Chapter 59: Shackles

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Shackles

Song Yao was his biological daughter. Hidden away for eighteen years, she had endured countless cold stares. He knew this better than anyone.

He had seen those looks, and he had heard those words.

Those people wouldn’t say it to his face, but they gossiped endlessly behind his back. They said the Shen Family had a daughter who couldn’t be seen in public, that Shen Zhenwu must have done something shameful to be hiding his child away.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care. It was just that every time he wanted to explain, the words would die on his lips.

He was afraid that if he spoke up, Song Yao would never have the chance to grow up in peace.

If he backed down today, then every time she tried to take a step forward in the future, someone would be there to mock her.

She would have no choice but to lower her head and shrink back into her corner.

’What right would I have to call myself a father then?’

’What right would I have to teach her to stand tall and hold her head high?’

Shen Zhenwu didn’t retreat a single step. Instead, a warmth spread through Song Yao’s chest, and her eyes began to sting.

She didn’t cry, but her nose tingled.

’So this quiet, reserved old man has a backbone of steel.’

At the registration window, it was all done in five minutes.

The staff member checked their IDs. No one asked a single extra question throughout the entire process.

When Shen Zhenwu signed, the tip of his pen paused for a moment before steadying again.

Song Yao took the booklet from him, her fingers brushing against his. They were cool, dry, and a little rough.

On the way home, Song Yao kept staring at the little red booklet in her hand.

She opened it to the first page, then turned to the next, and the next.

She turned to the newest page. There, in black and white, were the clear words: Shen Songyao.

"Shuangshuang’s name still can’t be removed... Dad has let you down."

Shen Zhenwu glanced at the household register in her hand, his voice softening. "Your mother... she’s completely obsessed with her! If we forcibly removed her from the register, your mom would demand a divorce on the spot. Who knows what other crazy things she might do."

He didn’t look at Song Yao as he spoke, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

Song Yao nodded. "Right. That’s why as soon as Wu Yufeng said she was in trouble, I immediately told you to call and check on the situation first."

Shen Zhenwu froze. "Huh? You figured out she was doing it on purpose, just to stop you from being added to our family’s household register?"

Song Yao tilted her head and spread her hands. "Isn’t it obvious? When it comes to anything related to Shen Shuangshuang, she has a one-track mind. For that child’s sake, she wouldn’t even blink if she were to curse me out, or even pull a knife on me."

"What nonsense are you talking about! That’s your own mother!"

Shen Zhenwu sighed, his voice trailing off.

He raised a hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Song Yao rolled her eyes. "My own mother? The one who wants to see me trampled into the mud and suffering every day? How can you say that with a straight face?"

She didn’t wait for his reply, just stuffed the household register into her bag and zipped it all the way up.

Shen Zhenwu fell silent, at a loss for words.

After a long moment, he finally spoke again, slowly. "But no matter what, she gave birth to you... Aren’t you worried she’ll actually do something drastic? If that happens, you won’t even have the chance to call her ’Mom’ again."

Song Yao looked up at him, her expression indifferent. "Dad, I never saw either of you from the day I was born. I was raised by Song Shunqiang and Liu Yumin. All they ever gave me were beatings and an empty stomach."

"When I hear the words ’mom’ and ’dad,’ the only things that come to mind are beatings and scoldings. So tell me, why should I be naive enough to hope for any warmth from those titles?"

Shen Zhenwu scratched his chin. "But don’t they say you long for what you lack the most...?"

His brows furrowed into a knot. "I just think about how you never had enough to eat or warm clothes to wear when you were little. That’s why I hoped your mom would come to her senses sooner, treat you like her own daughter, and we could live as a happy family of three."

Song Yao’s expression remained placid. "I can accept you as my father because you never stopped looking for me all these years. But what about her?"

Her tone was as flat as a glass of cold water as she talked about herself, as if she were discussing someone else’s story.

A pang of pain shot through Shen Zhenwu’s chest.

"Daughter..."

