Chapter 165: Shen Zhaozhao

Shen Wenqing's tone softened, "Dad won't not want you; if you are willing, Ah Li can leave with Dad. Dad will raise you, support you through university, and in the future, when you get married and have children, Dad will consider your future. Auntie Wanyi and I will also give you a new life."

"As long as Dad is here for one day..."

"Ah Li... will always have a home."

Shen Li bit her lip, not raising her head, not letting her weakness be exposed. Her fingertips gripped the corner of her clothes tightly, as if that was the only thing she could grasp at this moment.

She didn't speak.

Silence for a long time.

Shen Wenqing sighed heavily, the exhaustion and guilt in his eyes intertwined: "... Dad still has to go back to school. These are all things you like to eat, eat slowly, Dad has already paid the bill."

Leaving these words, he got up and left the restaurant, walking toward that black sedan.

In the car was his other home.

Shen Li lowered her head, motionless, her heart tearing back and forth like it was in pain; she couldn't accept this fact.

Her shoulders suddenly trembled slightly, and the already moist eye sockets saw tears fall like broken beads.

She thought it was her who didn't want this home first, but now... it was them who didn't want her first, a long, long time ago.

She had never thought about letting her father and mother separate.

The sky grew darker, the lights came on, the city's neon lights flickered, and the cool evening breeze blowing on her face carried a hint of chill.

After leaving the Western restaurant, Shen Li walked aimlessly on the street alone; she didn't know how long she had walked alone, watching the crowds coming and going.

She didn't know where she was going—home?

But she didn't have a home anymore.

It seemed that from childhood to adulthood, from beginning to end, she only had herself.

Besides accepting it, it seemed there was nothing else she could do.

Returning to that place, she heard the laughter of Shen Zhaozhao and her mother coming from inside while still outside the door.

Waiting for a few seconds, she opened the door and walked in.

Yu Lizhen and Shen Zhaozhao were dining at the table.

Hearing the movement, Yu Lizhen frowned: "You still know how to come back, hurry over and eat."

"No need, Dad already took me to eat." Shen Li's voice was very light and faint; her footsteps changed direction, not heading toward that dining table.

She didn't have much appetite either and didn't want to eat.

Before Shen Li returned to her room, a cold, hard voice came from behind, "I've found a tutoring class for you; I'll take you there tomorrow."

This wasn't asking for her opinion, but a decision made for her, an order that couldn't be refused.

Shen Li didn't reply and didn't want to speak.

She just walked into her room and closed the door, isolating everything.

At 9:30 PM, the door was opened and closed.

There wouldn't be any violent, explosive arguments.

This time, the sound of the argument lasted for several minutes.

Shen Li didn't listen to what they were arguing about.

"... You are simply unreasonable!"

Until the sound of the door slamming shut and leaving at the end, this home finally became completely quiet.

Last night, Shen Wenqing didn't return all night.

The next day, Yu Lizhen also acted as if nothing had happened.

After the students finished their exams, Yu Lizhen was at home doing some usual things—washing clothes, cooking, cleaning the room.

At breakfast, Shen Zhaozhao was more silent than usual.

She wasn't even playing with her phone anymore.

Until Yu Lizhen mentioned again about sending Shen Li to the tutoring class.

Shen Li firmly refused.

Her mother's reaction after being refused was just silence, lowering her head and continuing to eat.

The dining table was filled with a quiet, stiff atmosphere, permeating the surroundings, losing its usual harmony.

Shen Li thought this matter would just pass.

However, it wasn't like that.

Her mother and she fell into a silent cold war.

Besides calling her to eat every day, there were no extra words.

But originally, they didn't have much to say to each other anyway.

This cold war had no effect on her at all.

Dad... the number of times he returned was also getting fewer and fewer.

Even if he occasionally returned, he would leave unhappily because of arguments with Mom.

Days passed one by one.

Nearing the New Year.

It should have been a harmonious and happy family.

But this home was extremely cold and cheerless.

Mom was a strong-willed person; even if Dad didn't return, she would never call to show concern, or perhaps she never thought about taking the initiative to let him come back.

She did what she was supposed to do, as if she didn't care at all where Dad had gone.

Unexpectedly, Shen Zhaozhao was the first one who couldn't sit still; she wore her newly bought clothes and came to her room, "Dad and Mom are arguing like this, aren't you worried they'll divorce?"

"If they divorce, you'll become an orphan."

Shen Li wasn't influenced by her words and continued doing her own problems.

Seeing her ignoring her, Shen Zhaozhao anxiously stepped forward and snatched the pen from her hand, "I'm talking to you, didn't you hear me!"

Shen Li raised her eyes and looked at her coldly: "What do you want me to do?"

Shen Zhaozhao said as a matter of course, "Obviously, get Dad to come back, let him coax Mom to calm her anger."

Shen Li stared at her and pursed her lips faintly: "You can do this too; no need to drag me into it."

Shen Zhaozhao was anxious and had to admit in front of her, "Aren't you the biological one? I call Dad and he doesn't answer at all; if you called, maybe Dad would come back."

Shen Li stared at her for a while, then withdrew her gaze, took another pen from her pencil case, and stated a fact, "They treat you better than me, their biological daughter; if you can't do it, what's the use of me doing it."

Shen Zhaozhao didn't expect Shen Li to have such an attitude—calm and indifferent to the extreme, as if her parents arguing and their relationship breaking down were just insignificant matters to her, while she stayed out of it and didn't care.

But she couldn't refute it; indeed, in this home, Shen Zhaozhao enjoyed everything Shen Li should have enjoyed and received their favoritism.

Whether on the surface or in private, no matter how you looked at it, Shen Li was more like the outsider.

They grew up together; Shen Zhaozhao understood that Shen Li had no heart.

What child would want their parents to divorce and not care at all?

"Forget it! It's useless to find you." Shen Zhaozhao got angry seeing her like this and threw the pen in her hand angrily, "If I had known, I shouldn't have told Mom you were in Wuchuan; it would have been better if you didn't come back."

"It's all because you came back that they are arguing."

She turned her head and left with hatred.

Shen Li was unmoved; she stood up from the chair, picked up the pen that had been thrown, put it back in the pencil case, and then continued to write problems with undivided attention.

In the afternoon, Mom and Shen Zhaozhao went out to buy New Year's goods.

No one was home; after a while, Shen Li also went out to get some air.

Thinking of the medicine she was about to finish.

Shen Li took a taxi and went to a place.

Liang Jingze had just finished with a patient with psychological barriers in the reception room; after returning to his office, he saw the slender and thin figure sitting on the sofa.