Volume 1, Chapter 20: Shen He is so beautiful, who wouldn’t be moved?
As soon as the two returned to the office, they saw a large bouquet of Black Magic roses on the reception desk.
Jun Lin whistled loudly and teased Shen He, "Wow, Mu Tingyun has sent flowers to our Shen beauty again."
Mu Tingyun adored Black Magic roses, believing that their velvet-like texture and premium quality perfectly matched Shen He’s elegance.
So he always sent Black Magic roses.
Seeing the two bosses return, the receptionist Xiao Lin smiled and told Shen He, "Shen, Mr. Mu came to the company twenty minutes ago and left this bouquet of flowers along with a gift for you."
Xiao Lin took a gift box from the drawer, placed it beside the flowers, and relayed to Shen He, "Mr. Mu said he’s going on a business trip for three days and will return on his birthday."
Birthday?
Shen He nearly forgot about Mu Tingyun’s birthday.
"Mu Tingyun’s birthday?" Jun Lin asked Shen He, "What are you planning to give him for his birthday?"
"Give him eighteen top-tier models." Shen He said with a serious expression.
Jun Lin burst into laughter, pointing at the gift box eagerly, "Quick, open it and see what’s inside."
Xiao Lin promptly handed a small scissors to Shen He.
Shen He opened the gift box, revealing a pair of Piaget Rose Collection diamond fringe earrings.
Xiao Lin praised, "They’re really beautiful!"
Jun Lin exaggeratedly exclaimed, flattering, "Truly worthy of Mu Tingyun, casually giving a pair of earrings worth tens of thousands. Shen beauty’s charm is boundless."
Looking at those fringe earrings, Shen He felt a twist in her stomach, almost vomiting right there.
She could never forget the scene from her previous life—on Qin Yinong and Mu Tingyun’s wedding night, Qin Yinong was completely naked, wearing only Shen He’s jewelry while fooling around with Mu Tingyun in the bathtub.
Even after Shen He’s death, her jewelry relics could still become part of that despicable couple’s play.
That night, Qin Yinong wore these rose earrings on her ears.
Shen He abruptly closed the lid.
She closed her eyes, forcefully suppressing the overwhelming hatred in her heart, and said to the receptionist, "Xiao Lin, take apart these roses and arrange them in vases on the employees’ desks."
Xiao Lin was stunned, "Shen, are you sure?"
Jun Lin also found it strange and joked with Shen He, "You always treasured the flowers Mu Tingyun sent. How could you bear to dispose of them?"
Shen He said in a joking tone, "I even want to dispose of Mu Tingyun."
Jun Lin narrowed his eyes, stating firmly, "Did you two quarrel?"
"No." Shen He shook her head, speaking affectionately, "I love him like my life, how could I bear to quarrel."
Jun Lin: "…"
Despite being a very cheesy love declaration, Jun Lin felt cold sweat dripping.
Returning to her office, Shen He found a good angle, took several photos of the earrings, and posted them on her Weibo platform.
Shen He captioned: 【Roses never wither, deep affection is never betrayed.】
Four years ago, Shen He, then a student in the architecture department at A University, gained fame online with her exceptional beauty. Her Weibo account had thirty thousand followers, and as soon as she posted, she received five to six hundred likes.
Shen He didn’t believe Qin Yinong truly didn’t mind her existence.
Watching the continuously increasing likes, Shen He suspected Qin Yinong was hiding in the shadows, like a rat in the gutter, secretly observing her life.
She would frequently showcase her happiness in the future, to thoroughly disgust Qin Yinong.
Over time, Qin Yinong naturally grew suspicious of Mu Tingyun.
Among the thirty-six stratagems of political maneuvering, the strategy of winning hearts and minds ranks first, and for good reason.
Shen He opened WeChat again and sent Mu Tingyun a heart-shaped emoji, then typed out a message with an expressionless face before sending it—
Shen He: "Received the roses from Brother Mu. Thank you, Brother Mu. Love you."
