Xie Jinghong extinguished his cigarette and gave Tang Yue’ai an inscrutable glance.
Then he lowered his gaze, staring fixedly at her, yet said nothing.
He simply raised a slender index finger to his lips, gesturing for silence.
After that, he picked up his suit jacket and strode away with long, swift steps.
Tang Yue’ai watched his retreating figure—tall and straight.
Even from behind, his presence was overwhelming, exuding the untamable aura of a top-tier powerhouse.
To speak of this man, he was undoubtedly the finest among the finest.
Far superior to Fu Yanshen!
It’s just a pity…
The one in his heart… should be Ning Shu, right??
For no reason, Tang Yue’ai’s eyes reddened, but she smiled, sat down on the sofa, and lit a cigarette.
Ning Shu sat dazed on the sofa in the main hall for a long time.
Until… her entire body grew numb from sitting.
Only then did she rise, her steps unsteady as she made her way to the bedroom. Lying on the bed, her mind was a chaotic mess.
Many scenes surfaced before her eyes—memories of their shared past, from childhood to adulthood.
They were all children of top-tier wealthy families in the capital’s social circle, similar in age, and naturally formed a tight-knit group.
Their relationships were all quite good; one could say they were practically childhood sweethearts, with Meng Xuan included as well.
But as they grew older, matters of the heart—who liked whom, who loved whom—inevitably created some distance between them.
Closeness and distance emerged, along with love and resentment.
Fang Chen liked her, pursued her—everyone knew it, the gossip was rampant, and even Fang Chen’s elders were fully aware.
From high school until now.
Yet she… stubbornly loved Fu Yanshen.
For a full ten years.
Unfortunately, the one Fu Yanshen loved… was Meng Xuan.
Later, a series of messy and chaotic events unfolded, and somehow, she ended up in bed with Fu Yanshen.
Meng Xuan was deeply hurt and, in a fit of anger, turned to Fang Chen and swiftly married him in a flash wedding.
In the end, Fu Yanshen married her as well, but as one could imagine, their relationship was far from good.
Yet as time passed, her relationship with Fu Yanshen gradually improved.
But now… it had been shattered.
Fang Chen was dead, Meng Xuan was now a widow, and she was carrying his posthumous child.
Fu Yanshen… must be heartbroken, right?
At the thought of her husband being consumed with heartache for another woman, Ning Shu couldn’t control the tears that welled up.
Just as her emotions reached a peak of suppressed agony, a sudden discomfort surged in her lower abdomen, accompanied by a faint, stabbing pain.
Startled, Ning Shu quickly sat up in bed, wiped away her tears, pressed a hand to her lower abdomen, and whispered hoarsely to herself, “It’s okay, baby, it’s okay. Mommy…”
She couldn’t finish the words, her emotions collapsing once again.
Thinking that this was her and Fu Yanshen’s child, the child she was carrying for him, her heart… was filled with a thousand conflicting emotions.
Perhaps it was maternal instinct that allowed her to regain control after a brief breakdown.
Once she steadied her emotions, the stabbing pain in her lower abdomen slowly subsided, though a bloated sensation remained.
Ning Shu frowned, took a deep breath, and gently stroked her abdomen. Lowering her gaze, her eyes held unwavering determination as she whispered, “Don’t worry. Mommy… will protect you.”
Fu Yanshen rarely returned home early.
Usually, it was after ten o’clock, and often even after eleven at night.
Today, when he arrived home, it was already half past eleven.
Stepping into the main hall, his hand, habitually moving to unbutton his suit jacket, paused.
Then he raised his eyes to look at the sofa in the main hall.
Empty.
Fu Yanshen frowned.
The housekeeper, Aunt Wang, hurried forward to help him take off his coat.
Fu Yanshen didn’t speak, only his frown deepened, his expression darkening.
Because…
Ning Shu actually hadn’t come to greet him.
In the past, no matter how late he returned home, Ning Shu would always rush to greet him like a little bird.
She would help him take off his coat, bring him slippers, ask if he was hungry or tired from work.
And every night, Ning Shu would have the kitchen prepare soup for him.
She would vary the recipes, never repeating the same soup two nights in a row.
She would “force” him to sit on the sofa and personally serve him a bowl of soup at the perfect temperature.
After he finished drinking, she would massage his temples, shoulders, and neck.
But now, the large, luxurious main hall was empty and cold.
Fu Yanshen didn’t speak, only walked with a dark expression to the sofa in the main hall and sat down.
There was no prepared soup on the coffee table either—nothing at all.
Fu Yanshen’s handsome face grew even colder, appearing stern and intimidating.
Seeing him looking around, Aunt Wang spoke timidly, “Young Master, the young… young mistress… has left.”
“Left?” Fu Yanshen turned his gaze to Aunt Wang, his eyes icy, his tone cold. “What do you mean, ‘left’?”
Aunt Wang said, “I… I don’t know. The mistress didn’t… didn’t say where she was going. In short… she went out. I asked… but she didn’t say. She only said… for us not to worry about it.”
Hearing this, an uncontrollable anger surged in Fu Yanshen’s heart!
He immediately took out his phone and called Ning Shu.
But…
There was no answer on the other end.
Ning Shu had gone to take a bath, tidied up, sat on the bed, and only then picked up her phone to notice Fu Yanshen’s call.
Checking the time, it was midnight.
Ning Shu frowned slightly but still called back.
Fu Yanshen answered instantly but immediately took the offensive, “Playing the runaway-from-home game?”
His tone was unpleasant, angry.
Ning Shu didn’t speak.
His first question wasn’t “Where are you?”
Clearly, he didn’t care at all.
“What is it?” Ning Shu said.
Her attitude and tone seemed to provoke Fu Yanshen. He laughed, but it was cold. “Nothing.”
Ning Shu fell silent.
Before she could speak again,
Fu Yanshen said, “Since you don’t want to come back, then don’t.”
Her heart instantly ached, and Ning Shu took a sharp breath, her voice turning cold as well. “What? Hoping I don’t come back? To make way for your white moonlight?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Fu Yanshen frowned, displeased, his tone neither warm nor cold but with a hint of irritation. “You’re the one who left.”
Ning Shu couldn’t hold back her rising temper. “Fu Yanshen, I am free! That’s my home too. I can leave whenever I want and return whenever I want! You don’t need to… control me!”
Fu Yanshen said, “Hmm, you’re impressive. Miss Ning, always doing whatever she wants. Since the young lady has always been so self-willed, then keep up the attitude and don’t come back.”
Ning Shu’s eyes instantly reddened. “Kicking me out?”
Fu Yanshen lit a cigarette, his tone indifferent. “Not exactly. But if you’ve already left, why come back?”
Ning Shu said, “If I don’t come back, are you going to bring Meng Xuan home to take care of her until she gives birth?”
Fu Yanshen frowned, speaking bluntly, “She needs me. Can you stop making a scene?”
Ning Shu couldn’t hold back her tears. “I’m making a scene? Do you even know that I also…”
Ning Shu’s words were not yet finished when Fu Yanshen interrupted her.
He said angrily, “You’ve already married me, what more is there to worry about?!”