Chapter 84

Ji Ran had assumed that after returning to work, news of her and Shen Zhi’s relationship would spread like wildfire through the entire company. After all, she had hugged him and cried right in front of all his subordinates that night.

To her surprise, on Monday, everything at Gaotong Securities was completely calm and peaceful.

She guessed that Shen Zhi must have strictly forbidden them from spreading the news in private. She couldn’t help but admire his effectiveness in managing his subordinates.

Ji Ran actually fully supported Shen Zhi’s approach. Although Gaotong Securities had no explicit rule against workplace romances, neither of them liked mixing work with their personal lives.

She let out a sigh of relief, though she also found it a bit funny. Back in high school, they had pretended not to know each other to avoid the teachers’ watchful eyes. Now, at an age where no one could stop them from dating, they still had to be mindful of the impact because they worked at the same company.

The next morning, after wrapping up a meeting with her team, Fang Qian suddenly walked in holding a tablet.

“Boss, look at this,” Fang Qian said, placing the tablet in front of her.

Ji Ran glanced down at the headline, her expression turning to surprise, and immediately clicked on the video. It was a news item published just a few minutes ago regarding the sudden deterioration of Hengchi Group Chairman Mr. Shen Qianshan’s health, reporting that he had been hospitalized.

Fang Qian whispered, “Boss, as soon as this news came out, our group chats blew up!”

“Are you guys really that concerned about Hengchi Group’s affairs?” Ji Ran asked, suppressing the worry in her heart, though her brows remained slightly furrowed.

Fang Qian perked up instantly and said, “Boss, did you forget? Hengchi Group is CEO Shen’s family business! No wonder CEO Shen didn’t come to work this morning. Everyone is discussing whether he’s going back home to inherit his family’s vast fortune!”

Ji Ran knew Shen Zhi hadn’t come to work that morning, but she thought it was because he had a meeting with the law firm. She hadn’t expected this kind of emergency to arise. She knew that Grandfather Shen was the only member of the Shen family who showed him genuine warmth. Even Shen Jiming, who had brought him back, couldn’t earn Shen Zhi’s trust.

Ji Ran let out a soft sigh.

Fang Qian asked in confusion, “Boss, why are you sighing like that? What’s wrong?”

Ji Ran casually replied, “I just feel like birth, old age, sickness, and death are things no one can escape, no matter how rich they are.”

“Ah, that’s true,” Fang Qian nodded, though she quickly added, “But to be able to build a massive enterprise like Hengchi, I think one’s life would be without regrets.”

Ji Ran remained noncommittal.

—

“Big Brother, I’m not just saying this—on what grounds are you keeping us from seeing Dad? What right do you have?”

At that moment, the second uncle of the Shen family, Shen Jiyuan, was standing in the hospital corridor, shouting loudly without a shred of decorum.

“That’s right, Eldest Uncle! My dad is Grandfather’s son too. Isn’t it inappropriate for you to be so dictatorial?” Shen Min crossed her arms over her chest, speaking with a hint of resentment.

Speaking of the Shen family, among the three sons, Shen Jiyuan was indeed the least favored by the old master. The eldest was the firstborn son and had been in the spotlight since birth, while the third was the youngest child and had been spoiled since childhood. Being the middle child, he was somewhat unloved by both parents. Furthermore, Shen Jiyuan’s abilities were average—he wasn’t even as capable as Shen Jiming.

Therefore, the moment the old master collapsed, he panicked for real. Seeing his eldest brother blocking him from entering the hospital room, he instantly lost his temper. All sorts of wealthy family estate disputes flashed through his mind.

Seeing them crowding around and yelling at him, the eldest brother, Shen Jidong, was so angry his head throbbed. He said in mild fury, “What on earth are you all babbling about? Dad is sick and down, and the doctors said he needs rest. With so many of you barging in, how is he supposed to rest?”

“You’ve already gone in to see him and showed your face in front of Dad, and now you’re blocking us. What are you trying to do?”

“I only went in to say two sentences and came right out! Second Brother, what do you mean by that?”

