Zhou Shirong's eyes flashed with a cold gleam as he said, "That boss isn’t exactly a good person either. We've had some unpleasant interactions. Of course, it's just me being upset in my own heart, he doesn't care at all. If I owned all of Crescent Wellness, I could easily suppress him. But unfortunately, I'm just one of the 11 heirs, and I'm still not as good as him."

Ethan Shaw: "Can you explain the murderous look in your eyes just now?"

Zhou Shirong shook his head. "Forget it, after all, she's already his. If there's still a chance, I wouldn't mind borrowing your Kiss of Gray."

Just at that moment, the owner of the Tea Pavilion, Jin Linfeng, also arrived. He didn't see Zhou Shirong and walked straight to his wife, Tang Wan, looking quite displeased.

Zhou Shirong could vaguely hear words like "My affairs are none of your business" coming from Jin Linfeng's mouth. Clearly, the couple had been arguing. But in the tea house, both of them kept their voices low, mindful of their image.

After a while, Jin Linfeng flicked his sleeves and walked off. He didn't know Zhou Shirong, and as an illegitimate child, Zhou Shirong wasn't exactly well-liked in the circle. He was always quietly lurking in the background. Considering that Tang Wan, a daughter of a prestigious family, had once looked at him differently, Zhou Shirong was already quite fortunate. He didn't want to approach Tang Wan now; he didn’t know what to say. The couple had just had a tiff, and who was he to interfere? The thought of the "couple" reality made him not want to face it. However, to his surprise, Tang Wan actually walked over to him, her face forced into a smile. "Shirong, it's really you."

Tang Wan was graceful, even nodding to Ethan Shaw beside him.

"It's me." Zhou Shirong responded simply, momentarily at a loss for words, not introducing Ethan Shaw's identity.

Tang Wan asked, "Did we interrupt your conversation?"

Zhou Shirong replied, "Oh, no, we’re done. We were about to part ways. I noticed you didn’t seem too happy with him just now."

Tang Wan said, "He’s been a bit arrogant... but let's not talk about him. Let’s talk about you. You really surprised me, becoming the chairman of Crescent Wellness. My friends can't believe it."

Zhou Shirong smiled playfully, "Yeah, even I can’t believe it. Five of my half-siblings are all gone. What are the odds of that?"

Tang Wan continued, "I have some bad news for you. Your nephew has been telling everyone that the bizarre incident at Crescent Wellness headquarters is somehow related to you. You need to handle it; otherwise, your reputation will be ruined."

Zhou Shirong smiled wryly. "I can't manage him."

Ethan Shaw sneered, "You can’t manage him before he turns 18."

Tang Wan, intrigued by the "outlier" in this conversation, immediately shifted her focus to Ethan Shaw. "Who is this?"

Ethan Shaw introduced himself, "Good afternoon, Madam. I’m the head of the investment department at Crescent Wellness, Ethan Shaw."

Tang Wan chuckled lightly. "Is that so? Good name. The investment department has become quite powerful. I’ve heard that the funds managed by it are part of the family foundation and are worth more than Crescent Wellness’s total market value."

Ethan Shaw smiled. "You’re very observant, Madam. You've been keeping an eye on Crescent Wellness."

Tang Wan replied, "Crescent Wellness is the beverage giant in Wu City. How could I not pay attention? Plus, Shirong and I are good friends. If it weren’t for my family’s objections, Shirong and I might have even started dating."

Ethan Shaw joked, "It’s never too late to fall in love. I see your relationship with your husband isn’t that great, and besides, our Chairman Zhou is now more than worthy of you."

Tang Wan wasn’t offended by the joke, but rather chuckled. "Now, it might be that I’m not worthy of Chairman Zhou. He’s the chairman now, while my husband doesn’t even know when he’ll fully take control of the group."

Zhou Shirong fell silent. Ethan Shaw picked up the conversation. "If Chairman Zhou wasn’t always thinking about his former lover, why else would he come to places like this to drink tea with me?"

Tang Wan gave Zhou Shirong a meaningful look before sighing. "Now, it’s too late for anything to matter."

