Chapter 38: Moved by Her Adoptive Father

When he was on the phone with his third younger brother, Shi Youxuan was right behind him; she heard every word of their conversation, and the more she heard, the colder her heart grew.

Jian Yining was right; Sheng Hanyu really would do that.

Shi Youxuan steeled her heart, thinking she might as well just admit it—admit that she was the one who had usurped Jian Yixin's identity, that she was the one who had gone to Ginza to negotiate, and that the person at the Apartment that day... was also her!

Just as Shi Youxuan was about to speak, the housekeeper suddenly burst in to report: "Eldest Young Master, it's bad, the father-in-law is here again."

She was panting for breath, her face covered in sweat, looking incredibly anxious.

Shi Youxuan had known the housekeeper for quite some time, but this was the first time she had seen her in such a state.

"What is he here for again?"

Mentioning Shi Yucheng gave Sheng Hanyu a headache too.

He would come here to cause a scene every other day, and he wanted nothing but the person; he didn't want anything except Shi Youxuan.

He wouldn't listen to anything, wouldn't accept any conditions, and would rather have his family go bankrupt than fail to find the fool and bring her back. If he had known it would come to this, why had he let the fool marry in her place in the first place?

The housekeeper said: "The father-in-law doesn't know where he heard that the Eldest Young Mistress is dead; now he's at home with a knife, looking to fight you to the death."

"I'll go back and see."

Sheng Hanyu lifted his foot to leave, but the housekeeper hurriedly blocked his path: "You absolutely cannot go back. His eyes are red right now; I'm afraid you'll be in danger if you go back."

The housekeeper had come here specifically to tip him off so he wouldn't return.

"It's fine, I owe him; no matter how he treats me, it's what I deserve."

Sheng Hanyu insisted on leaving, and the housekeeper tried desperately to stop him. When she saw she was about to fail, she simply fell to her knees with a "thump": "Eldest Young Master, I beg you, please don't go back."

Sheng Hanyu had basically been raised by the housekeeper since he was a child; Wang Yingzhi was too unreliable, and the old master was afraid his eldest grandson would be ruined by her, so he had let Zhang Ma take care of his daily life and needs from a young age.

Although they were master and servant in name, they were practically family.

"Get up, I won't go back, alright?" Sheng Hanyu compromised.

If he wasn't going back, he had to stay here. Seeing the two dark, unidentifiable lumps on the dining table, the housekeeper knew the Eldest Young Master hadn't eaten yet.

She glared at Shi Youxuan with dissatisfaction: "You made this?"

Shi Youxuan nodded.

The housekeeper was displeased and muttered: "Where did Young Master Jian find you? It's one thing that you're ugly, but you can't even do chores..."

Although she grumbled, she still went into the kitchen to cook a fresh meal, leaving a portion for Shi Youxuan in the kitchen. Shi Youxuan had been hungry all day and didn't get to eat until evening.

After the meal, the housekeeper told her to go tidy up a room for the Eldest Young Master so Sheng Hanyu could stay.

Shi Youxuan refused: "I can't, I don't have the authority to let him stay here."

The housekeeper said: "Your young master and our young master are very good friends; Young Master Jian wouldn't object. What right do you, a new servant, have to disagree?"

Shi Youxuan: "You call him. If Jian Xiansheng agrees, I'll agree. If he doesn't agree, I'll be fired. We're both servants, please don't make things difficult for me."

The housekeeper thought what she said made sense, so she dialed the number for the Jian Family.

Sheng Hanyu was staring fixedly at Achou again, wondering why she had been so taciturn and dull just a moment ago, yet had suddenly become so sharp-tongued.

Jian Yining didn't come to answer the phone, but Lady Jian did; she agreed to let Sheng Hanyu stay.

So the housekeeper called Achou over to listen to Lady Jian's instructions, so she wouldn't be able to deny it later.

Achou's voice was very unpleasant, and what she said was even worse: "What makes you sure you are Jian Xiansheng's mother? Do you have proof?"

The housekeeper gave her a shove: "How are you talking to Furen? Who would have the guts to impersonate Lady Jian? Apologize."

Achou remained unmoved, insisting on having Jian Yining answer the phone. She wouldn't acknowledge anyone else's words, let alone apologize!

Lady Jian had been Lady Jian for over twenty years and had a pair of children; this was the first time her identity had ever been questioned.