Both of them were normally prominent, dignified executives in public, but as they argued now, they threw all status and dignity out the window. Even Shen Jiming, who was standing to the side, couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

He wasn’t as anxious as the second brother. Even if the eldest brother got to see the old master, so what? Could seeing him one more time mean the old man would hand over the entire conglomerate to him?

He kept turning to look toward the elevator, looking as if he were waiting for someone.

Finally, the elevator chimed, sending a clear ding down the hallway, and Shen Jiming perked up instantly. A moment later, several people stepped out of the elevator. However, no one expected the two men leading the group to arrive together.

Shen Jiming narrowed his eyes slightly, watching Shen Zhi and Shen Yue walk toward him.

As soon as Shen Yue drew near, an overpowering stench of alcohol wafted off him. Shen Jiming couldn’t help but raise a hand to cover his nose, frowning as he asked, “Shen Yue, how much did you drink?”

“Third Uncle, really not that much,” Shen Yue said with a cheeky grin.

However, the moment he opened his mouth, the reek forced Shen Jiming to step back. Even Shen Min, standing a bit further away, couldn’t help but scowl.

Shen Yue’s mother quickly rushed over to grab his hand, whispering, “Why did you drink so much?”

“Mom, don’t worry, I’m fine,” Shen Yue said dismissively.

This prompted a rebuke from his second uncle, Shen Jiyuan, who snapped, “What is wrong with you? Your grandfather is sick like this, and you’re still in the mood to drink!”

“Second Brother, you’re wrong to say that. Shen Yue didn’t know Dad was suddenly hospitalized! You ignore all the work he does for the company every day, but you jump on him the moment you catch him drinking!”

With that, the two started squabbling again.

Shen Zhi stood furthest away from them, his hand casually tucked into his pants pocket, standing tall and upright. Hearing their increasingly unscrupulous accusations back and forth, his brow finally twitched slightly.

Even at a time like this, they still have the heart to attack each other.

“Why did you just get here?” Shen Jiming let out a sigh of relief, though his mood was relatively good, likely because Shen Zhi had arrived in time.

“I was worried about Grandfather.”

Shen Zhi’s tone was indifferent, light and ethereal like mist floating over autumnal waters—his voice sounded hollow.

He rarely gave off such an unsettled impression. But at this moment, perhaps out of sympathy or a touch of heartache, he thought of how his grandfather had carried the entire Shen family on his shoulders. Yet the moment he fell ill, everyone here fell into chaotic bickering, like a troupe of helpless monkeys running wild after their shelter collapsed—tragic and pitiful.

Shen Jiming had no idea what was going on in his mind and murmured, “Your eldest uncle and second uncle have been arguing until now.”

Shen Zhi’s brows pressed down slightly, his whole presence shrouded in a suffocating low pressure. Even Shen Jiming couldn’t help feeling inexplicably guilty.

After an unknown period, a man in a suit walked out of the room. This was the old master’s assistant, a man who had been by his side for over twenty years and was more loyal than his own sons.

“Young Master Zhi, the old master is awake. He says he wants to see you.”

Everyone’s head turned simultaneously as if pulled by a magnet, looking toward Shen Zhi standing at the very back.

He nodded faintly, walked over to Special Assistant Chen, and whispered, “Please lead the way.”

As the two disappeared down the hallway, the expressions of everyone except Shen Jiming turned extremely ugly. At this point, the second uncle still had the nerve to sneer mockingly, “Some people act like they’re the big butler of this household, but it seems Dad doesn’t see it that way.”

The eldest uncle snapped instantly, shouting in anger, “Second Brother, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?!”

“Did I say your name? Did I mention you specifically?”

Even Shen Jiming couldn’t understand why these two were in such a foul mood today.

—

After Shen Zhi entered the ward, he saw the old master wearing an oxygen mask, connected to various monitoring machines, looking extremely weak.

The moment he walked in, the old master’s fingers lifted slightly, as if motioning for him to come closer.

“Grandfather.” Shen Zhi walked over, crouched half-down beside the bed, and gently held his hand. The hand he had felt was so warm in his youth was now emaciated and dry; holding it felt like clutching a bundle of bones.

The old master opened his eyes to look at him, his gaze surprisingly bright. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out at first.

