CH 26
Yang Yiwen was not stupid, otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to lurk by Zhong Shen’s side for so long and take so many photos of them.
She was just a little guilty and scared. After all, the one that she would face wouldn’t be someone else, it would be Zhong Shen!
That man, Zhong Shen, was ruthless and inhumane. Would he be merciful to someone that crossed him[1]?
However, Yang Yiwen has been brainwashed by Ye Wei, so she has gained some confidence. Yes, she could say that she accidentally saw Shen Yingying opening a room with a man. She posted it in the forum because she wanted to expose Shen Yingying’s true face. In this way, it could be said that she did it for Zhong Shen’s sake.
As for why she sneaked around… Could she do this kind of thing openly?
“Shen Yingying and Zhong-zong, you are friends. You wouldn’t believe me if I don’t send out those photos online. So, I can only choose this way…”
Shen Yingying angrily laughed. She had never seen such a shameless person, “You said that you were trying to get Zhong Shen’s see my true face. You said it as if you are a holy mother! You didn’t even verify the facts before posting it online. You clearly tried to slander me!”
Yang Yiwen was very honest at the moment. As the saying goes, there is no need to worry about burned wood in the green mountain[2]. But her honesty was limited to Zhong Shen. For Shen Yingying, she wasn’t scared at all, “Yes, it’s my fault. It was just… I see you have known Zhong-zong already has a fiancée, yet you still tried to get closer to him without caring about raising suspicion. It’s my fault for taking you for granted as a woman who is so good at hooking up with men. I shouldn’t have sent the photos to slander your reputation without verifying the facts. I shouldn’t convict you just with my one-sided thoughts. These are all crimes committed by my ignorance. I hope you can forgive my ignorance and recklessness. “
“What nonsense are you talking about!” Shen Yingying flipped.
Yang Yiwen was so cunning. She was apologizing but she always said that Shen Yingying was the one who didn’t know how to behave and kept seducing other people!
With this said, Zhong Shen couldn’t help but glance at Yang Yiwen again.
Yang Yiwen shook her head and defended herself, “I’m just explaining the journey in my heart when I committed the crime. There is absolutely no nonsense in my words!”
She cautiously turned to look at Zhong Shen. She put on a flattering smile, “Besides, I and Shen Yingying don’t know each other. There are no grievances between us. Why would I deliberately target her? I’m really worried that Zhong-zong was deceived by her, so I sent out the photos. I sent it with good intentions, I never thought it would turn this bad.”
Sent it with good intentions? Never thought it would turn this bad?
Shen Yingying sneered, “If you really did it for Zhong Shen’s sake, why don’t you give him the photo personally? Why publish it anonymously online? Why make such a big fanfare?”
Yang Yiwen, “……”
Yang Yiwen, “… First of all, Zhong-zong is pretty busy managing all the things in the company. How could I disturb him with such a small matter? Secondly, I’m a low-key person. Whenever I do good things, I never expect something in return. I won’t leave my name. I don’t need thanks.”
“Pfft… ehem!”
Zhou Hai couldn’t hold himself back and laugh, which not only caused Shen Yingying and Yang Yiwen to look at him in surprise, but even the expressionless Zhong Shen turned to look at him.
With a solemn face, Zhou Hai said, “Don’t mind me. Please continue.”
Shen Yingying stared at Yang Yiwen. She was shocked. She could accept the reason that Zhong Shen was busy managing everything in the company. But what the hell was “do good things without expecting return so I won’t leave my name”!
How could she speak such shameless words!
She didn’t believe Yang Yiwen’s words at all. It couldn’t be this easy to find out the truth, Yang Yiwen must have some secrets left unsaid.
Zhong Shen tapped his finger on his desk, “Okay, now that everything has been made clear and you understand this matters. Zhou Hai, you deal with this.”
Shen Yingying was a little unwilling. There were still many things she didn’t understand, “Zhong Shen…”
Zhong Shen waved his hand and said, “That’s it. I’m tired. “
Zhou Hai stepped forward, facing Shen Yingying, who was unwilling to say anything more, and Yang Yiwen, who had escaped disaster. He made a gesture of invitation.
The meaning of they were not welcomed anymore could not be more obvious.
Shen Yingying could only say thank you to Zhong Shen before leaving the office.
Yang Yiwen ran so fast that there was no need to escort her out.
Zhou Hai’s method of handling the matter was very simple. He asked Yang Yiwen to post an apology statement in the forum, explaining that the content she released before was fake. Shen Yingying left after sending her companion to the hotel and she didn’t stay overnight. Yang Yiwen reluctantly returned Shen Yingying’s innocence.
Yang Yiwen was a person who can bend and stretch. She never thought she could get out of Zhong Shen’s office alive. She was happy and wrote a 3000-word apology statement. She didn’t miss to write her motive and the history of the crime. Her attitude was extremely sincere, which not only expressed her dedication for Zhong-zong but also made people deeply feel her repentance.
The rumors about Shen Yingying’s skittish nature were finally suppressed for the time being. Because of Zhong Shen’s intervention, no employees dared to comment about it out loud. But in private, they still gossiped about it. There were those who believed it, and there were those who didn’t.
“So what. They didn’t spend a night together. It can only show that Shen Yingying and the man didn’t sleep. It can’t show that Shen Yingying and the man have nothing to do with each other.”
“But to make Zhong-zong helped her to this extent. This Shen Yingying is quite amazing.”
