Quan Heng looked at him coldly. “I’ve already died once—what don’t I dare?”
Shen Zhengyu raised an eyebrow, as if he found it amusing. “Heng’er, it seems you still haven’t understood the situation. Don’t forget, your parents are still in my hands. You haven’t even seen them yet. Would you really want to die? Let me tell you—if anything happens to you, I’ll kill them all. Not a single one will be spared!”
Quan Heng turned her face away and laughed scornfully. “Ah Zheng, I always thought you were smart. I’ve already seen Ziyun. I know everything that happened. Not only did you lie to me about her, you lied about my parents too, didn’t you?”
“The one who saved them back then wasn’t you at all—it was Wen Zheng! And even now, you still try to use that to threaten me? How ridiculous!”
In an instant, Shen Zhengyu’s smile froze on his face.
“That cheap wench Ziyun… she actually dared lie to me?”
Back when he saved her, Ziyun had never mentioned Wen Zheng’s rescue of the Marquis family. She only said that everyone was fleeing, and she slipped and fell down the hillside.
He never expected that one day, he would be the one being played.
“Very well. I never thought I could misjudge someone so badly. I’ll go now and order people to search high and low until they find her. I’ll kill her right in front of you, as punishment for your attempt to escape!”
Upon hearing that, Quan Heng exploded with fury. “You dare?!”
Somehow finding the strength, she raised her knee and struck him hard. Taking advantage of his pain, she scrambled out from under him and quickly put distance between them.
“If you dare go after her, I’ll kill myself!”
Shen Zhengyu staggered, bracing against the table to remain standing, his face twisted in pain. “Then go ahead and die! I don’t believe you’d actually do it!”
In that moment, Quan Heng felt her blood boil. Her whole body trembled with rage.
There was no turning back. If Shen Zhengyu really caught Ziyun, Ziyun wouldn’t just die—she’d suffer a fate worse than death.
She couldn’t allow that to happen.
“Fine. You said it. Don’t you regret it!”
With those words, she threw herself at the wall with all her strength.
Instantly, darkness swam before her eyes. Her head split open on impact, and blood gushed down her face, salty as it entered her mouth.
It all happened too fast. Shen Zhengyu was completely unprepared.
As her consciousness faded, Quan Heng heard his panicked cry. Then, she was pulled tightly into his arms.
“Heng’er, I won’t go after her, I won’t! Why are you so foolish?!”
“I was just angry—I didn’t mean it! Please don’t die, don’t leave me, okay…”
At that moment, she thought he might actually be crying.
But it didn’t matter anymore. At least he promised not to chase after Ziyun. Her goal had been achieved.
Her heart eased—and she fell into complete darkness.
***
Quan Heng had been unconscious for three days.
In that time, doctor after doctor was brought in, all shaking their heads and sighing upon seeing her condition.
She had hit her head with such force—though not killed on the spot, her breath grew weaker with each passing day.
The servants in the manor dared not speak above a whisper.
Once, a servant and a maid had whispered about her coma, saying she had dragged down the whole household with her and it would’ve been better if she’d just died. Unfortunately, Shen Zhengyu overheard—and had them beaten to death in the courtyard.
After that, everyone walked on eggshells, terrified of drawing Shen Zhengyu’s wrath and inviting disaster.
On the third day, he finally found a reclusive miracle doctor. After paying a large sum, the physician prescribed a remedy that finally brought some improvement.
Before leaving, the doctor gave a grim prognosis: if she awoke within ten days, her life could be saved. If not, they should prepare for the worst.
These past days, Shen Zhengyu had been by her side constantly, barely sleeping, his eyes red from exhaustion.
Luyi had tried several times to persuade him to rest and let her take over, but each time, she was scolded.
Eventually, she gave up.
She had long seen that Quan Heng was the person closest to Shen Zhengyu’s heart. Yet the two of them were twisted up in stubborn conflict, tormenting each other to the point of ruin.
Five days later, the person on the bed finally stirred.
Shen Zhengyu was nearly beside himself with joy.
But when she opened her eyes, her gaze was ice-cold, instantly dousing his excitement.
“Shen Zhengyu—where is Ziyun? You didn’t go after her, did you?”
Just one sentence dragged his mind back to that day.
Now, it was clear—there was no longer any love for him in her heart, only hatred.
But he didn’t dare provoke her again.
After these years apart, she had changed completely—no longer the girl she used to be, but someone hardened, unyielding.
“I didn’t chase her. Are you satisfied now?”
Upon hearing that, Quan Heng closed her eyes and said coldly, “Then get out. I don’t want to see you right now.”
With that, she turned her back to him, facing the wall, not sparing him a single glance.
Shen Zhengyu felt his heart burn with pain, but had no choice. He could only leave.
“Then rest well. I’ll visit when you’re better.”
