The old lady looked at the granddaughter she had raised herself and placed great expectations on, a complicated emotion flashing in her eyes.
She sighed, her tone softening slightly. "Yunmian, I'm not unreasonable. Sheng Sheng is a gentle child, sensible, knows propriety and boundaries—a rare good girl."
"In the future, with so many matters inside and outside the Shen family, they'll eventually need to be entrusted to someone reliable like Yu Sheng. Do you expect…" She paused, not saying harsher words, but the meaning was clear. "…do you expect your unreliable mother to handle it?"
"You need to treat Shengsheng better. People have hearts of flesh. If you keep her at a distance and hurt her deeply, of course she'll want to leave. No matter what, you must bring her back this time and treat her well. Do you understand?"
Shen Yunmian lowered her head, listening. But her expression grew somewhat strained.
Every word from her grandmother praised Yu Sheng while belittling her birth mother. It felt like a lump of wet cotton stuck in her chest—stifling, yet impossible to refute.
Her mother indeed… was incapable of handling responsibility.
This was a scar she could never reconcile within herself.
"I understand, Grandma," she replied softly, her voice slightly hoarse.
After leaving the old lady, sitting back in her car, Shen Yunmian's face darkened like storm clouds.
Her grandmother's pressure, her mother's foolishness, her sister's recklessness, and Yu Sheng's resolute departure—all piled together, leaving her overwhelmed.
Irritated, she tugged at her collar, took out her phone, and called her secretary. Her voice returned to its usual cold efficiency: "Secretary Li, mobilize all available channels immediately to find Yu Sheng's whereabouts. Airports, high-speed rail stations, highway surveillance, her credit card records—any possible lead. Leave nothing unchecked. Report back to me as soon as possible!"
She had to find Yu Sheng. She must find her.
However, what she could never imagine was that the person she was anxiously searching for was currently lying comfortably on a lounge chair on the balcony of a seaside boutique hotel thousands of miles away, enjoying the warm sunlight and moist sea breeze.
Yu Sheng's face was still pale, but her spirit looked much better.
Gu Wanqing sat beside her, cheerfully peeling an apple while gossiping.
"Hey, Shengsheng, what do you think Shen Yunmian's reaction will be when she finds out you're gone?"
Gu Wanqing handed her half of the peeled apple, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Yu Sheng took it and bit into it. The sweet and sour juice spread in her mouth.
She gazed at the shimmering sea in the distance, her expression calm, even carrying a faint trace of mockery.
"Reaction?" she let out a soft scoff. "First, she'll definitely be called back and scolded harshly by her grandmother. The old lady cares most about face, and her expectations for Shen Yunmian, the heir she raised herself, are extremely strict. She'd never tolerate such a 'scandal' in the family. Maybe my dear mother-in-law and sister-in-law will suffer a bit too."
"They deserve it! That old witch and that brat should get a taste of it!"
Gu Wanqing laughed, then continued curiously, "Then what? Will Shen Yunmian go crazy trying to find you?"
"Of course she'll look for me," Yu Sheng said lightly. "With her strong need for control, how could she allow things to slip out of her grasp? But she probably can't even imagine that I've already decided to divorce her."
Gu Wanqing clicked her tongue twice, leaned closer, and lowered her voice curiously. "Honestly, Sheng Sheng, I've always wondered—how did Shen Yunmian end up with such a strange personality? Cold like ice, as if she has no normal human emotions. What kind of family did she grow up in?"
Yu Sheng fell silent for a moment, her gaze growing distant, as if recalling something unpleasant.
When she first learned about Shen Yunmian's complicated family background, she had felt sorry for her. She had been obedient, gentle, and considerate, trying to heal the wounds left by her upbringing.
But reality had taught her—
Don't be a doormat. Don't pity someone blindly. There's no good ending.
Someone like Shen Yunmian was better off alone for life—she shouldn't drag others down.
Seeing her silent, Gu Wanqing sighed. "Sheng Sheng, if you don't want to talk about it, forget it."
"It's not that I can't say it." Yu Sheng came back to herself and spoke calmly, as if telling someone else's story. "Shen Yunmian's father, Shen Chengbo, is a typical playboy, lustful and promiscuous. His original wife was a political marriage—she was in poor health and couldn't have children. That gave Shen Chengbo even more of an excuse to indulge outside."
