After being discharged, Yu Sheng returned to the company with barely any rest. A backlog of work rushed at her all at once.
However, that very afternoon, Su Qingyu hurriedly knocked on her office door.
"President Yu!" Su Qingyu placed a thick stack of documents in front of Yu Sheng, her movements unable to hide her excitement. "You need to look at this!"
Yu Sheng picked up the documents in confusion and began flipping through them.
These were several major project proposals currently being advanced in cooperation with the Shen Group. But the more she read, the tighter her brows furrowed. From the Shen Group's perspective, the terms in these proposals were practically "ceding land and paying compensation"—the level of concessions was enormous, completely inconsistent with Shen Yunmian's usual meticulous and calculating business style.
"This…" Yu Sheng looked up in astonishment at Su Qingyu. "How did you manage this?"
Su Qingyu laughed and shook her head, her tone teasing. "President Yu, you're overestimating me. How could I possibly have that kind of ability? This is clearly all thanks to you." She explained further, "For these projects, I initially submitted terms with plenty of room for negotiation. Based on past experience, President Shen's side would definitely push back and go through several rounds of bargaining. But this time… after I submitted them, there were almost no objections. They directly sent it to legal for signing. It was so fast I thought I was seeing things."
Holding the heavy documents, Yu Sheng was also deeply surprised.
No matter how Shen Yunmian had tried to please her before, she had never used the company as a bargaining chip or done something so irrational.
Su Qingyu observed Yu Sheng's shifting expression and wisely said nothing more.
After a moment, Yu Sheng took a deep breath, placed the documents back on the table, and her voice returned to its usual calm. "Since it's signed, then do it properly."
"Understood. Don't worry, President Yu." Su Qingyu nodded, picked up the documents, and left cleanly.
The office fell silent again.
But Yu Sheng could no longer focus on the reports in front of her. Shen Yunmian's completely unguarded behavior made her feel deeply uncomfortable and unable to adapt. She didn't like owing favors—especially not to Shen Yunmian.
After hesitating for a long time, she still picked up her phone and contacted the person involved.
The call was answered almost instantly.
"Sheng Sheng!" Shen Yunmian's delighted voice came through immediately, full of obvious joy, completely unlike someone still recovering from serious injuries. "Have you eaten? Don't work too hard, make sure to rest…"
Yu Sheng listened silently, somewhat surprised that Shen Yunmian had such a "long-winded" side.
"I'm calling about the project proposals." Yu Sheng interrupted her and went straight to the point. "Why did you sign those terms? It's not beneficial for the Shen Group."
There was a brief silence on the other end. Shen Yunmian's voice then became extremely serious, even solemn. "Sheng Sheng, those things don't matter. Company interests, project gains and losses… in my heart, none of them compare to you. I just want you to be happy."
Yu Sheng made her stance clear. "…Shen Yunmian. Doing this won't change anything."
"It's okay." Shen Yunmian answered quickly. "Just getting a call from you makes me very happy."
Yu Sheng was completely speechless. This kind of unconditional attempt to please her only made her feel powerless and irritated.
She fell silent for two seconds, said nothing, and simply hung up.
Shen Yunmian's bottomless attempts to please her had already become a serious burden. She truly couldn't endure it anymore.
—
VIP hospital room.
Shen Yunmian leaned against the headboard, the glow of her phone screen illuminating her slightly pale face. On the screen was her chat interface with Yu Sheng—almost all the green message bubbles were sent by her alone.
[Sheng Sheng, how are you feeling today? Is your head still dizzy?]
[Remember to eat on time.]
[Don't work too late—rest early.]
And the other side's replies often came hours later, or even longer—just a brief [Mm], or no reply at all, filled with a sense of distant indifference.
A sense of despair spread through Shen Yunmian's heart. She could almost foresee what kind of ending awaited her after discharge.
The pain of losing Yu Sheng in her previous life was like a nightmare, gnawing at her day and night. Her desperate longing to see her wife burned in her chest like wildfire, making it impossible for her to lie in bed and wait peacefully.
Shen Yunmian suddenly threw off the blanket and pressed the call button.
"I want to be discharged." she said to the attending doctor who hurried over, her tone leaving no room for doubt.
The doctor frowned, looking at the report in his hands. "President Shen, you still need observation. There are mild internal injuries. Being discharged now carries significant risk. I strongly advise against it—"
Shen Yunmian cut him off, her gaze stubborn. "I must be discharged. I'll sign a liability waiver."
The doctor couldn't persuade her and reluctantly agreed.
Dragging her not-yet-healed body, Shen Yunmian completed the discharge procedures.
She didn't return to Jiuxi Bay immediately. Instead, she had the driver head in a familiar direction. The car passed through the bustling city streets and finally stopped beneath a quiet building.
She took the elevator upstairs with practiced familiarity and pushed open the door to psychologist Chen Jing's office.
Chen Jing had been writing something. Hearing the door, she looked up—and when she saw Shen Yunmian, surprise instantly filled her face.
