Shen Nanyue smiled at Zhou Yushen.
“The way you’re acting now only makes it look more like you’re trying to cover something up.”
Zhou Yushen frowned, pressing his lips together, seemingly unsure how to respond.
Shen Nanyue smiled and patted his shoulder.
“I have my own judgment. Don’t worry.”
As she spoke, she stepped out from Zhou Yushen’s side.
Without giving Gu Linlang even a glance, she walked straight toward Chen Mu.
Looking at the bruises covering his face, she couldn’t help feeling a little sympathy for him.
Zhou Yushen really hadn’t held back.
“So, are we settling this privately or going through legal proceedings? Your injuries probably aren’t serious enough to require a lawsuit, right?”
Chen Mu frowned.
“Aren’t you even going to ask why I hit him?”
“Since you were the one who struck first, my husband was acting in self-defense. Which means compensation probably isn’t necessary either, right?”
After his moment of shock, anger gradually surfaced on Chen Mu’s face.
“Shen Nanyue! Your husband was pulling and tugging with another woman in public, and I helped teach him a lesson for you—yet you’re actually defending him?”
“If my husband does something wrong, then naturally I’ll be the one to deal with him. What are you supposed to be? You think hitting people makes you righteous?”
“Look at me! Does this look like I’m the one who beat someone up?”
It was clearly a one-sided beating.
“Losing in a fight despite throwing the first punch is even more embarrassing.”
Shen Nanyue lightly uttered those words before impatiently asking:
“I’m not in the mood to waste time here. Hurry up—mediation or lawsuit?”
Chen Mu stared at Shen Nanyue with a dark expression for several seconds before finally, in front of the police officers, reluctantly agreeing to a settlement.
The four of them soon left the police station.
Walking behind them, Chen Mu watched Zhou Yushen wrap an arm around Shen Nanyue’s waist while whispering into her ear.
He let out a cold laugh, suddenly finding Shen Nanyue somewhat pitiful.
“Shen Nanyue, being played around like a fool—you’re really nothing special after all.”
He mocked her openly.
Shen Nanyue stopped walking and turned to look at Chen Mu.
Zhou Yushen’s cold expression became even darker as he looked at Chen Mu.
There was a turbulent intensity in his eyes now—something eerie and bloodthirsty.
As if Chen Mu were some mortal enemy of his.
“I still haven’t settled the score with you over An’an’s matter. Chen Mu, stop provoking me in front of my face, or I can’t guarantee I won’t hit you too.”
Chen Mu was a cunning man.
Ever since Chen Ting confessed everything, both Chen Mu and the Chen family had completely distanced themselves from the matter of imprisoning Shen An’an.
Shen Nanyue still couldn’t understand it.
The Chen family had gone to such lengths to imprison An’an and raise her as a living blood bank for Chen Ting.
Which meant Chen Ting should have been someone extremely precious to the Chen family.
Yet now that the scandal had been exposed, the Chen family abandoned Chen Ting without the slightest hesitation.
Was this simply the true nature of the Chen family?
Somehow, Shen Nanyue felt that something about it wasn’t right.
Chen Mu paid no attention to her threat.
His mocking gaze swept across Zhou Yushen’s face before landing on Shen Nanyue again, now filled with jealousy-driven anger and resentment toward her for failing to see the truth.
“You really think your bargain-bin husband is some harmless character? Shen Nanyue, I’ll wait for the day you regret this!”
After saying that, he covered his face and limped away ahead of them, leaving the police station first.
Shen Nanyue frowned as she watched his departing figure.
Chen Mu had repeatedly warned her to be careful of Zhou Yushen.
Why?
“Let’s go home.”
Shen Nanyue’s thoughts were interrupted by Zhou Yushen’s words.
As she came back to her senses and prepared to leave, the corner of her eye caught sight of Gu Linlang still following behind them.
A smile curved Shen Nanyue’s lips as she gently removed Zhou Yushen’s hand from her waist.
Then she turned to face Gu Linlang.
“Miss Gu seems very different today. So gentle and obedient—completely unlike the person who sent me those messages before. Do you have split personalities or something?”
A trace of panic flashed through Gu Linlang’s eyes.
Subconsciously, she looked toward Zhou Yushen.
Seeing that he showed little reaction, despair filled her heart even more.
If Zhou Yushen had reacted strongly, it would have meant he didn’t know about the messages she had sent Shen Nanyue.
But he showed no reaction at all.
Did that mean he already knew about them?
“I… Miss Shen, actually, that photo was taken by me three years ago. Back then, Ah Shen and I were pretty close. We often hung out together. I only sent it to you because I thought the picture looked nice.”
The smile on Shen Nanyue’s face didn’t fade.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yushen remained silent, as though he had no intention of explaining.
“Three years ago… were the two of you dating?”
Gu Linlang instinctively glanced at Zhou Yushen.
The look in her eyes—like someone whose secret had been exposed—made it obvious that their past relationship had not been ordinary.
“No—”
“You don’t need to explain, Miss Gu. When we first met, you already told me Zhou Yushen was your boyfriend. You even said the custom lingerie you ordered was to win his heart back.”
“That’s not true!”
Gu Linlang became visibly emotional.
When Zhou Yushen turned to look at her, his calm expression now carried unmistakable disgust.
That single look froze the blood in her veins.
In all the years she had known Zhou Yushen, he had always been indifferent and distant toward her, but he had never looked at her with such disgust before.
She had always thought that, in his eyes, she was special.
But now, because of a single sentence from Shen Nanyue, he hated her!
No!
“Ah Shen, it’s not like that, I—”
Unable to hold back any longer, she desperately tried to explain herself to Zhou Yushen.
“I have no interest in hearing what you have to say next. But Miss Gu, let me warn you one last time.”
“I have no feelings for you. Not in the past, and even less now. And to avoid causing unnecessary misunderstandings for my wife, please don’t appear in front of me again.”
Zhou Yushen’s tone was indifferent.
After saying that, he pulled Shen Nanyue away.
Leaving Gu Linlang standing alone at the entrance of the police station, as the night wind swept fallen leaves past her, she finally understood with painful clarity just how resolute Zhou Yushen truly was.
Had he really never liked her?
No!
She refused to believe it!
Ah Shen, you’re just angry with me.
I’ll definitely win you back!
After getting into the car, Zhou Yushen handed Shen Nanyue the surveillance footage from outside the company entrance that a coworker had just sent him.
Shen Nanyue only glanced at it briefly before looking away.
“You don’t need to be this nervous. I have my own judgment.”
“I know you’re smart. But no matter how smart a person is, emotions can still cloud their judgment. If I have evidence to prove my innocence, then I won’t make you waste energy overthinking and guessing.”
Zhou Yushen’s voice was low, but the sincerity within it was impossible to ignore.
Shen Nanyue’s fingers lightly rubbed against the rough texture of the seatbelt.
It seemed that what she said that morning had really frightened him.
But that might not necessarily be a bad thing.
After all, in a marriage, trust comes first, doesn’t it?
“I believe you now.”
She smiled at Zhou Yushen.
Only then did Zhou Yushen let out a long breath of relief.
He started the car, and the vehicle drove along the winding road toward the Shen residence.
Shen Nanyue had originally been gazing at the scenery outside the window when she suddenly seemed to think of something.
She spoke softly, her tone slow and tinged with suspicion.
“The police said that after Chen Mu’s first punch missed you, he didn’t seem like he intended to keep fighting. So why did you still hit him so hard and beat him into that state?”
— The end of the Chapter–
TL note : Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up ahead of the release :
https://www.patreon.com/DeCakraWnloverz
