A Marriage of Vengeance - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Shen Jincheng led Shen Yuqing over and sat on the sofa opposite me.

I had the two bodyguards pour tea and bring out some fruit, giving them a meaningful look to signal that they should keep a close eye on things to prevent Shen Jincheng from doing anything reckless.

“Is there something you need from me?” I asked with a smile, maintaining my vigilance.

Shen Jincheng looked at me, then lowered his eyes as he put an arm around his daughter. “Yuqing is a fan of yours. She wanted your autograph.”

As he spoke, Shen Jincheng gave Shen Yuqing a little nudge. “You were so excited at home. Why are you suddenly too shy to speak now that you’re seeing Aunt Xu?”

Shen Yuqing looked at me timidly, her eyes darting around with an excessive, calculating cleverness. “Hello, Auntie. I’m Yuqing. I’ve watched many of your TV shows and movies, and I like you very, very much. I often think how wonderful it would be if you were my mother.”

“Thank you for the kind words.”

I handed an orange to Shen Yuqing.

There was no need to ask; it was obvious these words had been coached by an adult.

I gave a faint smile. “Teacher Shen, did you come to see me because you have a favor to ask?”

Shen Jincheng’s expression was complex. “Miss Xu, could I speak with you alone?”

“No,” I refused outright.

Shen Jincheng stared straight at me. “Chunyan, I’ve been reborn too.”

Hearing this, I had the bodyguard Xiao Wu take Shen Yuqing outside.

Just in case, I kept the other bodyguard, Xiao Zhao, with me. Xiao Zhao had been with me for years and was absolutely trustworthy.

I picked up my tea and took a sip. “When did you return?”

“Last month.”

Shen Jincheng looked at me with tears in his eyes. “I remember everything, Chunyan. The past life, this life-I remember it all.”

He suddenly dropped to his knees. “Back then, I didn’t know the truth. When I saw you bring Director Lu to the house to catch me and Bai Hezhi, I hated you to death. But now that I remember everything… I deserved it! I fucking deserved it! Even if I died ten times over, it wouldn’t be enough to make up for the hatred you must feel.”

I turned my head away to look at the scenery outside the window. “Why bring up the past? Since we divorced back then, we should just live our own lives.”

I really didn’t want to waste any more breath on this man. I checked my watch. “I have an appointment soon, so I can’t chat with you much longer.”

“Chunyan!”

Shen Jincheng crawled forward a couple of steps on his knees to stop me. “Even if you hate me, you raised Yuqing! You can’t be this cold-blooded toward her.”

I let out a cold laugh. Finally, he was getting to the point.

Actually, before returning to West City, I had already sent people to look into Shen Jincheng and Bai Hezhi.

This pair of scoundrels had married soon after the scandal. At first, they were quite affectionate, but they couldn’t withstand the grind of reality.

Bai Hezhi had to take care of Shen Jincheng’s bedridden, paralyzed mother while also raising a child, all while Shen Jincheng’s career was failing and his income had plummeted.

With so many mouths to feed and expenses everywhere, Bai Hezhi grew exhausted after two years and began thinking about taking the college entrance exam again.

Unfortunately, the exam changed every year. She hadn’t looked at a book in so long that she no longer had the energy or time to study.

The affectionate lovers who had once been forced apart by obstacles now fought every single day.

Whenever Bai Hezhi was in a bad mood, she would go out to play cards, leaving the young Shen Yuqing in the care of the elderly grandparents.

One winter, it was so cold that many people in the countryside used electric space heaters illegally. Because the grandparents weren’t paying attention, Shen Yuqing tripped and fell, her face scorched by the red-hot heating coils.

After that incident, Shen Jincheng and Bai Hezhi fought almost daily.

The woman blamed the man for being useless and ruining her future.

The man cursed the woman for seducing him, causing him to lose the woman who truly loved him and his job.

In the last two years, Bai Hezhi had gotten back in touch with a high school classmate. The two of them were like parched earth meeting a spring rain; they hit it off immediately, and she began blatantly cheating on Shen Jincheng.

Shen Jincheng had reached his limit and was currently in the middle of a divorce.

Coming to find me now, he was either begging me to take him back or asking for money.

I let out a tired yawn and asked the man across from me, “Just say it. What do you want?”

Shen Jincheng used the coffee table to pull himself up. “Chunyan, look at you-so glamorous and beautiful. You’re making big money now. For the sake of our past as husband and wife, could you give me a million yuan?”