"Shen Cui was also someone who had known poverty. The memories of begging as a child were far too deep. None of us wanted to stay poor any longer, no matter what it took, even if it meant taking risks." Shen Gang's spirit was low, but his thinking remained clear.
"I asked Shen Cui if she wanted to live a wealthy life like Shen Ziyao, and she nodded. So, we went to find Shen Ziyao and begged her to take us with her when she married. Shen Ziyao had grown up with us, so when we asked, she agreed. I went as her driver, and Shen Cui as her maid, and we followed Shen Ziyao to the Lin family."
"Lin Yuxiang was a rising star who built his success on his own abilities. His background wasn't as strong as the Shen family's, but the two of them had a good relationship. A year after marriage, they had a son, and within two years, Shen Ziyao was pregnant again. I knew the opportunity had come." Shen Gang trembled. "Can I have a cigarette?"
He Yining nodded to Xiao Xia, who quickly lit a cigarette and handed it to Shen Gang.
Shen Gang took two deep drags, and his trembling fingers slowly steadied.
Shen Gang continued, "Because of my collaboration with Shen Cui, our relationship grew closer. Then, Shen Cui suddenly became pregnant. If that child were exposed, we'd be finished. We were both nearly thirty, and we couldn't abort it. So, we had to act. When Shen Ziyao was close to giving birth, Shen Cui drugged Lin Yuxiang, making him think he was with Shen Ziyao... I arranged for someone from the Shen family to come back for something, and they happened to witness the scene. I deliberately leaked the news to Shen Ziyao, and sure enough, she couldn't handle the blow and went into early labor."
"I had watched Shen Ziyao grow up, so I knew her temperament well. She was proud, very proud, and couldn't tolerate betrayal. After giving birth to her daughter, she didn't even see Lin Yuxiang's face and sent someone with divorce papers. Ignoring her postpartum weakness, she disappeared overnight and was never heard from again."
"At that point, I instructed Shen Cui to confront Lin Yuxiang, crying, making a scene, threatening suicide—anything to claim he had violated her. Lin Yuxiang was overwhelmed. Back then, the penalties were severe; if the charges stuck, he'd be doomed. Then Shen Cui told Lin Yuxiang that since she was no longer pure, she was willing to give him a chance, to be a stepmother to his children, never have her own, and treat his son and daughter well."
"Lin Yuxiang had no choice but to agree and quickly married Shen Cui. Not long after, Shen Cui gave birth and sent the child away. Using her position as Lin Yuxiang's wife, she began meddling in his company's affairs. Together, we tampered with the accounts, gradually transferring assets to our shell company. One day, Lin Yuxiang noticed something was off, had an audit done, and immediately knew it was Shen Cui and me."
"Lin Yuxiang confronted me, demanding I return the stolen property, or he'd take the evidence to court. But once you've swallowed meat, you don't want to spit it out. I pretended to agree on the surface, but secretly hired an international assassin to kill Lin Yuxiang."
When Shen Gang reached this point, He Yining's pupils sharply contracted.
Shen Qi listened quietly, her eyes closed.
It took immense courage to control herself, to keep from lunging at Shen Gang.
"I originally planned to kill Lin Yuxiang's son and daughter to eliminate any future threats. But by coincidence, on the day of the assassination, Lin Yuxiang's son was there too. He had fallen asleep in a filing cabinet after playing and woke up just in time to witness the murder. By the time I found him, he was already in a state of madness."
"Shen Cui said that killing the children would draw too much attention. It was better to leave them for now and act later if needed. At first, I thought Lin Yuxiang's son would report us, but the shock had turned him into a simpleton. He refused to see anyone, locking himself in his room all day, drawing incomprehensible pictures."
"Lin Yuxiang's daughter was only five at the time, too young to understand anything and obedient. She always believed Shen Cui was her real mother, so she never suspected us."
"Shen Cui openly took Lin Yuxiang's inheritance and married me, bringing along his two children." Shen Gang's hands began to tremble again. "I also brought Shen Yinyin along, and we changed the children's surnames."
By the end, Shen Gang seemed drained of all life, drenched as if pulled from water.
