Chapter 20: Can They Reconcile?

From the moment Yao Yao appeared, Shen Yan hadn’t uttered a single word, his silence making it seem as though none of this concerned him in the least. Yao Yao glanced at Shen Yan, but her gaze was indifferent as she looked away; she never expected him to speak up for her.

It had always been this way.

No matter what grievances she suffered in the Shen household, he seemed blind to it all. Only now, the one wronged was Qin Miao, and it was clear he wouldn’t treat Qin Miao as he had treated her in the past.

Shen Yan was about to speak, but Yao Yao cut him off directly, unwilling to hear a single word in defense of Qin Miao.

"His words are meaningless. Whatever tricks the Shen family wants to pull, feel free—I, Yao Yao, am not afraid!” Her eyes were resolute. “What happened last night, even if you didn’t come to find me, I would have come to seek justice from you!”

“I escaped on my own ability, but your murderous intent was real. If you want to sweep this under the rug, you’ll have to see if I’ll allow it.”

If she let them go unpunished this time, they would only grow bolder.

Yao Yao did things thoroughly, leaving no room for future trouble.

This time, she was resolved to make Old Madam Shen and Qin Miao suffer a hard fall.

She stood tall in her professional attire, hair pulled back in a high ponytail, eyes sharp and aura commanding. Even in the Shen family’s ancestral residence, she was not cowed in the slightest.

Shen Yan’s eyes narrowed faintly. Ever since their separation, she kept shattering his expectations over and over again—fierce, proud, untouchable like an alpine flower.

Not bad at all.

Able to protect herself, not easily manipulated; that put his mind at ease.

“How dare you! You actually have the nerve to shout in the Shen household!” Old Madam Shen, feeling guilty, hastily changed the subject. “Someone, throw her out!”

“Weren’t you the ones demanding justice? Why are you throwing me out now?” Yao Yao sneered. “Don’t tell me you’re feeling guilty?”

At the old lady’s command, two bodyguards entered, ready to force Yao Yao out.

Just then, Shen Yan, silent until now, finally spoke. “Enough.”

He gave the two bodyguards a cold look, then turned his gaze on Old Madam Shen and Qin Miao, his eyes deep and unfathomable. “Last night, Yao Yao messaged me, asking me to go save Qin Miao.”

At his words, everyone turned in shock—what? He received the message last night? Why did he only come this morning?

Though the drugs had made Qin Miao feel good several times through the night, the longer it went on, the higher her risk of infection. Shen Yan ignored the message; that made him complicit, an accomplice in letting Qin Miao suffer.

Yao Yao had thought her message hadn’t gone through. Now, she could rest easy.

As for why Shen Yan didn’t go, it was probably because he didn’t believe her.

“If she really did this, why would she message me?” Shen Yan looked deeply at Yao Yao.

“It just means she wanted to make amends after the fact. That proves nothing,” Old Madam Shen said, her heart filling with dread.

Weren’t Shen Yan and Qin Miao supposed to be in love?

Then why, after receiving the message, did he do nothing? Why didn’t he rush to save her? Even if he didn’t trust the sender, what if it was true?

Hearing this, Shen Yan’s expression darkened further.

His voice dropped several notches. “The truth of this matter will come out with an investigation. Do you take me for a fool?”

“I wanted to smooth things over, but you insisted on making a scene.”

He had gone to the scene last night, confirmed Yao Yao wasn’t there, and immediately sent people to investigate. The truth naturally came to light.

So he deliberately waited until morning, just to let Qin Miao suffer. His partiality was for the sake of past guilt, not to let her cross the line again and again.

He had warned Qin Miao not to covet things that weren’t hers.

If Qin Miao insisted on crossing the line, she could only blame herself.

At this, Old Madam Shen and Qin Miao exchanged uneasy glances.

Shen Yan now wielded immense power; not even Old Madam Shen could do anything.

The room fell silent.

Then, laughter broke the tension—Yao Yao looked at Shen Yan with mocking eyes. “Smooth things over? Something so serious, and you want to hush it up?”

“So this is how the Shen family handles things? No chance. My lawyer will be in touch.”

With that, Yao Yao stood and left.

In the end, family always protects its own.

Hoping for Shen Yan’s neutrality? What a joke.

Shen Yan got up to follow, but Old Madam Shen stopped him. “Stop right there! Where do you think you’re going? With her arrogant attitude, showing no respect for her elders, you still want to get involved with a woman like that?”

Shen Yan turned, his gaze as dark as night. “Didn’t I warn you all not to cause trouble? If this blows up, don’t expect me to clean up your mess.”

With those words, Shen Yan strode out quickly.

Qin Miao panicked. She’d never imagined things would spiral this far out of control.

The plan was to film Yao Yao in a compromising situation and ruin her reputation online, but now everything had backfired.

Ruthless—Yao Yao was truly ruthless. Not only did she throw Qin Miao to the vagrants, she even had Shen Yan come to the scene. Wasn’t it just to make Shen Yan despise her?

“Grandmother, what should we do? What are we going to do?” Qin Miao was on the verge of tears.

Slap!

Old Madam Shen struck her across the face. “Useless! You can’t even handle a simple task.”

“I plotted everything for you. All you had to do was lure her there—how hard could that be?”

With a heavy sigh, Old Madam Shen closed her eyes. “Go. I can’t help you anymore.”

Now she understood—Shen Yan cared more for Yao Yao than for Qin Miao.

For now, Old Madam Shen decided to lay low and wait for the storm to pass. Everything else could be dealt with later.

Qin Miao knelt before her, begging, “Grandmother, you can’t abandon me... This really wasn’t my fault, I—”

A single glare from Old Madam Shen silenced her.

Qin Miao dared not say more. She got up, dazed, and left the Shen home.

No, she had to find a way!

This couldn’t be the end. She couldn’t lose everything.

...

Meanwhile, Shen Yan caught up to Yao Yao. She frowned impatiently. “What is it?”

“Are you alright?”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?” Her tone was cool and distant.

Shen Yan, bewildered, asked, “Yao Yao, I was just worried about you. Is this really necessary?”

“Shen Yan, don’t you find your words ridiculous? Worried about me? Don’t you see that your concern is exactly what’s brought me so much trouble?”

She stepped closer. “I don’t care if you’re being willfully blind or only cherish me now that I’m gone—I’m not interested in playing your games.”

“Stay away from me. That way, Qin Miao and Old Madam Shen will have fewer reasons to target me.”

With a final glance, Yao Yao opened her car door, got in, and drove away.

Shen Yan knew all too well that these troubles were because of him. Now, he would resolve all of them.

Then, perhaps, they could start over.