Bab 17: Formidable Love Rival (1)
"Do you need something from my wife?" Mu Jianyu asked him, annoyed that this man was persistent in ruining his mood whenever he saw him. Even before his marriage with Li Xiuying, he was never comfortable being in the same space with Shen Zichen.
The first time he met Shen Zichen, he knew that the man was in love with Ying. As to why he never pursued his wife, Mu Jianyu had no idea. Of course Ying had noticed the strange and conflicting aura between the two special men in her life but she had no idea what had caused it. She just assumed that they'll eventually get used to seeing each other later on.
Mu Jianyu had been wary of Shen Zichen because Ying was always so carefree around him, talking and smiling at Shen Zichen like it was the most natural thing in the world.
'He's my only best boy friend. We grew up together and we're childhood friends. There's nothing to be worried about him.' Li Xiuying assured him before but that wasn't enough for Mu Jianyu to lower his guard against Shen Zichen.
It also didn't help that Shen Zichen was born a Shen and he overheard that those who were close to the Shen and Li families had thought that romance would bloom between Shen Zichen and Li Xiuying. That didn't sit well with him.
Shen Zichen could have been Ying's husband if he didn't interfere with the plan. If Li Xiuying hadn't met him, the one who was standing next to her could have been Shen Zichen.
"Wife? Are you sure we're talking about the same person, Mu Jianyu?" Shen Zichen let out a chuckle. While he was civil to Mu Jianyu whenever Li Xiuying was around, he never concealed his displeasure when they were left alone together.
Mu Jianyu quivered with indignation at Shen Zichen's words. His mere presence was enough to make him feel a jealousy so intense that it's eating him from the inside. He had heard a lot of things about Shen Zichen from his wife and how close they were growing up together.
When he first met Li Xiuying, Shen Zichen had been studying medicine abroad. It took years before Mu Jianyu met him. The Shen family was still as popular and rich as ever and while he knew that Shen Zichen was one of the adopted children of the ShenLu couple, it still didn't sit well with him.
He was a commoner married to a socialite princess after all. Everything around her was perfection and it was so blinding that he couldn't help but to look away.
The differences between them were obvious and irritating at the same time. Mu Jianyu didn't want his wife to be associated with Shen Zichen anymore out of jealousy but he also knew that it would be unfair to ask Li Xiuying for such a thing.
Mu Jianyu flinched at Shen Zichen's words. What did Shen Zichen mean by that?
Had he discovered his affair with Lin Meirong and now wanted to take Li Xiuying from him? No, this couldn't be… was he ready to give his wife to Shen Zichen? Mu Jianyu didn't think so.
Meanwhile, Shen Zichen was having a hard time suppressing his anger upon seeing Mu Jianyu. Li Xiuying had begged him not to tell anyone about her husband's affair. Whether it was because she was ashamed or afraid, Shen Zichen didn't know.
Deep in his heart, he wanted Li Xiuying to divorce this despicable man. Had he known that Li Xiuying would suffer because of Mu Jianyu, he should've confessed his feeling to Li Xiuying before she married this traitorous man. However, when he saw how happy she was being in love with Mu Jianyu, he had chosen to step back and let go of her.
This was his biggest regret in his life. Being romantically interested in your best friend can be painful and awkward, and Shen Zichen knew this. There were many questions that came to his mind once he realized he loved Li Xiuying.
'Does she feel the same?'
'Am I allowed to confess my love to her?'
'Am I going to ruin this friendship if I tell her the truth?'
So many questions were left unanswered because once he came back, he found that she was already in another man's arms. He could only watch as she walked down the aisle as the most beautiful bride he'd seen when she married Mu Jianyu.
The atmosphere between the two men was so thick that anyone who saw the two could easily see the suffocating tension.
Mu Jianyu wasn't ready to back down and give his wife up while Shen Zichen looked down at him with such contempt. It was only when they heard Li Xiuying's voice that they broke their silent war against each other.
"Jianyu, you are still here?" She asked, surprised that her husband stayed late at the company when usually Mu Jianyu would have left his office as soon as the working time ended to meet his mistress.
"You're working so hard. How can I just leave when my wife is doing her best to help the company." Mu Jianyu said nonchalantly, earning a deep frown from Shen Zichen.
If he and Li Xiuying didn't know the affair, they would've probably believed his lie.
Li Xiuying nodded and stopped her tongue from correcting him. Mu Jianyu shouldn't know that she was already aware of his wrongdoings.
"Brother Zichen, you're late. I thought we're going to cancel dinner." She asked Shen Zichen instead.
"Ying, you haven't eaten dinner yet?" Her husband interjected.
The frown on Shen Zichen's face deepened, his eyes sharpening to him.
"You said she's your wife and yet you allow her to skip her meals? Mu Jianyu, is our Ying just a trophy wife to you?" He couldn't stop the harsh words coming from his mouth because of his annoyance.
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