After trying a second time, he finally called out, “A-Zhi.”

Shen Zhi nodded softly. The old master then spoke, “Are you still unwilling to help Grandfather?”

In fact, back when Shen Zhi became the Managing Director at Gaotong Securities, the old master had already begun persuading him to return to Hengchi Group. With his current resume and capabilities, taking over the management of the entire Hengchi Group directly wouldn’t be a problem.

Though young, he had experienced far too much.

In the Shen family today, the only person the old master could trust was him.

Even though Shen Zhi had repeatedly and unhesitatingly rejected his grandfather in the past, at this very second, looking at the frail old man in bed, he found the words he usually uttered without second thought somewhat impossible to say.

In the Shen family, the only person who treated him well was Old Master Shen.

When Shen Jiming was enraged because Shen Zhi intentionally threw his exams, he threatened to cut off his living allowance and even forced Yuan Sheng and his grandparents into homelessness. But later, it was the old master who smilingly told him, *A-Zhi, don’t be in such a rush; while you’re young, do whatever you want to do.*

That wise old man had always known what he was doing.

Seeing Shen Zhi remain silent, the old man held onto him as if grasping at a life-saving straw, “A-Zhi, Grandfather only has you left.”

—

When Ji Ran returned home that evening, she turned on the lights and was just about to throw her bag onto the sofa when her eyes caught a figure lying on it, causing her bag to nearly drop from her hands.

“You’re home?” Ji Ran quickly walked over and sat down beside him.

Shen Zhi looked as though he had been sleeping for a long time. As he woke up just now, his thick, long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and tiny red veins bloodshot his dark eyes, making him look utterly exhausted.

“Ranran.”

He called out softly, placing his hand on her back, his voice carrying a soft drowsiness, “Let me hold you for a moment.”

Ji Ran leaned down gently and rested against his chest.

His chest was slightly warm. As Ji Ran’s cheek pressed against his slightly unbuttoned collarbone, feeling the warmth of his skin, neither of them spoke. They sat together in peaceful quiet.

Finally, Shen Zhi spoke up, “I deliberately didn’t go to work today.”

After returning from the hospital, he had been lying on the sofa at home. At first, he was just letting his mind go blank, but then he gradually drifted off to sleep, sleeping straight until Ji Ran returned.

Ji Ran asked softly, “Are you happy?”

“I feel like I haven’t had such a satisfying rest in a very, very long time,” Shen Zhi replied, a hint of a smile lacing his voice.

When the two of them sat up, Shen Zhi turned his head, his gaze falling upon her, and suddenly asked in a low voice, “If I choose a very exhausting path, will you support me?”

Although he didn’t spell it out, Ji Ran seemed to guess his thoughts. She knew it had to be related to the Shen family’s affairs.

Yet she didn’t probe further or overthink it; she simply nodded and said, “I will support you.”

“A-Zhi, just do what you want to do. Even if the entire world opposes it, I will support you.” She reached out, took Shen Zhi’s hand, and gently slid her fingers through the gaps between his.

Holding their intertwined hands up into the air, Ji Ran whispered softly, “Unshakable, just like this.”

—

Sure enough, news of the Hengchi Group founder’s hospitalization was heavily reported soon after. Even the company’s stock price plummeted in response, as Hengchi Group had yet to designate a successor. The entire family was surging with undercurrents of conflict.

It wasn’t until a month later that Hengchi Group suddenly held a press conference.

When Shen Zhi appeared at the venue wearing a tailored suit, all the media went into an uproar. Everyone had initially thought this conference was meant to introduce a new company project, expecting no major scoops.

Yet, as the Managing Director of Gaotong Securities, Shen Zhi’s sudden appearance—didn’t it signify that he was about to take charge of Hengchi Group?

Sure enough, it was announced during the conference that Shen Zhi would assume the role of the new CEO of Hengchi Group. This decision not only received the support of Old Master Shen but was also unanimously approved by the entire board of directors of Hengchi Group.

Ji Ran watched the live broadcast in her office alongside Fang Qian.

