Chapter 104: Menace

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Menace

Yao Yuzhen turned her face away, the tip of her nose red from the cold.

"Shuangshuang, how much cash do you have on you?"

She didn’t have a penny on her.

She had been wiped clean during her hospital stay, and in her rush to leave this afternoon, she hadn’t even grabbed her purse.

Shen Shuangshuang rummaged through her small purse, her hand feeling around at the bottom for a moment.

"I spent thirty on medicine, so I have a little over a hundred left."

As soon as Yao Yuzhen heard that, her face broke into a smile.

"Come on, we’re staying at a guest house!"

"...Um, Mom, can we just go back?"

Shen Shuangshuang rubbed her hands together and asked tentatively.

’What kind of place was a guest house?’

’And what kind of place was the Shen family home?’

’She really didn’t want to spend the night here.’

Afraid Yao Yuzhen would think she was trying to get rid of her, she quickly added,

"Dad, First Brother, and Second Brother will be worried sick when they see you’re not home!"

The smile on Yao Yuzhen’s face faded inch by inch, finally hardening into a cold sneer.

"Worried sick? They’re probably having a lively reunion dinner right now!"

’She wanted to make them anxious, to force them to realize where they’d gone wrong and then come groveling with an apology.’

But that was too blunt, and she was too proud to say it aloud.

Hearing this, Shen Shuangshuang’s temper flared, and she blurted out,

"It’s all that jinx Shen Songyao’s fault! If she hadn’t sown so much discord, would you and Dad have had a falling-out? Would Second Brother have dared to talk back to you? My aunt wouldn’t have given me such a dirty look!"

After speaking, she covered a cheek with her hand, her lip quivering as her eyes turned red.

Yao Yuzhen’s gaze lifted, fixing on the swaying shadows of a tree under a distant streetlight. Her voice was cold and detached.

"If they cherish her so much, then let them all just have a happy life together."

In the end, the two of them went to the guest house, squeezing into the oldest and dingiest room they had.

It wasn’t just Shen Shuangshuang who was unused to such conditions; even Yao Yuzhen was frowning in disgust.

The plaster on the walls was yellowed, and a damp, musty smell hung in the air.

The bed was as narrow as a board, and its sheet had several brown, indelible stains along the edge.

The bedding was stiff and damp, and lifting a corner of the quilt released a peculiar smell...

Yao Yuzhen didn’t even want to touch the stool.

Seeing her mother’s strained expression, Shen Shuangshuang immediately tried to persuade her again.

"Mom, if it’s really this bad, let’s just go back!"

Before the words were even out of her mouth, Yao Yuzhen abruptly sat down.

Shen Shuangshuang opened her mouth but didn’t say another word.

Shen Rongdan turned the house upside down, but there was no sign of them.

Shen Rongjing called Yao Yuzhen’s sister and asked again and again, but she denied seeing them.

When he hung up, he still hadn’t gotten a single useful piece of information.

He decided to have Shen Rongdan and Guo Shushu stay and watch the house while he grabbed a food container and went to the hospital to deliver dinner to Shen Zhenwu.

By the time he got to the hospital room, the clock was already pointing to seven p.m.

Shen Zhenwu was starving, but the moment he saw his son enter, he still put on a brave face.

"Didn’t I tell you not to make the trip? I told you I’m not hungry!"

Shen Rongjing replied smoothly as he handed over the food container.

"We already ate at home."

Only then did Shen Zhenwu reach out to take it. He asked casually as he lifted the lid.

"Your mother... is she all right?"

"She’s doing great!"

Shen Rongjing answered decisively.

"Did she eat?"

"Yes, Shuangshuang took a tray up to her personally."

There was a reason Shen Rongjing hadn’t let Shen Rongdan come.

Shen Rongdan was too sincere; he couldn’t tell a lie to save his life and didn’t even know how to pretend.

He, on the other hand, was different. He could lie as easily as breathing, without so much as a blink.

When Shen Rongjing said Shuangshuang had taken her the tray, Shen Zhenwu believed him.

The logic was simple: Yao Yuzhen had always been at Shen Shuangshuang’s beck and call.

After delivering the food, Shen Rongjing turned and left.

Back at home, he clapped Shen Rongdan on the shoulder.

"Tomorrow morning, you’re going to scour the city and check every single guest house in Beijing. If Mom really is hiding somewhere with Shuangshuang, chances are that’s where they’ll be."

"Can’t cover it all alone? Call your brother-in-law and have him go with you."

Shen Rongjing said it casually, but Shen Rongdan faltered.

"Brother-in-law?"

"That’s right. Song Yao’s husband, Li Hanchen."

