Chapter 62: Don’t Think About Stepping on My Head

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Don’t Think About Stepping on My Head

Song Yao knew perfectly well what was going on, so for the time being, she had no intention of confronting Yao Yuzhen head-on.

She would simply deal with whatever came her way.

At least, she wouldn’t do anything to embarrass Yao Yuzhen in front of Shen Zhenwu.

If the other woman was going to be insincere, she would simply return the favor and keep things polite on the surface.

What Song Yao didn’t know, however, was that her idea was identical to the one Yao Yuzhen had just concocted.

Both were scheming to maintain a dignified front for Shen Zhenwu, neither willing to be the first to drop the act.

"Zhenwu."

Yao Yuzhen called out in a soft voice as soon as Shen Zhenwu approached.

He immediately broke into a smile, his tone lightening. "Well now, are you not angry anymore?"

Yao Yuzhen gently dabbed the corner of her eye. "What would I be angry about? Isn’t it just because you never discuss anything with me?"

Shen Zhenwu was stumped and subconsciously retorted, "What did I hide from you?"

Yao Yuzhen shot him a sharp, sidelong glance. "This business of finding Song Yao—haven’t you been handling it all by yourself? You didn’t discuss it with me once, nor did you let me get involved in the slightest."

"That’s because..."

His lips moved. ’You didn’t believe me,’ he wanted to say. ’You just let everything I said go in one ear and out the other, so I couldn’t be bothered to keep arguing with you about it.’

But he swallowed the words before they could come out, leaving only the beginning of his sentence hanging in the air.

"Forget it, forget it. It’s all in the past, what’s the point of bringing it up?"

Yao Yuzhen waved her hand, cutting him off. "Sister Qin just told me the whole story. It was me who misunderstood you."

Shen Zhenwu beamed, his smile so wide his eyes nearly vanished. "Ha! As if I don’t know your temper. As long as the misunderstanding is cleared up, it’s all good! From now on, the three of us will live together as a proper family. We’ll make up for everything we owe Yaoyao, bit by bit!"

"That’s what I wanted to talk to you about."

Yao Yuzhen’s voice suddenly grew heavy, and a shadow of sorrow fell over her face.

She glanced toward the door of Shen Shuangshuang’s hospital room, her eyes filled with heartache and helplessness.

"Zhenwu, with your job, you’re either on a business trip or stationed abroad all year round. In all our years of marriage, the days we’ve actually spent together are few and far between... And then there was that whole incident with my family back in the day..."

At this, her eyes reddened, and tears began to stream down her face.

Shen Zhenwu didn’t say a word, but his face was a mask of guilt and tenderness.

His voice was hoarse and dry when he finally spoke. "Yu Zhen, I haven’t been good enough... I’ve let you carry so much on your own."

Yao Yuzhen wiped her face. "Speaking from the bottom of my heart, if Shuangshuang hadn’t been with me all these years, I would have collapsed long ago. Zhenwu, do you believe me? I truly can’t live without her! Even knowing she’s not my biological daughter, I can’t bear to let her go."

"If you truly feel sorry for me, then don’t you dare rip Shuangshuang away from my side! I want to treat our daughter right, but does that have to come at the cost of driving Shuangshuang away?"

Hearing this, Shen Zhenwu’s mouth opened and closed, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say no.

Still, he felt a knot of unease in his gut.

His face hardened as he spoke, enunciating each word. "Shen Shuangshuang hurt Yaoyao. That’s a fact, and no one can deny it. Do you have any idea how much Yaoyao suffered in the Song Family? And since she’s come back, you’ve done nothing but dote on Shuangshuang, hurting her feelings time and again. How do you think that makes Yaoyao feel? Whether she forgives her or not is her decision to make. It’s not our place to decide for her."

Yao Yuzhen’s shoulders slumped, and her voice became even softer. "Fine... Then let’s just go our separate ways."

Just as Shen Zhenwu’s temper began to flare, she quickly added, "I didn’t know anything back then! The rumors outside were outrageous, saying you had someone on the side, and then you suddenly showed up and said Yaoyao was our real daughter. How was I supposed to believe that? Zhenwu, are you blaming me for being suspicious? We barely see each other more than a few times a year; how could I not let my mind wander?"

