Ch 17 : Misunderstanding

The next day.

Shen Nanyue returned to the Shen residence carrying the outfit.

The moment she stepped inside, she spotted an unexpected guest.

Zhou Yushen.

What was he doing here?

Old Master Shen sat on the sofa.

The old man wore a black Tang-style jacket and sat upright with remarkable energy, looking nothing like someone gravely ill.

He seemed to be chatting quite happily with Zhou Yushen.

The smile on his wrinkled face made those wrinkles deepen even further.

The moment he saw Shen Nanyue enter, he quickly waved her over.

“Yueyue, come here quickly. Your friend is here.”

Shen Nanyue’s dangerous gaze landed on Zhou Yushen, carrying a faint warning.

Zhou Yushen remained completely unfazed, a smile lingering on his handsome face.

Carrying the outfit, Shen Nanyue walked over and bluntly asked, “What are you doing here?”

Before Zhou Yushen could answer, Old Master Shen’s face darkened first.

“Yueyue! Is that how you speak to a guest?”

Old Master Shen had spent a lifetime commanding respect.

The moment he put on a stern face, he truly was intimidating.

Shen Nanyue pursed her lips in silence and made no apology.

Old Master Shen then turned back toward Zhou Yushen with a smile.

“I spoiled this child too much growing up, so don’t take it to heart. But since you two are friends, I’m sure you won’t mind, right?”

The smile in Zhou Yushen’s eyes deepened.

At last, he understood that Shen Nanyue being “spoiled rotten” was no exaggeration.

Scolding her on one hand while backing her up on the other.

Truly a good grandfather.

“Of course I don’t mind.”

His gaze lightly swept toward Shen Nanyue, who stood nearby with irritation written all over her face.

He stood up politely and bid farewell to Old Master Shen.

“I found the flash drive, so I won’t disturb you any longer.”

“Why leave in such a hurry? Yueyue just got back. Stay and have breakfast before you go.”

Old Master Shen tried to persuade him to stay.

But Zhou Yushen smiled and declined politely.

“No need, Grandpa. I still have work to deal with. Luckily the USB drive wasn’t lost, otherwise my boss would’ve scolded me to death during this morning’s meeting.”

Once he put it that way, Old Master Shen had no reason to insist further.

Shen Nanyue watched Zhou Yushen’s departing figure, confusion surfacing in her heart.

Wasn’t he the crown prince of the Zhou family?

Usually he should be the one scolding others.

Who could possibly scold him?

Unless…

“When he’s here, you pull a long face. Once he leaves, you stare after him longingly.”

The teasing voice came from behind her.

Shen Nanyue turned around helplessly.

“Grandpa, are you misunderstanding my relationship with him?”

She handed the outfit to a servant and sat beside Old Master Shen.

“Your grandfather may be old, but my eyesight is still sharp. What misunderstanding could there be?”

“I’m not debating this with you. Why did he come here so early in the morning?”

Old Master Shen had built the Shen Corporation from scratch.

That sharp tongue of his had once dominated the business world, and even now, his skills hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

Arguing with him would only be asking for trouble.

“And you still say there’s nothing between you? If there’s no relationship, why are you asking about him?”

“Can’t I just be curious? Who drops by someone else’s house this early in the morning?”

Seeing the faint irritation on Shen Nanyue’s face, Old Master Shen finally stopped teasing her.

“This child realized his work USB drive was missing when he got to work today. Then he remembered he’d casually stuffed it into his pocket when he came to the banquet last night, so he thought he might’ve lost it here. Luckily, the servants had already put everything away carefully.”

At that point, a sudden gleam lit up Old Master Shen’s eyes.

“Yueyue, your friend is an investment banking manager! I chatted with him just now and realized this young man has great vision. He dares to think big and act boldly—a real talent. If you end up together with him, then my Shen Corporation will finally have a successor!”

“Grandpa…”

Shen Nanyue looked at Old Master Shen helplessly.

Taking ten thousand steps back, couldn’t she inherit Shen Corporation herself?

She rubbed her nose awkwardly.

