Chapter 34: Spoiling the Fake, Bullying the Real

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Spoiling the Fake, Bullying the Real

Shen Zhenwu had tried to speak up several times, but Song Yao had quelled him with a look each time.

This time, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

"Shut up, Shen Shuangshuang! I believe my own flesh and blood, Song Yao! You’re the one who’s been lying from the very beginning! Don’t you dare try to turn black into white!"

Spittle flew from his mouth, his face flushed crimson.

Song Yao shrugged, her tone calm.

"I’m not worried, Shen Shuangshuang. Times will always move forward, and science will progress. If a technology that can definitively verify our parentage ever exists, I’m willing to get tested with Mr. Shen at any time. But would you dare?"

A muscle in Shen Shuangshuang’s face twitched, and a flash of panic showed in her eyes.

’If that day really comes...’

’The blinding lights of the laboratory, a needle piercing skin to draw blood.’

’The report prints out, the names listed in stark black and white.’

’All her lies would be torn open.’

She didn’t dare to let her thoughts go any further!

Shen Zhenwu’s voice trembled.

"Shuangshuang, starting today, I no longer consider you my daughter! You are no longer my, Shen Zhenwu’s—"

"If you dare sever ties with her, then you and I are done as husband and wife, Shen Zhenwu!"

An angry shout suddenly cut in, interrupting him.

Everyone froze, turning toward the source of the voice.

Seeing Yao Yuzhen approaching with a haggard expression, Shen Shuangshuang burst into tears.

"Mom!"

She cried out as she rushed into her mother’s arms.

Yao Yuzhen hugged the child who threw herself at her, her eyes filled with heartache and self-reproach.

"Shuangshuang, I’m sorry, Mom’s late. You’ve suffered..."

Shen Shuangshuang was sobbing too hard to speak.

"Mom," she sobbed, "Dad’s lost his mind. He wants to kick me out and disown me... all for some outsider."

"Don’t be afraid. Mom’s here now," Yao Yuzhen said softly.

She lifted her head, her gaze cold and stern as she stared at Shen Zhenwu.

"Shen Zhenwu, I’ll say this one last time. I can turn a blind eye to you keeping someone on the side, but if you dare bring the child you had outside into this house, we’re getting a divorce, effective immediately!"

The moment Yao Yuzhen’s words were out, everyone around was stunned.

"What? Mr. Shen has an illegitimate daughter?"

"Surely not! If he did something like that, his reputation would be ruined. There’s no way his superiors would let it slide, right?"

"If it’s true, they’ll definitely investigate. He won’t just be removed from his post; he might even go to jail!"

At a time like this, getting entangled in a scandal over personal conduct between the sexes was like throwing oneself in front of a firing squad.

The atmosphere in the hospital room instantly froze.

The faces of Deputy Jin and Xiao Li, who were standing beside Shen Zhenwu, darkened.

"Mrs. Shen, you can’t just speak so recklessly," Deputy Jin urged in a low voice.

But Yao Yuzhen completely ignored him.

One arm wrapped tightly around Shen Shuangshuang’s shoulder, she pointed at Song Yao with her other hand.

"Shen Zhenwu, if you refuse to acknowledge Shuangshuang and insist on forcing that country girl into our family as your daughter, then I’m washing my hands of this whole affair."

Her words were a blatant ultimatum.

She had grown up in the leadership compounds and had seen too many once-glorious officers fall from grace overnight.

She knew which matters could be suppressed and which could erupt into an inferno from a single spark.

"Yu Zhen, have you lost your mind!"

As expected, Shen Zhenwu was so agitated he was practically hopping mad.

The moment the words were out, he realized he had lost his composure.

But the words were already out; there was no taking them back.

The gazes of the onlookers grew even more complex.

Some sympathized with Yao Yuzhen, while others began to doubt Song Yao’s identity.

"Who did you just say has lost their mind?"

Yao Yuzhen hugged her daughter tighter, her voice trembling as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I carried Shuangshuang in my womb for nine months to birth her. From the day she was born, I never let her suffer the slightest grievance. And now you insist she’s some outsider. That’s not just a slap to her face; it’s a slap to mine! It’s because you never truly had me in your heart, so by extension, you can’t stand the sight of her either!"

