Chapter 236: I Must See Her

Chapter 236: Chapter 236: I Must See Her

’The pot needed to be scrubbed first.’

Shen Zhenwu had spoiled her so much that she’d never suffered a single grievance in her life. She’d long since forgotten how to back down.

Of course, she wasn’t about to back down this time either.

So she went out, bought two meat buns, and squatted by the roadside to finish them before coming back.

But when she pushed the door open, she saw Ruan Xinxin sprawled across the edge of the only bed.

The room was tiny, without even a spare stool.

Yao Yuzhen stood there, panting with anger, and immediately demanded,

"What exactly are you trying to pull now?"

"You eat my food, you live in my house, and now you’re turning on me?"

Ruan Xinxin’s temper flared at her words.

"Did I do something to you?"

"You’re fuming about something, so why don’t you find someone else to take it out on? Why do you have to vent all your anger on me?"

"If you’ve got the guts, go curse at the sky or kick a wall! Stop using me as your punching bag all day!"

This vicious counterattack somehow made Yao Yuzhen seem like the one who was in the wrong.

Yao Yuzhen was so furious her chest felt tight. She raised a trembling hand to point at Ruan Xinxin, her voice hoarse.

"Fine! Starting today, don’t even think about touching another cent of my money!"

Before the words had even faded, she was already pulling open an old wooden trunk and stuffing clothes into a cloth bag.

She planned to go stay at a guesthouse for the time being.

Ruan Xinxin immediately jumped off the bed to stop her.

"What’s that supposed to mean? How much of your money have I spent? When we sold goods, weren’t you the one manning the stall while I was beside you, hawking, calculating bills, and watching the merchandise? When you set up the stall, I was there. When it rained, I held the umbrella for you. When the sun was harsh, I put up the awning for you. Was there ever a day I wasn’t there? And now you want to kick me to the curb without even paying me my wages?"

As she spoke, she reached out and grabbed Yao Yuzhen’s arm.

Yao Yuzhen’s health had been frail for years; how could she possibly overpower a sturdy young woman?

She took a couple of breaths to steady herself, then stared at Ruan Xinxin with a cold smile.

"How can you be so heartless? Forget about how cold you are to your own daughter, but didn’t you used to be genuinely in love with Shen Zhenwu? When he was down on his luck back then, weren’t you always at his beck and call, ready to tear your heart out for him?"

"Let me make myself clear. You dare lay a finger on me! Give me the money! If you don’t pay up, you’re not even touching that door!"

Ruan Xinxin suddenly roared.

Yao Yuzhen was yanked so hard that her feet slipped, and she nearly fell to her knees.

Her chest tightened. She looked up.

Ruan Xinxin’s face was taut with fury.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

Yao Yuzhen asked, her voice strained.

"Hand over all the money we earned!"

Ruan Xinxin shouted through clenched teeth, the grinding of them audible as spit flew onto Yao Yuzhen’s face.

"You cause trouble day in and day out! If it weren’t for you stirring things up, would my life be like this? You owe me! You’ll never be able to repay me in this lifetime!"

"Are you an idiot? The man who came chasing after you, you threw him away like trash. But the one you desperately latched onto, you worship him like he’s made of gold. Do you really think suffering is a blessing?"

"If you hadn’t been so reckless and caused all this trouble, would I have fallen this hard? It was you! All you! This is all your fault!"

Ruan Xinxin grew more and more agitated as she spoke.

Yao Yuzhen stared at her.

"What... are you trying to do?"

Suddenly, Ruan Xinxin raised her hands, her palms lunging straight for Yao Yuzhen’s neck.

"It’s your fault! It’s all your fault..."

Yao Yuzhen didn’t have time to react.

By the time she raised her hands to block, a tight grip was already around her throat.

She instinctively clawed and scratched at the backs of Ruan Xinxin’s hands.

In the blink of an eye, Ruan Xinxin’s hands were covered in bloody scratches.

Initially, Ruan Xinxin had only meant to scare her, to see her panic and beg for mercy.

But the sting of pain was like a spark landing in a barrel of oil, burning through her reason.

Only a single thought remained in her mind.

’Yao Yuzhen has ruined my life!’

’She hoards her money and won’t let me spend any of it, all while acting so high and mighty.’

The strength in her hands was no longer under her control.

By the time she came to her senses, Yao Yuzhen’s entire body had gone limp.

