Chapter 112: She’s Not Afraid of Losing Face

Chapter 112: Chapter 112: She’s Not Afraid of Losing Face

The lunch banquet hosted by the Shen family was a lavish and hearty affair, with steam billowing from every dish.

Everyone helped themselves to food, poured wine, chatted, and toasted one another, enjoying a lively meal together.

As the party broke up, each person was given a small cloth bag.

The guests were all smiles as they left, and not a single one of them mentioned the absence of Yao Yuzhen and Shen Shuangshuang.

Not even Shen Zhenwu.

On the way home, parents who had brought their children along held their hands and leaned down to give them a quiet warning.

"From now on, if you see Shen Shuangshuang, you steer clear of her. Got it?"

If their husbands were walking alongside them, the wives would casually add another comment.

"You should spend less time with his wife. She’s clearly not thinking straight."

Then she would click her tongue and shake her head.

"I’ve never seen anything like it. Her own flesh and blood comes home, and she doesn’t even greet her, but she dotes on an outsider like she’s a precious treasure..."

"Besides..."

She paused, then lowered her voice.

"And that Shen Shuangshuang isn’t even half as pretty as the chief’s real daughter! If she weren’t already married, I’d even think about..."

Her husband’s eyes went wide.

"Don’t you dare! She’s the chief’s precious daughter. Who do you think you are, getting ideas like that?"

The woman pouted.

"I was just thinking..."

"Don’t even think about it!"

The man shook her hand off and quickened his pace, walking a few steps ahead.

Yao Yuzhen had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. The next day, she had dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was a frizzy mess.

But she was still convinced the Shen family would come to her door and beg her to come back today.

But...

Not a single person came.

She waited from eight in the morning, to nine, and then to ten, before letting out a cold sneer.

’Hah. Playing hard to get with me? As if I’d fall for that nonsense.’

’She wasn’t afraid of losing face.’

’The only ones who would be humiliated were the Shen family.’

But then ten-thirty passed, then eleven, then twelve...

The banquet should have started long ago, but the doorway remained utterly empty—not even a sparrow flew past.

Her heart began to pound. She quickly turned to Shen Shuangshuang.

"Does your brother know I’m staying here?"

Shen Shuangshuang nodded.

"Yes. A couple of days ago, I went back to the house to get some things and mentioned it to Aunt Zhang. I’m sure she told my second brother and the others."

"Maybe that Aunt Zhang of yours never passed on the message at all."

The more Yao Yuzhen thought about it, the more she was convinced this was the case.

If Zhang Dongxue hadn’t delivered her message, then with Shen Zhenwu’s rigid temperament, he would have been frantic by now. For an event as major as his own daughter’s recognition ceremony, his wife not even making an appearance? He should have been tearing the roof off in a panic.

How could there be absolutely no reaction from him?

Shen Shuangshuang frowned too.

"Aunt Zhang probably forgot! I’ll go ask her right now!"

With that, she grabbed her bag and stormed out in a huff.

Yao Yuzhen didn’t stop her.

Shen Shuangshuang rushed back to the Shen family’s old villa, but when she pushed the door open, the house was empty.

She called out several times at the top of her lungs.

"Aunt Zhang! Aunt Zhang?"

When no one answered, she stomped her foot and headed upstairs to the second floor.

The doors to the rooms upstairs were all shut tight, except for Shen Zhenwu’s, which was slightly ajar.

Shen Shuangshuang gave it a casual push, and the door swung open.

She went straight to the bottom drawer of the nightstand and pulled it open. Inside, stacks of cash were arranged neatly.

Without bothering to count, she grabbed a thick wad of bills, stuffed it into her bag, and turned to leave, heading back downstairs.

When she got home, she tossed her hair back, her voice light and cheerful.

"No one was home, not even Aunt Zhang. I guess Dad saw that neither of us was there and just gave her the afternoon off!"

Shen Shuangshuang was completely baffled, but Yao Yuzhen understood immediately.

’Her mother-in-law had organized the recognition banquet, so it must have been held at the family’s courtyard home.’

’That place had a large courtyard, it was impressive, and it was convenient for hosting relatives.’

’And Zhang Dongxue?’

’She would have had to rush over before dawn to boil water, set out the bowls, and serve the dishes...’

’This meant the banquet had gone on as planned.’

’And yet, no one had come to get her.’

A sudden wave of dizziness washed over Yao Yuzhen, and her temples began to throb.

Her voice was faint.

