CH 79

after the family feast, shen tiantian rested for another three days, and shan ming was still around, staying in the leftmost guest room on the second floor. she would chat with shan yi every day, sometimes deliberately ignoring shen tiantian’s presence. playing such a low-level mind game, even if mother shan was slow, she should have figured it out. on the fourth day, she tactfully asked shan ming to leave.

after a full week of rest, shen tiantian finally resumed her normal work routine. during these days, she had gained a bit of weight, and her belly had grown a little larger. wearing a black suit, she felt her stomach ache from the tightness.

“did you have a good time?” assistant yang asked.

shen tiantian hesitated for a moment and shyly nodded, “it was quite enjoyable; the place was beautiful.”

assistant yang subtly bit her lip, tidied up the documents on the table, and, holding them to her chest, stood up, heading towards the office of the ceo.

after a half-month break, there must be a lot of work to catch up on. judging by assistant yang’s demeanor, she seemed to be preparing to report to shan yi about the work. shen tiantian rubbed her sore waist, took her cup, and went to the tea room. seeing no one around, she secretly undid the fastening at her waist, and the white undershirt revealed a silver coin-sized mark, indicating how tight it had been. with the restraint loosened, she let out a heavy sigh.

it seemed like she would have to buy some new clothes again. she brewed a cup of red date and wolfberry water, a healthy drink bought by mother shan claiming it was good for nourishing blood and beneficial for the child. in the past, she never had such thoughts. she ate and drank whatever she wanted. thanks to the little meatball in her belly and her wife’s influence, she now lived a particularly refined life.

the office had the air conditioning on, and the temperature was a bit low. finding a seat, she held the bottom of the cup with her warm yet slightly cool hands, gazing absentmindedly at the building across from her.

“how nice it is to come back after a half-month break and still be so leisurely. unlike us unfortunate ones, busy to death every day…..”

a sarcastic voice reached her ears. shen tiantian snapped out of her thoughts, slowly turning her head toward the source of the voice. due to minimal interactions, she couldn’t recall the person’s name at first glance.

a colleague who came in with her heard the comment, immediately cast a glance at shen tiantian, and then urgently nudged her, signaling her not to respond. shen tiantian had not been in the secretariat department for long, and having rested for half a month, she had only met these colleagues a few times. she couldn’t even recall their names. however, from the recent remarks, even a fool could tell they were talking about her.

she took a sip of water, as if she hadn’t heard anything, slowly tightening her abdomen. she casually buttoned up her shirt as if nothing had happened.

“why did you nudge me?” the colleague didn’t understand the subtle eye signals and continued: “look at her pretending to be delicate; it’s annoying. the boss isn’t around, so who is she trying to impress…..”

perhaps having been scolded by assistant yang a couple of times, the colleague probably already disliked shen tiantian. rarely getting a chance to vent, she couldn’t stop herself.

“if you dare to complain, don’t be afraid of being scolded. acting like a harlot while trying to be virtuous, how shameless can you get…..”

the words were harsh, and shen tiantian furrowed her brows. she glanced at the person but ultimately didn’t say anything. she took a shallow breath and prepared to leave, holding her water cup.

suddenly, a raised object appeared on the smooth ceramic floor. shen tiantian stumbled, subconsciously reaching out to grab the nearest thing. after stabilizing herself, she saw the woman retracting her leg.

how much did she hate her to do such a despicable thing?!

she touched her stomach, thankfully not falling. a surge of anger welled up inside her. she turned sharply, looking at the woman with eyes full of coldness, her voice equally icy, “do you think i’m silent because i’m afraid of you?”

her colleague was startled by her gaze, and her face turned unnatural as she looked away, saying, “what are you looking at me for? it wasn’t me.”

shen tiantian found it somewhat amusing. “do you think i’m blind?”

the colleague, with the last name xie, realized the situation was turning unfavorable and quickly slipped away. the woman poured herself a glass of water, intending to leave, but shen tiantian immediately blocked her way. “apologize.”

apologize to her child.

“apologize for what? are you crazy?” the woman, feeling less guilty, looked at shen tiantian with disbelief upon hearing her words.

“it’s okay. i don’t mind being a villain once.” didn’t they say she played both roles? she wouldn’t give her face for not playing the part at least once.

she was genuinely angry. fortunately, she managed to catch herself today, but what about next time? shen tiantian knew that if she didn’t address this issue today, the woman might do something even more outrageous in the future.

she could tolerate anything said about her, but when it came to any danger to her baby, she would confront her head-on.

“what do you mean?”

shen tiantian replied: “i will report what just happened to the ceo.”

as soon as she finished speaking, a familiar and unfriendly voice sounded behind her. the tone was so cold that it sent shivers down one’s spine. “what are you going to report?”

an employee told the assistant that there was an argument in the tea room and, shan yi, seeing that her wife was not around, came over to take a look. she happened to hear shen tiantian’s words.

