Volume One, Chapter Six: Divorce

After a week of intense work, the first phase of M Group's acquisition finally came to an end. This acquisition, entrusted entirely to Li Shen by his grandfather, was his first major project. Li Shen announced a half-day off for the team, prompting cheers all around.

"Finally, I can catch my breath. My girlfriend hasn't spoken to me for three days," Zhao Jie complained to Qian Jin.

"My wife has been back at her parents' for five days. When we're this busy, we don't see each other all week. How could the head of the household not be worried?" Qian Jin lamented.

"So, how are you going to make it up to her? Buy a bag? A necklace?"

"My wife loves milk tea. Recently, the tea shop released a limited edition collaboration with a bear theme, available only in small quantities at set times each day. Seems like all the girls love it."

"Ah, my girlfriend mentioned that too. Old Qian, you really understand women."

"Can't help it. If we don't keep the head of the household happy, our lives won't be any easier."

"Hey, isn't Mr. Li about to get married? I think he hasn't been home for a week either."

"Keep your voice down."

Li Shen pushed open the office door, and the room instantly fell silent, as if muted.

"Why aren't you going home? Want me to assign you some work?" Li Shen looked around.

Thirty seconds later, everyone had scattered.

Driving past “Love Tea,” Li Shen spotted the long line outside. On a whim, he parked along the curb and walked over.

Well, even the staff knew how to pamper their wives; he couldn’t neglect the “crazy queen of the screen” either.

After all, buying a cup of milk tea didn’t mean much. Li Shen reassured himself.

After waiting in line, he scanned the menu to order. The top three popular products were: “Confession Bear,” “Hug Bear,” and “Forgiveness Bear.” His brow furrowed tighter with each. None of these appealed to him.

Scrolling down further, he found a Conan series collaboration. Several popular characters were sold out except for one—Kaito Kid. Relaxing, he added one to his order, then went back and added the last “Hug Bear.”

Carrying two cups of milk tea, he returned to the East Mountain Hua Villa and detoured to the small detached house where Shen Zhi’en lived. Upon entering, laughter and cheerful voices drifted from inside.

Li Shen clenched the bag tighter and headed toward the dance studio on the first floor.

At the doorway, he caught sight of two overlapping figures sitting on the floor. Li Heng sat with his back to him, head slightly bowed, almost completely blocking Shen Zhi’en’s face.

They appeared to be engaged in some intimate gesture, causing his brow to knit in displeasure.

“Young Master Shen,” Xiao Tao greeted hurriedly upon seeing him.

Hearing the voice, Li Heng turned around, and Shen Zhi’en looked toward the door.

“Ah Shen, you’re here,” Li Heng said with a smile.

“You act more like the owner here,” Li Shen replied coldly, his gaze sharp as a blade sweeping over Shen Zhi’en’s face. She sensed the displeasure in his tone and felt a flush of shame, as if caught red-handed.

Li Heng remained unruffled. He stood and approached Li Shen, patting his shoulder.

“Xiao En is—”

Li Shen cut him off. “The one living here is your future sister-in-law. I hope you can respect some boundaries.”

He then turned to Shen Zhi’en. “Since your foot is injured and you can’t attend dance class, shall we add an extra two etiquette classes a day for you?”

Shen Zhi’en looked up at him, a faint anger gleaming in her eyes. Li Shen met her gaze without flinching.

“Ah Shen, you might be misunderstanding. Xiao En… Sister-in-law is helping our company shoot some promotional photos for a mascara product. I was just taking pictures for her,” Li Heng explained, showing him close-up shots of the eyes on his phone.

Li Shen glanced at the phone and retorted coldly, “Doesn’t your company have professional photographers? Why do you, someone from marketing, have to take pictures?”

“Are you really mad?” Li Heng leaned in, his innocent face and droopy eyes looking pitifully at Li Shen.

Li Shen’s tense expression softened. Li Heng had always been like this—when he did something wrong, he would come over and bat his big eyes, acting cute. The scene took Li Shen back twenty years.

“You too—gone for over a week and when you come back, it’s like you’re here to lay down the law. Go and make it up to her. I won’t be the third wheel,” Li Heng waved his hand and left.

Li Shen approached Shen Zhi’en, who was sitting on the floor with her back against the mirror, hugging her legs and turning her face away.

All the harsh, sarcastic, and biting remarks he had prepared suddenly failed to come out.

He stepped forward and shook the bag in his hand.

Hearing the rustle, Shen Zhi’en looked up, her eyes brightening from their previous sorrow.

“Love Tea! You actually bought this!” she exclaimed in surprise and delight.

Hearing the joy in her voice, Li Shen suppressed a slight smile and casually handed her the bag. Shen Zhi’en quickly opened it.

The “Hug Bear” collaboration cup had a plush bear hugging the cup as a sleeve—exquisitely crafted. The other cup, the Kaito Kid version, was simply printed with a graphic.

Shen Zhi’en immediately recognized which was his and handed him the Kaito Kid cup. “Yours, Kaito Shen.”

“You’re welcome, crazy queen of the screen,” Li Shen said expressionlessly as he took the milk tea.

“It’s En-dian!” Shen Zhi’en corrected him in exasperation.

He glanced at her foot, which was no longer swollen and had no brace. “Your foot seems much better.”

“Yeah, it probably won’t affect the wedding performance,” she replied.

“Even if it does, it doesn’t matter. Not important anyway.” Li Shen inserted the straw and took a sip. It was really sweet.

Watching his indifferent expression, Shen Zhi’en suddenly felt a pang of disappointment.

Not important? Then what was all the fuss about her moving in three weeks early, taking classes, and practicing dance? Was the wedding unimportant, or was she?

Li Shen turned and met her downcast eyes. A flicker of awkwardness crossed his own before he looked away.

“I mean, don’t push yourself. If your foot hurts a lot, you can skip the dance part.”

“No,” Shen Zhi’en interrupted.

“You live here; you’re not locked in. If you feel lonely, you can go out shopping, meet friends, visit family.”

Shen Zhi’en took a sip of the milk tea, cold, sweet, and delicious.

“As the heir of the Li family, my every move is under the spotlight. So will yours. If you’re caught looking unhappy, it will cause trouble for the Li family.”

“I’ve never experienced a respectful married relationship, so I don’t know how to get along with a 'wife.' If you don’t mind, we can treat this as a working relationship. It might be easier that way.”

There was a soft sound of the straw sucking air. Li Shen turned.

“You finished already?!”

Shen Zhi’en sucked the last drop with relish.

“Long time no milk tea. It’s so good! Next time, just three parts sugar.”

“Were you listening to me?” Li Shen frowned.

“Of course, boss,” Shen Zhi’en replied immediately. “Then let’s treat this as a working relationship, always on guard. You run such a huge business empire; you can’t be on my level. Anyway, I’m just getting paid to do a job, so you can be the boss.”

Li Shen didn’t quite understand the phrase “getting paid to do a job,” but he grasped the general idea that they were on the same page.

“Three years. In three years, when I have absolute authority and can do things my way, if we still can’t get along, I’ll give you a promise.” The sunlight cast a glow on Li Shen’s profile—high nose bridge, sharp features.

“What promise?” Shen Zhi’en asked, staring at his side profile, somewhat entranced. She had never looked at him seriously before; he was surprisingly handsome.

Li Shen turned to her, backlit by the sun.

“Divorce.”