Chapter 47: The Truth Doesn’t Matter

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: The Truth Doesn’t Matter

She sneered, wiping the corner of her mouth.

"Since you all knew the truth, who were you putting on an act for all that time? All that shouting about him having a woman on the side, calling me a bastard child?"

Yao Yuzhen didn’t answer. She kept her mouth shut and let her gaze drift elsewhere.

"You’re so brazen now just because Shen Zhenwu dotes on you, aren’t you? But don’t you forget, no matter how much he spoils you, you’re still nothing compared to me—his legal wife!"

"He’s only nice to you for my sake, out of guilt! If you dare to get cocky and displease me, I’ll make sure every day of your life from now on is more miserable than the last!"

Song Yao’s heart was a maelstrom of emotions.

The woman before her was her birth mother. The blood tie was undeniable, but their emotional connection had long been severed.

Watching Yao Yuzhen shield Shen Shuangshuang, she felt a tightness in her chest.

’That should have been my place. I should have been the one to receive that maternal love.’

’But in reality, she was the one left out in the cold.’

"Yao Yuzhen, if it ever truly sank in that Shen Shuangshuang and I were switched—that I’m the one you should be holding in your arms, the one you should be protecting today—would you regret it?"

As she asked this, there was no anger in her eyes, only a calm, searching gaze.

Just a moment ago, Yao Yuzhen had been the one threatening to make her feel regret.

’Now, she was turning it back on her: what about you?’

’She thought her mother would at least hesitate, that she might show a flicker of doubt.’

But instead...

"I wouldn’t!"

Yao Yuzhen’s reply was sharp and decisive.

After she spoke, she lowered her head and gently stroked Shen Shuangshuang’s hair.

"I’m the one who raised Shuangshuang, who changed her diapers and wiped her tears. She’s my pride and joy, my true daughter, my only kin."

At those words, Song Yao felt as if a piece of her heart had been carved out.

An empty feeling spread from her chest to her limbs, a coldness that made her unsteady on her feet.

’She had fantasized countless times that if she could just explain everything, things might be different.’

’Now she understood. Some people have already chosen their side from the very beginning.’

’The truth didn’t matter at all.’

But at the same time, she felt a sense of relief.

All the grievances, the resentment, the hope, and the struggle—suddenly, it all became meaningless.

’She no longer needed to fight for anything, nor did she have to prove anything anymore.’

’Because her mother had personally severed the last thread of hope.’

She suddenly laughed.

"Fine. Since that’s how you feel, then from this day forward, I only have a father, Shen Zhenwu. I have no mother."

Then, she raised a hand and pointed to the door.

"Now, please leave. I don’t want irrelevant people disturbing my rest."

"Mom, we can’t go! Brother Sheng Hui was terribly hurt by Song Yao. We have to get justice for him!"

Yao Yuzhen had indeed come this time not only because she was worried her daughter was being mistreated, but also because of Sheng Hui.

Sheng Hui and Shuangshuang had grown up together and were very close, but now, Song Yao had injured him so badly he’d nearly lost his life.

If word of this got out, it would be a blow to the Sheng Family’s reputation.

"Song Yao, if you want to be a part of the Shen Family, you have to get through me. If I don’t give my approval, Shen Zhenwu can forget about welcoming you back with open arms—unless he’s ready to get rid of me, his wife. And if this blows up, his political career will go down with it."

Song Yao had gone to the Special Operations Department the day before yesterday, so she was well aware that Shen Zhenwu had made plenty of enemies in Beijing.

If the Shen Family was internally unstable, outsiders would seize the opportunity to cause trouble and undermine his position.

Besides, in those high-level circles, image was more important than truth.

How could a man who couldn’t even manage his own family affairs command any respect?

Yao Yuzhen’s face was stern, her tone stiff.

"If Shen Zhenwu suffers a setback because of you, don’t say I didn’t warn you."

Song Yao’s lips twitched into a smile devoid of any warmth.

"Oh? Then what do you think I should do?"

"First, you are not to provoke Shuangshuang ever again. I don’t care who starts it—from now on, you will yield to her."

She finished speaking and stared into Song Yao’s eyes, searching for any sign of faltering.

Song Yao rolled her eyes.

"When have I ever started anything with her? She’s the one who charged over and threw the first punch. Is it a crime for me to defend myself?"

"It’s not happening, period!"

Yao Yuzhen cut her off, her gaze sharp as a knife.

"You need to understand your place! Shuangshuang is the Shen Family’s biological daughter. What does that make you? As long as I don’t approve, you’ll never be anything more than a goddaughter in name only! You’re lucky just to be living under this roof, and now you want to get cocky and try to one-up her? You can forget about it!"

Song Yao’s expression instantly darkened.

"So even if she walks all over me, I’m supposed to just take it with a smile?"

Yao Yuzhen frowned, disgusted by her crude language.

"If you don’t like it, you can leave right now. No one’s stopping you."

After saying this, she folded her hands in her lap, assuming a posture of someone waiting for a decision.

Song Yao was seething with rage, but she clenched her jaw and held back, asking only in a faint voice,

"Is there anything else?"

Hearing this, Yao Yuzhen thought she had caved and her own attitude softened slightly.

"Second, the room you’re staying in now will be for Shuangshuang. I’ve had someone clear out the north-facing room in the front courtyard for you to move into. Shuangshuang will be bringing her children home to visit, so we need to make space. The backyard you just fixed up yesterday will be for her and her children from now on."

A roar filled Song Yao’s head.

’The room she had cleaned and organized with her own two hands... they were just taking it away, just like that?’

That room was in the most remote corner of the compound.

The plaster on the walls was constantly peeling, the floor was damp, and mold grew in the corners.

Its window was so small it only let in a sliver of light.

In winter, cold drafts seeped through the cracks, a chill that no number of blankets could ward off.

In summer, it was unbearably stuffy, and swarms of mosquitoes flew in freely.

’It wasn’t as if she had never lived in a room like that, or never known what it felt like to be treated as if she were nothing.’

’But that was in the past, back when she was powerless to fight back.’

’And now, just when she had finally found her footing, she was about to be kicked back into the mud.’

She didn’t dare say another word, afraid a torrent of curses would spill from her lips if she did.

But Yao Yuzhen misinterpreted her silence.

She thought Song Yao had accepted her fate, willing to bow her head and swallow her pride for Shen Zhenwu’s sake.

This conclusion put her mind at ease.

After all, if Song Yao made too big a scene, it would harm the Shen Family’s collective interests.

It seemed Song Yao understood what was at stake.

So she turned to Shen Shuangshuang, her tone relaxed.

"Shuangshuang, it’s settled. She’s agreed, so you can stop making a fuss."

Shen Shuangshuang was blooming with delight on the inside.

’She had won. Not only had she gotten her room back, but she had also crushed the last shred of Song Yao’s dignity.’

’But she wasn’t satisfied.’

’She wanted a more thorough humiliation. She wanted to see Song Yao crawling on the ground, wanted to hear her admit with her own mouth how despicable and shameless she was.’

’The main event of her visit today hadn’t even started yet!’

She walked up to Song Yao, her chin held high, and said with smug arrogance,

"There’s more. In front of me, you will apologize to Brother Sheng Hui! You will make it clear that you set him up, that Brother Sheng Hui never touched you, and that he was framed!"

Yao Yuzhen slapped her own forehead.

"Oh, I completely forgot to mention that. If we’re going to smooth this over, we have to do it properly. You have no idea what kind of background the Sheng Family has! Because of you, Shen Zhenwu has now offended them. Do you have any idea how serious the consequences are?"