Chapter 38: Sworn to Protect the Young Miss

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Sworn to Protect the Young Miss

"Shuangshuang, don’t cry! I absolutely can’t let this slide! I’ll get justice for you and teach her a harsh lesson!"

He gritted his teeth.

"How dare she oppose you? A wild girl from some backwoods ditch, what right does she have to set foot on our turf? She’s not even worthy of carrying your shoes!"

Cheng Hai’s blatant disgust for Song Yao made Shen Shuangshuang breathe a sigh of relief.

She let out a soft sigh.

"Brother Cheng, it’s not that I can’t tolerate her. If I had truly taken her place, I would give it up immediately. But my mom has repeatedly said there was no mix-up, that I am my parents’ biological daughter. This Song Yao... she might be part of some scheme, designed specifically to trap my dad."

As a daughter, how could she speak ill of her own father in front of an outsider?

Shen Shuangshuang was known in her circle for being cultured, sensible, and impeccably behaved.

Of course, she wouldn’t do anything that could tarnish her image.

But even just a few understated words like these were enough to tug at Cheng Hai’s heartstrings.

"Shuangshuang, you’re just too kind and easygoing. Word of what Uncle Shen has been up to has already spread through our circle. Everyone is indignant on your behalf."

Cheng Hai clenched his fists, his face full of anger.

"I think he’s getting old and his mind’s gone muddled! To cast aside a wonderful biological daughter like you and instead acknowledge some clumsy country girl... it’s just absurd!"

"Don’t you dare say bad things about my father."

Shen Shuangshuang interrupted him, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Even if he made a mistake, he’s still my father."

Cheng Hai was both anxious and pained to see her like this.

"You... Agh, forget it, forget it! I misspoke. I’m sorry, alright? Please stop crying. If Brother Hui caught you like this, he’d tear me to pieces!"

The three of them got into Cheng Hai’s car.

Not far away, Song Yao watched their every move with great interest.

"Dad, Shen Shuangshuang’s luck with men is really something. Look how lovey-dovey those two are. Don’t tell me he’s the future husband you picked out for her?"

Shen Zhenwu merely shot them a brief glance before looking away.

"I’m not some old fossil, you know. Besides, I’ve known for a while that she was the one taken by mistake, so I never planned on getting too involved in her affairs. Her mother is the one who manages everything; I can’t be bothered."

"That Cheng Hai kid has been running over to our house since he was little, but I don’t think Shuangshuang feels that way about him. On the other hand, that boy from the Sheng Family... Shuangshuang seems to care a lot about him."

"Hmm..."

Song Yao nodded thoughtfully.

"Sir!"

Just as they reached the car parked at the entrance, a soldier who was waiting there snapped to attention and saluted.

Shen Zhenwu’s brow furrowed the moment he saw who it was.

"Why is it you?"

He stared at the man’s face as a memory surfaced.

At last month’s big meeting, this man had publicly pointed out that one of his subordinates had improperly used a vehicle.

He’d had a bad feeling about him back then.

Looking at him now, it was clear he was here for him.

The man said with a stone-faced expression,

"You’ve been in Nanhui for too long. There’s an order from the higher-ups. You need to handle your personal affairs immediately, so I’ve been sent to pick you up."

Both Song Yao and Shen Zhenwu were stunned for a moment. Neither said a word.

The air seemed to freeze for an instant.

Shen Zhenwu turned to look at her, his tone laced with worry.

"Daughter, can you handle this?"

Song Yao shrugged, replying breezily,

"We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Besides, didn’t you leave Xiao Li with me?"

Xiao Li, who had been following silently behind them, suddenly spoke up.

"Sir, rest assured. Anyone who wants to harm the Young Miss will have to do so over my dead body."

Shen Zhenwu casually commandeered a vehicle for Xiao Li’s use.

Then he went through his own pockets, pulling out all the money and ration coupons he had on him.

Deciding it wasn’t enough, he grabbed the soldier and emptied his pockets completely too.

The soldier stumbled from the pull, his face instantly flushing red.

This assignment was already a thankless one, and now even his travel money had been completely cleaned out.

