Han Qingruo was so overwhelmed with rage that she fainted on the spot.
The Meng family hurriedly carried her back to her room in a panic and urgently called for a doctor to examine her.
With the hosts gone, the guests who had come for the banquet gradually left one after another as well.
In the end, only Shen Nanyue and Zhou Yushen remained on the enormous lawn of the Meng residence.
Just as Meng Zhishuo was about to leave with the rest of the Meng family, he suddenly stopped and walked over to Shen Nanyue.
He glanced at Zhou Yushen before leaning close to Shen Nanyue’s ear and whispering softly:
“Master, I have the chat records between my brother and his friends. If you need them, message me.”
After saying that, he left immediately.
Shen Nanyue froze for a moment as she watched Meng Zhishuo’s departing figure.
This Meng Zhishuo… his ambitions were quite something.
“The show is over. We should head back too.”
Zhou Yushen placed one hand around Shen Nanyue’s waist and guided her toward the exit.
Shen Nanyue paused slightly, as though some thought had flashed through her mind.
But it vanished too quickly for her to catch.
After the two left the Meng residence, Han Ping finally emerged from the main building.
She watched the backs of the departing pair—or more precisely, her gaze remained fixed on Zhou Yushen.
For the sake of a woman, he had really hidden himself like a cowardly turtle.
Idiot.
“Mrs. Han, would you like to check on Madam Han?” a servant asked.
“I’ll come back once she’s calmed down.”
As her words fell, she had already turned and walked away.
Only after getting into the car did Shen Nanyue finally ask Zhou Yushen:
“Why were you there today?”
“The invitation from the Meng family was sent to the Zhou family. Young Master Zhou asked me to attend in his place.”
Shen Nanyue nodded and asked no further questions.
Today, she had impulsively gone there to make trouble without fully preparing herself.
If that female reporter had not appeared at the end, things might have backfired terribly on her.
Yet despite everything, her mood was not particularly good.
Suddenly, the car stopped by the roadside.
Shen Nanyue froze and turned to look at Zhou Yushen.
His dark eyes settled on her.
“So… you agreed to the marriage proposal?”
Without hesitation, Shen Nanyue answered:
“Yes.”
“Why so suddenly?”
“It’s not sudden. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”
She looked at him with rare sincerity in her eyes.
“I’ve strung you along long enough. If I keep doing it, I’ll really become a terrible woman.”
“And besides,” she added, shooting him a sideways glance, “aren’t you someone who can’t stand being rejected?”
There was no real blame in her tone, only a trace of helplessness lingering at the end.
Zhou Yushen smiled.
All the effort he had put in these past days had not been wasted.
At least now he could finally give his grandfather an answer.
He reached out and took Shen Nanyue’s hand.
“When should we register the marriage?”
“Shouldn’t I meet your grandfather first?”
“My grandfather isn’t in Fengcheng at the moment. Let’s get the marriage certificate first. Once he returns, we can hold the wedding.”
After thinking it over, Shen Nanyue nodded.
“Actually, whether we hold a wedding or not doesn’t matter. This is basically a contractual marriage anyway. If we don’t get along in the future, then we’ll still end up divorcing.”
Zhou Yushen could clearly sense Shen Nanyue’s resistance toward marriage.
It was probably a wound left by her family upbringing.
Suddenly, he unfastened his seatbelt and leaned over toward her.
Before she could react, he kissed her lips.
What began as a soft touch soon deepened like ocean waves rolling ashore.
Unconsciously, Shen Nanyue’s fingers tightened around the corner of his clothes.
The warm scent of sandalwood enveloped her, painting her cheeks red.
After a long while—
Just as she was nearly out of breath, Zhou Yushen finally released her.
The two remained extremely close, their breaths intertwined as the temperature inside the car gradually rose.
His hand rested on her waist, stroking gently again and again, each touch carrying waves of heat.
“We’re perfectly compatible. There won’t be a time when we don’t get along.”
