Chapter 6
Xu Jinnan felt a twinge of awkwardness.
It was clear Shen Shu didn’t want to see her, resorting to feigning sleep.
She was quite convincing, though. Xu Jinnan figured she’d startled her with her earlier comment, making her think she was up to something.
She had a real talent for acting.
Then it struck Xu Jinnan – Shen Shu was an actress.
She’d played lead roles in her university’s drama club and even landed a role in a TV series. Xu Jinnan couldn’t remember why it hadn’t aired. It seemed Shen Shu had given up acting after her grandmother passed away.
“Ha—” Xu Jinnan covered her mouth with a fake yawn and turned away, pretending she hadn’t seen anything. As she was about to leave, her gaze fell on a document on the table, and she paused.
It was a bidding proposal for a city construction project.
Xu Jinnan made a mental note, then glanced at the “sleeping” figure on the bed, her breathing even and steady, determined to maintain the charade.
A smile played on Xu Jinnan’s lips. This side of Shen Shu was rather endearing.
A basket of grapes sat on the corner of the table. A thought struck Xu Jinnan, and she suddenly didn’t want to leave.
In reality, Shen Shu had woken up the moment Xu Jinnan entered.
It was an instinctive reaction, the tension of facing an abuser. She knew Xu Jinnan’s assurances were nothing but a deceptive tactic.
She’d heard Xu Jinnan get up.
She must have realized I was pretending and decided not to bother, Shen Shu thought.
She heard the Alpha yawn, place something on the table, and then silence. But soon after, there was another sound, followed by footsteps moving away from the bed…
She tightened her grip on the sheets. After a couple of seconds, she cautiously opened her eyes a sliver, just in time to see Xu Jinnan disappear into the bathroom.
Xu Jinnan was also wearing a light blue hospital gown, her light brown curls tied up in a bun. She held something in her raised hand, the thin fabric of the gown outlining her slender waist.
As she stepped into the bathroom, Shen Shu caught a glimpse of her pale ankle.
Then came the sound of running water.
What was she doing?
Her phone ringing startled Shen Shu.
The call was ill-timed, but seeing the caller ID, she answered.
The voice on the other end was curt. “Why are you in the hospital?”
Shen Shu glanced at the bathroom. “Mom, I’ll call you back later.”
“I told the nurse to let me in, but she said she can’t without your permission.”
Shen Shu paused, guessing it was Cai Ying’s doing. Since her mother was already at the door, there was nothing she could do.
After hanging up, Shen Shu looked towards the bathroom and took a deep breath. “Xu Jinnan.” Despite being legally married, she didn’t want Xu Jinnan to see her parents again. It was Xu Jinnan’s threat to cut off their funding that had forced her into this marriage.
“Awake?” Xu Jinnan’s voice, clear and crisp, seemed to float through the sound of running water.
Shen Shu wondered if she was imagining things, but there seemed to be a hint of amusement in her tone.
Shen Shu: “…”
Then she saw Xu Jinnan emerge from the bathroom, leaning against the doorframe, holding a dark purple grape between her fingers. She wiggled her hand.
“Just washing some grapes.”
If Shen Shu hadn’t seen Xu Jinnan’s true colors, she might have believed this harmless facade.
Xu Jinnan didn’t wait for a response, turning back to the bathroom.
She placed the washed grapes in a bowl, her smile fading slightly. If it were anyone else, she wouldn’t bother.
But it was Shen Shu’s adoptive mother, Wei Wuqing.
This woman had caused Shen Shu almost as much pain as the original Xu Jinnan.
Wei Wuqing’s voice soon echoed from outside, her tone displeased. The door slammed shut.
Xu Jinnan turned off the faucet and popped a grape into her mouth.
Wei Wuqing sat on a chair, arms crossed, scrutinizing Shen Shu. “What happened? You end up in the hospital right after your wedding?”
“I just wasn’t feeling well.” Shen Shu wanted to warn her that Xu Jinnan was in the room.
But Wei Wuqing continued, “Why is Xu Jinnan hospitalized too? Did you do something to her because you didn’t want to go through with it?”
