Chapter 483: Shen Mingcheng Brought This Upon Himself!

Shen Mingcheng walked into the house and caught sight of his father, Shen Baoshan, sitting on the sofa at a glance.

"Dad, you were in such a rush to call me back, is there some urgent matter?"

Shen Baoshan tried his best to suppress his anger: "Go into the study and talk!"

Shen Mingcheng walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

Shen Baoshan slammed the tabletop heavily: "When I sent you to Tianling, it was in the hope that you could settle down and accumulate grassroots experience so you could rise higher when you returned to the province. But your performance in Tianling is truly disappointing to the extreme!"

Shen Mingcheng knew clearly in his heart that those matters had reached his father's ears after all.

"Dad, I did encounter some trouble, but it's not as serious as you think."

Shen Baoshan sneered: "Not as serious? Today Fu Yagang called me directly, saying that you were seriously derelict in your duties during the demolition work for the Pinghu Resort Project, and it actually resulted in two deaths! In your eyes, what counts as more serious?"

Shen Mingcheng defended himself: "That was the incompetence of the people below; remedial measures have already been taken."

Shen Baoshan's gaze was icy: "And you and that woman named Gu Lanping—the scandalous rumors are spreading like wildfire!"

Shen Mingcheng hurriedly denied it: "Dad, that's all hearsay! The relationship between Gu Lanping and me is completely innocent; you must believe me."

Seeing that he had no intention of repenting, Shen Baoshan said angrily: "You are a man with a family; can you not be more steady in your actions? I heard a while ago that you even raised your hand against Chen Lan. How did you become like this?"

"If I've become like this, isn't it because of your good teaching!"

Shen Baoshan turned abruptly, grabbed a wooden ruler from the wall, and swung it toward Shen Mingcheng.

Unexpectedly, his wrist tightened, and it was gripped firmly by Shen Mingcheng.

A cold sneer curled the corners of Shen Mingcheng's mouth, and a fierce look flashed suddenly in his eyes: "Dad, from childhood to adulthood, you've used force whenever I made a mistake. Once, when I didn't do well on an exam, you hung me from a tree and whipped me. Do you have no responsibility at all for me becoming the way I am now?"

Shen Baoshan looked at him in shock: "Have your wings hardened?"

Shen Mingcheng's gaze was icy: "I know you feel I've disgraced you. Rest assured, no matter what happens in the future, it won't implicate you. From now on, you walk your broad road, and I'll walk my single-plank bridge."

Shen Baoshan pointed at his nose and cursed furiously: "You little beast! I don't have a son like you! From this day forward, our relationship is severed!"

……

Chen Lan returned home and suddenly heard angry shouting coming from the study, which she found quite unexpected.

Not long after, Shen Mingcheng walked out of the study with a gloomy face.

A dull thud suddenly came from inside the study.

Shen Mingcheng felt something was wrong, turned around, and rushed into the study, crying out in alarm: "Dad, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me!"

Chen Lan followed into the study and saw Shen Baoshan lying on the floor, unconscious. She hurriedly found a pill in the drawer and stuffed it into his mouth, while sternly ordering Shen Mingcheng: "What are you still standing there for? Hurry and call 120!"

Shen Mingcheng finally came to his senses and dialed the emergency number in a flustered panic.

About a few minutes later, the ambulance arrived and loaded Shen Baoshan onto a stretcher. Shen Mingcheng and Chen Lan rushed to the hospital together, waiting anxiously for the results of the treatment.

The surgery lasted for over an hour before the doctor walked out of the operating room and took off his mask.

Shen Mingcheng immediately went up to him and asked nervously: "How is my dad?"

The doctor said: "Fortunately, the rescue was timely, and he has been saved. But he needs to recuperate well and must not be stimulated again in the near future."

Shen Mingcheng felt a sense of relief, his whole body like a deflated balloon, and he slumped into a chair.

Watching Shen Mingcheng's dejected appearance, Chen Lan felt not a shred of worry in her heart, but rather a surge of vengeful satisfaction.