"Shen Yunmian's mother, Zhou Yaqin, was just a minor third-tier actress back then, but quite scheming. She got involved with Shen Chengbo, became pregnant, and insisted on giving birth to Shen Yunmian. It's said that once she was just a month old, Shen Chengbo took her back to the Shen family and handed her directly to her grandmother to raise."
"Her grandmother comes from a prestigious background, very capable, and values family bloodline and reputation above all else. Although she looked down on Zhou Yaqin, she devoted herself to raising this granddaughter."
"Later, the original wife's family declined, and she herself fell into depression and passed away not long after. Probably because of Shen Yunmian's exceptional intelligence, her grandmother reluctantly agreed to let Zhou Yaqin marry into the family and gave her a proper status."
"But all these years, her grandmother has never truly respected her, looking down on her petty, small-minded nature. Shen Yunmian grew up by her grandmother's side, receiving the strictest heir education. As for her relationship with her mother… there isn't much of one. Perhaps there's even a bit of… contempt."
Gu Wanqing was stunned, forgetting to even eat her apple. "My god… that's so dramatic? It's more ridiculous than the short dramas we film! No wonder… no wonder Shen Yunmian turned out like this. Lacking love, unable to express herself, cold and selfish, everything based on interest… Is that from her father, or was she trained into it by her grandmother?"
"Who knows? Maybe it's both. Growing up in that kind of environment, emotions are probably the cheapest and most unnecessary thing to her."
Yu Sheng took a deep breath of the salty sea breeze and laughed at herself. "Before, I was too naive. I thought even a stone could be warmed eventually. Turns out I was ridiculously wrong. Now I've figured it out. Her past may be pitiful, but that's not an excuse for her to trample over what others give. And I have no reason to pay for her indifference and flaws."
"Exactly! That's right!" Gu Wanqing nodded vigorously, linking her arm with hers. "Let's not think about those annoying things anymore. From now on, your only job is to soak up the sun, eat good food, and sleep well. Get your body back in top shape! Make them mad!"
Yu Sheng was amused by her friend and leaned against her shoulder, gently closing her eyes.
The sunlight fell warmly over her, and the soft sound of waves brushed against her ears.
Far away from those suffocating people and things, she finally felt a long-lost sense of peace.
—
Shen Yunmian sat behind her large desk, a crucial acquisition document spread out before her.
Her fingertips tapped unconsciously against the mahogany surface, producing a dull, rhythmic sound.
Efficiency had always been Shen Yunmian's proudest trait. But today, that trait failed.
There was only one thought circling in her mind.
Yu Sheng had left. Cut off all contact, disappeared without a trace.
She tried to focus back on the document, analyzing clauses with her usual calm, but her thoughts kept drifting.
Her body hadn't recovered yet. Where could she go alone? What if she ran into danger? What exactly was she trying to do?
This unfamiliar feeling made her extremely irritated.
If a project failed, she could analyze the reason and find alternatives—there was always logic to follow. But Yu Sheng's departure was like a chaotic string of code, completely unreadable.
She rarely did useless or repetitive things, yet she couldn't help trying to call Yu Sheng again.
From the receiver came the same cold female voice: "The number you have dialed is powered off…"
Shen Yunmian closed her eyes and rubbed her throbbing temples.
The scabbed wounds on her face faintly ached, reminding her of that absurd conflict a few days ago.
That hysterical Yu Sheng, like a small beast cornered into desperation, attacking her, was completely different from the gentle, soft-spoken, orderly wife she remembered.
It was like two different people.
Her work efficiency dropped drastically.
A report that usually took half an hour took her an hour and a half. The clock on the wall ticked slowly, mocking her futility with every second.
In the end, she gave up.
She ended her workday early, grabbed her car keys and coat, and left.
Shen Yunmian had planned to return to the old residence, but when the car reached a familiar fork in the road, the steering wheel seemed to move on its own, turning in another direction.
Jingshui Bay.
Only after parking downstairs did Shen Yunmian realize where she had come.
She sat in the car, looking through the window at that familiar window.
No lights. Total darkness.
As if possessed, she got out and took the elevator upstairs.
Using the spare key to open the door, the house was unnaturally tidy—clearly cleaned by Aunt Yang before she left.
