At noon, the matriarch personally invited Lin Jingxian for lunch, with Shang Yushang and He Changning accompanying her.
At the table, Shang Yushang and He Changning maintained impeccable table manners—serving each other dishes, pouring soup, and occasionally using the communal chopsticks to place appropriate dishes in front of the old lady.
Shang Yushang never tried to hide the fact that he was totally whipped for his husband. He didn’t care what others thought. As far as he was concerned, pampering his spouse and treating him like royalty was perfectly normal. Handling all the little details of daily life for his husband was just part of being a responsible partner. In fact, he genuinely enjoyed taking care of He Changning—helping him dress, making sure he ate well—he’d do it all day if he could. Watching the little guy chew his food with his cheeks puffed out, looking adorably satisfied, made his hands itch with the urge to grab him for a kiss or two.
Meanwhile, Lin Jingxian chewed her food with a stiff, waxy expression. It was written all over her face how miserable she felt, but she couldn’t let it show. She had come today partly to see Shang Yushang in person, to gauge his reaction upon seeing her. Deep down, she was still hoping they could rekindle something. Honestly, no matter how many men she’d been with over the years, only Shang Yushang had left a mark on her heart—so much so that the desire to win him back had grown harder to suppress. As for his male spouse? She never took him seriously. No man could truly keep another man’s heart—not long-term, anyway. If it was just physical, there’d be a day he’d get tired. If they were pretending to be a real couple, well, without children that kind of marriage wouldn’t last.
The other reason she came was to ask for a favor—she wanted to use her past relationship with Shang Yushang to plead for her uncle. She hoped he would show mercy and let him off the hook. After all, her uncle had worked hard for Shang Corporation. Even if he had made mistakes, he didn’t deserve to be destroyed completely.
But her wishful thinking seemed a bit naïve. Shang Yushang showed almost no reaction to her presence—barely any expression at all. His attention was fully focused on his husband. That surprised and confused her. He had changed—completely. The man she remembered never showed any interest in men, and hadn’t seemed all that into women either. Sure, they’d had a little ambiguous past, but that had been mostly in her imagination. Nothing ever really came of it, thanks to timing and external circumstances.
Lunch was painfully awkward. After the old lady retired for her afternoon nap, the couple stayed behind to entertain Lin Jingxian.
The living room was filled with the rich aroma of tea. The couple sat together on a loveseat, sipping leisurely.
Trying to cut through the awkwardness, Lin Jingxian cleared her throat gently. “Yushang, have you been busy lately?”
Shang Yushang was toying with He Changning’s slender, jade-like fingers, rubbing gently over the wedding ring on his ring finger. “Mm, just finished handling some business.” He was never one for small talk, and his presence tended to kill the conversation.
The silence stretched on. Finally, Lin Jingxian pushed forward. “My uncle… seems to have caused you trouble.”
“It’s routine. Already dealt with.” Shang Yushang’s tone was curt, offering no room for sentiment.
She pressed on despite the chilly response. “This might sound presumptuous, but… Yushang, would you consider letting my uncle off the hook?”
Just thinking of that call from her aunt gave her a headache. She knew it was unwise to provoke Shang Yushang without a sure win. Her uncle had acted far too recklessly. And Shang Yuchen, that brainless second-generation heir, was no match for Shang Yushang. She had warned her uncle before—Shang Yushang was extremely calculating. Trying to pull tricks under his nose was a bad idea. But greed and ambition had clouded her uncle’s judgment, and now he was paying for it.
Still, he was her uncle—her family—and he’d always treated her well. Not stepping in now would make her look heartless. People would talk, and it’d hurt her reputation. But Shang Yushang clearly had no interest in talking, which left her feeling helpless. “I know my uncle made mistakes,” she said, “but can you take into account everything he’s done for Shang Corporation over the years? He’s old now. I really think he’s learned his lesson. He won’t do anything to hurt the company again. Please, just let this go.”
He Changning raised an eyebrow. Typical. These people always played the same cards: sentiment and guilt. If you refused, you were ungrateful; if you gave in, they’d only want more. Hypocrites, the lot of them.
Shang Yushang’s face didn’t change, but his fingers slowly massaged He Changning’s pale, graceful hand. His expression was calm, but there was a chill in his eyes as he glanced at Lin Jingxian. “There have to be rules. ‘Credit to offset crime’ doesn’t work in my book. The whole company is watching. I owe them all an explanation. So, Miss Lin—sorry.”
His presence alone carried a quiet intensity that made Lin Jingxian uneasy. His words embarrassed and angered her. How could her uncle be compared to ordinary employees? Shang Corporation was a small firm when it started out. Without those early contributors holding the fort, it wouldn’t have become what it is today. Her uncle had been instrumental. Sure, maybe he got too cocky, but he no longer had the power to challenge Shang Yushang. Showing him mercy would be a decent thing to do—good karma, even.
She had a lot on her mind and didn’t agree with his stance, but the power now lay firmly in Shang Yushang’s hands. She couldn’t afford to push too hard or burn bridges. She forced herself to soften her tone, hoping to appeal to him one last time. “Yushang, I know I’m asking a lot. I know it puts you in a tough spot. But my uncle truly regrets what he’s done. He’s even willing to hand over all his assets if you’ll just forgive him. He’ll leave immediately and never show up again. Please… for the sake of the years we’ve known each other, can you let him go this once?”
