Chapter 131: An Easy Target

Chapter 131: Chapter 131: An Easy Target

"Song Yao was out on her own for twenty years, and when she came back, she didn’t even get a sip of hot soup from your family. And what about her mother? Forget doting on the child, she has barely even seen her."

"Now that Song Yao’s belly is getting bigger by the day, aren’t you, as her parents, going to take a stand? Or offer something tangible?"

"If it’s all talk and no action, then when it comes to taking care of you in your old age, you’ll have no right to complain if Song Yao decides she doesn’t want to."

Song Yao sat there with her head down, secretly giving her grandmother a thumbs-up under the table.

Her grandmother was so refreshingly direct, getting the most difficult topics out of the way first.

Dragging it out to argue later would just be exhausting and hurtful.

Shen Zhenwu glanced at Song Yao, his expression showing his embarrassment.

"This matter... I’ll have a good talk with Yu Zhen later."

"And what are your plans for Rong Dan?"

"He’s twenty-five, practically pushing thirty. You can’t delay his marriage any longer, can you?"

"It costs money to get a wife. What does she have to say about that?"

"She ran off with all the money, so is she expecting her son to scrape together the betrothal gift, rent a place on his own, and just stay a bachelor?"

"If she doesn’t care about any of this, she can forget about expecting Rong Dan to serve her in her old age."

Shen Zhenwu didn’t respond. He just kept his head down, his fingers fidgeting with the seam of his pants.

Yang Wanqing stared at him for a few seconds, her voice growing heavy.

"You’ve cherished her your whole life, but has she ever cherished you for a single day?"

"At her age, she can’t have any more children. When she’s lying in a sickbed one day, who’s going to feed her, bathe her, and keep watch through the night? These are things that can’t be avoided."

"Don’t tell me you’re counting on that unreliable one. You know perfectly well whether she can be trusted or not."

"Can you really bear to not step in and just watch her get pushed around like a doormat?"

"And what about the child? Are you just going to wash your hands of it all?"

"You’re usually so decisive when making decisions in meetings. How come your brain turns to mush whenever it comes to her?"

Yang Wanqing was so angry she slapped her thigh.

"Your father was the same way back in the day. He talked about keeping public and private affairs separate, but then he secretly gave the public building permit to his brother-in-law to build a two-story house!"

"I’m not trying to rub salt in the wound, but if all that money goes into her bottomless pit, I guarantee she’ll have wheedled every last cent out of you within two years."

After saying her piece, the old woman turned her head and shot her son a sidelong glance.

"Just like your father back then. Utterly muddle-headed!"

Shen Zhenwu lifted his eyes and scanned the dinner table.

His son was focused on his rice, his daughter was secretly watching him, his daughter-in-law’s chopsticks were frozen in mid-air...

The expression on every family member’s face spelled out three words.

Think it over.

The high-ranking official silently picked up some vegetables with his chopsticks and said no more.

That night, Li Hanchen called Song Yao again.

Song Yao lowered her voice, murmuring into the phone.

"My dad is going to divorce Yao Yuzhen."

Li Hanchen was taken aback.

"Huh? For real?"

"Yeah."

She poured out the whole story in a rush.

Li Hanchen opened his mouth but didn’t say anything. A few seconds passed before he asked,

"Song Yao, should I drive over and get you? Is that okay?"

He was worried she was having a hard time there, but even more, he missed her so much it made his chest ache.

Song Yao immediately refused.

"I’m not coming back! My work here isn’t finished yet!"

The words had barely left her lips when her voice turned as sweet as honey. She moved closer to the receiver and asked softly,

"Do you miss me an awful lot?"

There were three seconds of silence on the other end.

Song Yao wouldn’t let it go.

"Hubby, say something!"

The moment she said "Hubby," Li Hanchen’s hand trembled, and he nearly threw his pen across the room.

He subconsciously adjusted his tie, then gripped the edge of his desk, before it finally dawned on him.

’Oh, right. I’m in my office. I’m the only one here.’

"Yeah,"

he replied, his voice a little hoarse.

"Mwah~"

Song Yao giggled.

Li Hanchen gripped the receiver.

"I’ll be there in a few days!"

"Okay~ I’ll be waiting for you, Hubby."

The call ended.

Li Hanchen sat in his chair, motionless for a long time.

