Shen Nanyue didn’t feel much emotion in her heart.
Because this day was something she had already expected.
Not long after arriving at the company, she had demoted Lin Siwan.
Given how fiercely Zhou Yu protected her, the fact that they had waited this long before confronting her already showed considerable restraint.
“My surname is Shen, hers is Lin. How could we possibly be family? Mom, your household registration is with the Lin family now, isn’t it? Legally speaking, you no longer have anything to do with the Shen family.”
Before her father passed away, her parents had been locked in a cold war for three whole years.
She never knew the reason.
During that period, because of Zhou Yu’s resentment toward Shen Qing, she also treated little Shen Nanyue with hostility.
At the cruelest point, Zhou Yu’s treatment escalated from hateful stares to outright beatings and scolding.
Even now, Shen Nanyue still remembered being cursed like an animal over a poorly drawn picture when she was a child.
In the end, Zhou Yu had locked her in a sealed attic for an entire day and night.
The endless darkness and coldness were nothing compared to the despair in the heart of that tiny figure curled up in the dark.
As Shen Nanyue looked at Zhou Yu, her expression grew colder and colder.
If not for Grandpa cherishing the remaining ties of family and continuing to financially support the Lin family with the Shen family’s wealth even after Zhou Yu remarried—
Zhou Yu would never have dared to act so arrogantly.
Zhou Yu was infuriated by Shen Nanyue’s merciless words, her face twisting in anger.
“I gave birth to you and raised you. What are you trying to do now? Cut ties with me?”
“Big Sister, speaking like this really hurts Mom’s feelings,” Lin Siwan said with a frown as she defended Zhou Yu.
Whenever this newly formed mother-and-daughter pair came to make their presence known in front of her, Shen Nanyue always found it ridiculous.
Every time they caused trouble without reason, they acted as though the Shen family owed the Lin family something.
Shen Nanyue shrugged. “If you could make reasonable requests, I might agree to them. Mom, it’s late. You should go back.”
With that, she stood up and prepared to leave the living room.
Zhou Yu’s face darkened, clearly unwilling to give up before achieving her goal.
“Shen Nanyue, even if you won’t give your sister shares, you should at least arrange a high-ranking position for her in the company! What’s the meaning of demoting her the moment you took office?”
There it was at last.
Shen Nanyue stopped and turned to look at her.
“A person’s position should match their ability. Lin Siwan doesn’t have the capability. Am I supposed to risk the company losing money just to promote a useless good-for-nothing?”
“What did you say?”
“Mom, don’t come over anymore unless there’s a reason. Grandpa may indulge the Lin family, but I won’t.”
After speaking, Shen Nanyue looked toward Butler Liu.
“Uncle Liu, see the guests out.”
Butler Liu stepped forward and gestured politely for Zhou Yu and Lin Siwan to leave.
Zhou Yu rose to her feet and glared viciously at Shen Nanyue.
“Well done, Shen Nanyue! I wholeheartedly planned everything for you until you got the shares your father left behind. And now that you’ve successfully taken over the Shen Group, you won’t even acknowledge me as your mother anymore?”
Shen Nanyue didn’t respond and simply went upstairs.
Zhou Yu still wanted to say more, but Butler Liu escorted them out.
Lin Siwan held Zhou Yu’s arm and comforted her in a deliberately aggrieved tone.
“Mom, Sister is right. In the end, I’m not part of the Shen family. Don’t offend Sister because of me.”
“Don’t be afraid. As long as I’m still her mother, part of the Shen family fortune belongs to me! Siwan, you’re my daughter too now. I won’t let you suffer.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
After Zhou Yu’s reassurance, Lin Siwan lowered her eyes and curled her lips into a smile.
There was nothing she wanted that she couldn’t obtain.
As the mother and daughter walked out of the Shen family villa, they ran straight into Zhou Yushen, who had just returned.
Lin Siwan’s eyes lit up.
