Chapter 2: The So-Called Embryo Stabilizing Medicine Was Actually Contraceptive Pills!

The conversation behind the exquisite wooden door struck Shen Shuli’s ears like a rusted scalpel, leaving deep, bleeding wounds.

“Yan Ci, what if Shen Shuli finds out you’ve been feeding her contraceptive pills every time? She loves children so much—she’d never recover from such a blow.”

The woman’s voice—it was Bai Jinghong!

What shocked her even more was the realization that the so-called embryo stabilizing medicine had actually been contraceptive pills all along!

Fu Yanci replied coldly, “There won’t be any ‘what ifs.’ She’ll never know.”

Shen Shuli’s eyes, always brimming with warmth, now glowed dark red. She suddenly let out a low, soundless laugh. Tears welled in her crimson-rimmed eyes, but they vanished the moment they fell, disappearing into the hollow of her palm.

The brown medicinal brew she had dutifully consumed every night for three years now churned violently in her stomach like tidal waves, choking her throat.

The man she had loved for ten whole years!

And yet, he had dealt her the cruelest blow right to her heart!

He had long been cheating on her, even fathering a child with another woman. Not only that—for the sake of that illegitimate child, he had fed her contraceptive pills for three years, terrified she might stand in his son’s way!

She didn’t push open that door. Instead, she turned and walked away, returning to her car. Her decision was made—she had to divorce him. There was no way she could stay with Fu Yanci any longer.

Nor would she foolishly offer to leave with nothing. As a lawyer, she would claim half of his assets. What wasn’t hers, she wouldn’t take—but what was rightfully hers, she would demand.

She drove to the hospital.

“Doctor, I don’t want this child. Please arrange the procedure.”

Since she had resolved to divorce, this child’s birth would never be a source of happiness.

The doctor glanced at the data. “The pregnancy is only about 20 days along—the fetus hasn’t even formed yet. If you still want an abortion, you’ll need to wait at least another month. Come back then if you haven’t changed your mind.”

Back in her car, she opened the glove compartment to tuck away the prenatal report when a pair of blue diamond earrings fell out.

These were a birthday gift from Fu Yanci. He had sworn that he would love only her for the rest of his life—that his heart was too small, filled to the brim with her, leaving no room for anyone else.

And yet, by then, he had already fathered a son with another woman!

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she yanked off her wedding ring and placed it beside the earrings.

A man who loved someone else—no matter how good he was—she would never keep.

She took out her phone and posted on social media:  

*The seashells picked up at high tide are fading now. After 120 full moons, I’ve finally learned to fold the sound of waves into a ticket, mailed to waters without lighthouses.*  

Almost immediately, she received a notification—someone had liked her post.

…

The floor lamp in the law office cast a dark shadow behind Shen Shuli as the cold glow of the divorce agreement document flickered on her keyboard.

While revising the asset division clause for the seventh time, three knocks sounded against the glass door—the same rhythm Mu Huaixu used to tap on her study room door back in college before exams.

“Mu Huaixu?” She hurriedly closed her laptop, only to meet his deep, pond-like gaze.

“I have a Mu Corporation case for you. Are you interested?”

Mu Huaixu’s tall figure exuded an overwhelming presence as he strode in. His impeccably tailored handmade suit and every movement seemed to carry an innate air of dominance, thinning the very atmosphere wherever he passed.  

Shen Shuli frowned deeper in confusion. “Aren’t you a lawyer? Why give the case to me?”  

Mu Huaixu had been her university classmate, also majoring in law.  

Back then, he had pursued her relentlessly. However, she had already been with Fu Yanci at the time.  

His personality was the polar opposite of Fu Yanci’s.  

His affection had been quiet yet intense.  

Fu Yanci’s love, on the other hand, was flamboyant—unrestrained, as if he wanted the whole world to know he adored her.  

Back then, her heart had been entirely devoted to Fu Yanci. She had rejected Mu Huaixu’s advances and accepted Fu Yanci’s marriage proposal.  

