Chapter 56: Must Be Eliminated Sooner or Later

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Must Be Eliminated Sooner or Later

Song Yao slowly exhaled.

"Ji Xianbei most likely thought that since he’s the family’s only son with the powerful Wu Family backing him, he’d be locked up for a few years at most, do a little time, and then get out."

"That’s right!"

Xiao Li grinned. "You should have seen him on sentencing day. He was so arrogant before, but the moment he heard the death sentence was final, he just started bawling right then and there, screaming that he wanted to retract his confession!"

"Oh?" Song Yao’s eyes brightened. "And did they actually let him?"

Xiao Li shook his head. "No way! The military tribunal isn’t a playground. They gave him several chances to change his story before the verdict, and he blew every single one of them. Crying innocent after the official seal is on it and the matter is set in stone? Way too late for that!"

And so, Ji Xianbei’s fate was sealed.

He was probably kicking himself now, regretting it to his very core.

’Then again... maybe he really did see Shen Shuangshuang as his everything, and thought laying down his life for her was worth it?’

Song Yao couldn’t be bothered to guess, nor could she put herself in his shoes.

As for Ling Qinghan, according to Xiao Li, he had walked into the military headquarters on his own and spilled everything he knew.

But Song Yao felt no gratitude toward him for it.

After all, Ling Qinghan would have been rooted out sooner or later—who could possibly have escaped?

In the aftermath of this whole affair, the person hit hardest was Mrs. Ji. Her only son was gone, and she’d just learned her husband had not only cheated on her but had also raised an illegitimate child for the past ten years without her knowing a thing.

How ironic!

Although Shen Shuangshuang didn’t go to jail, she was pretty much blacklisted in the city.

Mrs. Ji now badmouthed her to anyone who would listen, calling Shen Shuangshuang a femme fatale who preyed exclusively on rich and powerful young men. She claimed that Shuangshuang had gone after every single young man in Beijing who came from a prominent family.

And as for how head-over-heels Ji Xianbei had been for her, how he’d catered to her every whim? Everyone in the neighborhood already knew the score.

Now, all the rich young men in Beijing were being warned by their elders not to get too close to Shen Shuangshuang.

One day, Shen Shuangshuang went out for a walk, and on her way back, she was once again deliberately ignored by several acquaintances.

They had clearly seen her, but they all turned their heads in unison to stare at a chandelier on the ceiling for a good ten seconds.

She ran home in tears. The moment Yao Yuzhen saw her red-rimmed eyes, she rushed over. "What is it? Who upset you now?"

Yao Yuzhen hurried to the foyer and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but Shen Shuangshuang dodged her touch.

"It’s all because of Song Yao! Why won’t she just disappear!"

Shen Shuangshuang stomped her foot, wiping away tears. "Now that Ji Xianbei is dead, everyone is blaming me for it! They’re laughing at me behind my back and avoiding me to my face!"

What Shen Shuangshuang had always been most proud of was having a flock of boys fawning over her, all competing to give her gifts and take her out.

She had been raised by Yao Yuzhen, and she’d learned her mother’s shrewdness and manipulative tactics almost perfectly.

But she was still young and lacked finesse. She was prone to losing her cool and had a very short fuse.

Besides, back in the day, Yao Yuzhen had been a true heiress of the Yao family.

But when it came to teaching Shen Shuangshuang, she had been afraid of tiring the girl out and only ever taught her the basics.

That’s why Shen Shuangshuang would sometimes put on the airs of an untouchable ice queen, only to turn around and throw a pouting tantrum like a spoiled child.

"Shuangshuang, consider this a wake-up call."

"What were you thinking? This was a matter of life and death. Who gave you the nerve to get involved in something like this behind my back?"

Yao Yuzhen’s voice grew stern. Shen Shuangshuang flinched, her heart hammering in panic.

’I thought we were past this!’

She quickly lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper. "Mom... I really didn’t mean to... That day, I heard Dad say he’d been searching for over a decade for his real daughter... and my mind just went blank..."

