After the divorce, Mr. Gu spent every day at the crematorium.

What happened to your ear?

After asking that question, Ye Ying'er immediately realized that she had been too forward.

“Um…” Ye Ying’er didn’t know what to say.

But her inherent pride wouldn't allow her to apologize.

Shen Yao noticed her predicament and smiled faintly.

"This is a hearing aid. Without it, I can't hear what you're saying. Do you know why I'm almost deaf?"

Ye Ying'er shook her head when she saw Shen Yao's sad smile.

Just as she shook her head, a terrible thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

She was surprised and slammed the coffee cup down on the table.

"Could it be that Gu Tianyou did it?"

Shen Yao nodded and smiled at Ye Ying'er, "President Ye, if a man hired someone to beat you up, leaving you almost deaf, would you still love him? Would you still be with him?"

Ye Ying'er sneered, "Absolutely impossible. I'd be lucky if I didn't cripple him."

Shen Yao smiled, stretched her hands behind her head, and let down all her long, wavy hair.

Her ear, which was wearing a hearing aid, was also covered by her hair.

"Mr. Ye, is there anything else you'd like to say to me?"

Shen Yao remained calm, speaking in a measured and gentle tone.

Faced with Shen Yao's gentle and unassuming demeanor, Ye Ying'er couldn't muster any anger, no matter how great it was.

"I... have nothing more to say."

Ye Ying'er's attitude towards Shen Yao underwent an almost complete 180-degree change.

"Okay, can I go home and cook now?"

Shen Yao asked with a smile.

Ye Ying'er said apologetically, "I'm sorry to have taken up your time, Professor Shen. Let me take you home."

Shen Yao stood up with a smile.

"Mr. Ye, have you forgotten? I drove here myself."

Ye Ying'er then remembered and said "Oh".

"Yes, yes, Professor Shen, please drive carefully."

Shen Yao nodded slightly to her, "I've already paid. You can drink slowly. The coffee at this shop is pretty good."

After saying that, Shen Yao turned and left the coffee shop.

She breathed a long sigh of relief when she got back into the car.

Since she met Gu Tianyou, Shen Yao has frequently encountered such situations.

Many people have liked Gu Tianyou since he was a child.

Because Shen Yao rode in the same car as Gu Tianyou every day, she was always the first to be targeted.

Only when she told everyone that she was Gu Tianyou's sister did they let her go.

However, that was just a temporary measure at the time; what she was really thinking about was how to make Gu Tianyou fall in love with her.

Time has passed, and she encountered a similar situation again, but she was much more at ease with it.

In this world, not caring is indeed the best weapon for self-protection.

It was already dark when I got home.

As soon as Shen Yao stepped out of the elevator, she received a call from an unknown number.

She frowned; this number didn't belong to Gu Tianyou.

Because Gu Tianyou has been very tactful lately, he has rarely bombarded her with messages anymore.

Moreover, Shen Yao had already saved Gu Tianyou's number in her notes.

So who called this number?

With doubts in her mind, Shen Yao pressed the answer button.

"Hey, who's there?"

"Do you remember me? I need your help."

A hoarse male voice came from the phone.

Upon hearing that familiar yet unfamiliar voice, Shen Yao was stunned for a long time.

"Brother, where are you? I'm coming to find you."

“I’m in an abandoned factory in the suburbs. Come over here.”

"Okay, wait for me."

More than two years later, Shen Yao finally received news of her brother.

She rushed home, grabbed her bank card, and headed straight for an abandoned factory in the suburbs.

Shen Yao has an older brother named Shen Liang.

It was born to Shen Dequan and a woman of unknown origin.

At the age of 15, unable to endure Shen Dequan's violent beatings, she ran away from home.

Before leaving, he pinched Shen Yao's cheek and said, "I'm sorry, I have to go now. Take good care of yourself from now on."

Young Shen Yao didn't understand the meaning of those words; she simply asked him innocently when he would come back.

Later, when Shen Yao was sent to an orphanage, she gradually forgot that she had such a brother.

When Shen Yao was old enough to remember things, Shen Liang suddenly reappeared.

He brought Shen Yao a small rag doll that girls like, as well as a pretty little headband, and promised Shen Yao that he would take her back home once he had earned enough money.

However, Shen Yao did not live to see the day when Shen Liang came to pick her up; she was adopted by Old Master Gu.

After that, Shen Liang would occasionally come to see Shen Yao, and he would habitually bring her some pretty dolls.

But when he realized that Shen Yao didn't need these things, he gradually stopped coming to see her.

When Shen Yao and Gu Tianyou got married, Shen Liang came but only stood at the door, glanced at Shen Yao, and left.

By the time Shen Yao chased after him, Shen Liangren was already far away.

Memories return to reality.

Before me lay an abandoned factory.

"come in."

Shen Yao knocked on the iron gate in front of her.

Although it's called an iron gate, it's actually covered in rust, and the original red paint has mostly peeled off.

Shen Liang stood in the dimly lit room, looking at Shen Yao with a restrained expression, his tattooed hands tucked into his pockets.

"Brother, are you okay?"

When Shen Yao entered the house and saw that there was only a wooden bed and a few instant noodles, her nose felt sore.

"Brother, everything's fine. I called you here to say goodbye. I'm leaving the country tomorrow."

As Shen Liang spoke, he offered the only chair in the room to Shen Yao.

When Shen Yao saw him wipe himself clean with his own clothes before letting her sit down, she finally couldn't help but shed tears.

Over the years, Shen Yao never inquired about what business Shen Liang was in.

In her eyes, he was always the brother who loved her dearly.

"Brother, you know how to fix cars, right? I'll open a repair shop for you, then you won't have to wander around anymore."

"No need, brother, I'm going abroad."

Shen Liang kept his head down, never daring to look Shen Yao in the eye.

Shen Yao was taken aback, realizing that this might be the last time she and her brother would see each other.

Without saying a word, she took a bank card out of her pocket and handed it to Shen Liang.

"Brother, this card allows you to withdraw cash globally. With it, your life will be secure."

Shen Liang looked at the bank card Shen Yao handed him and shook his head.

"No, I can't accept this money. It's your hard-earned money."

Shen Yao insisted on stuffing the money into Shen Liang's hand, saying, "Brother, you'll be in a completely unfamiliar place abroad, and you'll need money."

Looking at the gleaming gold card in his hand, Shen Liang accepted it with tears in his eyes.

He looked at his sister, who was not related to him by blood, and sighed deeply.

"Yaoyao, you don't need to be so good to me. I'm sorry!"

As Shen Liang spoke, his eyes instantly reddened.

"Brother, you've always been good to me, how could you possibly let me down?"

Seeing the worry in Shen Yao's eyes, Shen Liang could no longer hold back and knelt down with a thud.

"It was your brother who broke up your marriage with Young Master Bo, and it was your brother who ruined your life!"

After hearing Shen Liang's words, Shen Yao felt as if all the strength in her body had been rapidly drained away.