"D-don’t act... I’m not Shen Zhenwu. I’m not falling for your tricks..."

THUD.

Her hands released, and Yao Yuzhen crashed to the floor.

Ruan Xinxin stood there, stunned, her palms slick with sweat.

"Ah!"

She collapsed onto the floor, landing hard on her bottom.

The weather was muggy. The door was closed, but the window had been left open for ventilation.

She jumped up with a start and shut the window tight.

After doing so, she collapsed onto the edge of the bed.

In the small room they rented, the curtains were drawn and never opened again.

The next night, the surroundings were so quiet that not even a dog barked.

Under the cover of darkness, Ruan Xinxin dragged a bulging old denim bag out of the room.

On the morning of the third day, Shen Jiajia was setting up her stall. She looked around but didn’t see Yao Yuzhen, and her lips curled in a sneer.

"Guess she knows her place. At least she’s not shameless enough to show her face here again. If she did, I’d spit right in it!"

Li, the tofu seller at the next stall, leaned over and asked,

"How come that young woman isn’t here today?"

Shen Jiajia snorted and tossed a bundle of green onions onto the scale.

"Still thinking about her? Aren’t you afraid of catching her bad luck?"

But on the morning of the fourth day, Shen Zhenwu heard the news: Yao Yuzhen was dead.

Shen Zhenwu didn’t wait for her to finish, grabbing the car keys from the table and turning to leave.

Once the news spread, the Shen family, even those who had argued and fallen out with Yao Yuzhen, immediately rushed to the police station.

Song Yao and the others went with them.

Because she had been dead for two days, she was not easily recognizable.

In the end, only Shen Zhenwu and Shen Rongdan were allowed in to see her.

Before the medical examiner pulled back the white sheet, he gave a deliberate warning.

"The family should be psychologically prepared."

Shen Zhenwu nodded.

Shen Rongdan stood half a step behind him.

The ghastly white light of the hallway stretched their shadows long and thin.

Yao Yuzhen lay there with her neck twisted to one side, the livid, purple handprints still clearly visible on her skin.

Shen Zhenwu stared for a full ten seconds before he finally blinked.

"Who did this?"

Yi Haoran stood beside them, his voice low.

"It was Ruan Xinxin."

Shen Zhenwu didn’t respond. He just stared at her name for three seconds, then suddenly raised his hands, tore off his tie, and threw it on the ground.

Upon hearing the name, Shen Zhenwu staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Shen Rongdan lunged forward.

"Where is she?!"

"Tell me where she is right now!"

He turned to rush out, but Yi Haoran grabbed his arm in a death grip.

"Brother, calm down. You really can’t see her now!"

Yi Haoran’s grip was incredibly strong.

Shen Rongdan struggled twice but couldn’t break free.

Shen Rongdan’s eyes were bloodshot, and tears streamed down his face.

"I can’t calm down! I have to see her!"

Yi Haoran sighed, but his grip didn’t loosen.

"I know you’re in pain, but there are rules. It’s really not possible right now."

He released one hand, pulled a neatly folded A4 paper from his pocket, and handed it to Shen Rongdan.

"This is the written statement she wrote last night. It’s not signed, but the handwriting has been verified."

Shen Rongdan didn’t take it. He just stared at the paper, his fingers clenching and unclenching.

Yi Haoran didn’t withdraw his hand, just held it there, his arm suspended motionless in mid-air.

Shen Rongjing didn’t shout or cause a scene. His eyes just burned as he asked in a hoarse voice,

"The death penalty?"

Yi Haoran nodded.

"Yes. She had taken Ruan Xinxin in, and in return, Ruan Xinxin turned around and strangled her. The method was cruel, the nature of the crime vicious. It’s an open-and-shut case for the death penalty."

Shen Rongjing closed his eyes, and a single tear slid from the corner.

"Good."

’He had thought he’d long since let go of his mother.’

’But today he finally understood. It wasn’t that he had let go; he had just forcibly numbed his heart to the pain.’

With Yao Yuzhen’s passing, a corner of their entire family collapsed.

Shen Zhenwu and Shen Rongdan came down with a high fever on the spot and were bedridden for three whole days.

In the end, Shen Rongjing was the one who arranged the entire funeral by himself.

On the day of the burial, Shen Zhenwu knelt before the gravestone, his cries heart-wrenching.