Chapter 36: He Must Acknowledge It

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: He Must Acknowledge It

So she took a step forward, positioning herself between Shen Zhenwu and Yao Yuzhen.

"I don’t mind telling you—he is absolutely going to acknowledge me as his goddaughter! You can’t stop him, and you can’t persuade him. This is no longer up to you."

"The reason is simple. I’m the one who snatched his life back from King Yan’s grasp. If I were his biological daughter, it would be expected for me to save him. But I’m not. I’m a complete stranger who risked my own life for him. Wouldn’t you call that an immense debt of gratitude? And you, his wife, are trying to stop him from repaying it. Are you afraid his life is going too well or something?"

She clicked her tongue, her eyes filled with contempt.

"So you tell me, who’s the one who really doesn’t want the other to live well? Is it because you’ve got someone else on the side? Or are you just scared there’ll be one more person to split your things with? Search your conscience. Do you feel even an ounce of gratitude? Do you have any humanity at all?"

Yao Yuzhen was rendered speechless, gritting her teeth and muttering under her breath.

"You’ve got a sharp tongue."

The two of them caused such a commotion in the hospital corridor that a crowd had already formed around them.

The moment Song Yao finished speaking, someone in the crowd immediately burst into applause.

"Amazing! This girl doesn’t pull any punches!"

"Isn’t that the truth? Everything she said was completely reasonable."

"I’m with her! What’s wrong with taking her as a goddaughter? The girl saved his life!"

"That leader’s wife of yours is more narrow-minded than the eye of a needle. Even the country women back in my village are more reasonable than her!"

"That whole thing was terrifying. I heard the girl almost died in there..."

An older woman whispered, her eyes wide with residual fear.

The person beside her immediately pressed for details, and she began to recount the story from start to finish.

Everyone chattered excitedly, all of them speaking out against the injustice done to Song Yao.

The more they spoke, the angrier they became, and their criticism even started to extend to Shen Shuangshuang.

Yao Yuzhen’s lips moved, but any attempt at a retort was drowned out by the wave of noise from the crowd.

Meanwhile, Shen Zhenwu took a deep breath, finally strode forward, and stood beside Song Yao.

"I was blind before and nearly ruined her. But what did she do? She didn’t hold a grudge and risked her life to save me. If I don’t accept a child like this as my own daughter, who else would I? It’s settled!"

The moment his words fell, cheers erupted from all around.

"Well said!"

"Mr. Shen is a real stand-up guy!"

"All the suffering that young lady went through was finally worth it!"

This new wave of support sent a chill down Shen Shuangshuang’s spine.

She stole a glance at her mother.

But Yao Yuzhen was so intimidated by the crowd’s glares that she couldn’t even raise her head. What energy did she have left to turn the situation around?

The situation was lost. Lingering would only invite more scorn.

Gritting her teeth, Yao Yuzhen forced a calm expression.

"Shuangshuang, Mom will always be on your side. Let’s go. We won’t stand here and be humiliated."

With that, she turned and left.

Holding back tears, Shen Shuangshuang could only nod and hurry after her.

Seeing his wife concede, Shen Zhenwu’s taut nerves finally relaxed.

He immediately ordered the soldiers to coordinate with the security department and clear the corridor.

The hallway was cleared, the examination rooms reopened, and everything slowly returned to normal.

He then took Song Yao and Xiao Li and got into the car driven by Deputy Jin.

The car started smoothly and pulled away from the hospital gates.

"Sir, I spoke with Zhang Tuan before coming over. I’ve arranged train tickets for you and Comrade Song Yao for the day after tomorrow. Her injuries should be mostly healed by then, so it will be a good time to set off."

Deputy Jin spoke while keeping an eye on the traffic in the rearview mirror.

Shen Zhenwu nodded along, his expression softening a bit.

He turned his head, wanting to chat with his daughter about Beijing.

But when he looked over, Song Yao was slumped against the window, looking listless and pale.

