Chapter 132: A Guilty Conscience

Chapter 132: Chapter 132: A Guilty Conscience

Song Yao shook her head, focusing on taking small sips of water.

After half a glass, she took a few sharp breaths and grabbed her grandmother’s arm.

"Grandma! Guess who I ran into today?"

Yang Wanqing waved her hand dismissively.

"How could your grandma possibly guess?"

Song Yao leaned in closer, her voice low and her eyes shining with astonishing brightness.

"I saw my mom!"

Yang Wanqing nodded and patted her granddaughter’s hand.

"Calm down, calm down. Where did you see her?"

Song Yao realized she was gripping too tightly and immediately let go of her grandmother’s arm.

"Just as I was coming from the Cultural Relics Bureau, two turns down, right at the street corner."

"I saw her with my own eyes. She was with Shen Shuangshuang and a man. And that man... he and Shen Shuangshuang looked like they were cast from the same mold!"

Yang Wanqing couldn’t sit still any longer.

"With... with who?!"

"A man who looks a lot like Shen Shuangshuang. The three of them were looking at a storefront together. Then they stopped by the market, bought some groceries, and finally got on a bus. I was afraid of blowing my cover, so I didn’t dare follow them any further and just ran straight back."

"Looks like that girl... Th-that’s impossible!"

The old woman shook her head repeatedly.

"Your aunt brought that child back from the village years ago. How could your mother be so close with her biological relatives?"

Yang Wanqing knew Yao Yuzhen’s temperament all too well.

She was always putting on airs, barely bothering with her own family, let alone sucking up to the poor relatives of her adopted daughter!

But Shen Songyao insisted.

"Grandma, the way that man dressed, talked, and acted... he really didn’t seem like he was from the countryside!"

"Grandma, back then... was Shen Shuangshuang really brought back by Auntie?"

At these words, Yang Wanqing froze.

Shen Lixin, who had been quiet the whole time, suddenly interjected.

"If we call her older sister over and ask, won’t that clear everything up?"

Yang Wanqing’s brow furrowed.

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"If there’s something fishy going on, do you think she’ll just come meekly because we called?"

"And even if she comes, will she tell the truth?"

Shen Songyao thought for a moment.

"If the two of us call her, she’ll definitely get suspicious. Why don’t we... have Eldest Brother invite her? Once she’s here, keeping her mouth shut won’t be up to her."

"She has a guilty conscience. If we spook her a little, she’s sure to spill the beans."

’I originally wanted to suggest asking Shen Zhenwu to handle it,’ she thought, ’but on second thought, he’s too stubborn and unyielding.’

’He’d probably shake his head and refuse the moment he heard it was a plot against his sister-in-law.’

’My eldest brother, Shen Rongjing, on the other hand... he looks prim and proper, but he’s actually full of schemes.’

’He’d be the perfect person to put on an act with me.’

Yang Wanqing nodded at once.

"Done! We have to get to the bottom of this!"

Yao Yuzhen had no idea that her secret of many years had just been stumbled upon by Song Yao.

She probably didn’t even care.

After all, she was about to divorce Shen Zhenwu. Soon, the world would be her oyster, and she could associate with whomever she pleased.

Since she felt no one could control her, after helping Ruan Yongxing pick out a shop in the morning, she simply brought him back to her place for lunch and cooked a hot meal.

Meanwhile, the grandmother-granddaughter pair of Shen Songyao and Yang Wanqing were huddled together, plotting.

They were planning how to start, how to apply pressure, and how to make Yao Yuzhen’s sister crack and spill everything once she walked through the door.

Their heads were practically touching as they grew more and more excited, looking as if they could talk all afternoon.

DING DONG!

The doorbell rang.

"Who could that be? Is someone visiting at this hour?"

Yang Wanqing blinked, looking puzzled.

Shen Songyao shot up from the sofa, stood on her tiptoes by the French window, and peered outside.

A tall man with broad shoulders and long legs was standing at the courtyard gate.

"Second Brother!"

She immediately turned her head and shouted.

"It’s Brother Rong Dan!"

Yang Wanqing quickly stood up as well.

"Oh my, why is Rong Dan back at a time like this?"

