The first night in the hospital was long and agonizing for Shen Yunmian.
She drifted between sleep and wakefulness, her consciousness struggling in a haze. The dizziness from the fever hadn't fully subsided, but what hurt more than her body was her heart, as if it were being roasted in boiling oil. In the darkness, the hospital's ever-present disinfectant smell seeped into everything, constantly reminding her of her situation and that unbearable loneliness.
In her dazed state, fragments of the past surged uncontrollably through her mind.
She remembered when she had just married Yu Sheng—once she had a mild cold, and Yu Sheng had been so anxious, staying up all night by her bedside, repeatedly wiping her down with a warm towel to reduce her fever, feeding her water, her eyes brimming with worry and concern. At the time, she thought Yu Sheng was making a fuss over nothing, even found it somewhat bothersome.
And now, she had a high fever and was hospitalized, yet that person wouldn't even come see her.
Despair spread like an icy tide, slowly eroding every part of her.
Shen Yunmian realized in despair that, when faced with a wife who had already made up her mind, all her decisiveness and strategic prowess in the business world were useless. She had no way to win her back. When everything she once took pride in—her wealth, her status, even herself—had lost all appeal in Yu Sheng's eyes, what did she have left?
She was like a gambler who had lost all her chips, forced to watch helplessly as the other walked away without looking back.
The next morning.
Shen Yunmian woke at dawn, or rather, she had barely slept at all.
The first thing she did was grope for the phone by her pillow. The screen was painfully empty—no unread messages, no missed calls. The sharp disappointment made her chest ache.
She leaned against the headboard in a daze. Even the carefully prepared breakfast delivered by the private nurse held no appeal; she only took a couple of bites before pushing it aside.
An impulsive thought kept circling in her mind: Call Yu Sheng! Ask her if her heart is made of stone!
But as her finger hovered over the call button, the deep-rooted pride and stubbornness stopped her from pressing it.
Since when did she, Shen Yunmian, need to beg so humbly for someone's attention?
The entire morning passed, and the phone remained silent.
Every second felt like a slow execution of her patience and dignity.
By noon, when lunch was brought in, it too was left untouched. Shen Yunmian's gaze remained fixed on the phone. Finally, the thread of reason snapped.
Pride was nothing in the face of indifference.
She took a deep breath, as if walking to her execution, and dialed that familiar number.
The phone rang for a long time before it was finally answered.
"Hello?" Yu Sheng's voice came through. The background was a bit noisy—she seemed to be eating. There was obvious impatience in her tone. "What is it?"
That distant and irritated tone made Shen Yunmian's heart clench instantly, pain mixed with anger surging straight to her head. She suppressed her emotions, her voice hoarse from weakness and tension, even carrying a trace of humility she herself didn't notice: "Can you… come see me?"
"No time." Yu Sheng's answer was crisp and decisive, without a hint of hesitation, as if even listening for another second was a waste.
Just as Yu Sheng seemed about to hang up, Shen Yunmian hurriedly spoke, her words rushing out almost in a loss of composure: "Wait! The investment Assistant Su Qingyu recently applied for from the Shen Group for the East City project—I… I can consider it. Come over and we can talk."
There was a brief silence on the other end, and Shen Yunmian could almost hear her own tense heartbeat.
She heard faint voices from Yu Sheng's side, as if Su Qingyu was quietly reminding her of something.
Finally, Yu Sheng spoke again, her voice devoid of any joy: "Alright. I'll come after work."
Before Shen Yunmian could say anything more, the call was hung up, leaving only the cold busy tone.
Shen Yunmian held the phone, her palms slick with cold sweat. She had succeeded—she had traded利益 for her presence. Yet there was not the slightest bit of happiness, only endless bitterness and humiliation.
On Yu Sheng's side.
In the restaurant, Su Qingyu let out a long breath and gave Yu Sheng an enthusiastic thumbs-up, lowering her voice: "President Yu, brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Now the project funding is secured! That move of advancing by retreat—you've got President Shen completely in your grasp!"
Yu Sheng continued eating expressionlessly, her tone flat: "Eat."
After six in the evening, Yu Sheng finished handling her work and, as promised, appeared at the hospital ward door.
What she held in her hand was not a fruit basket or flowers, but a neatly bound investment agreement.
From the moment Yu Sheng pushed the door open, Shen Yunmian's gaze never left her. She struggled to sit up straighter, even trying to force a smile onto her face. However, Yu Sheng's next action made that half-formed smile completely freeze.
Yu Sheng handed the agreement to her in a businesslike manner, her tone calm as if conducting a negotiation: "This is the revised investment agreement from Assistant Su. Take a look."
Shen Yunmian looked at the cold document, her heart filled with bitterness, yet she didn't dare vent it. In the end, she avoided the agreement and changed the subject: "Have you… had dinner? The food here doesn't suit my taste…"
"I have." Yu Sheng cut her off, slightly frowning, clearly having no patience for small talk. "If everything looks fine, sign it. I have other things to do later."
Shen Yunmian's heart sank bit by bit.
She began making all kinds of excuses—asking about the company, the project progress, even bringing up trivial past matters—trying to stall for time so Yu Sheng would stay a little longer.
But Yu Sheng's responses remained brief and indifferent. Her gaze drifted to her watch from time to time, her impatience becoming more and more obvious.
Finally, when Yu Sheng urged her to sign again and made a move to pick up her bag to leave, the emotions Shen Yunmian had been suppressing finally erupted. She lifted her head, her eyes reddened, her voice trembling with accusation: "Yu Sheng, would you only be happy if I died?"
