Shen Nanyue briefly told Zhu Yuan about everything that had happened between her and Zhou Yushen.
A trace of hesitation appeared between Zhu Yuan’s brows.
“So you’re saying that three months ago, Gu Linlang deliberately framed you and caused your divorce from Zhou Yushen?”
More or less.
Shen Nanyue silently agreed.
Over the past few months, Zhu Yuan had been busy fighting with her family over being forced to inherit the family business.
Then, after learning that An’an had returned, she had inevitably paid less attention to Shen Nanyue as well.
Only now was she learning that her best friend had been framed and wronged.
A surge of anger immediately rose in her chest.
Slamming her hand on the table, she growled, “Where is that damned green tea bitch? I’m going to fight her to the death!”
Anyone who dared bully her woman deserved to learn exactly what a face was meant to be slapped for.
Seeing Zhu Yuan rolling up her sleeves, Shen Nanyue couldn’t help laughing.
“Enough. She’s in the hospital right now. Don’t go looking for trouble. If she gets so angry that she drops dead, you’ll end up carrying a murder charge. Not worth it.”
The fire in Zhu Yuan’s stomach instantly fizzled out.
She sighed and looked at Shen Nanyue.
“It’s a pity. You finally found someone you liked, and now you’re just letting him go.”
“Who said I like him?”
Shen Nanyue shot her a glare.
Her voice had unconsciously risen several notches, the reaction of someone whose feelings had been exposed.
She simply hadn’t realized it herself.
Zhu Yuan shook her head helplessly.
“That saying really is true—the person involved is confused, while the bystander sees clearly.”
Shen Nanyue glared at her again.
Zhu Yuan didn’t argue.
Instead, she copied Shen Nanyue’s posture and sank into the sofa.
In a casual tone, she asked, “After everything that’s happened, you’re even more afraid of marriage now, aren’t you?”
“I never planned on getting married in the first place.”
As always, Zhu Yuan chose to ignore Shen Nanyue’s stubbornness.
“How about the two of us just spend the rest of our lives together? I’ve completely fallen out with the two old folks at home and got kicked out. I’ll have to rely on President Shen’s protection from now on.”
Shen Nanyue turned her head toward the innocent-looking Zhu Yuan, whose eyes were full of pleading.
“You really had a falling-out with them?”
Zhu Yuan pouted.
“They know perfectly well I don’t understand a thing about running a business, yet they’re forcing me to learn at the company. Isn’t it obvious they’re middle-aged, tired of working, and eager to retire early? Aren’t they afraid I’ll bankrupt the Zhu family?”
Once upon a time, Shen Nanyue had thought exactly the same way.
She rubbed her nose awkwardly and looked away.
Suddenly, Zhu Yuan exclaimed, “Hey! Why don’t you just acquire the Zhu family’s business and manage it together with yours? If it’s in your hands, I’d feel much more at ease!”
Shen Nanyue silently turned her head away.
“If the two elders who are dreaming of retirement heard that, they’d hang you up and beat you.”
“…”
After Shen Nanyue and Zhu Yuan finished catching up, Shen Nanyue headed to the parking lot to leave.
To her surprise, Zhou Yushen was still there, leaning against her car.
He hadn’t left?
When he saw her approaching, Zhou Yushen straightened up and waited for her.
“I’m sorry.”
The moment she got close, she heard his hoarse voice.
Even hoarser than before.
A slight frown formed between her brows.
Part of her wanted to ignore him and walk away, but the hand holding her car keys froze.
Unable to help herself, she stopped in front of him.
“…Move. I need to drive.”
“Can you give me a ride?”
He paused before adding, “I took a taxi up here. It’s hard to get one down the mountain.”
Zhou Yushen once again displayed his trademark shameless persistence.
Inside, Shen Nanyue was screaming “No.”
Yet her hand twitched and accidentally pressed the unlock button.
The car doors clicked open.
Zhou Yushen smiled.
“Thank you.”
Without the slightest hesitation, he walked to the passenger side, opened the door, and sat down.
Shen Nanyue gritted her teeth.
