Your Wife? Mine! - Chapter 5

Shen Xi squared up and delivered three solid blows to Gu Hai’s face.

The first hit landed square on the bridge of her nose. Gu Hai let out a muffled groan, her head snapping back. The second and third followed in rapid succession, striking her cheekbone and the corner of her mouth—so fast that no one had time to react.

The surrounding area fell into a dead silence, broken only by the dull thud of fist against flesh and Gu Hai’s pained wheezing echoing through the night. It wasn’t until red swelling and bloodstains rapidly appeared on Gu Hai’s face that the Alpha cousins, who had been bystanders to the gossip, finally snapped out of it and scrambled forward to pull them apart.

“Shen Xi! Stop it!”

“Hurry, pull her off!”

But at this moment, Shen Xi was like a trapped beast whose “reverse scale” had been touched; her eyes were bloodshot, and her reason was entirely gone. Any hand that tried to get close or restrain her became a target for her aggression. The elegant rest area in the garden instantly dissolved into chaos; low shouts of warning, cries of pain, and the sound of crashing tables and chairs intertwined. What began as a private conversation had devolved into a humiliating brawl.

The massive commotion finally pierced through the noise of the banquet hall. By the time the eldest cousin, Shen Ming, arrived with several others, she was met with this scene of total disorder. Even in the brief gaps as people tried to haul her back, Shen Xi managed to break free once more, delivering a vicious hook that slammed into Gu Hai’s already bruising eye socket.

“Everyone, STOP!” Shen Ming’s authoritative roar was like a bucket of ice water. “Look at yourselves! Separate them immediately!”

Shen Zhao was the first to react, locking her arms around Shen Xi’s waist from behind and dragging her backward with all her might. Shen Xi struggled violently, her hair a mess, as she hissed out a curse: “You son of a bitch, Gu Hai! If I don’t beat you to death today, I’ll write my name backward!”

During the struggle, the small hearing aid behind her ear was knocked loose, falling silently into the grass. The world’s sound instantly became blurred and distorted, as if she had sunk to the bottom of a murky pool, leaving only her heavy breathing and the drum-like pounding of her heart.

In that suffocating silence, a clear yet icy female voice pierced through her eardrums like moonlight breaking through the mist:

“Miss Shen Xi, quite the display of power. Who exactly are you planning to beat to death?”

Shen Xi snapped her head around toward the source of the voice.

It was Meng Xiyao.

She stepped out from the interplay of warm yellow light and cold shadows. Her moon-white qipao traced her slender figure, but her face was set in a layer of frost. She didn’t even spare Shen Xi a glance, walking straight toward the staggering Gu Hai.

Gu Hai shook off those supporting her and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her thumb. She shot a mocking look at Shen Xi, as if to say, “What can you possibly do to me?”

That look instantly reignited Shen Xi’s fury. Her fists clenched; she wanted nothing more than to give the woman another round.

Meng Xiyao stood before Gu Hai, her gaze scanning the woman’s battered face. Her brow furrowed, and her voice was laced with genuine concern: “Are you okay?”

Gu Hai shook her head, wincing as the movement tugged at the wound on her mouth, but she feigned a casual air. “I’m fine. Just some surface wounds.”

Watching them stand together, seeing the obvious care in Meng Xiyao’s eyes, Shen Xi felt the burning fire in her chest nearly burst through her throat.

Finally, Meng Xiyao turned around. Her eyes landed on Shen Xi, who was still being held tightly by Shen Zhao. Her gaze was filled with suppressed indignation and confusion. “Miss Shen Xi, just how has my Gu Hai offended you that you feel the need to start a life-and-death brawl the moment you return to the country?”

Shen Xi couldn’t hear perfectly, but she knew Xiyao was defending Gu Hai. She opened her mouth, but her throat felt blocked. She wanted to scream. She wanted to vomit out every cold, disgusting word Gu Hai had said. How that animal belittled her behind her back and treated their marriage as a mere act.

But as the words reached the tip of her tongue, she forced herself to swallow them. Repeating those foul words in front of so many people would be no different than stripping away Meng Xiyao’s dignity and trampling it on the ground.

She couldn’t do that to her.

Ultimately, all her rage, grievance, and resentment settled into a stubborn mask on her face. She looked away, her voice muffled and raspy. “It’s nothing. I did what I did. Just take it as me being a drunk lunatic.”

After all, in the eyes of the Shen family, she had always been violent, erratic, and unreasonable.

Shen Zhao squeezed her arm hard, whispering, “Shen Xi, talk properly!”

Gu Hai, clearly banking on the fact that Shen Xi wouldn’t dare speak the truth, covered her swollen eye and feigned magnanimity. “Cousin probably just had too much to drink tonight. She’s a bit unstable.”

“Forget it. We’re family; I won’t hold it against her.” She turned back to Meng Xiyao, her voice softening with a hint of dependency. “Wife, my injuries really hurt. Can we find a doctor to look at them?”

Meng Xiyao nodded and reached out to support her arm. Gu Hai then turned to the grim-faced Shen Ming. “Eldest Cousin, please excuse us.”

Shen Ming waved them off, her expression remaining sour. They walked away together, Meng Xiyao supporting Gu Hai, their silhouettes appearing exceptionally “harmonious” under the moonlight. The others quickly made excuses and dispersed, terrified of being caught up in the drama.

In the blink of an eye, the once-lively garden was left with only Shen Xi and her sister.

