Chapter 15: The Price of One Day
The morning rain had finally stopped.
Drops of water slid slowly down the tall glass windows of the Shen Group headquarters, leaving crooked trails behind. The city outside looked gray and restless.
Inside the CEO's office, silence ruled.
Shen Yichen stood near the window, hands in his pockets, staring at the skyline.
Behind him, the door opened softly.
"President Shen," a calm female voice said.
He didn't turn.
"Say it."
The woman walked forward. Her heels echoed against the marble floor.
This was Lin Qiao, the company's chief legal advisor.
"Your grandfather has approved the next phase of the contract," she said, placing a folder on the desk.
Only then did Shen Yichen slowly turn around.
"Next phase?" he asked coldly.
Lin Qiao nodded.
"The marriage contract."
For a moment, the air in the room seemed to freeze.
One Week Earlier
The hospital room smelled faintly of disinfectant.
Chen Xinyue lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Her body had mostly recovered from the accident, but her mind still replayed that moment over and over again.
The screeching brakes.
The headlights.
The impact.
And Shen Yichen's voice shouting her name.
The door suddenly opened.
"Xinyue!"
Her best friend Luo Mei rushed in, breathing heavily.
"You're finally awake!" Luo Mei grabbed her hand. "Do you know how worried I was?"
Xinyue forced a small smile.
"I'm fine."
But Luo Mei's eyes narrowed.
"You're lying."
Silence.
Finally, Xinyue spoke quietly.
"Mei… do you believe someone can change their fate?"
Luo Mei frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Before Xinyue could answer, another voice spoke from the doorway.
"No."
Both girls turned.
Shen Yichen stood there.
Tall.
Calm.
Unreadable.
The room instantly felt colder.
Luo Mei crossed her arms.
"You again."
Yichen ignored her and walked straight toward the bed.
His eyes stayed locked on Xinyue.
"You shouldn't leave the hospital yet."
Xinyue frowned.
"You don't get to decide that."
He stopped beside the bed.
"Yes, I do."
Her eyes flashed.
"Why?"
He leaned slightly closer.
"Because you're still my wife."
Silence exploded across the room.
Luo Mei blinked twice.
"…WHAT?"
Xinyue's face turned pale.
"You said it was only a contract."
"It is."
"Then stop saying it like that!"
But Yichen didn't move.
His voice remained calm.
"The contract hasn't ended."
Xinyue clenched her fists.
"You said one year."
"Yes."
"And we're already halfway through!"
"I know."
"Then what do you want from me now?!"
For the first time, Shen Yichen hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then he said something unexpected.
"I want you to move back."
The words hit the room like thunder.
Luo Mei slammed her hand on the bedside table.
"Absolutely not!"
She glared at him.
"You dragged her into that stupid contract, ruined her relationship, almost got her killed, and now you want her to move back into your house?!"
Yichen's gaze shifted slowly to Luo Mei.
His eyes were cold.
"This is between me and my wife."
Luo Mei scoffed.
"She's not your wife."
Xinyue suddenly spoke.
"Mei."
Her voice was quiet.
"Let me talk to him."
Luo Mei hesitated, then reluctantly stepped back.
But she still looked ready to punch someone.
Shen Yichen pulled a chair beside the bed.
He sat down.
Close enough that Xinyue could see the exhaustion in his eyes.
"You shouldn't have pushed that car away," he said.
She blinked.
"You're complaining that I saved you?"
"I didn't ask you to."
Xinyue laughed bitterly.
"You're unbelievable."
He didn't argue.
Instead, he asked quietly,
"Why did you do it?"
She looked away.
Outside the window, clouds drifted slowly across the sky.
"Because…"
Her voice softened.
"…for one moment, I forgot it was just a contract."
Yichen's hand tightened slightly.
But he said nothing.
Xinyue continued.
"Do you know what our relationship feels like?"
"No."
She smiled faintly.
"Love for a day."
His eyes flickered.
"For one day… everything feels real," she said.
"But the next day… you wake up and remember it was never real at all."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Then Shen Yichen stood up.
"You're wrong."
Xinyue frowned.
"About what?"
He looked down at her.
"About it being fake."
Before she could respond, the door burst open again.
This time it was Assistant Zhao, Yichen's right-hand man.
"President Shen!"
He looked panicked.
"There's a problem."
Yichen frowned.
"What happened?"
Zhao swallowed.
"The board of directors has called an emergency meeting."
"So?"
"They… want to remove you as CEO."
The room froze.
Xinyue sat upright.
"What?!"
Zhao continued quickly.
"Someone leaked the secret marriage contract."
Yichen's expression darkened.
"And now they're saying your personal scandal is damaging the company."
Luo Mei looked stunned.
"Wait… they're attacking him because of the marriage?"
Zhao nodded.
"Yes."
Then he added something worse.
"They're also saying Chen Xinyue is the reason."
Xinyue's heart dropped.
"Me?"
Zhao looked uncomfortable.
"The media is already spreading rumors."
"What rumors?"
He hesitated.
"That you trapped President Shen into marriage for money."
Luo Mei exploded.
"THAT'S A LIE!"
But Zhao wasn't finished.
"There's more."
Everyone looked at him.
He spoke quietly.
"Someone also released the video of the accident."
Xinyue felt her chest tighten.
"What video?"
Zhao opened his tablet.
He played the clip.
The room fell silent as the footage showed the moment of the crash.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The video had been edited.
It looked like Chen Xinyue had pushed Shen Yichen directly into the path of the car.
Luo Mei gasped.
"This is fake!"
Xinyue's hands began to tremble.
"They're… framing me."
Yichen's voice turned dangerously calm.
"Who leaked it?"
Zhao shook his head.
"We don't know yet."
Then he added something even worse.
"The board has scheduled the vote for tomorrow morning."
Xinyue looked up at Yichen.
"If they remove you…"
He finished her sentence.
"I lose control of Shen Group."
The room grew heavy with tension.
Luo Mei whispered,
"So someone is attacking both of you."
Yichen's eyes narrowed.
"Yes."
Xinyue spoke softly.
"Because of the contract."
Yichen didn't deny it.
Then suddenly—
Xinyue made a decision.
She pushed the hospital blanket aside and stood up.
Luo Mei grabbed her arm.
"What are you doing?!"
Xinyue looked straight at Shen Yichen.
"Take me with you."
Everyone stared at her.
"To the board meeting," she said.
Zhao looked shocked.
"That's impossible!"
But Xinyue didn't back down.
"They're blaming me."
She took a step forward.
"So I'll face them myself."
Yichen studied her quietly.
"Do you understand what that means?"
"Yes."
"You'll become the center of a scandal."
"I already am."
"You could lose everything."
Xinyue's voice turned firm.
"I already did."
Silence.
Then Shen Yichen slowly smiled.
Not cold.
Not distant.
But dangerous.
"Good."
He turned toward the door.
"Prepare the car."
Assistant Zhao blinked.
"…Sir?"
Yichen looked back at Xinyue.
"If they want a scandal…"
his voice lowered,
"…let's give them one."
Outside the hospital window, thunder rolled across the distant sky.
And somewhere in the shadows of the city—
someone watched the news broadcast and smiled.
"Perfect," a mysterious voice whispered.
"The game has finally begun."