“You’ve been married for two years. We’ve done it 666 times.”
“Brother, do you think Sister knows?”
A sweet, cloying voice drifted through the crack in the door.
Shen Qingli stood rooted to the spot.
The blood throughout her body turned cold.
She had come to Pei Wendu’s office in high spirits, wanting to tell him that she could hear again.
She never expected to hear the news that Pei Wendu had been cheating on her.
And his affair partner was no one else.
It was Pei Wendu’s adopted younger sister.
She was also the culprit who had reduced her younger brother to a vegetative state—Song Ming Yan!
Shen Qingli lowered her eyes.
So this was what it felt like.
To hear something so heartbreaking.
More voices continued to come from inside, one after another, without interruption.
Song Ming Yan’s voice was unsteady. “Brother, you and Sister have been married for two years already, yet you still come looking for me every night. Why don’t you just make do with Sister?”
A voice she had not heard in many years.
The childishness of his youth had faded, replaced by a deep, sensual lowliness. “Dirty.”
Song Ming Yan let out a coquettish, seductive laugh. “That’s right. Sister married an old man. She’s probably been played with until she’s broken.”
Shen Qingli clenched her fists tightly.
The ring’s cold touch spread through every inch of her body.
Dirty?
Pei Wendu had said she was dirty.
Shen Qingli pulled her lips apart and silently laughed.
The five million she had sold herself for had become the startup capital for Pei Wendu’s career.
The hand gripping the doorknob slipped weakly downward.
With trembling fingertips, Shen Qingli took out her phone and opened the camera. Holding it in her hand, she extended it through the crack in the door…
She recorded evidence that could prove Pei Wendu was cheating on her.
Shen Qingli stumbled back two steps.
Then she turned and left resolutely.
In the taxi on the way home, Shen Qingli’s phone vibrated.
She took it out and glanced at it. Drawing a deep breath, she forced back the dampness clogging her throat before answering. “Mom.”
Yu Zhiqiu asked, “You’re wearing your hearing aid, right? Is Wendu beside you? Ask him when the second-phase funding he promised to give your Uncle Min will be deposited. His entire company is waiting for that money to keep things running.”
Shen Qingli: “…”
Yu Zhiqiu continued interrogating her. “Have you not been going to the hospital to see your brother lately? The several systems keeping Yu’an’s vital signs stable need their rental fees paid again. Remember to have Wendu pay them. If they stop for even one minute, your brother’s life will be in danger.”
Shen Qingli closed her eyes.
Yu’an had been in a vegetative state for two years. The reason he had been able to maintain his vital signs until now was that Pei Wendu had paid a huge sum to lease exclusively developed equipment from a cutting-edge biotechnology laboratory overseas. Because the equipment involved technology patents, the annual rental fee was as high as ten million.
Perhaps because Shen Qingli had remained silent for too long, Yu Zhiqiu raised her voice. “There’s one more thing. A few days ago, I went shopping with several ladies, and one of them told me she saw Wendu shopping with some shameless woman.”
Shen Qingli sniffed. “Mom, if… if Pei Wendu really is cheating on me, I’ll get a div—”
Before she could finish, Yu Zhiqiu launched into a furious tirade.
“Shen Qingli, are you so full of yourself that you have nothing better to do? You’re deaf and disabled, and being able to marry into the Pei family is a blessing you earned over several lifetimes! How many people want that blessing and can’t get it, yet you want to push it away?
“I’m telling you, even if it’s not just cheating—even if that woman comes to the door with a big belly—you still have to obediently serve her during her confinement! As long as you keep your position as Mrs. Pei, you’ll keep a lifetime of wealth and prosperity! If you leave Wendu, Yu’an, you, me, and your Uncle Min—we’ll all starve to death!”
Yu Zhiqiu’s shrill voice carried through the phone and into the driver’s ears.
The driver looked at Shen Qingli through the rearview mirror, his gaze filled with sympathy and regret.
After a pause, Shen Qingli’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Then let’s all go die.”
She hung up.
Shen Qingli raised her hand and wiped away the damp, cold tear tracks before dialing a number. “The prenuptial agreement Pei Wendu and I signed before we got married is with you, right? Please draft a divorce agreement for me as well, and bring both of them to me tomorrow.”
The person on the other end agreed.
Shen Qingli gave a bitter laugh.
Pei Wendu had probably forgotten.
Before they got married, he had insisted on signing an agreement to demonstrate his devotion to Shen Qingli.
He had said—
If Pei Wendu cheated during the marriage,
then everything under his name
would belong to Shen Qingli.
He would take not a single penny and leave the marriage with nothing.
Shen Qingli stayed in the living room until two in the morning.
Pei Wendu finally returned.
Seeing the woman sitting beneath the dim light, Pei Wendu was surprised. He walked over.
【Why haven’t you gone to sleep yet? Didn’t I tell you I’d be working overtime tonight?】
The man’s long, handsome fingers moved through elegant arcs in the air.
Shen Qingli suddenly remembered that year.
Her father had died saving Pei Wendu.
She had lost her hearing due to the trauma.
Pei Wendu had clumsily taught himself sign language. Working day and night without rest, he had mastered it in only a month, then taught it to her and her younger brother, Shen Yu’an.
Pei Wendu at that time
had said he would treat her well for the rest of his life.
Shen Qingli lifted her head and looked at the red mark inside Pei Wendu’s collar. “Are you tired?”
Pei Wendu froze.
Then he broke into a smile.
He took Shen Qingli’s fingers and kissed them.
