Rong Shu stayed at the Rong Family Home that night.
It was the most restful night’s sleep she’d had in a long time.
The next morning, Pei Lanhua was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. She made chicken soup just for Rong Shu and packed her a nutritious lunch in an insulated container to take to work.
The night before, Rong Shu had told them she’d resigned and planned to work as Jiang Huaixu’s assistant for a month.
At first, they disagreed and told her to focus on her pregnancy and take good care of her health.
But Rong Shu insisted. Apart from feeling a little cumbersome, she had no other physical discomfort, and there was no reason she couldn’t do some simple work. Besides, she needed a change of scenery and something to keep her busy. If she did nothing, she’d only dwell on things.
In the end, Rong Qingwen said no more.
She’d wanted to help in the kitchen, but Pei Lanhua wouldn’t let her.
Rong Shu didn’t press the matter. She sat on the sofa, phone in hand, searching online for a Pilates class suitable for pregnant women.
She found one she liked and planned to go ask about it when she had time.
She continued scrolling on her phone.
Then, suddenly, her expression changed.
She’d come across a post on her social media feed.
The poster had uploaded a nine-photo collage from a dinner gathering, with a private upscale club as the backdrop.
It was posted by Xie Anming, one of Sheng Tingchen’s friends. She’d added him as a contact back when she was still Sheng Tingchen’s assistant.
The caption read: “A night out for dinner. P.S. Another day of being force-fed someone else’s romance. When are we getting wedding drinks?”
Three of the photos showed Sheng Tingchen with An Qingyue.
In the center photo, An Qingyue covered her face shyly as she nestled against Sheng Tingchen. The strikingly handsome man rested a large hand on her shoulder and looked down at the petite woman in his arms, his gaze full of tenderness.
Their sweet, passionate affection practically spilled off the screen.
Everyone in Sheng Tingchen’s circle knew he was already legally married. But in their eyes, Rong Shu was unworthy of him.
There was a good chance Xie Anming had posted the photos specifically for her to see.
Rong Shu felt a sudden, crushing pain in her chest. It hurt so badly she could hardly breathe.
She turned off her phone.
Then she got up and went out onto the balcony to calm herself, trying hard not to care, trying not to think about it anymore.
Without realizing it, she reached out to stroke her swollen belly.
Her heart felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Once she and Sheng Tingchen divorced, he would surely marry An Qingyue right away. They would have children. He loved An Qingyue so much—he would surely love their children, too. What would happen to her child then? Would the baby ever get the fatherly love people talked about?
“Xiaoshu, breakfast is ready.”
Pei Lanhua’s voice reached her.
Rong Shu pulled herself out of her thoughts, took a deep breath, and wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes. Then she turned and went back through the living room to the bathroom.
By the time she came out, she looked as composed as ever.
After breakfast,
Pei Yu drove Rong Shu to work.
On the way,
Pei Yu noticed something was wrong and asked, “Xiaoshu, what happened?”
Rong Shu shook her head. She didn’t want to talk about it.
Pei Yu spoke earnestly. “Xiaoshu, you’re pregnant. If something’s troubling you, it’s even more important not to keep it bottled up. It’s not good for you or the baby.”
It took Rong Shu a long while to answer. “It’s nothing. Sheng Tingchen has someone else. I just can’t quite accept it yet, but it’s okay. I’ll work through it. Don’t worry, Brother.”
She made it sound easy.
Pei Yu knew she was hurting, but didn’t know how to comfort her. He only said, “Time heals everything. Things will slowly get better.”
Rong Shu nodded. “Mm.”
When they arrived at the company,
Rong Shu got out with the insulated container. After saying goodbye to Pei Yu, she headed into the office building.
Once inside, she ran into Sheng Tingchen again.
Since Sheng Tingchen rarely stayed at home, the reason she’d kept working despite being demoted was that she wanted to see him every day.
But over the past few months at the company, she’d hardly seen him. Even when she did, he was exceptionally cold toward her.
She hadn’t expected to run into him on both days she’d come to work.
The man stepped out of his car, dressed in a tailored suit. Broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, with a pair of strikingly long legs, he had a sharply defined, deep-set face. He was breathtakingly handsome whenever she saw him—imposing and commanding.
And this same, seemingly heartless man had a tender, devoted side, too.
Rong Shu suddenly felt a pang of bitterness in her chest. She lowered her eyes, stepped aside, and greeted him respectfully. “President Sheng.”
As always, Sheng Tingchen treated her like she was invisible. Once he noticed her, his expression seemed to turn even colder. He strode straight past her.
Only after he’d entered the executive elevator did Rong Shu come back to herself. She took the staff elevator upstairs.
The day before, she and Zhou Shan had parted on terrible terms. Today, Zhou Shan was no friendlier and assigned someone to handle the handover with her.
Rong Shu didn’t care what Zhou Shan thought of her. She just wanted to finish handing over her work and get out of there as quickly as possible.
When the morning’s work was done,
Rong Shu saw that the weather was nice. The ecological park was right behind the office building, so she took her insulated container downstairs to eat outside and get some fresh air.
She took the elevator down.
As she crossed the company lobby, she came face-to-face with two men entering the building. One was Xie Anming. The man beside him was tall and upright, with an air of distinction. He seemed to be a friend of Sheng Tingchen’s, though she hadn’t met him before.
Rong Shu didn’t intend to greet them. Head lowered, she kept her distance and walked toward the door.
But Xie Anming spotted her as soon as he came in.
Her plump figure was far too conspicuous to miss.
When he saw her avoiding him,
Xie Anming strode over and blocked her way.
Rong Shu stopped and looked up at him. His expression was full of disgust. “Are you blind, or do you just not have any eyes? You don’t know enough to say hello?”
Back when she was still Sheng Tingchen’s assistant, Xie Anming had always been courteous to her. But now, in his eyes and those of the others, she was nothing but an ugly, fat, delusional schemer.
Rong Shu lowered her eyes and greeted him in a flat voice. “Young Master Xie.”
Xie Anming gave a mocking laugh. “What’s with that attitude? You really think you’ve turned from a toad into a phoenix?”
Rong Shu clenched the hand holding the insulated container, mortified beyond words. She turned sideways to go around him.
Suddenly, Xie Anming stuck out a long leg.
Rong Shu stumbled without warning and fell. Both knees slammed hard into the floor with a thud. Her face went deathly pale at once, and her teeth chattered with pain. The insulated container flew from her hand, spilling the chicken soup and food across the floor.
Watching from some distance away, Su Qingzhi couldn’t help but gasp in shock.