“I think the termination of the engagement may be coming soon…”
“Right, Ye Wei is strong and overbearing. There is no room for sand in her eyes. If Zhong-zong keeps Shen Yingying in Zhong-shi, there is no way Ye Wei can’t stand it.”
“Now that’ll be a good show to watch. ”
There were many rumors circulating in private, but Yang Yiwen didn’t care about those anymore. Now she was completely in the excitement of being able to walk out of Zhong Shen’s office alive. She didn’t get fired, but her bonus was deducted. She gladly accepted it. After all, she still has a Golden Master[3] behind her.
Seeing that she has survived the crisis, Yang Yiwen secretly called Ye Wei when she got home, “Ye-xiaojie, you are so amazing! I followed your instructions and could leave the office alive! Don’t worry, I didn’t betray you. Zhong-zong and Shen Yingying don’t know that you are the one who asked me to publish the photos online.”
“They kept forcing me to sell you out, but I resisted the pressure, gritted my mouth, and didn’t say anything. I resisted it with all my might! Ye-xiaojie, you must now understand how much I weighed you in my heart! ”
Ye Wei praised her, “Mn, good job.”
Yang Yiwen said happily, “Doing things for Ye-xiaojie and ensuring that they are done properly is my task! Then, what is our next step? Is it still related to Shen Yingying?”
Ye Wei pondered about it. With Zhong Shen’s intelligence, he must have found the real culprit was her. He didn’t expose her publicly, so that mean she could pretend to be stupid about it for a while.
“Let’s stay dormant now and wait for the next opportunity.”
“Understood!”
The next day, Ye Wei went to the studio in the morning, went shopping and SPA with Wei Fengqiong in the afternoon, and played mahjong with Wei Fengqiong in the evening. She planned to take her parents to travel around and have fun for a few days.
“Travel? There will be plenty of time for it in the future. I’m still busy choosing invitations, wedding cakes, and preparing the wedding banquets for you. Where do I have time to travel? Let’s travel later when it’s all done.”
“Mamaa, why are you in such a hurry to marry me out? I still want to stay at home with all of you.”
Her words left Wei Fengqiong surprised. She clearly knew how much her daughter liked Zhong Shen. Since she was a child, she followed him like a duck and said that she wanted to marry Zhong Shen-gege[4] and be his wife.
In the past, she was always anxious to choose things for her wedding banquet. Why was she not anxious anymore now?
“Zhong Shen-gege is certainly not as important as Papa and Mama. Shortly, I prefer both of you to play with me!”
Ye Wei has always been willful and arrogant. Her parents have always indulged her. She said that she was going to play. She just needed to entangle them a few more times and be coquettish, her parents’ hearts would soften. When she got home, she started to plan for her trip, what was fun, not tiring, and suitable for nourishing her body?
On the other side, Zhong Shen was still waiting for Ye Wei to come and confess to him, but he didn’t get any news from her.
“What have Ye Wei been doing lately?”
“I heard Ye-xiaojie and her parents went abroad together.”
Zhong Shen was stunned, “Went abroad? When?”
Zhou Hai answered, “The day before yesterday.”
The day before yesterday?
Yang Yiwen got caught and she left just like that?
How magnanimous of her.
He has always been cautious. He believed half of Yang Yiwen’s words at most. Later, he asked Zhou Hai to check it again. As expected, he found out that Yang Yiwen had been in contact with Ye Wei for a long time. Ye Wei transferred a lot of money to Yang Yiwen privately, which added up to more than 100.000 Yuan[5], not counting some of the bags and jewelry she gave Yang Yiwen.
Therefore, whether Yang Yiwen was targeting Shen Yingying for him or for Ye Wei, the answer was obvious.
As far as he knew, if Ye Wei knew that Yang Yiwen had been caught, she would be uneasy. She would come to test whether he knew that she had done those things. He didn’t expect her to be fine and even went abroad to play directly.
“Yang Yiwen hasn’t done anything recently? ”
“There is no excessive behavior. She probably is observing if Shen Yingying and you have一”
Zhong Shen hummed, waved his hand at Zhou Hai.
When Ye Wei came back after having enough fun, it was already a week later. Wei Fengqiong hurriedly made an appointment with the Zhong-jia for dinner, mainly to discuss the marriage matters.
After not seeing Zhong Shen for a week, Ye Wei noticed that he was still as handsome as ever. As expected, the Male Lead was nourished by the Female Lead love! The whole person looked radiant and eye-catching. Ye Wei couldn’t help but glance at him repeatedly.
Zhong Shen’s face remained unchanged even when he knew Ye Wei was looking. He glanced back at Ye Wei. Ye Wei bent her eyes and smiled at him.
He wanted to see how long she could pretend.
The people at the table were very happy. They discussed the good days for the marriage. They decided that the ninth day of the next month would be good. Ye Wei had no problem. and obediently said, “I’ll listen to what Ah-yi said.”
Zhong Shen glanced again at Ye Wei.
After dinner, Wei Fengqiong and Zhong-mu discussed the wedding dress in the living room. Zhong-fu and Ye-fu go to the study to discuss some affairs. In the end, Zhong Shen could only follow Ye Wei.
He had hardly been to Ye Wei’s bedroom before. The girl’s room was full of pink and lovely. There was a faint fragrance, not strong, it was so light like it was only his imagination. When he wanted to smell it again, it seemed to disappear from his nose, vaguely, if there was even any.