To be fair, her ambitions truly weren’t in that direction.

And precisely because Old Master Shen knew she had no interest in managing a company, he would rather donate all his wealth after death than leave the corporation to her.

Unbothered by Shen Nanyue’s reaction, Old Master Shen continued speaking enthusiastically.

While listening, Shen Nanyue gradually fell into deep thought.

From the way Grandpa described it, Zhou Yushen was probably just an ordinary investment banking manager at Huansheng Group.

Had she guessed wrong?

Maybe Zhou Yushen actually had nothing to do with the Zhou family.

Thinking back to the time she visited his office, it really had looked no different from an ordinary manager’s office.

If he truly were the Zhou family’s crown prince, then as the only son, he shouldn’t possibly hold such a minor position within the company.

But the car Zhou Yushen drove was clearly not something an ordinary person could afford.

She shook her head slightly.

Whoever he was had nothing to do with her anyway.

Still, a trace of annoyance surfaced in her heart.

Because of what happened last night, when she saw Zhou Yushen appear at the Shen residence this morning, she had instinctively assumed he came intentionally to curry favor with Grandpa in order to pressure her into marriage.

That was why she had treated him coldly the entire time.

Now that she realized she had been wrong, the metaphorical slap to her face genuinely stung.

While she was lost in thought, a withered hand gently patted her shoulder.

Startled, she returned to her senses and met Old Master Shen’s serious and earnest gaze.

“Yueyue, your father’s final wish still stands. As long as you get married, Shen Corporation will be handed over to you. But you don’t need to feel pressured. Grandpa respects whatever choice you make.”

Shen Nanyue said nothing.

She merely gazed deeply at the elderly man who had protected her in the palm of his hand since childhood.

Shen Corporation represented all of Old Master Shen’s life’s work.

How exactly was she supposed to choose?

Before she could respond, Old Master Shen patted her shoulder again, his voice carrying a trace of melancholy.

“Yueyue… there are no overnight grudges between mother and daughter. After you eat, go visit your mother.”

Shen Nanyue fell completely silent.

After a long while, she finally nodded.

…

At the hospital.

Following the nurse’s directions, Shen Nanyue arrived outside a VIP hospital room.

Through the glass panel in the door, she saw Lin Siwan sitting beside the bed, comforting Zhou Yu, who sat there with a gloomy expression.

“Mom, don’t blame Sister anymore. She and Brother Chen Mu were engaged for so many years—maybe she just couldn’t accept everything all at once, which is why she embarrassed you publicly at the birthday banquet.”

Lin Siwan truly knew how to stir trouble.

With only a few sentences, anger spread across Zhou Yu’s darkened face.

“She couldn’t accept it? A woman who couldn’t even keep hold of her own fiancé spends all day fooling around outside. For all we know, she might not even be pure anymore, yet she still expects others to stay faithful and chaste for her?”

“Siwan, you don’t need to speak up for her. Even if she kneels in front of me and apologizes today, I still won’t forgive her!”

Shen Nanyue folded her arms as she watched the scene inside.

She did not miss the fleeting triumphant smile that crossed Lin Siwan’s face when she lowered her head.

Expressionless, Shen Nanyue pushed the door open and walked in.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t believe I’ve done anything wrong, so I won’t be kneeling down to apologize.”

The moment Shen Nanyue entered, both Zhou Yu and Lin Siwan’s expressions changed drastically.

Lin Siwan quickly stood up and looked toward Shen Nanyue.

She froze for a second before smiling warmly as she approached.

“Sister, did you come to visit Mom?”

Before Shen Nanyue could answer, Zhou Yu let out a cold scoff first.

“She came to see whether I’m dead yet!”

Shen Nanyue avoided Lin Siwan’s hand and shot her a cool glare.

Lin Siwan immediately stopped daring to move closer.

“Looks like you’re in good spirits. I’ll be leaving then.”

She turned to leave, but Zhou Yu’s cold voice rang out behind her.

“Shen Nanyue, let me repeat this one more time: marry Meng Yan. Otherwise, after I die, you won’t receive a single thing from me!”