Shen Chengyan didn’t even glance at the contract. He casually tossed it onto the coffee table and went to sit on the sofa.
Jiang Yu snapped, “I told you to sign it.”
Leaning back on the sofa, one hand pressed to his stomach and his head tilted slightly upward with his eyes closed, he replied in a bad tone, “You tell me to sign and I must sign?”
“Can you be reasonable for once?” she said angrily.
Suddenly, he said, “Can you make me something to eat?”
Jiang Yu was speechless for a long moment. “Do you even hear yourself right now?”
He opened his eyes. “I’m hungry. Go make food.”
“Go eat shit.”
“……”
He closed his eyes again in frustration, his face even paler.
From the moment he had been sitting there holding his stomach, Jiang Yu had already guessed his old stomach problem had flared up again.
But what did that have to do with her?
She crossed her arms, watching him coldly. “In pain? Didn’t your little lover just feed you fruit earlier?”
That seemed to irritate him. Shen Chengyan let out a cold laugh. “Did I even get to eat it? You suddenly showed up and ruined everything.”
Jiang Yu’s blood boiled. “Then call your little fox over to cook for you! Why are you ordering me around?”
“I would,” he said flatly, “but would you let her into this house?”
“……”
Damn it.
Jiang Yu had inherited her temper from Jiang Guodong—she had been beating up boys in elementary school.
But after marrying Shen Chengyan, knowing he preferred gentle, obedient women, she had restrained herself.
Now that divorce was on the table, she saw no need to keep pretending.
Just as she was about to fully explode, his weak voice came again. “Is there stomach medicine at home?”
“I don’t know.” She sounded impatient.
“Can you bring it for me?” His voice had softened, sounding genuinely unwell.
“Too painful to walk?”
“Mm.”
“Then crawl.”
“……”
“It’s just a few meters. Crawl slowly. You’ll make it. I believe in you.”
That finally seemed to anger him. His face went pale. “Wasn’t it you who once had period pain so bad you rolled in bed? Who was it that got up in the middle of the night to find painkillers and make you brown sugar water?”
Jiang Yu scoffed. “Oh, so doing that a few times and now you feel touched? I cooked, washed clothes, and served you like a servant for years—did you ever feel grateful?”
Shen Chengyan turned his face away.
He couldn’t argue with her anymore—otherwise he really might die from anger.
She always said he was heartless, but compared to her, who was more ruthless?
The living room was lit with cold white light. Under it, his brow bone looked sharp and proper, his face pale, lips nearly colorless.
Jiang Yu suddenly asked, “Your stomach problem was already cured by me. Why is it acting up again?”
He didn’t respond.
“You didn’t get stomach cancer, did you?” she added casually.
“……”
“Hopefully it’s late stage,” she said lightly.
“……”
“Shut up,” he finally said through gritted teeth. “Ever heard that stomach problems are emotional diseases? You’ve irritated me more in the past few days than in all the previous years combined. Of course my stomach is acting up.”
“Oh, so you don’t like being annoyed?” She leaned closer. “Then sign the papers. I promise I won’t annoy you again.”
She shoved a pen into his hand. “Sign it. I’ll get your medicine after.”
With a dark expression, he threw the pen away. It bounced across the floor.
“Are you insane?!” she yelled.
He suddenly collapsed back into the sofa, holding his stomach, his brow tightly furrowed. Cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
“Don’t act,” she warned.
But his breathing grew heavier.
“Hey!”
His face was pale, lips turning faintly bluish, brows tightly locked, looking fragile and broken.
Now Jiang Yu panicked a little. She hated him, yes—but she didn’t actually want him dead.
“Damn it, I must’ve owed you in my past life,” she cursed.
She quickly found the stomach medicine, something always kept at home, and helped him take it.
When she was about to let go, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Even in that condition, his grip was strong. She couldn’t pull away. “What are you doing?”
The medicine hadn’t taken effect yet. His stomach was still in pain, and he kept holding her tightly, eyes closed, head resting on the sofa armrest.
She bent closer, hearing him murmur weakly against her ear:
“Don’t move. Be good.”
……
Jiang Yu froze.
It was the first time he had ever said something like that to her.
The last time had been during their early relationship.
Back then, when he found out she suffered from period pain, he had taken her to see a traditional Chinese doctor.
The medicine was extremely bitter. Jiang Yu, someone who loved sweets, would gag after a single sip.
She refused to drink it again after trying once.
Shen Chengyan, rarely patient, had coaxed her endlessly.
“Hold your breath and swallow it. I know it’s bitter. Just endure it, okay?”
“Be good. If you don’t take it, how will you get better?”
“Listen to me.”
“I’m not scolding you. Why are you crying?”
In the end, he had given up and fed her the medicine mouth-to-mouth.
Both of them had turned red from embarrassment.
After that, she somehow found it less bitter.
Shen Chengyan slept after taking the medicine. When he woke up, only half an hour had passed.
He was lying on the sofa under a thin blanket. The stomach pain had eased.
From the dining area came faint sounds.
He sat up. The medicine was on the table.
Jiang Yu was eating.
One hand held her phone, one leg propped on a chair, eyes on a video while her mouth kept moving.
He stared at her for a moment before asking, “What are you eating?”
“Noodles,” she replied without looking at him.
“I’m hungry,” he said, sitting across from her.
She ignored him.
“I’m hungry,” he repeated.
Only then did she glance at him. “I’m not your mother. I don’t produce milk. Why are you telling me you’re hungry?”
“……”
He actually laughed in disbelief. “Can you be a bit more civilized?”
“I am like this,” she said coldly. “If you don’t like it, gouge your eyes out.”
“Even if I did, you still have a mouth.”
“Then cut off your ears too.”
“……”
He rubbed his temple. “Put your feet down. Sit properly.”
“I’m sick of you. You’re giving me secondhand dad vibes.”
“……”
He gave up arguing and went to the kitchen.
A moment later, he came back out, stunned. “You didn’t leave me a single bite?”
She rolled her eyes. “We’re fighting. You think I’m leaving you food? If I post that on social media, I’ll get canceled.”
“I can’t cook.”
“Then go eat shit.”
“Jiang Yu!”
“Call your mother.”
“……”
He exhaled sharply. “You already sent my mother to the hospital. Can you stop provoking me?”
That triggered her again.
“I sent her to the hospital? Does she have no eyes? Anyone can see she was perfectly fine acting like she was dying—and you, the so-called mom’s boy, believe everything and blame me!”
He said calmly, “After you left yesterday, she had chest tightness and difficulty breathing. She insisted she was fine until she fainted and was rushed to the hospital. The diagnosis was respiratory alkalosis.”
“……”
He continued, “I don’t think she was pretending. What do you think?”