Chapter 5 — Called Off Right on the Spot

Shen Zhihan gazed at her, his voice dropping to a register that was barely audible. “Just play along for now.”

Lam Man violently wrenched her arm free from his grip. “I have stayed by your side for five years, and this is how you treat me?”

With that, she suddenly spun around and thrust a finger directly into my face. “It is all because of you! If you had not suddenly appeared out of nowhere, none of this would have ever happened.”

I watched as she was escorted away, feeling not even a flicker of vindication in my chest. Because from the very beginning to the very end, Shen Zhihan had not offered me a single word of apology. He was merely calculating losses and gains, weighing the scales. I knew that look far too well. Back at the research institute, the scoundrels who tried to sneak substandard materials into critical projects always looked at people with precisely this expression. As long as the price they had to pay was not high enough, they would forever believe they had done nothing wrong.

Shen Zhihan accompanied me out to the grand lobby. “Regarding what happened today, I will give you an explanation.”

“Save it.”

“As for the marriage arrangement…”

“It has been canceled.”

Finally, a crease formed between his brows. “Hua Qinghe, marriage is not a child’s game.”

I burst out laughing, provoked by his sheer audacity. “Wasn’t it you who told me just moments ago to ‘go back from wherever I came from’?”

“That was said in the heat of the moment.”

“Adults should bear the weight of whatever words slip past their lips.”

Shen Zhihan fell silent for a long moment. “My grandfather is hosting a banquet tonight. He wishes to see you.”

“I am not going.”

“His health is failing.”

“And that concerns me because?”

“Hua Qinghe, for the sake of the bond between our families in the past—”

I cut him off mid-sentence. “Do not try to bludgeon me with the righteousness of our elders. You just used that exact same line on me yourself.”

Shen Zhihan was left utterly speechless.

As I stepped out of the lobby, the elderly security guard hurried after me in a rush. “Young lady, your phone screen is shattered. Be careful not to cut your fingers.” He extended a folded tissue toward me.

I accepted it. “Thank you, uncle.”

He lowered his voice conspiratorially. “I didn’t dare step forward to testify on your behalf just now, and for that, I am sorry. Assistant Lam usually acts with impunity around the company; anyone who crosses her is practically shown the door by the next day.”

“What is your name, uncle?”

“Old Zhou. Zhou Jianguo.”

I etched the name firmly into my memory. “Uncle Zhou, please keep today’s surveillance footage safe. Do not let anyone delete it.”

He looked startled. “Surely it wouldn’t come to that, would it? Boss Shen already said he would handle it.”

I glanced back toward the lobby, where Shen Zhihan was gazing out. “Your Boss Shen may not necessarily be eager to handle the truth.”

Uncle Zhou’s expression shifted abruptly. He shoved the tissue deeper into my hand, spun around, and dashed back toward the security booth as fast as his legs could carry him.

I climbed into a hastily summoned taxi, and no sooner had I pulled the door shut than my father’s call came through.

“Qinghe, the old patriarch of the Shen family just called me three times.”

“Did you answer?”

“No.”

I let out a soft acknowledgment. “Dad, let’s completely break off the engagement once and for all.”

“Have you thought this through carefully?”

“He doesn’t even possess the most basic concept of right and wrong.”

My father’s voice deepened with concern. “Do you need me to come over there?”

“There is no need.” I stared out the window, my gaze fixed in the direction of the towering Shen Corporation building. “I can handle this myself.”

Scarcely five minutes after the car pulled away, a text message arrived from an unknown number.

*[Miss Hua, seven o’clock tonight, at the old Shen family estate. If you fail to show up, that old favor your father owed the Shen family from years past might become rather difficult to honor. Sender: Shen Zhihan]*

After reading it, I replied with blunt finality: *[Understood.]*

Some debts cannot be neatly settled over a phone call.

At seven o’clock in the evening, I arrived at the old Shen estate precisely on time. Luxurious cars were parked densely all along the driveway, and the glittering lights blazed as brightly as if they were celebrating a grand wedding. The head butler saw me step out of the car alone; though his outward demeanor was impeccably polite, his eyes brimmed with quiet scrutiny. “Miss Hua, the old master has been waiting for you for a long time.”

I followed him inside. The living room was occupied by a large gathering of Shen family members. The old patriarch of the Shen family sat in the seat of honor, leaning heavily on a cane. He looked robust and bursting with health, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to the “failing health” Shen Zhihan had described. Shen Zhihan was seated to his immediate left.

To my surprise, Lam Man was also present. She had changed into a pale, subdued dress, her eyes swollen red, radiating an aura of infinite, unendurable grievance.