Shen Nanyue looked at Zhou Yu, puzzled.
“Didn’t Lin Siwan tell you Zhou Yushen’s real identity?”
“What identity?”
Studying Zhou Yu’s expression carefully and seeing that she genuinely seemed unaware, Shen Nanyue replied,
“He’s the young master of the Zhou family.”
Zhou Yu froze.
Thinking back to when Shen Nanyue had confidently insisted outside the Shen residence that Zhou Yushen was an ordinary person, she hadn’t looked like she was lying.
Zhou Yu quickly understood.
“He deceived you?”
Shen Nanyue neither confirmed nor denied it.
Zhou Yu’s face immediately darkened.
“Wonderful! A wealthy heir from the capital has come all the way to Fengcheng to toy with people’s feelings!”
Then another thought occurred to her.
“Lin Siwan knew about this?”
“Otherwise, why do you think she kidnapped me three months ago?”
Shen Nanyue wasn’t particularly surprised by Lin Siwan’s motives.
After all, anything Shen Nanyue possessed was something Lin Siwan wanted.
If three months ago Lin Siwan had cooperated with Gu Linlang to drive a wedge between her and Zhou Yushen—and if Gu Linlang had been the instigator— then Lin Siwan’s intentions had never simply been about currying favor with Gu Linlang.
What she truly wanted was to attach herself to Zhou Yushen.
Between the Chen family and the Zhou family of Beijing, which one carried more weight was obvious.
Zhou Yu’s expression grew even uglier.
“In that case, you should stop associating with Zhou Yushen. The Shen family doesn’t need whatever scraps of cooperation the Zhou family chooses to throw our way!”
The words caught Shen Nanyue off guard.
For the first time, she carefully examined her mother.
The anger and concern on Zhou Yu’s face seemed genuine.
Yet that only made Shen Nanyue feel even more uneasy.
Concern?
How could Zhou Yu possibly be concerned about her?
Her guard remained firmly up.
“I have my own plans. Don’t interfere.”
Seeing Shen Nanyue’s expression turn cold, Zhou Yu opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something.
But in the end, she swallowed the words.
The dishes soon arrived, and mother and daughter finished the meal in silence.
Shen Nanyue had expected Zhou Yu to bring up something during dinner.
With such an unusually good attitude, she had assumed Zhou Yu must be seeking her help with another matter involving the Lin family.
Yet from beginning to end—and even after they returned home—Zhou Yu said nothing.
It was as though she had simply wanted to have a meal with her daughter.
That only deepened Shen Nanyue’s confusion.
Has Mrs. Zhou really changed?
…………
After conducting a series of examinations on Zhou Yushen, Qin Wu reached a precise conclusion.
“Your illness hasn’t relapsed, but there are signs that it could. Have you been having dreams lately?”
Zhou Yushen nodded.
“What kind of dreams?”
“My mother’s death.”
He paused.
“And dreams of a girl dying in a fire.”
More accurately, it was Shen Nanyue dying in a fire.
In the dream, he desperately rushed toward her, trying to save her.
But no matter how hard he ran, he could never reach her.
All he could do was listen to her desperate cries for help and watch helplessly as she collapsed into the flames.
Just thinking about it made his head feel as though it were splitting apart, while a swelling pain spread through his chest.
A girl dying in a fire?
Qin Wu was familiar with this recurring nightmare.
For years, Zhou Yushen had dreamed of a girl trapped in a burning inferno.
What Qin Wu didn’t know was that the faceless girl in the dream now had a clear identity.
He sighed softly.
“I’ll prescribe some sedatives. For the time being, keep your emotions under control.”
Zhou Yushen nodded.
After leaving the medication behind, Qin Wu packed his things and stood up to leave.
“Where are you going?” Zhou Yushen asked casually.
“To the hospital, of course.”
To visit Gu Linlang.
The second half of the sentence remained unspoken.
Before he arrived, Li Che had repeatedly warned him not to mention Gu Linlang in front of Zhou Yushen.
From Li Che and Xu Ping, he had already learned bits and pieces about the situation involving Shen Nanyue and Gu Linlang.
He had no intention of interfering in his friends’ emotional affairs.
But Gu Linlang could not be allowed to die because of them.
