Chapter 117: The Fall of the Shen Family in H Province
Why were there so many people gushing over her, calling her a goddess?
Shen Qi had never done a livestream before and didn’t understand the rules.
Seeing that things were handled, Shen Qi quickly said goodbye to everyone and logged off.
After logging off, Shen Qi steadied herself before calling He Yining: "You knew all along?"
He Yining chuckled softly: "Silly girl, from the moment she wanted to move into Jinghua Manor, I knew her intentions weren’t pure. Actually, you knew it too, didn’t you?"
Shen Qi blushed: "I’m sorry, I caused you so much trouble."
He Yining laughed lightly: "It’s fine. I actually like this trouble."
Without this trouble, he would have had to use more effort to make the little thing stay willingly.
With Shen Yinyin as an unexpected ally, he had it much easier.
After hanging up, He Yining dialed a number in Germany.
It was a call to Shen Lu.
"Thanks for earlier," He Yining said lightly. "I didn’t expect your hacking skills to be this strong."
Shen Lu was silent for a moment: "Protect Xiaoqi."
"I will," He Yining replied firmly. "No one can hurt her."
"Mm," Shen Lu answered simply. "I’m going into a three-month treatment. I won’t be able to contact the outside world during that time."
"Alright, rest assured. Xiaoqi will be safe," He Yining responded immediately.
Shen Lu paused briefly, then hung up.
He Yining rubbed his phone, a seductive smile curling at the corner of his lips.
Xiaochun moved very quickly.
The next day, the stocks the Shen family had invested in plummeted.
By ten in the morning, they had hit the daily limit.
Over the next three days, those stocks turned into worthless paper.
Everyone knew the Shen family had offended He Yining, and they all distanced themselves.
Shen Gang was frantic, begging for help everywhere, but no one dared to assist him.
Those who once called him brother now avoided him.
Banks demanded repayment, investors pulled out, and debts piled up at his door.
Shen Gang’s hair turned white overnight.
When he thought to ask his wife for money to tide things over, he found she was unreachable.
Not only that, but everything valuable in the house had been stripped clean.
Bankbooks, gold, futures, stocks, jewelry, cars—all the valuables were gone.
Shen Gang was stunned.
How could this be?
Just then, Shen Yinyin, who had been hiding out, finally came home.
She stormed in, furious, looking for her mother to settle scores, but found only an empty house.
The once-gilded mansion was now a hollow shell.
"Mom?" Shen Yinyin shouted. "Where is everyone? Where did they all go?"
Her voice echoed through the rooms, unanswered.
She opened every door, but each room looked like it had been ransacked—nothing but chaos left.
"No, no way!" Shen Yinyin stumbled back in disbelief. "How could this happen?"
At that moment, a drunken Shen Gang staggered in.
Shen Yinyin rushed over: "Dad, what’s going on? How did the house end up like this? Where’s Mom? Where did she go?"
"Gone, everything’s gone! Stolen by someone! Don’t mention that woman to me!" Shen Gang suddenly snarled through gritted teeth. "That bitch! A gold-digger! Back then, she despised me for being poor and schemed her way into that man’s bed. Now she despises me again and ran off with everything I had!"
Shen Yinyin’s eyes widened: "Ran off? You’re saying she ran off?"
She let out a piercing shriek: "How can she do that? How can she ruin me and then just run away without responsibility? Ah, I’m going crazy!"
"Bitch!" Shen Yinyin screamed.
Shen Gang suddenly turned to her, raising the bottle in his hand and smashing it hard against her head.
The next second, Shen Yinyin felt a numbness on her scalp.
A trickle of blood slid down her cheek.
She touched it and saw blood on her hand.
Trembling, she stepped back: "Dad, it’s me, Yinyin! I’m your daughter!"
Shen Gang’s face twisted grotesquely. He swung his hand and slapped her hard: "Daughter? Bullshit daughter! If you hadn’t taken it upon yourself to seduce He Yining, would the Shen family have ended up like this? It’s all because of you, you little bitch! You’re her spawn—she’s the big bitch, and you’re the little bitch!"
Shen Yinyin, seeing her once-loving father suddenly transform into a monstrous figure advancing on her, stumbled and fell to the ground.
She looked up at him in terror: "Dad, it wasn’t me! Mom made me do it! She destroyed the Shen family! I had nothing to do with it!"
