Everything happened in a flash—so fast that Shen Qingqiu and the other two heiresses didn’t even have time to react.
Before anyone could register it, Cheng Zewen was sent flying.
Silence!
The air froze at that very moment.
Not just Shen Qingqiu and Lin Ruoxi—even Ye Yunshen himself was shocked.
He hadn’t expected that a punch thrown on instinct would be so powerful.
It seemed that cultivating the Nine-layered Mystic Arts had really transformed him!
“Awen!!!”
The three heiresses’ anguished screams snapped Ye Yunshen back to reality.
They rushed to Cheng Zewen like madwomen, their faces deathly pale.
Despite the force of the blow, Cheng Zewen hadn’t passed out—but blood dripped from the corners of his mouth, his teeth broken and soaked in blood.
“Shen Yunshen, are you insane?!”
“What did you do?! What gave you the right to hit him?!”
The three of them screamed at Ye Yunshen hysterically. Their eyes weren’t just filled with anger—they were crazed.
To them, Ye Yunshen had been blinded by jealousy and had lashed out in rage.
But Cheng Zewen was someone they protected with everything they had—treated like fragile treasure. How dare Ye Yunshen lay a hand on him?
“Ptui!”
Cheng Zewen spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva mixed with a few teeth, glaring at Ye Yunshen with an icy stare.
Yet the words he spoke were weak and fragile, as if about to shatter, “Qingqiu, Ruoxi, don’t blame Brother Shen. He was right to hit me. After all, he’s suffered a lot these days because of me…”
He turned to Ye Yunshen and closed his eyes. “Brother Shen, if hitting me makes you feel better, then go ahead. No matter how many times you hit me, I’ll take it…”
“No!!”
The three heiresses screamed in unison, their shrill voices like the wails of a cuckoo soaked in blood.
They immediately shielded Cheng Zewen with their bodies, glaring at Ye Yunshen as if he had murdered their fathers.
Cheng Zewen, protected behind them, gave Ye Yunshen a twisted grin that seemed to say, “See? No matter what you do, the three heiresses will always side with me.”
“Go ahead and hit me. The more you hit, the more they’ll hate you. Even if you die, they won’t care…” The colder and more mocking Cheng Zewen’s smile became, the tighter Ye Yunshen clenched his fists.
Just as he was about to speak, Shen Qingqiu roared, “Shen Yunshen! Everything that happened was my decision! I told you to give blood to Awen! If you’re angry, come at me—don’t take it out on Awen, he’s just a patient…”
In Ye Yunshen’s memory, Shen Qingqiu had never shown this kind of emotion for any man.
He laughed bitterly, his voice laced with pain. “Patient? Heh… Miss Shen, did you forget? I’m a patient too…”
“You people—how much blood did you force out of me?!”
Shen Qingqiu and the others avoided his gaze. Their anger faded slightly—after all, they knew this was the one thing they truly owed him for.
Yet Xia Anran had the gall to retort, “How many times did you even donate blood? What, ten times at most? And you’re acting so wronged?”
“Right. Aside from the last time, when you donated more than usual, it was only a few times. We even let you rest and gave you the best supplements!” Lin Ruoxi added casually, as if dismissing his sacrifices.
Even Shen Qingqiu said coldly, “Shen Yunshen, you’re still far from the hundred times I asked for. Awen showed me the donation record—it was only nine times.”
Ye Yunshen couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
Nine times?
It was over a hundred times, goddammit!
Even if Cheng Zewen had destroyed the blood donation records—even if the three of them chose to ignore it—didn’t they feel anything from all that blood being drained?
Weren’t they supposed to be intelligent?
Couldn’t they do basic math?
Cheng Zewen said it, so it must be true?
How laughable.
How utterly chilling.
They had neglected him so much, they didn’t even remember how many times they had forced him to bleed.
That’s how little he mattered in their eyes—less than a weed by the roadside.
