Seeing Jiang Ruochu staring at her with big, innocent eyes and a harmless expression, pretending she had no idea what was going on, Shen Zhiyi itched to walk up and slap this shameless homewrecker twice for the original owner.
But hitting trash like her would only dirty her own hands.
She wasn’t worth it.
If she loved acting innocent and naive so much, she could do it all she wanted in front of Lu Yusheng.
Just don’t do it in front of Shen Zhiyi.
After all, only Lu Yusheng fell for her act. Shen Zhiyi couldn’t stomach it at all.
Shen Zhiyi pointed directly at her neck. “That was another valuable dowry my mother gave me. You know exactly how hard she worked to get it for me. You… don’t deserve to wear it. Give it back.”
She held out her hand, demanding it straightforwardly.
Jiang Ruochu clutched the gold necklace and looked pleadingly at Lu Yusheng, hoping he would defend her. After all, she hadn’t stolen it; he had given it to her.
But she was disappointed. Lu Yusheng remained silent and didn’t step forward.
“Yusheng Ge…” Jiang Ruochu bit her lip, looking pitiful. So many people were watching, including her own mother and stepfather. Couldn’t they do this later?
It was so humiliating to do it in public.
“Ruochu, give it back to her first. I’ll buy you a new one later.”
“Lu Yusheng, are you spineless?!” Lu Changsheng couldn’t stand it anymore.
For the past three years, while Shen Zhiyi was gone, Jiang Ruochu had practically run the household. With so many people and so much work, and the fourth brother still unmarried, it was only Mother Lu and his own wife working. They would have been overwhelmed without her help.
In his eyes, Jiang Ruochu was already his sister-in-law.
As for Shen Zhiyi, that convict could go to hell. She was never welcome in the Lu family again.
Little did he know, Shen Zhiyi had absolutely no intention of ever stepping foot in their house again.
“Big Brother, you don’t understand,” Lu Yusheng said in a low voice.
If he hadn’t known about DNA testing, he might have fought back. But now that he did, his mind was in chaos. How did Shen Zhiyi know about such advanced medical technology? She was just an elementary school teacher, not a doctor!
But he couldn’t risk it. If she really got a test done and proved he was Qiangqiang’s father, it would be a disaster.
It would ruin his career, his reputation, and the future of the entire family. Compared to that, his pride and face meant nothing.
“Fine! Do whatever you want! I’m out!” Lu Changsheng stormed off, furious but afraid to argue with his brother.
They were the whole Lu family, and they still lost to a single ex-con. It was humiliating.
He couldn’t bear the shame.
Did this idiot Lu Yusheng not realize that by giving in to her in front of the whole village today, they would never be able to hold their heads up again?
How was Yusheng supposed to live this down?
Sigh.
“Teacher Jiang, your defender has left. Hand it over,” Shen Zhiyi said, wiggling her fingers.
“Ruochu, give it to her. Later, Yusheng will buy you one even bigger and thicker,” the second sister urged.
Tears welling up in her eyes, Jiang Ruochu unclasped the necklace and handed it over.
Shen Zhiyi took it with a sweet smile, then blew on it as if dusting off invisible dirt. “Such a nice piece of jewelry… what a shame it got ruined by filth.”
Jiang Ruochu: “…”
Her eyes were red with rage. She would remember this humiliation.
One day, she would make Shen Zhiyi pay it back with interest.
“Hey! What do you mean by ‘filth’?!” Jiang Ruochu’s mother couldn’t stand seeing her daughter insulted. She stepped forward angrily.
She had seen enough today. Lu Yusheng and his family were truly worthless.
Her daughter had slaved away for them for three years, given so much to Lu Yusheng, and yet they couldn’t even protect a simple gold necklace for her.
Lu Changsheng was right. Lu Yusheng was a coward.
“This necklace cost 800 yuan,” Shen Zhiyi said calmly. “My mother washed clothes and scrubbed dishes until her hands were raw and swollen just to save enough for it. Ma’am, how about this? I’ll sell it to you for 500. Buy it and give it to your daughter, then she won’t have to feel wronged anymore, right?”
“…” Jiang Ruochu’s mother immediately shrank back.
500 yuan?
If only she had that kind of money. She was just a housewife with no income; everything she had came from her husband.
They barely had enough to feed the family. Where would she get 500 yuan for jewelry?
Seeing her silence, Shen Zhiyi put the necklace safely in her pocket.
She picked up her camphorwood chest and was about to tell Zhou Muchuan to leave when she paused. “Oh, Teacher Jiang, you better hurry up and persuade Dr. Lu. Tell him to kneel and beg me soon, otherwise… I’m afraid you won’t be able to wait that long.”
“By the way, the offer is only valid for three months. After that, the terms change.”
“…”
Jiang Ruochu’s face drained of color instantly, turning deathly pale.
Lu Yusheng narrowed his eyes. Why did it feel like Shen Zhiyi knew every single secret? Was it just his imagination?
It had to be.
She had just been released from prison, hadn’t she?
How could she possibly have learned all this in just a few hours?
The only person she’d been close to was Zhou Muchuan, and he didn’t know these secrets either.
On the way back, Zhou Muchuan finally found his voice. “Shen Zhiyi, how did you do that?”
“…”
Shen Zhiyi just smiled softly. She did it because she knew the entire story.
She knew the fate of every character herself, powerful figures like Zhou Muchuan, and even minor ones like the Lu family. She knew every plot point.
She was here to rewrite their destinies.
Of course, she couldn’t tell him the truth.
“Shen Zhiyi, what exactly did you say to Lu Yusheng? He was determined not to give you the box, but then he suddenly changed his mind?” Zhou Muchuan asked.
“Officer Zhou, aren’t you a little too curious?” Shen Zhiyi raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Muchuan: “…”
Meanwhile, at the entrance of Lujia Village, Shen Zhiyi’s mother was pedaling hard on an old, rusted bicycle, coming toward them.
Zhou Muchuan pressed the accelerator and drove the motorcycle to meet her.