The two remained silent the entire way home.
Zhou Yushen vaguely felt that something was off, but seeing Shen Nanyue’s calm and indifferent expression, he thought perhaps he was overthinking things.
After they returned home, Butler Liu asked Shen Nanyue to go see An’an.
He said An’an had something she wanted to tell her.
Shen Nanyue told Zhou Yushen to go rest first while she headed to An’an’s room.
Inside the room, Shen An’an was wearing dark-colored pajamas and a bucket hat personally designed by Shen Nanyue, which concealed most of her face.
“An’an?”
Shen An’an turned around.
Just as she was about to speak, Shen Nanyue stopped her with a look.
Smiling, she patted the floor beside her, silently inviting Shen Nanyue to sit.
Shen Nanyue walked over and copied An’an’s posture, sitting cross-legged on the carpet.
Shen An’an held a tablet in her hands.
When Shen Nanyue looked at her with confusion, An’an had already lowered her head and begun typing.
‘Sister, I need to tell you something very important. Promise me you won’t get emotional after hearing it.’
After Shen Nanyue nodded, Shen An’an continued typing.
‘Sister, I discovered that Father’s death back then was suspicious.’
The cold white light from the screen reflected across Shen Nanyue’s face, illuminating her suddenly constricted pupils and instantly pale complexion.
“What do you mean?”
Her voice came out hoarse and strained.
Shen An’an lowered her head and continued typing.
‘Back then, Father died from depression caused by health issues. We all believed he became ill because of the combined pressure of family and the company. But recently, I discovered that before he died, Father met someone.’
“Who?” Shen Nanyue asked.
‘Chen Tianming.’
The three words on the tablet instantly stirred violent waves within Shen Nanyue’s heart.
She looked up in shock.
“Chen Mu’s father?”
Shen An’an nodded and continued typing.
‘Ten years ago, I personally saw Mother storm angrily out of Father’s study. They had probably argued. Not long after, Chen Tianming entered the study as well, but he came out quickly. One hour later, Father was rushed to the hospital.’
‘Chen Tianming and Father used to be very close friends, so at the time I didn’t think much of it. But after being imprisoned by the Chen family these past three years, I realized the Chen family is far dirtier than we thought.’
Shen An’an’s right hand showed no signs of burns.
The pale fingertips formed a sharp contrast against her scar-covered left hand.
Her fingers lightly tapped out line after line of cold words across the glowing screen.
‘The Chen family previously kept me imprisoned in an abandoned villa outside the city. While there, I vaguely heard weak cries for help from other people. Later, because I had to become Chen Ting’s mobile blood bank, they transferred me into Fengcheng.’
‘Before coming to Fengcheng, my body still hadn’t recovered, and my eyes were covered. But in my dazed state, I vaguely felt that the leading male voice belonged to Chen Tianming.’
Since childhood, Shen An’an had possessed exceptional intelligence.
Her judgment was almost never wrong.
If she said it was Chen Tianming’s voice, then there was an overwhelming chance it really was him.
A layer of fog seemed to cover Shen Nanyue’s heart, and beneath that fog surged a terrifying chill that made her entire body go cold.
Because of the paintings in Chen Ting’s room, she had once suspected An’an was in Chen Ting’s hands.
But she had never suspected that Uncle Chen—the man who had once been so close to her father—might actually have been the executioner behind her father’s death!
‘Sister, assign some people to protect Xiao Qi.’
Shen An’an’s serious expression immediately made Shen Nanyue understand.
The hesitant look Xiao Qi had shown at the hospital was because An’an had asked him to investigate something he shouldn’t have.
The hooligans who attacked him today were likely sent by those people in retaliation.
Shen Nanyue nodded and gently rubbed Shen An’an’s head.
“I’ll arrange protection for Xiao Qi. You just focus on recovering. I’ll investigate Father’s matter.”
Shen An’an nodded.
Shen Nanyue told her to sleep early before standing up and leaving the bedroom.
After Shen Nanyue left, the smile at the corner of Shen An’an’s lips slowly faded.
She picked up the computer beside her, fingers rapidly moving across the keyboard.
Crisp typing sounds echoed continuously through the silent room.
Lines of code scrolled endlessly upward across the screen.
After a long while, an image finally appeared on the monitor—a man wearing a mask and a black jacket.
“Three years without showing up online, and now you finally decide to appear?”
The man’s voice was low and hoarse.
Coming through the electronic equipment, it carried an even colder, suffocating quality.
Just as Shen An’an was about to speak, she seemed to think of something.
She grabbed the tablet beside her and lightly typed a few words.
She turned the tablet toward the screen.
The man narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to examine it carefully before his indifferent gaze settled back onto Shen An’an.
“What happened to your hand? And your voice too. Take off your hat.”
Shen An’an shook her head.
The man threatened coldly, “Then find someone else to help you.”
He made a move to shut down the computer.
Shen An’an panicked, instinctively blurting out in a hoarse voice—
“Wait!”
A tearing pain shot through her throat, and she raised a hand to cover it in agony.
The man on the video call frowned deeply, his sharp brows tightly knitted together.
“Shen An’an, what exactly happened to you?”
His voice carried restrained fury.
After enduring the wave of pain, Shen An’an picked up the tablet again and typed out a line.
‘I’m fine. Please help me with what I asked just now. It’s really important to me!’
The man remained silent for a long while. Through the cold, rigid screen, his deep eyes seemed to absorb every trace of helplessness in hers.
Only after a long silence did he finally utter three words in a low voice.
“Got it.”
Before the call ended, Shen An’an heard his unquestionable tone.
“In a couple of days, I’m coming to Fengcheng. Just wait for me.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he hung up the call without giving her a chance to respond.
Shen An’an’s heart jolted in alarm.
When she tried to contact him again, he was already offline.
The cold white glow of the screen reflected Shen An’an’s ugly, distorted face.
Endless unease surged in her eyes.
In this condition…
How could she possibly face him?
…
When Shen Nanyue returned to the bedroom, Zhou Yushen pulled her into an intense and passionate round of intimacy.
Late into the night, she lay weakly curled in Zhou Yushen’s arms.
She couldn’t help thinking that although Zhou Yushen was full of lies, the “hardware” he possessed was undeniably excellent.
Since they were still legally married— She might as well make good use of this husband whose appearance had already deeply captured her heart.
At the very least, she was thoroughly satisfied in bed.
As she drifted in her thoughts, Zhou Yushen’s low, affectionate voice came from above her head.
“Nanyue, let’s have a child.”
The lingering warmth in her heart instantly cooled at his murmured words.
A child?
A cold smile curled onto her lips.
How could a child possibly grow up happy in a family where the parents didn’t truly love each other?
Even she, as Zhou Yu’s biological daughter, had suffered endless coldness and abuse during childhood.
So how could she guarantee that her own child would grow up healthy in a twisted family like this?
She gave no answer and simply closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep.
When Zhou Yushen didn’t receive a response from Shen Nanyue, he didn’t press the matter further.
In the darkness, surprise flickered within his eyes.
Only after a long while did he finally hold Shen Nanyue tightly and fall into a deep sleep beside her.
— The end of the Chapter–
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