"Qingyun?" Shen Fei'an walked to the bottom of the stairs. "It's getting cold now—why are you wearing so little?"
His gaze traveled downward, and he noticed that she seemed to be barefoot, not even wearing a pair of warm socks.
"Why did Wen Su take away the 'Yi Qi An Shen' project? Fei'an, I put nearly half a year of time and effort into it. Why would she do this? Just because I lost my husband? Is she trying to push me out too?"
After Lu Qingyun finished speaking, her movement down the stairs faltered, and she nearly stumbled and fell.
The man's heart sank. His tall frame ascended the stairs in a few strides, reaching out to steady the red-eyed, tearful Lu Qingyun. "Qingyun, calm down."
"Fei'an, that's my project. Even if… even if it initially borrowed from her ideas, I'm the one who brought it to where it is now. It's like my own child…"
Lu Qingyun lowered her gaze as large tears fell. She shook her head gently. "Is it because he's gone that I truly have no place left in the Shen family?"
"Alright, go upstairs and put on some clothes first. I'll have Wang Ma prepare a meal, and you can eat something in a bit." Shen Fei'an's tone was gentle.
"I have no appetite." After saying this, Lu Qingyun turned and grabbed the railing, walking upward. When she reached the top of the stairs, she covered her lips with her hand, her shoulders trembling slightly. "Fei'an, don't cast me aside like garbage and send me abroad, okay? I love this home. This is where I grew up. I can't bear to let it go…"
Shen Fei'an watched her frail figure, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Finally, he spoke with conviction: "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, you'll always be a member of the Shen family. No one can drive you out."
Lu Qingyun slowly turned her head, her tear-swollen eyes staring blankly at the man for a moment. At last, she responded softly: "Okay!"
In late autumn, darkness fell early. Wen Su finished her work and rushed back to Luojun Court Villa District as quickly as she could.
As soon as her car entered the gate, she saw a small figure sitting on the front steps.
Shen Siqing was holding a small bowl of cut fruit, eating while waiting for her mother to come home.
After parking the car, Wen Su strode toward her daughter.
"Mommy…" The happiest moment of Shen Siqing's day was seeing her mother's figure. She threw herself into her arms.
Wen Su picked up her daughter and couldn't resist planting several kisses on her cheeks. The sweet, milky scent briefly made her forget the exhaustion of the day.
Aunt Xiu walked out of the living room and reminded her with a smile: "Madam, dinner is ready. Will the master be coming home to eat?"
Wen Su was taken aback. Given what had happened at the company today, Shen Fei'an had been nowhere to be seen since the afternoon.
"He probably won't be." It was already seven-thirty.
"I'll call Daddy and ask." Shen Siqing trotted over on her little legs, found her phone watch on the sofa, and quickly dialed her father's number.
"Qingqing…" The man's deep, pleasant voice came through, carrying a unique tenderness reserved for his daughter. "What's wrong?"
"Daddy, where are you? Are you coming home for dinner?" Shen Siqing asked in her sweet, childish voice.
The man replied: "I've already eaten. Has Mommy come home?"
"Mm-hmm, she just got back."
"Have Mommy eat dinner with you. Daddy will be home a little later."
Shen Siqing let out an "Oh" and held up her phone watch, walking over to Wen Su. "Mommy, do you want to talk to Daddy?"
Wen Su was about to speak.
Then she heard a few soft coughs from a woman on the other end of the line, followed by Shen Fei'an's voice: "Qingqing, let's hang up now. Daddy will try to come home early."
"Okay… fine!" Shen Siqing hung up as well, then came over to take Wen Su's hand. "Mommy, let's go wash our hands and eat."
Wen Su stood frozen in place. Those two deliberately muffled coughs—she already knew who they belonged to.
Aunt Xiu had prepared a lavish dinner, but Wen Su was so distracted that she forgot to serve her daughter. The little one immediately nudged her arm with her little head. "Mommy, I want to eat meat."
Only then did Wen Su hurriedly check the pan-fried fish for tiny bones before placing it in her daughter's bowl.
Time flew by, and it was already nine-thirty. After bathing her daughter and practicing English with her for a while, Wen Su coaxed her to sleep, then went to her study to handle some urgent matters before finally returning to the bedroom.
As she passed the guest room, she glanced at her phone—it was already eleven o'clock.
The next afternoon, the company issued an announcement.
It read: After comprehensive consideration by company management, it has been decided that Dr. Lu Qingyun will continue to lead the later-stage matters of the "Yi Qi An Shen Granule Formulation Improvement" project. Dr. Wen Su, who needs to focus on the review of the "Star Chart Phase III" project, will no longer participate in the specific execution of this project.
This was the deputy director of R&D conveying the decision from above.
The news was like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring ripples in its wake.
Everyone understood without needing to say it—Lu Qingyun was practically a half-daughter of the Shen family, while Wen Su was merely a daughter-in-law married into the family. Between an outsider and a blood relative, who was the most suitable choice went without saying.
Wen Su received these looks of sympathy, scrutiny, and contempt, let out a soft sigh, and replied to the deputy director of R&D, indicating that she accepted the arrangement from above.
Just after three in the afternoon!
A figure appeared outside the office.
The woman wore an elegant beige suit, her face still bearing a hint of post-illness pallor—it was Lu Qingyun, who had been absent for days.
She walked through the meticulous corridor, receiving polite greetings from colleagues.
As she passed Wen Su's office area, she paused almost imperceptibly.
Her gaze did not waver, yet her demeanor had resumed its usual distant gentleness.
Wen Su had noticed the figure passing by the door, but she did not look up.
After she disappeared, Wen Su picked up the health-preserving tea beside her and took a sip.
The faint sweetness could no longer suppress the bitterness rising in her throat.
Shen Fei'an had given her a resounding response through the decision-making power over a project.
The desk phone rang, and Wen Su answered.
On the other end came a man's deep, mellow voice: "Come to my office."
Wen Su stepped into the CEO's office, and the heavy solid-wood door closed tightly, shutting out any outside prying.
Shen Fei'an sat behind the spacious desk, his body leaning slightly forward, exuding the air of a superior who brooked no doubt.
Because of Wen Su's seizure of the project, he had gained a new understanding of this obedient and gentle wife.
Facing the man's scrutinizing gaze, Wen Su stopped a few steps away from the desk.
Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a warm glow.
Yet the cold-toned office remained chilled in atmosphere.
"Have a seat!" Shen Fei'an gestured to the chair beside him.
Wen Su sat down as instructed, straightening her back and folding her hands on her knees, her posture carrying a hint of distance.
"Wen Su!" he began, his deep voice tinged with businesslike indifference: "The Yi Qi An Shen project will continue to be handled by Qingyun."
"This matter ends here."
Wen Su's lashes trembled almost imperceptibly as she waited quietly for him to continue.
Shen Fei'an rose, his tall and handsome figure moving past her, hands in his pockets as he stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing down at the steel forest below.
"I know you feel wronged, that it's unfair, but many things can't be judged by surface alone. Qingyun… her emotions are very unstable right now, and Grandmother intends to have her move abroad. For a woman who regards the Shen family as her only refuge and has placed all her emotions there, showing a little less aggression is better for everyone."
He paused, turning back to observe Wen Su's reaction.
Wen Su remained silent, though at some point her eyes had grown slightly dazed.
"Big Brother just left, and the equity is changing hands. During this critical period, we need internal stability even more." Shen Fei'an's voice deepened slightly: "You and Qingyun—one is my wife, the other my sister-in-law. If things get too tense, word spreading would reflect poorly on the Shen family. Grandmother certainly hopes for family harmony as well."