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

The conversation in the banquet hall was still noisy, and Shen Zhiyi huddled in a corner, trying to minimize her presence.

But she was just too dazzling.

The wine-red velvet gown seemed like a suit of armor tailor-made for her, making her skin appear even whiter than snow. Even just standing there quietly, she shone like a ray of light, naturally drawing everyone's attention.

Moreover, the scene of Lu Zichuan protecting her in public and saying that she was one of his own was still fresh in her mind.

Many people who were initially hesitant about her now wanted to befriend her and came over in twos and threes to strike up a conversation.

Shen Zhiyi barely managed to deal with several groups of people, feeling utterly exhausted.

She made an excuse to go to the restroom and quickly left the suffocating banquet hall, going up the stairs to the second floor.

After coming out of the restroom, she deliberately stopped and cautiously scanned her surroundings. Ever since Su Manman cornered her downstairs at the company's Jiangxing Building last time, she had developed a stress response to such sudden encounters.

She breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the corridor was empty, and slowly walked out.

But after walking only a few steps, a figure came into her view at the corner of the corridor ahead.

Xu Zhesheng leaned against the wall, dressed in a black suit, with half a cigarette between his fingers, the light from his fingertips flickering in the dim corridor.

Just as Shen Zhiyi passed by, he exhaled a puff of smoke.

White smoke swirled around him, obscuring his face as if he were looking through a layer of frosted glass that could never be wiped clean.

Shen Zhiyi glanced at it only once, then decided to pretend she hadn't seen it and walked straight past.

Xu Zhesheng didn't specifically wait for her here.

After the banquet, although he publicly apologized to Su Manman, the farce still made everyone present remember the antagonism between him and Lu Zichuan. At least tonight, no one was willing to take the initiative to talk to him.

He didn't want to stay with Su Manman anymore, so he went upstairs to find some peace and quiet.

To everyone's surprise, after smoking only half a cigarette, Shen Zhiyi came out of the bathroom.

She is as beautiful as ever.

The burgundy dress accentuated her slender waist and smooth back curves. Her hair was pulled up high, revealing the neck he had kissed countless times, and her collarbone, clean and beautiful, like a meticulously crafted piece of porcelain.

The pink diamond necklace around her neck shimmered under the corridor wall lamps, but even its brilliance couldn't compare to her own dazzling presence.

Xu Zhesheng had always known she was beautiful.

But in the past, he had deliberately ignored it.

Because of his inferiority complex and fear that he was not good enough for her, he tried every means to cover up her strengths and repeatedly told himself that it was she who clung to him and insisted on marrying him, not that he couldn't live without her.

But now, having completely lost her, he can no longer ignore her beauty.

"What a coincidence."

He stubbed out his cigarette, threw the butt into the nearby trash can, and then stood up straight like a child who had done something wrong, looking at her with an almost yearning gaze.

There was only one way back to the banquet, and Shen Zhiyi had no way to avoid it.

She nodded slightly, her voice as calm as if she were greeting a colleague she didn't know very well:

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"Hmm, what a coincidence."

She turned to the side, trying to walk around him.

Xu Zhesheng suddenly raised his hand.

Shen Zhiyi was startled and jumped back as if she had been electrocuted. Her almond-shaped eyes widened instantly, filled with fear and vigilance.

"What are you doing?!"

Her voice trembled involuntarily as the image of him on top of her that night, and her desperate struggle, flashed through her mind. Like a cat cornered, she arched her back, her body tense, ready to retaliate at any moment.

Xu Zhesheng's hand hovered in mid-air, but he missed.

Seeing her as if facing a formidable enemy, he dared not move forward any further, quickly withdrawing his hand and speaking very softly:

"Don't be nervous... I didn't mean any harm. It's just that the back of your skirt is a bit wrinkled, and I wanted to smooth it out for you."

He pointed to the hem of her skirt at her waist.

Shen Zhiyi looked in that direction and saw that there was indeed a small crease where it had been pressed out, but it didn't affect the overall appearance.

She realized she had overreacted, and the fear on her face faded slightly, but she still kept her distance.

She reached out and smoothed out the wrinkle herself, her voice indifferent:

"Thank you. Can you let me through?"

She tilted her head slightly towards the direction downstairs.

Xu Zhesheng pursed his lips and silently stepped aside to make way for him.

Shen Zhiyi practically darted past him, hugging the wall, without even touching a single hem of his clothes.

She had only taken two steps when Xu Zhesheng's voice came from behind her:

"枳枳."

Those two words were uttered so softly, yet so heavily, as if squeezed out from the deepest part of the chest.

Shen Zhiyi stopped in her tracks, but did not turn around.

She had no idea what he was going to say next.

Apologize? Repent? Or continue spouting those pointless platitudes about how I had no choice back then?

As Xu Zhesheng watched her resolute back, his heart felt as if it were being cut by a dull knife, the pain so intense that he could barely stand.

"sorry……"

His voice was low, filled with deep remorse and sincerity, and it sounded exceptionally clear in the empty corridor:

"I'm sorry... I didn't cherish you enough over the years..."

"You've suffered a lot of injustice..."

His voice began to choke, as if he were really crying.

But Shen Zhiyi still didn't turn around.

Her fingers clenched the hem of her skirt slightly, her nails digging into her palms, but her face remained expressionless.

Those grievances, those tears, those countless sleepless nights cannot be erased with a simple "I'm sorry".

She stood there quietly for two seconds, then took a step and walked towards the stairwell without looking back.

Xu Zhesheng stood behind him, his hand hanging limply at his sides, his fingertips still trembling slightly.

He watched her disappear around the corner of the stairs, leaving him alone in the corridor with only the burnt-out cigarette butt.

A faint smell of tobacco lingered in the air, just like his marriage, which had burned out, leaving only ashes.

As soon as she stepped down the stairs, Shen Zhiyi saw Lu Zichuan.

He stood at the corner of the stairwell, his figure upright, as if he were just passing by, or as if he had been waiting for her there for a long time.

Seeing her come down, he naturally reached out his hand, palm up, as if to help her up.

Shen Zhiyi neither acted coy nor refused.

Since she had already agreed to be his fake girlfriend, she had to play the part completely in public.

She gently placed her hand on his, her fingertips touching his warm palm.

She is not a coy person.

"I went to the restroom," she said with a slight smile, her voice soft.

The two walked out of the stairwell side by side, and the atmosphere in the banquet hall had changed.

The guests gathered in twos and threes, exchanging pleasantries. The lively chatter gradually subsided, indicating that the banquet was drawing to a close.

Shen Zhiyi was hesitating whether to go and say hello to Zhang Tong and his wife before leaving, since tonight's incident had caused quite a stir, and she felt she should apologize in person.

Before she could even take a step, Lu Zichuan had already taken her hand and walked straight towards the door.

Shen Zhiyi paused, looking at him with a puzzled expression: "Shouldn't we greet Director Zhang and his wife?"

Lu Zichuan turned around and gave her a sly smile.

His smile held a touch of childlike mischief, a stark contrast to his usual cold and aloof demeanor, as if he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"After saying hello," he lowered his voice, a hint of amusement in it, "I won't be leaving tonight."