Chapter 2: The Scumbag  

“Have you forgotten what I once told you?”  

The words were icy, devoid of any warmth. Was this how a normal couple treated each other?  

Looking at Yan Qingye’s frosty expression, the youthful softness in her features had completely faded, replaced by a sharpness that was almost unbearable to face. Her aura was oppressive, suffocating.  

Was this still the elegant young girl she had once known?  

Meeting Yan Qingye’s furious gaze, Shen Zhansi found herself at a loss for words. She didn’t even know what had provoked her anger.  

A bitter taste rose in Shen Zhansi’s heart. She had no idea what was happening now, and it seemed the only option was to remain silent, hoping to gather more information before making any decisions.  

Her silence only seemed to infuriate Yan Qingye further. Step by step, Yan Qingye strode into her room, the sharp clicks of her high heels against the floor creating an inexplicable sense of pressure.  

Shen Zhansi swallowed hard, struggling to adjust to this version of Yan Qingye. In heels, she was now taller than Shen Zhansi, and coupled with her icy demeanor, Shen Zhansi’s chest ached with sorrow.  

The Yan Qingye of the past would never have treated her like this. The woman before her now seemed like the villainous version from the later stages of a novel—covered in thorns, pushing everyone away.  

A cold touch pressed against her chin, forcing her to tilt her head up, exposing her entire face to Yan Qingye’s scrutiny.  

The distance between them had closed considerably, and Shen Zhansi had no choice but to meet Yan Qingye’s gaze. Those cold, angry eyes were filled with unmistakable disgust, yet they meticulously examined every inch of her face.  

Gradually, the color returned to Shen Zhansi’s cheeks, no longer as pale as before. Yan Qingye’s expression softened slightly, but the disgust and anger showed no signs of dissipating.  

The hand beneath her chin withdrew, and the faint, cool fragrance that had lingered in the air slowly faded.  

A sudden sense of loss washed over Shen Zhansi.  

“If you’re not feeling unwell, why did you skip your morning workout?”  

The cold words felt like thorns, piercing straight into her heart. Shen Zhansi’s nose stung with unshed tears.  

She would never have spoken to her like this before. What had happened over the years?  

“I just wanted to rest,” Shen Zhansi replied, her voice hoarse.  

“Is this your way of showing your dissatisfaction?” The words were laced with ice.  

Dissatisfaction?  

What reason did she have to be dissatisfied?  

A headache pounded behind Shen Zhansi’s temples. Looking at the woman before her, her chest felt as though a heavy stone were pressing down on it.  

Had this been their dynamic all these years? Every word laced with venom?  

“My chest feels tight. I really need to rest.” Shen Zhansi turned over in bed, her back to Yan Qingye, and pulled the covers over herself. Beneath the blanket, her body trembled faintly.  

Just before falling asleep, she had been eagerly anticipating the confession she planned for the next day. How had everything turned into this? Why had she and Yan Qingye ended up like this…?  

“Shen Zhansi!”  

The icy voice, thick with fury, made Shen Zhansi’s throat tighten further.  

What had happened to the girl who used to smile so sweetly at her? How had she become this sharp, hostile woman?  

Pressing a hand to her chest, Shen Zhansi felt her heart clench painfully.  

Recalling the way Yan Qingye had looked in their wedding photos—had she not wanted to marry her?  

But if she hadn’t wanted to, why had they gotten married at all?

Had I done something to force her?

Shen Zhansi’s heart ached terribly, and with chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind, she curled up on the bed, her distress evident to anyone who saw her.

Yan Qingye’s expression changed slightly as she hurried forward to check on Shen Zhansi. Seeing her hand pressed against her chest, panic flickered in Yan Qingye’s eyes.

“Get up, we’re going to the hospital!”

“No need.”

Shen Zhansi closed her eyes. All she wanted now was to rest and give herself more time to accept the current situation.

“Shen Zhansi! What right do you have to say ‘no need’?” Yan Qingye spoke through gritted teeth, yet didn’t dare to move Shen Zhansi’s body recklessly.

What right did she have?

Shen Zhansi froze for a second. It was her own body—why wouldn’t she have the right?

But sensing the growing oppressive atmosphere behind her, even a hint of an impending outburst, Shen Zhansi finally explained.

“There’s no need for the hospital. It’s just some heart palpitations. I’ll be fine after resting.”

Shen Zhansi could feel Yan Qingye’s silence, followed by the sound of footsteps retreating, and finally, the door closing.

The room instantly fell into complete silence.

Clutching her chest with tightly shut eyes, Shen Zhansi suppressed the urge to cry. After living so many years, she felt like she was regressing—getting excited or upset over the smallest things.

How had she ended up like this? She loved Yan Qingye so much, yet their relationship was like fire and water.

