Jiuxi Bay. Shen Yunmian sat alone on the living room sofa.
The clock on the wall had already passed midnight.
The house was deathly silent, with only the sound of her own breathing.
Yu Sheng still hadn't returned.
Where had she gone? Who was she with? Was she refusing to come back because of what happened during the day?
Countless thoughts gnawed at her heart like ants.
She wanted to call, but feared hearing Yu Sheng's cold voice—or worse, the unanswered busy tone.
She wanted to send someone to look for her, but feared angering her again.
This torment of being caught between advancing and retreating, of gain and loss, nearly drove her mad.
Just as her anxiety reached its peak, when she was almost about to go out and search regardless of everything, footsteps sounded from the entrance.
With the electronic lock's prompt, the door opened.
Yu Sheng, carrying a faint scent of alcohol, walked in slowly.
Shen Yunmian immediately stood up from the sofa and hurried forward. "Yu Sheng, you're back…"
Before she could finish, Yu Sheng looked straight at her. In those slightly drunken eyes flickered a complex and dangerous light Shen Yunmian had never seen before.
Instinctively sensing danger, Shen Yunmian swallowed the question on her lips and instead asked worriedly, "Yu Sheng, you've been drinking again?"
Yu Sheng didn't respond. She simply looked away, changed her shoes on her own, then ignored Shen Yunmian and walked straight toward the bedroom.
"Yu Sheng…" Shen Yunmian called after her, confused, but didn't dare stop her.
At the doorway, Yu Sheng paused. Without turning back, she said lightly, "Shen Yunmian, come in."
Hearing this, Shen Yunmian froze, thinking she had misheard.
After how badly things had gone last night, she thought Yu Sheng wouldn't speak to her again, much less let her step into the bedroom. She never expected Yu Sheng to take the initiative to call her in. Always sharp in business, President Shen suddenly couldn't read her wife's thoughts at all—both surprised and uneasy.
"Shen Yunmian, come in!"
Yu Sheng's voice was already filled with impatience. Shen Yunmian snapped back to her senses and hurried into the bedroom.
Inside, Yu Sheng was already half-reclining against the headboard, eyes half-lidded as she looked at Shen Yunmian, yet saying nothing.
Shen Yunmian felt uneasy under her gaze and tried to make conversation. "Yu Sheng, are you feeling unwell anywhere? Do you want some water—" Before she could finish, Yu Sheng interrupted her, getting straight to the point.
"Shen Yunmian, you already know what I discussed with Dr. Chen, don't you?"
"Yu Sheng, I… I was just worried about you." Shen Yunmian hurriedly explained. "Don't misunderstand, I really didn't mean to control you…"
"So even after knowing my mental condition, you still won't agree to a divorce, is that it?" Yu Sheng stared at her steadily.
Shen Yunmian stiffened instantly, not even daring to meet her gaze.
Yu Sheng said nothing, simply looking at her, patiently waiting for an answer.
The silence in the air was so thick it felt like a pin drop could be heard.
After a long while, Shen Yunmian finally seemed to find her voice, speaking with difficulty. "Sheng Sheng, psychological illness can be treated. I'll stay by your side…"
Yu Sheng let out a cold laugh. "So even if you drive me to the point of going insane, you still won't divorce me, right?"
As if struck at her most despicable thought, Shen Yunmian remained silent.
Shen Yunmian, how can you be this cruel?
Yu Sheng felt her whole body turn cold, the chill spreading from her chest to her limbs.
Seeing the disappointment in Yu Sheng's eyes, Shen Yunmian panicked. She stepped forward without hesitation, grabbed Yu Sheng's hand, and knelt halfway, pleading humbly, "Yu Sheng, give me one more chance, okay? I won't hurt you again. I'll find you the best doctors. As long as you cooperate with treatment, you'll definitely recover."
At that moment, Yu Sheng's hope of parting peacefully completely died.
She didn't want to delve into Shen Yunmian's motives, but she understood one thing clearly: the other woman would never easily agree to a divorce. No matter how angry or distressed she was—even if she went mad—Shen Yunmian wouldn't let her go.
In an instant, it felt like something exploded violently in Yu Sheng's chest.
It was just like the times she had lost control and lashed out at Shen Yunmian before—like a cloud of black mist devouring her rationality, making her want to tear the person in front of her apart and drag her down to hell together.
For the first time, Yu Sheng felt her own dark thoughts so clearly. The surge of intense emotion made it hard for her to breathe.
She clutched her chest, gasping violently, as if her negative emotions were locked in a desperate struggle with her reason.