’He had no idea how he was going to explain this when he got back.’

"Sir, you have to leave me some travel money!"

Shen Zhenwu ignored him completely, turning and stuffing the pile of bills and coupons into Song Yao’s arms.

Song Yao looked down at it all, a jolt running through her.

It was a considerable sum, almost enough to cover his entire family’s living expenses for a month.

After a moment’s thought, still feeling it wasn’t enough, he yanked the watch off his wrist and pressed it into her palm.

"Daughter, I promise I’ll get this business sorted out as quickly as I can. When I get back, I, Shen Zhenwu, will personally publish an announcement in the papers to make your identity public and make up for all the wrongs you’ve suffered over the years."

He said it with the utmost seriousness.

"Until then, your first priority is to stay safe and recover properly. Don’t butt heads with them. No matter what pretty lies they spin, just treat it as a fart. With me around, no one will dare to kick you out. We’ll deal with everything else when I get back."

A warmth spread through Song Yao’s heart.

This was the first time in two lifetimes that she had been protected so tangibly.

"Alright. For your sake, I’ll go easy on Yao Yuzhen."

She meant every word.

Hearing this, Shen Zhenwu’s expression relaxed slightly.

Then he couldn’t help it; the corners of his mouth turned up, and he almost laughed out loud.

Just as he was about to respond, the man hurried him along again.

"Sir, the leadership is still waiting."

Song Yao waved a hand and turned to leave with Xiao Li.

"We’re leaving, Dad."

Shen Zhenwu grinned.

Watching his daughter’s figure recede into the distance, he muttered softly to himself,

"As expected of my own flesh and blood. So level-headed!"

...

As soon as Song Yao got in the car, she propped her arm on the windowsill and let out a huge yawn.

Xiao Li held the steering wheel properly, sitting bolt upright.

She suddenly seemed to remember something and turned her head to ask him,

"Xiao Li, did you bring a weapon?"

Xiao Li nodded.

"I did."

"If I tried to snatch your weapon, would you be disciplined for it?"

She tilted her head, her tone rising with a hint of probing.

Xiao Li was silent for a few seconds before suggesting with a serious expression,

"If you really want someone taken out, Young Miss, just tell me. You don’t need to get your hands dirty."

Song Yao shook her head.

"What’s there to be afraid of? Don’t look down on me just because my hands are delicate."

Xiao Li remained expressionless.

"I’m not worried about you being ruthless. I’m worried your hands will shake and the gun will misfire. Before you could take anyone down, we’d both be goners."

Song Yao was speechless with indignation.

Her jaw tightened for half a second as she stared at him for a good while.

"You look perfectly respectable. Why do you have to have such a smart mouth?"

Jokes were jokes, but she still needed to get the serious business straight.

She leaned back in her seat, her fingers tapping lightly on the window frame.

"If you were to actually take out a saboteur—an undercover agent or something—I’d have to go through the motions of filing a report, but there wouldn’t be any real trouble."

"And what if it’s an ordinary person? Someone like Shen Shuangshuang?"

As she asked the question, her gaze was fixed straight ahead on the windshield.

Xiao Li’s face was a stoic mask.

"Young Miss, I need to stay alive to do my job."

Song Yao raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

Xiao Li added,

"Don’t be in a rush to get me laid off."

Song Yao was left speechless.

After a few seconds of silence, she finally looked away and raised a hand to rub the bridge of her nose.

’Fine, forget about it.’

’She had originally planned to find some pretext to arrange an "accident" and send Shen Shuangshuang to the afterlife.’

’If she could manage it, she wouldn’t spare a single one of them—the Song Family and Shen Shuangshuang included.’

’Even her biological mother in name only, Yao Yuzhen... ’

’If that woman stubbornly insisted on protecting Shen Shuangshuang, then she wouldn’t care about getting a reputation for being monstrously unfilial.’

’The woman had abandoned her after birth, causing her previous life to be a complete mess.’

’She’d finally gotten a chance to start over, and she was expected to swallow her anger for Shen Shuangshuang’s sake?’