After dozing off in Qin Fu’s arms, Gu Nianqing slept soundly—while Shen Yu caused chaos in the residential complex for the entire afternoon.
He tried every trick he could think of to force the property management to reveal Gu Nianqing’s apartment number.
He failed.
This neighborhood was packed with second-generation elites from Beijing’s upper circles. Precisely because of that, confidentiality was taken extremely seriously.
The property manager took several punches from Shen Yu but refused to say a single word, stubbornly upholding professional ethics. In the end, after the Shen family came to retrieve their son, the manager received a substantial compensation payout—and promptly filed for medical leave and vacation that very night.
Rumor had it that after Shen Yu was dragged back to the family estate, he received his third round of punishment in just two days.
This time, Xiao Ran was punished as well.
The trending topics “Shen Family Daughter-in-Law Returns to the Spotlight” and “Shen Heir Goes Crazy for Love” had already climbed to the top of Weibo. Xiao Ran, who had lived quietly in the Shen family for years, suddenly became the center of attention.
Unfortunately, it was the last thing she wanted.
The old patriarch of the Shen family showed no mercy this time. His cane struck Shen Yu again and again, layering fresh welts over bruises that hadn’t yet faded. The sight was brutal.
Xiao Ran cried her heart out, throwing away all pride as she repeatedly kowtowed, begging the old man to show mercy.
But her pleas only made things worse.
The moment she spoke up, the old man was reminded of how this entire mess had started.
At the root of it all—if Xiao Ran hadn’t gone out of her way to provoke Gu Nianqing, none of the subsequent chaos would have happened.
Earlier, after handling matters at the police station, the family lawyer had returned with a grave expression. He informed them that the lawyer representing Gu Nianqing—Ouyang Che—was one of the hottest legal aces in Beijing in recent years, undefeated in every case he had taken.
The Shen family had tried for years to win him over, but he had always remained neutral.
No one expected that the moment he took a stance, it would be against them.
That added even more blame onto Xiao Ran.
Originally, the old patriarch had shown some restraint toward her—after all, she was no longer young and was a mother. Though his words had been harsh, he hadn’t resorted to physical punishment.
But at this critical moment, Xiao Ran’s outburst only doubled his fury.
“You still dare to speak?!”
His face flushed dark red, his breathing turning uneven. Shen Pei, who had been playing the ostrich until now, hurriedly handed him blood pressure medication.
“Dad, please calm down—take your medicine first…”
The old man slapped him across the face.
“How did I end up with such a useless son?!”
Seeing Shen Pei clutch his cheek in silence didn’t calm him down—instead, it only irritated him more.
“Look at yourself! You can’t even manage your own small family properly! How can I trust you with company projects?!”
Hearing this, Shen Pei panicked.
Recently, he had been visiting the family estate frequently, trying his best to please his father—keeping him company, lifting his spirits. The old man had finally softened and was about to assign him a new project.
It had been within reach.
And now, at the last moment, it was ruined by his wife and son.
“Dad, please—just give me one more chance!” Shen Pei pleaded desperately, ignoring Xiao Ran, who was still sobbing nearby.
Just then, Shen Yao returned from taking a phone call and let out a cold laugh.
“Fourth brother, maybe you should start by managing your own household. Shen Yu alone already sent Ah Ling to the hospital. Add you into the mix, and I’m afraid my daughter wouldn’t survive the damage.”
Shen Pei’s expression darkened, about to argue—but the old patriarch had already turned, alarmed.
“What happened to Ah Ling?”
Shen Yao sighed.
“She went to negotiate compensation with the factory over halting production. They’re being sued by Qimeng too, so they’re biting back hard. Ah Ling had to drink with several factory heads… she couldn’t take it anymore and ended up in the hospital for a stomach pumping.”
The old man’s face turned ashen.
He raised his cane toward Shen Yu again.
Xiao Ran rushed forward to block it with her arm—only to scream in pain as the blow landed hard.
No matter how invisible she had been in the family, she was still a pampered rich wife. It had been years since she’d suffered physical pain like this.
That strike was merciless—she felt like her arm might break as she curled up on the ground, wailing.
Shen Yu had been gritting his teeth through the punishment, but her scream shattered his composure. When the next blow came, he couldn’t hold back anymore and cried out in agony.
The room descended into chaos once again.
