Chapter 129: Cajoling

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: Cajoling

He just turned around and complained she was old, stupid, and worthless...

Shen Shuangshuang felt a bitter pang of injustice for Yao Yuzhen.

But no matter how wronged she felt, Yao Yuzhen wasn’t her biological mother. Shen Shuangshuang had no intention of fighting her battles for her, so she just asked quietly.

"Aren’t you going to go talk to her?"

"If she really goes through with the divorce, what’s going to happen to me?"

Ruan Yongxing agreed and followed Shen Shuangshuang home under the cover of darkness.

The house was pitch-black.

"Mom! Mom!"

Shen Shuangshuang fumbled in the dark for the living room light switch, then hurried to the bedroom door and pushed it open.

As the light flooded the room, Yao Yuzhen slowly lifted her eyes.

"You’re back? Are you hungry?"

"You should go downstairs and buy yourself something to eat. Don’t worry about me, I’m not hungry."

Shen Shuangshuang waved her hand.

"That’s not it. My dad’s here."

The words had barely left her mouth when Ruan Yongxing appeared in the doorway.

Yao Yuzhen immediately sat up straight.

"Yongxing? What are you doing here all of a sudden?"

Ruan Yongxing frowned, his eyes fixed on her.

"Shuangshuang told me everything."

Thinking he was genuinely concerned, Yao Yuzhen smiled and said,

"I’ve been waiting for this day! I’ve had enough of Shen Zhenwu. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. I feel wonderful, so don’t you worry about me."

Ruan Yongxing’s eyebrows knitted together.

’He wasn’t worried. He just thought she was being ridiculous.’

’Wonderful?’

’Now that she’s dumped Shen Zhenwu, the family’s pillar of support, how many more days of happiness does she think she has left?’

He quickly tried to reason with her.

"Yu Zhen, isn’t this a little too rushed?"

"Besides, Shen Zhenwu is actually a pretty decent man. He never womanizes."

The moment she heard Shen Zhenwu’s name, Yao Yuzhen’s temper flared.

"Stop making excuses for him! I’m the one who’s slept in the same bed and shared meals with him for over thirty years. Who knows what he’s really like better than I do?"

"He puts on a respectable act, but it’s all dirty tricks behind closed doors."

Ruan Yongxing fell silent.

It was hard to tell if she had struck a nerve or if he just couldn’t be bothered to argue.

After a few seconds, he spoke again.

"Yu Zhen, you’re just feeling resentful right now..."

"Yongxing, why are you always defending him?"

Yao Yuzhen interrupted him again.

"...I’m worried you’ll lose out."

The words were a lie, but in a strange way, they were also true.

He was genuinely worried about her impulsiveness.

But Yao Yuzhen waved his concern away.

"You don’t have to worry about that."

"What century are we in? If I open a small storefront, I’m sure it’ll be a success."

"Once the shop opens, I won’t be able to handle everything on my own. You’ll have to come help out often."

At this, Ruan Yongxing looked her up and down, his gaze darkening.

"Yu Zhen, opening a shop costs a fortune."

"Renovations, permits, equipment, inventory, security deposits... you can’t skimp on any of it."

"I have money!"

Yao Yuzhen immediately shot back.

"Shen Zhenwu gave me the passbook."

"But money alone might not be enough..."

Ruan Yongxing’s throat felt a little dry, and he trailed off.

Afraid he didn’t believe her, Yao Yuzhen immediately pulled out the passbook and showed it to him.

"Don’t worry! There’s still thirty-three thousand in the account."

"I also brought all the cash from the house. It’s enough to get us by for a few months."

"And my golden bracelets, jade hairpins, and old silver earrings—I’ll get every last one of them back. If I pool it all together, it’s more than enough to open a shop. I might even be able to stock up on extra inventory."

"Thir..."

Ruan Yongxing’s voice was almost inaudible.

He knew in his heart that the Shen Family had savings.

But he never expected it to be this substantial.

He couldn’t speak for others, but what about himself?

His salary wasn’t bad, but throughout the year, he had expenses. He couldn’t give up cigarettes and alcohol, he couldn’t miss social dinners, and he had someone else to look after on the side...

He rarely had more than two hundred in his pocket and could never manage to save a decent amount.