He really was the perfect example of shamelessness.
After a moment’s thought, she got into the driver’s seat.
“When we get down the mountain, I’ll stop somewhere it’s easy to get a taxi. You’d better get out and call one yourself.”
Her tone carried a hint of irritation.
To Zhou Yushen’s ears, however, it sounded more like a young woman’s sulky complaint.
A smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.
“I only brought enough money to pay for the ride up the mountain.”
“You can pay with your phone.”
“My phone’s dead.”
“There’s a charger in the car. You can charge it right now.”
Zhou Yushen patted his pocket and suddenly looked enlightened.
“I think I lost my phone.”
Shen Nanyue turned to look at him.
The unmistakable outline of a phone was clearly visible in his pocket.
Then she met his clear, earnest gaze.
She bit down so hard on her teeth that she almost wanted to kick him straight out of the car.
Her anger transformed into pressure on the accelerator.
She slammed her foot down.
The car shot forward.
Caught completely off guard, Zhou Yushen was thrown backward by the sudden acceleration.
His head bumped into the soft headrest, leaving him briefly dizzy.
A second later, after adjusting to the speed, he looked into the rearview mirror.
There he saw Shen Nanyue’s adorably furious face.
The frustration and heaviness that had been weighing on his heart for days suddenly melted away completely.
Thankfully, she was still willing to see him.
“About last time…”
“Shut up!”
Who wanted to hear him talk about last time?
Seeing that Shen Nanyue was genuinely angry, Zhou Yushen obediently fell silent.
He could explain later.
As long as she was still by his side, nothing else mattered.
After days of exhaustion, his body finally relaxed in a place where he felt safe.
When Shen Nanyue eventually noticed how unusually quiet the passenger seat had become, she turned her head.
All she saw was his sleeping profile.
The dark circles beneath his eyes were striking.
She pressed her lips together and unconsciously eased off the accelerator, reducing the car’s speed to a steady, comfortable pace so that he could sleep more peacefully.
Only after doing so did she become annoyed with herself.
Annoyed at her own weakness.
Why was she softening toward him again?
Yet her foot stubbornly refused to press the accelerator any harder.
When Zhou Yushen woke up again, the scent of disinfectant filled his nose.
He sprang upright like a released spring.
The sudden movement startled Shen Nanyue, who had been sitting beside the bed, leaning against a chair and dozing lightly.
“You’re awake.”
Her eyes still carried traces of sleepiness.
Only then did Zhou Yushen regain his bearings.
The pounding of his heart echoed loudly in his ears.
He glanced around the room.
After confirming that it was a hospital ward, he asked in confusion, “Why am I here?”
At that, Shen Nanyue shot him an irritated glare.
“You had a fever of thirty-nine degrees Celsius. Did you seriously not know?”
After they came down the mountain, Shen Nanyue had intended to kick him out of the car once again.
Instead, when she turned to look at him, she found his face flushed bright red.
She reached out to check his temperature and was met with scorching heat.
Without hesitation, she drove him straight to the hospital.
Two IV bags later, Zhou Yushen still hadn’t woken up.
Unable to bring herself to leave him alone in the hospital, she had stayed.
Zhou Yushen’s head still throbbed faintly.
As he lowered his eyes, he concealed the flash of calculation within them.
“Since you’re awake, I’ll call Li Che to keep you company. I—”
She stood up while speaking, preparing to leave.
Before she could finish, Zhou Yushen grabbed her wrist.
“Stay with me. I’ll recover faster.”
When he looked up at her, his eyes were so full of affection that Shen Nanyue’s hand trembled instinctively.
She tried to pull her wrist free, but it didn’t budge at all.
A trace of irritation appeared on her face.
“Zhou Yushen, stop being shameless. We have nothing to do with each other anymore.”
With a slight tug, Zhou Yushen pulled her onto the hospital bed.
His large hand completely enveloped hers.
“I’m pursuing you.”
His gaze never left her face.
“When I succeed, then we’ll have something to do with each other again.”
— The end of the Chapter–
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