"Dad, stop trying to persuade me. She gave birth to me, but she gave all the affection that should have been mine to the daughter of the people who hurt me. When she sees me, she looks at me like I’m a debt collector she wants to erase from the face of the earth. So why on earth should I revere and respect her?"

Shen Zhenwu shook his head. "You can’t say that... No matter how wrong she is, she’s still your mother. Without her, you wouldn’t exist. You can be unhappy with her, but you have to at least give her a chance to change, right?"

For the first time, the father and daughter were not on the same page.

But Song Yao knew perfectly well.

This outcome was exactly what she had expected.

She had seen through just how attached Shen Zhenwu was to Yao Yuzhen in her past life.

"Yao Yuzhen did give me this life. Logically, I should thank her."

Shen Zhenwu was about to nod when Song Yao quickly continued, "But if this life was given to me just to be a substitute, a stepping stone, and a punching bag, then this life isn’t a gift—it’s a shackle."

"That..." Shen Zhenwu’s mouth hung open, momentarily speechless.

After struggling for a moment, he finally managed to squeeze out, "Daughter, your words... I really can’t argue with that... But your mom, she probably just hasn’t wrapped her head around it yet. She probably doesn’t even believe you’re her biological daughter. Once she truly believes it, maybe... she’ll change right away!"

After listening, Song Yao just shook her head gently. "You’re really mistaken this time. Believe it or not, even if someone slapped an investigation report on her face, she still wouldn’t change her tune with me."

This time, Shen Zhenwu didn’t even blink. "Absolutely not! If she really did that, she’d be either stupid or crazy!"

Hearing this, Song Yao’s lips curved into a knowing smile. "Wanna bet?"

The words had barely left her mouth when the car came to a steady stop in front of the hospital.

Yao Yuzhen had just come out of emergency treatment. She was awake, and her life was saved.

But her eyes were completely empty, devoid of any life.

"Mom... don’t scare me!"

Shen Shuangshuang was trembling as she cried, clutching the bed rail for dear life.

Several medical staff in white coats were also in the room, frowning as they looked at the two of them.

"Miss Yao, what is so insurmountable that you had to take a blade to your own wrist?"

Hearing this, Yao Yuzhen simply squeezed her eyes shut even tighter.

"As a mother, I can’t even protect my own daughter. What’s the point of me being alive? I’d be better off dead and done with it."

The Shen Family’s recent affairs had long since spread through all the social circles in Beijing.

Ji Xianbei had been executed the day before yesterday. That same night, his mother showed up at the Shen Family’s doorstep, clutching his memorial portrait, wailing and cursing Shen Shuangshuang as a venomous woman.

「When she opened her eyes again, it was this morning.」

Shen Shuangshuang was at her bedside, saying tearfully, "Dad said... he’s taking Song Yao to the police station today to add her to the household register."

Yao Yuzhen’s mind went blank with a buzz. Her hand trembled as she snatched a glass cup and dragged it across her arm.

She didn’t cry out, just clenched her jaw so tightly that her bottom lip began to bleed.

"Everyone outside is cursing you; you can barely stand on your own. If Shen Zhenwu really puts Song Yao’s name on the household register now, people will immediately turn around to praise her and shun you. Shuangshuang, Mom is buying you time!"

Shen Shuangshuang was so scared she started to tremble, her lips quivering.

She let out a few sobs, but still nodded through her tears.

"Quick, call Wu Yufeng and tell him to go stop them right now! And remember what I’m about to say..."

Yao Yuzhen took a breath and added, "Tell him to block the entrance, but not to force his way in. Just have him stand there and wait until Shen Zhenwu lifts his pen to sign, then rush in."

Yao Yuzhen’s calculations were precise. As expected, Wu Yufeng burst into the police station just before the signing.

She had been certain that as soon as Shen Zhenwu heard she’d cut her wrist, he would immediately drop his pen and run home.

He had done so for the past thirty years, without a single exception.

But she never would have expected it.

With just a few casual words, Song Yao had rooted Shen Zhenwu to the spot.

Lying in bed, Yao Yuzhen pondered, ’Is it time to try a different tactic with Shen Zhenwu?’