Yet Yao Yuzhen had just casually mentioned a figure over thirty thousand.

Ruan Yongxing blinked, then slowly took a breath to steady his voice.

"Alright. Since you’ve already made up your mind, there’s no point in me trying to stop you. We’ve known each other for so many years. I support you."

Yao Yuzhen, sitting on the edge of the bed, felt her face grow wet with tears.

All because Ruan Yongxing had said, "I support you."

Shen Zhenwu had never once said that to her in their entire lives.

When they were younger, he was always either entertaining clients or away on business. Whenever he came home, all he wanted was to drag her into the bedroom, never caring whether she was willing or in pain.

’But she really wasn’t asking for much. Just a simple, "I’ll listen to you," would have been enough.’

’Just that little bit of validation...’

’Just that one wish...’

She suddenly pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart was hammering against her ribs, fast and heavy, as if trying to break free.

Yao Yuzhen covered her mouth, her body going limp as she sobbed. Ruan Yongxing pulled Shen Shuangshuang to her feet and gently closed the bedroom door.

As they reached the living room, he leaned close to Shen Shuangshuang’s ear and whispered,

"She’s loaded right now, and she’s in a spending mood. Let’s not be too quick to stop her. Let her make a clean break. That way, she can’t turn around later and accuse us of being after her money!"

"Once the divorce is final, things will be easier. You sweet-talk her and get your hands on the passbook, the card, and the PINs. Don’t miss a single one."

Shen Shuangshuang furrowed her brow.

"But... what about when she’s old?"

She was still young, her heart not yet hardened by the world. She felt that if you took everything a person had, you had a duty to care for them in their old age.

Ruan Yongxing scoffed.

"Care for her? She has two sons and a daughter of her own—three mouths all waiting to leech off her! Is it your place to be calling her ’Mom’?"

"As for this money, if you don’t make a move, some distant relative will probably sweet-talk her out of it tomorrow. Or she’ll donate it to some fraudulent nursing home. By then, it’ll be too late for regrets!"

As he was talking, he suddenly remembered Yao Yuzhen mentioning she wanted to open a shop.

The gears in his head turned, and an idea struck him.

He turned back to Shen Shuangshuang.

"In a minute, you go back in there and comfort her. Tell her, ’Mom, don’t cry. After the divorce, you’ll have me and Dad to look after you.’"

"I have to get home. I need to sort this out with my other family right away."

With that, he turned and left.

Shen Shuangshuang stood frozen, her mouth open, but in the end, she didn’t stop him.

A good while after Ruan Yongxing left, Yao Yuzhen finally dried her face and slowly walked out of the room.

Seeing Shen Shuangshuang sitting alone on the sofa, she asked casually,

"Shuangshuang, where’s your dad?"

Shen Shuangshuang panicked and quickly answered.

"Oh, he said something came up at work, so he left."

Yao Yuzhen was still in a daze. She didn’t notice her daughter’s shifty eyes at all and just hummed softly in acknowledgment.

"It is getting late..."

She asked again, "Shuangshuang, are you hungry?"

Shen Shuangshuang subconsciously touched her stomach.

"I’m okay!"

In truth, she had completely forgotten about eating.

’She was still reeling from the shock of her father’s words; how could she possibly think about food?’ ℯℯ𝘭.

Yao Yuzhen spoke.

"There are still some vegetables and a bundle of dried noodles left. How about I make a couple of bowls for us? The two of us can just have a quick bite."

Shen Shuangshuang replied.

"Okay!"

She watched her mother’s back disappear into the kitchen, then hesitated for a moment before asking.

"Mom, can I lend you a hand?"

"Don’t move, you rest!"

Without turning her head, Yao Yuzhen picked up the kitchen knife and began to CHOP, CHOP, CHOP the vegetables.

"Turn on the TV. Find a lively channel."

Shen Shuangshuang obediently sat back down on the sofa, grabbed the remote, and turned on the most popular family drama currently airing.

Her eyes were glued to the screen, but she didn’t hear a single word.

Meanwhile, Shen Songyao was snuggled up against Grandma Shen’s shoulder.

The two of them, grandmother and granddaughter, were munching on sunflower seeds, their eyes glued to the screen, roaring with laughter.

For now, Shen Zhenwu had only told one person about his plans for divorce: Shen Rongjing.