Shu Jia threw back the covers and sat up from the sofa.

Although her face was flushed, her eyes were sharp and clear, showing no signs of drunkenness whatsoever.

She sat on the sofa, seemingly lost in thought, but her mind was in turmoil.

The only reason two people should be together should be because they love each other, not because of anything else such as responsibility, loss of control, beauty, or desire...

Shu Jia used to scoff at Zhuo Zhiyuan's desire to take responsibility for her, but now she wants to use her beauty to completely bind Zhuo Zhiyuan to her.

At that time, regardless of whether Zhuo Zhiyuan's feelings for her stemmed from a sense of responsibility or some other reason, as long as he could be with her, that would be enough!

Shu Jia thought to herself with self-deprecation: Her friend was right, she was a despicable selfish person.

Shu Jia stared intently at the bathroom door with her deep gaze.

After a long while, she finally made up her mind and touched the zipper on the side of the skirt.

——

Shu Jia didn't want to recall what happened afterward; every time she did, it was just a replay of her own contempt and embarrassment.

Shu Jia thought: It's time, it's time to make a decision!

A short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one; Shu Jia is definitely not someone who can't accept defeat.

Shu Jia forced herself to familiarize herself with the future life without Zhuo Zhiyuan.

She worked like crazy, she left early and returned late...

However, Zhuo Zhiyuan didn't utter a single word of concern or greeting, which made Shu Jia's already cold heart even colder.

Shu Jia told herself, "That's it. If I leave now, I can at least save face. Do I really have to wait for Gu Yimin to come in before I run away crying and looking pathetic?"

But no matter what, she was determined to take the two children with her, even if it meant going to great lengths, even if it meant facing the behemoth that was the Zhuo family.

Shu Jia didn't want Lin Da to get involved in her relationship with Zhuo Zhiyuan, putting her in a difficult position.

So, she privately hired Ji Chenxi as her legal advisor to analyze the current situation and her chances of getting custody of the two children.

However, Ji Chenxi's answer made her heart sink completely: "If both children are over 2 years old, the court will generally rule that each parent raises one child. If you want to raise both children by yourself, you need to negotiate with Mr. Zhuo to determine the arrangement."

To be determined through negotiation?

How could negotiation determine anything? She knew all too well how much the Zhuo family valued these two children.

For someone as powerful as the Zhuo family, gaining custody of two children would be an impossible task.

"What if Zhuo Zhiyuan cheats on me? He'll remarry and have other children, but I can guarantee I'll never remarry and will only have my two children, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan?"

Shu Jia tried to grasp at this last straw, staring intently at Ji Chenxi, hoping he would give her a satisfactory answer.

"Infidelity generally does not affect the determination of child custody. If one parent frequently engages in violent, alcoholic, or other bad behaviors, the court will give priority to the other parent in raising the children. But clearly, Mr. Zhuo has none of these bad behaviors, and he has performed exceptionally well in the role of 'father'!"

"Is there really no other way?"

Shu Jia murmured in despair.

After a moment of contemplation, Ji Chenxi slowly shook his head: "If you only have one child, you can get priority in winning custody through sterilization surgery. Alternatively, after Mr. Zhuo remarries, he may have other children, which would also be advantageous to you."

However, given that you have two children, these advantages aren't very useful to you right now. I still suggest you negotiate custody of the two children with Mr. Zhuo; perhaps he'll agree?

After a moment of distraction, Shu Jia finally made up her mind: "Okay, I'll find an opportunity to negotiate with him."

However, opportunities are not so hard to find. The cooperation between Zhuo's and Xingheng has been on track. The later work coordination is no longer personally handled by Zhuo Zhiyuan. Moreover, Zhuo Zhiyuan's recent work schedule is extremely regular, consisting of just going between Zhuo's and home.

This made Shu Jia wonder if Zhuo Zhiyuan had already discovered that he had been investigating his whereabouts recently.

Shu Jia didn't dare to think too much about it, so she could only try to dispel Zhuo Zhiyuan's concerns. Coincidentally, the company had a business trip recently, which didn't require her to go in person, but Shu Jia still went.

She thought she needed to give herself some more time, and also give Zhuozhi some more time.

What if, what if?

What if Zhuo Zhiyuan isn't what I think he is?

At this moment, Shu Jia's heart was torn in two.

He was telling her, "Zhuo Zhiyuan didn't cheat on you at all. He loves the two children, he just doesn't love you."

Her partner was telling her, "Get lost, stop making excuses for this jerk!"

He does love his two children, but do you remember how they came to be?

It was from a drunken one-night stand with you that led to the birth of the child!

Now that he's fallen in love with someone else, naturally he's only willing to give his body and soul to that person. Otherwise, how do you explain how you, after you'd spent all your money and brought it to him, and even though he was aroused, managed to resist touching you?

Shu Jia couldn't explain it, and felt a deep bitterness in her heart.

——

The choice of real-life filming locations for web series is indeed well-deserved.

After arriving here, Shu Jia joined the filming crew directly, communicating with the director about the plot and selling points; in her spare time, she would also carry her cameras and go out to take photos, taking short trips on a whim.

The breathtaking beauty of nature has indeed calmed Shu Jia's heart, which had been burning like hot oil recently.

She even wanted to stay there forever and never go back.

If she doesn't go back, she won't have to face the real problems between her and Zhuo Zhiyuan.

Shu Jia even joined the editing team and personally took charge of editing some of the scenes.

Although she is not a professional in this area, she has been in charge of "Little Fairy Talks Movies" since college. She is proficient in video editing, if not a professional. Therefore, when communicating with directors, she can often give some unique suggestions from the audience's perspective.

Every time the director finished communicating with Shu Jia, he exclaimed that Shu Jia was his muse, and he would even keep her there, not letting her leave. As a result, what was originally a two-day business trip to check on the filming progress by Shu Jia ended up being a whole week.

And judging from the director's reluctance to leave, this time is likely to be extended.

Shu Jia did not refuse the request to extend her business trip.

But what Shu Jia didn't expect was that Zhuo Zhiyuan would arrive a week after she went on a business trip.