Chapter 88

After picking up Jiang Chen, Shen Mingyou switched to the passenger seat, letting him drive. The car ride was quiet for a while. While waiting at a red light, Jiang Chen glanced over and saw Shen Mingyou leaning lazily against her seat, looking directly at him.

Jiang Chen: “…”

She was wearing a white V-neck sweater and a plaid miniskirt, looking every bit the college student.

But Jiang Chen’s main concern was: “Youyou, aren’t you cold?”

It was chilly outside, and her legs were exposed to the cold air.

Shen Mingyou shook her head and asked, “Am I pretty?”

“…” Jiang Chen replied, “Beautiful.”

“Am I young?”

Jiang Chen nodded again.

“Then why did my boyfriend lose contact with me for three days after we started dating? Is he already tired of me?”

Jiang Chen immediately understood. Though he had contacted Shen Mingyou in the past few days, most of the calls were between Nian Nian and her mom. He hadn’t used his special “boyfriend number” to call her.

His expression darkened. When the light turned green, he drove to a nearby river and parked the car.

“Youyou, I’m sorry,” he said, reflecting on his actions. Ever since he learned about Shen Mingyou’s illness and that she had loved him all along, Jiang Chen realized just how much he had hurt her.

“As a husband, I didn’t realize you were sick, and I wasn’t there for you. As a father, I didn’t give Nian Nian enough attention. I haven’t been a good husband or father, and I owe you an apology for the hurt I’ve caused.”

“I accept your apology,” Shen Mingyou said, “but it’s not all your fault.”

When Shen Mingyou was pregnant, she was only 20 years old—too young to fully grasp the reality of becoming a mother. Her marriage to Jiang Chen was nothing like she imagined. She became a mother without being ready, her husband was distant, her relationship with her family wasn’t great, and she had to give up her beloved career. All of this put her in a bad mood during pregnancy.

It wasn’t until Nian Nian was born—a tiny, well-behaved, and adorable baby—that Shen Mingyou truly felt like a mother. In a way, Nian Nian’s birth healed her.

After Nian Nian arrived, Shen Mingyou focused on learning to be a good mother. She grew alongside her daughter, letting go of the things that once bothered her.

Everything seemed to be improving, but when she noticed Nian Nian was different from other children and might be autistic, she panicked. She blamed herself, thinking her bad mood during pregnancy had caused this. Shen Mingyou became anxious and took Nian Nian to doctors and psychologists everywhere.

Her brother, Shen Mingzhang, who worked in a psychological clinic, noticed Shen Mingyou wasn’t in good shape. After examining her, he found she had been suffering from depression for some time.

Shen Mingzhang explained that a mother’s emotions affect her child. Even though Nian Nian was young, she was very sensitive and could feel her mother’s emotions. To help Nian Nian, Shen Mingyou needed to get treatment.

Thankfully, with treatment, her condition improved.

Marriage is a partnership between two people. The issues in their marriage weren’t Jiang Chen’s fault alone. He had his share of responsibility, but so did Shen Mingyou. Her upbringing and life experiences had shaped her personality and how she interacted with others. She was afraid of getting hurt, so she never took the biggest step forward.

There was a lack of communication between her and Jiang Chen. For five years, she never fully expressed her feelings to him. If she had been braver and given Jiang Chen more confidence, maybe they wouldn’t have wasted so much time.

But at least now, it wasn’t too late.

Since she decided to give Jiang Chen a chance and he grabbed onto it, Shen Mingyou chose to move forward and stop dwelling on the past.

“It’s still my fault,” Jiang Chen said, his face serious. He clearly felt that saying sorry wasn’t enough.

“Okay, okay, it’s all your fault. If you can’t let it go, why don’t we just get a divorce?” Shen Mingyou joked with a smile. “I have plenty of money, and I can live a good life with Nian Nian. After the divorce, I can find any man I want, and no one can stop me…”

Before she could finish, Jiang Chen cut her off with a kiss.

“I won’t allow that!” he said softly, gently biting her lips. “Youyou, don’t ever talk about divorce again.”

The only thing Jiang Chen feared now was Shen Mingyou asking for a divorce.

“If we can’t talk about divorce, then what should we talk about?” Shen Mingyou teased, wrapping her arms around his neck and whispering, “Maybe I should say, ‘I like you’?”

Jiang Chen froze.

This was the first time Shen Mingyou had ever said she liked him!

Even though he’d heard from Lin Jing that Shen Mingyou had liked him for a long time, it never felt real. But now, hearing her say it, he truly felt the happiness her love brought him!

Jiang Chen pulled Shen Mingyou into his arms from the passenger seat and kissed her passionately.

Shen Mingyou thought to herself that a smart hunter sometimes plays the role of prey. But when the moment is right, they’ll turn the tables and take control, leaving the prey with no escape.

_

When Nian Nian finished school, her dad wasn’t there to pick her up. Instead, Uncle Jiang Yuan, Xiao Xu’s dad, took her to her extracurricular classes.

But even after Taekwondo and dance lessons, her dad still hadn’t arrived.

Nian Nian sat at the door with her backpack, waiting with the class teacher. She rested her chin on her hands, sighing. Lately, her dad seemed unhappy. He still smiled at her, but she could tell he wasn’t feeling well.

Nian Nian wondered, should I cheer up Dad?

Usually, her dad cheered her up, but she’d never tried to cheer him up before.

After a while, Jiang Chen finally arrived to pick her up.

“Nian Nian, I’m sorry I’m late,” he said, lifting her up.

“It’s okay,” Nian Nian replied, kissing his cheek. “Dad, you’ve worked hard.”

