The next morning, when Yu Sheng woke up, she heard faint movements outside the door.
She yawned and slowly got up. After last night's hysterical release, those negative emotions seemed to have been brought under control, and her rationality was gradually returning.
Life still had to go on. Divorce, even more so, would face endless obstacles.
After thinking it through half the night, she realized something—she must have been blind to have fallen for Shen Yunmian in the first place. Beneath that beautiful exterior, she was nothing but a mad dog—paranoid and arrogant. Because of her childhood experiences, she held an almost rigid, harsh view of marriage. Mutual respect without conflict meant a good relationship to her. She couldn't accept any flaw or scandal in what appeared to be a perfect marriage to outsiders—let alone accept being the one who was abandoned.
After this, Shen Yunmian would use every means at her disposal to make her yield, continuing to maintain a marriage that looked harmonious on the surface but was fractured within.
And Yu Sheng, under her pressure, was forced to admit one fact.
Whether it was love, hate, or resentment, Shen Yunmian could still affect her emotions—she still cared, after all. Before, she had been fixated on divorcing Shen Yunmian as quickly as possible, drawing a clear line between them, which was nothing more than avoidance, an inability to face their past feelings. But now, under Shen Yunmian's relentless advance, she had no choice but to confront her own heart.
She still had her mother, her friends, and so many interesting things in life. Having been given a second chance, she couldn't continue being dragged down by Shen Yunmian like this, sinking deeper into depression.
She had to learn to let go, to completely strip away Shen Yunmian's emotional hold over her, and live her life properly.
Yu Sheng adjusted her mindset with effort, slowly got up, and used voice control to open the curtains. Morning sunlight streamed in—another new day.
After washing up, she changed into a crisp business outfit, tying her long hair neatly behind her head.
The woman in the mirror had clear, composed eyes, without a trace of being troubled by emotions.
She pushed open the door and saw Shen Yunmian sitting in the living room with a cup of coffee, as if she had been waiting for quite a while.
Yu Sheng acted as if she hadn't seen her and leisurely walked toward the dining table.
Shen Yunmian's gaze couldn't help but follow her steps. Yu Sheng sensed it, so when she reached the table, she paused and glanced down at her indifferently. Shen Yunmian immediately looked away, clearly trying to avoid eye contact.
Yu Sheng didn't bother with her and simply sat down, calling toward the kitchen, "Aunt Yang, is breakfast ready?"
From the kitchen, Aunt Yang immediately responded, "Almost done."
As she spoke, she came out carrying a porcelain bowl, smiling as she served porridge for both of them. "Miss Yu, try this tremella and corn soup—it has wild honey added. Miss especially had me bring it from the old madam."
At the mention of her, Shen Yunmian's body stiffened, secretly watching Yu Sheng, a hint of expectation hidden in her eyes.
Yu Sheng casually took the bowl and had a sip, saying lightly, "A bit too sweet."
"Oh, maybe I added too much honey. I'll use less next time."
Aunt Yang replied casually, glancing helplessly at the two of them, sighing inwardly—they were still upset with each other. Having worked in the Shen household for so long, she knew her place and didn't dare say more. She turned back to the kitchen to bring out the rest of the food and continued working quietly.
On the table were steaming soup dumplings, steamed dumplings, and sandwiches—things they both usually liked.
Yu Sheng lowered her head, not even glancing at Shen Yunmian across from her, and focused on eating. She finished five soup dumplings, six steamed dumplings, and a full bowl of tremella corn soup. Warmth spread through her stomach, and even her mood seemed to lift.
After finishing, she looked up and saw Shen Yunmian's gloomy face—and the untouched food in front of her.
That made her even happier.
The corner of her lips curled into a faint, mocking smile as she stood up to leave for work.
Seeing her about to go, Shen Yunmian finally couldn't sit still and called out sharply, "Yu Sheng!"
Yu Sheng stopped, turned, and glanced at her sideways, annoyed. "No need to shout. I'm not deaf—I can hear you."
Shen Yunmian looked at her. "About last night… don't you have anything to say?"
"Say what?" Yu Sheng asked.
Looking at her indifferent expression, Shen Yunmian spoke after a long pause, almost helplessly, "Yu Sheng… is our marriage really going to continue like this, in endless conflict?"
"Of course not." Yu Sheng smiled slightly, a hint of liveliness entering her cold eyes. "Shen Yunmian, as long as you're willing to make some concessions, we can still coexist peacefully."
A flicker of hope lit up Shen Yunmian's eyes as she asked eagerly, "What?"
"Agree to a divorce."
"Impossible."
The two spoke almost in unison.
Yu Sheng had already expected Shen Yunmian to refuse and feigned regret. "Since we can't reach a cooperation agreement, then there's no choice—we'll just have to continue negotiations."
At this point, how could Shen Yunmian not see that Yu Sheng was deliberately provoking her? She had thought that after last night's deliberate humiliation, Yu Sheng would have calmed down somewhat and that they might be able to sit down and talk properly. But reality slapped her hard—Yu Sheng simply didn't care.
