{Qian Xu is returning to China 1}

Shen Qi, overwhelmed, suddenly poured himself a bit of martini.

He had completely lost interest in the woman who had practically thrown herself at him.

Striding away with long steps, he paid no attention to her sudden disappointment, nor to her attempts at seductive posturing. Glancing over the scene, he put down his glass and waved dismissively. “Leave.”

It was probably only for the children’s sake that he didn’t curse her out or embarrass her completely.

“Ah Qi, what’s wrong?” The woman’s eyes remained alluring, her desire-tinted gaze seductive. Even her complaint carried a hint of flirtation. “Weren’t you the one who called me over?”

But Shen Qi had lost all patience. Resting his hands on the gray windowsill, he said coldly, “Before I say ‘get out,’ you’d better take the hint and leave.”

He sneered at his past self.

Such cheap tricks were all too common in high society—nothing particularly impressive. How had he been so easily ensnared in his youth?

But having fallen from grace once, he should’ve learned by now that none of it was precious.

Cheng Shuangyi, however, still thought he was the same man from five years ago. Fearlessly, she leaned in closer. “Ah Qi, the things that happened back then… it was just me being immature. But I’m willing to make it up to you now…”

Shen Qi’s expression turned icy as he pushed her away, his tone indifferent. “If you’re talking about owing someone, you don’t owe me anything. You just made what you thought was the rational choice.”

“What you owe are two children.” He enunciated each word clearly.

Cheng Shuangyi believed she had finally grasped the real reason for his anger and smiled tactfully. “Yes, over the years, I’ve owed Yueyue and Nianian so much. I’ll definitely make it up to them if I have the chance.”

“You know how awkward my situation was with my uncle’s family,” she added, her words filled with carefully crafted sorrow. Beneath her polished exterior, hints of bitterness occasionally surfaced. “If I had the financial means, I wouldn’t have ignored them all these years.”

When she spoke of the children, her expression was as calm as if she were discussing a couple of low-cost transactions, as if she were using their names as a convenient tool to manipulate him.

Shen Qi felt nothing but self-contempt for his former stupidity, realizing he had likely been played by the woman in front of him.

“Cheng Shuangyi, you know I’d never ask you for money. So why bother saying this?” he asked, his voice laced with disdain.

Cheng Shuangyi didn’t seem at all troubled by his words, nor did she display any sign of guilt. Instead, she met his gaze head-on, crafting another delicate lie right before his eyes. “I don’t really know how to care for someone… To be honest, even after having those two children, I still feel like a child myself sometimes.”

Shen Qi couldn’t help but laugh sarcastically. “A child in her thirties?”

Cheng Shuangyi, unbothered, continued in her gentle tone, “Age is just a number.” She had always indulged herself and didn’t see anything wrong with what she had just said.

Shen Qi’s words, however, were relentless. “You don’t even bother to look in the mirror, do you?”

“But you’re right about one thing—you don’t know how to care for anyone.” Had it not been for his experience with Qian Xu, he might have spent his entire life never knowing what true care for another person looked like.

The memories he had thought long forgotten all resurfaced, but now in stark contrast to what he had experienced since.

Cheng Shuangyi, unable to retort, pulled her loose nightgown tighter. She couldn’t understand what was so different about Shen Qi today. “Shen Qi, did you call me here just to humiliate me?”

“Cheng Shuangyi, do you really think someone like you knows the meaning of humiliation?” Shen Qi replied, his tone dripping with disdain.

“What do you mean by someone like me?” Cheng Shuangyi’s voice grew sharper.

Over the years, Cheng Shuangyi knew Shen Qi had made some money, but she didn’t think he had changed his temperament entirely. She was beginning to feel that her usual performance wasn’t working. Last night’s incident at the police station had already left her in a foul mood, and Shen Qi wasn’t giving any indication that he was going to soften. Deep down, she knew that if she continued to push him, things wouldn’t end well.

She thought it was probably time to leave.

Even if she left now, she could avoid making things worse. Their relationship hadn’t been clearly defined anyway, and she could always try to talk to him on a better day.

But she still believed that Shen Qi’s anger was only skin-deep, convinced that he didn’t really want her to leave. So, she left things ambiguous, dropping a parting line—

She hooked her little finger around his, testing the waters. “Shen Qi, since you don’t seem to want me here, I’ll be on my way.”

Yet, as she twisted her hips and walked away, no words of protest came from behind her.

This struck a severe blow to Cheng Shuangyi’s pride. The stark difference between her past and present was too much for her to accept. She spun around abruptly. “Shen Qi, what the hell is wrong with you?”