Shen Nianyi braced herself against the wall beside her and steadied her breathing. Only after several seconds did she slowly sit down on a chair in the hallway.
Corpus luteum rupture.
Coming from the nurse, the words had sounded utterly matter-of-fact, yet Nianyi kept turning them over in her mind.
Qin Jiming had repeatedly said that he would take responsibility for her, which was why she and Qin Jiming had never gone that far.
But now Lin Jiujiu had suffered a corpus luteum rupture…
So his sister-in-law’s physical needs were also part of Qin Jiming’s responsibilities?
Shen Nianyi raised her head and stared at the hallway lights. Their cold white glare was painfully harsh, making her eyes sting.
The past few years had all seemed like one long, unreal dream.
When Huo Yuqing came over, he saw Shen Nianyi looking utterly drained.
She sat there in a daze, her eyes empty and unfocused, her face frighteningly pale.
“Why do you look so awful?”
The man’s voice sounded from beside her.
Shen Nianyi seemed to come back to herself all at once. When she saw who it was, her expression changed again. “It’s nothing.”
Huo Yuqing lifted his eyelids slightly and brushed a fingertip over her cheek. “Did you cry because it hurt? You weren’t feeling well, yet you still left the hospital?”
Shen Nianyi gently turned her face away. She had not even realized when tears had slipped down her cheeks. Her voice trembled slightly as she explained, “The lights were just too bright.”
Huo Yuqing could tell at a glance that something was wrong with her.
Yet when Qin Jiming saw her at the hospital, he had not even asked her a single question.
He had even demanded that she apologize after Lin Jiujiu provoked her!
Shen Nianyi suddenly remembered how, several years ago, she had worked late into the night to handle Qin Jiming’s documents, then gone home through the rain. At the time, Lin Jiujiu had merely coughed once, and Qin Jiming had rushed around preparing her ginger soup. When Shen Nianyi had run a high fever that would not come down and called Qin Jiming, he had dismissed it as nothing more than a minor illness.
Later, when she went to the hospital for an IV, she saw that Lin Jiujiu had posted an update showing herself checking in at a new restaurant with Qin Jiming…
Huo Yuqing broke into her thoughts. “Since it’s nothing, let’s go home.”
As though he could see that she did not want to say anything more, Huo Yuqing remained silent on the way back.
The car headed toward the address she had glimpsed earlier. As they were about to get out, Shen Nianyi suddenly grew nervous.
She was still a little dazed when she entered the house. Huo Yuqing stopped her. “Change your shoes.”
Shen Nianyi looked down and saw that a brand-new pair of women’s slippers had already been prepared there.
Huo Yuqing gave her a brief, indifferent glance before walking off to the side to answer a call.
Not daring to disturb him, Shen Nianyi carefully looked around their newlywed home.
Though it was called a marital home, there was not the slightest festive decoration anywhere. The entire place was done in shades of black, white, and gray, as cold and austere as Huo Yuqing himself.
As she looked around, she was surprised to discover that beneath the cool, elegant, playboyish decor, all the brand-new daily necessities prepared for her were in bright colors. Even the slippers at her feet were pink.
The bedding on the master bedroom’s bed had even been changed to a deep purple.
It was clearly not Huo Yuqing’s style.
It could only have been prepared for her…
Shen Nianyi’s nose began to sting. No one understood better than she did how much thought such consideration required.
After all, she had once worked just as hard to build a “home” with Qin Jiming.
A sudden ringtone interrupted Shen Nianyi's thoughts. It was Gu Youran.
The moment Shen Nianyi answered, Gu Youran’s teasing voice came through. “Let’s interview the newly married woman: how well have you been taken care of?”
Shen Nianyi instinctively glanced at the man not far away and immediately felt guilty.
Her throat tightened. “What do you mean, ‘taken care of’? What are you talking about, you yellow-haired girl?”
She had only just been discharged from the hospital, and she really had been “taken care of” quite well!
But surely Gu Youran did not know that she had married her Third Brother?
Gu Youran cried out indignantly, “I told you ages ago that I didn’t like that bastard Qin Jiming. Look at this—how did you get married without even making the news? Don’t tell me that bastard doesn’t want that sister-in-law of his to find out!”
Only then did Shen Nianyi understand.
Had the wedding been kept out of the news? Was Qin Jiming the one who had done it?
Shen Nianyi composed herself and pretended to scold her lightly. “If you’d come to the wedding, wouldn’t you have known? You didn’t even attend my wedding. You’re so heartless!”
Gu Youran practically wailed, “Nianyi, if it weren’t for the heavy snow in South Africa, would I have been unable to get back? And then my phone broke too! The heavens must be against me because they were afraid I’d see Lin Jiujiu causing trouble and be unable to stop myself from slapping her! What a pity—you’re only getting married once, and I didn’t even make it!”