Seeing her pale face and unstable breathing, Shen Yunmian immediately took out her phone to call a doctor.
The next second, Yu Sheng suddenly knocked the phone out of her hand and forcefully shoved her!
Caught off guard, Shen Yunmian stumbled and fell onto the bed.
Yu Sheng followed, pressing forward, bracing her arms on either side of Shen Yunmian, the strong scent of alcohol enveloping her.
"Shen Yunmian…"
Yu Sheng's voice was thick with intoxication, yet strangely laced with an extreme, suppressed clarity.
"Why? Why do you have to force me… to become someone I hate?"
"Why… do you have to force me to become someone like you… someone who uses the body and emotions to torment each other?"
Shen Yunmian's heart clenched painfully. She tried to explain, "I didn't, Yu Sheng. I just don't want to lose—"
"Shut up."
Yu Sheng cut her off, her gaze hazy yet sharp, as if she were looking through her at something else.
Then, under Shen Yunmian's stunned gaze, she suddenly lowered her head, her warm lips once again precisely covering the not-yet-healed wound on her collarbone.
This time, it wasn't just biting.
It carried a sense of despair, of punishment—as if dragging both of them down together.
Fine, prickling pain and an indescribable, trembling numbness spread through Shen Yunmian's entire body.
She couldn't help letting out a muffled groan, her body trembling slightly.
Yu Sheng lifted her head, the corner of her lips curving into something almost morbid, her eyes both frenzied and clear as she murmured softly:
"Alright… as you wish…"
"Shen Yunmian, let's keep tormenting each other."
Feeling the anger and despair in Yu Sheng's actions, Shen Yunmian panicked and tried to explain, "Sheng Sheng, I never wanted to hurt you, and I never wanted to lose you…"
Before she could finish, Yu Sheng's cool fingers pressed firmly over her lips, cutting off all the words she hadn't yet spoken.
Yu Sheng let out a cold laugh. There wasn't a trace of desire in her eyes—only icy mockery and a kind of nearly self-destructive madness.
"Don't you think it's too late to say that now?"
She didn't give Shen Yunmian a chance to speak, continuing her movements almost roughly, her fingers forcefully tearing open the buttons of Shen Yunmian's shirt, the expensive fabric letting out faint ripping sounds.
Shen Yunmian instinctively raised her hand to block, only for her wrist to be tightly restrained by Yu Sheng.
"Yu Sheng! Calm down!" Panic crept into Shen Yunmian's voice.
"Calm down?" Yu Sheng looked down at her, her gaze sharp as a blade. "You pushed me to this point, and now you're telling me to calm down?"
She suddenly increased the force in her hand, her tone chilling. "Don't move. Either endure it, or get out right now."
"… " Shen Yunmian's movements froze instantly.
How could she leave at a time like this? Instinct told her that if she left, everything would be over.
Looking at the redness in Yu Sheng's eyes and the bottomless pain within them, she finally seemed to lose all strength. Her tightly clenched fists slowly loosened, falling limply at her sides.
She turned her head, closing her eyes, her thick lashes trembling, exposing a kind of vulnerable resignation.
The ever-dominant, in-control President Shen had never experienced such passivity and humiliation.
Every muscle in her body was tense, revealing immense restraint.
Watching her like this—submissive yet clearly resisting—something twisted quietly grew inside Yu Sheng.
It was as if seeing Shen Yunmian in pain gave her an outlet for her own anxiety and resentment, bringing a strange sense of satisfaction. So this was what it felt like—to transfer one's own suffering onto someone else.
Yet when her rationality briefly returned, it plunged her into even deeper self-loathing.
How had she become like this? How could she derive pleasure from tormenting someone?
The realization only made her more agitated.
To drive away that discomforting guilt, she lowered her head again, biting down on Shen Yunmian's slender neck in retaliation.
It wasn't a kiss filled with desire, but a slow, punishing grind, her teeth grazing against the pulse beneath the skin—as if confirming her own existence through inflicting pain, while also tormenting the person beneath her.
Shen Yunmian could barely endure this sharp pain, suppressed groans escaping from her throat.
But when Yu Sheng's damp lips left, her slightly cool fingers began tracing downward along the bite marks.
Sliding past her violently beating neck, over the delicate lines of her collarbone, carrying a burning warmth as they brushed over trembling skin.
Winding lower, gliding past her slender waist…
And when they finally landed precisely on the most sensitive place—
"Mm!"
A powerful, uncontrollable current surged through her body!