He Changning arched a brow and gave Shang Yushang a pointed look. Here we go—cue the tragic backstory and teary appeal. Surely the great Young Master Shang would show mercy to his childhood sweetheart?
Shang Yushang caught the teasing glint in his husband’s eyes and suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He coughed lightly. “Apologies, Miss Lin. My husband usually naps after lunch. Let’s continue this another time, shall we?”
He Changning turned his face away—he honestly couldn’t bear to keep looking at Lin Jingxian’s ever-changing complexion, flipping from pale to flushed like a color-changing palette. Only someone like Shang Yushang, the emotionless master of deadpan, could kick someone out so bluntly and still act like he was perfectly justified.
Also… since when did he have a “habit of napping after lunch”? How dare that man use him as a human shield?
Shang Yushang, you just wait.
Shang Yushang would rather deal with his wife’s wrath later than let him misunderstand there was anything between him and Lin Jingxian. That needed to be clarified—no way he was letting some random woman’s delusions cost him his husband’s affection. That’d be the dumbest way to die. And as for this annoying woman, was she delusional? When did they ever have “history”? Pulling every trick in the book just to plead for Lin Changqing… absolutely shameless. If she made his wife upset, she could prepare for hell to freeze over before getting what she wanted.
Lin Jingxian’s face put on quite a show—blue, white, red, then purple, like a walking color chart.
She gritted her teeth, nails digging into her palm so hard she drew blood, doing everything she could to keep herself from screaming. Her expression was twisted from suppressed rage, and her voice trembled as she forced out, “Fine. I’ll contact you another time.”
Then she stood and left, completely dropping her usual graceful, high-society demeanor—fleeing in a flustered mess.
Without missing a beat, Shang Yushang reached for his wife’s hand.
“Baby, let me take you to your nap.”
He Changning shot him a look, half-smiling.
“Sure. Just the right time to ask you a few things. Like when exactly did I develop a habit of napping after lunch? Maybe we can also chat about your sweet, nostalgic friendship with your childhood sweetheart—sound good?”
Shang Yushang’s mouth twitched.
“Mm-hmm. Whatever you say.”
It took all afternoon—and a very parched throat—before Shang Yushang finally regained his wife’s trust.
That night, once the stars were out, Young Master Shang shamelessly clung to his husband and used every trick in the book until he’d thoroughly “devoured” him, falling asleep afterward with a smug, satisfied grin on his face, arms wrapped tightly around his precious love.
The next day, He Changning didn’t wake until nearly noon. The old lady warmly urged him to eat something and reminded him to take care of his health before heading out to visit friends.
As for the now-routine aftermath of these “afternoon naps,” He Changning had developed skin thick enough to rival a castle wall. He smiled gracefully as he accepted the old lady’s affection, all the while cursing Shang Yushang from head to toe in his heart.
Meanwhile, the CEO of Shang Corporation—neck-deep in work—suddenly sneezed loudly, rubbed his nose, and muttered under his breath:
“He’s cursing me again…”
The secretary called through the internal line.
“President Shang, there’s a Miss Lin Jingxian on the line. Would you like to take her call?”
Expression unreadable, Shang Yushang paused for a second, then said, “Put her through.”
“Yes, sir.”
The ever-efficient secretary patched the call through.
“Hello, Yushang—it’s me.”
His deep, magnetic voice came through the receiver:
“What is it?”
Lin Jingxian cautiously tested the waters.
“It’s been a while. I was wondering if you’d like to grab a meal sometime—are you free?”
“Sorry. I’ve got work.”
“Oh… how about tomorrow?” she pushed again, unwilling to give up.
“I’m afraid not. My husband hasn’t been feeling well lately, so I’ve been going home early to take care of him.”
At that, even if she were furious enough to vomit blood, there was nothing Lin Jingxian could do.
“…All right, maybe another time.”
Shang Yushang didn’t even bother with a goodbye before hanging up. Then he called Da Zhou in.
“How far along is Lin Changqing’s case?”
Da Zhou dutifully delivered the update.
“The first trial’s over—he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Our legal team played a major role in that. As for Shang Corporation’s losses, the court ruled that all of Lin Changqing’s assets be assessed and compensated at 80% of market value to the company. That was thanks to our lawyers going head-to-head with the court several times. However, Lin Changqing’s not accepting the verdict and is preparing to appeal.”
“He’s going to drag Shang Yuchen down with him. He’ll likely try to pull Yin Hao in too. What’s the current situation with the Yin family?”
Da Zhou silently cursed—Young Master spent his days cuddling with his beautiful husband, living the dream while the rest of them broke their backs running the empire. But hey, the boss is the boss.
“These past few days haven’t been easy for the Yins. Since you haven’t made a move, they’ve been on edge, completely paranoid. Yin Zhiyan is still managing the company’s day-to-day operations. Yin Hao has already fled the country.”
“Let them sweat. Once we finish handling Lin Changqing, we’ll move on to them. No rush. Watching them slowly fall from grace—that’s the real entertainment, don’t you think?”
Shang Yushang’s eyes flashed with a deadly chill. Everything He Changning had suffered back then—he was going to make the Yin family pay back tenfold.
Da Zhou swallowed nervously.
Note to self: never cross Young Master.
Scratch that—never cross Young Master Ning.
Otherwise, you wouldn’t even know what killed you.
