Su Qianqian stared blankly, feeling somewhat dazed.
So this was how Shen Que came into this world.
An illegitimate son, unwanted yet exceptionally gifted.
In the following six years, relying on her gentle attentiveness and impeccable conduct, Second Madam Shen, though never winning Father Shen's true heart, still managed to secure a comfortable life for herself and her son outside the main residence, with ample food and clothing, never subjected to mistreatment.
By the age of five, Shen Que was already remarkably precocious.
Grandfather Shen personally intervened and brought this grandson living outside back to the ancestral Shen family home.
That day at the Shen residence, First Madam Shen—the woman of humble origins yet resilient and aloof, who could not tolerate the slightest impurity—instantly flew into a mad rage.
She smashed every ornament within her reach, wailing in heart-rending agony.
Watching his lawful wife in such pain, Father Shen was himself tormented.
But as he looked at Shen Que, so jade-like and clever, with calm, penetrating eyes, his desire for a worthy heir ultimately outweighed his guilt.
First Madam Shen protested and wept, but Shen Que and his mother ultimately stayed.
First Madam Shen initially wanted to leave, but she was too unwilling.
Unwilling to see what rightfully belonged to her son so easily snatched away by a bastard.
In the days that followed, she would at times be terrifyingly calm, and at other times subject Shen Que and Second Madam Shen to cold ridicule and sarcasm, even unable to suppress the hatred in her heart, frequently pinching and hitting them.
Father Shen, knowing he was in the wrong, indulged her in everything. Second Madam Shen, deeply aware of his lack of affection, dared not utter a word.
Young Shen Que grew up rapidly in this twisted environment.
He understood earlier than anyone that warmth and love were false; only money, power, and ability firmly grasped in one's own hands were real.
Yet, into this nauseating household, a single beam of light shone—his elder brother, six years his senior, the Eldest Son of the Shen Family.
His brother would step forward when his mother lost control and pinched him, and would gently apologize on his mother's behalf.
His brother also told him that these matters were their father's fault, not his.
Later, his brother would even secretly take his hand and lead him to the garden to play simple games.
Back then, Shen Que clearly knew they were competitors, yet a longing still grew in his heart, and secretly, he came to regard him as a true brother.
Unfortunately, the good times did not last.
A year later, Shen Que turned six.
After a fierce quarrel and ensuing cold war between Father Shen and First Madam Shen, the understanding and considerate Second Madam Shen stayed by his side, offering gentle comfort.
This time, Father Shen did not numb himself with alcohol; he was sober.
Thus, they had Shen Nian'an.
Shen Nian'an's birth became the final straw that broke First Madam Shen.
She could no longer endure this suffocating life and resolutely took her son abroad for his education.
Before leaving, Shen Que secretly sought out his brother. They promised to keep in touch often.
But promises ultimately succumbed to reality. First Madam Shen guarded against it fiercely, never allowing any contact between them.
Fifteen years passed in the blink of an eye.
Shen Que was now twenty-one, his talents already shining brilliantly.
He not only stabilized the Shen family's traditional businesses but also, with an iron-fisted approach, expanded global trade and various tourism resort projects, establishing the new Shen Group headquarters.
There, no one called him "Young Master Shen"; everyone addressed him as "Chairman Shen."
Across the ocean, First Madam Shen, seeing the increasingly dazzling Shen Que in financial reports, found her psychological issues growing more severe.
Her emotions swung erratically between elegant composure and hysterical rage.
Finally, she decided to return to China.
Father Shen received the news with unconcealed joy and anticipation.
Shen Que remained outwardly impassive, handling affairs as usual, but inwardly, he too was secretly anticipating.
As for Second Madam Shen, her fear was visibly apparent, filled with anxiety day after day.
The young Shen Nian'an was merely bewildered, unaware of what the return of the legendary "First Madam" signified.
The next night, First Madam Shen landed in S City.
The brother Shen Que had been anticipating returned with her.
But what he saw was an Eldest Son of the Shen Family with distant eyes, who nodded politely to him as if to a stranger.
Shen Que didn't even stay two full days at the old residence before moving back to his city apartment, rarely setting foot in that suffocating home again.
Time had not dulled First Madam Shen's hatred; if anything, it occasionally grew more frenzied.
She poured all her resentment onto the young Shen Nian'an.
Father Shen's heart was full of tender care for his wife, regained after loss, and he indulged her in almost everything, turning a blind eye to all that Shen Nian'an endured.
Shen Nian'an couldn't understand why her father, who had once doted on her, now only ignored her tears.
Her mother also only dared to weep secretly, telling her not to go to her brother.
She said, "Be good, Nian'an. Don't make a fuss, don't talk about it everywhere. Otherwise, your father will dislike us even more. You don't want to lose your father forever, right?"
Two years passed in this manner, oppressive and interminable.
Until one time, when Shen Que returned to the old residence and accidentally saw the overlapping old and new pinch marks and bruises on Shen Nian'an's arm, he instantly understood what kind of life this younger sister had lived these past two years.
Because he had once lived the same way.
For the first time, he went to confront his father.
But Father Shen waved his hand impatiently, dismissively: "Your First Madam just has bitterness in her heart and needs to vent. She's just a slight woman, how much strength could she have?"
"Just have Nian'an apply some ointment. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill."
At that moment, looking at his father, the last flicker of anticipation for familial affection in Shen Que's heart turned completely cold.
He said nothing and directly took Shen Nian'an away.
Around the same time, misfortune struck: Eldest Brother Shen was in a car accident, losing the use of his legs forever.
When the tragic news arrived, First Madam Shen went completely mad.
At times she would cry and wail that it was her fault for returning, that she had harmed her child;
At other times she would shrilly accuse Shen Que, that bastard, of having plotted this all along.
Father Shen was heartbroken, explaining to her over and over that it truly was just an accident.
But First Madam Shen wouldn't believe it. She lived in her own world, half the time lucid and calm, the other half frantically cursing Shen Que and the entire Shen family.
Until this year, Shen Que turned twenty-seven.
The Shen Group grew even more colossal under his control, its power and influence magnificent, solidifying its position as one of the Four Great Families.
However, over twenty years had passed, and the concept of "aristocratic families" had gradually faded into history. Young people nowadays were more accustomed to calling it: the Shen Financial Conglomerate.
