HCB Chapter 111 Those present were numerous.
Chapter 111 Those present were numerous.
Then, before Shen Xi could speak...
Shen Qi and Chu Li stepped forward and walked to the center of the crowd, where the warm light shone on the faces of the middle-aged couple.
Shen Qi glanced at Chu Li, as if asking something, and Chu Li calmly nodded.
The guests stood there looking at each other, thinking, "It's been a good day, quite a lively affair!"
Shen Ke stood there, numb all over, his face as cold as ice. He had been standing here for a while and had witnessed Shen Lu's crazy side. This was the first time he had seen her so... outrageous.
This little girl, who used to be so careful not to even step on an ant, is now cursing someone to die.
Why did he look at Shen Lu's face and feel that she was a completely different person, as if she had changed entirely inside and out?
"Distinguished guests, good evening. I, Shen, would like to take a moment of your time to speak about some matters."
Shen Qi stood there, his eyes dark, his expression serious, and his tone sharp.
"The first thing is that, as everyone knows, today should have been the engagement banquet between my daughter, Shen, and the Yuan family. But unfortunately, not long ago we happened to see Young Master Yuan with a woman in his arms. The Yuan family has betrayed us, so don't blame my Shen family for speaking out back then."
"The second thing, as many of you have already seen, is that I don't understand what happened. I didn't want to air my dirty laundry in public, but some things just need to be made clear."
He focused his energy, facing the sunlight streaming in from the crowd, and spoke each word clearly.
“Shen Lu… is our Shen family’s adopted daughter.”
One sentence stirred up a huge wave of discussion, like a pot exploding in a frenzy.
“My wife is a kind woman, and she wanted to leave the child with the last bit of dignity. But she clearly didn’t appreciate it, so there was no need for us to show any mercy.”
"From this day forward, there will be no longer a Shen Lu in our Shen family. If she ever uses the name of the Shen family to do anything improper, we hope everyone understands that there is no need to show her any mercy out of respect for our Shen family."
"Furthermore...the most important thing..."
Shen Qi's gaze unconsciously drifted towards Shen Xi, but he quickly looked away. Everyone, including Shen Xi, thought he was just casually looking at people.
Jiang Ci held Shen Xi's soft waist, and with a glance, he understood what Shen Qi was about to say.
Shen Xi stood silently to the side. She seemed to finally realize something and stood there quietly without saying a word.
She no longer looked up at the couple in front of her.
Shen Xi clenched her fist tightly, the cold ring resting on her palm. She was momentarily lost in thought.
On the wide lawn
Shen Qi felt a dampness in his palm; it was the cold sweat from his wife's palms. He squeezed her hand tightly, signaling her to relax.
"The most important thing, and the biggest happy event for my Shen family in recent years, is that my biological daughter has been found. But whether she will acknowledge her or not depends on whether we are qualified."
"So, everyone's presence here today is a celebration of our recent joyous occasion. Please eat, drink, and have fun, and don't be shy."
All the guests were as shocked as if they had just ridden a roller coaster.
what? !
The Yuan family is so bold, they've come to have their affair right in front of the Shen family?
what? !
Shen Lu isn't actually the eldest daughter of the Shen family??
The drama of a real and a fake heiress actually unfolded right before our eyes!!
And there's more!
The Shen family found their daughter so quickly; their adopted daughter had just left, and their biological daughter was back right after.
They exchanged glances; if there wasn't something fishy going on, no one would believe it if word got out.
The Shen family is truly heartless. They kicked their adopted daughter out one day and then brought their biological daughter home the next.
If you say he's wrong, it seems like he didn't really do anything wrong.
But it's just too heartless. After raising a child for so many years, they just abandon them like that.
Even many wealthy women secretly thought that after raising her for so many years, it couldn't withstand the power of blood ties.
Many people present even slandered and belittled the Shen family behind their backs, but they didn't dare say it to their faces, only whispering behind their backs.
Because in the homes of those present, how many men keep mistresses outside the home, and how many people truly disown their own daughters for the sake of a fake heiress?
There are many such people present.
It's just that the Shen family's open and honest approach to things made them look so despicable, and their behavior seemed even uglier.
This also challenged their self-esteem.
……
Shen Xi stood there silently. She understood something, and glanced at Shen Qi and Chu Li with a clear, cold look before lowering her eyes again. Her dark eyelashes blinked gently, and she looked at her toes once more.
