Old Master Shen knew that Shen Xiaoxing harbored hatred for him in his heart, whether because of his mother or the years of tolerating the second branch's bullying of him. It made the boy look at him with intense hatred every time. But he didn't care. As long as he could shoulder the heavy burden of the Shen family, even if it meant ignoring An Ruo—or even if Shen Xiaoxing produced evidence to send Shen Yu and his son to prison—he would turn a blind eye. He only hoped that Shen Xiaoxing wouldn't follow in his father's footsteps and ruin the lifeline of an empire enterprise.
"I can agree to let this matter go, but you must stay in the Shen Group forever and strive to secure the heir's qualification. Only then can that girl remain safe in the Shen family."
Shen Xiaoxing shot him a cold glance. In the future, he would uproot the entire Shen family—how could he fail to protect that girl? The old man valued profit above all else, even willing to support a descendant who wished him dead, as long as it meant continuing the empire he had built.
...
At the Shen family's old mansion.
During this time, Shen Tingfeng had been hiding in his private villa, recovering from his injuries while tracking down the mysterious person who had beaten him to a pulp. Only when news came from the mansion that Shen Xiaoxing's eyesight had recovered did he return to Ming Garden at Shen Yu's summons. The family gathered to discuss a countermeasure.
Shen Yu sighed heavily. "Your grandfather has agreed to let Shen Xiaoxing return to the Shen Group. This will be a huge problem for us!"
Back then, it was because Shen Xiaoxing was sharp-witted and had indirectly uncovered several loss-making projects under the second branch's responsibility that they had schemed to sabotage his private plane to destroy the evidence. Unexpectedly, Shen Xiaoxing was tough—despite the severe plane crash, he only ended up with broken legs and blindness. Because of this, the old man had grown wary of them and deliberately sent him away to recuperate. They had already found it hard to eliminate him, and now that his eyesight had recovered and he was returning to the Shen Group, all their efforts were wasted!
Shen Tingfeng sprawled lazily on the sofa, tossing an orange in the air. "Dad, I heard you helped An Qing accuse An Ruo of marrying by proxy, and Grandfather almost sent her to prison?"
"Hmph, your grandfather wouldn't bother meddling in such trivial matters. It was me who sent her to prison. But I never planned to let her live—who knew Shen Xiaoxing's people would intercept her halfway!"
Just mentioning it made Shen Yu furious. That little bastard had definitely been faking his blindness. Not only did his eyes suddenly recover at a critical moment, but he also sent men to kill all of Shen Yu's subordinates and rescue that girl.
"Shen Xiaoxing has unusual feelings for this woman. Instead of killing her so cheaply, it might be better to offer her some benefits and turn her to our side."
Fang Yingxue thought it was unfeasible. "This time, we teamed up with An Qing to bully her. She's not stupid—why would she cooperate with us?"
"According to that An Qing, you knew An Ruo was a proxy bride all along, yet you hid it from us and did shady things. What use are you to me?" Shen Yu raised his hand, wanting to slap him to death.
Shen Tingfeng dodged nimbly and snorted coldly. "If you hadn't made this public, I could have kept threatening her. I had just started poisoning Shen Xiaolong slowly a few days ago, and you had to go and make her side with that bastard!"
He was also frustrated at their incompetence!
"Ha, do you think I don't know what kind of person you are? Idling around all day, doing nothing, just chasing women outside and causing me trouble! You dare to say you're thinking about the second branch? Why not admit you were blinded by lust and fell for her!"
Shen Tingfeng took a bite of an apple, swinging his legs with a grin. "Dad, you're really my biological father—no one knows me better than you."
Shen Yu was so angry he wanted to hit him, but Fang Yingxue immediately rushed over to shield him, glaring fiercely. "What are you doing! My son just came back, and you want to hit him? Is this how a father behaves?!"
Seeing his wife so protective, Shen Yu felt suffocated, his hands trembling with rage. "Look at how you've spoiled him! He never cares about company matters, only causes trouble and makes me take the blame in front of your grandfather. If this continues, even without Shen Xiaoxing making a move, our second branch is doomed!"
Having fathered such a worthless son, Shen Yu had wanted to kill him for a long time.
Shen Tingfeng chewed his apple nonchalantly. "Dad, don't take it out on me. If you've got the guts, go after Shen Xiaoxing. He's your biggest enemy now."
"You..." Shen Yu was so furious he felt dizzy, pointing at him, unable to speak for a long time. "Pack up in the next couple of days and get your ass back to work at the Shen Group! I refuse to believe that my son is worse than the bastard Shen Ye had with some shady woman!"
...
An Ruo had lived a rough life since childhood, her body toughened by hardship. After resting at home for a few days, the bandages on her head could finally be removed. The doctor provided the best scar cream; there was a faint scar at the corner of her eyebrow, usually hidden by her bangs and not very noticeable.
Today was Christmas, and the man suggested they go get their marriage certificate. An Ruo didn't refuse. Sometimes, she herself didn't understand why she willingly stayed bound to him by a contract she should have resisted. She thought that maybe she had grown to like this man a little, but her life experiences and the shameful inferiority in her heart made her afraid to accept his kindness. She was terrified that, like Zou Yikai, he would heartlessly turn and leave once he learned she was just a Cinderella.