Heh, so this is what they mean by “a little knife draws blood”—eye-opening indeed.
Father and mother Shen were truly a pair, two of a kind. They didn’t hesitate to push their own daughter into the spotlight.
“No way!” Shen Ran decisively refused.
She wasn’t an idiot—why should she take the fall for this?
Yes, she had played a part in stirring up the mess, but who started it? The fake heiress provoked her first.
“I just proved my innocence in front of the police today. If I go and say this publicly tomorrow, wouldn’t that just make me contradict myself? How would people see me? Doesn’t my reputation mean anything?!”
Shen Father’s face darkened: “Shen Ran, that’s enough! Your reputation isn’t exactly spotless to begin with. What’s the harm? For the sake of the Shen family, you must agree!”
Shen Ran raised an exquisite brow, a sarcastic glint in her eyes:
“Fine, I’ll agree. Tomorrow I’ll go make a big scene, and I guarantee the Shen family will become even more famous!”
“You dare!” Shen Father’s face went black, looking terrifyingly stern.
Shen Ran sneered: “What do I have to be afraid of? You never treated me as your real daughter anyway, so why should I care about you now?”
Shen Father ground his teeth: “If you don’t obey, get out of the Shen house!”
Shen Ran: “Nope. This is my home. That fake heir who stole my place isn’t leaving, so why should I?”
Heh, right now she was playing the “shameless, thick-skinned” card—who could stop her?
“If you keep pushing me, I’ll just shout out loud and let everyone know how biased you are!”
“You unfilial girl…”
Shen Father was so furious he could barely breathe, his face red as a boil.
Shen Mother quickly patted his back to ease him, then scolded Shen Ran:
“Shen Ran, stop talking so much! Don’t you see how angry your father is?”
Shen Ran deliberately replied: “It’s not like I made him angry, Mom. The culprit here is you. If you hadn’t been so careless, none of this would have happened.”
Shen Mother: …
How dare this brat call her old!
Watching this, little Shen Yunyang gaped in shock.
What was going on? How could Shen Ran have such sharp tongue to make her parents so furious?
Shen Yunrou’s eyes flickered suspiciously.
She felt something off about Shen Ran.
Previously, she had been brainless—when falsely accused, she would only cry and wail, never argue her case.
But today, Shen Ran handled every incident cleverly, shifting all the blame elsewhere.
If it weren’t for that same face, she would have suspected an imposter.
There’s a saying: your enemy knows you best.
Yunrou’s suspicion was getting close to the truth.
But being a local girl of this era, she would never guess Shen Ran had traveled from another time.
—She could only think that perhaps Shen Ran had been holding back her cleverness for so long that it finally erupted, causing her sudden shift in behavior.
Even thinking that way, Yunrou couldn’t accept it.
How could a fool suddenly become smart?
Had she known this would happen, she wouldn’t have wasted time torturing Shen Ran—she would have taken her out earlier.
But now, it was too late to dwell on the past. She had to plan carefully how to crush Shen Ran once and for all.
……
“Sir, Ma’am, dinner is ready.”
At that moment, the housekeeper, Xu Ma, brought out a bowl of soup from the kitchen.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, she nervously looked at Shen Father:
“Sir, shouldn’t we eat? The food is getting cold.”
Shen Father: “Set the table.”
Angry or not, dinner had to be eaten.
At the table, everyone ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
Shen Ran suddenly spoke: “If you really want someone to take the blame, why not just find the person who stole the jade bracelet?”
Shen Yunrou’s heart tightened. She forced a fake smile:
“Sister, don’t make things difficult for Mom and Dad. They won’t find the culprit anytime soon!”
“Can’t find them? The person involved was right here. Pretty easy to find!”
A mocking smile curled on Shen Ran’s lips as she looked at her mother:
“Mom, you know I’ve never been in your room.”
Her words struck a chord. Shen Father and Shen Mother suddenly realized something.
Shen Father had many important books and documents in the room, usually locked. Only when Shen Mother was resting during the day, or when both parents were present, was the room open.
At this moment, everyone in the Shen household except Shen Ran could freely enter the room.
The eldest son, Shen Yunting, a translator at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had been away on business for days.
Shen Father and Mother? They had seen all the valuables—why would they take the bracelet?
Shen Ran cleared herself.
That left only Shen Yunrou and little Shen Yunyang.
Shen Father’s gaze swept over them. Before Yunrou could speak, Yunyang jumped up:
“It wasn’t me! I didn’t take Sister’s jade bracelet, and I certainly didn’t break it and hide it in Mom’s drawer!”
Ten-year-old Shen Yunyang was already sensible.
Having observed the chaos, he understood the gravity of the situation.
He was mischievous, yes, but he wouldn’t take the blame for something he didn’t do!
Seeing her youngest son react so fiercely, Shen Mother instinctively defended him:
“It shouldn’t be Xiaoyang. He wouldn’t lie.”
Shen Mother doted on Yunrou, contrasting with the real daughter, Shen Ran.
Compared to her two real sons, especially the youngest, Yunyang, she couldn’t compare.
Shen Mother: “Yunrou, did you accidentally break the bracelet and put it in my room, forgetting to tell me?”
Yunrou’s eyes immediately welled up with tears: “Mom! Are you… suspecting me?”
“No, Mom isn’t suspecting you… it’s just…”
Seeing Yunrou cry, Shen Mother felt a pang of guilt.
But if someone had to take the fall, Yunrou would be sacrificed—after all, Yunyang was her real son.
Clearly, Shen Father, who favored sons, thought the same.
Seeing their expressions, Yunrou’s fleeting look of malice returned.
Unconsciously, she pinched the flesh of her hand until it bled, only then stopping.
“Dad!” Yunrou interrupted before Shen Father could speak:
“You know how the Fu family is. I married high. My mother-in-law always had a few complaints.
If she finds out about this, who knows what she might say in front of my father-in-law? It could even affect the Shen family…”
No further explanation was needed—her father understood.
Family interests always came first.
Shen Father immediately turned to Yunyang, scolding:
“Xiaoyang, did you mischievously take Sister’s bracelet, break it, and hide it in your mother’s drawer?”
“It wasn’t me! I didn’t!”
Yunyang had a fiery temper.
Being accused, he angrily threw his bowl to the ground.
Shen Father, already irritable and humiliated in front of outsiders, flew into a rage. Seeing his youngest son dare defy him, he grabbed his arm and hit him mercilessly.
“You little brat! How dare you talk back to your father? Do you want to die?!”
“Old Shen, that’s your son! Stop hitting him!”
Shen Mother shouted, rushing to stop him.
Yunrou, scared, dared not intervene, standing there sobbing into her handkerchief.
“Dad! Don’t hit my little brother! Can’t I handle it myself?!”
Her words only fueled Shen Father’s anger.
He grabbed a broom from the corner and began beating Yunyang.
“Confess! You took Sister’s bracelet! If you don’t, I’ll beat you to death!”
“Shen Tai, if you kill my son, I’ll fight you!”
Shen Mother screamed, rushing forward.
In an instant, the Shen household descended into utter chaos.
Shen Ran, meanwhile, ate her meal while watching the spectacle unfold, thoroughly entertained.
Finally, unbothered by the chaos, she raised her hand:
“Xu Ma, please bring another bowl of soup!”
Xu Ma: …
My Missy, you really are something. Aren’t you going to hide? Why are you still watching this circus unfold?