“Xi Xi”.
"Ok?"
Shen Xi subconsciously tilted her head to look at Jiang Ci.
"You guessed it, didn't you?"
Jiang Ci stepped forward and stood beside her. He could see that when Uncle Shen was speaking on the stage, Shen Xi's eyes gradually became cold and indifferent.
Jiang Ci always knew that she was very smart.
Shen Xi asked in return, expressionless.
What should I know?
Shen Xi knew she was somewhat angry with Jiang Ci, but she still expressed her emotions precisely.
"Jiang Ci, you know they are my parents, right?"
Jiang Ci pursed his lips; he could tell Shen Xi was unhappy. His voice was low, almost coaxing.
"I only found out this morning. I didn't expect you to find out so quickly. Our Xixi is so smart."
Jiang Ci's cautious emotions were almost overflowing. He first rubbed his little finger against Shen Xi's hand, and seeing that her expression was indifferent, he then hooked her little finger and gently shook it.
"I won't do it again. Don't be angry. Being angry makes you look bad. If you look bad, people will avoid you when you walk on the street looking at handsome guys every day."
No one knows how conflicted Jiang Ci was when he said those words; he almost had a heart attack and killed himself!
"Oh."
Who's being a good Samaritan and advising someone to use a handsome guy on the street as an excuse?
Shen Xi gave a cold snort, her face tense, almost losing her composure. She felt her nostrils were flaring up in her attempt to maintain her icy expression!
Jiang Ci was Shen Xi's personal micro-expression expert. He glanced down at the stubborn woman, then suppressed the slight upturn of his lips.
It's alright, I didn't really get angry.
"You really don't plan to forgive me? It's okay, it's just that my wife is angry today and ignoring me. It doesn't matter, I'll just hide away and cry. Hmm, if that kid Jiang Du finds out, I'll cry even louder."
Jiang Ci spoke almost right next to Shen Xi's ear, enunciating slowly, his face serious, but his voice nonchalant and pitiful.
"Stop! Playing the victim won't work. I want a reasonable explanation."
Shen Xi expressionlessly stretched out her palm, raised her hand, and gently pushed it back, ruthlessly blocking Jiang Ci's face, which was trying to seduce her with her looks.
"I'm glad you're willing to listen, this morning..."
……
A couple in the distance watched the young couple with slight nervousness; the tall man remained expressionless, while the gentle woman's eyes showed worry.
The surrounding guests also secretly glanced in that direction.
No one would have thought that
A man with broad shoulders and a narrow waist stood there, his gentle eyes lowered as he apologized to the woman in front of him.
Shen Xihao casually crossed her arms and glanced at him.
"So Jiang Po already reported to you this morning about who I encountered."
Jiang Ci, not understanding why, obediently hummed in agreement.
Shen Xi's gaze softened slightly as she continued speaking.
"So you already guessed that I might be a child of the Shen family?"
Jiang Ci immediately became cautious, his expression turning serious. He spoke slowly, as if considering something carefully, "Yes... probably, that's right?"
This time, Shen Xi didn't say anything, but without even glancing at him, she simply turned around and left.
Um? !
Jiang Ci strode forward, following behind her at a leisurely pace.
"Don't follow!!"
Shen Xi scolded him without turning her head, quickened her pace, and soon disappeared around the corner.
Jiang Ci stopped and stared silently at the spot where Shen Xi had disappeared. There, a pile of strangely colored glass crystal balls stood tall, and white light reflected from them, shining into the man's sharp, narrow eyes.
……
Jiang Po emerged from somewhere and respectfully asked, "Sir, should we take Shen Lu back?"
Jiang Ci's eyes were dark and eerie, his gaze so intense that Jiang Po dared not look directly at him.
"Why take it back? Hand it over to the Shen family first."
A hint of a smile appeared on Jiang Ci's face, which sent a chill down Jiang Po's spine. He had been by Jiang Ci's side for a long time and immediately understood what Jiang Ci meant.
The gentleman meant that he would take it back after the Shen family had finished dealing with the matter.
The host is in front.
After Jiang Po left, Jiang Ci lowered his head, his face tense, and for a moment no one dared to approach him.
The bigwigs present today each have their own jokes.