Shen Nanyue lifted her eyes, her pupils reflecting the darkness in Zhou Yushen’s gaze.
He had indeed told her before—he was a man with severe cleanliness habits, and once married, he would not divorce easily.
The heat on her face quickly faded.
She grabbed the hand resting on her waist and restrained it.
“Mr. Zhou, holding unrealistic fantasies about marriage… you’re still just as naïve as ever.”
She gently pushed him away.
The lingering tenderness on her face vanished instantly, as though the woman who had almost drowned in his gentle kiss moments ago had only been an illusion.
“Let’s go back,” she said calmly. “Come meet my grandfather. He likes you very much.”
Zhou Yushen looked into Shen Nanyue’s gradually cooling eyes, his gaze deep and unreadable.
She did not believe in marriage.
More accurately, she did not believe in love.
Even though he could already sense that she had developed some degree of affection for him, it still could not shake the conviction buried deep inside her heart.
What had happened to disappoint her to such an extent?
Seeing Shen Nanyue turn to look out the window, clearly unwilling to speak to him anymore, Zhou Yushen stopped questioning her.
Only after restarting the car did he finally calm his thoughts.
He believed Shen Nanyue’s sudden agreement to marriage definitely was not because of the tiny bit of affection she felt for him.
For example, once the Shen family’s daughter married, she would gain the right to inherit the enormous fortune her father had left behind.
Coincidentally, he doesn’t believe in any kind of affection beyond mutual interests.
…
The moment the two arrived at the gates of the Shen residence, a group of people hurriedly rushed out from inside.
Shen Nanyue immediately sensed something was wrong.
After getting out of the car, she grabbed one of the servants at random.
“What happened?”
“Miss, you’re finally back! Master… Master had another attack!”
Shen Nanyue’s eyes instantly turned red as she hurried inside.
Zhou Yushen followed closely behind her.
Before the two could even enter the house, they saw Old Master Shen being carried out on a stretcher.
The butler quickly spoke the moment he saw Shen Nanyue.
“Miss, we’ve already contacted the hospital. We need to send Master there immediately!”
Holding back her tears, Shen Nanyue nodded and ran out alongside the stretcher.
She personally drove the car.
With assistance from traffic police, they sped through uninterrupted green lights all the way to the hospital.
Old Master Shen was quickly pushed into the operating room.
Shen Nanyue leaned silently against the white wall outside the operating room.
Her face was deathly pale and expressionless, as though all life had drained from her body.
She looked like a shattered doll.
Unable to bear seeing her like this, Zhou Yushen walked over and stood beside her quietly, accompanying her without a word.
After receiving the butler’s call, Zhou Yu and Lin Siwan hurried to the hospital as well.
“How is he?”
“Madam… the situation doesn’t look optimistic…”
The elderly butler wept as he stubbornly remained outside the operating room.
Zhou Yu’s body trembled violently.
She staggered backward and nearly collapsed, but Lin Siwan quickly caught her from behind.
“Mom, be careful!”
Zhou Yu’s face had gone pale.
Then her eyes suddenly landed on Shen Nanyue and Zhou Yushen standing nearby.
As though remembering something, she abruptly shoved Lin Siwan away and stormed toward Shen Nanyue.
“Shen Nanyue, since this is the man you chose yourself, then as your mother I won’t make things difficult for you anymore. You and him should immediately go register your marriage!”
Shen Nanyue acted as though she hadn’t heard a single word.
She remained blankly leaning against the wall, not even sparing Zhou Yu a glance.
“Did you hear me?!”
Zhou Yu raised her voice angrily and lifted her hand as if about to shove Shen Nanyue.
Zhou Yushen immediately blocked her arm and stepped in front of Shen Nanyue protectively.
His dark eyes were filled with icy coldness, radiating invisible pressure.
“Grandfather is still inside the operating room. Please keep your voice down.”
“You’re not even officially the Shen family’s son-in-law yet, and you already dare lecture me, your future mother-in-law? Get out of my way!”
— The end of the Chapter–
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