But Zhou Yu showed him no kindness at all.
Seeing that he didn’t greet her either, her tone became even more displeased.
“A useless live-in son-in-law who freeloads off others—don’t you even have the manners to greet your elders?”
Zhou Yushen’s expression remained unchanged.
Under the streetlights, his dark eyes reflected a chilling coldness.
He showed no reaction whatsoever to their presence.
Lin Siwan’s heart tightened, and she quickly pulled on Zhou Yu’s arm.
“Mom, Mr. Zhou is already married to Sister. We’re family now, so please don’t say things like that.”
After hearing that, Zhou Yu said nothing more.
But when her gaze landed on Zhou Yushen, it was still filled with deep dissatisfaction.
To her, Zhou Yushen was just a man with no money and no power.
Completely useless!
She couldn’t understand what Shen Nanyue was thinking—passing up the opportunity to marry into the Meng family only to insist on marrying this live-in son-in-law instead!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Zhou Yu shot Zhou Yushen a fierce glare before dragging Lin Siwan away.
Zhou Yushen ignored them as well and walked inside.
Lin Siwan turned back to look at the man’s tall, upright figure, his elegant stride, and extraordinary aura.
The admiration in her eyes intertwined with the jealousy she felt toward Shen Nanyue.
Biting her lip, a new plan formed in her mind.
She turned to Zhou Yu.
“Mom, do you know Zhou Yushen’s real identity?”
…
After going upstairs, Shen Nanyue curled up in her studio.
Over the past two days, the studio had received a massive order.
Unlike their usual commissions, the customer wanted a wedding dress—preferably in a modern Chinese style.
The studio had never taken a wedding dress order before.
Shen Nanyue deliberated for a long time before accepting it and deciding to design it personally.
First, because the client was paying an enormous amount of money.
Second, because she had never designed a wedding dress before and wanted to use this opportunity to try.
She sat cross-legged on the soft carpet as moonlight poured through the window, its cold glow swallowed by the bright white lights inside the room.
Her slender fingers moved the mouse as she carefully browsed popular wedding dress styles from both domestic and international trends over the past two years.
She was so focused that she didn’t even notice Zhou Yushen entering the room.
Only when she reached for paper and pen to jot down her rough ideas did she realize someone was standing beside her.
The mouse flew from her hand.
By the time she reacted, a thin layer of cold sweat had already formed on her forehead.
“Why didn’t you make a sound?! You scared me to death!”
Still irritated, Shen Nanyue smacked Zhou Yushen hard on the shoulder.
But he didn’t get angry.
His smiling eyes rested gently on her face.
“You were too focused. I called your name once, but you didn’t answer.”
As he spoke, his clear gaze shifted to the computer screen filled with dazzling wedding dress designs.
In his mind, those dresses gradually wove together into a dreamlike image.
In that image was Shen Nanyue wearing a wedding gown.
The pure white skirt spread across a lush green lawn as she stood in the center, wearing the most beautiful makeup in the world—though even without makeup, she was already the most beautiful person in the world.
The bouquet in her hands complemented her radiant smile, reflecting the happiness shining on her face.
Zhou Yushen’s heart stirred, and his fingers unconsciously rubbed together.
It suddenly felt as though they should have a grand wedding ceremony.
“Then couldn’t you have called me a few more times?”
Shen Nanyue rolled her eyes at him irritably.
She clearly still hadn’t recovered from the fright just now.
She walked over to the nearby desk and, without caring that Zhou Yushen was there, grabbed paper and pen to quickly record the inspiration she had just gotten.
Thankfully, the inspiration hadn’t disappeared from the scare.
Otherwise, she definitely wouldn’t let Zhou Yushen off tonight!
Zhou Yushen walked over and looked at the casually sketched wedding dress designs on her draft paper, his heart stirring again.
“Who are you designing the wedding dress for?”
— The end of the Chapter–
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