After being struck repeatedly by Yu Sheng's words, Shen Yunmian no longer set foot on the floors of Yu Corporation.
Naturally, Yu Sheng wouldn't take the initiative to contact her either, and instead enjoyed the peace.
And on the rare occasions when they inevitably crossed paths, Yu Sheng's gaze wouldn't linger on her for even half a second.
This feeling of being treated like air was even more suffocating than a heated argument.
Shen Yunmian felt like she was going crazy under this silent cold war.
She couldn't sit still, couldn't rest. Her work efficiency plummeted, her mind constantly replaying Yu Sheng's mocking eyes and resolute words.
She knew this couldn't go on.
She had to break the deadlock—even if it meant using a clumsy excuse.
But someone as cold and distant as President Shen couldn't even come up with a proper excuse to please someone.
Only now did she suddenly realize how much Yu Sheng had given.
She had perfectly fulfilled everything promised at the time of their marriage, handling everything flawlessly.
Yet all the material things Shen Yunmian had given—once Yu Sheng no longer wanted them—she realized she didn't have a single thing left that could move Yu Sheng's heart.
Even worse, every time she approached Yu Sheng, she was met with nothing but eye-rolls and impatience.
Shen Yunmian had never known she could become so sensitive, so avoidant.
Just seeing that look in Yu Sheng's eyes made her lose the courage to get closer.
She vaguely felt that if this continued, it would only make her wife hate her more, pushing her even further away.
So Shen Yunmian threw herself into work, trying to provide Yu Sheng with the kind of business support she was best at.
But where Yu Sheng had once been willing to treat her as a useful tool, after Shen Yunmian's repeated missteps, she now found her presence irritating. She would rather put in extra effort herself than have to see her.
Such obvious aversion didn't go unnoticed—even the company employees could tell, and there was no shortage of gossip behind the scenes.
The proud President Shen finally cracked.
A crucial cross-border acquisition negotiation hit a difficult deadlock, with the other side refusing to budge.
After days of nonstop work, Shen Yunmian was already in a foul mood, and the stalemate at the negotiating table only fueled her frustration.
At the evening business banquet, the opposing representative was an exceptionally heavy drinker. After several rounds, Shen Yunmian inevitably drank too much.
Her alcohol tolerance was actually quite good, but drinking while in a bad mood made it easier to get drunk.
By the time the banquet ended, her steps were unsteady, barely holding onto her last shred of clarity.
Secretary Li helped her into the car and asked worriedly, "President Shen, should I take you back to the company or…"
Leaning against the seat, eyes closed, Shen Yunmian rubbed her aching temples.
Yu Sheng's face flashed through her mind, and almost instinctively, she murmured, "Take me back to… Jingshui Bay."
Secretary Li paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "Understood."
Halfway through the drive, Shen Yunmian seemed to have fallen asleep.
Looking at her boss's exhausted face, thinking of her recent low spirits and repeated setbacks, Secretary Li couldn't help but sigh.
Maybe this was an opportunity—for President Shen and President Yu to ease their relationship.
So she carefully took out Shen Yunmian's phone, found Yu Sheng's number, and dialed it.
She turned on the speaker.
The phone rang for a long time before it was picked up; the background was quiet.
Yu Sheng's voice carried a trace of impatience at being disturbed. "Hello?"
Secretary Li quickly said, "President Yu, hello, this is Li Yan. I'm sorry to disturb you so late. President Shen… has had too much to drink. I'm taking her back to Jingshui Bay now. Do you think—"
Yu Sheng's voice was completely flat:
"If she's drunk, take her back to a hotel or the old residence. What are the driver and her personal secretary for?"
Secretary Li forced herself to continue, her tone even more humble. "President Shen… has been mumbling your name the whole time. She's really not in a good state. Could you possibly—"
"No." Yu Sheng cut her off directly, her tone firm and decisive. "Secretary Li, just do your job."
With that, she hung up.
Listening to the busy tone, Secretary Li held the phone, awkward and at a loss, and glanced toward the back seat.
At some point, Shen Yunmian had already opened her eyes and was quietly watching the streaks of light flashing past outside the window.
Her profile, flickering under shifting light, looked especially cold. But the tight line of her lips and the fleeting pain deep in her eyes revealed that she wasn't completely drunk—perhaps she had heard everything just now.
Secretary Li didn't dare make a sound.
After a long while, Shen Yunmian finally withdrew her gaze, a trace of self-mockery in her voice. "Back to the company."
"President Shen…"
"Back to the company!" Her tone suddenly sharpened, carrying an unquestionable command and a hint of suppressed anger.
"…Yes." Secretary Li didn't dare say more and quickly told the driver to change direction.
The car fell into silence.
Shen Yunmian closed her eyes again, her stomach churning and her head pounding even worse.
But more unbearable than her physical discomfort was the dull, icy pain in her chest.
Would her so-called wife not care even if she died outside somewhere?
In the end, Shen Yunmian still didn't return to the company.
When the car arrived downstairs, she didn't get out for a long time.
The alcohol and that unwillingness mixed together, burning through her reason.
"Go to Jingshui Bay," she said again.
"President Shen, President Yu just said—"
"I said go to Jingshui Bay!" Shen Yunmian suddenly raised her voice. "Now!"
Secretary Li didn't dare defy her again and had the driver turn around once more.
When they arrived downstairs at Jingshui Bay, Shen Yunmian pushed open the car door and staggered toward the building.
Secretary Li hurried to support her. "President Shen, I'll help you upstairs and explain things to President Yu—"
"No need!" Shen Yunmian shook her off, stubborn. "I can go by myself. You go back!"