Not wanting their relationship to worsen, Shen Yunmian suppressed her anger and tried to soften her tone. "Yu Sheng, don't act on impulse like this, alright? I've said it before—anything except divorce, I can agree to."
"Not divorcing is fine."
Seeing Shen Yunmian's expression ease slightly, Yu Sheng added, "Then how about continuing to live separately?"
Shen Yunmian rejected it immediately, anger flashing. "No."
"Then there's no way around it." Yu Sheng let out a mocking laugh. "Two rejections in a row—President Shen really has no sincerity in negotiations."
With that, Yu Sheng didn't look at her again and walked away.
Shen Yunmian stood there rigidly, like an ice sculpture. After a long while, as if realizing something, her expression twisted.
It seemed Yu Sheng no longer cared about her at all—she didn't even want to argue anymore. Her wife now seemed to want nothing more than to anger her to death and happily remain alone… no, perhaps she was already eager to find someone new.
—
Yu Sheng left the house and drove to the company.
Soft music played in the car. Thinking of Shen Yunmian's dark expression, she couldn't help humming along.
Between suffocating herself and worsening her depression, or angering Shen Yunmian to death, she chose the latter without hesitation. Seeing Shen Yunmian suffer made her feel even better.
After that brief satisfaction, Yu Sheng quickly pushed Shen Yunmian to the back of her mind and devoted all her energy to work.
She deeply understood the gap between her and Shen Yunmian in the business world.
Shen Yunmian had undergone strict heir training since childhood, developing a decisive and ruthless personality. Surrounded by admiration in the business world, she was used to others catering to her, and even the turbulence in their marriage wouldn't stop the Shen Corporation from reaching greater heights under her leadership. But Yu Sheng was different—she had too much to learn. Even with Su Qingyu's help, she had to stay fully focused just to barely keep up with the intensity of the work.
At the company.
After finishing a meeting with Su Qingyu, Yu Sheng pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned back in her chair to rest.
Closing her notebook, Su Qingyu looked at her and said teasingly, "President Yu, you look much better than a few days ago. Seems like things with President Shen are going quite well?"
Yu Sheng let out a scoff. "So-so. At least now, out of sight, out of mind… as long as someone doesn't insist on showing up to make her presence known, everyone's better off."
"That might be difficult. President Shen's attitude clearly shows she's determined to have you," Su Qingyu said with a smile.
Yu Sheng couldn't help but complain, "Exactly. I must have been blind to fall for her. Now she's like gum—I can't shake her off no matter what."
Su Qingyu nodded knowingly. "President Yu, haven't you noticed? President Shen clearly admires strength. She only gives respect to those she truly acknowledges. The colder and more uncontrollable you are, the more she becomes fixated on you. But that's actually a good thing—it makes it easier for you to leverage that against her."
Yu Sheng frowned and interrupted, "Assistant Su, I hired you to help manage the company, not to be a life coach."
Su Qingyu paused, surprised. "President Yu, have you shelved your 'taming' plan?"
Hearing her so bluntly describe her former boss, Yu Sheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry, though her feelings were complicated. Su Qingyu, as a subordinate, was highly capable but overly pragmatic and ruthless. Fortunately, their interests currently aligned.
Seeing Yu Sheng remain silent, Su Qingyu quickly picked up on the shift in her mood and immediately returned to a professional demeanor. "President Yu, I shouldn't have interfered in your personal life. That was overstepping."
Yu Sheng waved it off, reassuring her. "Qingyu, you don't have to be so formal. I'm not blaming you. After all…" She paused before continuing slowly, "I did love her once. I don't want to use such underhanded methods to deal with this relationship. Let's just focus on running the company well. Once Yu Corporation stabilizes, divorce will come naturally."
Su Qingyu looked at her, seeming to want to say something but holding back.
Yu Sheng added, "Don't worry. No matter how bad Shen Yunmian is with relationships, she won't be foolish enough to mix business with personal matters. Just help me manage Yu Corporation well—the shares I promised you won't change."
After a long moment, Su Qingyu sighed. "President Yu, as your subordinate, I'm glad you have strong moral boundaries. But in business, people like you tend to suffer losses."
Yu Sheng stood, walked over, and patted her shoulder with a smile. "That's why I have you, Assistant Su. Don't let me down."
Su Qingyu smiled helplessly. "This is my only chance to turn things around. I won't disappoint you."
They exchanged a knowing smile and ended the topic, returning to work.
—
In the president's office, countless documents lay waiting on the desk.
The workaholic President Shen, however, was distracted, staring blankly at her phone screen.
On the chat interface, the bright contact name—"Dear Wife"—now looked unbearably ironic.
She remembered that when they had just gotten married, she had saved Yu Sheng's full name out of habit. Back then, Yu Sheng now felt strangely unfamiliar in her memory—she had smiled brightly, acting spoiled as she snatched the phone from her and changed the contact name to "Dear Wife."
