Chapter 362: Is It Wrong for a Child to Want a Father?

If there were no outsiders present, if it weren't for the fact that Shi Ran had just been sent back and she was already arguing with her, and if it weren't for Sheng Hanyu bringing her back, Shi Youxuan wouldn't be as angry as she is now.

But there are no "ifs."

Shi Youxuan's lingering anger had not yet subsided, and Shi Ran's current attitude was like adding fuel to the fire, making her even angrier!

"Fine, you want to go with him, right? Go, go right now, and once you leave, never come back." She grabbed her daughter and pulled her toward the door, intending to kick her out.

The little one cried loudly.

"Mom, you're hurting me, sob... You're a bad mom, not a good person..."

Sheng Hanyu saw it in his eyes and felt it in his heart.

Shi Youxuan could treat him however she liked, and he would have no complaints, but he could not tolerate her venting her anger on their daughter, especially since their daughter was taking the blame for him.

He pulled Shi Youxuan's hand away, shielded his daughter behind him, and pleaded for her: "Xuanxuan, you can't be like this. If you're angry, take it out on me; you can't vent on the child. The child is innocent."

"Move aside! Did you hear me? This is a matter between mother and daughter; it has nothing to do with you."

It would have been better if he hadn't spoken; Sheng Hanyu pleading for Shi Ran only made Shi Youxuan even angrier!

Playing the benevolent father now?

Where was he before?

"Move aside, did you hear me?" Her patience had reached its limit.

Sheng Hanyu did not move aside, kindly reminding her: "Xuanxuan, calm down. Let's talk this over properly. Wouldn't it be better to speak calmly? Besides, there are outsiders present, and children need to save face too..."

Consequently, she became even angrier: "Sheng Hanyu, stop pretending to be a good person here. Weren't the outsiders brought here by you? You've calculated everything, haven't you? Step by step, you want to take my daughter away from me... You say it so nicely, saying you'd never fight me for our daughter, but it turns out it was all premeditated. You jerk, you big liar..."

Shi Youxuan was extremely angry; she grabbed a cushion from the sofa and beat Sheng Hanyu over the head and face with it.

Shi Ran felt sorry for her father and told her mother to stop hitting him.

The father and daughter sympathized with each other, but the more they defended one another, the angrier Shi Youxuan became, eventually kicking them both out the door.

She yelled at Shi Ran: "Don't you want your father? Then go with him; I don't want you anymore."

Shi Ran's stubbornness was exactly the same as Shi Youxuan's.

She also yelled at her mother: "Fine, I'll go! I never want to see you again, you unreasonable mom."

The father and daughter were kicked out—"Bang!" the door slammed shut.

Shi Youxuan turned back, not yet having had the chance to cry, when she realized that Jian Yining and those makeup artists and stylists were still there!

"You all go, just go." Shi Youxuan did not want to break down in front of outsiders and began shooing them away.

The door opened again, and there was no one left outside; Shi Youxuan's heart felt empty as well.

The outsiders had left, but Jian Yining had not; he did not consider himself an outsider.

"You should go too, I want to be alone for a while." Shi Youxuan did not need to feign strength in front of Jian Yining, her voice listless.

Jian Yining: "I'm not leaving, I still have something I want to say to you."

Shi Youxuan: "Don't mention that person to me."

She began to cry, crying silently, tears falling down in torrents!

The breakdown of an adult is always silent, but it is heavier.

Jian Yining handed her a box of tissues: "You misunderstood. Those people were brought by me; we just happened to run into each other downstairs and came up together." He did not mention Sheng Hanyu's name, but he still defended him.

Those makeup artists were indeed brought by Jian Yining; he was not lying.

Shi Ran was the flower girl for tomorrow's wedding.

The makeup artists were originally supposed to go to the Jian Family to have the bride try on her makeup. After Jian Yixin finished, she let Jian Yining take them to have the flower girl try on her makeup as well, to choose the most suitable outfit.

