Chapter 174: The Mysterious Woman

The woman's words stabbed at Shi Yuke's heart with every syllable; Jiang Yadan wanted to tell her to stop, as her daughter was already in such pain and shouldn't be provoked further.

But she didn't dare; the lingering trauma from being intimidated by Sheng Hanyu remained, and she dared not offend the woman before figuring out her identity.

"Who are you?" Jiang Yadan asked.

The woman glanced at her with contempt: "If you want your daughter to live, then get out. Right now, besides me, no one can save her." The cold light shooting from the woman's eyes was sharper than a blade.

Jiang Yadan shivered and obediently went out.

She hid by the doorway; the door was closed, and the voices inside were not very clear.

One hour later.

The woman came out from inside, didn't look at her once, and walked quickly down the corridor, disappearing from sight.

"Walking so fast without making a sound, like a ghost," Jiang Yadan muttered, then entered the Hospital Ward to see her daughter.

……

That night.

A fire broke out at the Sheng Family Mansion, and Sheng Yukai was almost burned to death inside the house.

Sheng Hanyu received the news the next morning; he learned of it while eating breakfast and watching the news on television.

In the footage.

Sheng Yukai was wearing pajamas, drenched by water like a drowned rat, huddled in the courtyard and shivering.

He wasn't wearing his mask either, and the turtle on his face was perfectly synchronized with his expression; for some reason, it looked quite comical!

A reporter was interviewing Sheng Yukai; he seemed to have been greatly frightened, his words failing to convey his meaning and even becoming a bit incoherent...

Sheng Hanyu asked Shi Youxuan: "Why do I feel this matter is quite suspicious? What do you think?"

She tilted her head and thought for a moment: "I think we should tell Ze Rong about this; it would be best if we could get him to return to the country."

Although Sheng Zerong had severed family ties with the second branch for their sake back then, while legal relationships can be severed and money can be divided clearly, blood-connected relationships cannot be broken just by writing it on a piece of paper.

If he hadn't cared about this family bond back then, he wouldn't have had to hide abroad!

But now, hiding can no longer solve any problems; the second branch can only be propped up again by relying on Sheng Zerong.

"Alright, I'll call him."

Sheng Hanyu stood up and went to the Study to make the call.

"Aren't you going to finish eating?" Shi Youxuan shouted from behind him.

"I'm not eating anymore."

He had no appetite; logically, he should be happy that Sheng Yukai was almost burned to death.

But for some reason, he couldn't feel happy at all; he always felt that the things happening recently were not quite right, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what was wrong.

This phone call was the most difficult one Sheng Hanyu had ever made, bar none.

"Big Brother, I was already preparing to return; thank you for calling me." Sheng Zerong's voice was as calm as ever, only slightly tinged with exhaustion.

The brothers had been close since childhood; Sheng Hanyu knew this younger brother's character—even if he were suffering, he wouldn't make things difficult for others. He clearly already knew, yet he didn't have a single word of complaint and was still thinking of him.

Sheng Hanyu said: "Many things have happened recently, not just this one." He was never good at comforting people; he had prepared a draft, but what came out still sounded stiff.

"Mm, let's talk when I get back; I'll arrive tomorrow morning."

"What time is the flight? I'll come to pick you up."

Sheng Zerong told him the flight number, and the next morning, Sheng Hanyu picked him up from the airport and brought him directly to the Villa.

Shi Youxuan and the housekeeper had already cleaned the room until it was spotless, changed the sheets and quilt covers to brand new ones, and the daily necessities were all the brands he usually used, including the color of the slippers which were chosen to be as close to his preferences as possible.

His Apartment hadn't been lived in for a long time; it would need a thorough cleaning before he could live there.

Furthermore, this return to the country was different from the past; there were too many things he needed to do, and he wasn't the type of person to act with lightning speed—he really couldn't handle many things on his own.

So, staying here was the most appropriate choice.

There were plenty of rooms here; let alone Sheng Zerong alone, even if ten or eight more people stayed, they wouldn't run out of space.

