Ever since her father arrived, Shen Ruoyue’s heart had already settled down. She merely continued putting on an act alongside him—shedding a few tears and claiming the moral high ground.
She knew it. Blood was thicker than water. Only Father truly loved her.
Chen Wanran had once treated her like a real daughter as well, but ever since Shen Zhiyi returned, everything had changed!
When she suddenly heard her own name being called, Shen Ruoyue did not react at first.
“Father…” Did he say the wrong name?
How could he possibly make her kneel?
Shen Honglang glared furiously, but this time his anger was directed at someone else.
“You unfilial girl! Why aren’t you kneeling already and apologizing to your mother and your sister?!”
[Holy crap, Scumbag Dad really knows when to bend and when to submit!]
Shen Zhiyi was stunned.
Shen Ruoyue could hardly believe it, but under Shen Honglang’s terrifying glare, her legs unconsciously trembled and weakened.
With a loud thud, despite her unwillingness, her body reacted before her mind did, and she fell straight to her knees.
Seeing Shen Ruoyue cooperate so obediently, Shen Honglang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
A man’s pride would not allow him to lower his head, but he still needed a way to gracefully step down and end this farce.
“Yue’er.”
His tone was low and meaningful.
Shen Ruoyue understood her father’s meaning instantly. Humiliation surged through her heart, and grievance brought tears flooding from her eyes.
“Mother, I was wrong.”
“It’s all because Yue’er doesn’t know how to speak properly. I accidentally angered Sister.”
“I swear, Yue’er absolutely never had any intention of targeting Sister or wishing her harm. It’s only because Yue’er and Sister still aren’t close enough that I accidentally spoke without enough consideration and caused this misunderstanding.”
Inside, Shen Ruoyue hated this with all her heart, yet her voice only became more pitiful and fragile. Tears streamed down her pale face, and the tip of her small nose turned red, making her look especially delicate and lovable.
It was Wang Zimo’s first time seeing Shen Ruoyue like this. Endless tenderness welled up in his heart. Again and again he wanted to rush forward, pull her into his arms, and roar at everyone to stop bullying Yue’er.
But the atmosphere at the scene forcefully suppressed his impulse.
While everyone else’s attention was distracted, he quietly edged backward, hoping no one would remember he was still present.
He never could have imagined things would develop into this situation.
He had actually stumbled so badly over a mere country girl!
Shen Zhiyi curled her lips.
[The fake heiress is pretty good at bending and submitting too!]
[As expected of a professional green-tea white lotus. Even her apology somehow sounds like I’m the one bullying her. Listening to this kind of apology is seriously disgusting.]
[Scumbag Dad is really ruthless. He changes faces faster than flipping pages. But Mother is amazing—she managed to seize Scumbag Dad’s weakness in just a few sentences. I originally thought she was some hopeless love-brained woman who got tricked by him from beginning to end for all these years. Who knew Mother was actually this clear-headed!]
Chen Wanran: Love-brained? What kind of thing was that? It certainly did not sound like a compliment.
Her brows furrowed slightly. What else had Shen Honglang lied to her about? Why would Yier say she had been deceived from beginning to end?
Noticing Chen Wanran frown, Shen Honglang assumed she was dissatisfied with Shen Ruoyue’s apology and quickly let out another cold snort.
“Yue’er, how have you become like this now?!”
Shen Honglang only wanted to settle the matter quickly and stop Chen Wanran from pursuing it further.
His eyes shifted, and an idea immediately formed.
“It seems your mother and I have spoiled you too much recently. You’ve become so willful that you no longer resemble a proper young lady of the Marquis Manor!”
“From this moment onward, you are to go reflect in the ancestral hall. If you do not kneel there for three days and three nights, you are forbidden to take even a single step outside without my permission!”
Immediately afterward, he changed expressions entirely. Reaching out to hold Chen Wanran’s hand, he softened his tone.
“My dear, my tone just now was too harsh. I hope you will not take offense.”
“Yier is our daughter, but Yue’er is also our daughter. Harmony in the household brings prosperity in all things. We should value peace above all.”
“What siblings don’t quarrel from time to time? Minor misunderstandings and frictions between sisters are perfectly normal. As long as we clear things up, it’s fine. You see, Yue’er was the one at fault this time, and I’ve already punished her. I only hope Madam will not continue to anger herself over matters between the younger generation. Damaging your health would not be worth it.”
