“Did You Marry My Brother Because of the Shen Corporation?”
Ever since the old master returned, the Jiang family estate has taken on a rare warmth and liveliness. Elena Shen and Ethan Jiang sat in the living room downstairs, keeping him company with casual conversation.
The topic lingered briefly on Adrian Jiang. The moment his name came up, the old man immediately recalled the scandal still trending online. He couldn't help but curse under his breath.
Elena remained silent the entire time, quietly seated beside them until the conversation moved on.
Over an hour later, a new notification popped up in the lab's group chat. Elena took her laptop upstairs to process a batch of experimental data.
Roughly twenty minutes after she entered the bedroom, the low hum of a car engine sounded from below. Soon after, a message from Ethan arrived on her phone:
[Once you're done and feeling tired, take a nap. I'm accompanying Grandpa to visit Second Uncle. I'll be back before nightfall.]
Elena stared at the message on screen.
She tapped a quick reply: [Okay.]
The lab forms weren't particularly complicated this time. She finished everything within half an hour. Downstairs, Mrs. Lin was calling Adrian, but for some reason, he wasn't answering. She dialed twice in a row with no success.
Elena didn't go down during the commotion. After submitting the data, she remained on the sofa, casually chatting with Annie Gu over WeChat, their conversation drifting from one topic to another.
Around three in the afternoon, she began to feel drowsy. Drawing the curtains shut, she lay down on the bed for a nap.
By the time she woke, the sky outside had already darkened into a deep blue haze.
Elena frowned and glanced at her phone.
It was nearly seven.
The house remained eerily quiet. Ethan still hadn't returned, judging by the empty room.
She scrolled through several messages from friends and acquaintances, replying to each one before placing the phone down and stepping out onto the expansive panoramic balcony attached to the bedroom.
Several vibrant fiddle-leaf figs and areca palms lined the edge of the balcony.
Their foliage was lush and vibrant, thriving under her care.
Elena leaned against the balcony railing, brushing her fingers gently over the broad green leaves of the fig tree. It was almost November, and the evening air in Huaihai had turned sharply cold.
The wind, laced with chill, pierced through her clothes and stole the warmth from her skin with ease.
She didn't stay long. After stroking the fig and palm leaves a few more times—as if petting a dog—she turned and left the bedroom, intending to take a walk downstairs and get some fresh air.
The third-floor corridor was as silent as ever.
As she walked, Elena's mind was busy mapping out the tasks she needed to handle the next day.
Just as she approached the stairway, a sudden force yanked her into the unused tea lounge tucked beside the corridor.
Before she could react, Adrian Jiang had pulled her into the dimly lit room.
It had been days since they last saw each other, and he looked more haggard than usual. Still, the grip on her wrist remained unrelenting.
In the dim light—only faintly illuminated by what spilled in from the corridor—his gaze locked onto her, intense and desperate. Before she could shake him off, he asked, voice low and strained:
"You married my brother… because the Shen Corporation was in trouble, didn't you?"
Elena stared at him, stunned by his sudden appearance.
Since that unpleasant encounter at Midnight Lounge, they hadn't crossed paths again.
She had thought—perhaps too optimistically—that they had reached an unspoken agreement to avoid each other, just like they had for the past two years. It spared everyone the discomfort.
Yet here he was—the very man who had ignored his mother's phone calls earlier—dragging her into a room unannounced.
Elena struggled in his grasp and accidentally flipped the switch for the crystal chandelier above. With a click, harsh white light flooded the room.
Whatever peace lingered in her face from a satisfying nap was instantly wiped clean. Frustration prickled behind her eyes.
Her tone turned icy, edged with the annoyance she no longer cared to hide.
"What does it have to do with you?"
"I've said it before—I'm me. You're you. What I do has nothing to do with you."
Her eyes brimmed with a cold, unmistakable disgust. The moment Adrian met her gaze, he froze—his breath hitching in his throat, his chest tightening as though something sharp had pierced straight through it.