Chapter 140: Stop Acting Pathetic

Chapter 140: Chapter 140: Stop Acting Pathetic

The way she looked was a confession in itself: she hadn’t been lost back then—Yao Yuzhen had thrown her away herself!

All eyes were fixed on Yao Yingying’s face before quickly shifting to Shen Zhenwu.

But Shen Zhenwu was the one taking it the hardest.

He stood frozen in place, his temples throbbing violently.

That was his own daughter, but the perpetrator was his wife of many years.

His own wife... had gotten rid of their daughter with her own hands...

Shen Zhenwu swayed and nearly collapsed. Shen Rongjing quickly grabbed his arm to steady him.

"Auntie, what do you mean by that?"

It would have been better if he hadn’t spoken. The moment he asked, Yao Yingying’s knees buckled, and she fell to the ground before Shen Zhenwu with a THUD.

"I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry!"

She clutched his pant leg, her face a mess of tears and snot.

"So, you two really worked together to get rid of Song Yao?"

Shen Zhenwu’s voice was as raspy as if it had been scraped with sandpaper.

Yao Yingying shook her head frantically.

"N-no, not me! I didn’t do it! I... I..."

She shook her head so violently that her forehead hit the floor with a soft THUD.

Her disheveled hair fell across her face, hiding half of it.

Yang Wanqing grabbed her by the collar and shook her violently.

"Who was it? Tell me! Who the hell did it?!"

Yao Yingying was crying, but Yang Wanqing was crying even more hysterically.

She pounded on Yao Yingying’s shoulder as she wept.

"How has the Shen Family ever mistreated you?!"

"Tell me! How have we ever wronged you?!"

"Every time you used to visit, our family would bend over backward for you, piling the table with food. When you left, we’d stuff your bags with eggs, rice, flour, and clothes our children had outgrown. We couldn’t even bear to let you leave without a bowl of hot soup! How did we ever wrong you?!"

"How could we have possibly wronged you? Why would you do this to our family?!"

"Do you... do you even have a shred of warmth in your heart?"

Yao Yingying knelt rigidly on the floor, her head hung so low she didn’t dare even raise her eyes.

She was truly too ashamed to face Yang Wanqing and the rest of the family.

She knew perfectly well where Shen Shuangshuang had come from.

But as for Shen Songyao being sent away all those years ago, she truly knew nothing.

By the time Yao Yuzhen had called her over, Song Yao had already vanished.

However, because of the matter with Shen Shuangshuang, she’d always had a nagging suspicion.

’The child’s disappearance probably wasn’t an accident. There had to be something shady going on.’

’But what was it?’

Yao Yuzhen wouldn’t breathe a single word about it, and she didn’t dare ask.

The burden of Shen Shuangshuang’s secret alone had robbed her of a peaceful night’s sleep for twenty years.

In the early years, she had even tried to reason with Yao Yuzhen.

"Sister, you have to tell your husband the truth. If you drag this out, the secret will get out sooner or later!"

But the moment the words left her mouth, Yao Yuzhen’s expression had changed, and a rift formed between them right then and there.

Later, Yao Yuzhen simply gave her a sum of money, the implication being: stay away from Beijing.

She hadn’t dared to accept the money. Instead, she turned around and gave all the child support payments from the Shen Family to Ruan Yongxing.

From then on, she rarely set foot in the Shen family’s home.

Why?

A guilty conscience, that’s why!

She was afraid that the moment she saw them, she would start sweating bullets before she could even shed a tear.

She had long seen this secret as a sword hanging over her head, never knowing when it would fall with a single, sharp slice.

After twenty agonizing years, she had almost started to think the sword had rusted and would simply rot away. But then...

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

Yao Yingying raised her hand and began slapping herself across the face.

"I’m a monster! I’m an animal! I’ve let you all down! I’m so, so sorry..."

"Then who, exactly, are Shen Shuangshuang’s parents?"

Shen Songyao stared at her, her question sharp and to the point.

Yao Yingying sniffled, glanced around at everyone in the room, and then lowered her head again.