Watching his father’s condition worsen, Shen Pei was at a complete loss, panic written all over his face.
Shen Pei shot a venomous glare at Shen Yao, as if the man before him wasn’t his older brother—but a sworn enemy.
Shen Yao didn’t back down. He met the stare head-on, his eyes full of mockery.
Originally, Feixian had been a company under Shen Ling’s name. After collaborating a few times with that girl from the Xu family, the business had flourished across the board.
Setting aside her illegitimate background, Gu Nianqing was undeniably brilliant. Her team constantly produced innovative ideas—some even caught the attention of national-level initiatives.
Because of this once-overlooked subsidiary, even the Xu Group had gained significant prestige.
Most of the younger generation in their circle had already grown up. They were no longer the mindless followers they used to be around Shen Yu. They understood Gu Nianqing’s capabilities, and very few were willing to reject working with her just because of her status.
After all—who turns down money?
Shen Ling had been one of the first to extend an olive branch to Gu Nianqing.
And Gu Nianqing didn’t hold grudges over childhood exclusion. As long as the price was right and the offer sincere, she worked with anyone.
The Shen family, of course, had no shortage of money.
Through her partnership with Gu Nianqing, Shen Ling had repeatedly gained recognition in front of the old patriarch.
—Until everything she built was taken from her.
Two years ago, Gu Nianqing approached Shen Ling with a new project. Negotiations went smoothly, and everything was ready—until the contract was about to be signed.
That was when the old patriarch personally intervened, ordering Shen Yu to replace Shen Ling as the person in charge of liaising between Feixian and Qimeng.
It was blatant favoritism—but in the Shen family, it was nothing unusual.
After all, Shen Yu was the only male heir of his generation. The old patriarch had high expectations for him.
If Shen Ling refused, Feixian would lose all financial backing and connections from the Shen family.
Feixian was her life’s work. She couldn’t bear to watch it collapse, so she compromised.
During that time, she was deeply depressed—but she couldn’t show it in front of the old man.
Shen Yao saw everything and felt the pain for her.
Just because his child was a daughter—did that mean all her hard work was destined to be handed over to someone else?
It wasn’t that Shen Yao didn’t understand his father’s thinking. He himself had some bias toward sons—but that didn’t justify trampling his daughter’s achievements.
If Shen Yu had been some kind of business prodigy, it would’ve been one thing.
But that spoiled brat was nothing of the sort.
The only reason Shen Yu hadn’t made any major mistakes since getting involved in the family business was because he had a top-tier professional team covering for him.
Honestly, even Shen Yao envied that team.
If Shen Ling had been given the same resources, her achievements would have far surpassed Shen Yu’s.
And no matter how capable a team is, if the person in charge is incompetent, things will eventually fall apart.
And now—they had.
Back when Shen Yu insisted on adding extra orders right before the contract deadline with Qimeng, Shen Ling already sensed something was wrong.
But her warnings were met with nothing but his impatient shouting.
She understood exactly what he was trying to do—but Gu Nianqing wasn’t someone who could be bullied or coerced. She didn’t respond to pressure or bribery—only with ruthless retaliation.
Of course, Shen Yu had his confidence.
After deciding to push the additional order, his team worked nonstop for three days and nights, analyzing Qimeng’s financial flow and partnerships over the past six months.
Their conclusion: aside from the Shen family, the chance of Qimeng finding another buyer to take over their products was less than 20%.
With that assurance, Shen Yu happily returned home to chase girls, fully expecting Gu Nianqing to eventually bow her head.
But that remaining 20% chance—
was exactly the path Gu Nianqing seized.
The Shen family hadn’t expected her to find a solution so quickly. And what Shen Yu couldn’t accept was the price of that solution—
her own marriage.
To the rest of the Shen family, however, that price meant almost nothing.
After all, Gu Nianqing was the kind of person who, even as a child, dared to drag down thunder on her enemies.
What was the value of a marriage for an illegitimate daughter like her?
In the end, what’s done was done. A resolution had to be reached.
But the thoughts of Shen Yao and Shen Ling were very different from the rest of the family.
After all, it was Shen Ling who had been forced to give up her own flesh and blood—the pain of that loss was something only she truly understood.
And if sacrificing Feixian could completely cut off Shen Yu’s ability to interfere with them ever again—
then perhaps that sacrifice would be worth it.