Secretary Li looked worried but didn't dare disobey.
She could only wait until Shen Yunmian entered the elevator, then quietly took another one up after her.
Shen Yunmian entered the elevator alone, leaning against the cold wall as the numbers climbed.
Her heartbeat inexplicably sped up, carrying a sense of reckless resolve.
Ding—
The elevator arrived.
She walked to the apartment door and pressed the doorbell.
Once, twice…
There was no response inside.
The haze of alcohol and her anger ignited instantly. She began pounding on the door. "Yu Sheng! Open the door! Yu Sheng!"
The loud noise echoed through the silent hallway.
Inside, Yu Sheng had already been woken by the doorbell. She frowned and looked through the peephole.
Seeing Shen Yunmian outside—drunk, disheveled, pounding on the door—her anger flared immediately.
She hadn't intended to respond, but the banging grew louder, clearly about to disturb the neighbors.
She yanked the door open and looked at her coldly. "Shen Yunmian, what kind of drunken scene are you making?"
Outside, Shen Yunmian's hair was slightly messy, the buttons of her silk shirt undone, revealing her pale collarbone. Her delicate, cold face was flushed with an abnormal redness, and her eyes stared at Yu Sheng stubbornly.
She said nothing.
Just like her—awkward and irritating.
Yu Sheng wasn't going to indulge her now. "Shen Yunmian, are you done? Get lost."
Secretary Li peeked out from the elevator area. Hearing Yu Sheng's scolding, she hurried over and apologized repeatedly. "President Yu, I'm sorry! President Shen drank too much and insisted on coming here… I—I really couldn't stop her…"
Yu Sheng glanced at her, then at Shen Yunmian, who could barely stand.
She understood there was no need to make things difficult for a secretary, so she stepped aside slightly. "Come in."
Secretary Li felt as if she'd been granted amnesty. She quickly helped Shen Yunmian onto the sofa in the living room and spoke rapidly, "President Yu, please take care of President Shen for a moment. I—I have urgent documents to handle, I'll leave first!"
After speaking, she practically fled, even "thoughtfully" closing the door behind her.
The apartment was instantly left with just the two of them.
Yu Sheng looked at Shen Yunmian slumped on the sofa, eyes closed as she rubbed her temples, and felt a wave of irritation.
She went to the kitchen, poured a glass of warm water, and set it down heavily on the coffee table in front of her. "Drink it. Sober up, then have your mother send someone to pick you up."
Shen Yunmian opened her eyes, her gaze unfocused as it slowly settled on Yu Sheng's face.
She didn't look at the water. She just stared at Yu Sheng, her voice slurred. "Yu Sheng… tell me… how did we end up like this?"
Yu Sheng stood to the side with her arms crossed, expressionless. "You're drunk."
"I'm not drunk!" Shen Yunmian suddenly became agitated, trying to sit up straight. "You weren't like this before. You would wait for me to come home… make hangover soup for me… you would…" Her words broke off, filled with confusion and unwillingness. "What do you want me to do? Just tell me! What do I have to do for you to… to go back to how you used to be?"
Hearing this, Yu Sheng only found it absurd.
Go back to being that person who endured everything, waited silently, and was ignored and belittled by her?
"Shen Yunmian, wake up. There is no 'before' anymore." Her voice was cold, devoid of emotion.
"Why?" Shen Yunmian seemed stung by the words. She suddenly grabbed Yu Sheng's hand and refused to let go, her eyes desperate and obsessive. "If it's because… the child is gone? We can have another one."
Her wrist was gripped painfully tight, but Yu Sheng didn't pull away immediately.
She looked at the woman in front of her—who, even drunk, was still stuck on such a shallow level, completely missing the core of the issue—and felt an overwhelming sense of tragedy and absurdity wash over her.
She couldn't help but laugh, the sound filled with endless mockery and coldness.
"We won't have another child."
Shen Yunmian rarely lowered her head, but at this moment, she realized she was completely at a loss.
Her voice came out dry, carrying a softness she herself didn't even notice. "Yu Sheng… please. Tell me what I have to do to go back to before."
The moment she said it, even she found it unfamiliar.
This wasn't something Shen Yunmian would say.
Yu Sheng paused slightly, then a mocking smile curled at her lips.
Look at you, Shen Yunmian. You've fallen this far too.
You can feel helpless. You can lower yourself and beg someone.
But that fleeting satisfaction sank quickly, replaced by a deeper exhaustion.
These past days of frantic investigation had given her a clearer—and crueler—understanding of the Yu Corporation's situation.
Objectively speaking, if not for Shen Yunmian's strong intervention and continuous support after her father's death, Yu Corporation would have gone bankrupt long ago, leaving nothing behind. Every improvement in the financial reports, every bit of profit, carried the unmistakable imprint of Shen's resources and Shen Yunmian's team.
And she—no matter how hard she worked—
Without three to five years of accumulation, she simply couldn't independently support such a massive corporation.
Let alone compete with a business predator like Shen Yunmian.
Reality was cold and unforgiving.
She didn't want to maintain this suffocating marriage with Shen Yunmian any longer—not even for a single day.
But if she confronted her head-on, she had no chance of winning. It would only push Yu Corporation into complete bankruptcy, dragging her mother down with it.
That left only one path—cutting off the tail to survive.
Concede enough assets to Shen Yunmian, keep only the dividends from Yu Corporation's shares, and divorce peacefully.
So, under Shen Yunmian's gaze—still holding a final trace of uncertain hope—
Yu Sheng lifted her eyes and clearly, calmly said the words she had long planned:
"Shen Yunmian, let's get a divorce."
—
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