Ethan Shaw continued, "Exactly, it’s too late. For families as large and powerful as yours, with such complicated relationships, you’ll rarely find someone who can transcend those bonds and pursue their own desires. There’s not even one in ten thousand."

Tang Wan couldn’t help but turn her gaze to Ethan Shaw. Why did this person, ostensibly Zhou Shirong's subordinate, keep making remarks that transcended his position? It seemed that Zhou Shirong wasn’t angry about it either. This made Tang Wan reassess the true capabilities of the investment head.

Finally, Zhou Shirong spoke. "Actually, I won’t be coming here again. I know you’re pregnant. Once a mother has a child, she becomes someone else. She’s no longer the Tang Wan I once dreamed of. I never imagined that the last time I came here, I’d run into you. It was so difficult to meet you even after so many visits."

Ethan Shaw was slightly taken aback. Zhou Shirong had seemed in a good mood earlier, but it appeared that he still had such thoughts. It was hard for Ethan to relate to the mindset of a wealthy playboy heir when just a month ago, he was still a total failure in life.

Tang Wan remained silent for a while, then said, "Your information is outdated. A few days ago, I found out Jin Linfeng cheated, we had a huge argument, and he kicked me. I lost the baby. I just got out of the hospital."

The two exchanged a glance, not expecting such a scene. Zhou Shirong’s heart burned with anger—his goddess, his white moonlight, was facing such a scumbag. This was no longer about love, but pure rage—a desire to destroy everything.

"Do you hate him?" Zhou Shirong gritted his teeth and asked.

Tang Wan shook her head. "No, I don’t hate him. I think all men are pretty much the same. It’s just bad luck on my part, and I don’t want a divorce. That’s too childish. We’re a union of two families, and the price of growing up is realizing that the world doesn’t revolve around you. It’s funny, I thought I was a princess when I first met you."

Ethan Shaw suddenly interjected, "What were you arguing about just now? Did you ask him to break up with his mistress?"

Tang Wan seemed to have let go, not caring to talk in front of this third-party outsider. "No, I just advised him to be more restrained, to consider the reputation of both families. I’m no longer hoping for a breakup."

Ethan Shaw sneered. "You really are a rational woman."

Zhou Shirong saw that Tang Wan's expression had soured and quickly explained, "My friend is just blunt." He inadvertently forgot that Ethan Shaw was a senior executive, not merely a friend, and this slip of the tongue made Tang Wan realize that Ethan Shaw wasn’t an ordinary employee at Crescent Wellness.

Tang Wan, feeling uncomfortable, fixed her gaze on Zhou Shirong and asked, "You were the biggest beneficiary of your five siblings' deaths. How do you plan to explain this to others?"

Zhou Shirong suddenly felt an impulse to throw caution to the wind. He said, "Of course, I’ll tell others I had no idea. But when it comes to you, it’s different. My only issue is, if I tell you the truth, are you sure you can handle it?"

Ethan Shaw’s eyes flashed with a cold gleam, and he shot Zhou Shirong a sharp look. Zhou Shirong, unperturbed, completely ignored Ethan's warning, still focusing on Tang Wan’s eyes. It seemed that the shattering of his "goddess" fantasy had hit him hard.

To Zhou Shirong's surprise, Tang Wan smiled and replied, "From what you’re saying, I’ve already guessed the answer. Whether you say it or not, it makes no difference. You’re really making a big fuss over nothing. If it were the Ji family, it would be different. Even though Old Master Ji isn’t that old, he only has one son. Otherwise, why would I have chosen him? The moment I married into the Ji family, my child was destined to be the heir. That sense of security is what many girls dream of. You men probably don’t understand how this identity and status rank among women. We women care most about vanity. Even someone as rational as I am, when I think of it, I can’t escape the fate of vanity."

Zhou Shirong, seeing no one nearby, suddenly lowered his voice. "Aside from my siblings, my old man, too. I was the one who sent him off. Yes, I have the means to make someone die quietly."

Though she had guessed part of the truth, Tang Wan was horrified. She hadn’t expected Zhou Shirong to say it aloud, especially with someone else present.