Not Easy To Love

After persuading Mr. Meng to join a different bank, Shi Yen finished work early. But her momentary triumph faltered, as she had to visit the Cai family, her maternal side of relatives.

She dropped by once in a while, not wanting to see them at all. But her grandmother was one of the few people that she had cared enough about—one of the few family members that haven't betrayed her. Her grandmother was frail and often bedridden; therefore, those visits with her were very important.

She knocked on the door of the house, and her aunt, Cai Lanying, answered her. Shi Yen flashed her a serpent smile, and her aunt begrudgingly allowed her in.

She slipped through the doors, passing by some of her other relatives. She went up the stairs, finding a nurse by her grandmother's side.

"Yenni!" her grandmother breathed.

Shi Yen smiled. She then went over, and her grandmother stirred out of bed. Shi Yen helped her stand. Every time she came over, Shi Yen would take her grandmother on a walk around the estate. Shi Ailin would take her on different days to ensure that her grandmother had someone escorting her alternatively.

Shi Yen wrapped a shawl around her grandmother before she offered her arm.

Before they exited the room, Shi Yen handed the nurse two checks. One of them was to pay for her services and the other to support any of her grandmother's future expenses.

"You don't trust us with the checks?" Aunt Lanying chimed from the threshold.

Shi Yen wanted to say no. But her grandmother was with her, unaware that her family have split apart. Shi Yen tried to keep it from her, but the rest of her family aren't good at hiding their disdain.

"The nurse is with grandmother more often. I thought it would fit if she carried the money," Shi Yen replied.

Her aunt snarled. "You only leave the rest of us enough to make end's meet."

Cai Lanying was doing this on purpose. Shi Yen would have reminded her that when her parent's died, they took everything from her mother's will because she was a Cai. They then attempted to take what she inherited from her father before Yuan Bank did. And when they didn't get what they wanted, they abused and manipulated her until she learned what their true intentions were.

However, Shi Yen didn't care about what happened to her at the time. But when she discovered that her uncle hit Shi Ailin, that's when she had found a way to take back all that originally belonged to her mother. She cut their jobs and income and made them a joke in the real estate industry.

Now, they lived in a house she owned; she gave them enough money to survive but not live in luxury. She forced them to remember what they've done to two girls during their most vulnerable time. And she was vengeful.

Shi Yen bent over to whisper to her aunt. She was lucky that her grandmother was hard of hearing. "It's more than you deserve," she seethed.

"You're just like your father!" her aunt replied disdainfully.

Shi Yen flashed a smile. "I'm glad," she said.

Shi Yen went to the front door and began to walk around the estate with her grandmother.

"Yenni…" she said.

Shi Yen turned her head to face her. "Hm?"

Her grandmother sighed. "I wish your mother was still here."

Shi Yen took a staggering breath. She looked out at the yard; at the wilted flowers, her grandmother planted once but stopped maintaining due to her declining health. "Me too," she breathed.

Her grandmother patted her forearm. "Yen…when, are you going to get married?" she questioned.

Shi Yen chuckled slightly.

"I would love to see my grandchild wed. Ailin, too."

"Grandmother… I'm not easy to love. And I certainly would not make a good wife," replied Shi Yen.

Her grandmother paused. "Nonsense!" she exclaimed, looking at her. Her grandmother's shaking hand reached out to caress her cheek. Shi Yen leaned towards her calloused hand, feeling comforted by her touch.

"No one is easy to love," she began to say. "Meeting someone…getting to know and understand them takes time. Moreover, you need to know whether they will accept you…all of you," her grandmother remarked. "Besides, what are the qualifications of a good wife?"

Shi Yen listened and grinned. But she didn't know how to tell her grandmother that she was, in fact, the most difficult to love. Men desired her, but if they were to learn the real her…the real Shi Yen, beautiful and wicked, ambitious and vengeful, would they like that? Unlikely.

"You're right," Shi Yen said to her.

Her grandmother smiled. "Thank you for walking with me…" She said.

"It's my pleasure."

…

Shi Yen went home after visiting her grandmother, where she found Fang Qi sitting by his car on her driveway.

"I wasn't sure if this was still your address…" he greeted her.

Shi Yen rolled her eyes. "Yes. I'm sure Yuan Shun didn't ask you to check every now and then if I still live here." She then began to walk towards her front porch.

"Yen," Fang Qi called out.

"What?" she replied without much interest.

"I'm sorry!" he said.

Shi Yen whirled to face him. "Your apology implies that I cared about something. If you're friends with Yuan Shun, then that's your business, not mines."

Fang Qi frowned. "You're upset…"

"No, I'm not," she said.

"Yes, you are."

"No."

"Yes."

"Leave me alone."

"No, Yen."

Shi Yen sighed. "Fine." She then sat on her porch, and Fang Qi sat next to her.

"I…" he trailed off. "The truth is Yuan Shun asked me to report on you, as he does with all competition. But I didn't tell him we knew each other before. He would think it's a conflict of interest as I took the opportunity to make sure you and your sister were okay."

"And you didn't bother to check up on us in person?" she questioned.

Fang Qi frowned. "I know…I'm a terrible person and even worse friend."

Shi Yen shook her head. "You're not terrible. I know worse. And if you're a horrible friend, then I am extremely horrendous," she said through a small grin.

Fang Qi smiled. "I promise that there's nothing I told Yuan Shun that he doesn't already know…he's determined that you have secrets, but I haven't found anything."

Somehow that made her relieved. The last thing she wanted was someone to find out about her past in the Underworld, especially her mortal enemy Yuan Shun.

"Ailin is inside. Would you like to have dinner with us?"

Fang Qi nodded. "Yes. I'm starving."