Shen Yunmian gasped sharply, the tension snapping in an instant. She opened her eyes abruptly, almost in panic, looking at the person above her.
Yu Sheng's half-lidded eyes carried an obvious hint of teasing, freezing Shen Yunmian in place. Instinct carved into her bones told her she couldn't become the weaker one, couldn't give in, and absolutely couldn't become something that indulged in pleasure—especially under Yu Sheng's frivolous gaze, which stung.
She didn't want to admit it, but had to accept it—there was hatred, resentment, but not a trace of love in those eyes.
Seeing her stare blankly, looking hurt, Yu Sheng felt an inexplicable irritation. She didn't want to understand Shen Yunmian's complicated emotions. To her, this was self-inflicted.
So, impatiently, Yu Sheng reached out, originally intending to push Shen Yunmian away and go to sleep—to avoid the annoyance.
But Shen Yunmian misunderstood, thinking she wanted to continue those humiliating actions, and almost instinctively shoved Yu Sheng away with all her strength!
Caught off guard, Yu Sheng was pushed backward, nearly falling off the bed.
Almost instantly, Shen Yunmian reacted, reaching out in panic to pull her back!
Yu Sheng fell back onto her. After steadying herself, instead of anger, she laughed.
She sneered, looking down at Shen Yunmian—still shaken, flushed, and filled with shame—her tone dripping with mockery:
"What's wrong? The high and mighty President Shen still can't accept being the passive one? Only you get to control everything, and anyone else touching you becomes an offense?"
Shen Yunmian had never been this disheveled—her hair messy, clothes in disarray, breathing uneven.
She avoided Yu Sheng's sharp gaze, her voice hoarse, almost pleading. "Yu Sheng… don't be like this…"
"Don't be like what?"
Yu Sheng let out a light laugh. "Isn't this exactly how you treated me before? On our wedding night—how did you do it? Forgotten already?"
She leaned close to Shen Yunmian's flushed ear, warm breath brushing against it, her words like venom.
"Direct, dull, completely without skill—like completing a task."
"I could endure it. Why can't you?"
"Shen Yunmian, admit it—you're really terrible at this."
Each merciless accusation was like a burning blade stabbing into Shen Yunmian's most fragile pride.
Her face turned pale, her lips trembling as she tried to refute, only to find any defense powerless before the cold truth.
"I didn't…" she struggled weakly, her voice faint. "I never intended… to humiliate you like this…"
"Oh? Never intended to humiliate me?"
Yu Sheng maliciously increased the force of her hand, drawing another suppressed gasp from Shen Yunmian.
"Then you admit your skills are terrible!"
"If you know you're bad, why not learn properly? Every time you act cold and detached like you're forced to complete a task—that's the greatest humiliation to me! I must have been out of my mind to tolerate you for so long!"
"Shen Yunmian, look at me!"
She forced her to turn her face, making her meet her cold eyes.
"Look at yourself. What about you is even likable?"
"Not only are you bad at it, you're stubborn and as dull as wood."
"So stop putting on that affectionate, unrequited look to annoy me. It's disgusting."
Each cutting word struck like sharp ice, relentlessly breaking down Shen Yunmian's mental defenses.
Finally, when Yu Sheng spat out the word "disgusting," the last thread of Shen Yunmian's composure snapped.
She stumbled off the bed, not even having time to fix her disheveled clothes, her eyes red as she glared at Yu Sheng, who lay there calmly.
"That's enough!"
Her voice was hoarse, carrying the rawness of collapse.
She could no longer remain in this suffocating space, facing the woman who was carving her apart with words.
In the end, she almost fled in panic, yanking open the bedroom door and disappearing hurriedly into the dark hallway.
With a loud bang, the door slammed shut, cutting off the two spaces.
The bedroom fell into sudden silence, leaving only Yu Sheng's slightly uneven breathing.
She lay alone on the bed, staring at the luxurious crystal chandelier above. The madness in her eyes gradually faded, clarity returning.
Strangely, after that intense confrontation, the suffocating resentment that had been building inside her—almost tearing her apart—seemed to have dissipated somewhat.
A sense of exhaustion, yet unusual calm, enveloped her.
She even had the mood to wonder: this time, how long would it take for the proud President Shen to pull herself together and find the courage to bother her again?
—
T/N: If you're enjoying this translation, feel free to check out my Patreon. If you're unable to support financially, you can still subscribe for free and receive chapters two hours earlier, along with updates and announcements. Paid tiers offer early access and daily chapters.
Thank you so much for reading!
patreon.com/Baenz