Li Che was stunned.
“What happened?”
When Zhou Yushen opened his eyes again, all traces of tears had disappeared.
The sadness on his face had completely vanished as well.
Once again, he became the noble and untouchable young heir of Beijing.
“Book me a flight.”
“I’m returning to Beijing tomorrow.”
Since Zhou Yushen clearly didn’t want to talk about it, Li Che didn’t press further.
Han Ping’s involvement in the case would inevitably affect the Zhou family.
Old Master Zhou was getting on in years and likely wouldn’t be able to handle the situation alone.
It really was necessary for Zhou Yushen to return and take charge.
“Take care of your health too. Put your shoes on.”
Zhou Yushen accepted the slippers and coat.
After putting them on, he turned and walked back toward his hospital room.
Li Che sighed helplessly.
After everything they had been through together—even facing life and death—he had thought Zhou Yushen and Shen Nanyue’s relationship would finally move forward.
Instead, things had deteriorated to the point where they would likely never speak to each other again.
Getting to his feet, he walked back into the hospital while sending a message to Shen An’an.
At that moment, Shen An’an was at the Shen residence.
When she received Li Che’s message, she froze for a second before replying coldly.
[Shen An’an]: Maybe this is for the best. Zhou Yushen was never right for my sister anyway.
Li Che immediately disagreed.
[Li Che]: Since when is love about being suitable? Two people who clearly like each other ended up like this. I can’t just watch it happen.
[Shen An’an]: And what can you do about it? Force them to get married? Let me tell you this—if you ever try to pressure my sister into doing anything for Zhou Yushen, then whatever there is between us is over too!
A long time passed before Li Che replied.
[Li Che]: Is that really the kind of person you think I am?
Shen An’an fell silent.
Then another message arrived.
[Li Che]: If one day you had to choose between me and your sister, who would you choose?
The moment Shen An’an saw the message, her eyes widened.
What kind of question was that?
She raised her hand and typed a response.
Before she could send it, she watched as Li Che withdrew the message.
A new one immediately appeared.
[Li Che]: Something came up. We’ll talk later.
Shen An’an pressed her lips together.
Her heart suddenly ached, as though something were tugging painfully at it.
She deleted the words she had typed and sent only a simple reply.
[Shen An’an]: Okay.
Tossing her phone onto the bed, she felt an inexplicable irritation settle over her.
She wasn’t angry that Li Che was defending Zhou Yushen.
Nor was she upset by what he had said.
She simply felt uncomfortable.
The unpleasantness between them left her feeling stifled.
The bedroom door was open.
She heard movement downstairs.
Thinking Shen Nanyue had returned, she gathered her thoughts and headed downstairs.
But the person she saw wasn’t Shen Nanyue.
Instead, it was an unexpected visitor.
“Auntie, what brings you here?”
Walking over to Zhou Yu, Shen An’an greeted her politely.
Unlike her usual cold demeanor, Zhou Yu actually gave her a rare smile.
“An’an, sit down.”
Shen An’an looked at her suspiciously before taking a seat on a nearby armchair.
Instinctively, she kept some distance between them.
It wasn’t deliberate.
It was simply a habit she’d developed growing up in the Shen household.
Shen’s father had adopted her from an orphanage.
When she first arrived, Shen’s father and Zhou Yu still had a good relationship.
They had treated her well, too.
But after their marriage fell apart, Zhou Yu began treating her with cold indifference.
In fact, it wasn’t just Shen An’an.
Even Shen Nanyue had been raised by Zhou Yu as though she were nothing more than a discarded rag, often being locked away in a dark room as punishment.
Toward Zhou Yu, Shen An’an felt both hatred and fear.
Those feelings had persisted until this day.
Looking at Shen An’an’s youthful face, Zhou Yu revealed a hint of concern.
“I heard about what happened with the Chen family.”
“Are you and Yueyue alright?”
The sudden concern caught Shen An’an completely off guard.
She wasn’t pleasantly surprised.
She was horrified.
Goosebumps instantly rose across her skin.
Forcing an awkward smile, she looked at Zhou Yu.
“Don’t worry, Auntie. We’re both fine.”
Zhou Yu seemed to relax.
Letting out a long sigh, she said, “I tried calling Yueyue earlier, but she didn’t answer.”
“So I came here.”
“The new housekeeper said he doesn’t know when Yueyue will be back.”
She paused before asking, “You don’t mind if I wait here for her, do you?”
Zhou Yu’s sudden politeness terrified Shen An’an.
She let out two awkward laughs and hurriedly replied, “Of course I don’t mind. Not at all. This is your home too, Auntie. Please make yourself comfortable.”
Zhou Yu’s gaze swept across the familiar living room.
Shen Nanyue had apparently redecorated it.
The space now felt warm and inviting.
It was noticeably different from the cold, lifeless Shen villa of the past.
Even the housekeeper standing nearby was a new, younger face.
In just half a year, not only her daughter but the entire Shen family had become unrecognizable.
“I’m not sure whether Yueyue is still willing to see me.”
“We signed an agreement severing our mother-daughter relationship.”
“She was very serious about it.”
Shen Nanyue had already told Shen An’an about that matter.
So hearing Zhou Yu mention it now didn’t surprise her.
Zhou Yu continued speaking to herself.
“You and Yueyue are both my daughters.”
“I never imagined things would turn out like this for the two of you.”
“I’m sorry.”
The moment the words I’m sorry left her mouth—
Shen An’an could no longer sit still.
She jumped to her feet, her eyes filled with shock.
Zhou Yu was startled by her reaction.
“What is it?”
Shen An’an took a moment to calm herself before asking, “Auntie, please don’t do this.”
“If there’s something you want, just say it directly.”
She thought she already knew why Zhou Yu had come.
Money.
It was always money.
Ever since Shen’s father died and Zhou Yu remarried, every visit she made to the Shen family to see Shen Nanyue had been for money.
Even though she and Shen Nanyue had officially severed their mother-daughter relationship, it was only a piece of paper.
How could blood ties truly be erased?
Zhou Yu could sense Shen An’an’s coldness.
She opened her mouth as if to say something.
But in the end, she remained silent.
When Shen An’an had first been brought into the family, Zhou Yu had genuinely been happy.
Later, however, that happiness had gradually turned into endless irritation.
After Shen An’an moved out of the Shen household, they rarely saw each other.
As a result, there was little affection left between them.
“I’ll wait for Yueyue to come back.”
She stood up and walked upstairs on her own.
Back to her room.
The Shen family had always kept her room intact, and someone cleaned it regularly.
Watching Zhou Yu’s retreating figure, Shen An’an found the whole situation extremely strange.
Since when had Zhou Yu become so gentle?
She immediately called Shen Nanyue and told her everything that had happened at home.
After receiving the call, Shen Nanyue turned her car around and headed back to the Shen residence.
Meanwhile, in her room, Zhou Yu opened a corner of the wardrobe and took out an old family photograph.
Back then, she and Shen Nanyue’s father had still been in love.
It was a family portrait of three.
Everyone in the picture wore bright, genuine smiles.
When had everything changed?
Her eyes suddenly reddened.
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, but she forcibly held them back.
Perhaps she had been wrong.
Wrong from the very beginning.
Holding the photograph tightly against her chest, countless emotions surged through her heart.
Then she heard the familiar sound of a car engine outside.
She knew immediately that Shen Nanyue had returned.
Setting the photograph down, she walked to the window.
Looking down, she watched her familiar daughter step through the gates of the Shen residence.
Taking a deep breath, Zhou Yu turned and headed downstairs.
— The end of the Chapter–
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