Chapter 191: Fighting Back to Beijing

Chapter 191: Chapter 191: Fighting Back to Beijing

She just packed her things and vanished without a trace!

And wouldn’t you know it, that’s exactly what Zheng Cuiyun did.

Less than three months after Song Pengfei was sentenced, she took off in the middle of the night without so much as a word.

Nine-year-old Song Wen, in the span of a single night, had lost his father and been abandoned by his mother.

He was shoved by a group of brats at the village entrance, sending him stumbling into a stone pier. The back of his head struck a sharp corner hard.

His vision went black, and his ears started ringing.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back at this age.

But this dilapidated wall, the earthen stove-bed, the wooden cabinet with peeling paint...

None of it matched his memories, not even of his most miserable times!

He tried hard to remember, but back then, whenever the adults discussed serious matters, they would either send him out to the yard to catch grasshoppers or shuffle him off to bed.

What could he possibly remember?

Only fragmented images remained.

He only remembered that in his past life, his young aunt was soft and gentle. In this life, her gaze was as cold as a dagger, and she refused to acknowledge him at all.

Instead, she had the entire family driven from the city back to the countryside.

Then, his grandmother was arrested, and his dad was taken away in handcuffs.

Later, on a rainy night, his mom appeared, carrying a small cloth bundle.

He ran out to her, but she turned her face away, not giving him a single glance.

That very afternoon, two dusty gray trucks pulled up at the village entrance.

Several people in uniform checked the household registration book, verified names, and then led everyone onto the trucks one by one.

Song Wen was stunned for a moment, but he quickly straightened his back.

A normal kid would have been completely bewildered.

But his mind housed the soul of a cynical 30-something-year-old.

He understood people, knew how things worked, and could weigh his priorities.

So, the first thing he had to do, of course, was to fight his way back to Beijing and find Song Yao!

He didn’t have a penny on him, relying entirely on his memory of the route and by listening to people’s conversations.

Why?

In his past life, he had gotten his start with money from Song Yao and had a smooth ride thanks to his connection to Li Hanchen.

Right after graduating from university, he had enthusiastically started a company, and business was booming.

On the day he opened his first branch office, Li Hanchen had gifted him a commemorative plaque.

’In this life, I have to secure my status as Mr. Li’s de facto son first!’

The plan was beautiful, but reality delivered a harsh slap in the face.

He never in a million years expected that in this life, Song Yao wouldn’t give him the time of day.

What was even more outrageous was what she’d said right to his face.

"My surname is Shen. I have nothing to do with the Song Family."

Song Wen had found out that Shen Songyao wasn’t their biological relative after he grew up.

But the question was, how on earth did a teenage girl like her know?

Song Wen mulled over this question the entire way.

As the car was about to enter the residential complex, it finally clicked.

’So, Shen Songyao has been reborn too.’

"No wonder her every move felt off. So she came back with memories from her past life!"

Song Wen muttered, gnawing on his fingernails.

"If she really has been reborn, then considering how I used her like a cash machine in our last life until the day she died, without even treating her to a single decent meal... she’s definitely going to draw a clear line between us this time. But..."

The more he thought about it, the weirder it seemed.

"Why isn’t she lunging at me and trying to strangle me? Instead, she just shrinks back and retreats whenever she sees me."

"No matter how you look at it, she seems scared of me, not like she hates me..."

He murmured to himself, rubbing his fingers back and forth along the seam of his pants.

When he pushed open the creaking security door.

The house was cold and empty, with no one in sight. More than half of Song Wen’s bravado instantly deflated.

Fortunately, Song Pengfei had just been released from prison early.

The moment Song Pengfei walked in, Song Wen immediately sidled up to him, his eyes sparkling.

"Dad, want to get rich overnight?"

Before going to prison, Song Pengfei had believed Shen Yujie’s nonsense, only realizing after he was locked up how badly he’d been deceived.

He had lost over ten pounds in three months. His face was covered in stubble, and his eyes were bloodshot.

He should have been happy to be home, but the moment he walked in...

SLAP!

A resounding slap sent Song Wen spinning halfway around.

"Get rich? Get your grandma’s ass rich! A pauper’s son wants to teach his old man how to make money?"

Song Pengfei’s voice was as raspy as a broken gong.

