1 – I Cannot Keep This Child
[After the Divorce, President Shen Brings His Adorable Baby to Climb Through Windows Every Night to Win Back His Wife] – Chapter 1: This Child I Cannot Keep
“Sign it.”
The divorce agreement was tossed in front of Yan Shi, his cold and heartless voice as deep and indifferent as ever.
Yan Shi’s hands trembled as she clutched her sleeves, struggling to speak: “Why?”
She didn’t understand. She couldn’t comprehend it.
Five years of marriage, and she had believed that Shen Ci’s heart would eventually warm to her.
But clearly, she had been wrong. From the very beginning, Shen Ci’s heart had never belonged to her.
“You should understand.” Shen Ci’s voice was hoarse. “I owe Qianqian too much. She can’t lose me.”
Yan Shi’s voice was raspy as she asked, “And what about me?”
“Fill in whatever amount you want on this check.” Shen Ci’s tone was utterly cold. His gaze swept over her slender figure before meeting her eyes, his brows furrowing.
Yan Shi was beautiful.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to marry her in the first place.
Her features were as gentle as spring water, and the red mole on the tip of her nose added an extra touch of charm. She was like a woman from the Jiangnan water towns—serene and lovely.
That was what Shen Ci had seen in her. He needed a woman who wouldn’t talk too much to marry.
But all of that changed when Shen Qianqian came back.
He could never give her up, no matter how fiercely the Shen family opposed it. He was no longer the Shen Ci of five years ago who could be pushed around.
“You should know that I have never loved you.” Each word from Shen Ci was like a poison-tipped blade. “Yan Shi, consider this my debt to you. You can ask for anything.”
“Anything?” Yan Shi’s lowered eyes had long lost their light. Her eyes were red and glistening with tears as she tested hesitantly, “Can we postpone the divorce? At least let me stay until Grandma’s birthday passes?”
She was so close—just a little more, and she could share the surprise she had been planning for so long in front of everyone.
“I’ll explain things to Grandma.” Shen Ci’s impatient voice carried a chill. “Yan Shi, I hope we can end this with some dignity. I’ve already promised her we’ll get our marriage certificate next week.”
Yan Shi’s pupils contracted violently, and her entire body felt as if it were being torn apart.
She asked hoarsely, “You love her very much?”
Shen Ci closed his eyes wearily. “You know why I married you.”
The bedroom fell into silence.
After a long moment, Yan Shi suddenly laughed.
Right. How could she not understand?
If it weren’t for Grandma insisting that he marry her, how could she—a mere hospital nurse—have ever had the chance to marry him?
Suddenly, a knock came at the door. “Sir! The maid over at Miss’s place called—she said Miss has fainted!”
Shen Ci’s perpetually stern expression shifted. “Have someone take her to the hospital. I’ll be there right away!”
Seeing that he was about to leave, Yan Shi finally mustered her courage. “Shen Ci, I have something to show you.”
But Shen Ci paid her words no heed, striding quickly out of the bedroom.
Her face turned deathly pale, yet her hand instinctively tightened around the hospital report.
It wasn’t until the sound of a car engine started outside the villa that Yan Shi knew she had lost completely.
She didn’t know how deeply Shen Ci loved Shen Qianqian, but that Shen Ci didn’t love her—that was something Yan Shi had always known.
On the bed, the divorce agreement already bore Shen Ci’s signature, leaving only the other half empty, waiting to be filled.
Her pale fingertips traced over the familiar handwriting, and Yan Shi signed her name with trembling hands.
She gently stroked her slightly swollen belly, her voice soft. “Be good. Mommy can take care of you all by herself.”
The phone vibrated.
Yan Shi looked at the number flashing on the screen, forcing back the tears in her eyes, replacing them with a bone-deep coldness.
“Miss, you finally answered my call! The old master’s health is truly failing! The entire Yan family is waiting for you to return and take charge. Even if you still resent what happened back then, you should think about how difficult things have been for the old master!”
The voice on the other end pleaded earnestly, “Right now, you’re the only one holding the majority of shares. If you don’t help, the Yan family… the Yan family will really go bankrupt!”
Yan Shi suppressed the disgust churning in her eyes and said in a flat tone, “Tell everyone in the Yan family that I will return.”
“Yes, Miss!”
Yan Shi stared at the report in her hand, silent for a long moment, then crumpled it into a ball and tossed it into the trash bin.