Shen Zhenwu’s face darkened. "Do I have the time for that? The nerve? Do you know how strict the conduct investigations are now? Who in their right mind would dare to mess around!?"

"No matter how tight the grip, there are always those willing to risk it all."

Yao Yuzhen raised her eyes, tears still welling, but her words were sharp. "I have no family to back me up. I can barely stand on my own. What makes you so sure you’ll always stay true to me? ...Or have you never wondered if I, too, had someone while I was all alone at home?"

Shen Zhenwu froze.

’He had, in fact, wondered about that quite a bit.’

’Yao Yuzhen was so beautiful, a young lady from a wealthy family. When she married him back then, even he felt he wasn’t good enough for her.’

Yao Yuzhen saw his hesitation and sneered inwardly, but her expression remained perfectly placid.

"Zhenwu, if we want to stay together, there’s only one way. Shuangshuang stays and continues to call us Mom and Dad. We used to have one child, now we’ll have one more. It’s not like the work unit or the neighborhood committee can object, can they?"

She had played her final card.

Shen Zhenwu’s brow furrowed into a knot, his expression growing steadily darker.

At that very moment, a clear voice came from the doorway. "Fine, I agree."

Yao Yuzhen and Shen Zhenwu whipped their heads around.

"But I have one condition."

Song Yao’s tone was unhurried, as if she were just chatting. "From now on, in this family, she listens to me. She can forget about ever walking all over me."

The words sounded familiar.

Years ago, at the dinner table in front of all their relatives, Yao Yuzhen had declared that Shen Shuangshuang was the only daughter the Shen Family recognized.

Today, Song Yao was returning the favor in kind.

Unfortunately, with only the three of them present and no outsiders to witness it, Yao Yuzhen couldn’t be publicly humiliated on the spot.

"That’s how it should have been from the start," Shen Zhenwu blurted out.

Yao Yuzhen wanted to argue on Shen Shuangshuang’s behalf, but when she thought about the days to come, she forced her words back down.

’Song Yao’s mind raced. A direct confrontation?’

’That would only make Yao Yuzhen look more pitiful and innocent, pushing Shen Zhenwu further onto her side.’

’She had to avoid a head-on clash, to sidestep the trap of an emotional outburst.’

She immediately changed tactics and said with a wide smile, "Dad, do you know what my life was like in the Song Family? I ate the worst food and did the most work. Since Shen Shuangshuang took my place for ten years, then starting today, she’s doing all the chores in this house!"

Yao Yuzhen said nothing, her eyes narrowing as she stared directly at Song Yao.

Song Yao met her gaze without looking away or even blinking.

However Yao Yuzhen had humiliated her back then, Song Yao was now repaying it in full to Shen Shuangshuang.

Yao Yuzhen finally snapped, slamming her hand on the sofa. "Have you no sense? How old is Shuangshuang? If you’re bitter, go settle your score with the Song Family! Why are you taking your anger out on a child? What did she ever do to you?"

Shen Zhenwu frowned, about to step in and mediate.

Seeing that she was about to fly into a rage, the smile vanished from Song Yao’s face.

"Mom, do you remember what you said to me by the nurses’ station on the day I was hospitalized?"

Yao Yuzhen’s lips moved, but no sound came out.

Song Yao turned to Shen Zhenwu. "That day, she told me I was just the adopted daughter, and that I was dreaming if I thought I could compete with the real one. She also said that since I was beaten and cursed in the Song Family, I should just accept my fate. That even if Shen Shuangshuang were to climb up and shit on my head... I’d have to catch it with a smile and not even frown."

After she finished, she didn’t look at Yao Yuzhen, her gaze fixed firmly on Shen Zhenwu’s face.

Shen Zhenwu had been about to offer some placating words, but as soon as her statement registered, his hand trembled, and he nearly dropped his teacup.

His temples throbbed. He pointed a finger at Yao Yuzhen and roared, "Just listen to yourself! Listen! My daughter was treated like a servant girl, and not only did you do nothing, but you helped trample her?! She is your biological daughter!"

Yao Yuzhen’s face flushed crimson. "I was kept in the dark back then! Haven’t I explained this to you countless times already?"