Chapter 41 Shen Zhou never had a heart at all

Night had fallen. After finishing his intimacy with Song Qianqian, Shen Zhou stood by the side of the bed, straightening the wrinkles on his suit.

When he was undressed, he was practically responsive to every demand Song Qianqian made. Yet the moment he put his clothes back on, he reverted to being the aloof and high-and-mighty CEO of the Shen Corporation.

Recalling Tang Yuan's words, Song Qianqian's fingertips caught the edge of his sleeve.

"Brother Zhou, didn't I mention before that I wanted the endorsement for MC's lipstick? I looked into it, and the current spokesperson is Qiao Qianmei. Honestly, I don't think she looks like anything special. How on earth did she manage to beat me out?"

The surrounding air plummeted into frost in a single instant.

Song Qianqian had never seen him look like this before. A chill struck her heart, and her fingertips, pinching his sleeve, instinctively wanted to let go.

She swallowed hard, a forced, unconvincing smile plastered on her face. "Did I say something wrong, Brother Zhou? I've seen her pictures. Could you please help me secure this MC endorsement? I..."

Her fingertips were slowly peeled away. Shen Zhou leaned in, gazing down at her face.

"Qianqian, did someone say something to you?"

Summoning the most professional acting skills of her life, Song Qianqian's eye rims turned red. "Brother Zhou, I just can't bear being outperformed by someone who is clearly inferior to me! It's been weighing heavily on my mind!"

A gentle pat landed on her cheek, accompanied by a light laugh in Shen Zhou's voice. "Don't ever talk such nonsense again."

Song Qianqian's face turned instantly pale, her fingertips slowly tightening. "What do you mean?"

"Be a good girl, and there will be plenty of resources for you in the future. If you aren't obedient, I can replace you at any time."

He knotted his tie, snatched up the suit jacket lying nearby, and said, "I'm heading back."

Unable to force out even a shred of a smile, Song Qianqian watched helplessly as he left.

The moment the door clicked shut, she hurled a pillow across the room, hot tears streaming down her face in heavy drops.

It wasn't as if she hadn't humiliated the plain, dowdy wife Shen Zhou had been forced to marry right to his face before, but Shen Zhou had always reacted with total indifference. Yet the mere mention of Qiao Qianmei had caused his expression to instantly curdle.

Tessa hadn't been lying to her. That Qiao Qianmei truly was the untouchable white moonlight buried deep within Shen Zhou's heart.

She savagely pounded the mattress beneath her. The two of them had only just finished intertwining in passion, yet he could flip his demeanor in a fraction of a second.

This was the first time she had ever witnessed Shen Zhou like this, radiating a biting, desolate chill that pushed people a thousand miles away.

With a ferocious expression, she immediately snatched up the business card she had previously retrieved from the trash can—Tessa's contact information.

She finally saw it clearly: Shen Zhou truly possessed no heart at all.

She had actually been dreaming sweet daydreams of stepping into the rightful place as his wife. How utterly laughable!

Half-delirious and clutching at straws, she gripped the business card in her palm with a death-like stranglehold, only to slowly relax her fingers again.

*

Hardly had Shen Zhou driven very far before his phone rang with a call from Tang Yuan.

"Shen Zhou, the director's condition has taken a turn for the worse. Can you come over to the hospital right now?"

Tang Yuan had lived in the orphanage until she was ten years old. Though advanced in age and in poor health, the director still looked after a handful of orphans who had no parents.

The director's wife had passed away several years ago from overwork, leaving the old man to merely endure the passing days.

Receiving the call tonight, Tang Yuan had rushed straight over, waiting anxiously in the sterile hospital corridor.

In her heart, the elderly director was akin to a real grandfather. Having felt the warmth of family neither in the Tang household nor in the Shen family, she had experienced it solely from him.

She forced herself to stand tall, willing her fingertips to stop trembling until the director was finally wheeled out of the emergency room.

The doctor removed his mask and sighed. "We caught it in time tonight, but the old man certainly doesn't have much time left. He urgently needs a kidney transplant. However, we've been searching for a suitable donor for two years now, and we still haven't found a match."

Tang Yuan leaned her back against the wall, one hand resting limply at her side. "Once you find a suitable donor, please notify me as soon as possible, won't you?"

"Rest assured, Miss Tang. Your family member is at the very top of the donor registration list. The moment we find a match, he will be scheduled for surgery immediately."

Tang Yuan nodded, the corners of her mouth twitching upward in a stiff motion. "Thank you for your trouble."

Stepping into the hospital room, she was greeted by the sight of several small children standing by the bedside.

They were all orphans from the orphanage, having lived alongside the director for years. The director was only sixty years old this year. Back in his middle age, he had taken over the crumbling orphanage and, together with his late wife, managed it through all these years.

Ever since his wife's passing, he had shouldered everything alone.

"Auntie Tang Yuan, why hasn't Grandpa Director woken up yet?"

"Wuwuwu, we're so scared. We're afraid Grandpa Director is never going to wake up again."

Tang Yuan raised a hand and gently stroked their heads. It was these children who had dialed the emergency services; otherwise, the director surely would not have survived this night.

"Be good. I'll arrange for someone to take you all back now. Grandpa Director is going to be fine, so don't stay here and disturb his rest. Once he gets better, he'll come back."

The little ones took turns wrapping their arms around her waist. "Thank you, Auntie Tang Yuan."

Once the hospital room fell quiet, Tang Yuan walked over to the director's bedside.

The director opened his eyes and gave a weak wave of his hand. "Yuanyuan, where's that boy Shen Zhou?"

Shortly after Tang Yuan was brought into the Tang family home, she had taken Shen Zhou to visit the orphanage.

The director had taken a great liking to him, as had his wife when she was still alive.

They had even been aware of Tang Yuan's secret crush on him. Years had flown by since then, yet every single time Tang Yuan visited the orphanage, the director would ask after him.

Pity that Shen Zhou was long past being the pure-hearted Shen Zhou of those early days.

"I called him. He's on his way."

The director nodded, taking her hand and giving it a reassuring pat. "Yuanyuan, you must take good care of yourself. You are my greatest worry, but knowing he's there to look after you brings me peace."

Tang Yuan's vision blurred with sour tears, a sob threatening to break through, which she forcefully swallowed down. "Director, we will definitely find a suitable kidney. You're only sixty. I've asked the doctors; if the transplant is successful, you can easily live another twenty years."

Before her voice had fully faded, the door was pushed open and Shen Zhou walked in.

Tang Yuan noticed instantly that there was a small water stain on his trousers.

Averting her gaze, she watched him approach, place both hands gently on her shoulders, and ask with genuine concern, "Is the director alright?"

Upon seeing him arrive, the director made an eager motion to sit up, but Tang Yuan gently pressed him back down. "Director, please don't get excited. He's right here; he isn't going anywhere."

The director's gaze settled on Shen Zhou, and he reached out to clasp his hand. "Ah, Shen Zhou, the last time we met was right when you and Yuanyuan first got married."

A light, untroubled expression lingered in Shen Zhou's eyes as a mild smile touched his lips. He raised an arm to pull Tang Yuan into his embrace. "Yes, I've been busy the past couple of years and haven't had the chance to come visit you."

Warmth and relief filled the old man's eyes as he coughed twice.

"I know you're busy. You're so accomplished, Yuanyuan won't be wronged being with you."

Tang Yuan's hand at her side clenched so tightly that her fingernails nearly dug deep into her palm, though her face remained entirely expressionless.