The Shen family villa sat halfway up the mountain, nestled between hills and the sea.
On the first floor, all the heavy velvet curtains had been pulled wide open, letting sunlight pour freely into the living room. The decor, dating back half a century, still felt timeless today—only enriched by the weight and elegance of time.
Liu Ping sat gracefully on the sofa, her posture impeccable. The others who had come with her were practically staring, eyes wide.
Shen Jiaxuan wandered around the living room once, then hugged Liu Ping’s arm and whined coquettishly, “Mom, my twentieth birthday is coming up soon. Just ask Dad to give me this villa! It would be perfect for throwing parties.”
The Shen family’s old/main residence was located in the prime, ultra-expensive district in the city center—land worth its weight in gold. But compared to this hillside villa, it paled in comparison. Only families with generations of accumulated wealth could live in a place like this; nouveau riche and new-money upstarts could never squeeze their way in. This villa didn’t belong to the Shen family as a whole—it was the private property left to Shen Wang by his birth mother.
Liu Ping didn’t want to explain. She frowned and said, “This place is for your eldest brother to recover in. Don’t you understand basic manners?”
Shen Jiaxuan refused to back down. “Such a great place wasted on a cripple? Mom, are you planning to save it for my second brother, that’s why you won’t give it to me?”
Liu Ping poked her forehead. “Keep making a fuss and I won’t buy you that jewelry set you wanted yesterday!”
Shen Jiaxuan’s face crumpled in displeasure. Shen Shien pulled her over, smiling as he coaxed, “What’s the rush? Once that cripple finally kicks the bucket, getting this villa will be as easy as saying the word.”
Hearing that, Shen Jiaxuan’s smile returned. She looked around eagerly. “Once I move in, I’m redecorating the whole place! Parties every single day!”
“Heh.”
A soft chuckle sounded.
Everyone’s heads snapped up.
The thin, bright winter sunlight spilled over the curving staircase. At the very end of the light stood a slender figure that had appeared at some unknown moment. Just the silhouette alone was enough to make hearts race, leaving people eager to see her face.
Shen Jiaxuan bit her lip in jealousy. Shen Shien’s gaze turned dreamy; he even took an involuntary step forward.
But as the figure gracefully descended the stairs, everyone finally saw clearly—she was wearing a mask that covered most of her face, revealing only a pair of clear, limpid almond eyes brimming like autumn water.
The instant flash of amazement vanished in a puff, replaced by disdain. Shen Shien’s eyes, however, gained a few shades of lechery: Today Gu Shengsheng wore a cream-white knitted long dress that perfectly outlined her graceful curves. This woman might be stupid, but her figure was outstanding. Even with the mask hiding half her face, the exposed skin was fair and tender.
Shen Jiaxuan sneered, “Gu Shengsheng, why are you wearing a mask? Did your plastic surgery go wrong… too ashamed to show your face? Oh well, it doesn’t matter—Shen Wang is blind anyway.”
Shen Shien chimed in smoothly, “Who knows who’d end up scaring who.”
“Oh right, that guy’s a lunatic. When he loses it, he kills people.” Shen Jiaxuan stared straight into Gu Shengsheng’s eyes and lowered her voice. “You probably don’t know this yet? Shen Wang has been crazy since he was a kid. He loved torturing and killing small animals, even personally killed the dog he raised himself. Especially on stormy, thundery nights—he goes completely mad. You sleep next to him… you’d better be careful…”
Shen Jiaxuan laughed so hard she could barely speak. The others joined in, laughing along to flatter her.
But Gu Shengsheng’s almond eyes remained cool and clear, as if she hadn’t heard a single word.
Shen Jiaxuan raised her voice shrilly. “Hey, plastic face! Did you hear what I said?”
Gu Shengsheng’s chin was still a bit swollen these days; every time she looked in the mirror she felt like dying. Hearing this made her blood boil. “Plastic face is still better than an ugly monster like you!”
Shen Jiaxuan stumbled back three steps, face deathly pale. “Y-y-you… what did you just call me?!”
Gu Shengsheng looked down at her from the stairs, her gaze sweeping over Shen Jiaxuan’s face with open contempt.
Shen Guochang and Liu Ping were both very good-looking, yet Shen Jiaxuan could only be considered average. Standing next to her two outstanding brothers, she looked even more ordinary.
Being plain-looking wasn’t the problem. The real issue was Shen Jiaxuan’s poisonous jealousy. In the original book, she envied the original Gu Shengsheng’s beauty and constantly badmouthed her in front of Shen Tingchen. Later, when the original owner fell on hard times, Shen Jiaxuan even arranged for someone to ruin her face.
