"If you want to continue living a life without seeing the light of day, you can go back to prison now,"
"I'll sign."
She picked up the pen and briskly signed her name.
"You agree so readily?" The old man looked at her and asked indifferently.
Shen Wanxing lifted her gaze, her eyes appearing like an unfathomable lake. She said with suppressed endurance, "I just want to survive."
The once cherished and pampered little princess of the Shen family now had such humble aspirations.
She just wanted to survive.
She didn't want to return to prison!
She wanted to uncover the truth of that year! The cause of her parents' deaths, Su Haolan and Shen Mingyue who plotted against her that night, along with the owner of the canary diamond. There were others present on that fuzzy night in her memory!
Hatred had been steeping in her bones, hammered and etched deeply over more than a thousand days and nights, branded into her heart.
Shen Wanxing looked down at the agreement again, it was nothing more than giving birth to a legal husband's heir.
Compared to death and endless despair, it was much simpler, wasn't it?
A bitter smile crept across her lips.
"You arranged for someone to fix my scars and pulled me out of prison. These actions already do me a great favor in fulfilling one of your wishes," she commented.
"Whatever means you use, after the child is born, you can leave. I am aware of the things that have happened to you, as long as they don't implicate He Corporation, you are free to do as you please. Uncle Fu, arrange a room for her," the old man said as he stood up, his spine straight, and he walked away leaning on his cane.
"Madam, please follow me," Uncle Fu offered.
Uncle Fu seemed amiable and easy to talk to, but Shen Wanxing didn't dare underestimate anyone from the He family. She folded the other agreement, clutching it in her hand as she followed him out.
In the corridor, the lights were dim, and flower stands were delicately arranged on both sides.
"Madam, your room is this way," Uncle Fu directed.
Uncle Fu took a roundabout route. Anyone familiar with the He family mansion would know that her room shared the same wall with He Xizhou's, though their doors faced opposite directions, seemingly unconnected.
"Inside the old mansion, you're free to go anywhere except for one room—that room at the end of the corridor. That is a place the master values greatly," Uncle Fu earnestly warned, for fear she would anger He Xizhou.
"What's in that room?" she inquired.
"It belonged to the master's most beloved woman," he explained.
An accident three years ago had finally led He Xizhou to the idea of marriage, and finally, a woman could come close to him. But who could have anticipated what would follow.
Without saying more, Uncle Fu led Shen Wanxing to the outside of her room.
"This is your room. If you need anything, feel free to seek me out," he said.
Shen Wanxing nodded, and Uncle Fu handed her a document, "This is the master's medical record. I hope it can be of help to you."
"Thank you."
So He Xizhou had such an illness.
Shen Wanxing's lips curled slightly, revealing her crescent-shaped lips and slightly upturned mouthpiece. Her smile bore a few unconscious touches of allure. She pushed open the room door, turned on the light, and sat down on the couch.
Only then did she feel somewhat at ease.
In the past three years, she had not slept well. How could one rest easy in a prison? She touched her cheek again, smooth and delicate, not a scar in sight.
That was good.
Everything was starting anew.
She perused He Xizhou's medical records, surprised by the confidential diagnosis within.
...
The next day.
The night faded away, and daylight poured in.
Shen Wanxing woke early, the villa silent. He Chengze was now in a vegetative state, in the care of professionals at the hospital. His mother and sister had been sent abroad by the old man for protection, with no set return date.
The He family was now quite peaceful.
Shen Wanxing was dressed in a bright red dress, her hair tied up. Her exposed skin was delicate, and she radiated an exceptional charisma, purity mixed with a hint of seductive beauty.
She clenched the documents in her hand, intending to report for duty at the Shens.
Tap, tap.
She descended the mahogany spiral staircase and immediately noticed the refined and ascetic man in the living room.