The Secret of the Yoga Club: The Women's Identity is Not Simple

"Did you miss me?" Ye Qinghan stepped back a little, wiping the lipstick stain on his lips with her finger, her eyes showing a slyness that she only showed in front of her closest people.

"Yes. But you called me back so urgently, it's not just because you miss me, is it?" Lin Feng reached out and pinched my cheek.

"Shen Ping knew you had just returned from Ning County and originally wanted you to rest for the night before we talked again tomorrow. But when he heard you were going to Kyoto to pick up Qianqian, he asked me to contact you immediately, saying he had something to ask you. His daughter, Shen Wanyu, is also studying in Kyoto, and he wanted you to pick her up as well." Ye Qinghan fastened his seatbelt, started the car, and drove away from the airport.

"Shen Wanyu?" Lin Feng leaned back in the passenger seat and muttered the name to himself. "Judging from the name, she should be a well-behaved girl, the gentle and quiet type."

"You're wrong." Ye Qinghan gripped the steering wheel, the car turning onto the approach bridge of the cross-river bridge. "Wanyu is Shen Ping's daughter with his ex-wife. His ex-wife's health was poor after giving birth to Wanyu, and she passed away a few years later. Wanyu was just old enough to remember things then, and Shen Ping raised her as both father and mother until she started elementary school. Later, through an introduction, he met his current wife, and after remarrying, they had a son. Since then, Wanyu hasn't been very close to Shen Ping."

This child has been living off-campus since high school and rarely comes home.

After she went to university in Kyoto, she could only come back a few times a year. During holidays, Shen Ping would personally go to Kyoto to see her, and she would never take the initiative to come back.

The more Shen Ping cared for his current wife and son, the further Wan Yu drifted away from him. Plus, as you know, Shen Ping was a workaholic; when he was the head of the provincial government, he rarely went home. When Wan Yu was a child, his secretary always went to parent-teacher conferences on her behalf, and the mother's section was always left blank on the school's family information form.

Do you think such a childhood can cultivate a sunny and cheerful personality?

Lin Feng leaned back in his seat, rubbed his temples, and let out a long sigh. "You've really gotten me into trouble. If it were just picking someone up and dropping them off, that would be simple, but this girl's relationship with Shen Ping is so strained, and I don't even know her. Why would she trust me? Shen Ping's decision to ask me to pick her up this time is probably more than just a ride; he probably wants me to be a peacemaker?"

"I don't know if he wants you to be a peacemaker, but he definitely hopes someone can act as a bridge between him and Wanyu. He feels guilty towards his daughter, but given his personality and status, he can't possibly lower himself to beg for her forgiveness. That's why he wants to find someone he can trust—you saved Qianqian, helped him bring down Chen Liangliang, and are now Qianqian's boyfriend. In Shen Ping's eyes, you're practically a member of the Shen family. He trusts you, which is why he's handing this hot potato over to you."

However, there's one thing you should be thankful for—Wanyu and Qianqian have a pretty good relationship. When Qianqian was little, she often went to the Shen family to play. At that time, Wanyu hadn't completely shut herself off yet, and she took good care of Qianqian, like an older sister.

Later, Wanyu went to school in Kyoto, and the two had fewer opportunities to meet. However, Qianqian would send her messages during holidays, and Wanyu would reply, though not with many words.

When you go to Kyoto this time, let Qianqian go with you to see Wanyu. With Qianqian by your side, the atmosphere will be much more relaxed. Shen Ping also knows that you are not familiar with Wanyu, so he won't let you act as a go-between.

He probably means that you should bring her back safely and take good care of her on the way. As for whether Wanyu will be willing to see him after arriving in Hehai, that's beyond your control.

"Okay, it's on the way anyway. After we get to Kyoto, I'll meet with Qianqian first and ask her to help contact Wanyu. As for whether she's willing to come back with me, that's her business. I'll try my best to help with his daughter's matter, but the emotional knot between father and daughter is not something outsiders can untie."

"Don't worry, Shen Ping understands. He just wants to use this opportunity to have another channel to communicate with his daughter. Just do your job and don't force yourself to do anything else. Wanyu isn't a bad person, she's just too stubborn, just like her father. If you can get her to lower her guard, even if it's just a few words on the way, it will be good news for Shen Ping."