And it wasn’t just the original owner. Over the years in City A, countless beautiful girls who were disfigured or met tragic ends due to “accidents” were all connected to Shen Jiaxuan one way or another.
Thinking of this, Gu Shengsheng spat out five words in disgust: “Ugly people cause the most trouble.”
Shen Jiaxuan screamed, “You plastic-faced bitch! No wonder my second brother didn’t want you! You only deserve to marry that dying cripple! Just wait until that lunatic strangles you to death!”
Gu Shengsheng shot back without missing a beat: “Being strangled to death is still better than dying ugly.”
Earlier, when Shen Jiaxuan was mocking Gu Shengsheng, Liu Ping had sat back with an air of superiority, watching the show. But now that her own daughter was being insulted, her carefully drawn brows twisted in fury. She snapped, “Gu Shengsheng! Didn’t your parents teach you what manners are? How dare you behave so rudely in front of your elders!”
Gu Shengsheng looked perfectly innocent. She turned to Shen Jiaxuan and said, “Did you hear that? Your mom is teaching you to respect your elders. Hurry up and apologize to your sister-in-law.”
Liu Ping exploded with rage, pointing a sharp finger at Gu Shengsheng. “I was talking about YOU! Truly no upbringing. Thank goodness we didn’t let you marry Tingchen back then!”
Gu Shengsheng folded her arms, speaking in a slow, lazy drawl: “That’s right, I have no upbringing. So I barge into other people’s homes uninvited, point fingers at the lady of the house, act completely immoral, wish for my own brother to die early so I can take his house. And I come from a small, lowly family—only able to survive by flattering people and being a lackey.”
Each word struck like an arrow straight to the heart.
This time, not only did Shen Jiaxuan burst into furious tears and tantrums, but everyone else’s faces turned ugly too. Their husbands were only side-branch members of the Shen family with no real power—they could only curry favor with Liu Ping for scraps of benefit. They never expected Gu Shengsheng to expose the ugly truth so bluntly; suddenly, no one could say a word.
Gu Shengsheng added one more blow: “Oh, and by the way—handing your own son’s fiancée over to your stepson as a wife… what kind of ‘upbringing’ is that supposed to be? Your family’s manners are truly one of a kind.”
Imitating Shen Wang’s tone and manner perfectly, she delivered the last four words slowly, one by one, dripping with maximum sarcasm.
Liu Ping could no longer maintain her dignified madam act. Her face turned deathly pale, trembling like a withered leaf in the wind. “You… you… you… you little…”
You Min hurriedly supported Liu Ping and whispered in her ear, “Big Sis, don’t let this low-class woman ruin your health. Remember why you came here today…”
Liu Ping thought of her main purpose and finally caught her breath after a long moment. Raising her voice, she declared, “Gu Shengsheng, stop causing trouble here! I came today specifically to tell you: Tingchen has already gotten engaged to the eldest daughter of the Huangfu family. Stop harboring any delusions about him, and stop clinging to him—it’ll ruin Tingchen’s reputation!”
The moment she heard Shen Tingchen’s name, a surge of indescribable turmoil rose in Gu Shengsheng’s heart. It was the lingering obsession of the original owner, and she couldn’t help being affected. She snapped angrily, “Who’s clinging to your son?!”
The usually sharp-tongued Gu Shengsheng exploded the instant Shen Tingchen’s name came up. To everyone watching, this was ironclad proof that she still couldn’t let go of her old feelings for him.
Liu Ping saw it clearly and sneered, “Don’t play dumb with me. Tingchen told me himself. He asked me to pass on the message: you’re now his nominal sister-in-law, and there’s absolutely no possibility between you two. If you have any sense of shame at all, stop pestering him!”
Who the hell wants your two-timing son?! Gu Shengsheng thought with disdain, but the original owner’s lingering emotions took over. What came out of her mouth was: “He… told you himself?”
A faint smile curved Liu Ping’s lips. “Of course. You’ve been here for three months—has Tingchen ever come to see you even once?”
Gu Shengsheng’s heart stabbed with sharp pain. She blurted out, “Tingchen doesn’t know I’m here!”
“Heh heh…” This time it was Shen Jiaxuan’s turn to gloat. She sneered, “My brother has known you were here all along. He’s just been too busy getting cozy with a little starlet lately—he doesn’t have time for you. She’s a pure, innocent goddess, nothing like a plastic-faced girl like you~”
Liu Ping shot her daughter a quick glance. Shen Jiaxuan looked triumphant, completely unaware she had just let something slip.