Shen Yunmian didn't turn on the lights, walking through the living room with the faint light from outside. Her gaze swept over the sofa, the dining table, as if she could see Yu Sheng sitting there reading, arranging flowers, or smiling as she waited for her to come home.
Her steps unconsciously led her to the bedroom.
The wardrobe was partly open, a large section empty, showing the owner's hurried yet resolute departure.
Shen Yunmian walked to the balcony and sat down on the lounge chair Yu Sheng had been using recently.
Leaning back, exhaustion washed over her like a tide. Her body was tired, but her mind was still running chaotically.
She recalled Secretary Li reporting that they had checked airport and high-speed rail records, but found no trace of Yu Sheng—she had deliberately avoided real-name systems. There were no credit card records either; she had used untraceable cash.
She had done this so decisively, so thoroughly, as if it had been planned for a long time.
Why?
Shen Yunmian closed her eyes, feeling drowsy, and Yu Sheng's face slowly appeared in her mind.
Not the last distorted, frantic version—but from much earlier.
In university.
That slightly timid yet unusually persistent girl. Back then, Yu Sheng's eyes were bright, filled with obvious nervousness.
"Senior, my name is Yu Sheng. Can we get to know each other?"
Shen Yunmian had no interest in such approaches and replied indifferently, "Sorry, there's no need."
She turned away, leaving the girl with a disappointed look.
Later, she learned that even earlier, she had helped her once.
It seemed to be off-campus—Yu Sheng and her roommate were harassed by a drunk. She happened to pass by and coldly scolded the man a few times. To her, it was just a trivial act she forgot immediately, but Yu Sheng remembered it for a long time.
From then on, there always seemed to be a "coincidence" around her.
"Running into each other" at the library, "happening" to sit next to each other in the cafeteria, discovering they shared an elective class…
The girl would always blush, trying every way to get closer.
Shen Yunmian didn't feel much about it, only thought the girl was a bit stubborn. Her world was filled with studies, family expectations, and future plans—there was no space for such delicate emotions.
The next time they met again was at a matchmaking banquet.
When she saw that the arranged marriage partner was Yu Sheng, she even felt slightly relieved.
At least she knew her—she seemed obedient, simple, easy to get along with.
She still remembered Yu Sheng's flushed cheeks, the excitement in her eyes almost overflowing, softly saying, "Senior, it's you."
And she had calmly and clearly laid out her marriage terms:
"Miss Yu, what I need is a wife with stable emotions, someone who can manage the household well and leave me with no worries. In return, I will provide a wealthy life and proper status. Between us, there may not need to be much emotional involvement. Clear responsibilities and obligations are better for both of us. Can you accept that?"
She remembered Yu Sheng's excited expression instantly being replaced with disappointment.
She thought they wouldn't cross paths again, yet Yu Sheng later agreed, her gaze firm yet hopeful: "I'm willing! I will definitely try to be a good wife."
In reality, Yu Sheng did very well—beyond expectations.
She managed the home perfectly, was filial to grandmother, tolerated her troublesome mother and unruly sister, and behaved appropriately in social settings, never causing her any worry.
She was satisfied, believing this was the ideal marriage.
She gave what was due, and Yu Sheng perfectly fulfilled her role.
But suddenly the scene shattered—
Yu Sheng's pale face, bloodshot eyes, sharp curses, and those merciless hands clawing at her face!
"Get out!"
"Shen Yunmian! Are you even human?!"
"You're a completely selfish bastard! Scum!"
Shen Yunmian jolted awake.
Outside, the sky was completely dark, city lights glittering in the distance.
She had fallen asleep on the lounge chair and even had such a chaotic dream.
The scabbed wounds on her face tingled slightly in the night breeze.
She raised her hand and gently touched those uneven marks—these were the most direct signs of Yu Sheng's "resistance."
That gentle, obedient, perfect wife image had completely collapsed, shattered beyond repair, revealing a core she didn't recognize—intense, even a bit insane.
This was beyond her understanding.
Shen Yunmian stared blankly at the dark night sky until a sharp ringtone pulled her back.
Seeing the caller ID, she answered faster than ever before.
Secretary Li's voice came clearly: "President Shen, we've found Miss's whereabouts."
Hearing this, Shen Yunmian's eyes lit up as she abruptly stood up.
—
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