Li Sihe’s throat tightened, he chuckled, this time the smile was even more forced, "I thought that by abducting Bian Yue , you would pursue me at any cost." "It’s meaningless," Shen Jinci said. "It’s not that I don’t want to deal with you. From my standpoint, even flaying you a thousand times wouldn’t be satisfying, but I can’t afford to let Bian Yue suffer even a bit more. Her health can’t endure such emotional fluctuations again, and even if I wanted to settle scores after the fact, now is not the time." "You really do... think of Bian Yue in everything." The words at the end were inevitably stiff. But Shen Jinci’s tone was unrippled, more like a statement: "Neither of us wants any harm to come to Bian Yue’s body, right?" Li Sihe’s smile dissolved in Shen Jinci’s few words. He closed his eyes, then reopened them before saying, "Don’t worry, I won’t do anything now." Li Sihe hadn’t expected Shen Jinci to reply, but after a moment of silence, the latter said indifferently, "I know." Zhuang Jie Ning didn’t think about where to go when she left; she was just fed up with the humiliating atmosphere in the castle. Watching her husband in name and the man she loved show concern to the woman she hated most felt more unbearable to her than death. She aimlessly drove along the endless road, the vast expanse of white stinging her eyes, feeling for some reason that the road under her feet was becoming more difficult, so she pressed the accelerator harder. When she passed by the abrupt bungalow, Zhuang Jie Ning stopped the car. Looking at that house, a voice told her that this was where Li Sihe had prepared for Bian Yue. Who could have thought? In such an unremarkable house, a transfer of over a hundred billion in assets had taken place just 24 hours ago. A ransom with a sky-high price. Li Sihe was truly willing to just give it away like that. Zhuang Jie Ning parked the car, her emotions complex. The moment she pushed the door and entered, she hadn’t expected anyone else to be inside. Li Tingmo sat in the simple living room, with expensive wine on the table. Seeing Zhuang Jie Ning, Li Tingmo was also stunned, then smiled and said, "Isn’t this my daughter-in-law? What’s up, came here with Shen Jinci? Have a seat, I’ll be leaving shortly." Zhuang Jie Ning sat down expressionlessly, grabbed the wine from the table, and poured herself a glass, "I’ve briefly called you dad, and now the only person left to drink with you is me." Li Tingmo scoffed, looking at Zhuang Jie Ning with a meaningful gaze, and said slowly: "You really know how to flatter yourself, Zhuang Jie Ning. Let me ask you, what does a winner like me need your company for? You are the only loser." The hand holding the wine glass trembled, spilling the wine onto her backhand. She looked down, a strong sense of unwillingness crossing her eyes, and said in a deep voice, "You think I’ve lost?" "I won," Zhuang Jie Ning suddenly laughed as she retorted, "I am the winner." With that, she downed the wine in her hand in one gulp. Li Tingmo’s smile turned cold as he sarcastically said, "You really know how to deceive yourself." "How am I not a winner? I have completely gotten rid of everything from the past. I have no expectations for the Li Family, nor do I hold any more hope for Shen Jinci. I have come to realize that I am a loser, and so, I have won." Zhuang Jie Ning smiled slightly as she placed her empty wine glass on the table. Watching the astonishment on Li Tingmo’s face, her smile deepened. "You have a lot of money now, and you can return to Xiangjiang to make your comeback, but in this lifetime, you will never be able to step out of Li Shiheng’s shadow. He is your son, but he will never forgive you. And you, you are still using his wealth to pursue your grand plans. Dad, you are the real loser." After Zhuang Jie Ning finished speaking, she got up with a smile and left decisively. The sound of a bottle shattering could be heard behind her, but she didn’t pause for even a moment, returning to the vast snowy landscape. Bai Xu had already arrived; he stood outside the door and saw Zhuang Jie Ning coming out, his face cold as he walked towards her. "Miss Zhuang, come back with me." "Go back?" Zhuang Jie Ning scoffed. "To watch Bian Yue and Shen Jinci being affectionate? Bai Xu, I don’t want to stay there anymore. Right now, I am going back to my country." Bai Xu frowned and patiently explained, "Miss Zhuang, the current weather conditions mean that planes cannot take off. If you insist on leaving, you can only travel by sea, which would take more than ten days to get back to Xiangjiang. Your body can’t handle it." "I’m not Bian Yue; my body is in great shape. It’s just more than ten days, right? I can make it." Zhuang Jie Ning scoffed. She said, "I’ve had enough! I don’t want to stay there for another second!" "Even if you are willing to take the sea route, there are no ships on the island right now. If you need one, I must arrange for someone to bring it over, which will take at least two days." Bai Xu paused then continued, "So for now, you should come back with me." A powerless rage covered Zhuang Jie Ning’s face, her eyes showing a moment of bewilderment before she coldly said, "I need to leave as quickly as possible." "Don’t worry, Miss Zhuang," Bai Xu said assuredly. Zhuang Jie Ning, with a cold expression, returned to the car. Bai Xu stood in place, and then he saw Li Tingmo, with an unsteady gait, walking out of the house, his expression defeated, looking at Bai Xu with an icy face. Bai Xu merely nodded calmly and then followed the car carrying Zhuang Jie Ning back the way they had come. The meal Shen Jinci prepared was very much to Bian Yue’s liking; she ate a lot and then lay down on the rocking chair in the living room to sleep. The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, casting a tranquil and peaceful glow on Bian Yue’s face. Shen Jinci put down the collection of short stories he had been reading to Bian Yue. He folded the corner of the last page he had read, placed it aside, and draped a blanket over Bian Yue. Bian Yue seemed sleepy, probably due to a lack of sleep in the past few days. Li Shiheng was not a person adept at feeling guilty; he seldom regretted his actions, but looking at Bian Yue in this condition, he felt some regret for his recent behavior. He had previously been unwilling to admit that Shen Jinci took very good care of Bian Yue, far better than he ever could. Admitting such would have been equivalent to acknowledging his own incompetence. But now, Li Shiheng calmly accepted this fact. Afraid of disturbing Bian Yue, even his voice was kept low when he spoke, "Is there any news about Zhuang Jie Ning?" Shen Jinci’s eyes were still on Bian Yue as he replied nonchalantly, "Bai Xu has already brought her back. I’ve arranged a ship for her; she will leave in two days." As they were speaking, Zhuang Jie Ning walked in from outside. Her complexion wasn’t good. Her gaze swept past Bian Yue and landed precisely on Li Shiheng. She calmly said, "Do you have some time? There are a few things I would like to make clear with you today, while I have the chance."