Chapter 10: Wife, I’ve Been Starving for So Long  

Fu Yanci crouched before her, cupping her delicate face in his hands. “Don’t be afraid. Whether you’re pregnant or not, I’ll take it in stride. It’d be great if you are, but if not, I won’t be too disappointed.”  

“I actually have acute gastritis. I’ve been secretly taking medication lately, afraid you’d worry if you found out. It’s not pregnancy.”  

Shen Shuli blinked her watery eyes. This was her pre-prepared Plan B—she hadn’t thought she’d need it so soon.  

After years as a lawyer, she always had a Plan B for everything. She never imagined this habit would come to her rescue now.  

Fu Yanci sat beside her, pulling her into his embrace. “Where’s the medical report? Let me see. Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”  

Shen Shuli retrieved the stomach medicine and report from the drawer.  

After examining them, Fu Yanci’s gaze softened. “Did you neglect your meals and trigger this gastritis? You haven’t been behaving.”  

“Those days you were away, I couldn’t eat. You left on a business trip for so long—you didn’t care whether I lived or died.”  

She deliberately shifted the topic, steering it away from pregnancy.  

Fu Yanci pressed his lips together, guilt deepening. He cradled her face and kissed her tenderly.  

Shen Shuli pushed him away. “I’m not in the mood.”  

Fu Yanci brushed his lips against her neck. “Wife, I’ve been starving for so long.”  

She dodged his touch, brows slightly furrowed. “Where’s the pink diamond necklace? You promised it to me today.”  

Fu Yanci gritted his teeth. “I’ll give you a surprise tomorrow. Wait for me at the law firm.”  

Shen Shuli lay down listlessly, turning her back to him. “I’m tired. Let’s sleep.”  

Fu Yanci nuzzled against her from behind, kissing the nape of her neck.  

The ticklish sensation made her squirm away. “Stop it, please?”  

His mood dampened. “Really won’t let me have you? You never refused me before. Don’t you want to get pregnant anymore?”  

“If I don’t even care about that old hag anymore, why would I care about a child? Let’s sleep. I’m exhausted.”  

Her expression turned cold, the earlier warmth gone.  

Fu Yanci exhaled slightly, tucking her in before wrapping his arms around her as they drifted off.  

Soon, he was asleep.  

Once steady breathing sounded behind her, Shen Shuli quietly freed herself from his hold and retrieved his phone from his suit pocket. She entered her birthday—unlocking it effortlessly.  

She had never snooped through his phone before.  

Had it not been for that child, she would have trusted him completely.  

After scrolling through his WeChat messages, she found nothing but work-related exchanges—dry and dull.  

She then checked Bai Jinghong’s chat, only to find it blank.  

This was peculiar.  

With a child between them, how could they never have spoken?  

He must have deleted the messages deliberately.  

Fu Yanci shifted in his sleep.  

Panicked, Shen Shuli stuffed the phone back into his pocket and tiptoed back to bed.  

Once trust between spouses is fractured, no effort can fully restore the wholehearted faith they once shared.  

The next morning, Fu Yanci was already gone when she woke.  

Li Ma had prepared breakfast.  

“What time did Fu Yanci leave?”  

“Master said there was urgent business at the company. He left a little past seven,” Li Ma replied.  

But was it really company business—or was he off to retrieve the necklace from Bai Jinghong?

Shen Shuli didn’t ask further. After breakfast, she drove to the law firm.  

Just as work hours began, people at the firm trickled in one by one, settling into their seats.  

Suddenly, a lawyer rushed in excitedly.  

“Guess who’s here? It’s President Fu of the Fu Group—he’s so handsome!”  

The moment the others heard the name, they nearly lost their minds with excitement.  

“That Fu Yanci who’s been all over the financial news lately, bringing glory to the nation?”  

Hearing their string of exaggerated descriptions, Shen Shuli couldn’t help but curl her lips in amusement. Now he was being equated with national pride.  

But then again, it made sense. Domestic cars had been overshadowed by joint ventures for decades, forever languishing in obscurity.  

Countless domestic brands had fought tooth and nail, only to end in dismal failure. Even their own people didn’t trust domestic cars, let alone foreigners.  

Yet Fu Yanci had carved out a path of his own. Riding the wave of national support for new energy, he broke through where even joint ventures with decades of research couldn’t match his scale.  

Now, his cars were everywhere across the globe.  

Countless industry giants had tried to suppress him, but none succeeded.  

He truly deserved the title of “bringing glory to the nation.”  

“What’s he doing here? Does he have a lawsuit?”  

“Doesn’t look like it. He’s holding a bouquet of Bulgarian red roses, waiting downstairs for someone. No idea who.”  

Shen Shuli ignored the chatter and buried herself in work.  

Before long, gasps erupted around her, followed by a light tap on her desk.  

“Happy anniversary, Mrs. Fu.”  

Everyone was stunned. After all, Shen Shuli had never mentioned at the firm that she was Fu Yanci’s wife.  

Everyone knew Fu Yanci adored Shen Shuli, but with so many people sharing the same name, no one had imagined it was her.  

Shen Shuli lifted her head slightly. “What kind of anniversary is today? Don’t talk nonsense.”  

“Fifteen years ago today was the first time I saw you. Doesn’t that count?”  

Fu Yanci held the red roses out to her, his gaze tender.  

Shen Shuli took the flowers, masking her delight. “Why did you leave so early this morning?”  

“The roses were air-shipped in. I went to the airport to pick them up myself.”  

His eyes were devout, filled with nothing but her.  

Shen Shuli sighed in amusement. “It’s just a bouquet. Was it really necessary for you to go personally?”  

“This is an anniversary gift for my wife. I have to take care of every step myself—no one else can do it for me.”  

Fu Yanci watched her quietly, his gaze brimming with devotion and adoration.  

Only then did Shen Shuli realize he hadn’t left early to retrieve the necklace but to fetch these roses.  

Suddenly, a pink diamond necklace dangled before her eyes. The massive pink diamond weighed a full 15 carats—rare enough on its own, let alone at such a size. No wonder it was worth 500 million.  

“I bought it at auction last month to give to you, but things got delayed.”  

Disgust flickered in Shen Shuli’s eyes. So it really was the same one from Bai Jinghong’s social media post.  

“You’re right. This necklace is hideous. I don’t like it at all. Throw it away.”  

Everyone gasped at her words. That was a 500-million necklace! And she thought it was ugly?!  

They all watched Fu Yanci cautiously, expecting him to explode any second.

Unexpectedly, Fu Yanci took out another exquisite jewelry box and slowly opened it. A stunning blue diamond necklace came into view, even more refined and larger than the pink diamond, surrounded by numerous smaller blue diamonds. Even those tiny blue diamonds were each a full carat.  

“This was specially auctioned in Europe. I wanted to give it to you the day I returned. It cost 100 million pounds—do you like it?”  

Fu Yanci asked cautiously.  

Everyone gasped in shock. They never expected the aloof President Fu to dote on Shen Shuli to such an extreme extent—100 million pounds, over a billion yuan, just for a single necklace!  

Shen Shuli nodded.  

Fu Yanci unfastened the necklace clasp. “Let me help you put it on.”  

Shen Shuli lifted her hair willingly.  

Fu Yanci personally fastened the necklace around her, his fingers trailing along the blue diamonds before gently brushing against her delicate skin. “Lili, do you know… I’ve loved you for a full fifteen years?”