Of course, she wouldn't be pushed around by a lowly servant. She said to the housekeeper: "You're too stubborn. If she doesn't agree, just kick her out. I'm the one in charge of that Villa; let your Eldest Young Master stay however he wants."

After hanging up, the housekeeper went to kick her out.

Shi Youxuan didn't waste words; she went upstairs, grabbed her suitcase, and walked toward the door, but was stopped by Sheng Hanyu as she reached the entrance: "Wait."

Sheng Hanyu instructed the housekeeper: "Check her luggage and see if there's anything in there that shouldn't be."

Her head "buzzed" and went blank; instinctively, she reached out to protect it.

It couldn't be opened; if it were opened, the teddy bear would be exposed.

With Sheng Hanyu's intelligence, it would be easy for him to guess who she was if he saw Zai Zai!

"You won't let me look? You must have stolen something."

The housekeeper walked over and pushed Shi Youxuan aside to grab her suitcase, but her outstretched hand froze, and her expression gradually turned ugly.

"Didn't you say you were coming out to find him? You even had your suitcase packed. If I hadn't come looking for you, would you two have run off?"

Shi Youxuan didn't need to turn around to recognize the voice: it was Shi Yucheng.

His voice was much older, however. She turned around to see that Shi Yucheng had already walked in; perhaps finding her blocking the doorway an annoyance, he gave her a shove as he passed, and Shi Youxuan stumbled, nearly falling.

Sheng Hanyu said: "I didn't intend to leave."

Shi Yucheng didn't believe him at all: "Who are you trying to fool? If you didn't intend to run, why haven't you gone back all this time? Aren't you just hiding from me? I know you hate me, and I hate you even more."

With bloodshot eyes, he stepped forward and grabbed Sheng Hanyu by the collar: "My daughter is dead; she's never coming back. Regardless of everything, she was married to you once. You must hold a grand funeral for her and have her buried in your family's ancestral grave."

Shi Yucheng had always been timid and cautious, yet now he dared to grab Sheng Hanyu by the collar for her sake; Shi Youxuan was so moved she nearly shed tears.

To hide her emotions, she lowered her head and shrank into the corner.

No one was paying attention to her anyway. The housekeeper wanted to explain on Sheng Hanyu's behalf, but as soon as she stepped forward and opened her mouth, she was pushed away by Shi Yucheng: "Get lost. You master and servant are cut from the same cloth; I don't want to hear another word from you."

Shi Yucheng was causing a scene in Jian Yining's Villa, crying and snotting as he lamented how difficult Shi Youxuan's life had been—losing her parents at a young age, becoming a fool after a fall before she even grew up, and suffering so much, yet still managing to remain optimistic and kind.

She hadn't provoked anyone, yet she ended up with such a fate!

From Sheng Hanyu to Wang Yingzhi, and even Jiang Yadan, Shi Yuke, and even himself, he cursed them all!

Sheng Hanyu and the housekeeper had seen Shi Yucheng make scenes like this several times before, but this was the first time Shi Youxuan had witnessed it.

She was incredibly shocked. From childhood to adulthood, only her adoptive father had given her warmth, favored her, and secretly slipped her treats and toys. Shi Youxuan knew her adoptive father was good to her, but she had never imagined he would go to such lengths for her!

Tears welled up in her eyes, and her throat felt as constricted as if it were stuffed with cotton.

Shi Yucheng kept insisting that Shi Youxuan had been murdered, and no matter how Sheng Hanyu explained it, it was useless; Achou interjected from the side: "Was your daughter's body cremated?"

……

Suddenly, a harsh voice rang out, sounding like an interrogation emanating from the depths of the soul.

The living room, which had been noisy just a moment ago, instantly fell silent; it was so quiet that even a needle dropping on the floor could be heard!

Several people looked at Achou in unison, and only then did Shi Yucheng notice that there was an ugly girl here.

He was displeased and frowned: "What are you saying? If it weren't for the fact that you're a woman, do you believe I would hit you?"

"Was it cremated?" she emphasized again.

At this, not to mention Sheng Hanyu, even the housekeeper reacted, and she asked Shi Yucheng: "Who said the Eldest Young Mistress is dead, and where is the person being kept now?"

Shi Yucheng's old face suddenly turned bright red, and he was no longer as righteous and self-confident as he had been just a moment ago.

He stammered: "I, I didn't see the person either."