After Aunt Yang left, Yu Sheng immediately got up and returned to the bedroom, taking out the equity transfer agreement from the bedside drawer.
When she asked Shen Yunmian for Qiyun Film & Television, it wasn't out of spite. She had thought of what Gu Wanqing mentioned before about shooting short dramas. Her best friend had always treated her so well, and she wanted to find a way to help her. Qiyun Film & Television had a complete operational team—by then, she could let her best friend join directly and learn, growing faster.
And now, she was the one who needed her best friend's help.
After making up her mind to leave, Yu Sheng took out her phone and clearly photographed the key pages of the agreement.
Then she opened her chat with Gu Wanqing and sent the photos.
Almost the next second, a video call from Gu Wanqing popped up.
Yu Sheng answered it.
On the screen, Gu Wanqing's eyes were wide as saucers. "Holy shit! Sheng Sheng, this… this is really the equity transfer agreement for Qiyun Film & Television? H-how did you get this? Is Shen Yunmian crazy? Why would she give you this?"
Facing her friend's barrage of questions, Yu Sheng leaned against the headboard, a bitter smile appearing on her face.
At this point, she didn't want to hide anything anymore.
"Wanqing." Her voice was soft, carrying a trace of barely noticeable trembling. "I miscarried."
"What?" The shock on Gu Wanqing's face instantly turned into heartache. "When did that happen? How are you now?"
She looked like she wanted to crawl out of the screen.
"A few days ago. The reason was Shen Xingyao brought people to pretend to be ghosts and scare me. I faint at the sight of blood—you know that." Yu Sheng tried to speak calmly, but the slight redness in her eyes still revealed her emotions. "The baby couldn't be saved. This agreement… is Shen Yunmian's 'compensation' to me."
"Compensation? Screw her compensation!" Gu Wanqing exploded instantly, cursing angrily from the other side. "Is Shen Yunmian even human? Can a lost child be compensated with money? And that Shen Xingyao—I knew there wasn't a single decent person in that family! Bastards! Sheng Sheng, don't be afraid, I'm coming to you right now. Wait for me!"
Seeing her friend on the screen ready to rush over immediately, Yu Sheng couldn't help but smile.
At least in this world, there was still someone who truly cared about her.
In less than half an hour, Gu Wanqing arrived at Jing Shui Bay in a rush.
The moment she entered and saw Yu Sheng's pale, weak yet composed appearance, her eyes reddened instantly. She rushed forward and hugged her tightly.
"You idiot! Why didn't you tell me sooner about something this big? You had to carry it all alone." Gu Wanqing's voice was choked with tears as she patted her back. "Did it hurt? Are you sad? Don't hold it in—if you want to cry, just cry. You don't have to pretend to be strong with me!"
Yu Sheng was stunned by the hug, then the softest place in her heart was struck hard.
The fortress she had been forcing herself to maintain these days quietly cracked at this moment. Her nose tingled, and she almost burst into tears.
But she only took a deep breath, hugged Gu Wanqing back tightly, then gently pushed her away and shook her head. "I've cried, and I've made a scene. Once the tears are gone, there's no point anymore."
She pulled Gu Wanqing to sit on the sofa, her expression calmer and clearer than ever before. "Wanqing, I really don't care anymore. It's not forgiveness—it's letting go. It's not worth wasting emotions on them."
"Exactly! That's right!" Gu Wanqing nodded vigorously, linking arms with her. "That crappy Shen family—whoever wants to stay can stay! So what are you going to do next? Stay here and let that ridiculous mother-daughter pair annoy you every day?"
"That's exactly what I want to discuss with you." Yu Sheng tightened her grip on her hand, her gaze firm. "I can't stay here another day. I want to leave, find a quiet place to finish this recovery period and heal properly."
She paused, a hint of pleading in her voice. "Wanqing, would you… be willing to put aside your work and come with me?"
"Do you even need to ask?!" Gu Wanqing answered without hesitation, her tone resolute. "Of course I'll go with you! Nothing is more important than your health! Tell me, where do you want to go? Yunnan? Hainan? Or abroad? I'll book tickets right now!"