Shen Xi stood frozen, her gaze like a red-hot nail fixed on the two retreating figures, as if trying to burn through them.

Shen Ming walked up to her. Seeing her state, she felt a mix of anger and helplessness, which finally escaped as a sigh. “You… honestly…” She turned to Shen Zhao, rubbing her temples tiredly. “Zhao, take your sister back and tend to her wounds. Every single day, you two just can’t let me have a moment of peace.”

With that, Shen Ming turned and left.

Shen Zhao glanced at the silent Shen Xi and grabbed her arm to pull her away. “Let’s go. Back to the villa.”

She pulled, but Shen Xi didn’t budge. Shen Zhao sighed and looked at her. “What now, Your Majesty?”

Shen Xi looked up, her expression flat, carrying the “dead” look that follows an episode of madness. “The hearing aid.”

“It fell on the ground. It’s gone.”

Shen Zhao: “…”

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes, but finally relented. “Then we look for it!”

The two sisters spent the next while crawling through the grass until they finally located the device. Half an hour later, they were back in their private villa on the estate.

Shen Xi sat on the sofa, opening the first-aid kit and cleaning her own facial wounds in the mirror. Her left cheek was swollen, and her lip was split. Each time the iodine-soaked swab touched her skin, a sharp sting made her flinch.

Shen Zhao, having changed into a robe, walked over and pressed a chilled bottle of mineral water against Shen Xi’s swollen cheek. “We’re out of ice packs. Use this for now.”

Shen Xi murmured a low “Thanks, Sis.”

Shen Zhao sat beside her, cracked open a can of coke, and said nonchalantly, “No outsiders now. Tell me. Why did you really do it?”

Shen Xi held the bottle to her face, staring silently at the intricate patterns on the carpet. Shen Zhao didn’t push, simply adding, “There are cameras in the garden. Even if you don’t talk, I’ll know by tomorrow.”

Shen Xi’s fingers tightened around the bottle until her knuckles turned white. After a long silence, she forced out a voice that trembled with suppressed emotion. “I heard… Gu Hai talking to them… saying things about Sister Xiyao… horrible things…”

Shen Zhao arched an eyebrow, her gaze sharpening. “So, you played the hero for the damsel in distress?”

At those words, a wave of irritation washed over Shen Xi. She twisted open the water bottle and took several long, cold gulps. The icy liquid slid down her throat, but it couldn’t douse the fire in her heart. She set the bottle down and stood up, avoiding the question. “Not really.”

“I’m tired. I’m going to bed.” She made a quick excuse and turned to leave.

“Xiao Xi,” Shen Zhao called out.

Shen Xi stopped and looked back. Shen Zhao’s gaze was solemn. “Meng Xiyao is married.”

“Whatever Gu Hai did or said, that is between them.”

“It’s someone else’s family matter, and someone else’s Omega. You have no right to interfere, and no standing to do so.”

Shen Xi’s shoulders gave an almost imperceptible tremor. She didn’t respond or argue; she simply turned and walked away. Her pace quickened as she practically fled upstairs.

The night grew deep.

After showering, Shen Xi lay on her familiar yet foreign bed, completely unable to sleep. She looked up at the wall across from her, staring blankly at the old, carefully framed jigsaw puzzle. It was a vast solar system, the first complex puzzle she and Meng Xiyao had finished together.

“Family matter…”

“Someone else’s Omega…”

Her sister’s words were like cold needles, repeatedly piercing her heart. Memories surged uncontrollably, dragging her back to a grey afternoon twelve years ago.

She had just barely recovered from the kidnapping and returned to the manor from the hospital, only to see Meng Xiyao carrying a suitcase, being led out through the heavy main gates of the manor. She was then told that her Eldest Aunt, Shen Shaoyin, had decided to send Meng Xiyao abroad for “further studies.”

In that moment, she felt her world collapse. She wanted to rush to her aunt and demand to know why they were taking Xiyao away. Was it because of the “accident”? But that was all her fault!

She had barely run two steps before her sister, Shen Zhao, caught her in a death grip.

She turned back, her eyes brimming with the tears of a breakdown and desperate resentment, only to meet her sister’s gaze—one so calm it bordered on cruel.

“Xiao Xi, stop being willful. You’ll only bring more trouble to Xiyao.”

“She’s already engaged to Gu Hai. She is someone else’s fiancée. Sending her away now is for the best—for everyone.”

“Engaged,” “Someone else’s fiancée,” “For the best”… those words were like branding irons pressed against her heart, instantly draining her of every ounce of strength and courage.

That very night, without a word to anyone, she stole her passport and ran.

Before boarding the plane, she sent one final message to Shen Zhao: “If Sister Xiyao is still sent away, I’ll die out here and never come back.”

***

As the memory faded, Shen Xi slammed her hand over her eyes, pressing hard.

She thought of Meng Xiyao standing by Gu Hai’s side now; she thought of the way she tenderly cared for their daughter. A tearing pain surged through her, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

God damn it. Her regret was so bitter it was turning her stomach.

To hell with family rules! To hell with being “someone else’s fiancée”!

She should have completely marked Meng Xiyao right then and there, then taken her and vanished to the ends of the earth! If they had run away together back then, their child would be old enough to run errands by now.

“Idiot!”

Shen Xi cursed under her breath, her teeth gritted in self-loathing. “Shen Xi, you god-awful, pathetic idiot!”

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