Ever since Fang Qian accidentally saw Ji Ran getting into Shen Zhi’s car, and Ji Ran candidly confirmed that she was indeed dating CEO Shen, Fang Qian had been holding her face, opening her mouth in silent screams, howling internally that *she knew it, she just knew it was like this!*

She even suspected that Ji Ran’s previous expression of disliking Shen Zhi was just an act to catch CEO Shen’s attention. Of course, she didn’t dare share such wild delusions with Ji Ran, fearing she might lose her job the very next second.

—

Even after becoming CEO, Shen Zhi’s work was far from smooth sailing. After all, the other two branches of the Shen family had operated within the company for a long time; they not only failed to cooperate with him but also obstructed him at every turn. Consequently, the difficulty of Shen Zhi’s work multiplied several times over compared to an ordinary executive.

Furthermore, Shen Yue was behaving like a madman. His reaction to Shen Zhi becoming CEO was even more intense than his father’s. In his view, he was the eldest son of the eldest grandson branch of the Shen family, and everything in the Shen family belonged to him. On what grounds did this illegitimate child get to compete with him?

Yet Shen Zhi had won. Effortlessly, he obtained the position of Hengchi CEO that Shen Yue had dreamed of.

Driven mad, Shen Yue wanted nothing more than to retaliate.

—

At that moment, a loud, crisp crack sounded inside a luxurious VIP room—a wine glass smashed against the wall, shattering into pieces that scattered everywhere in midair.

As if that wasn’t enough, he picked up a girl’s phone and slammed it hard onto the floor.

However, the floor was covered in a thick, soft carpet, so the phone couldn’t break. Shen Yue picked the phone back up, aimed it at the corner of a table, and smashed it down viciously.

With a hard impact, the phone screen shattered completely. He let out a sinister laugh, “Handsome? He’s handsome, huh?!”

After asking this, he threw the broken phone straight at her head. The girl hugged her head in terror and burst into loud weeping.

“Young Master Shen, forget it,” someone finally urged, fearing things would escalate out of control.

Shen Yue stared back coldly, scaring the person so much they didn’t dare utter another word.

To be fair, this girl was just caught in the crossfire. She was a minor internet influencer brought over by one of Shen Yue’s friends. While the men gathered to drink away their frustrations, the girls were chatting and playing on their phones together.

Who could have known that this girl happened to scroll across a news article about Shen Zhi on Weibo, excitedly sharing it with the others, commenting on how handsome and young the CEO was and calling him the internet’s new “national husband.”

Shen Yue had overheard this exact line, which ignited his fury.

Just as Shen Yue stood up to sweep all the wine bottles and glasses off the table onto the floor, the door to the VIP room was pushed open.

When Jiang Yi walked in, she happened to witness his wild, frantic scene. Having seen Shen Yue lose his temper countless times recently, she wasn’t surprised. However, seeing a girl crying on the floor, she was still slightly taken aback.

“You guys leave first,” Jiang Yi waved her hand.

These young girls had been brought along by Shen Yue’s friends to hang out. Everyone had come just to have a good time; who could have anticipated nearly running into a lunatic? Terrified and dazed, none of them dared to move at first. Hearing Jiang Yi’s words, they grabbed their bags and scrambled to run out. Fortunately, someone remembered to drag away the girl whose legs had turned to jelly on the floor.

Once it was just Shen Yue and Jiang Yi left in the room, Jiang Yi pulled out her phone and held it in front of him. Shen Yue didn’t take it.

Jiang Yi sneered, “Do you know who Shen Zhi is with right now?”

The moment Shen Yue heard the name “Shen Zhi,” he whipped his head around. Finally, he saw the photo on the screen, then looked up, “Isn’t this that…”

“Ji Ran,” Jiang Yi sneered, saying, “Shen Zhi already holds the upper hand. If he marries Ji Ran, you’ll be even less likely to win.”

Shen Yue instantly exploded into a rage, “Who says I can’t win?! He’s just a little bastard!”

“A-Yue, we’re on the same team now, aren’t we?” Jiang Yi reached out and lightly pressed her hand on Shen Yue’s shoulder.

As Shen Yue stared at her, Jiang Yi’s voice turned soft and gentle, “So we must stop them.”