After a long while, Shen Zhansi sat up and looked at the large wedding photo hanging above the bed. Biting her lip, her eyes darkened with frustration.

Had their relationship ever been good? Otherwise, why hadn’t they even had a wedding?

Shouldn’t normal couples have wedding photos hanging above their bed?

She desperately needed to know what had happened in the past ten years, but she couldn’t ask directly. She would have to figure it out step by step.

First, she scrolled through her phone. There weren’t many messages—just a few red notification dots. Staring at them, Shen Zhansi froze momentarily.

She used to be quite popular. Many people had added her contact, and even if she didn’t reply enthusiastically, they would still send her multiple messages. It was rare to see so few people reaching out.

Skimming through the chat histories, she noticed the conversations weren’t particularly close. Many contacts seemed work-related.

Reading the exchanges, Shen Zhansi frowned.

Had she not pursued veterinary medicine? Why did these jobs seem so finance-related?

After checking various apps, her eyes widened slightly as they landed on her bank account balance.

One, ten, hundred… billion.

Over seven hundred million in her bank account?

Shen Zhansi counted again in disbelief. The digits were correct.

She was stunned—utterly unable to believe it. If her checking account alone had this much, could there be other assets she didn’t even know about?

Was she really that talented in finance?

But judging from the chat logs, she hadn’t proposed anything particularly impressive—just simple work updates, with her replying with brief acknowledgments.

Shen Zhansi couldn’t make sense of it. Though her family circumstances in both lives weren’t bad, she had never had this much money in her account before.

Exiting the banking app and setting aside financial matters for now, Shen Zhansi furrowed her brows tightly. She still needed someone to help her indirectly understand more about the situation.

Thinking back to what she had seen while scrolling through her chat history, she opened Su Bao’s chat window. Su Bao had been her best friend since middle school, but judging from their recent messages, their connection didn’t seem particularly close anymore.

Her fingertips hovered over the message box as Shen Zhansi hesitated. Given the frequency and topics of their recent chats, it was clear they had gradually drifted apart. Would reaching out now seem too abrupt?

Just as she was still hesitating, there was another knock on her door—this time much gentler, as if afraid of disturbing the person inside.

Shen Zhansi’s eyes flickered slightly, already guessing who it might be.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Aunt Zhang stepped inside.

Shen Zhansi felt a sense of confirmation. That knock hadn’t sounded like something Yan Qingye would do.

Aunt Zhang was carrying a tray with a bowl of something on it. When she saw Shen Zhansi sitting on the bed, she sighed softly.

“Xiao Shen, Miss Yan asked me to bring this over. She noticed you didn’t eat breakfast, so she told me to prepare something light and easy to digest.”

She set the tray down on the bedside table. Inside the white ceramic bowl was a fragrant porridge made with lean pork and mustard greens.

“Yan Qingye asked you to come?” Shen Zhansi was slightly surprised. From Yan Qingye’s earlier demeanor, she didn’t seem like the type to be so considerate.

“Yes,” Aunt Zhang replied, picking up the bowl as if intending to feed Shen Zhansi herself. “Xiao Shen, you shouldn’t be so stubborn with Miss Yan. She really does care about you. This morning, when I mentioned you didn’t look well, she rushed back from the company immediately.”

Seeing her gesture, Shen Zhansi flushed with embarrassment and quickly took the bowl, insisting she could eat on her own. But Aunt Zhang’s words stirred something in her heart.

Did Yan Qingye really still care about her?

Shen Zhansi bit her lip. Yet the disgust she had seen in Yan Qingye’s eyes earlier hadn’t been fake.

“Xiao Shen, what happened last night was your fault. Miss Yan has been extremely busy with work lately and hasn’t had a proper rest in a long time. You should try to persuade her—even though you’re both young, the body can’t endure such strain forever.”

Shen Zhansi pressed her lips together, recalling Yan Qingye’s appearance earlier. Her beautiful, delicate face had indeed been marked with exhaustion, something even makeup couldn’t conceal.

“Aunt Zhang, how long have you worked here?” Shen Zhansi asked. From Aunt Zhang’s tone, it seemed they had been quite close before.

“Seven years. Do you think I’m being too nosy?” Aunt Zhang’s voice carried a hint of nervousness.

“No,” Shen Zhansi shook her head. “I know you mean well.”

Aunt Zhang let out a relieved sigh.

Shen Zhansi took a slow sip of the porridge. It was perfectly seasoned, thick and hearty—just how she liked it.

“Aunt Zhang, was I really wrong last night?”

At her question, Aunt Zhang sighed softly.

“Miss Yan’s feelings for you are obvious to everyone. No matter how busy she is, she always makes sure you’re taken care of. But last night, you still argued with her, saying she didn’t love you. Can’t you feel whether she loves you or not?”

“Miss Yan might seem cold on the surface, but her concern for you is genuine. We’ve all seen it.”