Shen Shu was speechless, a hot air balloon of frustration expanding in her chest, weighed down by a heavy block of ice.
She looked away, her voice flat. “I couldn’t hurt her.” She was the one who almost died.
“Then why are you like this? Did you upset Xu Jinnan? How are you going to keep an Alpha interested looking like this? If you can’t keep her, our family’s funding will be cut off, do you understand?”
Shen Shu’s lips thinned. She’d naively thought Wei Wuqing had come out of concern for her.
Wei Wuqing asked about Xu Jinnan’s hospitalization, and when Shen Shu revealed she hadn’t bothered to check, her face darkened. “If you cared even a little about the Shen family, your father and I wouldn’t have to endure all this humiliation. The post-wedding banquet was all set, and now it’s canceled. Everyone’s saying the Xu family looks down on us…”
Shen Shu listened silently to Wei Wuqing’s tirade. Hadn’t she cared enough? She’d jumped into the lion’s den with Xu Jinnan for the Shen family. Had Wei Wuqing even bothered to ask how she was feeling, what was wrong?
Not even a perfunctory expression of concern.
Shen Shu felt utterly exhausted, unwilling to say another word.
Suddenly, a soft thud echoed from the bathroom, like something dropping on the floor.
“Mrs. Wei is here.”
A calm voice followed.
Xu Jinnan emerged from the bathroom, carrying a plate of washed grapes, a superficial smile on her face.
Wei Wuqing looked up, startled, then forced a smile. “Miss Xu, you’re here.” She paused, realizing the address wasn’t appropriate anymore.
Xu Jinnan’s gaze shifted from her as she walked over to Shen Shu and sat down, placing the plate on the table and offering a grape to Shen Shu. “Here.”
Wei Wuqing’s expression shifted. This was another unexpected development – Xu Jinnan personally washing grapes for Shen Shu.
She regretted her earlier complaints and silently scolded Shen Shu for not warning her. Fortunately, she hadn’t said anything too outrageous.
But if Shen Shu could really manage to secure Xu Jinnan, this powerful devil, then none of it really mattered.
Shen Shu looked down at the plump, glistening grape in Xu Jinnan’s outstretched hand, like a purple jewel. She didn’t want to take it, but Xu Jinnan persisted, holding it out to her.
With both their gazes on her, Shen Shu finally reached out and took the grape.
Her fingers brushed against Xu Jinnan’s cool, slender hand, still damp from washing the grapes.
After Shen Shu took the grape, Xu Jinnan looked up at Wei Wuqing. “I misspoke. Shu Shu and I are married now, so I should call you Mom.”
The grape slipped in Shen Shu’s grasp.
Wei Wuqing beamed. “Good girl. My Shu Shu has been pampered since she was young. Please bear with her if she’s a bit willful or immature.”
Xu Jinnan looked at Shen Shu, gently squeezing her shoulder, her eyes soft. “She deserves to be pampered. She’s not well, and I want her to rest properly. We can discuss the post-wedding banquet later. What do you think, Mom?”
A chill ran down Shen Shu’s spine.
Wei Wuqing readily agreed, then asked a few perfunctory questions about Shen Shu’s condition and recovery. Sensing Xu Jinnan’s impatience, she made a few more polite remarks and left.
As soon as she left, Xu Jinnan stood up, positioning herself half a meter away from Shen Shu.
“Sorry about that. I had my reasons.”
Shen Shu looked up, meeting Xu Jinnan’s gaze. She sensed a protectiveness in Xu Jinnan’s actions, but the thought only made her more uneasy.
I had my reasons – those words could apply to any of Xu Jinnan’s actions.
Whatever her motive, it couldn’t be good.
“What are you doing here?!”
Cai Ying stormed in, carrying several shopping bags, placing herself between Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu. She glared at Xu Jinnan. “Leave! You’re not welcome here. Shu Shu doesn’t want to see you!”
Xu Jinnan’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
She considered herself even-tempered, but being repeatedly dismissed like this was… irritating.