"Thanks to you today; if you hadn't been with me, I really wouldn't have known what to do," Shen Mingcheng said dejectedly.

Chen Lan's tone was cold: "Even if I encountered a stranger, I wouldn't stand by and watch them die."

Shen Mingcheng detected the chill in her words: "What's wrong with you? I didn't provoke you, did I?"

Chen Lan gave a disdainful smile: "My heart for you died long ago, so you can't provoke me at all."

Seeing her being sarcastic, Shen Mingcheng was instantly furious: "I'm in a terrible mood; can you stop adding to the chaos?"

Chen Lan took a deep breath and mocked: "Shen Mingcheng, I'd like to ask, what is the real reason your father was angered to the point of being hospitalized!"

Shen Mingcheng paused and said vaguely: "It's just work-related matters; it's not like you don't know my dad has always been strict with me. There were some problems with the land acquisition and demolition for the Pinghu Resort Project recently, and he was very dissatisfied with my performance."

Chen Lan sighed: "Shen Mingcheng, you are now a Department-level Official and a County Party Secretary; can you stop being so evasive and shifty in your words and actions?"

Shen Mingcheng looked around in panic and warned in a low voice: "This is a hospital, keep your voice down! If there's anything, we'll talk about it when we get home; don't make a spectacle of yourself in public."

Chen Lan suddenly burst into laughter: "You were quite glorious when you were with that woman back then; why didn't you think there would be a day like today?"

Cold sweat instantly seeped from Shen Mingcheng's forehead: "Don't talk nonsense, what woman?"

Chen Lan pulled open her handbag and threw the photos taken by the private investigator hard into his face: "Take a good look for yourself!"

Shen Mingcheng picked up a photo with trembling hands, his face turning deathly pale in an instant: "You... how do you have these photos?"

The subjects of the photos were none other than him and Gu Lanping.

He knew clearly that once these photos fell into the hands of the investigation team, his political future would be completely finished.

Chen Lan stood up abruptly, her gaze as cold as a knife: "If you don't want people to know, don't do it. Shen Mingcheng, you promised me you would cut ties with her, but not only did you lie to me, you also promoted her and placed her in an important position. I didn't expect her ability to be so poor that she would cause you such big trouble instead!"

Shen Mingcheng finally reacted, his eyes full of shock and anger: "You actually hired a private investigator to look into me! These photos are very important to me; you must not be impulsive! If something happens to me, it won't do you any good!"

Watching his frantic and exasperated state, Chen Lan calmed down instead: "Ever since the day you raised your hand to hit me, I have been completely disappointed in you. I hired a private investigator for two reasons: first, to collect evidence for a divorce, and second, because I was still hoping you might turn back. If nothing had been found, I might have given you a chance."

But what about you? A dog can't change its habit of eating excrement, and you're still entangled with that woman! Shen Mingcheng, in what way am I inferior to her? Am I uglier than her, is my family background worse than hers, or is there something I can't satisfy you with?"

Sensing the strange gazes cast from those around them, Shen Mingcheng felt his scalp tingle.

Suddenly, he gritted his teeth and knelt before Chen Lan: "Wife, I was wrong! My dad is still in the operating room; I beg you, can you stop making a scene?"

Chen Lan looked at this man before her.

In the few years they had been married, he had always been high and mighty, treating her like a marionette to be manipulated at will.

At this moment, this arrogant man was actually kneeling before her, and the grievances she had suppressed for years seemed to find a vent.

Looking at his pathetic state, she only felt a wave of disgust rise in her heart.

"Get up," Chen Lan slung her bag over her shoulder, her voice indifferent. "The more you act like this, the more I look down on you. For the sake of our marriage, I won't make these photos public for now. But as for whether this marriage should continue, I need to think it over carefully."

Shen Mingcheng watched Chen Lan's departing back.

He only felt a sense of stifling frustration blocking his chest.

Tang Ye fiercely raised his hand.

"Pa! Pa!" Two crisp sounds rang out as he slapped himself twice across the face.