With the sound barely ceased, there was a clatter.
Chen Lingmeng’s hand loosened, and the knife fell straight to the ground. Grandpa Chen and Chen Wenzhou immediately rushed over.
Chen Wenzhou picked up the fruit knife from the ground and handed it to a servant, instructing him to take it as far away as possible.
Grandpa Chen slowly crouched down in front of Chen Lingmeng, taking her pale little hand in his and showing a face full of wrinkles and written with heartache.
"Mengmeng, you mustn’t do anything foolish. Don’t listen to what Pei Yansi has said. To Grandpa, you are the world’s most beautiful, loveliest, and most attractive woman, the most precious treasure, and no one can compare."
Chen Lingmeng didn’t speak. She just looked up with a semblance of understanding at Grandpa Chen’s face. When Chen Wenzhou saw how deeply affected she appeared, he furiously turned to glare at Pei Yansi, his brows nearly twisting into knots.
"You know full well that my sister is emotionally unstable, yet you still say such things to provoke her. Do you truly wish to drive her to her death?"
"Pei Yansi, I warn you, if my sister suffers any harm due to your provocations, our Chen Family will not let this go. We will use the full force of our family to strike back and retaliate against the Pei Group."
Chen Wenzhou’s face was ashen. He raised a hand and pointed at Pei Yansi’s nose, threatening him without any hint of politeness.
"Brother, don’t talk to him like that, I think what he said might be right."
As the atmosphere tensed to breaking between Chen Wenzhou and Pei Yansi, Chen Lingmeng, who had been zoning out in her wheelchair for a long time, finally snapped back to reality. The life returned to her previously blank eyes.
Chen Wenzhou, in disbelief, turned towards Chen Lingmeng. After hearing the harsh words Pei Yansi had said to her, she still defended him at such a time.
"Silly girl, Pei Yansi has treated you so badly, why are you still speaking up for him? If he truly does not wish to marry you, let’s just discard him. Brother will definitely find you a better man."
Chen Wenzhou, heart-aching, walked to Chen Lingmeng’s side. She had just suffered an unknown blow, and now even her lips were pale and bloodless.
"Perhaps he is right. I’ve loved him so much that I’ve lost myself, turning entirely into his puppet, into his very foundation. So, starting now, I need to make changes."
Chen Lingmeng slowly uttered these words.
But Pei Yansi unconsciously frowned, feeling that this matter wasn’t so simple and worried about what she might do next.
"Since you say I’ve lost my own personal charm, I think you truly don’t understand me at all. And no matter how much we pressure you, even if I were to hold a knife to my own throat to force you to kick Shen Heyu out of your house, you wouldn’t consent."
"In that case, I also want to move into your house. You must agree to this condition; otherwise, you will be responsible for my life."
Grandpa Chen, hearing Chen Lingmeng use her own life as a bargaining chip to threaten Pei Yansi again, frowned deeply, stood up with an iron complexion, and looked at Pei Yansi. He absolutely did not want to see his granddaughter do anything foolish.
"You must agree to Mengmeng moving into your house; there’s no room for refusal. If you dare refuse, I assure you, from this point on, Shen Heyu will not have a single day of peace. If you don’t care about Shen Heyu’s well-being, feel free to oppose us."
Pei Yansi’s deep eyes darkened.
At this moment, his mind could only think of one person, and that was Shen Heyu.
After Shen Heyu finished breakfast, she casually strolled around the villa’s garden. Everything remained the same, but some of the flowers and plants they once tended to had spoiled, perhaps because they had died.
Pei Yansi had left two hours ago, and he hoped Pei Yansi would stay out the whole day. But near midday, Pei Yansi returned.
When Pei Yansi arrived, Shen Heyu was lying in a chair, soaking in the sun. She felt a shadow cast over her and slowly opened her eyes to indeed see Pei Yansi’s incomparably handsome face.
"What do you want for lunch? The kitchen staff have already started preparing," Pei Yansi pulled a chair over, sat down beside her, and joined her in basking in the sunlight.
Shen Heyu sat up and saw the man with his long legs crossed on the chair beside her.
"Didn’t you go to the Chen Family? How come you’ve returned so quickly? The Chen Family, knowing that I’m staying here, will probably make it difficult for you, urging you to drive me out, right? So, are you here to send me away?"
Instead of constantly reminding Pei Yansi to let her leave sooner, it was better to have a third-party force intervene, putting pressure on him, so she could leave here contentedly.
"Why do you think that if they ask me to drive you away, I would definitely do it?" Pei Yansi squinted and turned to look at Shen Heyu.
"Because I have a basic understanding of the Chen Family. If they become aware of this situation, they will probably try all means to pressure you, especially Chen Lingmeng. She might even threaten you with her own life."
Pei Yansi just smiled faintly upon hearing Shen Heyu’s words. She was entirely correct.
Shen Heyu, seeing the smile that flickered across his face, revealing a trace of tenderness, couldn’t believe it and her eyes widened in shock.
"So, did I guess correctly or not just now?"
"Instead of expending energy speculating on this, you might as well think carefully about the question from the kitchen."
Pei Yansi chose not to answer Shen Heyu’s question.
"As you have been away for several months, the kitchen staff are unsure if your tastes have changed, so they are cautiously coming to ask about your preferences, but you told them to do as they please."
"The chefs at your place are unquestionably skilled; whatever they prepare is bound to taste great. Just leave it up to them, I can’t be bothered to think about it."
"It looks like you’ve made preparations to stay here for lunch today."
Though Shen Heyu had guessed what had happened at the Chen Family with Pei Yansi, his readiness to have lunch at home suggested that he hadn’t agreed to their demands to send her away.
Shen Heyu chuckled, he had inadvertently revealed himself.
"Actually, I’m only staying here for three days. The Chen Family doesn’t need to keep such a close eye on me; I will leave soon enough."
"Tell your fiancée to look further ahead. Instead of fixating on me, she would be better off keeping an eye on other beautiful women around you. I think they pose a far greater threat than I do."
"Do you really not understand my feelings?"
If it were only about appearances, Pei Yansi would surely have had many women, but as of now, he only had Shen Heyu.
Shen Heyu smiled briefly and then simply got up, "I’ll go have a look in the kitchen."