I Won’t Be Coming Back to Yushan Mansion Tonight

Elena Shen walked in under Aurel Shen's scrutinizing gaze.

Once the HR manager left, Jason Fang—ever so tactful—closed the office door behind him.

Elena glanced back at the door, then, under Aurel's penetrating stare, quietly took a seat on the leather sofa nearby.

Just like when she was a little girl, she curved her lips into a smile and pretended the past month had never happened. Playing along with the familiar sibling routine, she was the first to speak:

"Brother, next time you come back, give me a heads-up so I can pick you up."

Aurel leaned back against the sofa, his gaze dark and steady. He ignored her attempt to muddle through with sentimentality and went straight to the point:

"Didn't I text you this morning? Yet the illustrious Miss Shen didn't even bother to reply. Worse, you roped in Auden Zhang to cover for you."

Elena's lips parted but no words came.

Clearly, the old sibling routine wasn't going to work anymore. She gave up trying to steer the conversation and let Aurel direct it straight toward the matter of her marriage.

"The day you hit the legal age for marriage, you ran off to get your license. Elena, don't you think that deserves an explanation?"

She lowered her eyes and finally mumbled under her breath, barely audible:

"We… like each other. So we got married."

Aurel narrowed his eyes. "You used to act like Ethan Jiang was a predator whenever you saw him. How did that turn into 'liking' him?"

Elena's fingers tightened slightly in her palm. She stole a quick glance at Aurel's stern face, then mustered up the courage to explain:

"That was when I was a kid. Ethan's always been responsible and respectful. He's treated me well. Our families were already engaged. Isn't it normal I'd grow to like him?"

The mention of the "engagement" made Aurel's eyes darken a shade. He pressed down his emotions, though his voice was as composed as ever:

"And what happens if one day you stop liking him? Elena, you're only twenty. If you fall in love with Ethan Jiang on a whim, what makes you think you won't fall out of love just as easily? Do you really believe you can get a divorce that easily?"

Of course not.

She didn't even have the right to bring up a divorce with Ethan.

But that wasn't something she could say aloud.

"Brother… I'm shallow—I like his face. That's unlikely to change. Besides, he's responsible and kind to me. I don't think that day will ever come."

She glanced at Aurel again.

Since stepping into the room, each of his questions had been sharper than the last. Her palms were slick with sweat. One more interrogation and she might slip up—say something she couldn't take back.

So before he could ask another question, Elena quickly shifted the topic. Furrowing her brows slightly, she gestured toward her still-pale complexion and said stiffly:

"Brother, I'm still recovering. You haven't said a single word of concern, and now you're interrogating me over a marriage license. How long is this going to go on?"

Aurel's eyes flicked to her pale face.

He noticed her reaching for the iced drink on the table and frowned, stopping her.

"You're sick, and you're still drinking cold beverages?"

As he spoke, he picked up his phone and dialed.

"Jason, bring some warm juice."

Elena withdrew her hand, but inwardly let out a quiet breath of relief.

After ending the call, Aurel's eyes returned to her.

He was still upset about her sneaking back from abroad to get married behind everyone's backs, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to scold her any further.

"How did you get sick? How long has it been?"

She certainly couldn't admit it was due to excessive indulgence that led to dizziness and a fever. She lowered her gaze and replied softly:

"It rained a few days ago. I caught a chill and came down with a fever."

Aurel's brows furrowed even deeper.

He moved closer, and his palm landed lightly on her forehead in a familiar, comradely gesture.

"I'll have Jason call the family doctor."

Elena had just started to relax, thinking the interrogation was over, when she heard that and immediately tensed up. Her eyes twitched and she quickly spoke up.

"No! That's not necessary!"

Aurel looked at her, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

She rushed to explain, "I've already seen a doctor and taken medicine. I just need a couple more days of rest. There's no need for another checkup."

Just then, a knock came at the door.

Jason entered with a tray of warm juice.

Trailing behind him was the company's vice-chairman.

Jason placed the juice in front of Elena, and the vice-chairman took a few steps forward as well. Aurel shifted his gaze away from Elena and turned to the man.

"What is it?"

"Mr. Shen, the signing ceremony between Jinming Group and the overseas Chinese representatives is scheduled for twenty minutes. Shall we proceed as planned?"

Before Aurel could reply, Elena stood up.

Seizing the opportunity, she quickly made an excuse to leave.

"Brother, you go ahead. I need to get back to campus."

Aurel paused before giving his instructions to the vice-chairman. His eyes turned back to her, gaze steady.

"Back to campus? I thought you didn't have any classes today."

He had originally planned to finish the brief signing ceremony before noon and take her out for lunch. Then in the afternoon, he'd bring her back to the company and slowly talk her through recent projects and important deals. She was already twenty—it was time she began learning to manage the family business.

But she had barely been there for half an hour and was already eager to leave.

Elena replied, "No classes, but I need to work in the lab."

That wasn't entirely a lie.

She had planned to check on her experiments and monitor progress during the lunch break.

Aurel's brows knit slightly.

But he knew how dedicated she was to her research.

It wasn't just her academic pursuit—it was her passion and long-time interest. The effort she poured into it rivaled the energy she would've spent on finance.

"When will you be back?"

She thought for a second before answering, "Probably by evening."

Aurel didn't say more. "I'll have someone drive you to Huaihai University."

Elena smiled faintly, picked up her phone, and was about to leave. But just as she turned around, he added:

"Remember to come home tonight."

"… Come home?" she turned back, puzzled.

Aurel stood and gave a faint nod while accepting the contract proposal handed to him.

"There are still a few loose ends with Jinming Group's business. I won't be in the country for long this time."

"Elena, you're twenty now. You should begin familiarizing yourself with the company's core projects. Come home tonight. I'll brief you on the current operations."

As she stepped out of the towering corporate headquarters, Elena glanced back one last time.

Then she lowered her eyes and opened her chat with Ethan Jiang.

She typed a brief message:

[Ethan, I won't be returning to Yushan Mansion tonight.]

No sooner had she sent that than Ethan, having just finished a meeting and seen her message, called her immediately.

She was still drafting an explanation, fingers mid-typing, when the call interface suddenly popped up and—by sheer accident—she tapped to answer.

The next second, his calm, deep voice came through the phone.