Gu Shengsheng’s expression darkened. Shen Shien, eager to please Shen Jiaxuan, stepped forward with a mocking laugh. “Gu Shengsheng, I was just joking with Jiaxuan before—said Tingchen liked mixed-race looks. I never thought you’d actually go get your face done! My god, everyone knows Tingchen hates plastic surgery faces the most… hahahahaha…”
Everyone burst into laughter along with him. Shen Jiaxuan laughed so hard she could barely breathe, her blood-red lipstick glaring painfully bright in Gu Shengsheng’s vision.
Shen Tingchen… plastic surgery… plastic surgery! So the one who caused me to get plastic surgery was you, you filthy dog! Gu Shengsheng’s rage flared to the top of her head. Finally, she wrested back control of her mind. Cold sweat poured down her face as she half-leaned against the railing, panting heavily.
Shen Jiaxuan giggled. “My brother was actually planning to come to the villa to see you at first. But I showed him your hideous post-surgery photos, and he drank all night before giving up. Hahahaha…”
“Heh.” Gu Shengsheng let out a cold scoff, perfectly mimicking Shen Wang’s tone and manner—sarcasm dialed up to maximum.
Shen Jiaxuan’s smile froze. “What are you laughing at?!”
“There are plenty of reasons to laugh.” Gu Shengsheng tilted her head, looking almost cute as she listed them off: “Laughing at your shamelessness, laughing at how ugly people cause the most trouble, laughing at your wild daydreams of taking over someone else’s nest… Which one do you like best?”
Even Shen Jiaxuan wasn’t stupid enough to miss that Gu Shengsheng had overheard her plan to steal the villa. Her HP bar instantly hit zero. “Mom! Listen to what she’s saying about me! Mom!”
Can’t win the fight so you call for Mommy? Gu Shengsheng delivered another stab: “You should be asking your mom how she managed to give birth to something like you!”
Shen Jiaxuan went berserk, screaming hoarsely, “I’ll tear your mouth apart!”
She rushed forward in a few steps and swung her hand toward Gu Shengsheng’s face. Gu Shengsheng raised her arm to block it and shouted, “You dare hit me?!”
“Why wouldn’t I dare!” Shen Jiaxuan glared at her viciously.
Liu Ping raised her voice: “Enough. I’ve said everything I came to say. Gu Shengsheng, you’d better behave yourself from now on.”
Then, in a calm tone, she added, “Jiaxuan, you’re a proper young lady from a good family. How can you act like a street shrew and start fighting?”
Shen Shien immediately understood the cue. He stepped up onto the stairs. “Calm down, calm down. Let’s talk nicely.”
While pretending to mediate, Shen Shien took advantage of Gu Shengsheng’s distraction and suddenly grabbed her wrist. The people Liu Ping had brought also pinned down Sister Li.
Gu Shengsheng hadn’t expected him to take sides like this. Furious, she shouted, “You… let go of me! Someone! Where are the bodyguards?!”
“No use shouting. The bodyguards have been sent away. No one’s coming to save you.” Shen Shien tightened his grip on her wrist and grinned. “Jiaxuan, come on. Vent however you want.”
Shen Jiaxuan looked smug as she rolled up her sleeves. “Today I’m going to smash this plastic face of yours so hard you’ll never seduce my second brother again!”
“Get away! Try touching me and see what happens!” Gu Shengsheng struggled desperately, but the strength difference between a man and a woman was too great. She couldn’t break free from Shen Shien’s hold. She could only watch helplessly as Shen Jiaxuan’s hand swung toward her, her clear almond eyes blazing with fury.
Right at that moment—bang!—a loud crash of shattering glass came from the second floor.
Shen Jiaxuan’s hand froze mid-air. The lewd grin on Shen Shien’s face turned to pure terror. Gu Shengsheng felt his grip loosen and immediately wrenched herself free, turning to run up the stairs. “Shen Wang!”
She only made it a few steps before stopping and turning back to block the staircase. She couldn’t let them bully Shen Wang!
But Shen Jiaxuan and Shen Shien had completely forgotten about her. Their faces were as white as sheets as they stared upward at the second floor. Even the people who had been laughing and watching the drama earlier were frozen in place, not daring to breathe.
The entire scene felt like someone had hit pause. The only sound left was Gu Shengsheng’s furious breathing.
You Min’s voice trembled like a thread. “That sound just now… wasn’t Zhou Ma supposed to say that Young Master Shen… the eldest young master… has been in a coma this whole time?” Zhou Ma’s exact words had been: He’s barely clinging to one breath. He doesn’t have many days left.
Gu Shengsheng shouted back, “You’re talking nonsense! Shen Wang is perfectly fine!”
Her clear, bright voice echoed sharply through the living room.
Shen Jiaxuan shivered. Furious, she yelled, “N-no way it’s him! Who’s up there playing tricks? Come out!”