When Jiang Yi first saw those photos, she was consumed by wild fury. No one knew that the first boy she had ever liked was Shen Zhi. Even after all these years, seeing that man again still evoked the feeling of heart-pounding attraction she had back then.

The Shen Yue standing in front of her, despite bearing the same surname, was worlds apart from him. If Shen Zhi were with anyone else, she might have endured it, but she could never tolerate him being with Ji Ran.

“How do we stop them?” Shen Yue clutched his hair, his eyes bloodshot like a cornered beast, “Shen Zhi has already started auditing my accounts. He’s definitely going to make a big deal out of it. Where would I find the time to care about who he’s dating?!”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

The more Jiang Yi investigated, the more alarmed she became. She found out that when Ji Ran was comatose in the hospital for two months previously, Shen Zhi had put aside his work entirely just to stay by her side at the hospital.

*He actually loved her to such an extent.*

“When she was comatose for two months before, Shen Zhi stayed by her side like that. Tell me, if she were to die, would Shen Zhi go crazy? Haven’t you always said his mother had mental illness? What if he gets pushed into madness by the shock?”

Shen Yue froze, shivering slightly, “You… are you talking about murder?”

He stared at Jiang Yi in utter disbelief, as if he didn’t recognize her at all. How could this woman talk about such things so casually?

“Of course we won’t do it ourselves. I have a great candidate in mind, and we can push him forward. Did you know? Aside from you, he’s the person who hates Shen Zhi the most. We’ll just provide a few leads and let him find the person he needs to find.”

Shen Yue pondered for a long time before finally asking softly, “Who are you talking about?”

“Tang Zhenpeng.”

—

Ji Ran worked overtime until past nine o’clock before swiping her card to head downstairs as usual. When she reached the underground parking lot, she took a few steps forward and suddenly heard movement behind her.

When she turned around, the vast parking lot was completely empty and silent.

Ji Ran walked a few steps further until she finally reached her car. She reached out to unlock it with her key, but just as she stretched out her hand to open the door, she caught sight of a man standing not far from her in her peripheral vision.

Ji Ran was visibly startled, dropping her car key to the ground.

Pretending not to care about the man’s presence, she bent down to pick up the key, gripping her handbag tightly. She suddenly felt a pang of regret that the bag she carried today was made of soft leather—even if she hit someone with it, it wouldn’t hurt much.

Finally, the man walked up to her. Staring at Ji Ran expressionlessly, he asked, “Are you Ji Ran?”

Ji Ran instinctively denied it, “No, I’m not.”

She looked closely at the man’s face. He looked at least thirty-five years old, not very tall, with a slightly hunched back, looking timid and subservient overall.

Yet that face looked strangely familiar.

Really so familiar—where on earth had she seen it before?

Until a memory flashed through her mind—it was at a bus stop, where Shen Zhi had pinned someone firmly against an advertisement board.

Tang Zhenpeng.

Ji Ran didn’t know why he had come looking for her, but she instinctively felt something was wrong. She reached out to pull open the car door, but he was faster than her.

Tang Zhenpeng rushed forward and grabbed her by the neck, but Ji Ran’s body was nimble; she ducked down and managed to escape past his waist.

Giving up on getting into the car, she began running forward with all her strength, shouting, “Help! Help!”

However, Tang Zhenpeng didn’t give up and chased after her directly. There was a natural gap in speed between men and women, and he caught up with Ji Ran in no time. This time, as Ji Ran tried to struggle further, he suddenly produced a dagger he had hidden on his person.

“Move again! Scream again, go on!”

His eyes were bloodshot, bearing a strange, abnormal mania.

Ji Ran went still instantly.

However, they were not the only ones in the parking lot. Someone indeed heard Ji Ran’s cries for help, walked over, and saw a man pinning a girl to the ground with a dagger in his hand.

“What are you doing?!” a passerby shouted out in reprimand.

Tang Zhenpeng yanked Ji Ran up from the ground, pulling her between two cars parked against the wall. With Ji Ran blocking the front, the two cars and the wall behind them completely shielded him.

Ji Ran panted heavily.