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed since she last saw him.  

As she turned, the hem of her coat swept the divorce papers on the table, and Fu Yanci’s name landed right at Mu Huaixu’s feet.  

Mu Huaixu lowered his gaze slightly, noticing the faint indentation on the ring finger of her right hand—where a ring should have been but was now conspicuously absent.  

“I’ll ask just once. Will you take the case or not?”  

“Let’s talk outside. Wait for me a moment.”  

Shen Shuli returned to her desk, carefully stowing the drafted divorce papers and shutting down her computer.  

“I’m hungry anyway. Let me treat you to dinner—we can discuss the details. The restaurant downstairs is quite good.”  

Mu Huaixu didn’t refuse, following her out of the law firm and into the restaurant.  

The flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows beneath Mu Huaixu’s brow.  

A trace of panic flashed in Shen Shuli’s eyes before she suppressed all emotion. “What have you been doing these years? I haven’t heard anything about you in the legal world.”  

Mu Huaixu handed the menu back to the waiter, his deep obsidian eyes glinting imperceptibly. “Because I stopped practicing law three years ago.”  

Shen Shuli’s eyes widened in shock, disbelief written plainly across her face. After all, Mu Huaixu had been the top student in their year. Upon graduation, law firms had fought tooth and nail to recruit him—he had been the most dazzling figure among all their peers.  

“Then what are you doing now?”  

Mu Huaixu didn’t answer. Instead, he rested his elbow on the carved armrest, idly tracing the signet ring on his pinky. His gaze drifted lazily over her delicate features. “Three years of marriage—how’s your relationship with Fu Yanci? I heard last month he bought a pink diamond necklace worth 500 million, claiming it was for the most important person in his life. Why aren’t you wearing it?”  

Shen Shuli pressed her lips together. She had no idea Fu Yanci had purchased any pink diamond necklace.  

“We’re getting divorced. His affairs have nothing to do with me.”  

A flicker of something unreadable passed through Mu Huaixu’s eyes before settling into scrutiny. “He loved you so much. Are you really willing to divorce him?”  

Shen Shuli didn’t want to discuss Fu Yanci any further.  

Just then, the waiter arrived with their food.  

“Let’s eat.”  

Mu Huaixu accepted the bottle of Romanée-Conti, deftly twisting the corkscrew until the cork popped free. He poured a glass of wine and offered it to her.  

“This wine is excellent.”  

Shen Shuli shook her head. “I’m pregnant.”  

Mu Huaixu’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as his long fingers traced the rim of the glass. He brought it to his own lips instead.  

“What a shame.”  

She couldn’t tell what exactly he meant by that.

“We’ll discuss the case details tomorrow.” His pinky ring gleamed under the candlelight.  

Mu Huaixu escorted her out of the restaurant, gesturing toward the Aston Martin parked below the law firm. “Shall I have the driver take you home?”  

“No need, I have my own car. I said I was treating you—why did you settle the bill in advance?”  

“I don’t make a habit of letting women pay.” Mu Huaixu suddenly leaned in close, his warm breath mingling with hers.  

Shen Shuli flustered, raising her hands to push him away. “What are you doing?”  

Mu Huaixu’s warm palm caught her trembling wrist, his thumb slowly brushing over the pulse fluttering beneath her skin—so much so that even their heartbeats seemed to sync.  

“Don’t move.”  

The pounding in Shen Shuli’s chest roared in her ears, her breathing completely thrown off rhythm as she watched him draw nearer.  

Mu Huaixu plucked a stray hair from beside her ear, then slowly retreated from her space. “Just a strand. As for the case, I’ll come to your firm tomorrow to discuss it properly.”  

Shen Shuli hastily pushed him away and hurried toward her car, pressing a hand to her chest, unable to calm the wild thrumming of her heart. Back when he had pursued her years ago, she had never felt like this.  

What was happening to her now?  

Unnoticed by her, someone hidden in the nearby bushes clicked a shutter.