Ye Wei took out the things she bought when she went abroad carefully. Like it was a treasure. The things she bought were mostly for couples. Couples bracelets, couples hats, couples necklaces, and some cute little dolls. “Zhong Shen, try to wear this! It must look great on you!”
Zhong Shen casually picked up a little wood carving doll, “I don’t like these things.”
Ye Wei was openly dejected, “Then, what do you like?”
“Work.”
“Oh, work? Don’t worry, I won’t disturb your work after we get married. By the way, has your work been going well recently?”
As she spoke, Ye Wei threw the things she gave to Zhong Shen. She treated those things like treasure just before, but she threw them into the trash can without hesitation.
Zhong Shen was taken aback, “Why did you throw it away?”
Ye Wei curled her mouth, with a willful expression, she said ,”Useless things can only be thrown away, so as to save space, as it should be.”
Zhong Shen was silent. He looked at Ye Wei, then at the ‘treasures’ in the trash can.
“Well.” Ye Wei clapped her hands “Let’s just go find Papa and Zhong-shushu. Go go.”
Ye Wei walked out without care. Humming a song, looking like an innocent xiaojie who hasn’t seen the world.
Zhong Shen suddenly called out, “Ye Wei, did you forget to tell me something?”
Ye Wei thought for a while with a puzzled expression on her face. She touched her chin and said seriously, “I forgot to tell you something? I can’t remember that there is something I need to tell you. What is it?”
Zhong Shen didn’t answer, he just looked at her without words.
The man who has been in the business for a long time was extremely imposing, “Ye Wei, you shouldn’t do that.”
As soon as the words dropped, he saw the smile on Ye Wei’s face disappear. She threw a suspicious look at him, “What are you talking about?”
Zhong Shen repeated, “I said, you shouldn’t do that. I thought what you said to me was true. I thought you wouldn’t do that again.”
Ye Wei was quiet. She turned around and knocked the vase on the side to the ground. The huge vase shattered in response, making a huge noise.
Auntie Zhang, who happened to come with the fruit drinks, was surprised. She jumped, “Xiaojie, what’s wrong? Where is it uncomfortable?”
Ye Wei drove her away furiously, “Get out! Who let you in! Get out!”
Auntie Zhang got out instantly. What could she do?
Call the others, of course.
Ye Wei clutched her heart, “You know, so what? Do you think I did something wrong?”
Zhong Shen replied, “I don’t think it is necessary for you to do that, let alone slander a girl’s innocence. What would the others say about her later because of this?”
Ye Wei sneered, “That’s also because she misbehaved and gave me a chance. ”
“I have explained before that Shen Yingying and I are only friends. Why don’t you believe it?”
“Friends? Just friends?”
Ye Wei laughed sarcastically. She opened the drawer near her bed. She grabbed some photos from it and threw them on Zhong Shen’s face. The photos were scattered. Zhong Shen only had time to grab a few, and all the others fell to the ground.
The photos were in high definition. They all showed what Zhong Shen and Shen Yingying looked like when they get along.
At the same time, Ye-fu and Zhong-fu, who were discussing some affairs in the next room, arrived. Zhong-fu has been in good health these days and could walk slowly with his crutches. Ye-fu had wanted to say you take your time, I am worried about my precious daughter ah!
The wedding dress hasn’t been selected by Wei Fengqiong and Zhong-mu, they immediately ran upstairs when Auntie Zhang told them the matter.
Auntie Zhang was panicked and didn’t make it clear, they thought Ye Wei was having another attack. As soon as they arrived, Wei Fengqiong shouted, “What’s the matter, what’s the matter? Does Weiwei feel unwell again? Is it serious? Let’s go to the hospital quickly, okay?”
They were stunned on the spot. What greeted them were photos all over the ground, Photos of Zhong Shen with a strange woman.
Ye Wei ignored them, focusing on Zhong Shen. She opened her mouth, “Don’t you think you have much more contact with this friend of yours rather than your fiancée? I asked you to eat together. I asked you to watch a movie together. I asked you to help me choose my wedding dress. I even asked you to see the wedding ring I designed. Do you remember what you answered me with? You say you have work to do. You say you have a meeting to attend. You say you are on a business trip. Just let me decide for myself. Fine. I understand you are busy. But what did I see later? I see you spending your precious time having coffee with this friend on the rooftop, watching the scenery below, and talking about life!”
“Zhong Shen, you said you and Shen Yingying are only friends. Which friends of yours do you treat with as much interest and care as Shen Yingying? Which one, I ask you! She just resigned from Zhong-shi and stopped working there just for a while, yet, you immediately went to find her. What’s the hurry? She herself was not in a hurry, why were you in a hurry?
Zhong Shen was a little flustered inexplicably, and explained, “I can’t bear to see her wasting her talents and time. She wasted it by working in a cafe一”
Ye Wei’s smile was mocking, “Which Shen Yingying’s talent was she wasting? Her talent at seducing people?”
Zhong Shen’s voice was low, “Ye Wei.”
“Can you stop it? Stop making excuses for your selfishness. As far as I know, Shen Yingying worked in a coffee shop, but it was only a part-time job. She was searching for another job and doing interviews here and there. Do you think this can be counted as wasting her talent and time? On the contrary, I think she used her free time reasonably by having a part-time job.”
Zhong Shen was speechless, “… I don’t know.”
He really didn’t know that Shen Yingying was looking for other jobs and only worked part-time in the coffee shop.