……

Ye Qinghan parked his car in front of a private club. The club was hidden deep in a bamboo forest on the western outskirts of Hehai City. It had white walls and gray tiles, and only an inconspicuous copper wall lamp hung at the entrance. There was no sign.

Before Lin Feng opened the car door, he glanced back at her and asked why she wasn't going in. Ye Qinghan shook her head and said that Shen Ping had only invited her today, and it would be inconvenient for her to be there. There were some things he couldn't say in front of her, so she should just go in by herself.

Following the cobblestone path through a moon gate, a waiter dressed in a Chinese-style short jacket was already waiting under the eaves, leading him into an elegant private room.

The private room was small, with a traditional Chinese ink landscape painting hanging on the wall and a small, dry landscape garden outside the window. Shen Ping sat in the main seat, with a pot of tea and two teacups in front of him, a cigarette between his fingers, his brows slightly furrowed, and wisps of smoke rising in front of him.

Wearing a dark gray Zhongshan suit, her hair was neatly combed back, but the fatigue in her eyes was undeniable. She had been busy cleaning up the mess left by Chen Liangliang and integrating various forces in the province, so she obviously hadn't had a proper rest.

"Xiao Lin's here, have a seat." Shen Ping saw Lin Feng come in, pointed to the seat opposite him, and flicked his cigarette lightly into the ashtray. "Just got back from Ning County, right? Let's eat first, the food has just been served, eat it while it's hot."

The waiters brought out the dishes one after another, and several exquisite dishes were laid out on the table. Lin Feng didn't stand on ceremony and picked up his chopsticks to eat. He had been eating mutton in Ning County for several days and was indeed missing the taste of the food here in Hehai.

"Thanks to you for handling Chen Liangliang's matter this time." Shen Ping raised his glass and clinked it with Lin Feng's. His tone wasn't boastful, but rather conveyed a calm sense of control. "The mess he left behind during his years as mayor of Binzhou—if it weren't for the crucial evidence you obtained from Section Chief Jiang and Wang Yuqing, I wouldn't have been able to remain so composed at the negotiating table. Now the situation in the province has stabilized. After Chen Liangliang withdrew from the election, I've arranged for people to gradually take over the key departments he previously controlled. The Transportation Department, the Housing and Construction Department, and the Finance Department—several core positions have been filled by my own people. Chen Liangliang himself is now basically sidelined. He's still nominally the vice governor, but in reality, he has very little real power. Once this term ends, he will step down gracefully."

"Secretary Shen's planning is superb; I was just doing my duty. If Shuke needs any assistance in the province in the future, just say the word." Lin Feng raised his glass in return.

Shen Ping leaned back in his chair, remained silent for a while, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

He picked up his teacup and took a sip, as if he were carefully considering his words, or as if he were making a decision that was not easy to say.

Then he put down his teacup, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, and looked up at Lin Feng.

"Xiao Lin, I invited you here today not only to catch up, but also to ask you for a favor." His tone was noticeably softer than when they were discussing business earlier, and his voice carried an emotion rarely seen on his face. "My daughter, Shen Wanyu, is studying law at Kyoto University. Qinghan should have mentioned some details to you, so I won't beat around the bush."

"Aunt Ye told me some things on the way here." Lin Feng put down his chopsticks and listened quietly.

"That girl is just like her mother, very stubborn." Shen Ping sighed, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of his teacup. "Wanyu is my daughter with my ex-wife. Her mother passed away early, when Wanyu was just old enough to remember things. I raised her alone until she started elementary school. Later, I remarried and had another son. After that, Wanyu wasn't very close to me. She moved out during high school, and after going to university in Kyoto, she only came home a few times a year. Qinghan should have told you all this. In a month, it will be the tenth anniversary of her mother's death. I wanted her to come back so we could go to sweep her mother's grave together. I called her a few days ago, and we started arguing before we could even exchange a few words. She argued back at me for every word I said, and finally she said I wasn't worthy to sweep her mother's grave. I got angry and said some harsh words. She hung up on me, and when I called back, the line was always busy—she must have blocked me."

Lin Feng didn't reply, but simply picked up his teacup and took a sip. When Shen Ping spoke, his tone lacked any of the authority of a provincial political and legal committee secretary, revealing only the helplessness and exhaustion of an ordinary father.