It just so happened that Jian Yining also had something he wanted to discuss with Shi Youxuan, so he brought them along, not expecting to witness such a dramatic scene—the kind that is hard to resolve.

Shi Youxuan wiped her tears: "Really?"

"Of course it's true. We've been friends for so many years; when it comes to matters of principle, haven't I always chosen to stand with you?" Jian Yining asked.

What he said made sense; it was indeed true. For many years, Jian Yining had always chosen to support her unconditionally.

Shi Youxuan believed that bringing outsiders this time was a coincidence, but she still believed that Shi Ran being kidnapped was Sheng Hanyu's conspiracy—that he wanted to acknowledge his daughter but was afraid she wouldn't agree, so he deliberately set up this scheme!

Jian Yining thought Shi Youxuan was going too far.

He believed that Shi Youxuan had the right to choose whether or not to reconcile with Sheng Hanyu, but she had no right to prevent Shi Ran from acknowledging her own biological father.

He also said that Sheng Hanyu had already been patient enough with her; if he took Shi Ran to the hospital for a paternity test and went to court to fight her for custody, she would have no way to stop him.

Shi Youxuan was stubborn: "If that happens, I'll take Ranran far away so he can never see her again."

Jian Yining bluntly debunked her: "Haven't you done that before? What was the result? Didn't you just go in a big circle and end up back in Jiangzhou?"

"Right. You're amazing, you have great ability, you could totally do it again, but there's no guarantee you'll encounter a second Zhu Yiwen next time."

"And what about your father? I heard from my sister that you wanted to take your father with you, but he wasn't willing, right? If he were willing, you would have taken the child and left long ago. But you can hide for a while, can you hide for a lifetime? Back then, you hid so far away that everyone thought you were dead, yet he still found you. The next time will be even easier; there's a traitor by your side."

Shi Youxuan:...

She admitted that everything Jian Yining said was correct.

But did he have to be so heart-piercing?

He didn't leave her any face at all, every word stabbing right into her heart.

They hadn't been friends for so many years for nothing; Jian Yining knew what she was thinking just by looking at her eyes.

He continued: "Don't be unconvinced. I'm only telling you this much because I'm your friend. You should know when to stop; there's no need to push things to the extreme. Sheng Hanyu has done enough this past year."

"For your sake, he didn't hesitate to dress up as a cross-dressing master... Hahahaha..."

Although the current atmosphere didn't seem appropriate for laughing too heartily, Jian Yining couldn't help it whenever he thought about it.

He found it hilarious when he thought of Sheng Hanyu in women's clothing—an iceberg-like man wearing a floral dress, wearing a mask in the forty-degree heat of L Country to pretend to be a woman; the comedic effect was just too good!

But beyond the humor, there was also a touch of sadness.

When Jian Yining mentioned Sheng Hanyu dressing as a woman, Shi Youxuan couldn't help but smile, letting out a soft laugh.

But she remained unconvinced: "He didn't do it for me; he did it for his daughter."

"Look, you look."

Jian Yining had the upper hand now and immediately refused to let it go: "Didn't you also admit that Ranran is his daughter? Why did you have such a big reaction just now?"

Shi Youxuan:...

She questioned him: "Jian Yining, whose side are you on? You keep saying you're my friend, but I think you're just a lobbyist sent by Sheng Hanyu. How come every word you say is speaking for him?"

"How much benefit did he give you to make you help him so tirelessly? I'll give you double, just give me an idea on how to take Ranran back!"

Jian Yining:...

He pointed his finger at Shi Youxuan's nose: "You woman are hopeless. Once you get stuck in a dead end, you won't come out. There's a dead end ahead, sister, can't you just turn around? Blood ties simply cannot be severed. The more you are like this, the more Ranran will dislike you."

Shi Youxuan did not make a sound.

She started wiping away tears again. She had taken Jian Yining's words to heart, but would it be useful for her to turn around now?

Ranran had already left with Sheng Hanyu.

Would she be able to come back in the future? Would she only want her father and not her mother from now on?