Chapter 209: Chapter 209: Alone in an Empty Room

Although Shen Zhiqiu’s attitude still wasn’t great, she didn’t overthink it.

The Zhang Family, swayed by the generous betrothal gifts and the prospect of allying with in-laws whose social status far exceeded their own, agreed on the spot. They immediately prepared to discuss the wedding details.

However, Shen Zhiqiu, who had been silent all this time, spoke up again. "Forget the wedding!"

As soon as those words left his mouth, the atmosphere instantly became awkward. The Zhang Family wondered what he meant by getting married without a wedding—didn’t it just mean he looked down on this marriage?

Noticing the change in the expressions of Zhang Yuqing and the rest of the Zhang Family, one of Shen Zhiqiu’s elders shot him a look, forcing him to change his tune.

"I didn’t explain myself clearly just now," Shen Zhiqiu said. "Zhang Yuqing is already several months pregnant. Putting aside whether her body is suited for such a large-scale event, what if an accident happens during the proceedings and harms the baby?"

For the sake of the child, the Shen family members couldn’t care less about anything else right now. If Zhang Yuqing insisted on a ceremony, they were more than willing to host a grand one. But Shen Zhiqiu’s words struck a chord with the Shen family members. Everything else was trivial; the child was what truly mattered.

The child Zhang Yuqing carried might be the Shen family’s only bloodline now. If something were to happen and they lost this baby, the Shen family line would be completely severed.

The Shen family elders immediately agreed with his reasoning. They stated directly that if Zhang Yuqing minded, they could hold a make-up wedding after the child was born, promising it would be to her absolute satisfaction. Since the child was mentioned, no one had any further objections. Zhang Yuqing caressed her belly and nodded in agreement.

And so, after countless twists and turns, Zhang Yuqing finally married Shen Zhiqiu and became Mrs. Shen.

However, from the very first day of their marriage, Shen Zhiqiu used Zhang Yuqing’s pregnancy as an excuse to refuse to share a bed with her. Zhang Yuqing’s heart was constantly tormented by Shen Zhiqiu’s shifting attitudes, but she could only comfort herself and accept his choice.

It wasn’t until a few months later, when Zhang Yuqing gave birth and the Shen family members saw a little face identical to Shen Zhiqiu’s childhood self, that their minds were finally put at ease. Even so, they secretly conducted a paternity test behind Zhang Yuqing’s back to confirm that the child was indeed Shen Zhiqiu’s flesh and blood.

Zhang Yuqing only found out about this much later. She was furious at the time, but there was ultimately nothing she could do about it.

With the baby born, Shen Zhiqiu personally named him Shen Yan. Yet, even after that, he continued to use various excuses to avoid sharing a bed with Zhang Yuqing. Although Zhang Yuqing had married into the Shen family, she was essentially a widow in all but name.

Even though the Shen family members were aware of this, considering Shen Zhiqiu’s situation, they turned a blind eye to it. As a woman, it was even less convenient for Zhang Yuqing to bring such matters into the open. She could only swallow her grievances in silence and endure the empty room night after night.

The two of them became husband and wife just like that, without the slightest progress in their emotional relationship. Fortunately, Shen Zhiqiu treated his son very well. He nurtured and taught him meticulously from a young age, fulfilling all the duties of a competent father.

And it was because of Shen Yan that the relationship between the two finally saw some progress.

During one of Shen Yan’s birthday celebrations, Shen Zhiqiu had a few too many drinks and actually got drunk. That night, he stayed over in Zhang Yuqing’s room. Perhaps, with the passage of time, his hostility had faded. From that day on, Shen Zhiqiu began spending the night in Zhang Yuqing’s room more frequently.

Zhang Yuqing finally put an end to her predicament of sleeping alone, but she soon discovered another problem.

Although they had resumed their marital intimacy, Shen Zhiqiu always seemed to fall short of expectations, struggling to perform. She initially thought Shen Zhiqiu still harbored resentment, which was why he couldn’t get into the mood. She tried many methods, even going out of her way to use a few little tricks, but nothing could fix the issue.

Only then did Zhang Yuqing realize that the matter might not be so simple. She specifically sought an opportunity to sneak into Shen Zhiqiu’s personal bedroom. Eventually, she found medication for erectile dysfunction hidden in one of his drawers.

Seeing this was like a bolt from the blue for Zhang Yuqing, rooting her to the spot. Right at that moment, Shen Zhiqiu returned. When he saw the medicine in Zhang Yuqing’s hand, he instantly flew into a humiliating rage. He accused her of entering his room without permission and rummaging through his drawers.

As Shen Zhiqiu berated her, Zhang Yuqing’s mind suddenly went into overdrive. In just a few short minutes, it dawned on her exactly why Shen Zhiqiu had suddenly been so willing to marry her.

The myriad of truths pierced her heart like a vicious thorn. The bitter pain and heartache she had forcefully suppressed came rushing back.

Finally, Zhang Yuqing erupted as well. She loudly accused Shen Zhiqiu of using her, shouting that he only remembered the child in her belly because he had become impotent.

In a state of extreme anger, a person was truly capable of saying anything. Consumed by fury, she even accused him of still pining for his childhood sweetheart, claiming that he was taking all these pills to recover just for her.

This was already a sore spot in Shen Zhiqiu’s heart. Being confronted about it so bluntly by Zhang Yuqing, he could no longer hold back and actually stepped forward and slapped her across the face.

Zhang Yuqing saw stars. Her head snapped to the side, and she stumbled, falling hard to the floor. A sharp pain washed over her body, but it was nothing compared to the emotional damage Shen Zhiqiu’s slap inflicted.

In that instant, all the humiliation and sorrow she had endured over this period welled up inside her. Right then and there, she made up her mind. She didn’t want to keep going like this anymore.

She climbed up from the floor. Before her, Shen Zhiqiu was still staring blankly at the hand he had used to strike her. He had never hit a woman before, and this time, even he didn’t know how he could have been so impulsive.

But what’s done was done. Catching sight of Zhang Yuqing getting back up from the corner of his eye, he panicked and hurriedly hid that hand behind his back.

Zhang Yuqing ignored his self-deceiving gesture. With a cold face, she said, "I know you’ve always hated me. You always thought I framed you, preventing you and your childhood sweetheart from ending up together.

"I’ll explain this one last time today. That was all just your assumption. I didn’t plot against you. That day, I did follow you, but it was only out of admiration. I just wanted to tag along.

"Because of that, you dragged me into the room when the drugs took effect, and all those things you refuse to admit happened. As for getting pregnant, that was completely unexpected on my part too.

"I admit I used to really like you, which is why I chose to submit when those things happened. But that doesn’t mean I was the one who ruined your relationship with her.

"After that incident, I thought about completely backing out. But you came to my door personally to propose, and you gave me hope again.

"I thought that as time passed, things between us would change. But now I understand that nothing will ever change."

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