Meanwhile, Song Yao was already bounding up the stairs, humming a song as she went.

After talking to her husband, she felt completely recharged, as if she could do happy somersaults in her dreams.

Li Hanchen mulled over the news of Shen Zhenwu’s divorce all night. The next morning, he went straight to find Shen Rongdan.

Shen Rongdan froze on the spot when he heard.

Li Hanchen waved a hand in front of his face.

"Hello? Anybody home?"

Shen Rongdan ignored him, turned and rushed out, and dialed his older brother’s number.

The moment the call connected, he blurted out,

"Are Mom and Dad really splitting up?"

"Yes."

The reply from the other end was curt. Shen Rongjing then explained the whole situation.

After listening, Shen Rongdan’s shock subsided a little.

"I’m buying a ticket to go home today."

Of the three children, none had a personality like Yao Yuzhen’s.

But surely one of them had to take after Shen Zhenwu, right?

And the one most like him was Shen Rongdan.

Had the previous owner of her body still been around, she would have likely taken after Yao Yuzhen—gullible and ready to believe anything she was told.

Shen Rongdan had inherited Shen Zhenwu’s easy-going and non-confrontational nature.

He’d had a smooth and easy life since childhood, never knowing hardship, so he didn’t care one bit about things like getting rich, becoming an official, or making a name for himself.

But he cared deeply about matters of the heart.

Even if emotions were invisible and intangible, he wanted a real, tangible response.

So, the moment he heard the news, his first thought was that he had to get back to Beijing immediately.

Shen Rongjing heard him out and didn’t try to stop him.

He knew very well that it would be useless to try.

Shen Rongdan booked a ticket that same day and rushed back in a flurry.

Li Hanchen, for his part, desperately wanted to go too, but with a mountain of work on his desk, he couldn’t just skip out whenever he felt like it.

All he could do was watch Shen Rongdan leave with his bag, sighing in defeat.

The moment Yao Yuzhen saw that Ruan Yongxing had the day off, she grabbed him and they rushed off to a small shop.

Song Yao was working at lightning speed that morning.

She had completely run out of the glue and soft paper used for restoring ancient paintings, and Director He was late with the restock.

After two hours passed, she simply packed her bag and left.

It was just past ten o’clock, and the sun felt pleasantly warm.

She wasn’t in any hurry to return to the Shen Family residence, so she decided to just stretch her legs and wander around on her own.

She had intended to just browse aimlessly, but instead of bumping into a familiar face, she felt like she’d been struck by lightning.

From a distance, she spotted Yao Yuzhen intimately linking arms with a middle-aged man.

Shen Shuangshuang stood on his other side, and the three of them were gathered together, blocking the entrance of a small street-side shop.

Shen Songyao’s heart suddenly sank.

’Oh my god, this tea is already piping hot!’

She quickly fumbled in her pocket. Empty.

She tried the other one. Still empty.

She looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh.

’No phone on me right now?’

’That’s like having a huge scoop with no way to publish it!’

WHOOSH. She ducked down, hiding behind a nearby utility pole and staring intently at the shop.

She waited until the trio pushed the door open and came out. They lingered at the entrance for several more minutes before walking off side-by-side toward the east.

Song Yao silently memorized the shop’s address number and tailed them from a safe distance.

They first turned into a vegetable market, and then the three of them squeezed onto a bus.

Shen Songyao mentally slapped her thigh.

’My god, not only is the tea piping hot, it’s boiling over!’

’The legendary white moonlight himself has finally logged on?’

Just look at that Ruan Yongxing. His skin was firm and smooth, his fingers long and fair.

Then look at Shen Shuangshuang, with her small nose, small mouth, and eyes that crinkled when she smiled.

’Hey, isn’t that like he gave birth to her by looking in a mirror?’

As the bus turned a corner, Song Yao sprinted across the street, hailed a cab, and jumped in.

The tea was too hot to handle; she sat stiffly in the cab, almost afraid to move.

But the moment she got out, her legs seemed to move on their own. She ran all the way back to the Shen residence in one breath, gasping for air as she leaned against the doorframe.

Yang Wanqing rushed over with a glass of water.

"Drink slowly! Slowly!"

"What in the world happened? Were you chasing a dog or being chased by a cat?"