Watching Chen Wanran’s expression carefully, Shen Honglang painfully added:
“Yier has suffered a grievance, and as her father, I naturally must compensate her.”
“A few days ago, I obtained a luminous pearl from the Eastern Sea. Later, I’ll have it delivered to Yier’s room. After all, Yier is the treasured pearl in our palms.”
“As for jewelry, accessories, and clothes, I shall also give you five hundred taels of silver. Buy whatever you like.”
[Oh, now it’s all “family harmony brings prosperity,” huh? If Mother hadn’t stood up strongly for me just now, I probably would’ve already been kicked out of the Marquis Manor.]
Shen Zhiyi had absolutely no good feelings toward this scheming freeloader scumbag who changed faces faster than flipping a book.
Still, suddenly receiving a luminous pearl and five hundred taels of silver did make her secretly happy.
After all—
Who would turn down money?
Especially when it was Scumbag Dad painfully coughing it up.
If Scumbag Dad was unhappy, then naturally she was delighted.
With this money, it would also be much easier for her to run away in the future.
Without changing expression, Chen Wanran smoothly avoided Shen Honglang’s reaching hand.
Who exactly the “other woman” in the Marquis Manor was, and what else Shen Honglang had been hiding from her—those matters would require time to investigate.
Since Shen Honglang had already provided himself a way out, she simply stepped down alongside him.
“Then let us leave it at that.”
Hearing Chen Wanran’s response, Shen Honglang’s tightly wound nerves finally relaxed completely.
Turning his face slightly away, his heart filled with disdain.
Once he fully controlled the Marquis Manor, he would definitely make this woman lose all face as well!
As for the intimidation and restraint from the Duke Zhenguo’s Manor…
A dark, unreadable gleam flashed through Shen Honglang’s eyes.
One day, he would trample all those people beneath his feet and force them to kneel before him begging for mercy.
Endure small humiliations to achieve greater ambitions.
Thinking this, he shot Shen Ruoyue a look ordering her to obediently behave herself and barked:
“Xiaozhi, what are you still standing there for? Hurry and escort your young miss to the ancestral hall for reflection!”
Shen Ruoyue silently lowered her head. Her long nails had already dug deeply into her palms.
Pain spread through her body, while her throbbing temples constantly reminded her of the humiliation she was suffering here and now.
From childhood until today, she had never suffered such humiliation.
She was being punished to kneel in the ancestral hall, while Shen Zhiyi had received a luminous pearl and five hundred taels of silver!
That was an Eastern Sea luminous pearl—she had begged Father for it countless times, yet he never gave it to her.
And her yearly allowance was only one hundred taels of silver.
Why?!
Why was Heaven treating her so cruelly? She had already obtained everything belonging to the legitimate eldest daughter of the Marquis Manor, yet out of nowhere Shen Zhiyi appeared and forcefully tried to snatch it all away!
She refused to accept it. She was unwilling. Clearly she was the one more worthy of this identity!
And since she was also Father’s biological daughter, why did she have to remain hidden in the shadows and live beneath others?
It was all Shen Zhiyi’s fault!
If she had died in the wilderness fifteen years ago, then Shen Ruoyue would forever have remained the only eldest miss of the Marquis Manor.
A trace of vicious hatred flashed across Shen Ruoyue’s pale face.
She silently swore to herself.
One day, she would make Shen Zhiyi pay the price.
She would make her wish for life but be unable to live, wish for death but be unable to die, until she vanished soundlessly from this world forever.
Watching Shen Ruoyue limp away while being supported by others, Shen Zhiyi’s mood became unprecedentedly good. As she withdrew her gaze, she suddenly noticed someone else.
[Eh? Since when did Wang Zimo sneak that far away?]
Hearing her daughter’s inner thoughts, Chen Wanran also remembered there was still such a person present.
She had not forgotten Wang Zimo’s earlier arrogance.
“Young Master Wang, why are you in such a hurry?”
Suddenly being called out by name, Wang Zimo felt one head become two. He could no longer pretend to be invisible and could only answer awkwardly.
Chen Wanran smiled faintly.
“Young Master Wang, once you return home, do not forget to inform Minister Wang and Madam Wang.”
“On another day, I shall personally bring Yier to visit your residence.”
“So that Yier may personally break off the engagement between our two families.”