It was late at night when the car entered through the gates of the Shen family estate. The sky was completely dark, scattered with a few faint stars, and the only light came from the old-fashioned lampposts lining the long driveway.
Shen Yelan looked out the window as the car rolled to a stop. The estate was huge with manicured lawns, a fountain that wasn't running at this hour, and a massive front door.
So this is the place little A'lan grew up. Shen Yelan thought. She did not remember when she had started calling the real Shen Yelan so endearingly.
The driver got out first and took out the wheelchair from the trunk. Then, after a brief pause where he seemed to be deciding something, he opened the rear door. He had already placed the wheelchair. He didn't offer to help her but Shen Yelan wasn't expecting it in the first place. She pulled herself out and settled into her wheelchair with ease.
Just then, the front doors opened, and a maid stepped out.
She looked to be in her early twenties with plain, unmemorable features and dark hair pulled back in a simple bun. But unlike her plain face, her eyes were dark and beautiful, which created an odd contrast with the rest of her appearance.
The maid stopped when she saw Shen Yelan. Her eyes widened in surprise and then a flash of disdain appeared in her eyes.
"Everyone has already gone to sleep. I'll take you to your room. You can meet everyone in the morning," she told Shen Yelan, not bothering with any kind of greeting first. She didn't wait for Yelan to respond and walked behind the wheelchair and grabbed the handles.
The driver watched them leave. He stood there for a moment, then turned to head back to his quarters. Halfway there, he stopped. An old man was standing a short distance away, seemingly having appeared from nowhere
He was tall and thin, with silver hair combed neatly back and a face that didn't show much emotion.
"Butler Wang," the driver greeted him.
"You can leave," Butler Wang waved his hand, without looking at him.
His gaze was fixed on the spot where the maid had just finished wrestling the wheelchair up those three steps.
The driver looked at where Butler Wang was staring, then quietly walked away.
The maid had clearly never pushed a wheelchair up stairs before. The wheelchair tilted dangerously twice, almost throwing Shen Yelan forward. Never once did Shen Yelan raise a complaint.
Finally, after what felt like forever, the wheelchair successfully reached the top step. The maid secretly let out a breath of relief and quickly pushed Shen Yelan inside.
The interior was just as grand as the outside. It had high ceilings, marble floors, and chandeliers that sparkled even in the dim light. The walls were lined with expensive paintings in gold frames, and the furniture looked like something out of a magazine. Long hallways stretched in every direction, lined with closed doors and the occasional bronze statue.
Because Shen Yelan couldn't walk, the room that had been arranged for her was on the ground floor. It was at the far end of the estate, tucked into a corner that, from the look of it, was rarely visited.
The maid opened the door and pushed the wheelchair inside.
The room was decent enough as it had a bed, a dresser, and a bathroom. It also had a window that looked out onto a section of the garden. But this room was clearly the smallest room in the house. Shen Yelan was sure that even servants had bigger rooms than this.
The maid turned around and locked the door. Suddenly, she walked around the wheelchair and hugged Shen Yelan's arm coquettishly, "Boss, I missed you so much."
Shen Yelan swatted her hand away. "Act like a human."
Sun Lili pouted and rubbed her hand with an aggrieved look. "Boss, don't you love me anymore? Is it because I almost made you fall on the stairs? But you can't blame me for that! That old man was watching us."
Listening to her, Shen Yelan rubbed her forehead slowly with two fingers. "Get me some water."
"Right away," Sun Lili immediately moved to pour a glass of water, "Boss, you must be tired. Let me massage your shoulders."
She moved behind her and began to massage her shoulders as if she had done this a hundred times before.
"How is everything here?" Shen Yelan asked.
Sun Lili had started working at the Shen estate just over a year ago. Her face was quite ordinary, and she usually stayed quiet, so no one usually paid much attention to her. No one could have thought that this unremarkable person had been planted there by Shen Yelan herself.
Sun Lili immediately began reporting everything in detail.
"Shen Chengwei is not happy with your return. Since yesterday, he has fired four people at the office because of minor mistakes. Feng Xin seemed rather calm compared to him, but she did went on a shopping spree and spent millions. Shen Wanwan also trashed her bedroom when she heard the news about her, but strangely enough, she looked rather happy afterwards. She had specially ordered everyone to make preparations to welcome you."
"Oh?" Shen Yelan raised an eyebrow. The corner of her lips curved upward. "I kind of look forward to what she has planned for me."
.
.
Shen Yelan did not pay any further attention to the Shen family and kicked Sun Lili out. Finally, she was alone. She wheeled herself into the bathroom and took a long, relaxing bath. When she came back out, there was a tray of steaming hot food on the side table next to her bed. There was a sticky note folded against the side of the bowl.
Ordered your favorites from Golden Palace. You're welcome. – SL
Shen Yelan got on her bed, put on some web series she was watching recently, and started eating. Half an hour later, she put away the empty plates but did not stop watching. It was late at night when she noticed the time that she reluctantly put away her laptop and went to sleep.
.
.
The next morning, the first thing Shen Yelan noticed was something brushing across her nose. Her brows furrowed slightly. Half asleep, she lazily waved her hand to push it away. It stopped for about three seconds and then started again.
Frustrated, Shen Yelan's eyes snapped open.
A bird was sitting on the headboard directly above her, its body angled downward, watching her with two small black eyes from about twenty centimeters away.
Shen Yelan blinked.
The bird blinked back.
It was a peregrine falcon about the size of a crow. It had cool, blue-gray feathers and a soft puff of white on its underbelly. Its short, hooked beak was yellow at the base and faded to bluish-gray at the tip. Beneath each eye, a dark teardrop marking ran downward like a smudge of ink. It titled it's head when it noticed Shen Yelan was awake and blinked at her.
The falcon tilted its head when it noticed Shen Yelan was awake.
Shen Yelan stared at it blankly for a few seconds.
"…Scram."
Iris immediately squawked angrily, clearly offended.
Shen Yelan rubbed her eyes tiredly.
I don't have food. Go bother Sun Lili."
Iris squawked again, louder this time. She puffed out her chest and glared at Shen Yelan with her tiny black eyes.
I am Falcon, you stupid woman. I hunt my own food!
As if understanding what she was saying, Shen Yelan rolled her eyes and sat up. She checked the time on her phone to see it was six in the morning. Sun Lili had mentioned last night that the Shen family sat down for breakfast at seven. Which meant she had an hour to get ready. Which meant she had to get up now.
She sat there for another five minutes.
Iris shuffled along the headboard and pecked lightly at her hair.
"I know," Shen Yelan said.
She reached up and scratched the side of Iris's neck with two fingers. Finally, she moved herself into the wheelchair.