As Shen Yu Nan watched Pei Wu leave, his feet seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move. His legs below the knees ached, and he couldn't take a step. He had the will but not the strength, and could only watch Pei Wu leave and the door slowly closing.

"Wait a moment."

Shen Yu Nan called out to Pei Wu, and Pei Wu turned around to look at him.

"Take the keys, I'll be waiting for you tomorrow."

"Okay." Pei Wu replied, took the key from the shoe cabinet, and left.

Only after the door closed did he reach out and cover his chest. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat. The rapid beating caused his body to tremble slightly. He then curled his trembling fingers slightly and leaned against the white wall beside him.

As his taut nerves suddenly relaxed, his straight back also relaxed abruptly. Shen Yu Nan reached up to cover his forehead, while his other hand crumpled his T-shirt. Pei Wu had only released a tiny bit of her aura, yet his heart was already pounding uncontrollably, and his body felt as if it were melting.

"Cough cough..."

'What a useless piece of trash!' Shen Yu'nan cursed inwardly.

God knows he was just a hair's breadth away from breaking down... from maintaining his outward composure. His body slid slowly against the white wall until he collapsed onto the floor.

"dad?"

Hearing the noise, Pei Nian, still half asleep, was walking towards the entrance in his cute cartoon slippers, his hair a mess with a few strands sticking up, and his chubby little hands were rubbing his eyes.

Pei Nian, who had been looking dazed, suddenly snapped out of it when he saw Shen Yu Nan sitting on the floor. He ran over to Shen Yu Nan in his cute little slippers.

"Daddy, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Pei Nian stroked Shen Yu Nan's hair with his chubby little hand. The soft little hand caressed Shen Yu Nan's hair, but the movement seemed particularly childish. "Daddy...?"

"..." Shen Yu'nan felt the child's soft little hand, tried to calm himself down, and slowly raised his eyes to look at Pei Nian in front of him.

Pei Nian, who had just woken up from her sleep, had rosy cheeks, messy hair, and a concerned look with furrowed brows. This softened the expression on Shen Yunan's face.

"Daddy, your face is so red. Do you have a fever?" The little guy spoke with concern in his childish voice. His face was so similar to Pei Wu's that even the way he was frowning reminded Shen Yu Nan of how Pei Wu had looked at him with a frown just now.

"Don't worry, Nian Nian, Dad just feels... a little hot."

Pei Nian still used his own forehead to test Shen Yu Nan's forehead.

"It's definitely not hot."

Pei Nian was finally relieved.

Seeing Pei Nian's adorable and endearing appearance, Shen Yu Nan reached out and touched the other's cheek. The child's cheek was so soft and tender, it felt wonderful to the touch.

*

Pei Wu waited until she got off the elevator before reaching for her phone in her pocket.

The missed caller ID showed it belonged to the secretary, Ju Heng.

Pei Wu called Ju Heng back, and Ju Heng answered quickly, "President Pei."

"Um, what is it?"

"Secretary Shen was photographed with her child."

"Any price is fine, just to shut them up."

“I have already spoken with the person who leaked the information, and it seems that they are not someone who can be dealt with by money.”

“…” Pei Wu stopped in her tracks. “What are the conditions the other party is negotiating?”

"The photos were sent to Diana in the form of a letter. The letter was blank, and there was only a number on the envelope. I called the number on the envelope, and a woman answered the phone. However, she said that she would not accept any negotiations, and that the photos were just a provocation against Diana."

"Have you traced the source of the number?"

"It's a new account, and the ID card it's linked to belongs to a student who just turned 18. This student's network of relationships is very simple, and there's nothing suspicious about it. Someone must have used his identity."

"Continue to follow up."

"yes."

Pei Wu turned around and looked back at the building where Shen Yu Nan lived before walking away.