Chapter 138: Daydreaming

Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Daydreaming

"I secretly followed them for a little way. I saw the two of them go to the wet market together and pick out a huge pile of vegetables and fruit. After that, the three of them got on the same bus. It let out a puff of smoke and drove away."

"After that... I didn’t dare to follow them anymore."

"He looks like Shuangshuang’s biological father?"

Shen Rongdan’s ears perked up.

He frantically turned to stare at his big brother.

"Big Bro, did I get that wrong?"

Shen Rongjing shot his younger brother a sidelong glance and sighed inwardly.

’He’s been in the army for too long. He’s gotten more disciplined, sure, but has his brain devolved?’

"Great Aunt brought Shuangshuang from a village. We don’t even know her biological father’s last name. On what grounds is that man grocery shopping with Mom? And smiling cheerfully while carrying the bags?"

Shen Rongjing countered.

Shen Rongdan rubbed the back of his head.

"Could it be... her family in the countryside misses their daughter? They had Great Aunt find our address and sent her biological father to our door to claim her?"

"So, have they ever come here?"

Shen Rongjing pressed.

Shen Rongdan shook his head, then quickly added,

"I’m rarely home, so I really don’t know if anyone’s ever come looking."

Shen Rongjing: "..."

"In all these years, no one has ever come asking about Shuangshuang. Besides, that man wasn’t some honest farmer, weather-beaten and struggling to make ends meet."

Shen Rongdan was always at his military base and had limited contact with different kinds of people.

But Shen Rongjing had seen and heard much more; he had a decent grasp of what made people tick.

A father who was truly so poor he couldn’t feed his family, forced to give away his child, would have despair in his eyes and slumped shoulders.

That man was different.

He walked with a confident stride, had a clean-cut appearance, and lacked any of the warmth you’d expect from a father.

"Why does he look exactly like Shuangshuang?"

Shen Rongdan posed another ridiculous question.

Shen Songyao tilted her head and countered.

"Big Bro, have you ever considered that Great Aunt never brought Shuangshuang back at all?"

Shen Rongdan froze.

"Why would Great Aunt lie to us?"

Shen Rongjing stared at him, his tone flat.

"Great Aunt has no reason to lie about this. Maybe Mom knew all along."

Shen Rongdan’s head was buzzing, his ears filled with static.

’Aren’t families supposed to get along and be happy together?’

’How could it be that in the blink of an eye, even his own mother’s smile seemed to hide a dagger?’

Shen Songyao sighed.

"Big Bro, wake up. There’s no such thing as a peaceful, simple life in the adult world. It’s all just complicated schemes!"

Before her voice had even faded, she dropped an even bigger bombshell.

"But what could Mom possibly gain from this?"

"What could she gain that would be worth going to such great lengths?"

"Couldn’t she just bring Shuangshuang home to raise directly?"

"Dad wouldn’t have stopped her. If she had just said the word, Shuangshuang would have been their own daughter long ago!"

"Why insist on having Great Aunt be the one, spinning some tale about helping Mom get over the pain of losing a child? The words sound so proper, but if you really think about it, doesn’t it all feel wrong?"

"Could it be... that when I went missing all those years ago, it wasn’t an accident? Did Mom have someone secretly get rid of me to make room for Shuangshuang?"

As soon as these words left her mouth, Shen Rongdan shot up and clamped a hand over Shen Songyao’s mouth.

"Shh! Please, can we just not talk about this?"

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe it, but that he didn’t dare to.

If he were to truly believe it, then every time he had ever called her ’Mom’ would feel like swallowing a handful of razor shards, tearing his throat raw.

Shen Songyao gently pulled her hand from his palm, her tone soft.

"Second Brother, I was just saying. Don’t take it to heart."

The moment she finished speaking, the faces of Shen Rongjing and Yang Wanqing fell.

The more they thought about it, the more horrifying it seemed.

Things had reached a point where this wild speculation, ironically, felt closest to the truth.

Yang Wanqing wasted no more time and made a decision.

