Chapter 178: Give up everything
But Shin remained utterly unfazed, even amused. "You know the kind of reputation I have," he said lazily. "For her to co to
of all people she must be serious. And I’ll admit... I’m tempted to help her."
There was a beat of silence. Then Zahn’s tone turned dark, almost venomous.
"Is this how you repay ," he said slowly, "after I’ve looked after Yeri Zhi? Don’t forget she still needs constant dical supervision. Help Lianna, and I’ll make sure your fiancée is blacklisted from receiving treatnt anywhere in this city."
Yeri froze. Her jaw went slack. What?!
It was shocking to see this side of the renowned Doctor Neri. So even the perfect, stoic genius could resort to threats?
It seed this divorce was going to get ssy.
But Shin, as always, wasn’t the least bit intimidated.
Yeri couldn’t help but wonder, was he being dragged into this because of her? After all, she had been the one to offer help to Lianna Neri, and even used her demon ability to end her depression and inner tornt.
"Don’t be in such a hurry to burn bridges," Shin said lazily into the phone, his tone unbothered. "Why go personal, Zahn? Believe it or not, your wife ca to
with a business proposal. As a Neri, shouldn’t you know how to separate business and private matters? Or has the great Doctor Neri finally lost the ability to do so?"
There was silence on the other end, long and heavy. Then Yeri heard Zahn Neri’s low voice, asking Shin to et sowhere. The call ended shortly after.
Shin slid his phone into his pocket and looked up, only to find Yeri staring at him with a complicated expression.
"Sothing on my face?" he asked with a slight smirk. "Or am I just too handso for you to look away?"
Yeri blinked, snapped out of her thoughts, and frowned. "You’re not funny."
"I wasn’t trying to be," Shin said easily, leaning back in his chair. "But you did admit that you like my face."
Yeri: "..."
Sighing, she finally asked, "Are you really going to help Sister Lianna? Why would she co to you instead of asking her own family?"
Shin was quiet for a mont, fingers tapping against the table. It seed that woman hadn’t told Yeri the full story. Not that he particularly cared but within their circle, everyone knew Lianna’s maternal family was complicated.
"They wouldn’t help her," Shin said finally. "To them, she’s useful only as long as the Neri family connection remains intact. If she suffers, so be it, as long as the benefits don’t stop."
Yeri’s brows knitted. "No wonder."
Shin’s tone softened. "That’s reality."
Yeri looked at him, her expression unreadable. "Then... what are you going to do?"
"Do you want
to help her?" Shin asked suddenly.
Yeri blinked. "Will you... actually help her if I said so?"
"Of course," he said without hesitation. "Anything you want, I’ll do it."
Yeri froze, heat crawling up her neck. Was he serious? Or was he secretly practicing pickup lines when she wasn’t around?
She quickly looked away, pretending to focus on her food.
Luckily for him she’s not so greedy, manipulative woman with a bottomless appetite, she thought wryly. Otherwise, in the future, she’ll definitely cover the news headlines as the woman who brought Shin Keir’s downfall.
"You said Sister Lianna ca to you with a business deal," she replied carefully after a pause. "Then whether you help her or not, that’s for you to decide. I think that’s what she wants, too."
Shin only smiled, that calm, knowing smile that always made her uneasy and joined her for dinner.
For a while, their conversation drifted toward lighter things, but then he spoke again, voice deceptively casual.
"Don’t you really find Zahn’s wife strange?" he asked. "You might not notice since you only t her recently, but she wasn’t like this before. It’s... unusual. People don’t just change that drastically overnight."
Yeri kept her head low as she replied, "I think it’s a good change. Sothing happened during her son’s birthday. Maybe that was the final straw, she just couldn’t take it anymore."
Shin looked at her intently, his tone slow and asured. "Hmm. Probably. Or maybe she t soone who granted her a wish... let’s say, a demon."
Clatter.
The spoon slipped from Yeri’s hand and fell to the floor.
"Ah, how careless of ," she said with a forced smile, quickly bending to pick it up while cursing him silently.
What’s with him? she fud inwardly. Is he a psychic now? His reputation and status is already scary enough, does he want to add mind-reading to the list?
Without a word, Shin took a clean spoon and handed it to her.
---
On the other end of the city, Zahn Neri sat in his office, the world around him cold and soundless.
The mont he heard that Lianna had gone to KGG, to Shin Keir of all people, it was as if his veins had turned to ice. Sothing inside him snapped loose, spiraling beyond his control.
Earlier, he was still convincing himself it was all a misunderstanding, that Lianna was just upset after he told her to apologize to Vanessa, or throwing another tantrum that would fade in a few days. But after his call with Shin, there was no denying it anymore.
She was serious.
Lianna really wanted a divorce.
And she was willing to give up everything to get it.
Why?
Zahn couldn’t comprehend it. He sat there, motionless, his thoughts unraveling.
Back in college, Lianna had always been timid around Shin Keir. Among all the people acquainted with him, those who could even remotely be called his "friends
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