“Zhong-zong, who has always been strategizing, Zhong-zong, who has everything under his control, and Zhong-zong, who has played with the enemy everywhere, don’t even know it when faced with a little person like Shen Yingying? Did you just crack a joke?”
She couldn’t bear it any longer. She threw away all the photos in the drawer to Zhong Shen. It hit Zhong Shen on his face, his shoulder, and his chest. The photos were light, so it didn’t hurt him at all, but he felt very uncomfortable in his heart.
“Ye Wei, this doesn’t explain anything. ”
“Doesn’t explain anything? You and Shen Yingying spend more time together than the time you spent with me, your fiancée! And it is not even because work matters! Do you think it still doesn’t explain anything?”
With that said, it seemed that there was indeed a problem.
He couldn’t explain, as if no matter how he explained it, he couldn’t explain the situation between him and Shen Yingying. Because he didn’t even understand himself, why did he like to go to the rooftop so much? Obviously, the floor-to-ceiling windows in his office had a better view.
Zhong Shen knew that the current Ye Wei was still the previous Ye Wei, but there was something different about her. The current Ye Wei, when she looked at him, there was no more sweet smile, only sarcasm. There was sharp light in those beautiful eyes every time she looked at him as if it was able to shoot him through.
The elders crowded at the door did not expect to see such a scene. Their faces sank.
Wei Fengqiong was the first to pick up the photos on the ground. She handed them to Zhong-mu. Zhong-mu’s hand trembled when she received it. Not to mention the Zhong-fu who came later. He snatched them and looked at them. The whole person was so angry that his crutches clicked with the floor with a heavy sound.
Ye Wei said, “In fact, I wanted to let Shen Yingying go. But, she is so so good. She’ll come back after she’s gone. I planned to forget about her even if she came back. Just let her do her job properly and keep herself in line. I can let bygones be bygones, pretending as if she doesn’t exist.”
“But, like I said, she is so so good. After being good for a few days, she ran back to the rooftop every day. Instead of using her talents to do her job well and enrich her work experience, she kept thinking about how to meet with other people’s fiancées.”
“I don’t know that Shen Yingying一”
“Oh, now you know. Are you touched by it? Never think she will like you so much?”
Zhong Shen’s word was blocked by Ye Wei. He even felt vaguely uncomfortable, as if he would lose something precious if this continue. He saw Ye Wei’s sarcastic face. She seemed to disdain him so much. He felt extreme pain over it.
“Zhong Shen, both of you really care about this friendship of yours. One squeezes his time to meet the other even if he is busy, and the other dares to meet the other even if she is called a Mistress and said to destroy other people’s relationships. How sincere both of you are to each other.”
“It is like that and you still have face to say that I am the one at fault? Oh, right. These past weeks when I was abroad, did you ever call me even once? Did you even ask about me? You were even disgusted with the gifts I bought for you and let me throw them away! ”
Zhong Shen, “I didn’t say that. I just said I didn’t like your gift.”
“Isn’t it called disgust if you don’t like it?”
Ye Wei said sadly, “Zhong Shen, you shouldn’t hide it from me. You lied to me and gave me hope like this. It is no different than poking a knife to my heart. You should have told me the truth, when did I never listen to you?”
As her words fell, Ye Wei seemed to be unable to hold on anymore. She covered her heart and propped one hand on the sideboard. Zhong Shen wanted to step forward to help her but was slapped away by her. The resistance in her eyes shocked Zhong Shen to freeze in place.
Wei Fengqiong was so scared. She was at Ye Wei’s side in a flash. She always had medicines in her pocket wherever she went because of her child’s disease. She skillfully stuffed the medicine from her pocket into Ye Wei’s mouth, “Okay, okay, good girl. Don’t be angry anymore. Let’s not be angry anymore, okay?”
“You unfilial son!”
Zhong-fu was furious. Zhong-mu hurriedly stepped forward to block her husband and advised him not to be angry. It was not good for his health to get angry, but Zhong-fu couldn’t pay any mind about it right now. He walked forward tremblingly and hit Zhong Shen’s on the leg with his crutch. It hit hard. Zhong Shen trembled in pain and half knelt on the ground.
“Still not apologizing?!”
Zhong Shen was beaten to half kneeling on the ground. He was worried about Ye Wei and cast a glance at her, only to see that Ye Wei was also looking at him. She seemed very sad, leaning weakly in Wei Fengqiong’s arms, but there was a strange smile at the corner of her mouth.
He blinked. He looked at her again, but Ye Wei had withdrawn her eyes and buried her face into Wei Fengqiong’s arms as if she was too tired to even look at him.
It seemed that the strange smile just now was an illusion that he had when he was in pain.
Footnotes
The original sentence is, “did he have a good fruit to eat in his hand?” 有好果子吃 – yǒu hǎo guǒzi chī; Have Good Fruit to Eat. Meaning as long as someone is obedient and does things well, they will be fine. Otherwise, they will get into trouble and may have to be punished, the only way to save themselves is by using their wisdom↵
留得青山在不愁没柴烧 – liú dé qīngshān zài bù chóu méi chái shāo; As long as the basic or fundamental still exists, it is generally safe to suffer temporary losses or setbacks.↵
金主的人 – jīnzhǔ de rén; Golden Master. Someone rich and powerful.↵
哥哥 – gēgē. Just like Jie, 哥 is a term for a junior to call their senior(M), it isn’t restricted to those with blood relation. A stranger can also be called 哥 as long as she is older than you. 哥 can be also used to show closeness. It can also be considered as a coquettish way to call a person you like.↵
100.000 Yuan = ~15.5k USD↵
She was just a little guilty and scared. After all, the one that she would face wouldn’t be someone else, it would be Zhong Shen!