Her friend's unconditional support warmed Yu Sheng's heart. She smiled and joked half-seriously, "Alright then, you'll stay with me for a month—consider it signing a contract with me. When we get back, I'll set up a short drama production department just for you at Qiyun Film & Television, prioritize funding and resources for you, and give you 20% shares. How about that? Can't have you accompany me through recovery for nothing."
Gu Wanqing burst out laughing, playing along, wrapping her arm around Yu Sheng and leaning her head on her shoulder in an exaggerated tone: "Oh my! Rich lady! Looks like I've successfully sold myself and latched onto a sugar mommy. From now on, I'll just follow President Yu and enjoy the good life. Forget one month—even a lifetime is fine!"
The two looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh. The gloom of the past days seemed to dissipate a little with that laughter.
They acted immediately.
Yu Sheng only packed a few loose, comfortable clothes and necessary documents. In just over an hour, everything was ready.
She took out pen and paper and left Aunt Yang a note, brief and to the point:
[ Aunt Yang, I'm going out to clear my mind. Return date unknown. There's no need to take care of this place anymore—you should go back to the old house and serve Grandma.
Yu Sheng. ]
Placing the note in the most visible spot on the coffee table, Yu Sheng gave one final glance around, without any attachment, and left.
Gu Wanqing carried the luggage, linking arms with her. The two quietly left Jingshui Bay and headed straight for the airport.
When Aunt Yang returned with a basket full of fresh groceries and saw the silent house, her heart immediately sank.
She hurried into the living room and spotted the note at a glance.
After reading it, her face changed instantly.
Clear her mind? Return date unknown? This… this wasn't clearing her mind—this was running away from home!
She hurriedly took out her phone and called Yu Sheng, but the cold system voice came from the receiver: "The number you have dialed is powered off…"
Aunt Yang panicked completely, her legs going weak.
The Miss had just miscarried, her body still so weak—where could she go alone?
If something happened… she didn't dare to imagine the consequences!
Not daring to disturb the old madam rashly, after hesitating, she tremblingly called Shen Yunmian, her voice almost in tears: "Eldest young lady, something's wrong! The young madam… she left a note saying she went out to clear her mind, return date unknown! I—I called her and her phone is off! We don't know where she went!"
—
President's Office of the Shen Group.
When Shen Yunmian received Aunt Yang's call, the hand holding her pen tightened abruptly, her expression changing drastically.
"…She left? Phone off?" Her voice still sounded steady, but those familiar with her could hear the suppressed shock and faint tension beneath it. "When did this happen?"
She quietly listened to Aunt Yang's tearful explanation.
After a few seconds of silence, Shen Yunmian only replied stiffly: "I understand."
After hanging up, she waved at the department managers holding their breath in front of her, signaling the meeting to pause.
They were granted a reprieve and quickly left.
Only Shen Yunmian remained in the office.
She tried to refocus on the documents, but the words in front of her seemed to blur, impossible to concentrate on.
Yu Sheng left?
Not going back to her pre-marriage apartment in anger, but truly leaving without a trace?
Phone off. Return date unknown…
These words circled in her mind like a curse.
She couldn't believe it.
How could Yu Sheng do something so… so irrational, so reckless?
This completely contradicted her usual behavior!
Didn't she know the consequences? Where would the Shen family's reputation go? What would Grandma think if she found out?
She tried calling Yu Sheng. As expected—phone off.
A sense of loss of control she had never felt before, mixed with the anger of being ignored, and a trace of fear she refused to acknowledge, spread through her chest.
Shen Yunmian, a workaholic, for the first time in her life, was completely unable to focus on work during office hours.
She stood up irritably and paced back and forth in the spacious office, her efficiency shockingly low. Every few minutes, she couldn't help but glance at her motionless phone, hoping it would ring, yet also fearing it might bring even worse news.
This restless anxiety continued all the way until the end of the workday.