Putting down her phone, Shen He picked up her water glass and took a big gulp, suppressing the feeling of nausea.
When Mu Tingyun received Shen He's WeChat message, he had just passed through security and was checking in for his flight.
Seeing Shen He call him "Brother Mu," Mu Tingyun smirked playfully and replied: "Call me 'brother' and let me hear it?"
Upon receiving the message, Shen He smiled slyly, deliberately refusing to give him what he wanted.
She replied: "On your birthday, I'll say it to you in person."
After piquing Mu Tingyun's interest, Shen He tossed her phone aside and focused on her work.
Mu Tingyun sent several follow-up messages, but when Shen He didn't respond, he knew she was deliberately stringing him along.
To be honest, he was quite looking forward to three days from now.
Half an hour later, Mu Tingyun's plane soared into the sky, heading toward H Shi. Shen He also logged back into Weibo and posted her second update of the day.
4:00 PM.
The plane landed safely at H Shi International Airport.
As soon as Mu Tingyun emerged from the VIP passageway, his phone rang.
It was an unfamiliar number without a saved contact, registered in H Shi.
Glancing at the phone number he had memorized by heart, a smile spread across Mu Tingyun's face.
"Yinong," he called Qin Yinong's name, his voice filled with tenderness and affection.
"Brother Mu," Qin Yinong's soft, delicate voice reached Mu Tingyun's ears. "Have you arrived? I've prepared dinner and am waiting for you to come over and eat together."
Mu Tingyun said, "I'm at the airport now. I should be at your place in about forty minutes. Why did you cook yourself? Where's Aunt Zhang?"
Qin Yinong replied, "I gave her the day off."
"Brother Mu, it's been so long since I've seen you. I just wanted to be alone with you."
Mu Tingyun was completely taken in by Qin Yinong's approach.
Thinking about how he had been preoccupied with Shen He lately and hadn't spent much time with Qin Yinong, a sense of guilt welled up in his heart.
"Yinong, for the next three days, I'll be with you."
"Okay, Brother Mu, I'll be waiting for you."
After hanging up the phone, there wasn't a trace of a smile on Qin Yinong's fair and delicate face.
She exited the contacts interface and opened the Weibo app.
Her Weibo was still on Shen He's profile page.
Shen He had posted two updates today.
The first update consisted of three pictures: the first two were beautifully packaged bouquets of roses, and the third was a pair of diamond tassel earrings shaped like roses.
The second update was a screenshot of a chat conversation. Both profile pictures were cropped out, leaving only a brief exchange of questions and answers.
The WeChat user said: "Received the roses from Brother Mu. Thank you, Brother Mu. Love you."
The other person replied: "Call me 'brother' and let me hear it."
The WeChat user said: "On your birthday, I'll say it to you in person."
Qin Yinong didn't need to think hard to figure out who "Brother Mu" was.
Shen He had never flaunted her relationship on Weibo before, rarely even on her social media. So Qin Yinong had never known that Mu Tingyun and Shen He interacted in such an intimate and ambiguous way.
Every time Mu Tingyun mentioned Shen He in front of her, he always wore an impatient and disgusted expression, so Qin Yinong had genuinely believed that Mu Tingyun was merely humoring Shen He.
Yet that bouquet of vibrant roses, those exquisitely crafted earrings, and those ambiguous chat records had unsettled Qin Yinong's heart.
Qin Yinong could see that in this manipulative relationship, Mu Tingyun was clearly enjoying himself!
Qin Yinong believed Mu Tingyun loved her.
She also believed that Mu Tingyun's closeness to Shen He was merely to deceive Shen He's trust, helping her obtain Shen He's healthy heart.
After all, she was Mu Tingyun's salvation, the most irreplaceable love in Mu Tingyun's heart.
But.
But Shen He was so beautiful.
As a woman herself, Qin Yinong couldn't find a single flaw in Shen He.
With Mu Tingyun spending day and night with such an exceptional woman, could he truly remain unmoved?
Qin Yinong's heart was in turmoil.