The bite mark on Fang Nianchen’s neck only faded after two days. It couldn’t be covered by her collar, so she let her hair down—at least it wouldn’t affect her work.
But she couldn’t figure it out: why did Yu Wan bite her?
Yu Wan offered no explanation for her actions. After work, she still waited downstairs as usual, picking up Fang Nianchen to head home together.
After returning from her business trip last week, she had noticed Fang Nianchen’s poor mood and thus stayed directly at her place, looking after the emotionally unstable woman.
When reading a book, Fang Nianchen would always zone out.
No matter how early she went to bed the previous night, the exhaustion on her face remained thick and unmelting. She always looked preoccupied but seemed unwilling to share the reason.
When Yu Wan tried to comfort her, she would smile with crinkled eyes just like before: “I’m fine, just a bit tired.”
After it happened several times, Yu Wan understood that she simply didn’t want to talk.
So Yu Wan stopped asking.
She hadn’t been home for days on end. Shi Yumei showed no concern for her whatsoever and had simply occupied her house, living there perfectly at ease.
But today at noon, Shi Yumei suddenly called several times.
Yu Wan didn’t pick up, so Shi Yumei kept calling until she finally answered—then demanded in a poor attitude that she come home for dinner.
Yu Wan ignored her tantrum completely, hung up the phone, and didn’t agree.
But just as she picked up Fang Nianchen and drove out of the parking lot, Shi Yumei suddenly appeared, spreading her arms to block the car.
Yu Wan slammed on the brakes hard. Fang Nianchen lurched forward, the seatbelt biting painfully into her.
Yu Wan unbuckled with lightning speed and got out of the car: “Are you crazy!”
Fortunately, they weren’t going fast, or she definitely would’ve hit Shi Yumei.
Yet Shi Yumei acted utterly unafraid of death: “I told you to come home—where do you think you’re going? Yu Wan, you’ve gotten bold, huh? Not even listening to your own mom anymore!”
She slapped the hood hard—bang bang!
At this hour, plenty of people were leaving the company, and Yu Wan’s car was blocking the exit. It was extremely conspicuous.
Gazes gathered from all sides. Most shrank back after a glance out of fear for her status as director.
With no other choice, Yu Wan compromised: “Get in the car.”
Seeing her scheme succeed, Shi Yumei hurried around to the passenger side, not bothering to hide her smug delight as she nagged nonstop: “If you weren’t such a brat, would I have to chase you all the way to your company door? I’m your mom! Can’t I tell you to come home? Do I need to carry you back in a sedan chair or what?”
But when she yanked open the door, she saw someone already seated inside. She froze, her mouth finally falling silent.
Taking a closer look, it was a familiar face.
Fang Nianchen tugged at the corner of her mouth: “Hello, Auntie.”
Shi Yumei shot her an irritated glare: “Oh, it’s you.”
Then, on tiptoes, she leaned halfway across the car to demand of Yu Wan: “Why is she here?”
Yu Wan: “What’s it to you?”
“Listen to yourself! What kind of attitude is that, Yu Wan? I’m your biological mom—there’s a stranger in your car, and I can’t even ask?” Shi Yumei’s eyes bulged wide, as if she wanted to devour someone. “You’d better explain!”
“Um… I’m not feeling well today. Stomachache. President Yu kindly offered to drive me home.” Seeing things about to blow up, Fang Nianchen hurried out of the car and said to Shi Yumei, “You sit. I’ll just take a taxi back.”
She had realized by now that Yu Wan had zero patience with Shi Yumei. Every time they met, it was like she turned into a completely different person—utterly losing control.
The area below the company building wasn’t the place for a chat. Dragging it out any longer would only put Yu Wan at a disadvantage.
She would tell Shi Yumei about their relationship someday, but definitely not now. Shi Yumei was far too on edge at the moment, desperate enough to do anything.
By yielding a step, she left room for maneuver.
She didn’t voice the thought, but in the instant their gazes met, Yu Wan seemed to sense it. She suppressed her frustration and stayed calm.
“Text me when you get home.”
Yu Wan carried the heavy atmosphere back into the car and sent Fang Nianchen a voice message, not even bothering to glance at Shi Yumei.
Shi Yumei, however, couldn’t resist taking a barbed jab: “So nice to your subordinate—driving her home over a little stomachache. How come you’ve never been this nice to your own mom?”
Yu Wan’s hand didn’t pause as she snapped the seatbelt buckle shut, then viciously jammed the gear into drive and floored the accelerator.
“Hey—!” Shi Yumei, who hadn’t buckled up, was flung backward by the inertia. She cursed, “Are you nuts, driving like that?!”
“A couple words from me, and you’re unhappy? Did I hit a nerve? If I did, then fix it!”
“Can you shut up? I need to focus on driving. Or do you want to distract me and cause a crash?” Yu Wan couldn’t stand the incessant chatter and snapped coldly.
Whether it was the threat to her own life that worked or Shi Yumei still had a shred of conscience, she finally clamped her mouth shut and stopped making a sound.
Little Briquette had been left at Fang Nianchen’s place and not brought back. Yu Wan didn’t trust Shi Yumei enough to even let her care for the cat.
Once inside the house, Shi Yumei had drawn the heavy curtains to conceal herself. The atmosphere was oppressively dim.
The air reeked heavily of smoke and booze—so thick that Yu Wan could barely keep her eyes open. Covering her mouth and nose did nothing.
She cracked a window open a sliver, and finally, it became breathable.
Shockingly, Shi Yumei had prepared a whole table of dishes. She might seem lazy on the surface, but Yu Wan knew she’d once enrolled in a cooking class specifically to please wealthy suitors—her food was actually quite good.
