When Shen Nanyue returned home, she saw Zhou Yu coming downstairs.
She told Shen An’an to go upstairs while she stayed behind to speak with Zhou Yu.
“Are you feeling any better?” Shen Nanyue asked casually.
A wave of bitterness surged in Zhou Yu’s heart.
Ever since she had fallen ill, neither of the Lin family father and daughter had asked how she was doing.
This was the first time she had heard those words of concern.
And they came from the daughter she had always disliked.
“Much better.”
She answered softly, her voice tinged with emotion.
Shen Nanyue looked at her in confusion, unable to understand why Zhou Yu seemed so downcast.
After a moment’s thought, she figured it out.
Since she had cut off all ties between the Shen family and the Lin family, perhaps Zhou Yu had come again to ask for a favor on behalf of the Lin father and daughter.
Her expression instantly turned cold.
“Did you come here today because you need something?”
Zhou Yu paid no attention to her sudden indifference.
Instead, she looked Shen Nanyue up and down with concern.
Shen Nanyue was dressed very casually today.
She wore a long bohemian-style spaghetti-strap dress under a white blazer, giving her a fresh and elegant appearance.
Aside from the slight paleness on her face, there was nothing unusual about her.
Zhou Yu asked, “I heard about what happened with the Chen family. Are you okay?”
“What could possibly happen to me?” Shen Nanyue replied calmly, feeling uncomfortable with Zhou Yu’s inexplicable concern.
She wanted to tell Zhou Yu that her father had been killed by Chen Tianming, but remembering how poorly Zhou Yu and her father had gotten along, she chose not to say anything.
“As long as you’re fine. I only came today to check on you. Since you’re okay, I’ll be leaving.”
Carrying her handbag, Zhou Yu stood up.
After saying goodbye to Shen Nanyue, she left the Shen residence.
Shen Nanyue watched her departing figure with confusion.
Had Zhou Yu really waited at the Shen house all this time just to check on her?
She looked up at Shen An’an, who was leaning over the second-floor railing.
“What did she say to you earlier?”
Shen An’an shrugged.
“Nothing much. She just asked whether you were okay and said she came to see you.”
Has the sun risen in the west?
Or is Zhou Yu plotting something again?
Shen Nanyue couldn’t figure it out, so she stopped thinking about it.
Zhou Yu probably wouldn’t do anything too outrageous anyway, so she didn’t dwell on it.
Leaning back on the sofa, she closed her eyes and relaxed her exhausted body.
Shen An’an had wanted to talk to her about what was on her mind, but seeing how tired Shen Nanyue looked, she gave up.
…
Shen Nanyue learned that Zhou Yushen had returned to the capital the next day from Li Che.
At the time, she was preparing to discuss terminating their contract with Li Che, but he stubbornly refused.
“President Shen, you should know that as a businessperson, breaching a contract is something best avoided.”
Of course Shen Nanyue understood how important credibility was in business.
But she had already decided not to have any further involvement with Zhou Yushen.
Breaching the contract once shouldn’t be too serious.
Seeing that she remained silent, Li Che continued, “The majority of Shen Group’s brand ambassadors for the second half of the year have already been signed through Qianzhang Entertainment. If you terminate the agreement, after paying the penalty fee, how are you going to afford the endorsement fees for the rest of the year?”
Shen Nanyue hesitated.
This was exactly what she had been most worried about.
When she signed with Qianzhang Entertainment, a large portion of the company’s funds for the second half of the year had already been committed.
If she paid the breach-of-contract fee as well, there truly wouldn’t be enough money left for endorsements.
She had been trying to come up with a solution these past few days but hadn’t found one yet.
Seeing her hesitation, Li Che pressed on.
“President Shen, as the pillar of Shen Group, you shouldn’t act on impulse. I can promise you that all future business dealings between our two companies will be handled entirely by me.”
Shen Nanyue looked at him.
His sincerity gave her a strong feeling.
These were words Zhou Yushen had instructed him to say.
After everything she had said to Zhou Yushen yesterday—words that had deeply wounded his pride—he probably had no desire to interact with her anymore.
When Shen Nanyue remained silent, Li Che grew anxious.
“I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but this time Yushen has truly made up his mind. He won’t bother you anymore. He returned to the capital today and won’t be coming back to Fengcheng anytime soon. None of the things you’re worried about will happen.”
Instead of feeling relieved, Shen Nanyue felt a deep ache in her heart.
The bitterness rose all the way to the tip of her tongue.
Yet this was exactly the outcome she had wanted.
Forcing a smile, she said, “Thank you for your efforts. Happy cooperation.”
Li Che finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Happy cooperation.”
The two of them had a meal together afterward.
During lunch, Shen Nanyue asked whether he and Shen An’an had gotten into an argument.
Li Che looked at her in surprise, as though asking how she knew.
Smiling, Shen Nanyue set down her chopsticks.
“An’an and I grew up together. I know exactly what she looks like when something is bothering her. Since yesterday, she’s been acting strange. She keeps staring blankly at her phone. She’s usually optimistic and cheerful. If it isn’t something related to her feelings, I don’t think I’d ever see her like this.”
Li Che sat there in a daze.
After hearing Shen Nanyue’s words, he didn’t know whether he should feel happy or sad.
Happy because Shen An’an wasn’t completely indifferent to him.
Sad because Shen An’an liked to bottle everything up inside and never said anything sweet or reassuring to him, causing him to worry for nothing.
Looking at the silent Li Che, a faint smile appeared on Shen Nanyue’s lips.
“An’an has always kept her feelings to herself since she was little. Even with me, her sister, she never tells me everything. In front of others, she always wears a strong and independent mask. She handles everything properly and never wants to trouble anyone.”
“These past few days, seeing her act like a little girl around you has genuinely made me happy for her. She’s finally found someone in front of whom she can be herself. She can be vulnerable, she can be willful, and she can ask for your help whenever she needs it. I’ve never seen this side of An’an before.”
Li Che was stunned by Shen Nanyue’s words.
He froze in place, replaying them over and over in his mind, and ultimately arrived at only one conclusion:
Shen An’an cared about him.
She cared about him very, very much.
The painful emotions that had been weighing on him since yesterday finally eased at that moment.
His entire body felt light and buoyant.
But just as he seemed to float into the clouds, Shen Nanyue yanked him right back down to reality.
“Do you know that An’an is going abroad today to meet her biological family?”
Li Che stared at Shen Nanyue in shock.
He had no idea.
After ending his unpleasant conversation with Shen An’an yesterday, he had been so busy that he barely had time to breathe.
Later that evening, when he wanted to message her, he saw the cold words she had left in their chat.
Out of pride and frustration, he never sent anything.
He hadn’t expected that because of that, he would completely miss such important news.
“When is she leaving?” he asked urgently.
“Her flight is at four this afternoon.” Shen Nanyue raised her wrist and glanced at the time.
“It’s two o’clock now. If you hurry to the airport, you might still be able to see her.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Li Che’s figure disappeared from his seat.
— The end of the Chapter–
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