"Rong Jing, call Great Aunt right now! Tell her to get over here at once. She needs to be in Beijing today! What exactly happened to Song Yao all those years ago? Was she abducted by traffickers, or did someone personally give her away? No one is sleeping until we get this sorted out today!"

Shen Rongjing agreed, then turned, pulled out his phone, and dialed Yao Yingying’s number.

He began speaking as soon as the call connected.

"Sis, Shuangshuang has a blind date tomorrow. Great Aunt heard and is insisting on coming to lend a hand. Can you convince her to set off early and not to dawdle?"

Yao Yingying immediately agreed.

"Done! I’ll have Great Aunt leave at the crack of dawn. She’ll be knocking on your door before ten, I guarantee it!"

"Won’t this get in the way of your plans?"

"No problem. I’m just meeting someone at noon, we’ll see how it goes. The main thing is Mom is worried about Shuangshuang. She’ll feel more at ease with some familiar faces around."

Shen Rongjing sounded perfectly natural, without a single flaw in his story.

Yao Yingying didn’t suspect a thing.

Once he hung up, the living room fell completely silent.

If Song Yao really had been deliberately sent away back then...

When Shen Zhenwu pushed open the door and entered the house, the sky outside was already pitch black.

He wasn’t too surprised to see Shen Rongdan sitting on the sofa.

For the children, their parents’ separation was as devastating as the roof caving in over their heads.

It was perfectly normal for Shen Rongdan to have rushed back from Jiangcheng.

He coughed once, feigning a relaxed demeanor.

"When did you get here?"

"This afternoon."

Shen Rongdan’s reply was quiet, his voice muffled.

’He’s probably just upset about the divorce,’ Shen Zhenwu thought, and quickly changed the subject.

"Oh, were you all waiting for me for dinner?"

"Really, you don’t have to wait for me. I’m not picky. I’ve been used to eating at odd hours my whole life."

"Go on and eat. Especially you, Song Yao. You’re pregnant, so you can’t be missing meals."

But as his voice faded, the room remained silent. No one responded.

Only Shen Lixin sighed, glanced at him, and finally waved his hand.

"Time to eat!"

Everyone lowered their heads and shuffled toward the dining room.

Only Shen Songyao paused as she passed Shen Zhenwu, leaned in close, and whispered.

"Second Brother went to see Mom and ended up getting in a fight with some guy. They got taken to the police station. Big Brother had to go down there to get him out."

Just as Shen Zhenwu was about to ask for details, Song Yao waved her hand.

"Let’s eat first. Talk to Big Brother about the details after dinner!"

Before her words faded, she had already skipped over to sit next to Yang Wanqing.

Shen Zhenwu’s mind was reeling with questions, but he couldn’t very well start interrogating people at the dinner table.

He barely made it through dinner. The moment the dishes were cleared, he immediately called out to Shen Rongjing.

"Rong Jing, come to the study for a moment."

As soon as he called out, Shen Rongdan also tagged along.

Shen Zhenwu was puzzled.

"What are you following for?"

"I want to listen."

Shen Zhenwu frowned, but didn’t stop him in the end.

Once in the study, he got straight to the point.

"Song Yao said you were at the police station this afternoon? What happened?"

Shen Rongdan stared at the floor and said nothing.

Shen Zhenwu’s brow furrowed deeply.

"Didn’t you say you wanted to listen? Cat got your tongue?"

At this point, Shen Rongjing spoke up.

"Why don’t you go get Dad a glass of water?"

Shen Rongdan nodded obediently and left.

As soon as the door closed, Shen Rongjing spoke bluntly.

"Mom has a man around her recently. Rong Dan saw them, his temper flared up, and he started a fight on the spot."

Hearing this, Shen Zhenwu was completely stunned.

But Shen Rongjing didn’t stop and continued.

"After getting hit, the man’s attitude changed completely. He demanded a thousand yuan, threatening to press charges if he didn’t get it."

SMACK!

Shen Zhenwu slammed his palm on the edge of the table.

"In his dreams!"

"Of course we didn’t agree. I had Yi Haoran handle the negotiations. He’s much more efficient at this sort of thing than we are."