Before her words even finished, a porcelain bowl suddenly flew down from upstairs. It grazed past Shen Jiaxuan’s head and smashed at her feet, shards flying everywhere.
Immediately afterward, a low, deep voice came from the second floor: “Hurry up and get back here.”
“Get lost.”
The voice was low and magnetic, but in everyone’s ears, it sounded like a murmur straight from hell. The winter sunlight had somehow lost all warmth; it fell on their bodies like piercing cold.
Shen Jiaxuan’s legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor. Shen Shien trembled like a sieve and bolted without a second thought. Last time he hadn’t run fast enough when he heard this voice—he’d ended up with three ribs broken underfoot. The others weren’t faring any better. With Shen Shien leading the charge, they all scrambled toward the exit in a frantic rush, wishing their parents had given them eight legs instead of two.
Even though Shen Wang was blind and paralyzed—a complete cripple—no one wanted to stay here a single second longer. If they’d known this demon was awake, they would’ve died before coming!
Only Liu Ping’s maternal instinct finally kicked in. She desperately dragged her daughter toward the door. Her ankle twisted, snapping the ten-centimeter heel clean off. Mother and daughter both fell flat on their faces in a heap.
Gu Shengsheng’s almond eyes went wide. She didn’t hold back—she burst out laughing.
The luxury car sped along the mountain road. They had come chattering and laughing; now they left in dead silence. Liu Ping’s face was ghastly. She had only intended to intimidate Gu Shengsheng and make her give up on Shen Tingchen completely. She never expected that demon to actually wake up! And worse… the way everyone had abandoned her and her daughter just now proved they were completely unreliable!
The others didn’t bother flattering Liu Ping like usual. Each of them was quietly recalculating: From the sound of Shen Wang’s voice earlier, he was full of energy—nothing like the “about to breathe his last” that Liu Ping had described. Shen Wang was notoriously tough to kill, and the old master had always favored him. As long as he still had one breath left, who knew when he might get back up? This man held grudges like no other. The consequences of offending him… Thinking of this, the group felt a chill run down their spines and began to quietly resent Liu Ping.
Looks like when they got back, they’d have to tell their husbands: Don’t rush to pick a side!
======
The bedroom door stood wide open. Shards of porcelain littered the floor by the entrance. The blindfolded man sat propped against the headboard in a relaxed pose, his long, slender fingertips idly toying with a Ru kiln porcelain spoon. His head was slightly lowered; the lines of his profile were deep and elegantly carved, like an emotionless deity on an altar.
Gu Shengsheng stared at him for a long time, unable to figure out why those people had been so terrified by just one sentence from him.
At least for her, right now, seeing Shen Wang only brought a deep sense of relief and security.
Gu Shengsheng reported in a soft, fluffy voice: “They all ran away scared. The bodyguards just got back—they said Liu Ping gave them fake orders. They realized something was wrong halfway and rushed back.”
Shen Wang gave a cold snort. “A bunch of idiots. They screw up and still make excuses.”
Right now, even hearing Shen Wang curse felt oddly comforting to Gu Shengsheng. He was right—if they’d waited for those bodyguards, her face would already be swollen like a pig’s head.
Gu Shengsheng looked at Shen Wang with big, expectant eyes. She really wanted to be comforted right now.
Shen Wang didn’t disappoint. His thin lips parted slightly: “Clean up the trash.”
“…” Gu Shengsheng squatted down to pick up the porcelain shards, muttering as she went: “None of them even hit anyone.”
“I’m blind,” Shen Wang reminded her casually.
Gu Shengsheng kept grumbling, her voice carrying an unconscious note of grievance: “This set of sky-after-rain blue Ru kiln porcelain… it was the first time we used it. Now it’s not a complete set anymore. Next time you want to throw something, throw a glass cup—they’re cheaper.”
“Shut up.” Shen Wang finally spoke again. “Come here.”
Gu Shengsheng tossed the shards into the trash, wiped her hands, and slowly walked over—nothing like her usual bouncy, cheerful self. She looked like a little milk kitten that had been bullied, all droopy and dejected.
Shen Wang raised his right hand.
Gu Shengsheng took off her mask and obediently leaned her face toward him, wearing an expression of noble self-sacrifice. Shen Wang was her big hero today—if he wanted to pinch her face, so be it!
Shen Wang’s hand landed on a handful of soft, tender cheek. He gave it a squeeze before saying: “…Your hand.”
Gu Shengsheng was completely confused. She held out her hand. “What about my hand?”
Shen Wang tsked, pinched the tip of her finger. His fingers were rough and warm—completely at odds with his icy voice. “Where are you hurt?”