That man, Zhong Shen, was ruthless and inhumane. Would he be merciful to someone that crossed him[1]?
However, Yang Yiwen has been brainwashed by Ye Wei, so she has gained some confidence. Yes, she could say that she accidentally saw Shen Yingying opening a room with a man. She posted it in the forum because she wanted to expose Shen Yingying’s true face. In this way, it could be said that she did it for Zhong Shen’s sake.
As for why she sneaked around… Could she do this kind of thing openly?
“Shen Yingying and Zhong-zong, you are friends. You wouldn’t believe me if I don’t send out those photos online. So, I can only choose this way…”
Shen Yingying angrily laughed. She had never seen such a shameless person, “You said that you were trying to get Zhong Shen’s see my true face. You said it as if you are a holy mother! You didn’t even verify the facts before posting it online. You clearly tried to slander me!”
Yang Yiwen was very honest at the moment. As the saying goes, there is no need to worry about burned wood in the green mountain[2]. But her honesty was limited to Zhong Shen. For Shen Yingying, she wasn’t scared at all, “Yes, it’s my fault. It was just… I see you have known Zhong-zong already has a fiancée, yet you still tried to get closer to him without caring about raising suspicion. It’s my fault for taking you for granted as a woman who is so good at hooking up with men. I shouldn’t have sent the photos to slander your reputation without verifying the facts. I shouldn’t convict you just with my one-sided thoughts. These are all crimes committed by my ignorance. I hope you can forgive my ignorance and recklessness. “
“What nonsense are you talking about!” Shen Yingying flipped.
Yang Yiwen was so cunning. She was apologizing but she always said that Shen Yingying was the one who didn’t know how to behave and kept seducing other people!
With this said, Zhong Shen couldn’t help but glance at Yang Yiwen again.
Yang Yiwen shook her head and defended herself, “I’m just explaining the journey in my heart when I committed the crime. There is absolutely no nonsense in my words!”
She cautiously turned to look at Zhong Shen. She put on a flattering smile, “Besides, I and Shen Yingying don’t know each other. There are no grievances between us. Why would I deliberately target her? I’m really worried that Zhong-zong was deceived by her, so I sent out the photos. I sent it with good intentions, I never thought it would turn this bad.”
Sent it with good intentions? Never thought it would turn this bad?
Shen Yingying sneered, “If you really did it for Zhong Shen’s sake, why don’t you give him the photo personally? Why publish it anonymously online? Why make such a big fanfare?”
Yang Yiwen, “……”
Yang Yiwen, “… First of all, Zhong-zong is pretty busy managing all the things in the company. How could I disturb him with such a small matter? Secondly, I’m a low-key person. Whenever I do good things, I never expect something in return. I won’t leave my name. I don’t need thanks.”
“Pfft… ehem!”
Zhou Hai couldn’t hold himself back and laugh, which not only caused Shen Yingying and Yang Yiwen to look at him in surprise, but even the expressionless Zhong Shen turned to look at him.
With a solemn face, Zhou Hai said, “Don’t mind me. Please continue.”
Shen Yingying stared at Yang Yiwen. She was shocked. She could accept the reason that Zhong Shen was busy managing everything in the company. But what the hell was “do good things without expecting return so I won’t leave my name”!
How could she speak such shameless words!
She didn’t believe Yang Yiwen’s words at all. It couldn’t be this easy to find out the truth, Yang Yiwen must have some secrets left unsaid.
Zhong Shen tapped his finger on his desk, “Okay, now that everything has been made clear and you understand this matters. Zhou Hai, you deal with this.”
Shen Yingying was a little unwilling. There were still many things she didn’t understand, “Zhong Shen…”
Zhong Shen waved his hand and said, “That’s it. I’m tired. “
Zhou Hai stepped forward, facing Shen Yingying, who was unwilling to say anything more, and Yang Yiwen, who had escaped disaster. He made a gesture of invitation.
The meaning of they were not welcomed anymore could not be more obvious.
Shen Yingying could only say thank you to Zhong Shen before leaving the office.
Yang Yiwen ran so fast that there was no need to escort her out.
Zhou Hai’s method of handling the matter was very simple. He asked Yang Yiwen to post an apology statement in the forum, explaining that the content she released before was fake. Shen Yingying left after sending her companion to the hotel and she didn’t stay overnight. Yang Yiwen reluctantly returned Shen Yingying’s innocence.
Yang Yiwen was a person who can bend and stretch. She never thought she could get out of Zhong Shen’s office alive. She was happy and wrote a 3000-word apology statement. She didn’t miss to write her motive and the history of the crime. Her attitude was extremely sincere, which not only expressed her dedication for Zhong-zong but also made people deeply feel her repentance.
The rumors about Shen Yingying’s skittish nature were finally suppressed for the time being. Because of Zhong Shen’s intervention, no employees dared to comment about it out loud. But in private, they still gossiped about it. There were those who believed it, and there were those who didn’t.
“So what. They didn’t spend a night together. It can only show that Shen Yingying and the man didn’t sleep. It can’t show that Shen Yingying and the man have nothing to do with each other.”
“But to make Zhong-zong helped her to this extent. This Shen Yingying is quite amazing.”
