WBSGVS Chapter 176 V1

Shen Yanjun was shaken to his core, teetering on the edge of a breakdown.

He realized—too late—that he had fallen for Huo Qingli long ago but had used memories of that little girl from his childhood to deceive himself. That self-deception had led to the mess he was in now.

Moving forward meant going through with the wedding, but just the thought made it hard for him to breathe. Going back was equally painful. He hadn’t figured out who he truly loved until it was too late—Qingli was already engaged to someone else, and Xu Yin was pregnant.

Feeling utterly lost, he didn’t even bother to respond to his mother’s fury. Instead, he fled the suffocating house, hoping to return to the apartment he had once shared with Huo Qingli.

But when he got there, he discovered the locks had been changed.

He couldn’t get in anymore.

Shen Yanjun sat down slowly at the doorway, covering his face with one hand. With trembling fingers, he pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag just to ease the crushing pain in his chest. But the ache didn’t go away—it was all too clear, too raw.

He pounded his head with his fists, furious at himself for jumping into divorce without ever stopping to think. If only he hadn’t been so impulsive, maybe things wouldn’t have spiraled so far out of control.

In the heat of his emotions, he pulled out his phone and dialed Qingli’s number—but stopped short, suddenly remembering he’d been blocked.

Frustrated, he put the phone down and kept smoking in silence, trying to figure out what to do next.

Should he still go through with the wedding?

Before he could make sense of it all, his mother called.
“Where the hell are you? Xu Yin’s having stomach pains—she’s been taken to the hospital. Get over there now and take care of her!”

Just like that, every thought in Shen Yanjun’s mind was scattered. His legs moved on instinct, carrying him forward even though his heart resisted.

This child was once something he had deeply longed for. Xu Yin had pulled him out of a dark place—he couldn’t let their child fall back into that same darkness.

As he drove off, Shen Yanjun wiped his face and buried every emotion deep inside.

Meanwhile, Qingli, the one unknowingly on his mind, was in the movie room on the first floor of the Chi family home, watching a film with Chi Yue.

An arranged marriage was nothing like falling in love. There was little to no emotional foundation, but as long as both parties were rational, they’d at least try to build something. And if not love, then mutual respect.

Chi’s mother had been firm before, saying if her son didn’t want the marriage, he could go abroad after the wedding. Still, now that everything was official, she hoped the two would develop a real relationship. So between work and personal time, she often had Chi Yue invite Qingli over for meals.

Qingli wasn’t officially part of the Chi Group yet, and her series Fate’s Decree had just finished filming. Post-production could be handled remotely, so she finally had some free time—and she figured it wouldn’t hurt to try building a connection with Chi Yue.

After all, while she wasn’t marrying for love, since she had to marry, it was better to have companionship than cold civility.

They were watching a comedy, and Qingli laughed the whole time. Chi Yue, influenced by her joy, allowed himself to open up, smiling along with her. The mood was light and warm.

When the movie ended, Qingli turned on the lights and powered down the projector. She pushed Chi Yue out of the room in his wheelchair, and just as they reached the hallway, the housekeeper walked over.

“Mrs. Chi just called—she’s too busy to come home for dinner tonight. Miss Huo, Young Master Chi, what would you like to eat?”

This housekeeper was a family relative, so she spoke quite warmly with them.

Qingli was a little surprised. Chi’s father sometimes missed dinner, but his mother had always made a point to be there when she came over. Still, thinking it through, she realized the Chi family was entering a critical business phase—it made sense they were swamped. She turned to Chi Yue and asked gently, “What do you feel like eating?”

She remembered Chi’s mother had once said Chi Yue was a picky eater.

Chi Yue replied softly, “Whatever you want.”

“Then how about shredded pork in garlic sauce?” she offered.

“Okay,” he nodded obediently. “That sounds good.”

The housekeeper raised her eyebrows slightly, then smiled knowingly. “One dish isn’t enough. Let’s add some sweet and sour pork, braised ribs, stir-fried greens, and tomato egg soup. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great,” Qingli agreed.

Seeing that Chi Yue didn’t object, the housekeeper chuckled. “Having a fiancée around really improves his appetite.”

With that, she walked off. Chi Yue’s face flushed a little. He looked up, as if wanting to glare at her, but only caught a glimpse of her back.

Qingli leaned on the back of his wheelchair, grinning. “Wanna go sit in the garden for a bit?”

“Sure,” he answered, trying to keep a straight face.

They sat down together, and Qingli ran off to grab fruit tea. Handing him a cup, she was just taking a sip when Chi Yue suddenly said, “Qingli, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Yeah?” She tilted her head, noticing the shadows flickering in his eyes. His lashes were trembling, as if he were both nervous and serious. She paused and adopted a calm, attentive posture. “I’m listening. Go ahead.”

Chi Yue said quietly, “My parents… they’re not as good as they seem. To them, the company always comes first. Even I, their only son—I come second. You probably won’t see them around much after the wedding.”

Unlike the Huo family, where the father worked and the mother kept the home, the Chi parents had built their empire from the ground up. They were smart, driven, and had caught the right economic wave, so they had built something massive.

But in doing so, they neglected their family. Chi Yue had grown up in that cold atmosphere.

He’d resented it for as long as he could remember. If they didn’t want to raise a child, why have one?

Things had only just started to improve between them recently, but it hadn’t even been long. Now, before the wedding was even over, they were already back to their old ways—didn’t even bother pretending.

Drowning in his frustration, Chi Yue’s voice had become sharper than usual.

Qingli naturally took his hand, gave his palm a gentle squeeze, and said softly, “Then I’ll stay with you from now on. If I’m busy with work, you can come to the office and keep me company.”

Chi Yue’s gloomy expression faltered, then slowly turned red. He tightened his grip on the small hand in his, a faint smile lifting the corners of his lips.

Huo Qingli was seriously the smoothest woman he had ever met.