This smoke-filled meeting between romantic rivals finally ended abruptly because the overbearing CEO was “ill” and unable to speak.
On the way home, Shen Dongjun did not even have time to be angry with his white moonlight. He simply glared fiercely at Zhu Yin, his anger reaching its maximum.
Zhu Yin bit down on her milk tea straw, completely unconcerned. She had been stared down by zombies and marked by cursed spirits. The overbearing CEO’s little glare was not even worth mentioning.
Han Qingzi did not understand what was going on. Although she was still angry with her husband, her concern over Shen Dongjun’s sudden loss of speech ultimately outweighed her temper.
She had suggested going straight to the hospital, but both Shen Dongjun and Zhu Yin shook their heads.
Shen Dongjun naturally knew that this was all Zhu Yin’s doing. He was not sick at all!
Zhu Yin comforted her. “The Young Master just caught a slight chill. It’s nothing serious. As for his loss of speech, he probably got used to shouting all the time and injured his throat, so he’s temporarily unable to speak.”
She delivered her nonsense with a perfectly serious expression. Yet whether it was because she looked too sincere, spoke with too much confidence, or for some other unscientific reason, Han Qingzi actually believed her.
Because the person most prone to exploding could not open his mouth, the atmosphere remained remarkably harmonious all the way home.
Back at the Shen Residence.
Shen Dongjun gave Han Qingzi a reassuring look before storming into the study with Zhu Yin.
Han Qingzi, left behind: …
Come to think of it, it was rather strange. Ever since Butler Zhu Yin had arrived, Shen Dongjun and Zhu Yin often met alone in the study.
Yet for some reason, even though such a young and beautiful woman was always alone with her husband, Han Qingzi could not feel the slightest sense of danger.
She simply had the inexplicable feeling that nothing could develop between Zhu Yin and Dongjun.
In the study.
Shen Dongjun glared at Zhu Yin.
Zhu Yin coughed. “Young Master, I was only thinking of your well-being.”
Shen Dongjun suddenly discovered that he could speak again. Sure enough, she had been behind it.
He said coldly, “So I should thank you for turning me into a mute?”
He had meant it sarcastically, but Zhu Yin actually nodded in wholehearted agreement. “Sometimes, if you really don’t know how to speak, it’s better to be a mute.”
Shen Dongjun: ??
Zhu Yin was deeply puzzled. “Young Master, you clearly knew just now that you had misunderstood the Young Madam. Why did you still lose your temper and prepare to say those hurtful things?”
She had no doubt that if Shen Dongjun had said those heart-piercing words just now, the feelings of this young married couple—which had only recently begun to thaw—would have entered another ice age.
Shen Dongjun was not a fool. He knew himself well, and it was not as though he had failed to notice that something was wrong with him.
Whenever he faced Han Qingzi, the calmness and self-control he had always been proud of completely collapsed.
Therefore, his dissatisfaction with Zhu Yin at this moment stemmed only from her forcibly silencing him without obtaining his consent.
He fell silent.
Sitting across from him, Zhu Yin propped up her chin and watched him. Then, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration. “Young Master, I have a brilliant plan!”
Shen Dongjun absolutely did not dare trust her. He immediately grew wary. “What kind of trouble are you planning to cause this time?”
Zhu Yin acted as though she had not heard him and asked, “Young Master, you only need to tell me this: Do you like the Young Madam? Do you want to clear up your misunderstanding with her and live sweetly and lovingly together?”
At her words, Shen Dongjun’s eyes widened slightly. With Zhu Yin’s remarkably keen powers of observation, she naturally did not miss the momentary expectation that rose in his eyes.
But that trace of emotion was quickly concealed. He stiffened his face and said coldly, “There is someone else in her heart.”
If Zhu Yin had not been watching him the entire time, she truly would not have noticed the faint grievance in his tone.
A question mark appeared above Zhu Yin’s head. Back in the private room, even she could tell that the Young Madam clearly cared more about the Young Master, couldn’t she?
Her eyes had kept drifting toward him, and after hearing that he was ill, she had completely forgotten everything else.
Had he not seen the dejected look on the white moonlight’s face?
But Zhu Yin could not be bothered to say any of that. Mainly because even if she did, the overbearing CEO would not listen.
She merely smiled at Shen Dongjun. “Young Master, don’t worry about anything else. Just tell me—do you believe me?”
Shen Dongjun shook his head without hesitation. He could not believe her in the slightest.
The next second, a cup of water appeared in front of him.
More precisely, it was a cup of some unknown substance.
The transparent cup was filled with a ghostly purple liquid. Most terrifying of all, the liquid bubbled and gurgled as though it were alive.
Shen Dongjun: “…”
Never mind that he already did not trust Zhu Yin. Even if he trusted her completely, drinking a cup of something like this would still require considerable courage, wouldn’t it?
He looked at Zhu Yin with a hollow stare, silently refusing.
Zhu Yin found his lack of appreciation irritating. “Other people would beg for a cup of my magic potion and still be unable to get one. I’m giving it to you for free, and you’re still unhappy?”
She did not force him. “In any case, it’s yours now. Whether you drink it is up to you. It will work as long as you drink it within a month.”
After that, she did not meet with the overbearing CEO alone again for an entire week.
Shen Dongjun and Han Qingzi did not seem to reconcile either. On the very night Shen Dongjun’s voice recovered, Han Qingzi moved out of the master bedroom, and the young couple entered a cold war.
This time, they did not argue again. However, with the two masters of the household wearing grim expressions every day, even the air felt chilly.
During that period, Shen Xin, who had suffered a defeat at Zhu Yin’s hands, still refused to give up. No one knew where he had found another beautiful young woman and brought her over.
When Zhu Yin saw the face of the new private doctor in the household, she failed to keep her expression under control and looked toward Han Qingzi.
Good grief. This time, Shen Xin had found Shen Dongjun a smaller-scale version of Han Qingzi.
She really wanted to pry open Shen Xin’s head and see what it was made of.
In any case, the new doctor was fired and sent home that very day. Shen Dongjun, who had already been holding in a stomachful of anger, drove to Shen Xin’s place that night.
The next day, when the overbearing CEO returned home, there were two bruises on his face.
Han Qingzi said nothing about it. She simply packed her luggage that same day.
“Shen Dongjun.” Her voice was filled with weariness. “I’m tired. I think we both need to calm down properly.”
Shen Dongjun stared fixedly at her. “Calm down? And then what?”
Han Qingzi froze. She bit her lip and said quietly, “Think it through carefully. Our marriage was never born of mutual love to begin with. You were unwilling from the very start. Perhaps the marriage itself was a mistake.”
She tilted her head and watched the scene curiously. The night before, Barbara had shown her a book of overbearing CEO fiction.
After Han Qingzi left, Shen Dongjun finally turned around after a long while.
Only then did Zhu Yin get a clear look at him. His expression was still cold and indifferent. There was nothing wrong with his eyes—there was no sign of them being red—and there were no traces of blood where his fingernails had dug into his palms.
“Butler.” Shen Dongjun suddenly called out to her.
Zhu Yin followed him into the study.
There, she saw Shen Dongjun open the safe and take out a familiar cup of magic potion.
Shen Dongjun stared intently at the unknown liquid. His Adam’s apple bobbed several times before he finally made up his mind.
“You said before that it could help me?”