“I think the termination of the engagement may be coming soon…”
“Right, Ye Wei is strong and overbearing. There is no room for sand in her eyes. If Zhong-zong keeps Shen Yingying in Zhong-shi, there is no way Ye Wei can’t stand it.”
“Now that’ll be a good show to watch. ”
There were many rumors circulating in private, but Yang Yiwen didn’t care about those anymore. Now she was completely in the excitement of being able to walk out of Zhong Shen’s office alive. She didn’t get fired, but her bonus was deducted. She gladly accepted it. After all, she still has a Golden Master[3] behind her.
Seeing that she has survived the crisis, Yang Yiwen secretly called Ye Wei when she got home, “Ye-xiaojie, you are so amazing! I followed your instructions and could leave the office alive! Don’t worry, I didn’t betray you. Zhong-zong and Shen Yingying don’t know that you are the one who asked me to publish the photos online.”
“They kept forcing me to sell you out, but I resisted the pressure, gritted my mouth, and didn’t say anything. I resisted it with all my might! Ye-xiaojie, you must now understand how much I weighed you in my heart! ”
Ye Wei praised her, “Mn, good job.”
Yang Yiwen said happily, “Doing things for Ye-xiaojie and ensuring that they are done properly is my task! Then, what is our next step? Is it still related to Shen Yingying?”
Ye Wei pondered about it. With Zhong Shen’s intelligence, he must have found the real culprit was her. He didn’t expose her publicly, so that mean she could pretend to be stupid about it for a while.
“Let’s stay dormant now and wait for the next opportunity.”
“Understood!”
The next day, Ye Wei went to the studio in the morning, went shopping and SPA with Wei Fengqiong in the afternoon, and played mahjong with Wei Fengqiong in the evening. She planned to take her parents to travel around and have fun for a few days.
“Travel? There will be plenty of time for it in the future. I’m still busy choosing invitations, wedding cakes, and preparing the wedding banquets for you. Where do I have time to travel? Let’s travel later when it’s all done.”
“Mamaa, why are you in such a hurry to marry me out? I still want to stay at home with all of you.”
Her words left Wei Fengqiong surprised. She clearly knew how much her daughter liked Zhong Shen. Since she was a child, she followed him like a duck and said that she wanted to marry Zhong Shen-gege[4] and be his wife.
In the past, she was always anxious to choose things for her wedding banquet. Why was she not anxious anymore now?
“Zhong Shen-gege is certainly not as important as Papa and Mama. Shortly, I prefer both of you to play with me!”
Ye Wei has always been willful and arrogant. Her parents have always indulged her. She said that she was going to play. She just needed to entangle them a few more times and be coquettish, her parents’ hearts would soften. When she got home, she started to plan for her trip, what was fun, not tiring, and suitable for nourishing her body?
On the other side, Zhong Shen was still waiting for Ye Wei to come and confess to him, but he didn’t get any news from her.
“What have Ye Wei been doing lately?”
“I heard Ye-xiaojie and her parents went abroad together.”
Zhong Shen was stunned, “Went abroad? When?”
Zhou Hai answered, “The day before yesterday.”
The day before yesterday?
Yang Yiwen got caught and she left just like that?
How magnanimous of her.
He has always been cautious. He believed half of Yang Yiwen’s words at most. Later, he asked Zhou Hai to check it again. As expected, he found out that Yang Yiwen had been in contact with Ye Wei for a long time. Ye Wei transferred a lot of money to Yang Yiwen privately, which added up to more than 100.000 Yuan[5], not counting some of the bags and jewelry she gave Yang Yiwen.
Therefore, whether Yang Yiwen was targeting Shen Yingying for him or for Ye Wei, the answer was obvious.
As far as he knew, if Ye Wei knew that Yang Yiwen had been caught, she would be uneasy. She would come to test whether he knew that she had done those things. He didn’t expect her to be fine and even went abroad to play directly.
“Yang Yiwen hasn’t done anything recently? ”
“There is no excessive behavior. She probably is observing if Shen Yingying and you have一”
Zhong Shen hummed, waved his hand at Zhou Hai.
When Ye Wei came back after having enough fun, it was already a week later. Wei Fengqiong hurriedly made an appointment with the Zhong-jia for dinner, mainly to discuss the marriage matters.
After not seeing Zhong Shen for a week, Ye Wei noticed that he was still as handsome as ever. As expected, the Male Lead was nourished by the Female Lead love! The whole person looked radiant and eye-catching. Ye Wei couldn’t help but glance at him repeatedly.
Zhong Shen’s face remained unchanged even when he knew Ye Wei was looking. He glanced back at Ye Wei. Ye Wei bent her eyes and smiled at him.
He wanted to see how long she could pretend.
The people at the table were very happy. They discussed the good days for the marriage. They decided that the ninth day of the next month would be good. Ye Wei had no problem. and obediently said, “I’ll listen to what Ah-yi said.”
Zhong Shen glanced again at Ye Wei.
After dinner, Wei Fengqiong and Zhong-mu discussed the wedding dress in the living room. Zhong-fu and Ye-fu go to the study to discuss some affairs. In the end, Zhong Shen could only follow Ye Wei.
He had hardly been to Ye Wei’s bedroom before. The girl’s room was full of pink and lovely. There was a faint fragrance, not strong, it was so light like it was only his imagination. When he wanted to smell it again, it seemed to disappear from his nose, vaguely, if there was even any.
Ye Wei took out the things she bought when she went abroad carefully. Like it was a treasure. The things she bought were mostly for couples. Couples bracelets, couples hats, couples necklaces, and some cute little dolls. “Zhong Shen, try to wear this! It must look great on you!”
