Chapter 8: Were You Trying to Kill Me

Shen Zhichu had been waiting for almost half an hour and still no reply from Li Jingshen. She glanced at the clock. At this hour, he's probably snuggled up with Xia Ming Yue.

The blood on her hands had dried up and it felt gross. She mustered the strength to get up and washed it off in the bathroom. The cold water made her shiver to the bone.

Back in her room, she grabbed a cup of hot water like a pro, popped some painkillers and cancer meds. The heavy-duty painkillers Qin Mo gave her had some numbing stuff in them. She only took them when the pain was too much to handle; didn't want to get hooked or mess up her nerves.

She dumped all the pills into a regular bottle and tossed it in a drawer. Li Jingshen? She was so over him. What was it? A crush for 16 years, together for 6, married for 4... Big deal.

...

It was barely dawn when Shen Zhichu woke up. She wasn't one to laze around in bed. She called her lawyer to draft a divorce agreement.

The lawyer, Mr. Zhang, was shocked. He had questions but didn't pry, just asked about the nitty-gritty like how they'd split the assets.

Shen Zhichu hesitated, then asked, "Mr. Zhang, are you free today?"

Zhang replied, "Yes."

Shen Zhichu said, "Can you swing by my place? We need to talk details."

Zhang: "Sure, I'll be right over."

Zhang was the legal head honcho at Shen's company. She trusted him. Besides the divorce, she needed to discuss her will with him.

She sent him her address and sat down at her vanity. Even if she wasn't going out, she liked to put on makeup to make her sickly face look a bit lively.

Looking at her reflection, Shen Zhichu cracked a smile. After today, there's always tomorrow.

Worried that Mr. Zhang might not have had breakfast, she whipped up two servings. Just after 9 AM, the doorbell rang.

She hung her apron on the wall and opened the door. There was Mr. Zhang.

"Ms. Shen."

"Come on in. Have you eaten?" she asked.

Mr. Zhang followed her in and said, "I have, thank you."

Shen Zhichu heard he'd eaten, so she quickly downed a glass of milk and poured herself some tea.

Mr. Zhang got straight to business, took out his laptop. But when Shen Zhichu mentioned transferring most of her shares to Li Jingshen, he looked at her like she'd grown a second head and stopped typing.

"Ms. Shen, think this through. That's your pre-marriage dough. Your hubby has no claim on it." He'd seen nasty divorce battles over money, but never someone just handing over their fortune like this.

Plus, this involved a mega company. Forget what other shareholders might think, her dad would flip his lid if he found out she was giving the company away in the divorce.

"I know, that's why I need to discuss my will with you…" Before she could finish, the doorbell rang again.

"Hold on, I'll get the door."

She opened the door and a dark figure loomed in front of her. A chill ran down her spine and she took a step back.

She looked up at Li Jingshen and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't you ask me to come?" His usually dark eyes were tinged with red, and he had this aura of authority that didn't need anger to be intimidating.

He pushed the door open and barged in, "What was that text you sent me last night?"

Shen Zhichu was taken aback, then burst into sarcastic laughter. So, he's here about the divorce. Look at him, the guy who couldn't be bothered to come home last night, racing over at the crack of dawn. Can't wait to be free, huh?

Seeing her cryptic laugh, Li Jingshen's brows furrowed. His eyes scanned the room, and when he spotted a pair of men's shoes by the rack, something dark flashed in his eyes.

Li Jingshen, already in a foul mood, felt like punching something. His temper was legendary, and he never held back.

He grabbed Shen Zhichu's wrist, his gaze shifting from the shoes to her face, which was still wearing makeup. His voice was icy, "So that's why you want a divorce, huh? Found yourself a new toy? Am I not enough for you?"

Shen Zhichu's heart raced. She frowned, "Li Jingshen, what the hell are you talking about?"

"You asked me to come tomorrow because you had a man over today, didn't you?" He dragged her into the living room, gripping her wrist so hard it felt like he was going to crush her bones. He threw her onto the couch and leaned over her, his hand pressing against her throat.

"I didn't…" She didn't know what got into him, but his eyes were so intense it scared her. She couldn't breathe, her chest felt empty, and she gasped for air.

Li Jingshen hated betrayal more than anything. Even if she wasn't the love of his life, she was his, and no one else could touch her.

The thought of her hiding a man in their house made his blood boil. He wanted to strangle her right there.

Shen Zhichu's vision started to blur. Just when she thought she was going to suffocate, Mr. Zhang, who had heard the commotion, rushed out and tried to pull Li Jingshen off her.

"What the hell are you doing?" he shouted.

Li Jingshen turned to him, "Are you the guy she's hiding?"

Mr. Zhang realized the misunderstanding and quickly explained, "No, no! I'm here to draft the divorce agreement between you and Ms. Shen." He even showed him his business card.

Li Jingshen loosened his grip, and Shen Zhichu gasped for air, curling up on the couch, shaking.

Mr. Zhang, relieved, gathered his courage and said, "Maybe you two should talk about how you're going to split the assets?"

The word "divorce" made Li Jingshen's mood plummet again. He didn't even know why he was so pissed.

Mr. Zhang felt his legs go weak under Li Jingshen's glare. He didn't know whether to stay or leave, so he just stood there awkwardly.

Finally, Li Jingshen spat out, "Get out," and Mr. Zhang practically tripped over himself running out, leaving his laptop behind.

Shen Zhichu felt weak. She had never felt this helpless even when Li Jingshen had threatened her before. She realized how sick she was.

"Li Jingshen, were you trying to kill me just now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.