"Today, I’m going to break these hands of yours that never learn their lesson!"

He had been bottling up his fury while he was inside.

His wife, Zheng Cuiyun, had packed up and bolted faster than a rabbit.

With his enemy out of sight, he had to vent his anger on the nearest person.

Song Wen was still on the ground, gasping for breath, when Song Pengfei lifted his leg and kicked him straight in the hip.

"Trying to run like your mother? You little bastard, try moving again!"

Song Wen’s ears were ringing, and the top of his thigh was numb with pain.

’In my last life, I had Shen Songyao to fall back on.’

’But now...’

Song Wen looked up at Song Pengfei, his eyes filled with utter shock.

But Song Pengfei thought he was rolling his eyes at him and instantly flew into a rage.

"You dare glare at me? You dare?! This is absolute rebellion!"

Before the words were even out of his mouth, he strode forward and unleashed another flurry of slaps across his face.

Song Wen instinctively raised his arms to block, his small limbs trembling like a leaf.

How could a nine-year-old boy, whose bones hadn’t even fully hardened, withstand the savage blows of a grown man?

Song Wen could only take the beating, with no chance to even fight back.

After he was done, Song Pengfei stormed into the room and plopped down on the bed, still cursing endlessly.

"When I find that woman Zheng Cuiyun, I’ll make her regret she was ever born!"

’If Shen Songyao really did come back from the future...’

’Then all this messy business is probably related to her.’

’I have to find a way to get back to Ning City, get close to Shen Songyao, and get to the bottom of this.’

A nice thought, but reality delivered another harsh slap in the face.

At the end of April, the transfer notices for Li Hanchen and Shen Rongdan arrived.

In early May, Song Yao and the others quickly packed their bags and headed straight for Beijing.

When Li Hanchen arrived in Beijing, he was still a regiment commander and was smoothly assigned a house.

It was in a three-story red brick building, facing south with a small courtyard.

The windows were bright, the rooms were clean, and not a single piece of paint was peeling from the walls.

Without a second thought, Song Yao chose to live with Li Hanchen in the family compound.

Yang Wanqing wasn’t too happy about it.

"If you find it awkward to live with your father, why not come back to the siheyuan and live with us?"

"We’re about to move back to the siheyuan, you see! The weather is getting stuffier by the day. A siheyuan is bright and airy, so comfortable to live in. Apartment buildings are stuffy and suffocating."

"That courtyard is so spacious, and it’s just your grandfather and me. It would be perfect if you came back to live with us."

Song Yao glanced at Li Hanchen, but still shook her head.

"Grandma, the family compound is more suitable. It’s convenient for Li Hanchen to get to and from work."

"But..."

"Oh, come on, we’ll be in the same city from now on! If you miss me, I’ll come over every day with snacks to freeload a meal. We just won’t be sleeping under the same roof at night. What’s the big deal!"

She threw her arms around Yang Wanqing’s arm, cajoling her sweetly.

Song Yao knew in her heart.

’If it were just me, I’d love nothing more than to squeeze onto the same heated bed with Grandma.’

’But now, we’re a married couple living our own life. We need to look like our own little family.’

’There needs to be a sense of propriety between the two families.’

’No matter how easygoing the Shen family is, it can’t compare to the peace of mind that comes from closing your own door and just hearing each other breathe.’

Yang Wanqing thought about it for a moment, understood the underlying meaning, and stopped trying to persuade her. Instead, she just reminded her repeatedly.

"If it’s ever inconvenient, you tell me right away!"

Song Yao immediately raised her hand.

"Absolutely! Your granddaughter didn’t come here to suffer."

"I was born to live a life of comfort and ease!"

Yang Wanqing beamed, her eyes crinkling into a thin line.

"Isn’t that the truth! My granddaughter was born to be decked in gold and silver, to be pampered and spoiled!"

The moment she said it, she remembered Yao Yuzhen, and her expression immediately darkened.

Just thinking about that heartless woman made the old woman’s chest tighten.

If it weren’t for her, how could her granddaughter have been left to drift alone for twenty years?

The more she thought, the more her heart ached. She hugged Song Yao tighter, her voice trembling slightly.

"It’s all better now. From now on, you’ll put down roots in Beijing, and Grandma can see you every day. This is wonderful... truly wonderful."