What a small world—or rather, it wasn’t a small world at all; Tang Zhenpeng was clearly coming for her. She just couldn’t understand why Tang Zhenpeng would seek her out. Logically speaking, Tang Zhenpeng shouldn’t have any memories of her, since even Wen Qianxia and Xia Jiangming didn’t remember.

The very next second, as her confusion mounted, Tang Zhenpeng pressed the dagger against her neck and yelled, “Call Shen Zhi! Call Shen Zhi right now and tell him to get over here!”

Suddenly, Ji Ran realized why Tang Zhenpeng had come looking for her—he wanted to use her to get revenge on Shen Zhi.

Ji Ran knew that many events in her memory had occurred in the previous life, so Tang Zhenpeng must have been sentenced to prison for molesting girls back then, just as it happened in her memory. Shen Zhi must have played a decisive role in that outcome.

Ji Ran certainly wouldn’t call Shen Zhi—she would have to be out of her mind to let Shen Zhi come face this lunatic. But the passerby had quickly called the police, and everything was already slipping beyond her control.

—

By the time Shen Zhi arrived, the entire underground parking lot had been cordoned off.

Police cars were parked outside, and even at night, a crowd of onlookers had gathered. When he arrived, the police initially refused to let him inside, but when he stated that he was Shen Zhi, they quickly made way for him.

When he saw Ji Ran restrained by a man holding a dagger, his entire body felt as though breathing had suddenly become difficult.

Ignoring everything else, he walked straight to the front line.

By now, Tang Zhenpeng had grown impatient, muttering to himself, “Why isn’t he here yet? Why isn’t he here?! Are you guys tricking me?”

As he held Ji Ran in a headlock, his agitation made him choke her tighter and tighter, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

When Shen Zhi appeared, he announced in a clear, loud voice, “I’m here.”

The moment Tang Zhenpeng saw him, his expression turned hideous once again. Even in this cramped, suffocating underground parking lot, this man remained as dazzlingly radiant as ever; his arrival seemed to brighten up the surroundings instantly.

Tang Zhenpeng stared at Shen Zhi with venomous hatred.

It was him. It was all him.

If Shen Zhi hadn’t reported him back then, he wouldn’t have been expelled from school or arrested by the police. He had started school a year later than others, so when he was arrested, he was already eighteen, and his sentence was carried out entirely according to adult standards—resulting in eight years in prison.

After getting out, he couldn’t find any work at all. If it hadn’t been for his uncle’s family, he wouldn’t have been able to find a job anywhere. He never dared to pass by Fourth High School again, nor did he dare go near that area, because he had plummeted from a top-performing, favored prodigy into the mud.

But what about Shen Zhi? He only grew more and more successful.

That glory had reached its peak when Shen Zhi attended the press conference and was announced as the General Manager of Hengchi Group, which also pushed the hatred in Tang Zhenpeng’s heart to its absolute peak.

Shen Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the man. His memory had always been exceptionally sharp; after a short pause, he spat out a few cold words, “Tang Zhenpeng.”

He recognized him too.

Furthermore, possessing memories of the past, Tang Zhenpeng wasn’t someone he hadn’t seen in ten years; even though he had aged considerably, Shen Zhi still recognized him.

“What do you want?” Shen Zhi asked directly, skipping the pleasantries.

Tang Zhenpeng said excitedly, “Kneel down! Kneel before me right now and repent, say you were wrong, and that you shouldn’t have harmed me like that back then!”

His emotions grew increasingly volatile. The dagger pressed against Ji Ran’s neck even pressed deeper into her skin, cutting a thin line of blood.

“Don’t move!” Shen Zhi shouted fiercely, staring at Tang Zhenpeng while trying to calm his agitated state, “Whatever you have to say, say it calmly.”

He was terrified that the man would hurt Ji Ran any further.

Ji Ran bit her lip tightly, for that was the only way she could keep herself quiet. In truth, she desperately wanted to tell Tang Zhenpeng that what Shen Zhi did was right—he was merely a scumbag sent to where he belonged.

However, she also knew she was in someone else’s hands and couldn’t afford to provoke him.