Shen Zhansi pursed her lips, a trace of contemplation flickering in her eyes.

Yan Qingye’s attitude toward her didn’t match what Aunt Zhang had described, which could only mean they were witnessing two different scenarios.

But why would such a discrepancy exist? If their relationship was truly strained, why put on a show for outsiders?

“If she really liked me, why hasn’t she been sleeping with me?” Shen Zhansi countered. She had noticed that apart from the wedding photo, there wasn’t a single trace of a second person living in this room.

“Hmm?” Aunt Zhang seemed surprised. “Wasn’t it you who threw a tantrum and refused to sleep with Miss Yan?”

At this, Aunt Zhang adopted the tone of a concerned elder: “You two were already at odds when I first arrived. After all these years of quarreling, shouldn’t you let go of whatever grudge you’re holding? Young couples grow old together—how much more time do you have to waste like this?”

She had refused to sleep together from the very beginning?

Shen Zhansi’s eyes widened slightly. That would mean they’d been living separately for at least seven years?

Seeing her silence, Aunt Zhang assumed she didn’t want to continue the conversation. She stood up to clear the breakfast tray she’d brought in earlier and said, “Just leave the bowl here when you’re done. Rest well today—Miss Yan said you’re excused from morning exercises. She’s also scheduled a full medical checkup for you tomorrow.”

A checkup?

Because she’d mentioned heart discomfort?

Shen Zhansi’s pulse quickened. Judging by this gesture alone, Yan Qingye did seem to care about her. But how had their relationship deteriorated to this point?

Mechanically sipping her porridge, her thoughts remained tangled.

Had she really coerced Yan Qingye?

Yet she couldn’t fathom why she would—or how she even could.

Yan Qingye’s earlier demeanor had resembled her post-Darkening self from the novel’s later chapters—but that version had emerged after being hurt by the Scumbag Top, Chu Zhi.

Shen Zhansi’s heart sank. Had her confession truly derailed the plot’s progression? Had she become the one who hurt Yan Qingye?

The mere possibility left her struggling to breathe.

The person she wanted to protect—had she ended up becoming their tormentor instead?

Finishing the porridge, Shen Zhansi collapsed onto the bed in despair. To have her first love end in such a mess—she couldn’t accept this sudden turn of events.

Her chest ached with a sharp pang. Now that she’d crossed over, could she change this situation?

Straining to recall past events, Shen Zhansi sensed that Yan Qingye had once felt something for her. The fact that she could hurt Yan Qingye meant those feelings must have been genuine.

Her current task, then, was to undo past damage and make Yan Qingye fall for her again.

Clutching her head in anguish, Shen Zhansi realized she didn’t even know what she’d done to hurt Yan Qingye in the first place!

Perhaps the emotional rollercoaster had drained her completely. Despite the turmoil, exhaustion eventually pulled her into sleep.

As consciousness faded, a fleeting thought crossed her mind: Maybe this was all just a bad dream. When she woke up, she’d still be her seventeen-year-old self.

Yet fate showed her no mercy. When she opened her eyes again, she was met with the familiar pastel blue hues and the faint sweet fragrance lingering in the air.

Shen Zhansi sat up expressionlessly, taking a few minutes to accept the reality before getting up to wash, change, and dress. Opening the wardrobe, she was greeted by rows of long dresses.

Her composure nearly shattered again—just how much had her preferences changed over the years?

She didn’t dislike wearing long dresses, but she rarely did, always feeling they restricted her movements.  

After rummaging through the wardrobe for a while, she finally pulled out a casual shirt and trousers. As she changed, she took some solace in her reflection—at least her future self had maintained her figure impeccably. The once-defined abdominal lines were still clearly visible.  

Dressed and ready, she stepped out. Her room was located at the far end of the second floor. As she reached the staircase, she spotted Aunt Zhang and two other maids bustling about. Their faces brightened when they noticed her.  

“Had a good rest? Lunch is ready—we were just about to call you down.”  

“Yeah.”  

Shen Zhansi responded casually while discreetly surveying the house. The decor was thoroughly modernist, dominated by minimalist black, white, and gray tones. Expansive glass panels flooded the interior with light, and from inside, she could see a sprawling terrace beyond, surrounded by mountains and water—a picturesque setting.  

This was exactly the style she loved. So why had her own room’s aesthetic diverged so drastically?  

Seated at the dining table, she scanned the room but saw no sign of Yan Qingye. Feigning nonchalance, she asked, “Aunt Zhang, isn’t she eating?”  

“Miss Yan left again shortly after returning this morning. She won’t be back for lunch—seems she already had plans. With that Miss Chu, I believe.”  

Shen Zhansi’s brows instantly furrowed.  

Miss Chu?  

Was that the original scumbag top, Chu Zhi?  

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