Five years without pregnancy means you're too weak; I remarried a powerful man and had triplets

The CEO's office on the top floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the deep twilight.

Lu Zichuan leaned back in his leather chair, the computer screen playing a loop of clips Shen Zhiyi had just sent him.

He pressed his fingertips against the control panel, scrolling through the timeline frame by frame, his gaze focused and calm.

Light and shadow flowed within the rhythm she created, and every transition, every moment of blank space, precisely hit his aesthetic point.

He smiled almost imperceptibly. Little did she know that, although he had never crossed paths with her before, he had been captivated by the videos she edited back in college.

Unlike other editors who simply complete tasks, her work always possesses a sense of soul, something he felt from the first time he saw her film.

But that wasn't the main reason he had come to see her at this moment.

His gaze shifted slightly, landing on a dark blue folder on his left.

That was a complete investigation report on Hsu Che-sheng's recent asset flows.

The man thought he was being discreet, using multiple offshore accounts and fraudulent transaction contracts in an attempt to transfer all marital assets during the divorce cooling-off period.

Unfortunately, although it took some effort to investigate these matters, these tricks were exposed in the face of the Lu family's intelligence network.

With this irrefutable evidence, Shen Zhiyi's property division in the divorce case is now completely unobstructed.

This was his welcome gift to her when she started her new job.

"Knock knock".

The silence was broken by a regular knocking sound.

Lu Zichuan closed the folder, his expression returning to its usual indifference: "Go in."

Assistant Wang pushed open the door and entered with a steady gait: "Mr. Lu, I apologize for being late. Ms. Shen has already left work."

He paused briefly, as if considering his words.

Lu Zichuan raised his eyes, and his extremely pale eyes swept over him, silent yet extremely oppressive.

"explain."

Assistant Wang then continued without hesitation, "According to colleagues in the editing room, Ms. Shen left in a very flustered state. She was in a hurry, and even when she bumped into someone, she didn't turn around to apologize. Her face was deathly pale... as if a major tragedy had suddenly befallen her family."

"Go check."

Lu Zichuan interrupted him, his voice cold and emotionless, but his fingertips unconsciously tapped the armrest.

Assistant Wang nodded: "Yes."

He turned and left, gently closing the door behind him.

The hospital corridor smelled strongly of disinfectant. Shen Zhiyi jogged along, but the moment she pushed open the ward door, her steps seemed to freeze.

On the hospital bed, Xu Jing was half-reclined. The mother who used to have a beautiful perm and always carefully applied a layer of lipstick before going out now looked as if a piece of her had been ruthlessly shaved away by the knife of time.

However, after only a week, the remaining black hair at her temples had been completely swallowed up by gray and white, and her loose skin hung on her bony frame, like an oversized old garment.

Her once plump cheeks were deeply sunken, her complexion was a sickly ashen, and her lips were a dark purple. Only the cold liquid in the IV drip was slowly delivering the bitter taste of the chemicals into her emaciated body.

Shen Jizheng sat sideways, carefully holding a bowl of white porridge, blowing on it to cool it down before feeding it to his wife. His movements were clumsy but focused.

This scene of them relying on each other stung Shen Zhiyi's eyes.

When did my mother, who used to comb her hair so meticulously, become so fragile?

It felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing her heart tightly, the pain making her gasp for breath and her eyes instantly redden.

"Dad, Mom..." Her voice trembled as she called out, and Shen Haozhi, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, raised his head.

After many years, Shen Haozhi had become much thinner, with faint dark circles under his eyes, but his gaze remained gentle and calm.

When he saw her, he first made a reassuring gesture to his father, then got up and walked out.

"Zhizhi." Shen Haozhi's voice was as reassuring as he remembered. He opened his arms and gently pulled his sister into his embrace.

Shen Zhiyi could no longer hold back; all her strength crumbled at that moment.

She threw herself into her brother's warm embrace, tears streaming down her face, and choked out, "Brother..."

"Alright, how old are you? You're still acting like a child."

Shen Haozhi sighed, his large, warm hands gently stroking her trembling back, his movements as practiced as when she woke up from a nightmare as a child.

He lowered his head, his chin gently resting on the top of her head, his voice extremely low but with an undeniable certainty: "Didn't I tell you? Carcinoma in situ, once it's completely removed surgically, it'll be fine. Don't scare yourself."

He paused, brushed the damp hair clinging to her cheek with his fingertips, and softened his tone, coaxing, "Mom has been throwing up all day, and it's only now that I finally have an appetite. Listen to me, take a deep breath, and wipe your tears. It hurts Mom to see you cry."

Shen Zhiyi clutched her brother's shirt, burying her face even deeper, her hot tears soaking his shirt.

She wanted to say how scared she was to see her mother like that, and she wanted to apologize for not knowing sooner, but her throat felt like it was blocked with cotton, and she could only let out broken sobs.

Shen Haozhi let her cry and vent, but tightened his arms around her, like a silent mountain, shielding her from all the howling wind and rain.

After a long silence, he spoke again, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible weariness, yet still gentle: "Go in and see Mom after you've cried enough."

Shen Zhiyi wiped away her tears before slowly stepping into the ward.

She was holding a bouquet of flowers she had just bought downstairs; they were tulips, Xu Jing's favorite.

She casually placed the flowers into the vase next to Xu Jing, then naturally took the half-full bowl of white porridge from Shen Ji's hand and sat down next to Xu Jing to feed her on behalf of her father.

Xu Jing stared at her blankly for several seconds, her eyes quickly welling up with tears, but she turned her face away, forcing back those fragile tears, and obediently opened her mouth to swallow the warm rice porridge her daughter fed her.

Shen Ji, who was standing to the side, wanted to say something, but after exchanging glances with Shen Haozhi, he remained silent and sat down quietly to the side.

For once, Xu Jing seemed to be in a better mood, and she finished her bowl of porridge completely. Shen Zhiyi put down her bowl, carefully wiped her mother's mouth with a tissue, and then spoke softly, her voice trying to remain steady, but a slight tremor escaped her lips: "Mom, why didn't you tell me you were sick?"

"Just because I'm divorced, they really won't abandon me, their daughter?"

She tried to speak in a joking tone, but before she could finish her sentence, her eyes couldn't hold back and quickly filled with a glaring red.

The smile froze on his lips, more painful than tears.

Upon hearing this, Xu Jing raised her withered hand and tremblingly stroked her daughter's cheek; her palm was rough and warm.

She didn't answer, but shook her head vigorously. Tears finally rolled down her cheeks and landed on Shen Zhiyi's hand, burning hot.

After the bad mood subsided, Xu Jing said in a hoarse voice, "Mom has also come to a lot of understanding during this time. Whether it's the traditions passed down from our ancestors or the opinions of the neighbors, those are other people's business. But when it comes to living, we should only live for ourselves."

"You wanted to marry Hsu Che-sheng back then because you loved him, but now that you don't love him anymore, there's no point in forcing yourselves to live together."

"Mom and Dad have discussed it. You can do whatever you want. Even if we get divorced, you will still be Mom and Dad's good daughter."