Otherwise, Zhou Yushen would bear a terrible burden of guilt.
Though Zhou Yushen often acted as though nothing mattered to him, the promise he had made to Gu Linlang’s mother was still important in his heart.
Zhou Yushen cast him a cold glance.
He had probably guessed exactly what Qin Wu intended to do, yet he made no move to stop him.
“If you end up like Xu Ping, I won’t mind kicking you out of the group chat too.”
Qin Wu: …
Wonderful.
Now he was managing to offend both sides.
After Qin Wu left, Zhou Yushen slumped back against the sofa.
For days, he had been unable to forget the expression Shen Nanyue wore when she left his study.
The disappointment.
The fear.
They lingered in his mind like a shadow.
He felt miserable.
Restless.
Only after Qin Wu confirmed that his condition remained stable did he finally begin thinking about seeing Shen Nanyue again.
His hair hadn’t been washed.
His complexion was pale and exhausted.
Dark circles lingered beneath his eyes.
He stood up, grabbed the coat hanging from the rack, and headed for the door.
At the moment, he looked exactly like someone worthy of sympathy.
And that made him the perfect candidate to seek it.
………..
Shen Nanyue did not go to work today.
Instead, she had arranged to go racing with Zhu Yuan.
On the track, Shen Nanyue drove her sleek sports car, circling the course lap after lap.
Her speed never dropped.
Just like in the race a few months ago, she didn’t even slow down when taking sharp corners.
Sitting in the stands, Zhu Yuan watched as Shen Nanyue gradually pushed herself harder and harder, yet she had no intention of stopping her.
After all, Shen Nanyue’s driving skills were exceptional, and there was no way Zhu Yuan could stop her even if she wanted to.
When Shen Nanyue finally vented her frustrations and brought the car to a stop at the starting line, an untimely round of applause suddenly rang out.
Meng Zhishuo walked over, clapping his hands.
“As expected of a legend. Your driving is just as amazing as ever!”
The moment Zhu Yuan spotted Meng Zhishuo, she practically exploded.
She immediately scrambled down from the spectator stands.
Shen Nanyue looked at him.
“What are you doing here?”
Meng Zhishuo looked a little awkward.
“Well, I saw your car outside, so I came in to take a look. I didn’t expect to catch the great master showing off her skills. Watching you race got my blood pumping!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Yuan arrived in front of them.
“Meng, my dear son, what are you doing here?”
Meng Zhishuo instantly lost his temper.
“Zhu Yuan! Who the hell are you calling your son?”
“Of course I’m talking about you, my good son. Have you forgotten? A few months ago, right here, in front of a whole crowd, you called me Dad.”
“Ahhh! Zhu Yuan, I’m going to kill you!”
Zhu Yuan grabbed his collar and adopted the stern attitude of a parent disciplining a child.
“I haven’t educated you properly these past few months. That’s Daddy’s mistake. Today, Daddy’s going to teach you a lesson!”
The two immediately started wrestling and bickering.
Shen Nanyue watched the scene speechlessly.
Then she simply turned and left.
Unfortunately, a group of people who shouldn’t have been there happened to be visiting the racing club that day.
Meng Yan was walking through the facility with a newly acquainted rich second-generation heir.
The two were chatting and laughing when they ran straight into Shen Nanyue as she exited the track.
Meng Yan’s expression changed.
“Shen Nanyue, what are you doing here?”
Shen Nanyue’s expression remained calm, though internally she was cursing her luck for not checking the calendar before leaving home.
Without responding, she walked past the group and headed toward the exit.
The man standing beside Meng Yan was half a head taller than him.
His sharply defined features gave him an imposing appearance, and his slightly upturned phoenix eyes quietly swept over Shen Nanyue from head to toe.
There was unmistakable admiration in his gaze.
Only after Shen Nanyue had completely disappeared from sight did he speak to Meng Yan.
“This woman has far more charm than any of the others before her.”
Meng Yan’s expression changed instantly.
“Young Master Lu, she’s not—”
Before he could finish, Lu Bing shot him a sharp, warning glance that forced him to swallow the rest of his words.
“That isn’t something you need to concern yourself with.”
— The end of the Chapter–
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