Xu Zhen couldn't persuade her mother, so she could only give up, feeling both sad and helpless.
She ordered takeout and ate with her mother.
During the meal, she asked her mother why she hadn't replied to her WeChat messages. Only then did she learn her mother's phone had run out of battery, but her mother hadn't noticed.
The thought of her mother lying alone in bed, beaten by her stepfather, isolated and helpless, too afraid to tell her—and with a son like Wang Shenghua who was utterly useless—made her heart ache.
But her mother was an adult. How could she force her to do something she didn't want to do?
She could only wait for her mother to come to her own realization.
After lunch, she headed back to work at the bank. Before leaving, she urged her mother repeatedly to contact her if anything happened.
Even after stepping outside, she turned back to suggest her mother move in temporarily. But her mother replied:
"You don't need to come back. He's gone. He won't be returning for a very long time."
On the drive back to the bank, Xu Zhen sent her brother a WeChat message: [Wang Shenghua, if you have any humanity left, stay home with Mom. If Dad hits her again, protect her.]
Only after she arrived at work did Wang Shenghua reply: [Xu Zhen, if you have humanity, why didn't you stay home with Mom? Why did you move out?]
Xu Zhen: [So you think a woman like me can stand up to a tall, strong man's powerful fists? If I were there, I'd call the police to arrest your father. Would you want to see that happen?]
For the entire afternoon, Wang Shenghua didn't send another message.
-
That afternoon, Shen Lingfeng held a video call with Simon Jin in New York for over an hour.
Shen Lingfeng's cousin, Chen Lei, had informed Simon Jin that the Shen Group intended to hire him, and he accepted without hesitation.
The Shen Group was Simon Jin's top target company for his return to China. Now that they had proactively expressed their hiring interest, it came as a pleasant surprise.
Thus, Chen Lei promptly arranged this video interview.
After reviewing Simon Jin's background and capabilities, Shen Lingfeng was thoroughly impressed. Simon Jin, already favorably disposed toward the Shen Group, now held high regard for Shen Lingfeng as his future boss. Both parties sealed the deal directly during the video call.
Shen Group hired Simon Jin as Director of Development for Shen Technology.
Shen Group was currently in the process of acquiring a tech company in Xiangcheng. Shen Lingfeng hoped Simon Jin could return to China as soon as possible to participate in the acquisition work. Simon Jin agreed to return in two days.
With the business matters settled, they should have said goodbye and ended the call. But Shen Lingfeng suddenly had a thought.
Looking at Simon Kim's youthful, handsome face, he recalled the voice message he'd heard that morning in his home dining room, and found himself still bothered by it.
"Why do you want to return? Many people don't want to come back after going abroad."
Simon Kim replied calmly, "I went abroad to study. I always intended to return after completing my studies."
"Got a girlfriend back home?"
Shen Lingfeng probed further, his tone casual, as if merely making small talk.
Unexpectedly, Jin Simon didn't answer immediately. He lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought, then looked up again.
"No."
Shen Lingfeng chuckled, feigning teasing. "You hesitated there. Looks like even if you don't have a girlfriend, you have someone you like."
Jin Simon gave an awkward laugh, offering no denial.
Pursuing the topic further would have seemed forced, so Shen Lingfeng changed the subject. He mentioned he'd have his assistant arrange Jin Simon's return to China—booking flights, accommodations, and covering all expenses through the company.
Jin Simon accepted without hesitation, offering his thanks.
Then the video call ended.
Yang Zhumin had stood beside the desk throughout the entire video call.
Hearing the boss suddenly ask Jin Simon about his love life surprised and puzzled him.
Their boss always kept work and personal matters strictly separate, never concerning himself with employees' private lives—especially not those of someone not even hired yet.
It seemed the boss was quite bothered by Jin Simon's relationship with the wife.
So he cautiously asked, "Boss, are we really going to hire Jin Simon?" "
Shen Lingfeng glanced up at him, his tone cool and detached. "What? Is there a problem?"
"No, no problem. I'll go book the flight right now."
Upon hearing his boss's "Mhm," Yang Zhumin promptly exited the office.
Shen Lingfeng rubbed his temples, letting out a self-deprecating chuckle.
He could guess what his assistant was thinking—assuringly assuming he'd be bothered by Simon Kim's connection to Xu Zhen.
He shouldn't have probed Simon Kim about his personal life, yet somehow, he'd blurted it out.
It was merely a test.
Business was business, and personal matters were personal matters. Jin Simon was undeniably talented—he couldn't afford to miss out on him.
Once he became his subordinate, Shen Lingfeng would have to be careful not to let personal feelings cloud his professional judgment again.
-
After work that afternoon, sitting in her car, Xu Zhen still felt uneasy about her mother and called her.
Her mother answered quickly. "Zhenzhen, you're off work?"
"Yes. Mom, has Wang Shenghua come home yet?"
"Mhm, just got back. Did you need him?"
"No, just asking. Tell him to stop wandering around and stay home with you."
"Alright. He said he'd be staying home for a while."
Hearing her mother's words, Xu Zhen felt slightly reassured.
She hadn't expected Wang Shenghua to listen to her this time. Before, he'd always ignored her words, even responding with sarcastic remarks.
It seemed his biological parents' impending divorce had frightened him.
Back at Tianhuayuan, Xu Zhen asked Qin Jie to drive the car to the entrance of the neighborhood supermarket. The vegetables in the fridge from last night were all gone, so she planned to buy groceries for a few days.
Her foot was still sore, and she didn't want to make daily trips to the supermarket.
"Madam, would you like me to prepare dinner?" Qin asked.
Xu Zhen was taken aback. "Cooking is part of your duties?"
Qin nodded. "Yes, my job includes all household chores. Last week, the boss suddenly told me to stop coming to work, but my salary would continue."
Hearing this, Xu Zhen began to understand.
Shen Lingfeng must have dismissed the housekeeper after marrying her, apparently expecting his wife to handle all household duties.
Had she not known this, she would have naturally taken on the chores—after all, she'd been doing them since childhood and was accustomed to it. Most importantly, she worried that asking Shen Lingfeng, who'd lived a life of privilege, to help might only cause him trouble.
She had certainly dreamed of a husband who would share the household responsibilities, but reality had proven otherwise—she had married a wealthy young master.
And considering she might well be divorced within a year, she didn't press him to share the chores.
Now that she knew Shen Lingfeng had deliberately intended to make things difficult for her, she was furious—and this anger she could not tolerate.
She resolved to teach Shen Lingfeng a lesson. Tonight, she would have a talk with him about dividing household responsibilities equally.
With this plan in mind, she told Sister Qin, "Since he told you not to come, then listen to him. You don't need to come anymore. Just handle picking me up and dropping me off for work."
Upon hearing this, Sister Qin didn't think much of it. She assumed the boss and his wife were newlyweds wanting some alone time, preferring not to be disturbed.
Though the wife had injured her foot, the boss would surely take good care of her.