Especially by this 19-year-old girl. Her arrogance and impoliteness might be considered cute, but Xu Jinnan had never liked that type.
Almost the instant she sensed the shift in Xu Jinnan’s mood, Shen Shu stood up.
“Cai Ying.” She pulled Cai Ying back a step. “Go outside for a moment. I need to talk to her.”
Cai Ying refused to leave Shen Shu alone with this dangerous woman, but Shen Shu insisted.
“Xu Jinnan.”
“Hmm?”
Xu Jinnan waited, curious about what Shen Shu wanted to say.
Divorce?
It wasn’t impossible.
Shen Shu was decisive and pragmatic. After Wei Wuqing’s visit, she might be disillusioned with her family and ready to move on.
A divorce request was entirely plausible.
“Don’t mind Cai Ying.” Shen Shu continued, “She’s only 19. She’s young and doesn’t understand.”
I wasn’t holding it against her, Xu Jinnan thought.
Then, processing Shen Shu’s words, she understood.
The original Xu Jinnan’s primary motivation for tormenting Shen Shu wasn’t just her beauty, but also her defiance.
Cai Ying, a young and beautiful mixed-race Omega, was exactly the type to attract Alphas.
Coupled with Cai Ying’s hostility towards her…
Shen Shu was afraid she would – turn Cai Ying into another victim.
Xu Jinnan was exasperated, frustrated by the villainous reputation that continued to haunt her.
With Cai Ying outside, she couldn’t reveal her Omega identity now. The fallout would be troublesome.
The suppressed frustration of the past few days was bubbling up, but she couldn’t take it out on Shen Shu. She nodded. “Understood. Rest well.”
After Xu Jinnan left, Shen Shu opened the window slightly, letting in the warm summer breeze.
Cai Ying sat watching her, wondering what Xu Jinnan had said to make her so thoughtful.
The look on Xu Jinnan’s face as she left lingered in Shen Shu’s mind – anger, frustration, and something else she couldn’t quite decipher. She didn’t understand why her comment about Cai Ying had provoked such a strong reaction.
But it had been genuine, not an act.
It was a raw expression the Xu Jinnan she knew was incapable of.
No matter how well Xu Jinnan pretended, no matter her tactics, when she was truly angry or her emotions reached a boiling point, she couldn’t hide it.
“What’s wrong?” Cai Ying asked.
“Xu Jinnan has a mental illness,” Shen Shu said, looking out at the blazing sun. To be precise, those flashes of emotion were the first signs of Xu Jinnan losing control.
She became incredibly volatile, almost manic.
Shen Shu had witnessed it a few times. Twice, after she’d angered Xu Jinnan, she’d become destructive, lashing out, throwing things. Even after calming down, she was always vindictive.
Just like forcing her into this marriage, using the things she cherished most to torment her.
But thinking back, she’d seen that same look on Xu Jinnan’s face since the night she’d let her go. She hadn’t realized it before, but today, with Xu Jinnan standing right in front of her…
She had seen it clearly. Xu Jinnan had been holding back.
…
“Miss Shen, your medication is on the table.” The nurse entered with a smile.
Shen Shu thanked her. The nurse continued, “You and Miss Xu have such a good relationship. She asks about you constantly, and I heard she refused to let the younger nurses change her bandages, saying she’s a married woman.”
Shen Shu was taken aback. Cai Ying, remembering the marks on Shen Shu’s body, asked curtly, “What injuries does she have?”
The nurse replied, “Bruises, I think. A large area on her back.”
Shen Shu recalled the moment she’d collapsed, Xu Jinnan rushing to catch her, shielding her with her own body… If she didn’t care about hurting herself, why would she be afraid of Shen Shu falling?
The memory clashed with the earlier image of Xu Jinnan dragging her into the room.
Shen Shu shivered.
Putting the pieces together, she arrived at an absurd conclusion.
“Shu Shu, what are you thinking?”
“Xu Jinnan,” Shen Shu said, closing the window, her body slowly regaining its warmth, her voice calm and clear. “I think she has multiple personalities.”
Cai Ying stared at her, stunned.
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