Chapter 38: Domestic Violence

Zhou Ci turned his head and saw his mother, Qin Ying, standing beside him. He exhaled a mouthful of smoke, his expression unchanged.

"Why should I deal with it?" he retorted mockingly.

"You're getting married," she replied.

"I've spoken to Pei Wan, the wedding is postponed."

Qin Ying frowned slightly. "Gu Shen Shen despised you back then. She took my money and abandoned you—that's an undeniable fact. What are you still unwilling to accept?"

This son, wild as a mustang, was beyond her control. All she could do was hope he would come to terms with things himself.

"You'd better not go looking for her again, or I'll have no choice but to die once more just to show you," he drawled, smoke curling from his lips, the threat in his voice unmistakable.

His current state was itself a message to Qin Ying: her clever machinations had backfired.

Qin Ying's gaze lingered on the conspicuous scratches on his neck.

"You and she—"

"We ended up back in bed," Zhou Ci interrupted before she could finish.

Qin Ying clenched her fists, trembling with anger, her face suddenly contorted with embarrassment.

"You've worked so hard for everything you have today. Must you ruin it all for a woman?"

Zhou Ci finished his cigarette, turned, and glanced indifferently at his mother, who was nearly beside herself with rage. He hadn’t said anything, but Qin Ying fell silent at once.

"You're recklessly offending the Pei family. Have you considered the consequences? Gu Shen Shen will also be targeted by them because of you."

Zhou Ci remained unmoved, his expression icy.

"You don't understand her. The Pei family can't do anything to her."

This was Gu Shen Shen’s most devastating setback, yet she still found ways not to be utterly defeated.

Never before had he seen such a woman—so utterly without boundaries, so cold-blooded.

Gu Shen Shen was out of town, and the tasks left for her to wrap up were tedious. Yet she was meticulous, attentive to every detail. Even if someone tried to play tricks with the contract, it would be difficult.

Just as she was preparing to return, she unexpectedly encountered Shen Qiqi outside the hospital.

"Qiqi," Gu Shen Shen called out, confirming Shen Qiqi’s identity.

Shen Qiqi, who had her coat draped over her arm, quickly slipped it on when she saw Gu Shen Shen approaching.

"What are you doing in South City?" Gu Shen Shen asked, glancing up at the hospital in front of her. She had just happened to wander here and hadn’t expected to run into Shen Qiqi.

Gu Shen Shen’s gaze lingered on Shen Qiqi’s face for a moment, her expression growing increasingly grave. She reached out and brushed aside Shen Qiqi’s hair.

"What happened?" Gu Shen Shen was startled by the alarming bruises she touched on Shen Qiqi’s neck.

Shen Qiqi pulled her hand away. "It’s nothing."

Gu Shen Shen squinted at her, clearly burdened by heavy thoughts, yet Shen Qiqi refused to say anything.

"These aren’t hickeys—they look like someone grabbed you by the throat..." Gu Shen Shen, mid-sentence, lifted Shen Qiqi’s arm and pushed up her sleeve.

There were marks there as well. Gu Shen Shen instinctively gritted her teeth, holding Shen Qiqi’s hand tightly in silence for a long time.

"Jiang Ling is abusing you?" Though she phrased it as a question, she was nearly certain.

Gu Shen Shen’s barely contained rage contrasted with Shen Qiqi’s resigned composure. Shen Qiqi withdrew her hand and smiled helplessly.

"Shen Shen, this is my family affair. Don’t worry about it."

Her meekness provoked Gu Shen Shen’s displeasure. She glared at her. "If one day he beats you to death, do you think he’ll shed a single tear of regret?"

Shen Qiqi froze, unable to argue back.

The damp, cold wind of South City suddenly stung her nose, and tears fell silently from her eyes.

"I’ll contact Zhou Yili for you," Gu Shen Shen said quietly after a moment’s thought.