Zhong Shen casually picked up a little wood carving doll, “I don’t like these things.”
Ye Wei was openly dejected, “Then, what do you like?”
“Work.”
“Oh, work? Don’t worry, I won’t disturb your work after we get married. By the way, has your work been going well recently?”
As she spoke, Ye Wei threw the things she gave to Zhong Shen. She treated those things like treasure just before, but she threw them into the trash can without hesitation.
Zhong Shen was taken aback, “Why did you throw it away?”
Ye Wei curled her mouth, with a willful expression, she said ,”Useless things can only be thrown away, so as to save space, as it should be.”
Zhong Shen was silent. He looked at Ye Wei, then at the ‘treasures’ in the trash can.
“Well.” Ye Wei clapped her hands “Let’s just go find Papa and Zhong-shushu. Go go.”
Ye Wei walked out without care. Humming a song, looking like an innocent xiaojie who hasn’t seen the world.
Zhong Shen suddenly called out, “Ye Wei, did you forget to tell me something?”
Ye Wei thought for a while with a puzzled expression on her face. She touched her chin and said seriously, “I forgot to tell you something? I can’t remember that there is something I need to tell you. What is it?”
Zhong Shen didn’t answer, he just looked at her without words.
The man who has been in the business for a long time was extremely imposing, “Ye Wei, you shouldn’t do that.”
As soon as the words dropped, he saw the smile on Ye Wei’s face disappear. She threw a suspicious look at him, “What are you talking about?”
Zhong Shen repeated, “I said, you shouldn’t do that. I thought what you said to me was true. I thought you wouldn’t do that again.”
Ye Wei was quiet. She turned around and knocked the vase on the side to the ground. The huge vase shattered in response, making a huge noise.
Auntie Zhang, who happened to come with the fruit drinks, was surprised. She jumped, “Xiaojie, what’s wrong? Where is it uncomfortable?”
Ye Wei drove her away furiously, “Get out! Who let you in! Get out!”
Auntie Zhang got out instantly. What could she do?
Call the others, of course.
Ye Wei clutched her heart, “You know, so what? Do you think I did something wrong?”
Zhong Shen replied, “I don’t think it is necessary for you to do that, let alone slander a girl’s innocence. What would the others say about her later because of this?”
Ye Wei sneered, “That’s also because she misbehaved and gave me a chance. ”
“I have explained before that Shen Yingying and I are only friends. Why don’t you believe it?”
“Friends? Just friends?”
Ye Wei laughed sarcastically. She opened the drawer near her bed. She grabbed some photos from it and threw them on Zhong Shen’s face. The photos were scattered. Zhong Shen only had time to grab a few, and all the others fell to the ground.
The photos were in high definition. They all showed what Zhong Shen and Shen Yingying looked like when they get along.
At the same time, Ye-fu and Zhong-fu, who were discussing some affairs in the next room, arrived. Zhong-fu has been in good health these days and could walk slowly with his crutches. Ye-fu had wanted to say you take your time, I am worried about my precious daughter ah!
The wedding dress hasn’t been selected by Wei Fengqiong and Zhong-mu, they immediately ran upstairs when Auntie Zhang told them the matter.
Auntie Zhang was panicked and didn’t make it clear, they thought Ye Wei was having another attack. As soon as they arrived, Wei Fengqiong shouted, “What’s the matter, what’s the matter? Does Weiwei feel unwell again? Is it serious? Let’s go to the hospital quickly, okay?”
They were stunned on the spot. What greeted them were photos all over the ground, Photos of Zhong Shen with a strange woman.
Ye Wei ignored them, focusing on Zhong Shen. She opened her mouth, “Don’t you think you have much more contact with this friend of yours rather than your fiancée? I asked you to eat together. I asked you to watch a movie together. I asked you to help me choose my wedding dress. I even asked you to see the wedding ring I designed. Do you remember what you answered me with? You say you have work to do. You say you have a meeting to attend. You say you are on a business trip. Just let me decide for myself. Fine. I understand you are busy. But what did I see later? I see you spending your precious time having coffee with this friend on the rooftop, watching the scenery below, and talking about life!”
“Zhong Shen, you said you and Shen Yingying are only friends. Which friends of yours do you treat with as much interest and care as Shen Yingying? Which one, I ask you! She just resigned from Zhong-shi and stopped working there just for a while, yet, you immediately went to find her. What’s the hurry? She herself was not in a hurry, why were you in a hurry?
Zhong Shen was a little flustered inexplicably, and explained, “I can’t bear to see her wasting her talents and time. She wasted it by working in a cafe一”
Ye Wei’s smile was mocking, “Which Shen Yingying’s talent was she wasting? Her talent at seducing people?”
Zhong Shen’s voice was low, “Ye Wei.”
“Can you stop it? Stop making excuses for your selfishness. As far as I know, Shen Yingying worked in a coffee shop, but it was only a part-time job. She was searching for another job and doing interviews here and there. Do you think this can be counted as wasting her talent and time? On the contrary, I think she used her free time reasonably by having a part-time job.”
Zhong Shen was speechless, “… I don’t know.”
He really didn’t know that Shen Yingying was looking for other jobs and only worked part-time in the coffee shop.
“Zhong-zong, who has always been strategizing, Zhong-zong, who has everything under his control, and Zhong-zong, who has played with the enemy everywhere, don’t even know it when faced with a little person like Shen Yingying? Did you just crack a joke?”