“c….ceo,” the woman appeared somewhat flustered, “it’s nothing, just a little squabble between colleagues.”

shan yi didn’t look at her, keeping her gaze fixed on shen tiantian and gesturing for her to speak.

shen tiantian hadn’t expected her wife to suddenly show up. after hesitating for a few seconds between whether to speak or not, she touched her belly and said: “she tripped me with her right foot, and i’m asking her to apologize to me.”

upon hearing this, shan yi’s face quickly darkened. her icy gaze seemed murderous, and she looked at her fiercely. compared to shen tiantian’s earlier coldness, shan yi’s eyes seemed as if she wanted to devour her.

the woman turned pale, instinctively took a step back, and tried to explain, “it’s not like that…..i didn’t mean to…..”

shan yi raised her eyes to glance at a certain corner, sneered, and said: “i remember there’s surveillance in the tea room on the 18th floor. i don’t mind investigating.”

the woman was truly speechless now. if they checked the surveillance and found the intentional tripping, it would be evident. however, she didn’t want to apologize to shen tiantian, so she defended herself, “it was her who insulted me first, i just…..”

“assistant yang, check the surveillance footage.”

li siying had been working at yue feng for a year and a half, responsible for printing tasks. due to her involvement in instigating discord among colleagues, she had been verbally ‘warned’ twice. instead of restraining herself, she turned her attention to shen tiantian?

yang li shook her head, finding this woman extremely foolish.

she glanced at li siying and nodded to shan yi: “okay.”

li siying was not willing to give up, “it’s clearly an issue involving two people. why is the ceo only questioning me?”

her implication was that shan yi had ulterior motives.

shan yi was almost amused by her words. she pulled shen tiantian into her arms and said, “do you think my wife would need to lie to me?”

as soon as she spoke, everyone present gasped. li siying’s hand shook, and the cup slipped from her grasp, crashing to the floor and shattering into pieces.

shen tiantian is the ceo’s wife?! when did this happen? why didn’t anyone tell her? if she had known that shen tiantian was the boss’s wife, she wouldn’t have dared to treat her like this, no matter how bold she was.

the sudden revelation didn’t bother shen tiantian. she accepted it calmly, burying herself silently in her wife’s embrace.

“now, will you apologize, or should we wait for the surveillance footage?” shan yi’s voice was even colder than before. “if you apologize now, i won’t pursue it further. if we wait for the footage, we can discuss it with my lawyer. as far as i know, intentionally causing harm could lead to a prison sentence.”

li siying stared wide-eyed, her hands trembling. she couldn’t believe shan yiwas considering legal action over such a minor dispute.

although unwilling, she was afraid. how could she possibly win against someone like shan yi, who had power and influence? getting into a legal battle would ruin her, and her eyes were already red from fear. she stammered: “i…..i’m sorry. please forgive me. i promise there won’t be a next time.”

shan yi lowered her head to her wife and softly asked: “do you accept?”

li siying stared at shen tiantian anxiously, afraid of hearing her say she didn’t accept. shen tiantian nodded.

hearing that her wife accepted the apology, li siying breathed a sigh of relief. just as she was putting her heart back in her chest, shan yi’s words pushed her back into despair.

“my wife accepted, but i don’t. ” shan yi snorted.

she was extremely protective of her loved ones. how could she let her wife be wronged in her own company? even if shen tiantian accepted the apology, it didn’t mean she accepted it. “the company doesn’t need people spreading negative energy. pack up and go to the finance department to settle your salary.”

“don’t, please…..” li siying burst into tears. “i really know i was wrong.”

in the industry, yue feng had a considerable reputation both domestically and internationally, offering better benefits and salaries than many other companies. li siying was not a local, and she had plans to save money for a year to buy a house with her boyfriend in city a. if she suddenly lost her job, the plan to buy a house would fall through, and her boyfriend might break up with her.

she couldn’t afford to lose her job at yue feng.

seeing that shan yi was unmoved, she turned her tearful gaze towards shen tiantian. “i really know i was wrong. can you speak up for me? i don’t want to leave the company.”

although shen tiantian was angry, she hadn’t considered firing her. shan yi’s words also surprised her a bit. however, she wasn’t a saint, and li siying’s actions might have already affected her unborn child. regarding decisions made by the other mother of her child, she didn’t want to get involved.

she didn’t speak up for li siying but simply said, “i don’t want to stay here.”

shan yi immediately asked: “is there anything uncomfortable?”

“no, i’m just a bit tired.”

“go to my office and take a nap, or should i send you home?” shan yi’s tone was completely different from before, leaving everyone bewildered.

after some thought, shen tiantian knew that news of her spousal relationship with the ceo would spread quickly, and people would likely treat her with extra caution. staying here would only make her more uncomfortable. however, she still wanted to have lunch with shan yi, so she said: “go to your office.”

shan yi nodded, and just as yang li returned, she didn’t waste any more words on li siying, leaving the matter for her to handle, and she headed back to the office, embracing her wife.

closing the door, shan yi asked again, “did you get hit anywhere? is your stomach hurting?”

secluded from everyone’s gaze, shen tiantian breathed a sigh of relief. the tightness in her chest gradually dissipated. “really, i’m fine. just a bit startled.”

only then did shan yi relax. she held her carefully and asked, “if you felt wronged, why didn’t you come to me directly?”

“i didn’t expect her to be so outrageous,” shen tiantian said helplessly.

“not the first time?”

shen tiantian shook her head. “no, it’s the first time.”

in the past, she had only talked behind people’s backs. she didn’t want to get involved. this was the first time in many years that she had confronted someone head-on.

“you, ah,” shan yi couldn’t help but indulge her. she said, “if you had said you didn’t accept just now, i would have made sure she ended up in the police station. how dare she harm my wife and even think about murdering my child.”