She continued, sobbing, "Mom, you raised me! Dad is never home. I can’t even remember all his birthdays... He only ever stays for a few days before leaving again. I was so scared that if you had your own daughter, you wouldn’t care about me anymore. Just thinking about it made my chest ache like someone was squeezing my heart..."

She looked up, her voice trembling as she apologized. "I’m sorry, Mom... Ji Xianbei saw how upset I was and came over to ask what was wrong... I didn’t stop him... *sob*... It’s my fault. It’s all my fault..."

Hearing this, Yao Yuzhen’s heart softened, and any intention of scolding her vanished.

She let out a soft sigh and pulled her daughter into a tight embrace.

"Silly girl, why would I scold you? Shen Zhenwu isn’t home for even a month out of the year. It’s been just the two of us since the day you were born. I swore to myself a long time ago that I would never let you suffer the slightest bit of hardship in this life."

Shen Shuangshuang’s sobs subsided. Smiling through her tears, she wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and nuzzled against her.

"I knew it! You’re the best mom in the world! I don’t care about all the gossip out there! In my heart, you’re my only mom!"

Yao Yuzhen smiled, her eyes softening with affection.

"But from now on, you can’t be cooking up these schemes all by yourself. I’ll always be in your corner. If anything comes up, we’ll figure it out together."

"You’re still young, and you don’t always think things through. You leave openings that end up hurting you. Wouldn’t it be better if I looked over your plans and had your back?"

Shen Shuangshuang’s eyes lit up and she blurted out, "Mom... so you’re not mad at me? I was even thinking, maybe we should just make it so Song Yao... never appears again?"

Yao Yuzhen’s brow furrowed slightly.

Seeing her mother’s expression, Shen Shuangshuang immediately changed her tune. "I mean... you really don’t mind that I have a problem with Song Yao?"

The furrow between Yao Yuzhen’s brows immediately smoothed out.

She reached out and lightly poked Shen Shuangshuang on the forehead, her tone a mix of amusement and reproach. "A young lady like you shouldn’t be talking so casually about life and death! Besides, no matter how irritating Song Yao might be, without concrete evidence, no one can just assume she’s a bad person."

She paused, lowering her voice. "Shuangshuang, your safety is my top priority. But you have to remember: unless you’re truly at the end of your rope, you must never do anything illegal."

Shen Shuangshuang’s eyes darted away. "Okay, I get it, Mom."

She quickly adopted a whiny tone. "So what are we supposed to do now? Everyone out there is gossiping about me constantly! They used to sing my praises whenever they saw me, and now? Now they won’t even give me a pleasant look!"

Yao Yuzhen’s expression darkened as well. "We have to get rid of Song Yao, sooner or later. If we don’t pull out this thorn, the rumors will only grow wilder. There’ll be no stopping them."

But seeing that her daughter’s palms were slick with sweat, she immediately forced a confident smile. "Don’t panic. Leave this to me. As long as I’m here, the sky won’t fall."

Shen Shuangshuang visibly relaxed, but a new anxiety began to bubble up inside her. ’Song Yao doesn’t respond to either kindness or threats. How can I get rid of her for good and make her disappear from my life completely?’

In truth, Yao Yuzhen was just as worried, but she gritted her teeth and didn’t let an ounce of it show.

She was afraid that if her daughter got worked up, she’d do something impulsive and make the situation even worse.

Song Yao spent three blissful days lounging around her hotel.

Early on the morning of the fourth day, a dark green military vehicle pulled up smoothly to the entrance.

The door opened, and a tall, imposing man with broad shoulders and a ramrod-straight back stepped out.

Song Yao was still dozing under the covers when someone started pounding on her door so hard it rattled in its frame.

A moment later, a voice boomed so loudly it seemed the entire building could hear it:

"My girl! Dad’s here to get you! If anyone dares to bully you, I’ll make them pay!"

"Dad, where are we going?"

As the car drove smoothly down the road, Song Yao rubbed her sleep-bleary eyes and sat up straighter next to her dad.