The detective failed to deliver anything useful. Shen Yunli wasn’t surprised—no matter, she would take matters into her own hands.
She sent Lin Yizhi a message:
I’ve arranged for some people to scare your little sweetheart a bit. Manager Lin, don’t waste my good intentions.
When Lin Yizhi read the message, he frowned instinctively.
He thought of the dark alley Wen Yan had to pass through after work every day. From Shen Yunli’s tone, it was obvious—she had arranged for a few thugs to stage a confrontation, giving him the chance to play the hero.
Lin Yizhi felt disgusted.
Miss Shen, this kind of behavior is despicable. Please call them off. I don’t want Wen Yan to be hurt.
He couldn’t do it.
He couldn’t knowingly play along—pretend ignorance, escort Wen Yan home, wait for the staged attack, and then swoop in to save her just to win her heart.
The motive was too impure.
He absolutely couldn’t do it.
Shen Yunli replied:
Since I told you about it, she won’t get hurt.
Lin Yizhi responded:
Call them off. Otherwise, there’s no deal.
“Such a nagging idiot!”
Shen Yunli cursed under her breath and didn’t reply again.
That was a “surprise” she had carefully prepared for Wen Yan. Call it off? Ridiculous—who did he think he was?
From the moment he took the initiative to contact her and this conversation existed, he was already involved.
Did he really think it was that easy to board a pirate ship—and leave it?
If she had an easier way, she wouldn’t bother working with a man as overly gentle and indecisive as him.
Shen Yunli knew very well—
The most awkward position in all of this wasn’t Wen Yan.
It was her.
She valued the title of “Mrs. Fu” more than anyone. She wanted everything yet couldn’t afford to lose, which made her the most constrained.
Even knowing something was going on between Fu Linchuan and Wen Yan, she had never mentioned it in front of the old master.
Because she knew—no matter what, she was still an outsider.
What if one day the old master was moved by Wen Yan’s sincerity and decided to bless their relationship?
Yes, he treated her well—but family bonds were unreliable, especially when she had none with him.
Why would he stand on her side?
She couldn’t gamble on that.
Nor could she push Fu Linchuan too far.
She never exposed anything directly—only applied psychological pressure from the sidelines.
But after several attempts, she realized Fu Linchuan’s skin was too thick. Breaking through him would be difficult.
So she shifted her focus to Wen Yan.
Normally, she might resort to threats, slaps, even kidnapping.
But she didn’t.
Fu Linchuan valued Wen Yan too much. If pushed too far, he might defy the entire family and break off the engagement just to be with her.
And besides—he held more power than she did.
With her current financial background, hiring a private detective was already her limit.
Anything more, and she’d risk exposure.
If Fu Linchuan found out and confronted her with evidence in front of the family, what position would she have as an outsider?
So she chose a roundabout strategy—starting with Lin Yizhi.
If Wen Yan gradually lost faith in Fu Linchuan and fell for someone else, ending the relationship on her own, then even if Fu Linchuan was angry, he’d have nowhere to direct it.
Of course, that approach was more troublesome.
Honestly, Shen Yunli sometimes thought it would be easier to just burn all these nuisances away.
But she accepted these obstacles calmly.
You can’t have everything without sacrifice—that much she understood.
Even if she had to endure it, it was the price she had to pay.
Seeing no reply, Lin Yizhi felt uneasy. But since she chose to cooperate with him, he assumed she wouldn’t ignore his request completely.
Wen Yan came out after changing into her own clothes.
“Manager, I’m off work now. Goodbye.”
Lin Yizhi thought about the dark alley again. It wasn’t safe for her to walk alone.
But today, he couldn’t bring himself to escort her.
Even if Shen Yunli had already withdrawn her people, even if he didn’t need to act like a hero—he still couldn’t get past the moral barrier.
It just felt wrong.
After some hesitation, he lied:
“Wen Yan, it’s not very safe around here lately. Let me call you a car.”
Wen Yan waved her hands repeatedly, insisting that if she needed a ride, she should arrange it herself.
Not wanting her to refuse, Lin Yizhi had no choice but to use his authority as an excuse.
“I’m your manager. It’s my responsibility to ensure your safety.”
Wen Yan hesitated but still refused.
Left with no choice, he added, “I also called a car for Xiao Ling earlier, so don’t feel pressured.”
(In truth, Xiao Ling had begged him for help, and he couldn’t refuse directly, so he had arranged a ride.)
This time, Wen Yan finally agreed.
Lin Yizhi let out a breath of relief, thinking she should be able to get home safely.
But he was wrong.
From beginning to end, Shen Yunli had never arranged any thugs in the alley.
The “surprise” she prepared for Wen Yan… was at her home.
After a long day, Wen Yan returned to her small rented apartment, finally feeling able to relax.
But that sense of relief shattered the moment she couldn’t open the door.
No matter what she tried, it wouldn’t budge—it seemed locked from the inside.
At this hour, her roommate Zhizhi should be home. She usually left the door unlocked—why today…?
Thinking about how Zhizhi had recently gone through a breakup, a terrible thought crossed Wen Yan’s mind.
What if something had happened to her?
Just as her thoughts spiraled, the door suddenly opened.
Seeing Zhizhi standing there unharmed, Wen Yan sighed in relief and reached for her hand.
“You scared me! Why did you lock the door? I thought something happened to you.”
“What could happen to me?” Zhizhi avoided her hand, staring at her like she was interrogating a suspect. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that? Are you hiding something from me?”
Wen Yan felt uneasy and avoided her gaze. “Me? I’m not hiding anything. Zhizhi, why are you saying this all of a sudden?”
Her evasive eyes and questioning tone only further agitated Zhizhi’s fragile emotions.
The pent-up frustration finally exploded.
“You’re still pretending! If I hadn’t heard it from someone today, I’d still be kept in the dark by you—you homewrecker!”
“You knew he had a fiancée, and you still threw yourself at him! You knew I broke up because of a third party, and yet you—”
“You’re disgusting! These past few days you’ve been comforting me, but inside you were probably enjoying it, weren’t you? Wishing I’d suffer, wishing I’d die!”
“Because you’re the same kind of person! People like you just love ruining relationships and watching others fall apart because of you!”
Zhizhi poured everything out in one breath, saying whatever came to mind.
She was in pain—betrayed by her boyfriend, barely finding comfort in a friend, only to discover that friend was also “the other woman.”
In her eyes, Wen Yan—who had deceived her—was even worse than the woman who stole her boyfriend.
Wen Yan stood there, helpless.
It was true—she had hidden things about Fu Linchuan.
But she had her reasons…