Chapter 211: The Childhood Friend’s Provocation
Chapter 211: Chapter 211: The Childhood Friend’s Provocation
"Qing’er, when did you get back? It’s such a pity you couldn’t make it to my wedding with Zhiqiu.
"I still want to explain what happened back then. What you saw that day really wasn’t what you thought it was, but by some twist of fate, it did end up bringing Zhiqiu and me together. Perhaps it was just the will of heaven!"
Hearing Zhang Yuqing bring up that past incident, Chu Qing’er remained silent. Instead, her gaze shifted to Shen Zhiqiu.
Following her gaze, Zhang Yuqing noticed a subtle shift in Shen Zhiqiu’s otherwise dazed expression. An inexplicable atmosphere instantly swelled among the three of them. An unsettling feeling welled up from the bottom of Zhang Yuqing’s heart. She began to dread that her relationship with Shen Zhiqiu was on the verge of a major crisis.
"Perhaps it was!" Su Qing’er finally spoke. "Regardless, I sincerely wish the two of you the best. I’m also truly impressed that you’ve raised such an outstanding son like Shen Yan."
Su Qing’er’s sudden mention of Shen Yan, coupled with her tone, gave the distinct impression that she actually knew him. Zhang Yuqing narrowed her eyes. She had no idea what Su Qing’er was plotting, going so far as to investigate her son.
"I’ve been living abroad all these years and rarely involved myself in family matters. I’ve even been somewhat neglectful in raising my own child..."
Seeing Su Qing’er suddenly pivot to her own life, Zhang Yuqing furrowed her brows slightly.
When Su Qing’er abruptly left all those years ago, no one knew where she went. When news of her marriage eventually made its way back, it was limited to just that—she had gotten married. No one knew which family she had married into or who her husband was. Given the special circumstances between Su Qing’er and Shen Zhiqiu, Zhang Yuqing had kept an ear to the ground over the years, but Su Qing’er had vanished into thin air. She never expected that after all this time, the woman would not only reappear but show up right at their doorstep.
Although her gut told her this boded ill, hearing Su Qing’er speak suddenly made her curious about how the woman had actually been living all these years.
"But fortunately, she had a childhood sweetheart by her side who has always taken care of her and protected her..."
At the mention of a childhood sweetheart, the gazes of Su Qing’er and Shen Zhiqiu met once again. Even though Zhang Yuqing was Shen Zhiqiu’s rightful wife, in that moment, she felt like an absolute outsider.
Zhang Yuqing gritted her teeth and discreetly tugged at Shen Zhiqiu’s clothes from behind. Seeing him finally avert his gaze, she felt a slight wave of relief.
"Now that I’m back, I don’t plan on leaving again," Su Qing’er continued. "From now on, I will take care of her myself, but I must also properly thank that childhood sweetheart of hers!"
Zhang Yuqing’s brows locked together in a tight frown. She couldn’t fathom why Su Qing’er was saying all this in her home. If she wanted to thank someone, she should go find that childhood sweetheart.
Just as she was utterly bewildered, Su Qing’er offered a gentle smile and called out toward the staircase behind Zhang Yuqing.
"Xiao Xiao..."
Hearing that name, a jolt of electricity surged through Zhang Yuqing’s entire body as a terrifying thought sprang to mind. She hastily turned around, only to see Liang Xiaoxiao and Shen Yan walking down the stairs, chatting and laughing.
Upon hearing Su Qing’er’s voice, Liang Xiaoxiao’s face lit up with joy. She hurried down the stairs and threw herself into Su Qing’er’s arms.
"Mom, didn’t I say I’d bring Shen Yan to see you? Why did you come over yourself?"
BOOM.
It felt as if a bomb had gone off inside Zhang Yuqing’s head. Liang Xiaoxiao was actually Su Qing’er’s daughter.
Liang Xiaoxiao was two years younger than Shen Yan. Back when Zhang Yuqing’s relationship with Shen Zhiqiu had first begun to mend, he had suddenly mentioned finding a nice villa. Claiming that a new environment would bring a fresh state of mind, he moved his wife and son into this very residence.
At the time, Liang Xiaoxiao lived in the villa right next door and was still just a baby in swaddling clothes. Having just gone through the phase where Shen Yan outgrew his infant cuteness, Zhang Yuqing’s maternal instincts instantly kicked in upon seeing baby Liang Xiaoxiao. As it happened, after Madam Liang gave birth to her daughter, she had been recuperating away from home, leaving the child in the care of a nanny. Zhang Yuqing had eagerly volunteered to help look after the baby.
From then on, Liang Xiaoxiao was a constant presence in their home, growing up alongside Shen Yan right up to the present day. Yet, Zhang Yuqing had never once met this Mrs. Liang. Though she had been curious and privately asked Shen Zhiqiu about it, he had always changed the subject with various excuses, and she had never dug any deeper.
Looking at Su Qing’er and Liang Xiaoxiao before her now, and recalling Shen Zhiqiu’s past behavior, she suddenly understood everything.
Shen Zhiqiu had known all along. Perhaps he had uprooted his entire family and moved them here precisely because he knew Su Qing’er’s daughter lived next door. Even though he wasn’t with Su Qing’er, he had been guarding her in his own way all this time.
At this moment, completely oblivious to the truth about the drugging incident from years ago, Zhang Yuqing firmly concluded that Shen Zhiqiu had never forgotten Su Qing’er. Since he couldn’t have her, he had projected his lingering affections onto her daughter.
Furious, Zhang Yuqing cast a chilling glare at Shen Zhiqiu, entirely disregarding how well he had treated her these past few years.
As if sensing the hostility brewing between them, Su Qing’er quickly found an excuse to take Liang Xiaoxiao away, promising to visit again another day.
After Su Qing’er and her daughter left, Shen Yan also somewhat sensed the tense atmosphere.
"Mom, what’s wrong? Do you know Aunt Su?"
Although the couple had their share of unpleasant fights over the years, they had always maintained a tacit harmony in front of Shen Yan. There were many things the boy was kept in the dark about. Not wanting these adult issues to affect him now, they hastily offered a vague explanation and sent him off to attend to other matters.
Once Shen Yan was completely out of earshot, Zhang Yuqing’s expression instantly darkened. She turned a questioning gaze on Shen Zhiqiu and demanded, "Don’t you have anything to say to me?"
Shen Zhiqiu’s gaze was still drifting out the door, as if his soul had left along with Su Qing’er. Humiliated and enraged, Zhang Yuqing lunged forward and roughly yanked him around, forcing him to look at her.
Suddenly interrupted by Zhang Yuqing’s rough handling, a flicker of irritation crossed Shen Zhiqiu’s face, and he reflexively shoved her away.
Whether it was because he hadn’t controlled his strength or because Zhang Yuqing had lost her footing, she stumbled backward and fell hard to the floor. The moment she hit the ground, both of them froze.
Ever since Shen Zhiqiu slapped Zhang Yuqing after she caught him taking pills back then, he had stayed true to his word and done his utmost to make it up to her. Over the years, he had never once laid a hand on her, not even raising his voice in anger. But this time, he had used force again! And it was because of Su Qing’er! He really did still have Su Qing’er in his heart! Zhang Yuqing channeled every ounce of her hatred entirely onto Su Qing’er.
Shen Zhiqiu, meanwhile, finally snapped back to reality. Realizing he had used too much force and hurt Zhang Yuqing again, he hurriedly stepped forward to help her up, only for her to dodge his grasp.
"Shen Zhiqiu, it seems my devotion was wasted on you after all. How could you possibly forget her? Now that she’s back, I’ve become an eyesore once again."