As Shen Zhi looked at Ji Ran, Tang Zhenpeng sneered grimly, “You can’t bear to see her hurt, can you? Now kneel down! Kneel down and apologize!”

The man kept shouting demands.

At this moment, the officer in charge of the police squad walked up to Shen Zhi and whispered, “Mr. Shen, the suspect’s emotions are too unstable. It’s no longer suitable for you to stay here.”

“If I leave, won’t he go even crazier?”

“That’s why I plan to launch a breach to rescue Miss Ji,” the officer explained.

When negotiations failed to meet demands, this was the only way.

Shen Zhi shook his head frantically, “What are your chances? A hundred percent? If you can’t guarantee that, how can you expect me to leave?”

Suddenly, catching sight of the dagger at the man’s waist, Shen Zhi turned to Tang Zhenpeng and said, “Is kneeling all? Are those your only demands of me?”

His words caught Tang Zhenpeng off guard, but he quickly snapped back to reality and shouted, “Right! We can’t let you off that easily!”

Tang Zhenpeng suddenly pulled another dagger from his waist, threw it into the central aisle, and yelled wildly, “Stab yourself right now! I want to see you bleed! Yes, you must stab yourself!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Shen Zhi walked forward to pick up the dagger.

The police officer reached out to stop him, whispering, “Now’s the time—are you ready?”

Shen Zhi’s next move caught everyone slightly off guard.

In the next second, Shen Zhi walked over, picked up the dagger from the ground, and Ji Ran could no longer contain herself as she cried out, “No!”

By the time her scream echoed, Shen Zhi had already raised the dagger and aimed it at his own chest.

Just as the tip of the blade touched his chest, a sharp sound sliced through the air. The moment a bullet hit Tang Zhenpeng’s shoulder, Ji Ran broke free with all her strength, while SWAT officers swarmed in from all sides to subdue him.

Ji Ran practically crawled and scrambled over to Shen Zhi’s side. Looking at his bleeding wound, she bellowed, “Are you crazy?! You’ve completely lost your mind!”

“Yeah, I can go crazy for you.”

Shen Zhi’s dark eyes fixed tightly on her, as if staring at a priceless treasure that could be snatched away at any moment.

“Ranran, you are the person I am willing to trade my life for.”

—

Even though the news of the incident was suppressed, the nature of the crime was extremely severe. Thus, the investigation moved rapidly.

When Ji Qingli saw police officers standing in his living room, he thought they were just there to gather information from him.

To his surprise, the police said, “We are here to take Ji Yi back for questioning. She is involved in a case of kidnapping and attempted murder.”

“What? That’s impossible!” Jiang Liqi shook her head, adamantly refusing to believe it.

However, the police had an arrest warrant and ignored her entirely, taking Jiang Yi away on the spot.

When Ji Qingli learned that Jiang Yi had actually instructed Tang Zhenpeng to target Ji Ran, he nearly suffered a total breakdown. His ten years of marriage had raised nothing but an ungrateful viper. He felt he had been more than generous to Jiang Yi, yet her greed knew no bounds.

When Jiang Liqi cried and begged him to save Jiang Yi, pleading with him to hire the best lawyer for her, Ji Qingli looked at her with a cold sneer, “You want me to save a murderer? A murderer who tried to attack my daughter?!”

Unable to endure it any longer, Ji Qingli shoved Jiang Liqi away, “Get out! Get the hell out of my house!”

He made up his mind to divorce Jiang Liqi.

As for Shen Yue, he was arrested on the same charges. Although he kept claiming that Jiang Yi was the mastermind, Shen Jiyuan was so busy finding lawyers for him to throw Jiang Yi under the bus that he had no time to care about company affairs.

As for Jiang Yi and Shen Yue, their next meeting would likely be in court, where they would stand in the dock to pay the price for their actions.

—

On the day Shen Zhi was discharged from the hospital, Ji Ran still wore a grim expression.

In her heart, she couldn’t bear the thought of Shen Zhi risking his life for hers—she simply couldn’t stand it. Yet, because he had done it to save her, she couldn’t bring herself to stay angry at him, leaving her to take out all her frustration on herself. If only she had been capable enough to beat Tang Zhenpeng to death right