Yu Sheng paused, turned back to look at her, and curled her lips into a cold, mocking smile: "Shen Yunmian, can you stop being so melodramatic? It's just a fever and a hospital stay—don't act like it's life and death. Don't forget, when I miscarried and lost our child, didn't you also tell me to stay calm and take care of my body? Compared to President Shen's calm rationality, what is this of mine?"
Those words stabbed straight into the deepest, most regretful part of Shen Yunmian's heart. She stared in shock, her face turning pale as paper, all her words stuck in her throat, unable to say a single one.
Yu Sheng looked at her devastated expression, a trace of something complicated flashing through her eyes, quickly covered by indifference.
Talking about these old grievances every day—how annoying. Why couldn't Shen Yunmian have a bit of self-awareness?
Yu Sheng felt like cursing in her heart yet kept talking herself down—getting angry at someone like this wasn't worth it. She couldn't ruin her mood over this. She didn't care. She had long since stopped caring.
After silently repeating this to herself for a long time, Yu Sheng gradually calmed down. It was clear the agreement wouldn't be signed today anyway.
So she turned and walked toward the door without the slightest hesitation.
"Don't go!"
Perhaps the fever had muddled her mind—rarely losing control, Shen Yunmian suddenly got out of bed and rushed forward, hugging Yu Sheng from behind, pressing her burning face against her back, her voice low: "Yu Sheng, don't go. Help me get discharged. I want to go home… once we're home, I'll sign."
Yu Sheng's body stiffened slightly. In the end, perhaps thinking "since I'm already here," or simply not wanting further entanglement, she closed her eyes briefly, suppressing the irritation surging inside, and said coldly: "Let go. I'll ask the doctor."
Coming back to her senses, Shen Yunmian reluctantly released her, her movements slow, full of obvious reluctance.
Yu Sheng shook off her hand and walked out.
After consulting the doctor and confirming Shen Yunmian's fever had subsided and she could go home to rest, Yu Sheng completed the discharge procedures.
On the way back to Jiuxi Bay, the atmosphere in the car was suffocatingly tense.
Yu Sheng focused on driving, saying nothing.
Shen Yunmian leaned against the passenger seat, looking out at the rapidly passing street scenery, her profile tense.
The moment they entered the house, Yu Sheng tossed the investment agreement onto the coffee table in the living room, her movements crisp and decisive.
Shen Yunmian didn't delay this time. She silently picked up a pen and signed her name at the bottom.
After signing, she handed the agreement to Yu Sheng.
Yu Sheng took it, carefully checked the signature, and once she confirmed it was correct, her expression eased slightly as she casually slipped the agreement into her bag.
Shen Yunmian sat on the sofa, her gaze unconsciously following Yu Sheng's movements. Finally, her eyes fixed on Yu Sheng's ring finger—where the ring symbolizing their marriage used to be.
Almost as if possessed, she blurted out: "Where's your ring?"
Yu Sheng, who was about to leave, paused, seemingly not expecting the question, and froze for a moment.
Gathering her courage, Shen Yunmian continued cautiously: "Next month… is our wedding anniversary. I… the ring I lost… could we use yours as a template to remake a matching pair?"
Yu Sheng stood with her back to her. Shen Yunmian couldn't see her expression, only sensing a brief stiffness in her figure.
In that instant, Shen Yunmian was so nervous she barely dared to breathe.
A few seconds later, Yu Sheng slowly turned around. Her face showed neither joy nor anger, even curling into a faint, ambiguous smile: "Alright. I'll go get it."
Shen Yunmian's heart dropped back into place, then was instantly flooded with overwhelming joy. She still kept it! Maybe… she wasn't that resolute after all?
Watching Yu Sheng walk toward the bedroom, a faint light rekindled in Shen Yunmian's eyes.
Yu Sheng soon returned, indeed holding that dazzling diamond wedding ring. Shen Yunmian stood up in delight, instinctively reaching out to take it.
But Yu Sheng didn't walk toward her—she headed straight for the bathroom.
The smile on Shen Yunmian's face froze. A strong sense of dread seized her instantly.
"Yu Sheng! What are you doing?" she cried out, her voice filled with panic.
Yu Sheng stopped at the bathroom door, turned back, the smile on her face now clear—filled with vindictive pleasure. Looking at Shen Yunmian, she said slowly, word by word: "Something this disgusting only deserves to be thrown into—"
Before she finished speaking, in Shen Yunmian's shocked gaze, Yu Sheng raised her hand and flung the ring without hesitation! A cold arc cut through the air, the diamond reflecting one last dazzling glint under the light, before falling with a soft "plop" straight into the swirling center of the toilet!
In the next instant, Shen Yunmian rushed forward like she'd gone mad.
But it was already too late.
Yu Sheng expressionlessly pressed the flush.
"Whoosh—" The roar of water sounded like a demon's laughter, instantly swallowing the ring that symbolized their marriage, completely washing away Shen Yunmian's last shred of illusion.
Shen Yunmian stared blankly at the swirling water, the sound magnifying endlessly in her ears, deafening.
She watched helplessly as that tiny glimmer of light disappeared completely into the depths of the drain.
"Pfft—"
Overcome with rage, Shen Yunmian suddenly tasted blood in her throat and coughed up a mouthful!
Bright red blood splattered onto the white tiles, a shocking sight.
She jerked her head up, staring fixedly at Yu Sheng standing nearby watching coldly, her eyes filled with disbelieving despair.
Yu Sheng was somewhat surprised Shen Yunmian's temper was this intense, but thinking of how Shen Yunmian's earlier words had been like stabbing her in the heart, she couldn't help but let out a mocking laugh:
"Shen Yunmian, you disgusted me first."
—
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