In the quiet night,
Jiang Du made a video call.
Jiang Ci walked to the side and answered it.
The little guy's eyes were red, with tears welling up in the corners. He sat obediently on the sofa, looking at the camera.
"Dad, when can you bring Mom back with you?"
Xiao Jiangdu and the others had been waiting in the living room for a long time.
Jiang Ci's expression softened, and the hard lines of his face became gentle. "The banquet is still going on. It would be impolite to leave now."
Having grown up in this environment, Xiao Jiangdu also understands some of the etiquette in this regard. The little guy is very understanding. He nodded, his eyes darting around at the camera, and said, "Okay."
After a while, when we saw that Dad's face was always turned towards the camera and there was no one else around, he stammered and asked in a low voice, "Dad, where's Mom?"
Jiang Ci's eyes darkened. "Mom is inside and can't answer the phone right now. It's getting late, so get some rest. You have class tomorrow."
Xiao Jiangdu was a little unhappy because he didn't see his mother. He hung up the phone dejectedly and even forgot to say goodbye to his father.
……
Over here, Chu Li saw Shen Xi turn around and leave, and immediately followed to look for her.
Just then, Jiang Po stopped Chu Li and walked in carrying a woman wearing a dirty hospital gown.
“Mr. Shen, Mrs. Shen. This is my husband’s instruction. You two should clean up your own house first. Once everything is clear, I will come back to take her away and settle our own accounts.”
After he finished speaking, he put Zhang Zhaodi down and left.
Chu Li's expression was cold and indifferent. She thought that it was indeed time to resolve this completely before making any further moves.
This is another hall in the Shen family home, which is not used for entertaining guests.
The hall was deserted.
Beside the porcelain vase, Shen Qi's cold, stern eyes stared emotionlessly at Shen Lu on the ground. He raised his eyelids and spoke calmly, "Shen Lu, do you remember who gave you your surname?"
Zhang Zhaodi's first reaction was to laugh. What does my surname have to do with you?
However, under Shen Qi's cold and disappointed gaze, Zhang Zhaodi seemed to be instantly reduced to her original form, and her memories slowly returned. She seemed to be called... Shen Lu.
But at that moment, she remained unrepentant.
My legs, which were already in excruciating pain, are now bleeding even more profusely after Jiang Po threw them on the ground.
Seeing Shen Qi's indifferent attitude, Zhang Zhaodi felt resentful and roared, "What are you pretending to be a good person for? It was your Shen family that looked down on me in the first place. Now you just think I'm mentally unstable and want to kick me out for the sake of your reputation."
Her eyes were filled with sarcasm. "Do you think you can find your child again just because you've kicked me out of the Shen family?"
Zhang Zhaodi's voice suddenly rose, "I'm telling you, you're dreaming. Shen Xi is not coming back."
She said in a hysterical tone, "She'll die, she'll get nothing, she'll be worse off than me, hahahahahahaha."
Zhang Zhaodi's sinister laughter echoed through the empty hall.
Chu Li clutched her chest, shook off Shen Qi's hand, walked up to Zhang Zhaodi, and slapped her without mercy.
—With a snap,
The sound woke Zhang Zhaodi up; there were still five clear finger marks on her face.
She straightened up angrily, glaring at Chu Li with venomous eyes. "How dare you, a woman on the verge of death, treat me like this? So you've always looked down on me just because I'm not your biological daughter..."
—"Snap,"
Chu Li slapped him hard across the face again.
She was extremely disappointed. "Shen Lu, what have I done to wrong you that you hate me like this? I never intended to kick you out of the house, but what about you? You're heartless and think I'm being harsh with you. When I visited you in the hospital, do you remember what you said? Hmm?"
"Tell me, what am I pretending for? Shen Lu, am I really pretending?"
"I also believe that I have treated you well. From the moment I found you, I have treated you no differently than I would my own daughter. But you! You have never regarded me as your mother, have you?"
"I, Chu Li, have never looked down on you in the slightest. If I had ever thought that way, may I be struck by lightning. I even planned your future with Shen Qi at the hospital. The road in this society is always difficult. I've given you status, wealth, and things you could never have in your entire life. But even so, aren't you satisfied?"
Next, Chu Li asked the most fatal question.
She asked,
"Shen Lu, what exactly are you resenting?"