Chapter 31: Sense of Security

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Sense of Security

They all knew it was useless to chase after her at a time like this.

Once emotions erupted, you had to let the person process them on their own.

Song Yao didn’t put on an act. She spoke directly to Shen Zhenwu.

"You’d better remember what was said today. From now on, you can only stand with me. We have to be on the same side."

Shen Zhenwu immediately nodded.

"Of course!"

They had thought that Shen Shuangshuang would pack her bags and return to Beijing in a fit of anger.

But unexpectedly, she didn’t leave at all.

Xiao Li privately told Song Yao that Shen Shuangshuang had stormed straight into the department store.

She bought a mountain of things in one go, paying until her wrist ached.

Xiao Li threw up his hands.

"That’s just what she’s like when she throws a fit. Retail therapy. You should learn this trick."

Song Yao waved her hand dismissively.

"Isn’t that a bit childish?"

She didn’t think much of using shopping to soothe one’s emotions.

Xiao Li looked baffled.

To him, this kind of behavior from Shen Shuangshuang was commonplace.

But Song Yao’s attitude was clearly different.

For the next two days, Shen Shuangshuang indeed stayed out of their way.

On the surface, it seemed the storm had completely passed.

But according to Xiao Li, she had gone to visit Liu Yumin.

She had insisted on visiting that day, and the soldiers on guard initially refused to let her pass.

But Shen Shuangshuang was firm, standing at the door and arguing for nearly half an hour.

In the end, she forced the guards to request permission from their superiors.

Only after approval was granted did the soldiers stand down.

The conversation in the room lasted for over forty minutes. No one knew what they specifically talked about.

All they knew was that Shen Shuangshuang was calm when she left, and Liu Yumin’s mood that evening was also noticeably much more stable.

Now that Song Yao had someone to back her up, she felt very secure.

Shen Zhenwu gave her a sufficient sense of security.

It also meant she no longer had to be timid when dealing with complex relationships.

On this day, a cheerful Shen Zhenwu came to pick her up from the hospital.

The first thing he said upon seeing Song Yao was to ask if she felt unwell anywhere.

Only after confirming she was in good condition did he begin to arrange their next steps.

Her injuries were mostly healed, and Shen Zhenwu planned to take her back to the military camp to recuperate for a while longer.

Once things here were wrapped up, he would take his daughter back to Beijing to officially register her household status.

"It won’t be long. I was mainly here to organize a military exercise. Now that it’s over, we can leave anytime."

He sat on the edge of the bed, peeling an apple as he spoke.

"I’ll be stationed at the Beijing camp most of the time from now on, with occasional business trips. But don’t worry, I’ve decided to have Xiao Li stay by your side as your personal guard. With him around, no one will dare to touch a single hair on your head."

After speaking, his gaze swept over to Xiao Li, who was standing at the door.

Xiao Li immediately stood up straight, snapped to attention, and saluted.

"Don’t be fooled by his blockheaded look. Xiao Li is actually sharp as a tack, and his skills are pretty good! You should have seen it for yourself that night, right?"

Song Yao turned her head to size up Xiao Li, who was standing stiffly to the side.

The image of him rolling on the corridor floor with her in his arms that night, while also managing to swat the other guy’s gun away, immediately flashed through her mind.

"He’s certainly impressive."

She didn’t hold back her praise.

"Can you teach me a move or two when you have time?"

"You want to learn?"

Shen Zhenwu spoke first.

Song Yao nodded honestly.

"It looks cool. And if I ever run into a bad guy, I can protect myself instead of just standing there waiting to get beaten up."

Shen Zhenwu’s expression darkened.

"Hey, don’t say such things! Kids shouldn’t talk nonsense!"

Then his tone softened.

"You want to learn, huh? Dad will arrange it. My daughter is so smart, you learned to drive after watching once. How hard can shooting a gun be?"

"Commander, I don’t mean to be a killjoy."

Xiao Li said suddenly, his eyes fixed on the doorway.

