Translator: 549690339
âMr. Shen, I found out that Jiang Zhilan met someone before making her move.â
âWho?â
âYour mother, Mrs. Zhou.â
âMy mother does like Bai Man, but she would never act against Chaomu. If she had the guts to do anything, she wouldnât have brought Chaomu to the Shen Family eight years ago.â
âYes, except for Jiang Zhilan meeting Mrs. Zhou, I really didnât find any connection to Mrs. Zhou in this matter.â Xiao Mo reported truthfully.
âWhat are your thoughts?â
âMr. Shen, I have some speculations.â
âLetâs hear them.â
Xiao Mo said: âJiang Zhilan took Miss Xu away, surely for her own daughterâs sake. As for taking Miss Xu to the remote mountains, perhaps she couldnât bring herself to harm an eighteen-year-old girl. Or, she thought banishing her to the mountains would be the greatest torment for a young lady.â
âGo on.â
âAnd there are countless women around you, Mr. Shen, but Jiang Zhilan specifically targeted Miss Xu. I guess this has to do with her conversation with Mrs. Zhou.â
âHmm, well said.â
âI think, no one knows a child better than the mother. Mrs. Zhou must have inadvertently mentioned that you have feelings for Miss Xu during her chat with Jiang Zhilan, and thatâs why Jiang took it to heart.â
Shen Chi laughed: âXiao Mo, Iâve never told you that I have feelings for Xu Chaomu.â
Xiao Mo also laughed: âMr. Shen, if you had no feelings, why would you go register for a marriage certificate?â
Shen Chi smiled and kept silent.
Now, the person he trusted the most was Xiao Mo. In the past, he also trusted Li Beiting, but Li was biased towards the Bai Family, so many things, he wouldnât entrust to Li anymore.
âMr. Shen, you can go to South Africa with peace of mind. Iâll keep the marriage certificate safe for you. When you come back, Iâll hand it to you personally.â
âHmm.â
âThen, Mr. Shen, I wonât disturb you any longer. You should rest early.â
âXiao Mo, wait, I have one more question. Regarding what Jiang Zhilan did, do Bai Xuan and Bai Man know about it?â
âThey seem to be unaware.â
âHmm.â
He hung up the phone, and the night grew deeper.
Shen Chi was thirsty, so he went to the kitchen to pour some boiled water. As he entered the kitchen, he saw the dinner he had cooked himself.
He stood there, stunned, unable to snap back to reality for a long time.
The night was indistinct, and the spacious villa was silent.
The next morning, Bai Man called Shen Chi early.
âShen Chi, where are you? I didnât see you come home on Saturday, were you working overtime?â
âHmm, I was working overtime yesterday.â
âWhat about today? Todayâs Sunday, can you accompany me for a media interview? Just for a little while, itâll be quick.â
âI have to go to the group today, I canât accompany you.â
âJust take a little bit of time. Theyâll just ask a few questions, mainly they want you and me to stand together.â
âSorry, Iâm afraid I canât agree to that.â
In the past, she always wanted a grand press conference, and he gave it to her, although it was also with the intention of irritating Xu Chaomu.
The Shen Family owed the Bai Family a favor, and he was almost willing to do anything she asked.
In the past, he didnât think much of it, at least, marrying Bai Man was beneficial for both the Shen Bai families and for him.
However, since that last time Xu Chaomu left the hospital without a word, he finally understood that if Xu Chaomu left him, his heart would ache for a lifetime.
Just like last night, he personally cooked an entire table of dishes, but she wasnât there.
As for the favor owed to the Bai Family, he would repay it in other ways, but it would definitely not be marriage.
âShen Chi, do you dislike me now? Itâs just a tiny bit of time, just accompany me for a while.â
âBai Man.â Shen Chi switched to a serious tone, âWhat would you do if I said I canât marry you?â
Clearly taken aback on the other end, after a moment, she laughed coquettishly.
âShen Chi⦠youâre teasing me again, weâve already sent out our engagement banquet invitations, please donât joke with me anymoreâ¦â
âIâm not joking with you.â
âReally? Then tell me, who do you plan to marry?â
A cold, unsettling laugh came from the other end.
Heh, Shen Chi, youâre finally laying your cards on the table, arenât you?
Bai Man always felt that Shen Chi didnât like her, living every day with an anxious heart. Now, he finally said he wasnât willing to marry her.
She originally thought that after the engagement and wedding banquets, he wouldnât back out and she just had to hold on a little longer.
But, unexpectedly, hehâ¦
âBai Man, I canât give you love and marriage.â
âShen Chi, you answer me, who do you like, who do you want to marry? Xu Chaomu, or some other woman?â
âThatâs none of your business.â
âShen Chi, you canât possibly marry her, youâre the president of Shen Group, youâre even more childish than me. Haha, Shen Chi, are you drunk? Itâs early in the morning and all youâre saying is nonsense.â
âBai Man, in fact, you know better than anyone, Iâve met all your demands, I even almost married you, you should know why.â
âShen Chi, why are you going back on your word? Why donât you keep pretending? Youâre good at playacting, why wonât you marry me?!â
Bai Manâs hysterical voice came through the phone, laced with sobs.
He finally told her the truth, even though she always knew why, but she still deceived herself.
She lied to herself by saying time would change everything, that his kindness to her wasnât to repay the Shen Familyâs debt to the Bai Family, but rather he was slowly falling in love with her.
She had thought that once they were engaged, marriage would firmly bind them together, and they would never part for life.
But, she was always just fooling herself.
âOriginally, I was planning to discuss this with Mr. Bai after returning from South Africa.â Shen Chi said indifferently.
âWerenât we fine before? We went to pick out rings, chatted in bars, you gave me a necklaceâ¦â
âBecause, I donât want to deceive myself anymore. Likewise, neither do you. The favor owed to the Bai Family, I will repay it gradually.â
âShen Chi, Iâm telling you, other than marrying me, you have no choice. I wonât allow you to repay it in any other way, I think your father and mother wouldnât agree either!â
âEven if Iâm left all alone, risking everything, I wonât agree to marry you again.â
Shen Chi spoke very decisively, but when facing Bai Man, he reined in his emotions a bit.
âShen Chi, youâre such a smart man, why didnât you wait until you came back from South Africa to lay things out with me. Arenât you afraid my father will pull all the funding and not let you come back?â
âI have thought it through. If Mr. Bai wishes to cooperate with me, I will share the profits from the South Africa project with him fairly. If he pulls all the funding, I wonât have any regrets.â
Pausing, Shen Chi looked out the window at the sky, his expression deep: âAt most, the path will be a bit harder, but my conscience will be clear.â
âShen Chi, heh, itâs not just this project, Iâm telling you, you wonât get a single share your father holds! Moreover, the position of president of Shen Group will change hands!â