After being reborn, the aloof female CEO became a paranoid.

Xu Xinran's voice was soft yet passionate, slowly drifting into Zhou Yu's ears, but he remained expressionless.

"unnecessary."

Zhou Yu stood up decisively with an indifferent expression, his calm eyes fixed on Xu Xinran, as if he could see through everything.

"Xu Xinran, don't waste your energy. You know better than anyone what this marriage means to me. So stop pretending to be virtuous. No matter what you do, my attitude towards you will not change!"

After coldly uttering these words, Zhou Yu turned and strode out of the room, leaving Xu Xinran alone, a pang of pain flashing through her heart.

He was carefree, but she couldn't let go so easily.

……

Zhou Yu went downstairs to the dining room, where the servants greeted him respectfully. At the table, Zhou Yu, in a bad mood, put down his chopsticks after only a few bites.

"By the way, is the food I asked you to cook ready?"

The maid nodded, looking somewhat hesitant. "It's ready, but... are we really going to give it to Miss? If she finds out, she'll definitely be angry. Would you like to discuss it with her?"

Should we discuss it with her?

Zhou Yu smiled faintly, his eyes filled with determination.

"No need, I'm only doing this for her own good. Just do as I say!"

Based on the events of his previous life, and given that the two had already been intimate, Zhou Yu worried that once they had a child, their bond would become even stronger.

Therefore, he specially had someone cook a contraceptive soup, intending to mix it into the soup for Xu Xinran's late-night snack and have her drink it.

However, neither Zhou Yu nor the servants expected that Xu Xinran would also arrive at the restaurant at this time.

Xu Xinran smelled the strong scent of Chinese herbs in the air, her brows furrowed, and she asked in a cold voice, "Why does it smell like Chinese medicine?"

The maid was so nervous that she almost dropped the bowl in her hand.

This reaction aroused Xu Xinran's suspicions. She walked up to the maid, her eyes piercing.

"Say!"

That single word terrified the maid so much that her legs went weak and she almost collapsed to her knees.

Before the maid could explain, Zhou Yu stood up, snatched the bowl from her hand, and handed it to Xu Xinran without hesitation.

"You should drink this medicine. It'll be good for everyone."

Xu Xinran stared at him with wide eyes, her face full of confusion.

Her icy black eyes turned to the maid, and the coldness deep within them made the maid tremble, no longer daring to hide anything.

"It's... birth control pills. Your son-in-law was worried that you're too busy with work right now and it's not suitable for you to have children, so he specially prepared these pills."

Birth control pills!

Xu Xinran's heart trembled violently, and the image of the child she had aborted without her consent in her past life flashed into her mind, filling her with an indescribable bitterness and guilt.

Zhou Yu did this not for her health, but to prevent their bond from becoming too deep.

However, in this life, she dreamed of bearing children for Zhou Yu. But reality was like a bucket of cold water, dousing her from head to toe, chilling her to the bone.

Does he hate me so much that he won't even give me the chance to have his child?

Xu Xinran felt a mix of emotions, and a hint of pain flashed in her dark eyes, but she quickly suppressed the turmoil in her heart and pretended to be calm.

"I'll drink this medicine."

After saying that, she took the medicine bowl with trembling hands, closed her eyes tightly, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp.

Since he doesn't want children, she won't force him. As long as he can accept her again, there will be plenty of opportunities to have children in the future.

She could only console herself with this thought. Despite her bitterness and helplessness, she forced herself to force a smile and try to make the atmosphere less awkward.

Zhou Yu was stunned by her actions.

He hadn't expected Xu Xinran to drink the medicine so readily. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

That night, Xu Xinran, unusually, did not come to Zhou Yu's room, and he enjoyed a rare peaceful night.

The next morning, Zhou Yu went to the company as usual.

With Mu Tianze absent, the office felt even more deserted. Zhou Ze, that kid, hadn't come to work for several days in a row, citing feeling unwell as the reason. Zhou Yu knew perfectly well that the guy was probably just shirking his responsibilities.

"You were just acting crazy with me last night, and you're sick today?!"

Zhou Yu pursed his lips, not believing it at all.

After finishing his work, he took out his old, yellowed diary, which had become a source of great anxiety for him. He had tried countless passwords but couldn't unlock it, which made him so anxious that he kept scratching his head.

"Looks like I'll have to find a locksmith to take a look."

Zhou Yu muttered to himself, and just as he was about to put the diary back, a business card fell out, revealing the three large characters "He Manting" on it.

He picked up the business card and fell into deep thought.

Can we really trust what that woman said that day?

Is the adoptive father she mentioned really related to her?

The words He Manting said yesterday echoed in his ears again, making him feel suffocated.

Zhou Yu quickly stuffed the business card into the drawer, forcing himself to forget those troublesome things.

Just then, his phone beeped. He thought it was a text message from Mu Tianze, so he casually swiped to open it. It turned out to be a message from an unknown number with only four digits: "1019".

"What is that? What does it mean?"

Zhou Yu frowned, his mind filled with unease.

He glanced at the phone number, confirmed he didn't recognize it, and figured it might have been sent to the wrong number. So he casually tossed his phone aside, moved the mouse around, and started browsing the web.

But I had only glanced at it a couple of times when my phone rang again, from that same unknown number.

Zhou Yu frowned and pressed the answer button: "Hello, who is this?"

"I am He Manting." A woman's cool voice came from the other end of the phone.

Upon hearing He Manting's name, Zhou Yu's heart skipped a beat. Why was this woman coming to his door again?

He said irritably, "Miss He, what exactly do you want? I'm busy right now, I don't have time to play with you."

"October 1019th is my adoptive father's birthday."

He Manting's words struck Zhou Yu like a bolt of lightning.

"What do you mean? What does your adoptive father's birthday have to do with me?"

Zhou Yu's heart tightened, and he was eager to hang up the phone.

He Manting spoke again calmly, "It's also your biological father's birthday."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu froze on the spot, his fingers unconsciously swiping across the phone screen before he hung up the call.

But his gaze still unconsciously fell on the diary. He slowly picked up the diary, his finger hovering in mid-air, but he hesitated to press the four numbers.

He both hoped that these numbers would help him open his diary and feared that once he did, He Manting's words would become the cruel reality he would have to face.

Zhou Yu was filled with anxiety, repeatedly considering the matter in his mind, but he still couldn't come to a conclusion.

Finally, as if he had made a major decision, a ruthless glint flashed in Zhou Yu's eyes.

His fingers trembled as he pressed the four numbers one by one...