Just thinking about Meng Zhi’s cold gaze made Shang Ye’s scalp tingle.
“It seems you understand just how absurd your actions were.”
Seeing through the fear and relief in his eyes, Shang Shiyan felt nothing but contempt—he wished he could punch him twice. From start to finish, Shang Ye had only cared about himself, never once genuinely concerning himself with Meng Zhi’s injuries.
Such a hypocritical and cowardly man was actually his own nephew—a disgrace to the Shang family.
Seeing him in this state only strengthened Shang Shiyan’s resolve to take Meng Zhi away from him.
He wasn’t worthy of Zhizhi.
“If you truly care about Zhizhi, then you should keep a better eye on the people around you.”
Shang Shiyan’s gaze turned cold, his words laden with implication.
Yesterday’s situation had been obvious—Chu Qinyan was the problem.
She had clearly known Meng Zhi was in the car, yet she hadn’t said a word.
Even if she’d been frightened at first, two full days and one night had passed. What malicious intentions she harbored was plain to see.
Shang Shiyan had assumed that with Shang Ye’s intelligence, he would at least catch the hint.
Instead, what he got was Shang Ye defending Chu Qinyan.
“Uncle, you don’t know Qinyan, so don’t make baseless assumptions. Qinyan is a very kind girl—she’s had a rough life. If it weren’t for the Meng family… She’d be grateful to the Meng family and Zhizhi, not harm her. How could she possibly hurt Zhizhi?”
“Then why didn’t she speak up?”
Shang Shiyan’s cold eyes narrowed, his sharp gaze boring into him.
He felt Shang Ye must have lost his mind to be so blinded by a scheming woman—utterly embarrassing.
Thinking of Zhizhi’s injuries, and of Fu Yuan telling him that if she’d been brought to the hospital any later, she might not have survived—
Shang Shiyan couldn’t suppress the rage surging through him, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
Shang Ye’s spine went cold. Though guilt gnawed at him, he still couldn’t help making excuses for Chu Qinyan.
“She definitely didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Qinyan isn’t like Zhizhi—she’s timid. She must have been scared by the accident scene and forgot to mention it.”
When he’d arrived, Chu Qinyan had kept repeating that she was going to die.
She must have been too terrified—she definitely hadn’t meant it.
He seemed to realize how flimsy his excuse sounded, so he kept repeating it to himself, forcibly brainwashing himself.
As if that could lessen his guilt toward Meng Zhi.
“Qinyan is so kind. She’s always treated Zhizhi like a little sister, wanting to get along peacefully. It’s Zhizhi who refuses to accept her, and even…”
He kept talking, growing more confident with each word.
Watching Shang Ye deceive himself, Shang Shiyan no longer wished to hear his nonsense.
“Enough. Go back to the company right now and compile the financial reports from the past two years.”
“What?”
Shang Ye stared at Shang Shiyan in shock, realizing this was a deliberate way to make things difficult for him.
Discontent crept onto his face, and he couldn’t help speaking up for himself: “Two years’ worth of financial reports is so much—there’s no way to finish it in one day. Besides, there are dedicated staff for that; it’s not even part of my job…”
“If you can’t do it, that means you lack the capability. Then you needn’t return to the company at all.”
Shang Shiyan’s voice was icy, carrying an authority that brooked no argument.
“And from now on, you’re forbidden from showing your face here again.”
He wasn’t worthy of Meng Zhi.
Shang Ye was about to demand why, but when he looked up, he met Shang Shiyan’s cold, dark gaze.
He didn’t say a word, just stared at him in silence.
Those eyes were like a black hole, as if they could suck a person in at any moment.
Under his gaze, Shang Ye felt every hair on his body stand on end.
His thoughts were instantly pulled back several years, to when Shang Shiyan had just returned to the country and first entered the company.
The company’s old-timers all looked down on Shang Shiyan, but what no one expected was that in just one short year, Shang Shiyan had firmly established himself.
Not only did he purge the board of directors, replacing every member with his own people, he also dealt with the incompetent members of the Shang family.
After that, he led the company through thorns and brambles, securing several key government projects and swallowing up multiple companies that had once been evenly matched with the Shang family.
In this way, the Shang family leapt to become the undisputed leader of the capital’s business circle, with no one and no company able to rival them anymore.
Outsiders might not understand, but Shang Ye knew very well.
Everyone who had ever challenged Shang Shiyan had been cleaned out by him through various means, and people still talked about it with relish to this day.
Even Grandfather praised him—saying he had depth, strategy, intelligence, and ruthlessness!
A Shang Shiyan like that was enough to make Shang Ye tremble in fear.
A bone-chilling sensation rippled through his entire body, and he unconsciously swallowed.
“I’m sorry, Uncle. I was wrong.”
Shang Ye knew this very well.
Never mind himself as he was now—even if his father came, he wouldn’t have the ability to contend with Shang Shiyan.
Shang Ye clenched his fists and lowered his head in reluctant admission of fault.
Shang Shiyan could naturally see the defiance in his eyes.
But whether the apology was sincere or not, he simply didn’t care.
“Since you came to the company, you haven’t made any major mistakes, but small problems keep cropping up. Still, you’re young—if you train hard, you’re not incapable of handling your current position. Everything else doesn’t matter, but your mind must be clear enough to know what should be done and what shouldn’t.”
After saying this, Shang Shiyan didn’t give him another glance, turning and walking briskly back into the hospital room.
Shang Ye could tell—this was a threat.
He bit his lip, his face written with humiliation.
Yet he had no choice but to swallow the insult and respond with suppressed anger.
“Uncle’s lesson is right.”
Before leaving, Shang Ye took one last look at the hospital room.
Through the small glass window on the door, he saw the warm scene of Meng Zhi and Shang Shiyan together.
Shang Ye bit his lip with an ugly expression, etching the scene deeply into his heart.
One day, sooner or later, he would ascend to the pinnacle of power in the Shang family.
And then thoroughly trample Shang Shiyan’s arrogant head beneath his feet.
Inside the hospital room, Shang Shiyan fed Meng Zhi her meal and coaxed her to sleep.
The man looked at her sleeping face, her thick, long lashes trembling slightly, like fragile butterfly wings fluttering.
Not knowing what she was dreaming about, the girl suddenly furrowed her brows tightly, her expression filled with terror.
Shang Shiyan frowned, his slender, well-defined fingers landing on her brow.
He gently stroked it, trying to smooth out her knitted brows.
“S-save me…”
Her lips moved slightly, her voice barely a whisper.
Shang Shiyan leaned half his body over to barely make out her murmur.
Thinking of what she had endured, his heart felt as if it were pierced by countless needles, his gaze deep and full of pain.
In her dream, Meng Zhi was back at the scene of the car accident.
She was flung out of the car by a tremendous impact.
Watching helplessly as Shang Ye carried Chu Qinyan away without so much as a glance back.
She couldn’t make out the faces of the two people. The immense pain her body was enduring made her groan involuntarily.
She desperately reached out her hand, begging for help, but no one came to her aid.
Helplessness, despair…
Grief enveloped her.
Just when she thought she would die silently and unnoticed, a pair of warm, powerful hands pulled her out of the darkness.
She clung to them like a drowning person grasping at their last lifeline, refusing to let go.
Shang Shiyan’s hand was clenched tightly in Meng Zhi’s grip.
Even as her nails dug deep marks into his palm, he showed no sign of wanting to pull away.