Chapter 2 Congratulating Him with a Smile

The next morning.

Shen Ruoxi packed up all her things and moved out of Star Moon Bay.

The villa was originally purchased by Ye Mubei's uncle for his and Shen Ruoxi's wedding home, but it ended up becoming the place Ye Mubei confined her.

Her ten years with Ye Mubei, filled with both sweet love and deep hatred, had all played out here.

And now, it was all over.

Shen Ruoxi locked the door, placed the key into a secret compartment, took one last reluctant look, and then left in a taxi.

There was nothing left to long for.

…

Shen Ruoxi first went to the hospital to pick up a new course of medication for her mother before taking the bus back to where she lived.

After her father became comatose from a car accident six years ago, the Shen Group completely went bankrupt, amassing debts of thirty billion, and all the Shen Family residences were seized.

However, misfortune didn't stop there; soon after, her brother was kidnapped by debt collectors and went missing, presumed dead or alive uncertain, and her mother, under the weight of such blows, became seriously ill and bedridden, her mind unhinged to the point of illness.

Shen Ruoxi took on all the responsibility alone.

Now, she and her mother were living at her uncle's place.

Her uncle was an honest man, always very caring towards her since she was young, and even after the downfall of the Shen Family, he was still willing to take them in. Her aunt had a more aggressive personality, so to avoid disrupting her uncle's family, Shen Ruoxi would give her aunt five thousand yuan a month for rent and food.

Busy with work during the day and dealing with Ye Mubei at night, with her mother ill in bed, it was a good thing that her uncle's family was there to help look after her.

Passing through the worn-down alleys, her uncle's brick and tile house was noticeably prominent.

Pushing open the front gate, Shen Ruoxi saw her aunt picking vegetables. She called out, "Auntie."

Chen Hong snorted coldly twice and muttered "vixen" under her breath.

Shen Ruoxi didn't care and went inside after changing her shoes to enter her mother's room.

"Mom, I'm back."

Zhao Yiru was sitting on the bed doing cross-stitch, often using these crafts to make some money.

Seeing Shen Ruoxi, she put down the cross-stitch and asked sternly, "Why didn't you come back last night? Were you with that man again?"

Shen Ruoxi paused, not daring to admit or contradict her mother.

"...Mom, I bought you a new course of medication." Shen Ruoxi said, holding the medicine by the bed.

Zhao Yiru gave her a cold look, snatched the bag of medicine, and slammed it into her face.

"Take it away! Get out of here! I won't take the medicine bought by an unfilial daughter."

"If my daughter doesn't listen to me, I might as well be dead!"

Zhao Yiru became emotional, pounding on her chest and weeping loudly.

"Oh Lord, what did I do to deserve all of this? Why wasn't it this unfilial daughter who disappeared? My poor son, where are you..."

Hearing these words, Shen Ruoxi felt tears swirling in her eyes, her chest aching and stinging.

"Mom..."

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found she could say nothing at all.

Her mother knew she had a man outside, thinking she was maintaining life by selling her body.

In fact, she was staying with Ye Mubei, letting him have his revenge and vent his hatred.

But she couldn't tell her mother that the man was Ye Mubei.

Because in her mother's eyes, the Shen Family's collapse and her brother's disappearance were inseparably linked to the Ye Family.

Her mother had long since repeatedly demanded that she cut off all ties with Ye Mubei.

"Don't call me mom, you're not my daughter if you don't leave that man outside."

"Get out! Leave!"

Zhao Yiru's eyes reddened with anger as she hurled whatever she could lay hands on at Shen Ruoxi.

Shen Ruoxi stood silently, enduring her mother's fury.

In fact, her mother loved her very much. When she was little, almost all the children were envious of her for having a gentle and virtuous mother. She even received more doting than her brother did.

It's just that everything that happened in these past few years was too sudden, too intense, causing her mother's personality to drastically change, resulting in a mental illness.

So she didn't blame her, no matter how much it hurt.

Just then, her uncle walked in and pulled her out, "You foolish child, don't you know to hide?"

"It's okay uncle, it doesn't hurt," she replied.

Zhao Yicheng looked at the swollen bruises on Shen Ruoxi's body, shook his head helplessly, and brought over the medical kit.

"Ruoxi, why can't you just leave that man? You're already making quite a lot of money from your own work, why be greedy?"

Shen Ruoxi bit her lip as tears kept falling.

Everyone thought she stayed with that man for money...

Even her mother thought she was filthy and lowly...

But now that Ye Mubei was getting married, she could indeed leave him.

Shen Ruoxi went to Ye Group and submitted her resignation.

After graduating from college, she had been arranged by Ye Mubei to work in Ye Corporation, currently a key player in the design department.

However, Ye Mubei kept her at Ye Corporation not to cultivate her talent, but to torment her at his convenience.

Occasionally, he would even force her to stay overnight at the office...

As Shen Ruoxi's mind raced, the scent of jasmine drifted to her.

Turning around, Shen Ruoxi saw a pure and bright woman approaching her.

This woman was not an employee of Ye Corporation, but she seemed familiar...

The woman came up to her and asked softly, "Are you Shen Ruoxi?"

Shen Ruoxi nodded.

The woman gave her a slight smile and handed her an envelope.

Shen Ruoxi took it and to her surprise, found it was her own letter of resignation.

She was puzzled when the woman spoke, "Your design skills are very good, and your past works have been well-received by the market."

"Why do you want to resign? I'll give you a 30% raise, will you stay?"

That tone, it sounded so much like a superior trying to retain a subordinate, but who was she?

At this moment, the HR manager Alisa appeared. She put a hand on Shen Ruoxi's shoulder and with a smile turned to the woman, introducing her, "Ruoxi, this is your new design department director, Bai Feifei."

"She just returned from studying abroad, having won championships in many international design contests. And she is also the president's fiancée, coming from a prominent family, a true match for the president in every sense!"

Ye Mubei's fiancée...

No wonder she seemed familiar; Shen Ruoxi had just seen their engagement photos on the TV news last night...

Shen Ruoxi felt an intense bitterness within.

The other colleagues, upon hearing that it was the president's fiancée, excitedly started discussing.

Alisa added Bai Feifei's WeChat, took out an engagement photo she saw in her Moments, and showed it to Shen Ruoxi.

"The president and his lady really are a handsome couple, perfectly matched. What do you think?"

Shen Ruoxi glanced at the photo where Bai Feifei wore a wine-red dress, affectionately linking arms with Ye Mubei, who was dressed in a black suit with a wine-red tie.

Wine red...

That was the color she hated the most.

Ye Mubei once promised her, he would never touch wine red.

But now…

Looking at the tender look in the man's sharp eyes in the photo, Shen Ruoxi felt her heartache so intensely it was almost suffocating.

"Yes, they are well matched," she complimented with a smile, yet tears fell as she turned away.