Shen Yi’s way of handling things surprised Rong Qian.

He didn’t start by interrogating them about the surveillance device. Instead, with a friendly attitude, he asked after each of them with concern. Just as they let their guard down, Shen Yi suddenly shifted the conversation, and the whole atmosphere took a sharp turn.

But even then, Shen Yi still didn’t say it outright.

He knew that only one of them had installed the camera, and he already knew who it was. He deliberately didn’t call her out directly—instead, he addressed someone else, in a manner very much like killing a chicken to scare the monkeys.

That cleaning auntie understood that Shen Yi’s words were aimed at her, and cold sweat began pouring uncontrollably down her forehead.

In psychology, this is called psychological pressure. Clearly, Shen Yi had mastered this technique thoroughly—using human psychology, breaking down her defenses layer by layer, collapsing the other person’s mental barriers bit by bit.

Rong Qian joined in to play along with Shen Yi at this point, speaking eloquently, listing one consequence after another that could follow from breaking the law, even deliberately exaggerating—going so far as to mention prison time.

This frightened the cleaning auntie so badly that her hands began trembling. She probably hadn’t expected that installing a single camera could lead to such severe consequences.

Even Xu Mo was startled by how perfectly in sync the two of them were.

Xu Mo had always known that once Shen Yi’s presence took hold of a room, few people dared to interject—he’d known Shen Yi for so long now, and in situations like this, even he never dared to speak casually.

But this woman could seamlessly pick up right where Shen Yi left off, without a single misstep.

The relationship between the two of them clearly wasn’t as simple as just “knowing each other”—there had to be deep feelings underlying it, and not one-sided either.

The level of synchrony between them was such that with just one look, each knew exactly what the other was thinking.

At this point, if Xu Mo still thought Rong Qian was the kind of person he’d assumed, he’d truly be a fool.

In the end, under Shen Yi’s “pressure,” the cleaning auntie finally couldn’t hold up any longer. Once Shen Yi questioned her, she confessed everything honestly.

At first, Rong Qian had assumed some fan had instigated this cleaning auntie to install a camera in her idol’s home, just to watch his every move.

Later, it turned out that wasn’t the case at all.

According to the cleaning auntie, someone above her had told her to do it. After a round of questioning, a name reached Rong Qian’s ears.

Meng Yuxin.

The second woman Shen Chi had married after Yan Qingyao died.

Why would Meng Yuxin send someone to install a camera in Shen Yi’s home? Simple—she wanted to monitor Shen Yi’s every move. As for why she’d want to do that, it was complicated, and would require going back to the current state of the Shen family and the conglomerate’s business interests to explain.

In short, Meng Yuxin wanted to control Shen Yi—because if she controlled Shen Yi, the assets she wanted would be secured.

The moment Rong Qian heard the name Meng Yuxin, she couldn’t stay calm. Rolling up her sleeves, she said angrily, “What’s that woman scheming now? Shen Yi, tell me—in all the years I’ve been away, has she been bullying you?”

“The boss has been bullied terribly, Miss Rong, you have no idea!”

Xu Mo’s words struck a chord with Rong Qian. United by shared outrage, the distance between her and Xu Mo suddenly shrank—as if they’d found a kindred spirit in each other.

“She really dares to bully you? Don’t worry, I’ll stand up for you!” Rong Qian put her hands on her hips, full of fighting spirit.

Xu Mo cheered her on from the side. “That’s right! Give that woman a good lesson, get revenge for the boss!”

“A’Qian, come, sit.” Shen Yi took her hand and had her sit down, then handed her a pair of chopsticks. “You must be hungry—eat something first.”

“Now that you mention it, I really am hungry.” Especially with breakfast smelling this good—it had thoroughly stirred up her appetite.

And so Rong Qian sat down to eat breakfast, completely setting aside the fighting spirit from a moment ago.

Watching this, Xu Mo silently exclaimed to himself—what a pushover! All it took was a bit of food to completely distract her?

“Xu Mo, sit down too.”

“Got it!”

Xu Mo eagerly rubbed his hands together—he’d been craving the Lan Fong Yuen breakfast for ages.

“You two eat first—I’ll go make a phone call.” Shen Yi gave Rong Qian a faint smile, and as he stood and walked away, the curve at the corners of his mouth flattened out instantly, his brow taking on a cold, indifferent air.

Rong Qian waited until Shen Yi had walked off before setting down her chopsticks, resting her chin on one hand. “He really hasn’t changed at all.”

“Miss Rong, have you known our boss for a long time?” Xu Mo asked curiously.

Rong Qian smiled. “Yeah. I’ve known him since he was twelve.”

“That long ago? So you and our boss are childhood sweethearts!” Xu Mo marveled. No wonder the two of them were so in sync.

Rong Qian shook her head. “Not exactly childhood sweethearts—after all, when he was twelve, I was already twenty-seven.”

“Huh? So you’re already thirty-seven now!”

Xu Mo was shocked—there was no way to tell at all. So she was already this old?

Rong Qian shot him a look, gritting her teeth as she said, “I’m still twenty-seven now.”

“How is that possible? You think I can’t do math?” Xu Mo flatly refused to believe it.

Rong Qian shrugged indifferently—after all, everything she’d said was the truth; she hadn’t lied to him.

Xu Mo stood up and circled around her, studying her up and down with a scrutinizing look, muttering, “But you really don’t look that old—you seem like you’re in your twenties or so.”

“Alright, I’ll guarantee you this—the next time you see me, I’ll still look exactly like this.” Rong Qian pressed him back down into his seat.

Xu Mo found this strange. “What do you mean, the next time I see you? Are you planning on leaving?”

“I’m not sure when exactly, but it probably won’t be too long from now. Anyway, don’t think it’s strange—when you see me again next time, I’ll explain everything to you then.”

Xu Mo wanted to press further, but Rong Qian had already changed the subject, asking him about something else. “You’ve been by Shen Yi’s side for a while now—you must know a fair amount about his situation within the Shen family.”

“I really do know quite a lot. Whatever you want to know, I can tell you.” By now, Xu Mo had already counted Rong Qian as one of his own—whatever she asked, he’d answer.

Meanwhile, in the room, after Shen Yi hung up the phone, a shadow settled over his eyes. He yanked the curtains open with a sharp swish, and sunlight poured in through the window.

The light was harsh, but he stared straight into it without flinching, his dark pupils seeming to take on a coating of golden light.

Half his body was cloaked in shadow, the other half exposed to the sunlight, forming a stark contrast.

Much like the man himself.

Caught somewhere complicated, between black and white…