"President Shen?" she said in astonishment. "I heard you were in a car accident. Why aren't you resting in the hospital? What are you doing here?"
Shen Yunmian waved her hand, her movements revealing undeniable weakness and exhaustion. She walked straight to the sofa and sat down, sinking into the cushions as if that was the only way to support herself.
"I'm fine." Her voice was hoarse. Skipping all pleasantries, she went straight to the point. "Doctor Chen, I came to ask… has Sheng Sheng—Yu Sheng—come for a follow-up recently? How is she doing?"
Chen Jing opened her computer, pulled up the records, and quickly scanned the recent notes. "Miss Yu's last follow-up was last week. From the records… her emotional state has stabilized significantly compared to before. Her anxiety and depression levels have clearly decreased. This is a very positive sign."
Shen Yunmian listened silently, her fingers curling unconsciously.
Chen Jing continued objectively, her tone devoid of personal emotion. "According to Miss Yu's self-report and evaluation, her self-regulation ability is improving. More importantly, she is consciously distancing herself from the… sources that cause her significant stress. This 'keeping distance' strategy has played a key role in stabilizing her emotions."
Shen Yunmian's heart sank heavily.
She tried to recall the timing of last week. That time… seemed to be when she had abandoned all dignity and said, "Even being a bed partner is fine."
Going back further, it was after that intense, almost forceful encounter driven by medication.
After she had experienced complete collapse—from body to self-respect—after suffering and humbling herself in desperate pleading… Yu Sheng's emotions had actually improved.
She didn't want to admit it, but she had to face this cruel reality—every time she suffered, every time she was humiliated, it seemed to become a catalyst for her wife's emotional recovery.
Her Sheng Sheng… really hated her that much?
Hated her so much that her pain had become medicine?
The sting of that thought was far more unbearable than the injuries from the accident.
Almost instinctively, with a faint tremor in her voice, Shen Yunmian asked the question she feared most: "Does she… really hate me that much?"
Chen Jing adjusted her glasses. Her voice was calm, but every word cut like a blade, exposing the raw truth. "From a psychological perspective, when an individual remains in a long-term relationship that is high-pressure, emotionally draining, and feels restrictive, breaking free from that constraint and distancing from the source of stress itself brings a tremendous sense of relief and emotional improvement. This may not necessarily be about 'hatred' as a specific emotion—it's more like… the activation of a self-protection mechanism."
She paused, seeing Shen Yunmian's face lose color, but still added the most direct conclusion. "Moreover, Miss Yu explicitly stated that being away from you makes her feel like she can breathe more easily. So yes—if she can continue to stay away from you, the biggest source of stress, her condition will definitely improve faster and recover better."
"Enough!"
Shen Yunmian suddenly growled, her voice filled with exposed vulnerability and despair. "Stop talking…"
Chen Jing immediately fell silent. The office sank into dead quiet.
Shen Yunmian slumped back against the sofa, as if all her strength had been drained. She raised a hand and pressed hard against her aching temple. After a long time, she finally forced out three words from deep in her throat, so soft they were almost inaudible:
"…I understand."
She stood up, didn't look at Chen Jing again, and staggered out of the office.
—
Back at Jiuxi Bay, the house was cold and empty. It was still early—Yu Sheng was clearly still at the company.
Shen Yunmian wandered aimlessly through the empty living room. The familiar furniture, the familiar layout—yet nowhere could she find that familiar figure, nor any trace of warmth.
What should she do?
Like a trapped ghost, she drifted through the empty rooms, not knowing where to stop or what to do.
Eventually, her steps unconsciously halted at the door of Yu Sheng's bedroom.
She hesitated for a moment, then, like a thief, with both guilt and longing, gently turned the doorknob.
The room was filled with the faint, elegant fragrance Yu Sheng always used. It smelled wonderful, yet it made Shen Yunmian's heart ache even more. Everything here still carried Yu Sheng's presence, yet clearly declared that she was no longer welcome.
She gazed greedily at everything in the room.
The neatly arranged skincare products on the vanity, the clothes hanging in the closet, the half-read book placed face-down on the bedside table…
Every detail painted a picture in her mind of Yu Sheng's life here.
The everyday moments she once could easily reach—now forever out of reach.
Finally, her gaze settled on the spacious double bed.
As if drawn by an invisible force, Shen Yunmian walked over step by step. Carefully, almost reverently, she sat on the edge of the bed. Then slowly, she lay down on her side.
As if afraid to take up too much space, she curled up on one side of the bed, as though afraid to disturb something.
She reached out, gently pulling the blanket Yu Sheng usually used into her arms, burying her face deeply into it.
The soft blanket seemed to still carry a faint trace of warmth and scent—like a barely effective painkiller, temporarily numbing her shattered heart and soothing her days of exhaustion and fear.
At that moment, Shen Yunmian's tightly wound nerves finally began to loosen.
Clutching the blanket as if it were her last hope, she curled up within Yu Sheng's space and fell into a deep sleep.
Even in her dreams, her brows remained tightly furrowed in pain.
—
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