"I've told you everything. Miss Lin, I know I'm unforgivable. But I raised you for eighteen years. For the sake of those years, please spare me." Shen Gang stammered, "It was all Shen Cui's idea! She's taken everything I had, and now I'm left with nothing! If you want revenge, go after Shen Cui! Miss Lin, Miss Lin..."
Shen Qi stood up from the sofa and turned to leave.
He Yining quickly followed and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Xiao Qi..." he whispered gently, "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Shen Qi could no longer control her emotions, teetering on the edge of collapse again.
Even though she had mentally prepared herself, hearing Shen Gang's account was still unbearable.
Unbearable.
Tears streamed down again.
Shen Qi stood there, crying silently.
The Shen family had taken them in—why did good deeds go unrewarded?
Her mother was innocent.
Her father was innocent.
Her brother was innocent.
And she herself—wasn't she innocent too?
She had always thought she wasn't good enough to earn her mother's love.
But she never imagined it had all been wrong from the start.
Even if she had offered her bleeding heart to Shen Cui, it would only have been met with disgust.
The lives of her family of four had been utterly destroyed by them.
If not for them, how happy could she have been?
Unforgivable.
Truly unforgivable.
"I never want to see him again. Never." Shen Qi shook her head repeatedly. "I won't forgive. I can't forgive."
"Alright, don't forgive." He Yining replied tenderly. "I'll make sure he disappears forever."
Shen Qi turned and hugged He Yining again, clutching his clothes. After a long moment, she whispered, "I want to see my father. I miss him."
He Yining felt his heart ache.
He patted her back. "Alright, once we're done with what's at hand, I'll go with you to see him."
Shen Qi never asked about Shen Gang's fate again.
He Yining said he would handle it properly, and she chose to trust him.
After resting at home for a few days, she heard that Mr. Charles had recovered and was being discharged from the hospital. Shen Qi drove to pick him up.
Seeing her pale face, Mr. Charles joked, "Don't tell me you felt so bad about your teacher being sick that you got sick too?"
Shen Qi couldn't help but laugh, finally showing her first smile in days.
"Yeah, thinking that once you're discharged, I'll have to keep my promise and cook you a feast—it really hurts my wallet." Shen Qi played along. "I hear you still have a great appetite despite your age."
"You little rascal." Charles laughed heartily, ruffling her hair. "Come on, I've had some new ideas these past few days. The design you brought last time was excellent and gave me a lot of inspiration. I have a few concepts—want to hear them?"
Shen Qi wouldn't miss a chance to learn from her teacher.
She followed Charles home, and they discussed his ideas for half a day.
By afternoon, Shen Qi shook her slightly dizzy head and said, "Teacher, I'll go buy some ingredients. I promised you a big meal, and I won't break my word."
Charles beamed. "Really? That's wonderful. I've been looking forward to this since I was in the hospital."
Seeing him act like a playful old man, Shen Qi couldn't help but smile.
She drove to a nearby supermarket and filled her cart to the brim.
To make a grand meal for Charles, she needed a few classic dishes.
As she was picking out pork ribs, someone blocked her view.
Shen Qi looked up. Lin Xi pressed a hand over the ribs Shen Qi was reaching for and snatched them away.
Shen Qi shook her head in exasperation and reached for another pack.
But no matter which one she chose, Lin Xi grabbed it first.
"What do you want?" Shen Qi asked, exasperated. "He Yining isn't with me."
"I know. I'm here to see you." Lin Xi clapped her hands. "Let's find a place to talk."
It was a command, not a request.
Shen Qi smiled. "Sorry, I have things to do. Another time."
Lin Xi grabbed her cart. "We're talking today, whether you like it or not."
"Don't you want to know why He Yining searched for me for so many years?" Lin Xi pouted. "Auntie, are you too insecure to face it?"
Shen Qi sighed.
It seemed she wouldn't get out of this without hearing her out.
She checked the time—still had a bit to spare.
"Fine. Wait for me at the Starbucks on the first floor of the mall. I'll put my stuff in the car and come find you."
Lin Xi finally let go, satisfied. "Okay, I'll wait."
After Lin Xi left, Shen Qi quickly finished shopping, paid, and loaded everything into her car's cooler.
When she arrived at Starbucks, Lin Xi had already ordered two coffees and set them on the table.
Shen Qi sat across from her. "Go ahead."