"Daughter, what is it? Why the long face?"

Shen Zhenwu’s heart sank, and he leaned forward to ask.

"Are you still stewing over what happened at the hospital? Don’t pay any attention to your mother’s words. You know her temper—she’s as stubborn as a mule."

His tone softened as he tried to comfort her.

"She can say whatever she likes, but she’s not the one in charge."

Song Yao gently pushed open the window.

A cool breeze drifted in, ruffling the tips of her hair.

"I’m just... so tired."

After saying this, it seemed as though she didn’t even have the energy to speak anymore.

She sank into her seat, completely still.

"Honestly, I don’t have any grand expectations. I just want to live a quiet life, not depending on anyone, not being controlled by anyone. I’d be grateful if people would just stop deliberately trying to step on me or cause me trouble. But for some reason..."

She paused, her lips trembling slightly.

Shen Zhenwu’s heart plummeted.

He knew what she had left unsaid.

Though he didn’t know the specifics of her life with the Song Family over the years, he could imagine enough.

He took a deep breath, then suddenly reached over and gave her shoulder a firm pat.

"Listen, daughter. From now on, Dad will be your rock."

Song Yao turned her head and saw his earnest expression.

She froze for a second, then suddenly burst out laughing.

Seeing her laugh, Shen Zhenwu broke into a goofy grin himself.

He leaned back against the seat and said in a relaxed voice.

"You’re of the Shen family bloodline, so you shouldn’t be called Song Yao anymore. I’ve had a name picked out for you for years."

Song Yao lazily rolled her eyes.

"Oh? What is it?"

"Jianying! Shen Jianying! What do you think? It’s so powerful!"

Shen Zhenwu sat up straight, his eyes gleaming.

"PFFT!"

Deputy Jin, driving in the front, nearly sprayed a mouthful of water all over the steering wheel.

He hastily swallowed, which sent him into a coughing fit.

Shen Zhenwu’s eyebrows shot up.

"Jin, what are you laughing at? Is there something wrong with the name I picked?"

Xiao Li quickly jumped in.

"Nothing’s wrong with it, it’s just very manly!"

At that, Deputy Jin laughed until tears streamed down his face.

Shen Zhenwu’s face darkened, and he glared in frustration.

He turned to look at Song Yao and saw that she, too, was suppressing a laugh.

He instantly felt that he was losing face, and his tone deflated.

"I... I spent a long time thinking about this name."

’To rack his brains for nineteen years and only come up with Shen Jianying... poor guy.’

Song Yao waved her hand dismissively.

"Let’s not go to all this trouble. Didn’t you already announce it at the hospital? I’m Zhao Songyao. Let’s stick with that."

"Why are you still carrying the Song surname with you?"

Hearing this made Shen Zhenwu’s chest tighten with frustration.

Song Yao just smiled.

"I’ve grown accustomed to the name."

"Sir," Xiao Li suddenly interjected, "the name that couple from the Song Family originally gave her was Song Ni."

"As in, ’ni’ for mud from the ground."

Shen Zhenwu’s brow furrowed.

"What a wretched name to give a child!"

"They said my life was as cheap as dirt," Song Yao said, her tone flat.

"But later, when I was getting my household registration, a kind woman there thought ’Song Ni’ was too ugly and changed it to ’Yao’ for me."

...

「In the guesthouse.」

"Mom! Are you really going to let that Song Yao just waltz into our home and steal everything from me?"

Shen Shuangshuang was frantic with fear, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Yao Yuzhen dampened a handkerchief and gently pressed it against her daughter’s swollen eyelids.

"Shuangshuang, you’re not a child anymore. Stop acting like one, losing your composure over every little thing."

Shen Shuangshuang pouted, her expression defiant.

"But..."

’But that’s my father,’ she wanted to say. ’My home. My place.’

’Why should someone who just popped up out of nowhere get to take it all away?’