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

"Feed?"

"Feed?"

After receiving the call, Shen Zhiyi didn't speak immediately. She didn't know what to say to Xu Zhesheng, whether to tell him to come home early or not. It seemed a bit ridiculous for their relationship. Or should she act as a mediator and advise him not to have a conflict with Su Manman? She wasn't that kind-hearted.

His voice was terribly hoarse, nasal from a hangover, and soft with disbelief, as if afraid he'd misheard. He even held his breath and cautiously probed, "...Is it Zhizhi?"

Seeing that she hadn't hung up, he clung to her like a lifeline, speaking rapidly as if he wanted to pour out all the pent-up grievances he'd held back for days: "Is that Zhizhi? It really is you... I'm sorry, Zhizhi, I really didn't ask her to go today! If I had known beforehand that she was crazy enough to cause trouble at your company, I would have stopped her with my life!"

He deliberately softened his voice, belittling Su Manman and subtly distancing himself from the situation: "I've been avoiding everyone these past few days, not even daring to answer my mom's calls, just to avoid being traced back to you and getting bothered by all this mess. I'm not even answering her calls because I'm afraid she'll pester me and cause trouble for you..."

At this point, his voice even trembled with a hint of pleading, as if his eyes were genuinely red, overwhelmed with self-pity: "Zhizhi, I don't want you to be in a difficult position. Even if she threatens you, manipulates your mind, or berates you every day, I don't want you to suffer even the slightest grievance because of me. I was blinded by greed before, believing their sweet talk, but now I understand that you are the only one in this world who truly cares for me..."

He became increasingly absurd, completely forgetting that just minutes before he had been cold and sarcastic towards Su Manman. Now, he acted as if he had suffered a great injustice: "Don't listen to her nonsense. My relationship with her is nowhere near that level. I haven't even had a clean set of clothes these past few days, and my stomach hurts from drinking so much. But when I think about her causing trouble so much that you can't go to work, I just want to hide in the deep mountains and never come out to bother you again..."

He paused, his voice becoming soft and gentle, tinged with a cautious probing, as if afraid she might find it annoying: "Zhizhi, are you... are you alright? Did she bump into you? I'm coming right now, I'll go and take her away right away, I promise I won't let you suffer any more. I swear I'll never let these dirty things get to you again..."

As Shen Zhiyi listened to this barrage of heartfelt confessions, her brow twitched, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around her phone case. Even Lu Zichuan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a coldness creeping into his eyes, his knuckles turning white from gripping so tightly.

Meanwhile, Su Manman, who was clinging tightly to Shen Zhiyi's trouser leg, was so green with rage that her nails dug into Shen Zhiyi's trousers, causing her to wince in pain. Xu Zhesheng, that bitch, not only did he run away from home, but now he was going to his ex-lover's place to ruin her reputation!

Shen Zhiyi didn't respond to Xu Zhesheng's self-indulgent and sentimental confession; she only felt her temples throbbing from his repeated calls of "Zhizhi."

She glanced down at the still-flashing "Calling" message on the screen, then swiftly and decisively hung up the phone.

Yang Chun'er, who was standing to the side, stared in disbelief. She leaned over and whispered her complaints, her face scrunched up like a bun: "Zhizhi, was he always this...this good at acting? How did you even fall for him in the first place? His double standards are practically oozing out of the receiver!"

Shen Zhiyi shook her head, a faint hint of mockery flashing in her eyes.

In the past, Hsu Che-sheng was at least a director with backbone. He couldn't even utter a decent love confession for years, let alone say such sentimental things.

If he had been like this in his younger days, she probably would have been annoyed long ago, and wouldn't have waited until today to come to her senses.

She didn't have time to pay attention to Su Manman, who was still in an abandoned position on the ground with a look of being on the verge of tears. She went straight back to her workstation, turned on her computer screen, and started typing away on the keyboard.

Rather than letting the company let the rumors fester over her messy affairs with Xu Zhesheng and Su Manman, she should put an end to it herself.

She is upright and honest, so there is no need for her to hide or evade.

The aesthetic sensibilities she's cultivated through years of watching films, coupled with the logic she's developed from reading numerous books, have imbued her writing with a cold, sharp edge.

She typed very quickly, and several lines of text soon appeared on the screen.

[Internal Explanation Regarding Today's False Rumors]

To all colleagues:

In response to the false statements spread by external individuals in our office area today, and to avoid misleading others, I hereby clarify the relevant facts as follows:

I. I was previously married to Mr. Xu Zhesheng. Our relationship has now broken down, and we have entered the divorce cooling-off period. We will formally dissolve our marriage after the statutory period expires.

Second, during my previous marriage, I adhered to professional ethics and family responsibilities, and never engaged in any behavior that harmed the interests of either party. The claims of "interference" or "harassment" are purely unfounded.

Third, Ms. Su Manman, who visited today, made all her own unilateral statements and actions, which have no connection with me or our company. I have never harbored Mr. Xu Zhesheng, nor do I have any obligation to be responsible for his whereabouts.

Fourth, I have always focused on editing work and dislike unnecessary disturbances. I reserve the right to pursue legal action against any act that fabricates facts or maliciously damages my reputation.

Hereby explain.

Shen Zhiyi

Date: [Date]

The statement was typed out in just a few minutes. She didn't elaborate on her role in the marriage, but simply stated the facts. She also didn't label Su Manman as a mistress, which was more than enough.

Yang Chun'er leaned over for a look and couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "Absolutely amazing, Zhizhi! This isn't an apology statement, it's a verdict! Cold and sharp, every word cuts to the bone, leaving no room for leniency!"

Shen Zhiyi pressed the print button expressionlessly, and the paper slowly emerged from the machine.

She picked up the paper, walked straight to Su Manman, and pushed it in front of her: "Sign it."

Su Manman bit her lower lip, propped herself up on the ground, and reached out to take the paper.

She stared intently at the words on the paper, her face flushing red and then turning pale, as if she had been slapped twice in public.

Shen Zhiyi didn't explicitly state that she was a mistress, but every word she said was ruthless. She had just loudly announced to the entire company that she was Xu Zhesheng's fiancée, and everyone knew about the child in her belly... This wasn't a clarification; it was clearly tearing open Su Manman's most shameful secrets in front of all her colleagues, leaving them to see in a bloody and painful way.

If she signs this, it's like she's personally admitting to interfering in someone else's marriage. How will she face people in the industry after that?

But right now, she is all alone, facing Shen Zhiyi who has Lu Zichuan as her backing.

The invisible pressure made her afraid to even breathe.

She clutched the paper tightly, but finally gave up, hastily wiping away the dried tears on her face, and said in a low, hoarse voice, "Zhe hasn't come yet... I'll only sign it if I see him with my own eyes."

No sooner had the words been spoken than the glass door to the reception room was pushed open from the outside.

A pungent odor, a mixture of sour, rotten alcohol, sweat, and leftover instant noodles, instantly flooded in, making the already oppressive space even more suffocating.