Chapter 79: Injured

Shen Yanhui put down his phone, his expression returning to coldness.

He looked at Chang Su beside him: "Arrange two more people to follow them."

"Yes." Chang Su acknowledged, then paused, "Sir, you haven't rested for twenty-eight hours."

Shen Yanhui did not reply, merely waving his hand.

Chang Su silently exited the hospital room.

The door closed softly.

In truth, he had slept for a while, listening to Gu Yan's soft voice, gradually losing consciousness. However, he soon woke up with a start.

The video call had already ended, and the surroundings were unsettlingly quiet. He had lived alone for so many years, yet at that moment, he felt particularly lonely.

On the bed, Pei Wanjun's eyelids suddenly twitched.

Shen Yanhui noticed immediately, his body leaning slightly forward.

Pei Wanjun slowly opened her eyes, her gaze still somewhat dazed. But when her eyes landed on the man by the bed, her body suddenly stiffened.

"Mom." Shen Yanhui called to her in a low voice.

Pei Wanjun, however, acted as if she hadn't heard him; she sat up abruptly, screaming and struggling.

"Go away! You go away!"

She covered her head and kept backing away, grabbing whatever she could to throw at Shen Yanhui. Pillows, blankets, medicine bottles...

The glass bottle shattered, the liquid inside soaking his suit fabric. He didn't move, just looked at Pei Wanjun, his voice very soft: "Mom, it's me."

Pei Wanjun screamed: "I am not your mother! Get out!"

She struggled to get out of bed, and Shen Yanhui immediately stood up to pin her down. How could a woman's strength compare to his? He restrained her easily.

Pei Wanjun suddenly stopped struggling, looked up at him, and her lips moved as if she were saying something.

He subconsciously leaned in to listen.

But Pei Wanjun suddenly raised her hand and stabbed fiercely toward the side of his neck.

A burning pain flared up.

Shen Yanhui's body stiffened, and almost instinctively, he raised his hand to grip the wrist she was using to stab again; a shard of glass fell from her palm.

Blood flowed down the side of his neck, soaking the collar of his shirt. It was warm and sticky.

Pei Wanjun watched him bleed and suddenly laughed.

She laughed very softly, very eerily.

"You're bleeding too." She said softly, her eyes unfocused, "How nice..."

Shen Yanhui watched her in silence.

A few seconds later, he let go and stepped back two paces.

He pressed the emergency call button.

Nurses and doctors rushed in, startled by the scene in the room. The wound on the side of Shen Yanhui's neck was seeping blood, staining his white shirt red, looking particularly frightening.

Pei Wanjun was re-injected with a sedative, slowly calmed down, and fell back into a deep sleep.

The doctor wanted to treat Shen Yanhui's wound, but he waved his hand: "Check her first."

"Mr. Shen, your wound needs stitches..."

"I said, check her first."

The doctor dared not say more and hurriedly checked Pei Wanjun's condition.

Shen Yanhui walked to the bathroom attached to the room and turned on the light.

In the mirror, the wound on the side of his neck was not deep, but it was long, stretching from behind his ear to above his collarbone. The blood had already coagulated somewhat, but it was still slowly seeping out.

He turned on the faucet and rinsed the wound with cold water.

This was not the first time Pei Wanjun had hurt him.

From the first time she fell ill, every single time, she had used the most ruthless force without reservation. She truly wanted to kill him.

Because he was the son of Shen Zongwen.

Because his existence was a constant reminder of that failed marriage, the man who had ruined her life.

Shen Yanhui pulled a tissue and pressed it against the wound.

The white tissue was quickly stained red.

He stared at that patch of red for a long time.

Then, very softly, he let out a laugh.

Chang Su heard the commotion and rushed in, seeing his boss with half his shoulder and neck covered in blood, his expression changing: "Sir, I'll call the doctor immediately!"

"No need, the wound isn't deep." Shen Yanhui straightened up, expressionless.

"But..."

"I said no need."

Chang Su shut his mouth, watching him push open the bathroom door and stride away.

——

Shen Yanhui seemed very busy, and the frequency of their chats had decreased significantly.

Gu Yan stopped bothering him and locked herself in the studio.

When Fang Qinru's call came in, she was standing in front of the easel mixing colors, the phone ringtone interrupting her train of thought.

Seeing "Fang Qinru" on the caller ID, her eyes lit up, and when she answered, her voice carried a smile: "Sister Fang!"

Fang Qinru's gentle voice came through, "Yanyan, did I disturb you?"

"No, no, I'm just painting."

"That's good. The two outfits you ordered last time are finished. I happen to be returning to Jingzhou; when are you free for me to drop them off?"

Gu Yan said in surprise, "So fast? I thought it would be next month! Have you and the others returned to Jingzhou too, Sister Fang?"

On the other end of the phone, Fang Qinru's voice paused for a moment before she gave a soft "Mm": "I came back to take care of some business."

The two agreed to meet at Danyuetai.

Gu Yan pushed open the door to the private room and saw Fang Qinru sitting by the window. In a light beige knit dress with her long hair loosely pinned at the back of her head, she looked as gentle and graceful as a classical painting.

"Sister Fang!" Gu Yan walked over and sat down opposite her.

Fang Qinru smiled: "You're here."

She pushed over an exquisite box, and Gu Yan opened it cautiously, her eyes lighting up. She had already liked it when she saw the design sketches, but she hadn't expected the actual item to be even more delicate.

"It's so beautiful..." Gu Yan stroked the dress carefully, "Sister Fang, I love it so much."

"As long as you like it. The color of this piece reminds me of the tie Mr. Shen wore last time."

Gu Yan's movements paused: "You think they match too?"

"Mm, they complement each other well."

The two chatted for a while, and Fang Qinru poured Gu Yan a cup of tea: "By the way, is Mr. Shen's injury any better? I heard he needed seven stitches; it must have been very painful."

The air suddenly went quiet.

The smile on Gu Yan's face stiffened.

She slowly raised her head and looked at Fang Qinru: "... What injury?"

Fang Qinru's hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air.

She looked at Gu Yan's expression, and her heart skipped a beat; she seemed to have said the wrong thing.

Gu Yan didn't know.

Fang Qinru set down the teacup, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the rim: "I... I thought you knew. Mr. Shen was injured in Paris; he got a cut on the side of his neck and needed seven stitches."

The side of his neck.

Seven stitches.

Gu Yan's mind was buzzing.

She recalled her video calls with Shen Yanhui over the past few days; he had always kept his shirt collar buttoned up tight. When she acted spoiled and asked him to undo two buttons, he said: "I have a video conference."

She had believed him.

She remembered him occasionally touching his neck, and when she asked him what was wrong, he said: "I have a bit of a stiff neck."

She had believed that too.

It turned out he had been lying to her the whole time.

"When did this happen?" Gu Yan's voice was calmer than she had imagined.

Seeing that Gu Yan's complexion was off, Fang Qinru hurriedly said: "Three days ago. Mr. Shen was probably just afraid of worrying you, which is why he didn't tell you."

Gu Yan lowered her eyes and asked in a low voice: "How was he injured?"

Fang Qinru opened her mouth, hesitating to speak.

Finally, she said softly: "Yanyan, this matter... it's best if you ask Mr. Shen yourself."

Gu Yan didn't speak; she just smiled.

The smile was very beautiful, but there was no warmth in her eyes.

"Okay," she said, "thank you for telling me, Sister Fang."