sight, only an empty large bed. Placing her daughter on it, Qin Xiaoyu’s voice trembled, "Mom... Mom... I’m scared, save me, save me..."
Shen Manru couldn’t stop crying, "Good girl, wait for Mom to check. It might be your dad who forgot his key."
She then covered her daughter with a blanket, even covering her head to make the space smaller, making Qin Xiaoyu feel somewhat safer so her body trembled less.
Shen Manru quickly walked toward the outside, eyes filled with hideous rage, her face ashen.
She knew it wasn’t her husband, Qin Xuan. She didn’t know who it was. If she had a knife, she might have killed them, opening the door with a heart full of hatred, only to be stunned to find no one outside.