"Sorry, Sister-in-law, I've caused you trouble," Sheng Zerong said apologetically.

Shi Youxuan wasn't used to such a polite way of speaking and smiled: "Ze Rong, how is the climate over at Taiyangdao? Are you used to the food and living conditions?"

This question left both of them stunned.

Sheng Hanyu nudged her and chided: "Why are you so muddled? Ze Rong went to the United States, not Taiyangdao."

Shi Youxuan argued with conviction: "If he didn't go to Taiyangdao, why be so polite? We are our own family, so we should cause each other trouble; only when you cause me trouble this time will I feel justified in causing you trouble next time, and you won't be embarrassed to refuse me!"

"Hahahaha... Right, cause each other trouble... What is in that little head of yours? Why do you have so many strange and bizarre twisted theories?" Sheng Hanyu laughed heartily.

Sheng Zerong was so shocked his eyeballs almost popped out; was this really his big brother?

From childhood to adulthood, he had never seen his big brother laugh like this.

Even when he was happy, he would at most express it with a smile, but now he was laughing like this—it must be because of his sister-in-law.

Sheng Zerong thought so.

He could tell that his big brother's smile came from the heart, the kind of joy that radiated from within.

Moreover, the servants in the Villa all looked as if they were used to it, clearly showing this wasn't the first time he had laughed like this.

While Sheng Zerong was stunned, Shi Youxuan had already ordered the servants to take his luggage to his room, then served the meal to welcome Sheng Zerong home!

The dishes were all prepared according to his taste, with excellent color, aroma, and flavor; the big brother's chef's skills were as good as ever, only one dish, the West Lake beef soup, was not made very well.

It didn't look good, and it didn't taste good either; it was salty and bitter.

Yet, the big brother had a special fondness for this soup, drinking two bowls in a row, and then gulping down water!

Later, he realized that this West Lake beef soup had been made by his sister-in-law; no wonder the taste was so strange, yet his big brother still drank two bowls.

……

After the meal, Sheng Zerong returned to the Sheng Family Mansion to find Sheng Yukai; Sheng Hanyu was worried it wouldn't be safe for him to go alone and prepared to accompany him, but was refused.

Sheng Zerong went to the Sheng Family Mansion by himself; ever since he left, Sheng Hanyu had been restless, pacing back and forth in the room.

"If you're worried, just send someone to follow him secretly; as long as you don't let Ze Rong know, it'll be fine," Shi Youxuan suggested to him.

She knew her husband was worried about his third younger brother, fearing that he might meet with some mishap if he went to the Sheng Family Mansion alone.

"That won't work."

Sheng Hanyu explained, "You don't know Ze Rong's temper; if I did that, he would feel that I doubt his abilities and don't trust him. Although he wouldn't say anything, he would feel very uncomfortable inside."

"Oh, I see."

Shi Youxuan sighed, "Actually, I think you and Ze Rong are more like real brothers, but..." She didn't finish the second half of her sentence.

She wanted to say, "But neither of these two mothers seems like a real one," but seeing her husband frowning with worry for his younger brother, she decided not to add to his troubles.

"Ugh, ugh—"

She ran to the bathroom and began to retch.

Sheng Hanyu stood behind her, rubbing her back, and said with concern, "I'm telling you, you should still go to the hospital for a check-up; it wouldn't take much effort."

When Shi Youxuan first started retching, he had asked her to go for a check-up, but she was unwilling, saying it was just that she hadn't eaten the right thing and would be fine after a while.

After a while, she really was fine, so he didn't continue to urge her.

Only a week had passed, and she was retching again.

This time, he would definitely insist that she go to the hospital for a check-up.

Unable to win against him, Shi Youxuan compromised, "Fine, I'll go for a check-up tomorrow, but you have to accompany me."

"Of course."

Sheng Hanyu agreed readily, "Of course I'll go with you; wherever you go, I go."

Shi Youxuan threw herself into his arms, blinking her large eyes playfully, "Keep your word! Wherever I go, you go?"