“Prepare ninety-nine funeral wreaths for me, each inscribed with ‘grow old together’ and ‘may your line die out,’ and have them delivered to Peninsula Villa 3A, for Mr. Shen to sign for.”
Since she was leaving anyway, she might as well send a grand gift to the happy couple.
That night, at Peninsula Villa.
After settling Shen Qianqian in the guest room, Shen Ci had just come downstairs when he caught sight of the funeral wreaths placed at the entrance of the villa.
His assistant was frantically directing the servants to move them away, sweating profusely!
If the boss saw this, wouldn’t he blow his top?
“Who sent these?” Shen Ci’s furious voice was low and ominous. His gaze swept over the inscriptions on the wreaths, and his eyes instantly turned as cold as frost!
“I… I don’t know…” the assistant wiped his sweat. “They weren’t there before—they just suddenly appeared at the door.”
Don’t know?
The oppressive aura radiating from Shen Ci was nearly suffocating. He was teetering on the edge of an explosive outburst!
The assistant was terrified, trembling with fear, and quickly said, “Sir, the madam has already left. She signed the divorce papers.”
He hurriedly handed them over for Shen Ci to inspect.
Seeing that he had taken them, the assistant breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ordered the wreaths to be removed!
On the divorce papers, Yan Shi’s handwriting was elegant, just like her.
But the check tucked inside hadn’t been taken—there wasn’t even a trace of it having been pulled out.
Shen Ci’s gaze darkened. “Did the madam take anything with her?”
“The madam… it seems she didn’t take anything.”
The moment the assistant finished speaking, the man tossed aside the divorce papers, turned, and strode up to the second floor.
In the master bedroom, from the color scheme to the decor, everything was arranged to his preferences.
Even the shirts and suits neatly lined up in the wardrobe were his—only two or three dresses and some designer bags had been purchased by his assistant when they got married.
But all of it remained in the wardrobe, pristine as ever.
It was only at this moment that Shen Ci realized Yan Shi had never once asked him for anything.
The assistant knocked lightly on the door. “Sir, the servants said that before the madam left, she only took the cat you gave her.”
Hearing the assistant’s report, Shen Ci furrowed his brow. As his gaze swept past the bedside, it was drawn to the crumpled paper ball in the trash bin.
Seeing this, the assistant immediately picked it up, unfolded it, and brought it over.
“Sir, look…”
Before he could finish, the paper was snatched away violently!
Shen Ci’s pitch-black pupils were filled with gloom. “Where is Yan Shi?”
The assistant was stunned. “Madam… Madam she…”
“I’m asking you where she is!”
“The madam has already left…” The assistant swallowed hard.
Shen Ci gave the order, “Immediately send everyone out to search for her! Bring her back to me!”
The assistant was shocked.
But he didn’t dare defy Shen Ci’s orders, and hurriedly withdrew from the bedroom.
The paper crumpled suddenly under the force of Shen Ci’s grip!
When had this woman gotten pregnant?
And he hadn’t known at all?
Thinking of how timid and quiet Yan Shi usually was, a heavy fury burned in Shen Ci’s eyes.
He had thought this woman was a sheep, but it turned out she was scheming against him in secret.
“Brother, what’s wrong?”
Shen Ci’s brow relaxed slightly. He turned to see Shen Qianqian standing barefoot at the door, her pale, thin little face looking at him timidly.
His deep voice softened with tenderness. “You’re not feeling well—why did you come out like this?”
“I’m not used to the bed in the guest room. I want to sleep with you.” Shen Qianqian bit her lip. “We used to sleep together when we were little.”
Her gaze swept lightly across the bedroom, hiding her smugness deep in her eyes.
In the end, wasn’t all of this still hers?
Shen Ci had only ever had her in his heart. What did that woman have to compete with her for?
But unexpectedly, Shen Ci refused her.
“Qianqian, you’re still sick. Don’t be difficult.” He rubbed his forehead wearily. “Go back and rest early. I have things to deal with tonight.”
Shen Qianqian was momentarily stunned.
Was this the first time Shen Ci had refused her?
Though unwilling, in order to maintain her image of being well-behaved in front of Shen Ci, she could only let the servants help her back to rest.
In the vast bedroom, Shen Ci’s fingertip brushed over Yan Shi’s name on the report, his brow sharpening like a blade.
He suddenly realized that in these five years, aside from her name, he seemed to know nothing else about Yan Shi.