Shen Shuangshuang lowered her head, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.

The moment she arrived, the tables had turned.

In just a few sentences, she had successfully branded Shen Zhenwu as an adulterer who had abandoned his wife and child.

Song Yao stood to one side, her gaze darting between Yao Yuzhen and Shen Shuangshuang.

The question that had been suppressed deep in her heart in her previous life rose to the surface once more.

The paternity test had indeed been done. It stated in black and white that she was Shen Zhenwu’s biological daughter.

But she just couldn’t figure it out. How could Shen Shuangshuang look nothing like Song Shunqiang or Liu Yumin?

Yet, one glance was enough to see that she was Yao Yuzhen’s own flesh and blood.

The contours of her eyes and brows, the line of her nose, even the upward curve of her lips were exactly the same.

It wasn’t just Song Yao who noticed; the crowd of onlookers had also started to murmur among themselves.

"Look at that nose. It’s a perfect match."

"Not just the nose, even the shape of their ears is the same."

The murmurs grew louder, with all sorts of speculations flying around.

Shen Zhenwu stood rooted to the spot, his hands clenched into fists and beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

The very actions that had once been seen as those of a deeply loving father were now being twisted into evidence of his betrayal.

The more eagerly he defended Song Yao, the more it seemed he had something to hide.

"Well, I’ll be! That Miss Shen and Mrs. Shen look like they were cut from the same cloth!"

"But Song Yao, on the other hand, doesn’t resemble Mrs. Shen in the slightest."

"Although, if you look closely at Song Yao, her eyes and brows are quite a bit like Mr. Shen’s..."

"This whole family affair is a mess. I don’t even know who to believe anymore."

Shen Shuangshuang wiped away her tears and suddenly started yelling at Song Yao.

"Song Yao, my mother and I are identical! Your claim that I’m not their biological daughter is completely baseless! I tried to be nice and reason with you before, but you refused to appreciate my kindness... SOB..."

As she began to cry, Yao Yuzhen’s gaze shifted from Shen Zhenwu to land on Song Yao’s face.

"Young woman, life’s path must be walked one step at a time. Don’t always look for shortcuts."

After saying this, she pursed her lips, a look of contempt on her face.

Shen Zhenwu was both furious and frantic.

"Yu Zhen! She really is our daughter!"

He took a step forward, wanting to grab Yao Yuzhen’s hand, but she swiftly avoided his touch.

"I’m sick of hearing that."

Yao Yuzhen took a deep breath, her voice trembling.

"From the very day Shuangshuang was born, you’ve been going on and on about how our baby was swapped, about how you had to find your real daughter. It was then that I understood: you had another woman on the outside, and you’d even had a child with her..."

She recalled the days right after she had given birth, when Shen Zhenwu was frequently out of the house.

She had questioned him many times, but all she ever got were evasive answers.

At the time, she had thought he was just under a lot of pressure from work. Looking back now, she realized they were all just excuses.

The onlookers were utterly bewildered.

They had just come to watch a bit of drama, never expecting so many hidden secrets to be dragged into the light.

Shen Zhenwu’s face turned purple with rage.

"I’ve told you already, that’s just wild speculation! If I had really done something like that, would my superiors have let me off the hook? Would they have let me keep this position?"

Yao Yuzhen wasn’t buying it.

She didn’t deny Shen Zhenwu’s competence at work.

But she firmly believed that a person could be upright and respectable in public, only to be a completely different person at home.

"Of course they’d protect you," she said in a low voice.

"But I know you. You couldn’t bear to see that child on the outside suffer, so you set your sights on my Shuangshuang, hoping I would raise another woman’s child for you."

Song Yao watched from the side, sighing inwardly.

’She had originally planned to nail Liu Yumin and Shen Shuangshuang to the pillar of shame today.’

’But the moment Yao Yuzhen arrived, the whole plan went to hell.’

’Just look at that face, practically identical to Shen Shuangshuang’s. Who would ever believe that *I’m* the real daughter?’