Shen Gang loomed over her, his voice icy: "You’re not a virgin anymore anyway. The bank guys are hounding me for money. Why don’t you go keep them company? Maybe then the debt won’t need to be repaid."
Shen Yinyin couldn’t believe her own father would say such a thing.
She shook her head frantically: "No, I won’t! I won’t!"
"It’s not up to you now! If the Shen family goes bankrupt, do you think you’ll be any better off? All your valuables were taken by that shameless mother of yours!" Shen Gang’s eyes were bloodshot, his face contorted with rage, making him terrifying. "You’ve never learned anything useful! Now that the Shen family is gone, finished! How will you survive? Huh? Your young body and face are the only things worth something now! If you don’t cash in while you can, you’ll be worthless when you’re old and faded!"
Shen Yinyin kept backing away.
Her world was collapsing.
The mother who once doted on her had fled with everything.
The father who once loved her now wanted her to entertain old men.
Everyone who had once lifted her up was now trampling her underfoot.
The only one who had ever extended a hand to her, who had defended her in front of so many fans, was Shen Qi, the one she had always looked down on.
Shen Qi… Shen Qi…
Yes, she would go to Shen Qi!
Shen Qi was so kind, she would surely forgive her!
If she just pleaded with He Yining on her behalf, the Shen family wouldn’t be doomed!
Shen Yinyin turned to run out.
But before she could take two steps, her vision blurred.
Blood was pouring from her head.
Behind her, her father’s footsteps grew louder.
She turned back just in time to see Shen Gang’s twisted face, and then the world spun.
The next moment, Shen Yinyin knew nothing.
In that moment of unconsciousness, she understood clearly: she was finished.
This time, truly finished.
He Yining watched Shen Qi standing by the window for a long time, then couldn’t resist coming over and gently wrapping his arms around her waist: "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing," Shen Qi said, pulling her gaze back and placing her hands over his. "I heard the Shen family is completely done for."
"Yeah. What, you want to plead for them?" He Yining breathed into her ear. "Don’t even think about it! They brought this on themselves!"
Shen Qi smiled softly: "I’m not pleading. I just want to say, since they gave me this surname and once provided me a place to shelter from the storm, could you, for my sake, just let them go bankrupt without destroying them completely?"
"Little rabbit, you’re too kind. You’ll get yourself killed being so soft," He Yining nipped at her earlobe, not surprised to see her cheeks flush instantly.
Shen Qi dodged him: "Stop it. I’m serious. He’s my stepfather, after all. Even if he treated me badly, as his stepdaughter, I can’t be unfilial… Ah…"
"You said you came with your mother when she remarried. What was your name before?" He Yining’s heart stirred, suddenly filled with a certain expectation.
If the little rabbit was the one he was looking for…
He clearly remembered that little girl’s surname was Lin…
Too bad he never got to ask her full name.
Shen Qi opened her mouth, about to say her old name, when He Yining’s private phone suddenly rang.
Hearing the ringtone, He Yining answered immediately: "Brother?"
He Yinqi’s voice came through urgently: "Yining, I found the girl you’ve been looking for!"
Boom—He Yining’s mind went blank.
Found?
The girl he had longed for over a decade had finally been found?
That meant Shen Qi wasn’t the one?
In other words…
The birthmark between Shen Qi’s collarbones was really just a coincidence?
He Yining suddenly let go of Shen Qi and turned away.
Feeling his departure, Shen Qi was suddenly gripped by a sense of unease.
She felt as if something important was slipping away.
After He Yining left, he spoke into the phone: "Brother, are you sure you didn’t mistake someone?"
He Yinqi replied: "I’m not an idiot. I’ve verified a lot of information, and much of it matches what you described back then. Plus, I had that birthmark on her collarbone professionally examined—it’s natural, not artificial. She also mentioned missing an appointment back then and has been searching for you ever since. After all, we were there on a low-key, secret mission, so no one knew our identities. It makes sense she couldn’t find you."
He Yining couldn’t help glancing back at Shen Qi.
If the girl he was looking for came back, what would happen to Shen Qi?
Suddenly, He Yining inexplicably didn’t want that girl to return.
Because his heart already belonged to another woman.
He Yinqi said: "Yining, what’s wrong? You don’t sound happy about this."
He Yining said softly: "Brother, I might have… changed my heart."
He Yinqi was taken aback: "What do you mean?"