Shen Nianyi sighed. If Gu Youran knew about Lin Jiujiu’s outrageous stunt, she would definitely explode. She decided to tell her everything after she returned.
She was just about to offer a few more words of comfort when Huo Yuqing’s deep voice came from above her.
“Shen Nianyi.”
The sound nearly scared the soul out of her. Shen Nianyi hurriedly covered her phone, but it was already too late.
Gu Youran had been about to say goodbye, but now she let out a surprised “Huh?” “Bestie, where are you? Why do I feel like I just heard my Third Brother’s voice?”
Shen Nianyi shuddered, her ears suddenly turning red. “No, you didn’t. You must have heard wrong.”
“All right, I have something to take care of. We’ll talk when you get back!”
Shen Nianyi said goodbye at lightning speed, then lightly tapped the screen to end the call.
When she raised her eyes, she met Huo Yuqing’s faintly displeased gaze.
He curled his lips with a hint of mockery. “Miss Shen, am I really so shameful that you have to hide me?”
The smile at the corners of Shen Nianyi’s mouth stiffened slightly. Her long lashes trembled as her eyes darted evasively from side to side.
“I just wanted to wait until everything was settled before saying anything.”
They had only married in name. They might separate soon, in which case there would be no need to say anything at all!
Huo Yuqing gazed at her with dark, deep eyes, his expression unreadable.
He seemed a little unhappy.
She was about to explain further when Huo Yuqing spoke first.
“She won’t be back anytime soon, but you may not be able to keep it from everyone else.”
His tone was calm and indifferent, revealing nothing.
Shen Nianyi blinked in confusion. “Everyone else?”
Hadn’t the news of their marriage been suppressed?
Huo Yuqing pressed his lips together and cast her a sidelong glance. “Grandpa wants to see us.”
Shen Nianyi could not very well refuse. “All right. I’ll cooperate.”
“Go to the master bedroom and put your things away first.”
Shen Nianyi’s heart gave a sudden leap. “Mr. Huo, perhaps we should still sleep in separate rooms—”
Before she could finish, Huo Yuqing interrupted her. “I’ll move to the side bedroom for now.”
Shen Nianyi’s words came to an abrupt stop. “All right. I understand.”
The atmosphere around them immediately turned awkward. Shen Nianyi took an uncertain step backward, only to be stopped by the table beside her.
Huo Yuqing pulled a black card from his pocket and held it out to her. “Take this.”
“For household expenses. You can also use it to buy anything you like.”
How could Shen Nianyi accept it?
“No, it’s fine. I have my own—”
Without giving her a chance to refuse, Huo Yuqing opened her hand, placed the card in it, and folded her fingers around it.
But she instinctively pulled her hand away, avoiding his touch.
The man’s faintly mocking voice came from above her. “What? Are you still preserving yourself for your ex?”
She could not even let him touch her hand.
Shen Nianyi was mortified. She had just opened her mouth when the man had already turned away.
“I’ve prepared a set of daily necessities for you. If anything isn’t enough, go buy it yourself. If Grandpa finds out that I haven’t given you a household account, I’ll be subjected to family discipline.”
Shen Nianyi lightly bit her lip, then carefully put the card away.
She suddenly remembered that Qin Jiming’s supplementary card had always been given to Lin Jiujiu.
Shen Nianyi forced herself to stop thinking about it and returned to the master bedroom.
While putting away her things, she received another message from Su Mingxin.
As expected, it was yet another reminder for her to go on a blind date and follow her arrangements.
Shen Nianyi let out a cold laugh, and the warmth in her eyes froze inch by inch.
Her previously peaceful mood vanished without a trace. She did not reply. Instead, she opened another file on her phone.
The document showed that five percent of Niansi Company’s shares were now in her name.
Her grandmother had transferred them to her before.
Back then, Qin Jiming had said that the company was having some problems and did not have enough cash flow.
With no other options, Shen Nianyi had gone to ask her grandmother for help. Her grandmother had initially refused, but relented when she saw Shen Nianyi crying.
Her grandmother had said that since Niansi had been founded by Shen Nianyi’s father, the shares ought to belong to her.
Now, Shen Nianyi could only be grateful that Qin Jiming had not ended up using them. Otherwise, she would not have been able to keep those shares either.
Staring at the screen, Shen Nianyi’s eyes grew misty.
Back then, for the sake of being with Qin Jiming, she had given up so many things that should have belonged to her.
But Qin Jiming had never been her happiness. Perhaps she should not have pursued him from the very beginning.
She gently rubbed her eyes. As she stared at the number “5%,” her gaze gradually grew bright and resolute again.