Chapter 105: Innocence Part 2

Though that woman changed lovers frequently, she usually kept work and private matters strictly separate. It was unlikely she would bring a mistress to a charitable event like a financial aid ceremony.

Thinking of the aid, Shen Ruoshuang suddenly remembered something from her investigation into the Chinese Language and Literature class monitor.

She had accidentally discovered that Xu Yinian had applied for the Shen Group’s financial aid, only for her application to be returned because the documents didn’t meet the requirements.

When she first heard of this, Shen Ruoshuang’s heart had felt stifled.

She lived a life free of worry thanks to her wealthy family, while the person she liked had to rely on herself for everything—and had likely suffered the shame of having her application for her own family’s aid rejected.

She even had to pretend she didn’t know, burying her heart’s bitterness deep inside.

The most ridiculous part was that she had to rely on the massive chasm between their statuses to compete with the likes of Bai Ran and Ji Yan.

What was the difference between her current self and her former self, who loathed Shen Yi yet weakly succumbed to her control?

She took one last look at her WeChat interface, which still had no reply. Obsession and helplessness were tangled together in her eyes.

***

Secretary Zhou had arranged various matters the night before and had also slept at the hotel. She only joined the car when CEO Shen passed the entrance of the Kaihua Hotel.

The secretary was already aware of the ambiguous situation between Xu Yinian and CEO Shen, and she couldn’t help but marvel at the girl’s methods.

Upon entering the car, she saw the girl who had been drugged yesterday sitting silently in the back seat. Her fair face was flushed with shame, clearly uncomfortable with this unclear relationship.

Secretary Zhou handed her a bag containing the clothes and personal items Xu Yinian had left in the penthouse suite.

“There is a new phone inside. I will contact you through this from now on. You are only allowed to bring this phone when you come to see CEO Shen.”

“This is to prevent monitoring and tracking. Please understand, Miss Xu.”

As she spoke, the secretary stole a glance at CEO Shen’s expression.

In truth, while investigating the drugging incident last night, they had checked the electronic devices Xu Yinian had left behind just in case.

To their surprise, they actually found traces of tracking and positioning software.

She had immediately reported this to CEO Shen. The instruction she received was not to touch the software for now, to investigate in secret, and to prepare a new phone for Xu Yinian.

In the past, when Shen Yi dealt with lovers, she would directly and strictly monitor their phones and movements. Although Xu Yinian wasn’t exactly a “lover” this time, this treatment was remarkably lenient.

Xu Yinian took the bag and reached inside, pulling out two phones.

One was a second-hand phone, old and battered with a broken camera and fingerprint lock. The other was the latest top-of-the-line model. The contrast was stark.

The phone password was her birthday.

Xu Yinian’s movements froze.

Secretary Zhou was extremely sharp and glanced at her cold superior. CEO Shen had a powerful memory, especially for numbers, and she was the one who had provided the password.

It seemed it was a number Miss Xu was familiar with.

I suppose Secretary Zhou saw it in my application files, Xu Yinian thought, not dwelling on it. She opened the new phone to find a sparse interface with only a few contact apps.

There were only two contacts in the phone, thoughtfully labeled “Secretary Zhou” and “CEO Shen.”

In WeChat, however, only “Secretary Zhou” was labeled. The other was a blank name with a blank avatar; one would easily overlook it if they weren’t paying attention.

She locked it after one look and shoved the phone deep into the bag, her desire to hide it completely evident.

Secretary Zhou looked at this scene of forced acquisition and felt a bit awkward, rubbing her nose.

She didn’t mention that CEO Shen had never given her private WeChat to a lover before—she always had the secretary handle the contact. This was a first.

“CEO Shen’s schedule is very full. Usually, you won’t see her more than twice a month. I will contact you in advance.”

Noticing Xu Yinian’s small sigh of relief, Shen Yi forced down the urge to frown.

Usually, she was the one being harsh and critical, making others hit walls at every turn. Since when did she care so much about every little expression of a young girl?

But the moment she acted even slightly cold, the girl would immediately hide and fear her. Those thin, pale shoulders would tremble weakly, making it unbearable to watch.

Her heart would soften inexplicably.

After a few rounds of this, she could only stew in her own silent anger.

I haven’t dealt with someone this young before. Is the age gap really that large?

“Additionally, there are leads regarding the drugging last night. Once the investigation is fully complete, we will give Miss Xu an explanation,” the secretary said.

Xu Yinian nodded. Seeing the gates of X University approaching, her soft voice stammered, “Just… drop me off outside the… the school.”

She was too ashamed. How could she dare let this high-profile luxury car drive into the campus?

Secretary Zhou was about to look at CEO Shen when she heard the woman say two words with her eyes closed:

“As she wishes.”

Why does it sound like she’s a bit frustrated to the point of helplessness? the secretary wondered. Who on earth can make CEO Shen suffer a setback like this?

As the car pulled over, the secretary handed over an envelope.

Before she could even speak, Xu Yinian realized what it was. She didn’t reach out to take it, her expression stubborn.

“I don’t want it.”

Right now, she could still claim her situation was due to being forcibly controlled by Shen Yi because of her relationship with Shen Ruoshuang. If she actually took the money, what would be the difference between her and Shen Yi’s lovers?

This was the first time Secretary Zhou had encountered this situation. She stood as silent as a cicada in winter, looking at CEO Shen again.

This constant avoidance finally made Shen Yi snap her eyes open. Her dominant aura instantly overwhelmed the space.

Word by word, she asked, “Does not taking it make our relationship pure?”

After a long pause, those cold, red lips softened again.

“It’s compensation for being drugged in my place last night. Whether you use it or not is your business.”