Shen Rongjing spelled it out for him.

Shen Rongdan blinked. He was about to say something, but swallowed his words.

He had long since gotten used to the idea of Shen Songyao being his sister.

But suddenly having to call Li Hanchen his brother-in-law was something his mind couldn’t quite process yet.

"Oh... I get it."

Shen Rongjing went on with his instructions.

"Don’t blow our cover at the hospital tomorrow. If Dad asks if Mom ate, just tell him Shuangshuang took her a plate. After you say that, find an excuse to leave right away. Say you have to get back to look after Mom."

"Right, got it."

But back at the guest house, Yao Yuzhen couldn’t sleep a wink.

As soon as dawn broke, she decided to take Shen Shuangshuang and move into the Shen family’s vacant old house.

But she didn’t have the keys on her.

Shen Shuangshuang immediately said,

"I’ll go back and get them!"

This time, Yao Yuzhen didn’t stop her and simply nodded.

The moment Shen Shuangshuang entered the house to grab the keys, Shen Rongdan got the news.

He drove straight to the old house. When he saw a light on in the window from a distance, he turned the car around and drove away, calling Shen Rongjing as he did.

After hearing the report, Shen Rongjing’s tone was relaxed.

"Then let’s leave her be for now. It’ll be good to let her and Shuangshuang have a couple of quiet days to cool down."

"Yeah, sounds good."

Since he couldn’t go near Yao Yuzhen and didn’t need to stay by the old man’s side, Shen Rongdan thought for a moment and decided to head over to the courtyard house.

The courtyard was buzzing with activity. Cheng Muhua and several other cousins were gathered around Shen Songyao, chattering excitedly.

"Let’s go, let’s go! We’re buying you welcome gifts! Pick out the prettiest ones!"

Shen Jiayue and Shen Jiajia joined the fun, their red envelopes already prepared.

But feeling that just giving money wasn’t meaningful enough, they insisted on dragging her out to buy new clothes.

Yang Wanqing trailed behind, money in hand.

"The wind these past two days has been bone-chilling. I touched Song Yao’s hand, and it was as cold as a block of ice. I have to pick out a thick, windproof coat for her!"

As Shen Songyao headed out, Shen Rongdan followed with a smile.

After they had made a round of the shops, everyone was carrying gifts for her. Shen Rongdan suddenly scratched his head.

"Hey, I should have prepared something for you too, shouldn’t I?"

Shen Songyao tilted her head with a smile.

"Then shouldn’t I have to pick out a return gift for you?"

Shen Rongdan quickly waved his hands in dismissal.

"What kind of guest am I? We’re family. Why waste money on such formalities!"

Shen Songyao patted his arm.

"Same here. We don’t need to stand on ceremony. Let’s skip the formalities, shall we?"

Despite her words, when they were looking at scarves, she ended up picking out three.

One for Shen Rongdan, one for Shen Rongjing, and even one for Li Hanchen, all neatly draped over her arm.

’Why choose scarves for all of them?’

’It was simple, and it was practical.’

’In weather like this, your neck would be shivering if you went out without a scarf.’

She hadn’t forgotten about Yao Yuzhen and Shen Shuangshuang, either. She had already secretly prepared gifts for them as well.

’To put it bluntly, Yao Yuzhen and Shen Shuangshuang were not good people at their core.’

’When Shen Songyao chose those scarves, it wasn’t because she’d had a change of heart.’

’She had calculated everything perfectly.’

’If the original owner of this body had really been cast aside by her own birth mother, then the real show between her and Yao Yuzhen was just beginning!’

’She had to keep a firm grip on the lead role in this drama.’

’Otherwise, all the benefits that should have gone to the original owner would just be snatched up by Yao Yuzhen to spoil her perfect, beloved daughter!’

’It wasn’t that Shen Songyao coveted those things for herself, but she couldn’t bear to let Yao Yuzhen snatch everything that should have belonged to the original owner.’

When the Shen family members received the scarves from Shen Songyao, their eyes lit up.

Shen Jiajia and Shen Jiayue clutched the cashmere, their palms growing sweaty.

"Oh my, Song Yao is just the sweetest! We must have done something good in a past life to be blessed with a niece like her!"

Shen Jiajia said as she wrapped the scarf around her neck, grinning from ear to ear.

"Feel this. It’s so thick and substantial!"

Shen Jiayue nodded in agreement, repeatedly rubbing the edge of the scarf between her fingers.

"I know, right? She’s so thoughtful! She paid for them herself and got one for the whole family. And feel this—it’s so soft, like being wrapped in a cloud!"

The two uncles by marriage each got one as well and immediately wrapped them around their necks.