"Shuangshuang, dear... My head is buzzing. I’m going to my room to lie down for a while."

Shen Shuangshuang agreed readily, pulling a thousand yuan from her purse as she spoke.

"Okay! Juanjuan asked me to go shopping, so I’m heading out now!"

She had few friends to begin with, so a best friend like Li Juanjuan, who was always hovering and asking after her, was a rare find indeed.

Now that she had some money to flaunt, Li Juanjuan was naturally the first person she thought of.

She eagerly rushed over to Li Juanjuan’s apartment building and had just knocked on the door when it opened.

"Juanjuan’s not here!"

The person on the other side scowled and, without another word, slammed the door shut with a deafening BANG.

Shen Shuangshuang froze on the spot.

Huh?

’Did Li Juanjuan’s mother just slam the door in her face?’

Before she could even get angry, she heard snippets of a conversation float through the crack of the door.

"Mom, do you think she believed you?"

"I don’t care if she believed me or not! If I ever catch you hanging out with her again, you’d better believe I’ll take a rolling pin to your legs!"

"Bah! Just some girl they brought in from outside who doesn’t even know her own place, and you want her to drag you down with her? If I weren’t so restrained, I’d have slapped her right across the face!"

How did Shen Shuangshuang even manage to walk out of Li Juanjuan’s apartment building?

She herself was in a complete daze.

Only one thing was clear: her mother had been absolutely right.

If the Shen family actually went through with this recognition banquet, her—Shen Shuangshuang’s—social standing would be completely destroyed. She’d have no influence left with anyone.

What was there to be happy about, feeling the thousand yuan in her purse now?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she immediately turned around and headed back.

Yao Yuzhen was sprawled on her bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

She couldn’t figure it out. How had not a single member of the Shen family come to appease her today?

In the past, if she so much as frowned, Shen Zhenwu would immediately be there with an apologetic smile, waiting on her hand and foot.

Even that boy, Shen Rongdan, was always hovering around, more eager than anyone to keep her happy.

But this time...

She stared at the ceiling, her breathing growing heavy.

’As she mulled it over and over, she realized there was only one variable: Shen Songyao.’

"Mom!"

Shen Shuangshuang burst through the door wiping away tears. She stomped her foot hard, her voice trembling.

Seeing her daughter’s tear-streaked face, Yao Yuzhen immediately sat bolt upright and asked anxiously.

"What happened? Who upset you?"

Shen Shuangshuang’s tears burst forth like a broken dam, streaming down her face in huge drops.

"It’s Shen Songyao! It’s all that bitch’s fault..."

She choked up before she could finish her sentence.

Yao Yuzhen quickly beckoned her over to sit on the edge of the bed. As she pulled out a tissue to wipe her daughter’s face, she asked, suppressing her own fury.

"Did you run into her? What did she do to you now? I saw through that family long ago. They’re all pretentious fakes. What kind of decent person could they possibly raise?!"

Shen Shuangshuang hadn’t even opened her mouth, but Yao Yuzhen was already cursing through gritted teeth.

Shen Shuangshuang decided not to say anything at all. She buried her face in Yao Yuzhen’s arms, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

After crying for a while, she finally managed to repeat what Li Juanjuan’s mother had said between sobs.

Yao Yuzhen’s heart clenched, and she hugged Shen Shuangshuang tightly.

A moment later, her expression hardened. She had made a decision.

’She had it figured out now. That girl, Shen Songyao, was a Shen to the bone—shrewd, slick, and ruthless.’

’If she continued to sulk out here, that little hussy would reap all the benefits.’

’No, she had to move back!’

’What did losing a little face matter?’

’She couldn’t just stand by and watch that girl take everything!’

’Even if it wasn’t for her own pride, she had to go back and fight for what rightfully belonged to Shuangshuang!’

She raised a hand and gently wiped the corners of Shen Shuangshuang’s eyes.

"Stop crying. As long as I’m here, you are the one and only true young lady of the Shen family. You’re the only one I dote on, and you will have your share of the Shen family fortune."

Shen Shuangshuang listened, but she seemed a little dazed.

"But..."

Yao Yuzhen stood up abruptly, her tone decisive.

"Shuangshuang, pack your things. We’re moving back to the Shen family home tonight."

With that, she turned and walked toward her own room.

Shen Shuangshuang paused for a second, then nodded.

"Okay! I’ll go pack my suitcases right now."

’To be honest, she should never have moved out in the first place.’

’But Yao Yuzhen had been dead set on leaving. What could she have done?’