Later, Yu Sheng had even coaxed her into taking a photo together, their hands clasped, wedding rings visible.
Yu Sheng had smilingly replaced their profile cover with the photo of their hands clasped together, saying it was some kind of couple display picture—to let the outside world know she was taken. Shen Yunmian had never liked such flashy things, but she let her do as she pleased and never changed it afterward.
In the blink of an eye, two years had passed. Everything had long since changed, and they had somehow ended up like this.
Shen Yunmian stared at the image of their tightly intertwined hands, her fingers unconsciously brushing over her ring finger—now empty. She had never liked wearing such things. Later, at Yu Sheng's insistence, she wore it for a while, until she accidentally lost it at a business cruise banquet. At the time, Yu Sheng had comforted her, saying they could have another pair custom-made for their wedding anniversary.
After that, perhaps noticing that she didn't like wearing it, Yu Sheng never brought it up again.
Their wedding rings were reduced to just the one Yu Sheng still had. For a long time, Yu Sheng had always worn that ring—but thinking carefully, Shen Yunmian realized she hadn't seen Yu Sheng wear it for quite some time now.
When had it started to change?
Shen Yunmian tried hard to remember but found no answer. As if trying to confirm something, she swiped through their chat history, attempting to find traces of the past.
The past two or three months contained only a handful of messages—just a few pages to scroll through.
Even through the screen, Yu Sheng's indifference was palpable. Shen Yunmian didn't have the courage to keep looking. After hesitating for a moment, she searched by date and found their conversations from when they had just gotten married.
Back then, Yu Sheng had been like a completely different person—warm and enthusiastic.
Dear Wife (17:05)
Wife~ Can you get off work on time today? (?????) I found an amazing private restaurant—their signature yellow croaker noodles are supposed to be super fresh. Want to go try it together?
Wife (18:25)
I have an international video conference tonight. Go eat by yourself.
Dear Wife (18:26)
Ah… another meeting? (??? ???') Then remember to eat something first, or your stomach will feel uncomfortable.
Wife (18:45)
Mm.
Dear Wife (18:46)
That's good! I'll wait for you to come home then~ No matter how late! (??????)
(Attached: "waiting obediently".jpg)
Wife (22:10)
The meeting isn't over yet. Go to sleep first.
Dear Wife (22:11)
It's okay! I'm not sleepy! I'm watching a show!
Just… wanted you to know I'm waiting for you to come home~ (shy hand rubbing).jpg
Even through the screen, it was easy to imagine Yu Sheng curled up under the covers, staring at her phone and smiling foolishly.
But the more it was like this, the more it highlighted Yu Sheng's current coldness. A wave of bitterness rose in Shen Yunmian's chest. Countless chat records felt like they were slowly carving her apart, yet she couldn't stop herself from continuing.
Dear Wife (12:30)
Wife, have you had lunch yet? [Image: a lavish meal]
Look at my lunch today—looks and tastes amazing! Aunt Yang's cooking has improved again! Did you eat on time? I'm going to check! (???)
Wife (13:55)
Ate.
Dear Wife (13:56)
What did you eat? Show me a picture! Otherwise how do I know you're not lying? (?~??)
Wife (14:10)
Work meal. Nothing worth photographing.
(Another day, late night)
Dear Wife (23:40)
Wife… are you still working? (???︿???)
The bed feels so big… it's so lonely sleeping alone… I can't fall asleep without you.
When will you be done? [pitiful].jpg
Wife (00:05)
Go to sleep first. I'll be very late.
Dear Wife (00:06)
Mm… okay then. Don't stay up too late, your health matters most!
Good night, wife, mua! (╯▽╰ )～
Wife (00:20)
Mm.
(Weekend)
Dear Wife (10:00)
Wife! It's the weekend! The weather is amazing!
We haven't gone out together in so long—want to visit that new art museum? Or we can just stay home, I can give you a massage to help you relax. You've been too tired lately~ (? -ω-')
Wife (10:30)
Meeting investors today.
Dear Wife (10:31)
Oh… okay… (;一_一)
Then what about tonight? You should be free then, right? I'm practically turning into a "waiting-for-my-wife statue"… guarding an empty house, so lonely~
Wife, do you love work more than me now? [crying].jpg
Wife (11:00)
Don't make trouble. Social engagement.
Dear Wife (11:01)
…Alright. Then drink less. I'll wait for you.
Wife (11:33)
No need to wait. Go to sleep first.
After who knew how long of this self-inflicted torment, Shen Yunmian finally stopped scrolling. She stared blankly at the chat history, and for some reason, her eyes gradually grew moist.
At that moment, Secretary Li knocked on the door.
"President Shen, the 10:30 meeting is ready to begin."
Shen Yunmian quickly raised her hand, half-covering her face to hide her disheveled state.
—
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