Jiang Chen looked at her in surprise. She seemed extra affectionate today. “Dad’s not tired.”

Looking into his daughter’s big, blinking eyes, Jiang Chen couldn’t bring himself to admit he wasn’t late because of work.

After thanking the teacher, Jiang Chen carried Nian Nian to the car. “Nian Nian, your mom is home. Let’s go see her.”

“Mom’s home?” Nian Nian asked, excited. “Why didn’t she come to pick me up?”

“Mom’s too tired from work. She’s resting at home, but we’ll see her soon.”

“Okay, then Dad, hurry up,” Nian Nian urged, “I haven’t seen mom in so long, I miss her so much.”

Jiang Chen was on his way home with his daughter, unaware that a scandal about him was rapidly spreading online and brewing a big storm.

In the afternoon, a paparazzi posted a shocking video online.

@Entertainment Xing Xiaodi: [Xing Xiaodi went out to do some work today. When he passed by the Lingyu Capital building, he accidentally spotted the big boss of Lingyu Capital.

It seems that Mr. Jiang had a romantic date in the afternoon. A luxury car and a beautiful woman came to pick him up. Mr. Jiang was smiling and took the initiative to sit in the driver’s seat, acting as the driver for the beauty. Xing Xiaodi was so curious about this woman that he kept following. Unexpectedly, he captured such a hot scene. The wealthy boss is confirmed to be cheating with a female college student. Everyone, check this out!!! @Actress Shen Mingyou]

Once the post was released on Weibo, it immediately attracted a huge number of viewers.

The viewers quickly realized from the post that the person being referred to was Jiang Chen, the boss of Lingyu Capital. The post even tagged Shen Mingyou, suggesting Jiang Chen was cheating!

With excitement, people clicked on the video. The first shot showed Jiang Chen leaving the Lingyu building, walking toward a red supercar, bending down, and talking to the person inside. The camera zoomed in on Jiang Chen, and only a glimpse of the woman inside could be seen.

Soon after, Jiang Chen sat in the driver’s seat. The woman in the car didn’t get out, but instead moved to the passenger seat.

The video then switched to another location.

The supercar stopped, and the camera remained fixed. Only a side view of the woman in the passenger seat could be seen through the window.

The woman was sitting sideways, making it hard to see her face clearly. She wore a college-style sweater and had shoulder-length hair with bangs, appearing to be very young, like a college student.

Just as viewers were eagerly trying to identify the girl, suddenly, Jiang Chen in the video turned, hugged the girl, and kissed her passionately!

Not only that, after kissing for a while, Jiang Chen hugged the girl onto his lap. The two were passionately entangled in the kiss!

The scene was intense and shocking, leaving the viewers stunned.

Soon, comments flooded in.

“Oh my god, this is so intense! They are kissing so passionately!!!”

“Who is the girl in the video? She looks like a college student. So, Mr. Jiang is keeping a mistress outside his marriage?!”

“This red supercar must be a gift from Mr. Jiang for his lover. The boss of Lingyu Capital is really generous.”

“Even though Mr. Jiang cheated, the kissing scene is pretty intense.”

Onlookers shared their opinions, but some rational netizens speculated whether the woman in the video was actually Shen Mingyou herself.

However, this idea was quickly dismissed by many.

“It can’t be Shen Mingyou. She always has long wavy hair and a completely different style!”

“Shen Mingyou’s schedule is public. She’s currently filming ‘Homeward Journey’ and isn’t even in City A.”

“Shen Mingyou also has long hair in ‘Homeward Journey.’ Even if she returned to City A, she wouldn’t have cut her hair. The woman in the video can’t be her!”

With these points, it seemed confirmed that the woman in the video wasn’t Shen Mingyou, and the shocking kissing scene left little room for doubt.

Shen Mingyou is currently very popular. Although she played the second female lead in the recent drama “Hello President,” her performance was outstanding, earning her many fans. She also has the upcoming TV series “Asking the Sky,” and is currently filming the major movie “Homeward Journey,” putting her on the path to becoming a major star.

After seeing the video, Shen Mingyou’s fans couldn’t remain silent, and they began speaking out angrily.

“Sister Youzi is currently on the set of ‘Homeward Journey.’ Does she even know that her husband at home is cheating on her? Jiang Chen, how could you betray her?”

“In ‘Super Mom,’ Jiang Chen didn’t even kiss Sister Youzi. The most he did was hold hands and hug. I thought he was just shy about showing affection on screen, but now look how wild and indulgent he is behind the scenes. This is what men are like, cold to their wives, but passionate with their mistresses!!!”

“Exactly. After five years of marriage, he must be tired of his wife. Unlike young, beautiful women outside, they’re fresh and exciting for him!”

“Isn’t Sister Youzi beautiful enough? Do all men stray, no matter how stunning their wives are at home?”

“It’s such a pity for Sister Youzi. With her background, looks, and talent, she still couldn’t escape being cheated on. Just divorce him and don’t let him hurt you anymore!”

“I really misjudged you, Jiang Chen. I thought you were a family man, but it turns out you’re just another cheater!”

“Sister Youzi, take Nian Nian and leave. Don’t let this jerk upset you anymore!”

“Don’t worry, Sister Youzi. You’re beautiful, rich, and have a child. You and Nian Nian can live a great life. There are plenty of handsome men out there waiting for you. That cheater will regret it when he sees how happy you are without him.”

This Weibo post from Entertainment Star Little Brother quickly sparked a heated discussion online. In no time, the hashtag #JiangChenCheating# shot to the top of the hot search list, marked with a bright red “Scandalous” next to it.