Ye Yunshen didn’t want to argue anymore. He walked around them, intending to leave.
“You’re not going anywhere!”
But the three heiresses blocked him firmly, not letting him pass.
“Explain—why did you hit Awen?!”
Their fists clenched as they stared at him, eyes burning with fury.
Ye Yunshen’s smile turned icy. He said coldly, “I hit him because I wanted to. Why do you need a reason?”
“You feel this much pain and anger from me hitting him once, but what about how you’ve treated me?”
His voice was filled with sorrow. “For three years, I treated you with nothing but gratitude. I wanted to repay you. I gave everything. I even accepted changing my surname.”
“But how did you treat me? From beginning to end, I was just a substitute. If he’s dying, what does that have to do with me? Why should I give blood to him? Do I owe him something?”
He pointed at Cheng Zewen in Shen Qingqiu’s arms, his voice rising. “At first, you at least pretended to be kind—saying, ‘just one time, just to save a life.’ But then you stopped pretending altogether. You had people tie me up and drag me to the hospital—forced me to donate!”
“And that’s not even mentioning the day-to-day neglect. Whatever Cheng Zewen wanted, you gave without hesitation. But me—just asking for a word of care—I could never find you.” This chapter was taken from NovelPing without permission.
Even though he had already decided to sever ties, recalling all of this still stirred pain in his chest.
“Shen Qingqiu, Miss Shen—there was a time when I was proud to bear the name ‘Shen.’ But now, I feel nothing but shame.”
His barrage of accusations left the three women stunned, their eyes complicated.
Shen Qingqiu pursed her lips and responded coldly, “We’re talking about you hitting Awen. Why are you bringing up the past?”
“Regardless of the past, hitting Awen is a fact. Only weak men lose control of their emotions. Do you think hitting him will make us care about you more? It only makes us look down on you more.”
Lin Ruoxi added, “Exactly. Acting out like this just to get attention is pathetic.”
Ye Yunshen chuckled. “Not even curious why I hit him?”
“Do we need to ask? You already said it—because you felt like it. No need for explanations!”
“You were jealous of Awen. That’s why you lost it and hit him. Isn’t that reason enough?” Lin Ruoxi and Xia Anran sneered together.
Ye Yunshen’s expression darkened deeply.
He had hit Cheng Zewen because he framed him. That was always his game—setting him up.
He deserved to be hit!
But Lin Ruoxi and Xia Anran believed him unconditionally.
It had always been this way. Every time there was friction, they sided with Cheng Zewen without hesitation.
No matter how Ye Yunshen explained himself, it was useless.
It was just one of many examples.
All trust is reserved for the ones you love.
For those you don’t, even if you bleed your heart out, no one will believe you.
“Say whatever you want… the divorce cooling-off period is almost over. The Shen family’s debt to me is paid in full. We’re done.”
Ye Yunshen laughed coldly.
That sentence triggered Shen Qingqiu and the others again.
Combined with Ye Yunshen’s complete change—new clothes, new attitude, no longer showing restraint—it confirmed one thing: Ye Yunshen really wanted to leave them.
The heiresses, already furious, snapped completely.
“Ye Yunshen, you’re lucky. Besides you, we’ve found another blood donor compatible with Awen. Your debt is paid.”
“But that’s just what you owed to Sister Qingqiu’s family. What about us?” Xia Anran sneered. “Back then, when you were barely alive, it was Ruoxi who went against her family and stole a priceless life-saving pill from the family treasure vault for you. You would’ve died without it!”
“My father pulled strings to get Master Wu to step in and negotiate for you. He got slapped three times in front of everyone! Someone who values face so much—slapped three times in public! And you say your debt is cleared?”
As she spoke, Xia Anran walked toward Ye Yunshen.
She stood before him, her eyes red like they were bleeding.
“Shen Yunshen, don’t even think about running away. What you owe us—you’ll never repay.”