"It’s just that... trouble might have come knocking."

Song Yao and Shen Zhenwu turned their heads at the same time.

They saw Shen Shuangshuang supporting Liu Yumin, who was still a bit unsteady on her feet, as they slowly approached behind an aide-de-camp.

Shen Zhenwu’s brow furrowed.

’They’ve teamed up already?’

"Commander, Shuangshuang insisted on bringing Liu Yumin to see you. I tried to talk her out of it, but I really couldn’t stop her... I’m sorry."

The aide-de-camp stood to the side, his posture proper but radiating awkwardness.

He was just unlucky. He’d run into this mother-daughter duo while handling some paperwork and ended up getting stuck with them.

Song Yao smiled.

"It’s not your fault. She would have found her way here on her own even without an escort."

The aide-de-camp shot her a grateful look.

’You really are a good person.’

"Dad, Comrade Liu Yumin has something she wants to say to you."

Shen Shuangshuang finally spoke.

"This involves two families, you have to hear me out! If we don’t clear this up, people will start gossiping, and no one will be able to prove your innocence. Song Yao’s identity will also be in limbo for the rest of her life."

Shen Zhenwu’s brow knitted into a tight knot.

"Shuangshuang, how many times have I told you? What kind of scene are you making now? Don’t you know how much I hate Liu Yumin?"

He turned his head to glare at the woman by the door, his tone ice-cold.

"Liu Yumin, so you delivered yourself right to my doorstep? Perfect! I just submitted a report about how you conspired to steal a child and about the years of abuse! The court will be coming for you soon. None of you will get away!"

"No! Dad, you can’t do that!"

Shen Shuangshuang cut in sharply.

Panicked, Liu Yumin rushed forward a few steps and was about to drop to her knees.

"Commander, it’s really not like that! It’s a misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding! How could Song Yao be someone else’s child? She’s clearly the one I gave birth to from my own womb!"

Shen Zhenwu was so furious his temples throbbed.

"I’ve already investigated everything thoroughly, and you’re still playing dumb! I’ve looked into this matter from top to bottom, I’ve asked the neighbors and the elders at the village entrance. The timeline matches, and the people match."

"You say you gave birth to Song Yao? Then where were you during the days you were supposedly in labor? Can you produce any proof? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re plotting!"

"Dad."

Shen Shuangshuang was so anxious her voice was hoarse.

"I asked Liu Yumin. She said Song Yao has a golden bracelet, and she’s using that as evidence that the babies were swapped. But... that’s not what really happened!"

Her trembling finger pointed at Liu Yumin.

"She’s just making up lies! That bracelet was a family heirloom from my maternal grandmother. My mom said it went missing when they moved, and only later did she find out that *she* secretly took it! Even her own son doesn’t know about this. For her to use it as evidence now is complete nonsense!"

"Do you think I want to stand here and argue about this? I’m afraid you’re being deceived! Afraid that you’ll push away your real daughter while embracing a fake one!"

"Open your eyes and see clearly! I’m the one you watched grow up since I was a child! I was the one who first called you ’Dad’! You were the one who carried me on your back to the clinic for my shots! Do you remember?"

The moment those words landed, Song Yao’s mind went blank with a BUZZ.

Those blurry fragments of memory suddenly became crystal clear.

When she was little, Liu Yumin never held her.

Every time she asked about her birth parents, the woman would just sneer.

"Your parents threw you away because they didn’t want a girl."

’But why did she never give any details?’

’So from the very beginning, this was all just one elaborate, concealed lie.’

’No wonder they dared to come. No wonder Liu Yumin had the guts to hold her ground.’

’So this was the heart of the matter!’

"My daughter! How could you do this to your own mother!"

Liu Yumin suddenly collapsed on the floor, wailing.

"Giving birth to you left my body a wreck! Haven’t I suffered enough? So what if my temper got a little worse later on, or if I said some harsh things? It wasn’t on purpose!"