She couldn’t bear it any longer. She threw away all the photos in the drawer to Zhong Shen. It hit Zhong Shen on his face, his shoulder, and his chest. The photos were light, so it didn’t hurt him at all, but he felt very uncomfortable in his heart.
“Ye Wei, this doesn’t explain anything. ”
“Doesn’t explain anything? You and Shen Yingying spend more time together than the time you spent with me, your fiancée! And it is not even because work matters! Do you think it still doesn’t explain anything?”
With that said, it seemed that there was indeed a problem.
He couldn’t explain, as if no matter how he explained it, he couldn’t explain the situation between him and Shen Yingying. Because he didn’t even understand himself, why did he like to go to the rooftop so much? Obviously, the floor-to-ceiling windows in his office had a better view.
Zhong Shen knew that the current Ye Wei was still the previous Ye Wei, but there was something different about her. The current Ye Wei, when she looked at him, there was no more sweet smile, only sarcasm. There was sharp light in those beautiful eyes every time she looked at him as if it was able to shoot him through.
The elders crowded at the door did not expect to see such a scene. Their faces sank.
Wei Fengqiong was the first to pick up the photos on the ground. She handed them to Zhong-mu. Zhong-mu’s hand trembled when she received it. Not to mention the Zhong-fu who came later. He snatched them and looked at them. The whole person was so angry that his crutches clicked with the floor with a heavy sound.
Ye Wei said, “In fact, I wanted to let Shen Yingying go. But, she is so so good. She’ll come back after she’s gone. I planned to forget about her even if she came back. Just let her do her job properly and keep herself in line. I can let bygones be bygones, pretending as if she doesn’t exist.”
“But, like I said, she is so so good. After being good for a few days, she ran back to the rooftop every day. Instead of using her talents to do her job well and enrich her work experience, she kept thinking about how to meet with other people’s fiancées.”
“I don’t know that Shen Yingying一”
“Oh, now you know. Are you touched by it? Never think she will like you so much?”
Zhong Shen’s word was blocked by Ye Wei. He even felt vaguely uncomfortable, as if he would lose something precious if this continue. He saw Ye Wei’s sarcastic face. She seemed to disdain him so much. He felt extreme pain over it.
“Zhong Shen, both of you really care about this friendship of yours. One squeezes his time to meet the other even if he is busy, and the other dares to meet the other even if she is called a Mistress and said to destroy other people’s relationships. How sincere both of you are to each other.”
“It is like that and you still have face to say that I am the one at fault? Oh, right. These past weeks when I was abroad, did you ever call me even once? Did you even ask about me? You were even disgusted with the gifts I bought for you and let me throw them away! ”
Zhong Shen, “I didn’t say that. I just said I didn’t like your gift.”
“Isn’t it called disgust if you don’t like it?”
Ye Wei said sadly, “Zhong Shen, you shouldn’t hide it from me. You lied to me and gave me hope like this. It is no different than poking a knife to my heart. You should have told me the truth, when did I never listen to you?”
As her words fell, Ye Wei seemed to be unable to hold on anymore. She covered her heart and propped one hand on the sideboard. Zhong Shen wanted to step forward to help her but was slapped away by her. The resistance in her eyes shocked Zhong Shen to freeze in place.
Wei Fengqiong was so scared. She was at Ye Wei’s side in a flash. She always had medicines in her pocket wherever she went because of her child’s disease. She skillfully stuffed the medicine from her pocket into Ye Wei’s mouth, “Okay, okay, good girl. Don’t be angry anymore. Let’s not be angry anymore, okay?”
“You unfilial son!”
Zhong-fu was furious. Zhong-mu hurriedly stepped forward to block her husband and advised him not to be angry. It was not good for his health to get angry, but Zhong-fu couldn’t pay any mind about it right now. He walked forward tremblingly and hit Zhong Shen’s on the leg with his crutch. It hit hard. Zhong Shen trembled in pain and half knelt on the ground.
“Still not apologizing?!”
Zhong Shen was beaten to half kneeling on the ground. He was worried about Ye Wei and cast a glance at her, only to see that Ye Wei was also looking at him. She seemed very sad, leaning weakly in Wei Fengqiong’s arms, but there was a strange smile at the corner of her mouth.
He blinked. He looked at her again, but Ye Wei had withdrawn her eyes and buried her face into Wei Fengqiong’s arms as if she was too tired to even look at him.
It seemed that the strange smile just now was an illusion that he had when he was in pain.
Footnotes
The original sentence is, “did he have a good fruit to eat in his hand?” 有好果子吃 – yǒu hǎo guǒzi chī; Have Good Fruit to Eat. Meaning as long as someone is obedient and does things well, they will be fine. Otherwise, they will get into trouble and may have to be punished, the only way to save themselves is by using their wisdom↵
留得青山在不愁没柴烧 – liú dé qīngshān zài bù chóu méi chái shāo; As long as the basic or fundamental still exists, it is generally safe to suffer temporary losses or setbacks.↵
金主的人 – jīnzhǔ de rén; Golden Master. Someone rich and powerful.↵
哥哥 – gēgē. Just like Jie, 哥 is a term for a junior to call their senior(M), it isn’t restricted to those with blood relation. A stranger can also be called 哥 as long as she is older than you. 哥 can be also used to show closeness. It can also be considered as a coquettish way to call a person you like.↵
100.000 Yuan = ~15.5k USD↵
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