Immediately afterward, he produced a bracelet as if by magic.
Under the dim light, the diamonds glittered brilliantly.
This was the 666th gift Pei Wendu had given Shen Qingli in their two years of marriage.
Pei Wendu personally fastened it around Shen Qingli’s wrist.
【It fits perfectly. It’s beautiful.】
His gaze was gentle.
The corners of her eyes were damp.
She had originally thought that this was love repeated 666 times.
Never realizing
that it was guilt and compensation after 666 uninterrupted affairs.
Shen Qingli pulled her hand away.
She silently laughed. “Do you still remember what day it is three days from now?”
Pei Wendu patiently moved his fingers.
【The company will go public, and its market value will double. It’s also the second anniversary of our marriage. Lili, I’ll give you a gift then.】
Shen Qingli nodded. “I’ve prepared a grand gift for you too.”
A gift
that would set him free.
A gift so he would no longer need to sneak around to sleep with Song Ming Yan.
Pei Wendu patted the back of Shen Qingli’s hand.
【Go to bed early. Tomorrow is Uncle Shen’s death anniversary. We’ll go pay our respects at his grave.】
The next day.
Snow fell thickly.
On the way to the cemetery, Pei Wendu’s phone rang.
Whenever Shen Qingli was with Pei Wendu, she never wore her hearing aid.
So Pei Wendu did not avoid answering in front of her. He answered directly. “What’s wrong?”
Song Ming Yan’s voice rose and fell, full of terror. “Brother, that drunk neighbor is knocking on the door again. I’m so scared. Can you come over?”
Pei Wendu frowned slightly. “I’ll have Yang Xin go over and handle it.”
A barely perceptible note of disappointment was mixed into Song Ming Yan’s voice.
She obediently hummed in agreement. “All right, Brother.”
The call ended.
Clutching the corner of her clothes, Shen Qingli consoled herself bitterly. Fortunately, he should still feel grateful to her father.
Shen Qingli let out a breath of relief.
The car had been moving smoothly for less than two minutes when Pei Wendu’s phone rang again.
He accepted the call with a frown.
It was still Song Ming Yan’s voice, delicate and tender. “Brother, I’m scared. He’s picking the lock…”
Pei Wendu suddenly slammed on the brakes.
Shen Qingli was caught off guard. Her whole body lurched forward, and her forehead nearly struck something.
After the car came to a stop,
the seat belt pulled her safely back.
The violent motion back and forth left Shen Qingli dizzy and muddle-headed.
She furrowed her brows and looked at Pei Wendu with calm, emotionless eyes.
Pei Wendu’s expression softened.
【Lili, I’m sorry. There’s an emergency at the company today. I’m afraid I can’t go with you to pay respects to Uncle Shen. I’ll try to finish up as soon as possible and come find you.】
A scorched smell rose in Shen Qingli’s heart.
She smiled understandingly. “It’s all right. Go take care of your work.”
Pei Wendu’s face was full of guilt.
Unable to stop himself, he raised his hand, wanting to touch Shen Qingli’s hair to comfort her.
But Shen Qingli dodged.
Pei Wendu’s hand met empty air.
His palm was empty, and for some inexplicable reason, a piece of his heart felt empty too.
But Pei Wendu did not dwell on it.
He opened the car door for Shen Qingli.
Shen Qingli got out.
Pei Wendu then sped away impatiently.
Shen Qingli’s outstretched hand hung suspended in the air. “Wait…”
Her coat was still in the car.
A biting wind swept over her, carrying bone-chilling cold. Shen Qingli shuddered violently.
She took a taxi to her father’s grave.
She pulled out some of the weeds.
Then she burned incense and paper offerings for her father.
At last, she sat down wearily in front of the grave and chatted with her father at length.
Only when a shadow fell over her from behind did Shen Qingli turn around.
“Lawyer Lin, did you bring the things I asked you to bring?”
Lawyer Lin nodded.
He glanced at the snow piled on Shen Qingli’s head and shoulders, then quickly opened his briefcase.
He took out the agreement and handed it to Shen Qingli.
Shen Qingli accepted it with both hands, her fingertips chilled. “Thank you.”
Lawyer Lin was about to type something on his phone to show Shen Qingli.
She lifted her head. “You can speak. I can hear you.”
Lawyer Lin looked astonished and incredulous. “You can hear now?”
Shen Qingli nodded.
After thinking for a moment, Lawyer Lin said of his own accord, “Mr. Xu once gave me the opportunity that shaped my career. You’re raising Mr. Xu’s son now, so I have a duty to help you. If you need a lawyer, you can contact me at any time.”
Shen Qingli raised her head.
Her exquisite, doll-like face was covered in sorrow. “Thank you.”
Perhaps seeing the bewilderment in Shen Qingli’s eyes, Lawyer Lin said softly, “When you treat someone as your faith, you’ll feel lost after that faith collapses.”
Faith.
Yes.
Pei Wendu had always been her faith, her very life.
Back then,
in the very place where she was sitting now,
Pei Wendu had written his vow on the ground with bloodshot eyes, one word at a time.
【Lili, I’ll repay Uncle Shen’s life with my entire lifetime. This life of mine is yours!】
She had never wanted Pei Wendu’s life.
But Pei Wendu
had taken half of hers.
Her phone vibrated.
Shen Qingli took it out and glanced at the message from Pei Wendu.
【Lili, something came up at Ming Yan’s house. I’m bringing her to our home, and she’ll be staying with us for a few days.】