"She... she’s the daughter of an old friend of Yao Yuzhen’s. Our families knew each other from the older generation."

"Back when the elders of both families were still alive, they were very close. Yu Zhen was good friends with him; you could say they grew up together."

"What’s his name?"

Song Yao pressed.

"Ruan... Ruan Yongxing."

"So it was never about his family being so destitute that they had to give their child up for adoption?"

Song Yao pushed.

Yao Yingying kept her eyes down, her voice as faint as a falling leaf.

"Your mother said at the time... that the child was pitiful, and her father couldn’t manage on his own. It just so happened that you had just gone missing, so she said we might as well bring her here. We could give her an official place in the family, which would give Shuangshuang a home and also be a way to watch over your mother in your absence. That way, both sides could have peace of mind."

"So you’re saying I was thrown out just to make room for her?"

The moment Song Yao finished speaking, the room fell so silent you couldn’t even hear anyone breathing.

The color drained from Yao Yingying’s face. She swayed and shook her head frantically.

"No! That’s not it! I don’t know anything... I really don’t know a single thing!"

Yang Wanqing took a step forward, her voice tight. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

"Is it true or not?!"

Tears streamed down Yao Yingying’s face as she just kept shaking her head.

"I don’t know... I really don’t know..."

She wasn’t lying.

Yao Yuzhen had never once mentioned the specifics of Song Yao’s disappearance to her.

As for whether Yao Yuzhen had personally gone to get Shen Shuangshuang...

That thought was entirely her own wild speculation, a product of her own fear-fueled imagination.

Yang Wanqing’s brows knitted together.

"You really don’t know?"

With a THUD, Yao Yingying slammed her knees back to the ground. She raised both hands high, her voice trembling so much it was unrecognizable.

"I swear to the heavens! If I knew anything about it beforehand, may I be struck by lightning, and may my entire family be cursed with misfortune!"

She couldn’t even finish before she burst into tears again.

"Auntie, I remember with perfect clarity how your family has always treated me! Even if I were the worst person on earth, I could never harm my own niece!"

"Auntie, could a person who does something like that even be considered human?!"

Yang Wanqing stared at her, unconvinced.

"She’s your own sister. How could you not have heard a single whisper of what she was up to?"

Yao Yingying quickly shook her head.

"I... I did wonder about it once, but then I thought, ’Yu Zhen wouldn’t be that foolish!’ Maybe after Song Yao went missing, she panicked and just wanted to bring Shuangshuang over to raise. After all, Shuangshuang came from a family she knew well, so her background was clear."

"Then why did you fall to your knees the moment you walked in?"

Song Yao interjected coolly.

Yao Yingying was struck speechless.

"You already had your suspicions, didn’t you?"

Song Yao asked again, her gaze piercing.

Yao Yingying froze, her body tensing up.

’Of course I had my suspicions...’

’But if I said it out loud, I’d become a laughingstock, and my sister would never be able to show her face in public again.’

"Besides," Song Yao continued, "even if you were just hiding Shen Shuangshuang’s real parentage, you wouldn’t be this terrified. It’s just an adoption. Plenty of families take in children from relatives. What difference does it make who raises the child?"

"Would Dad have fought with Mom for decades over something like this? Would Mom have turned on her own sister over such a trivial matter?"

"Unless..."

Yao Yingying broke down, wailing.

Her reaction said it all.

Shen Zhenwu swayed and nearly fell.

The truth was about to be unveiled, and he wasn’t sure he could handle it.

Shen Rongjing and Shen Rongdan immediately flanked him, helping him to a nearby seat.

He sat up straight, his eyes fixed on Yao Yingying, not blinking once.

"Stop playing the victim! Get up! Tell us everything you know, every rotten thing you did back then. Be honest!"

At his words, Yao Yingying’s throat constricted. Her sobs caught in her throat, and she couldn’t make a sound.

"Back then, right after Song Yao went missing, Yu Zhen was going out of her mind. She couldn’t sleep, wouldn’t eat or drink. She would just stare into space for hours, clutching Song Yao’s little clothes. I rushed over to keep her company."