Shen Yunmian immediately drove back to Jiuxi Bay. When she opened the door, she was greeted only by darkness and deathly silence.
She didn't turn on the lights. Using the city's neon glow filtering in from outside, she sat on the living room sofa, as if waiting for something.
Time passed second by second. The night outside deepened, and the traffic gradually thinned.
The entire city slowly grew quiet.
Yu Sheng did not come back.
Her phone was still turned off.
Shen Yunmian sat in the darkness like this for nearly four hours, until midnight arrived.
She finally had to accept a fact: her gentle, sensible wife had truly done something so absurd as running away from home.
Just as she was being thrown into turmoil by this unfamiliar emotion that left her almost at a loss, her private phone rang. The name flashing on the screen made her heart suddenly sink.
It was her grandmother.
She took a deep breath and answered the call.
On the other end, the old lady's voice revealed no emotion, yet carried unquestionable authority: "Yunmian, come back to the old house immediately."
What was meant to come had finally come.
There was no hiding it anymore.
Shen Yunmian rubbed her brow tiredly, suppressing all the turmoil in her heart, and responded in a low voice, "Okay, Grandma. I'll be there right away."
—
In the study of the Shen family's old residence, the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt suffocating.
As Shen Yunmian entered, she saw her mother Zhou Yaqin and her younger sister Shen Xingyao standing to the side with their heads lowered, their expressions ugly—especially Zhou Yaqin, whose eyes were red, clearly having just been harshly scolded.
Shen Xingyao looked even more frightened, like a quail, not daring to breathe loudly.
At the head seat sat the Shen family matriarch, her silver hair neatly arranged. Her expression was calm, yet her authority was overwhelming.
When she saw Shen Yunmian enter, she lifted her eyelids slightly, her gaze sharp as a hawk.
"Grandma." Shen Yunmian stepped forward and greeted her respectfully.
The old lady didn't respond to the greeting. Instead, she fixed her with a piercing look and spoke slowly, her voice not loud, yet each word carried immense weight: "Yunmian, tell me—how exactly are you managing this family, hm?"
The prayer beads in her hand lightly tapped against the huanghuali wood table with a crisp sound, yet it struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.
"You drove your wife to miscarriage and then to run away from home, phone turned off, no contact at all! If this gets out, do you think the Shen family will have any face left? I'll have lost all dignity because of you!"
Shen Yunmian lowered her gaze. "Grandma, I handled things improperly. I will find Yu Sheng as soon as possible."
"As soon as possible? Three days!" The old lady issued an unquestionable command. "I'm giving you three days to find her and bring her back safely, unharmed. And then how you soothe her, how you make amends—you'd better know what to do. Don't let me see such disgraceful things happen again!"
"Yes, Grandma." Shen Yunmian responded quietly.
Only then did the old lady shift her gaze to the trembling Zhou Yaqin and Shen Xingyao beside them, her expression instantly turning cold.
"And you two! One as a mother-in-law, one as a sister-in-law—not only do you fail to maintain harmony in the family, you each cause trouble worse than the other!"
"Xingyao, you ran wild and caused a disaster, yet you show no remorse! Yaqin, you failed in teaching your daughter, she can't distinguish right from wrong, and she even dared to go put on airs in front of someone who just lost her child? Who gave you that courage?!"
Zhou Yaqin's face turned pale from the scolding. Her lips trembled as she tried to defend herself, "Mom, I… I was only thinking of the family, trying to persuade…"
"Shut up!" the old lady snapped, cutting her off. The disdain in her eyes was barely concealed. "That little scheme of yours—don't try it in front of me. Do you think I don't see through you? Go back and reflect properly!"
"And you, Shen Xingyao—if you dare cause more trouble, I'll send you to a boarding school. Out of sight, out of mind!"
The two were scolded so harshly they didn't dare even breathe loudly, nodding repeatedly as they were dismissed with a wave of the old lady's hand, leaving the study in disgrace.
Only grandmother and the eldest granddaughter remained in the room.
—
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