Only when the door shut did Quan Heng open her eyes again. Tears slid silently down her cheeks, soaking the pillow.
Now, there was no going back for her and Shen Zhengyu. The childhood affection they once shared was destroyed the moment she struck that wall.
From now on, they couldn’t even be considered friends.
She wiped her tears roughly. Her thoughts drifted—had Ziyun escaped? Where could she have gone? Had she seen Wen Zheng?
The glimmer of light she traded her life for was her only comfort in this darkness.
By evening, the door creaked open. Several maids and old servants came in carrying bowls of food.
Perhaps due to her recent recovery, the food was light and easy on the stomach—just what she needed.
She struggled to sit up, just about to eat, when footsteps came from outside.
She looked up and saw Shen Zhengyu’s weary face.
He waved a hand. “You all may leave. I’ll stay with her.”
At his words, the maids and servants hurriedly left—faces pale, as if escaping.
For a moment, a strange feeling crept over her.
Before she fell unconscious, the people in the courtyard hadn’t looked this afraid. Had Shen Zhengyu done something during those days?
“Heng’er, what are you spacing out for? You’ve been unconscious so long—you must be starving. Eat something, or your body won’t recover.”
Quan Heng picked up a bowl of porridge and scooped a spoonful. But after a moment, she set it back down and looked at Shen Zhengyu.
“Why were they afraid of you? What did you do?”
Shen Zhengyu chuckled lightly. “Didn’t expect my Heng’er to be this sharp now.”
“That’s right—while you were unconscious, two servants dared to speak ill of you behind your back, cursing you to die. I overheard and had them beaten to death.”
Hearing that, Quan Heng was stunned. “Shen Zhengyu, are you insane?! They only spoke—why did you go so far as to kill them?!”
Shen Zhengyu gave a malicious smile. “In the end, isn’t this all your fault? If you hadn’t tried to die, would they have been dragged into this?”
Unable to contain herself, Quan Heng grabbed the utensils beside her and flung them at him. He dodged easily.
The porcelain shattered on the ground with a sharp crack.
Yet outside, the maids didn’t even flinch—not a single glance.
Clearly, they were all afraid of getting caught up in the fire.
Furious, Quan Heng’s breath grew ragged. She swept all the food off the table with one hand, sending dishes clattering to the floor.
But Shen Zhengyu remained composed. “Let me give you a kind reminder—if you refuse to eat, every one of the maids serving you will be punished with the paddle.”
Quan Heng pointed at him in disbelief, shouting, “You’re threatening me? You’re using Wen Zheng’s methods to threaten me?!”
Shen Zhengyu shrugged. “Yes. He and I are twins, after all. Falling in love with the same woman, using the same methods to deal with you—that’s only natural, isn’t it?”
For a moment, Quan Heng felt a metallic tang of blood rise in her throat.
These two really were her nemeses.
“If you want to beat me, then beat me. But even if you do, I still won’t eat. Starting today, I’m going on a hunger strike.”
Hearing this, Shen Zhengyu’s expression changed slightly. “You dare?”
He thought she was just saying it in anger, and even chuckled. “You’ve always been the type to help the old, weak, and sick on the streets. When servants in the household offend you, you rarely hold it against them. I even heard that during the epidemic in Changle County, you personally handed out porridge and medicine. How could someone as kind as you just watch these servants get beaten?”
Quan Heng took a deep breath, then closed her eyes and gave a bitter smile. “It’s precisely because I still have a conscience that I can’t let you continue blindly down this wrong path.”
“At this point, you clearly won’t let me go. If that’s the case, then only by truly dying can I put an end to this farce, and prevent more people from being sacrificed.”
At her words, Shen Zhengyu clenched his fists, glaring at her in fury. “Heng’er, why are you so stubborn!”
Seeing that she had no intention of yielding, Shen Zhengyu finally deflated. “Fine. I won’t beat them. Just don’t stay angry with me anymore, alright?”
Quan Heng let out a long sigh. “Aside from that, I want you to agree to one more condition.”
Shen Zhengyu frowned. “What condition?”
Quan Heng said, “Give a proper burial to the two servants you beat to death. And compensate their families generously.”
Shen Zhengyu had no way to deal with her and could only accept his fate. “Fine. If that’ll ease your anger, then I’ll do it.”
He summoned a personal attendant, handed him a large banknote, and instructed him to take care of the matter.
After the servant left, Shen Zhengyu walked to Quan Heng’s bedside, his tone unexpectedly humble. “Heng’er, what do I have to do for us to return to how things used to be?”
Quan Heng turned her head away and refused to look at him. “There’s no way. Give up.”
Her words pierced Shen Zhengyu’s heart. He clenched his fists, then lowered his head without a word and left the room.
He thought, staying any longer would only humiliate himself. Better to let them both calm down first.