Before the words were even out of her mouth, Shen Songyao was already running to the main door.

The moment she pulled the door open, she looked up and asked.

"Second Brother, what brings you back so suddenly?"

Seeing the breathless girl before him, Shen Rongdan instinctively reached out to steady her arm.

He only relaxed when he saw she was standing firmly on her own.

"Eldest Brother called me. He said Mom and Dad are separating?"

He just couldn’t understand. They had spent their whole lives together, hand in hand. Why, at their age, would they suddenly decide to split their lives in two?

Seeing him frozen at the doorway, Shen Songyao answered softly.

"Yeah... Mom moved out this morning."

"Second Brother, is this... is this because of me? I’m so sorry..."

"I was just so happy to come home, to be able to call them Mom and Dad. I never thought I would cause such a mess in the family... But Mom... it feels like she doesn’t accept me, not from the bottom of her heart..."

Shen Rongdan immediately reached out and held her firmly by the shoulders.

"Song Yao, listen to me. This has nothing to do with you, not one bit. You’re wonderful. Do you know how long we’ve been waiting for you to come home? We are genuinely happy. That’s not just some polite saying."

"But Mom..."

At the mention of Yao Yuzhen, Shen Rongdan’s gaze flickered, and he sighed softly.

"Right now, she’s probably just... stuck on something. She hasn’t gotten her head around it yet. She doesn’t know what a great girl you are."

"Song Yao, you really are wonderful. It’s only because you came back that this place is finally starting to feel like a real home."

Song Yao sniffled and asked in a small voice.

"If... if Mom and Dad end up separating for good, will you... blame me?"

Shen Rongdan raised a hand and gently ruffled her hair.

"What nonsense are you talking about? This is between the adults. It’s not for you to take the blame, and it’s not a burden you have to carry."

Song Yao quietly let out a breath.

’Okay, he’s reliable.’

’Soft-hearted, but with a clear head.’

"Second Brother, did you come back specifically to talk to Mom?"

"Yeah."

He nodded.

"They’re not young anymore. If there’s a chance I can talk them out of it, I have to at least try."

Song Yao nodded and sighed.

"Sigh, it’s a shame Mom frowns whenever she sees me... Otherwise, I’d definitely go talk to her myself."

’But in her heart, she knew that some people won’t believe it’s a dead end until they’ve hit the wall a few times themselves. Let him go and get rebuffed. He’ll understand then.’

"By the way, Second Brother, are you hungry? Have you eaten?"

"I grabbed a sesame flatbread right after I got off the train."

He smiled.

The two of them chatted as they entered the house. Yang Wanqing and Shen Lixin were already waiting in the living room. They didn’t need to ask; one look at his face told them why he was back.

The first words out of their mouths were exactly the same.

"You must be hungry! Quick, sit down. Xiao Xiao! Go cook a bowl of noodles for Rong Dan, and add two poached eggs!"

Xiao Xiao, who had just come in from picking green beans in the backyard, heard the call and immediately replied.

"Yes, right away!"

"Grandma, I already had a bite on the train!"

Shen Rongdan quickly waved his hands, his voice softening.

"Eldest Brother called and told me about Mom and Dad, so I rushed back to see what was going on."

"Where is Mom living now? Do you two know?"

Song Yao nodded vigorously.

"I know! She’s in our family’s old, vacant house. Dad even said that one will go to Mom and Sister Shuangshuang. The other two will be split between us!"

As soon as Shen Rongdan heard that, he knew exactly which building it was.

He had no appetite. He casually dropped his backpack on the floor and spoke.

"Song Yao, Grandma, Grandpa, I’m going to go see Mom first."

Yang Wanqing knew her grandson was soft-hearted and immediately agreed.

"Go on. Say a few words of persuasion if you can."

Meanwhile, after finishing her meal with Ruan Yongxing, Yao Yuzhen took fifteen hundred yuan in cash and hurried off to find the landlord to pay the rent for the storefront.

By the time Shen Rongdan arrived at the building, she hadn’t returned yet.

Shen Rongdan stood at the door, KNOCK KNOCK KNOCKing for quite a while.