Shi Yumei favored heavy flavors, mostly spicy ones. Yu Wan rarely ate spicy food and had little appetite. She only picked at a few bites of the dry-pot cauliflower before saying, “I’m full.”
“How can that little bit be enough? You’ve worked all day—your body can’t handle it.” Shi Yumei piled food into her bowl, dumping a greasy slab of boiled fish right in.
Yu Wan eyed it: “My stomach can’t handle spicy food.”
“You weren’t raised spoiled—how do you have so many issues?” Shi Yumei slapped her chopsticks onto the table. “You complain when I don’t cook, then when I do, you’re picky about this and that. You must be doing it just to piss me off, right?”
Yu Wan didn’t bother defending herself against Shi Yumei’s groundless accusations.
It was pointless.
She didn’t even know how her stomach problems had started in the first place.
“Just say what you want.”
Shi Yumei paused at the blunt question. Her earlier bluster faded, and her tone softened: “Awan, Mom wants to ask… could you lend me a million first? Just to tide me over?”
She hadn’t brought up money the whole time she’d been there, but now that she had, it wasn’t surprising.
Fang Nianchen had mentioned some shady characters lurking around her neighborhood—people who clearly meant no good. They had to be the loan sharks after Shi Yumei.
Yu Wan had glanced around briefly when pulling in and hadn’t spotted any. Still, she didn’t think Fang Nianchen’s worries were unfounded; they must’ve just gotten lucky and missed them.
As for hiding Shi Yumei, with so many residents around, it would be hard to track her down quickly if she didn’t go out much.
“I can lend it to you, but only to pay off the loan sharks.” Yu Wan knew she wouldn’t change her ways and would probably blow the money on something else instead. Continuing like this would just dig an ever-deeper hole—one even she couldn’t fill forever.
“No, listen to me.” Shi Yumei lowered her voice, as if afraid of being overheard. “Recently, someone got in touch—a surefire, no-loss deal. It’ll pay back quick. Not only will it cover the loans, but then you won’t have to slave away earning money anymore.”
“Mom will support you for the rest of your life, okay?”
“‘Surefire, no-loss’? You’ve heard lines like that plenty of times—how do you still fall for it?” The more disappointed Yu Wan grew, the less angry she felt. “Please, for my sake—stop jumping into the fire pit. Alright?”
“This time’s different. The one who contacted me is from Fang Group. You know them—they’re a big corporation. Their stocks just keep shooting up. How could they not be legit?”
“Why would a pie from heaven fall on you?” Yu Wan felt utter despair mingled with helplessness as she stood. “Can’t you think of me for once? My future, my life— I can’t gamble them on some minuscule chance.”
“Yu Wan! You don’t care if your mom lives or dies anymore?!” Shi Yumei flew into a rage and yanked at Yu Wan’s hand. “Just once… the last time. I swear. Trust me one more time!”
With that, Shi Yumei dropped to her knees with a thud and burst into heaving sobs: “Awan, you’re all Mom has left… These past few years, everything I’ve done, scrambling around—wasn’t it all for your happiness? Now the Yuyang family is in trouble, and he’s no use anymore. I have to find another way—but even you won’t believe in Mom!”
As she spoke, she smeared snot and tears across her face.
Shi Yumei paused, but seeing no reaction on Yu Wan’s face, she scrambled up with shocking speed, snatched the scissors from the table, and held them to her own neck.
“Mom!” Yu Wan cried out, brow furrowing. Panic flashed through her for an instant.
She had never feared Shi Yumei like this before.
This wasn’t the first time Shi Yumei had threatened her this way. She was capable of far worse than anyone imagined.
No matter how much she hated her, Yu Wan didn’t want her dead.
She reached out to snatch it, but Shi Yumei agilely dodged her. By now, her hair was disheveled, her eyes bloodshot, fully displaying a deranged state: “If you don’t agree, I’ll die right here for you to see! Die in your house, die right in front of you!”
What a natural threat—it was probably something she’d rehearsed in her mind hundreds of times.
Yu Wan bit her lip hard until she tasted the metallic tang of blood.
“I’ll give it to you.”
The tremor in her tone was all too detectable.
Yu Wan grabbed her bag, pulled out the secondary card, and handed it over: “There’s five hundred thousand here. I’ll transfer another five hundred thousand to you tomorrow.”
Shi Yumei’s eyes darted shrewdly: “How do I know you’re not tricking me?”
“Swear it.” Shi Yumei kept her tight grip on the scissors, pressing them closer to her neck. The rounded tip dug into her skin, creating a depression.
“I swear!” Yu Wan gripped the blade of the scissors and pried it outward. “I won’t trick you. Let go.”
Suddenly, she went limp. Yu Wan was caught off guard and grabbed the edge of the table to keep from falling.
The instant Shi Yumei got the card, her face broke into a beaming smile. She cradled it like a precious treasure, her tears seemingly sucked away in a flash, leaving no trace.
She stood up cheerfully: “Ah Wan, you really are Mommy’s good daughter.”
Shi Yumei hurried into the room and shut the door. Sounds of haggling rose up as she bargained with someone on the other end.
Yu Wan’s palm had been sliced when she snatched the scissors, and blood dripped from her hand onto the floor.
With a wooden expression, she squatted down, grabbed a tissue to wipe it clean, and silently returned to her room.
The next day, all the food on the table was dumped out. She didn’t eat a single bite.
—
After team building, Fang Nianchen’s resignation approval came through, and soon it was time to part ways.
Aside from needing to get familiar with the company’s business ahead of time, Fang Nianchen didn’t have much to prepare. Her luggage even fit neatly into a single twenty-inch suitcase.
Fang Congshan owned several properties in the UK, not far from the company. She’d live there, with someone to take care of her daily needs.
All the kittens at home were sent to Yao Zhihao. Only Pan-fried Dumpling was left with Yu Wan.
