Chapter 23 The Female Supporting Character in the Control Group—Self-Righteousness

After the gathering that day, Ji Yaoyao did not discuss the people and events at the gathering with Shen Yu. Nor did she bring up the events of her original life in a hypothetical tone to try and probe Shen Yu's inner thoughts.

In Yaoyao's eyes, she is Ji Yaoyao now, and she doesn't want to spend too much time paying attention to things that haven't happened yet, as it would only add to her troubles.

That day, after putting Yaoyao to sleep, Shen Yu contacted the most famous hospital in the capital to schedule a prenatal checkup for the next day. Unable to sleep, he started researching pregnancy-related information online and ordered many pregnancy books.

The next day, after Yaoyao woke up naturally, Chenyu began to help her wash up, and then the two went to the hospital for a check-up together.

The initial test results were all good. The baby was a little over a month old. Yaoyao silently calculated in her mind that she must have conceived the night before going to Shanghai.

The young couple returned hand in hand to the Shen family's old house and shared the surprise with them. Mrs. Shen was overjoyed. Even Mr. Shen, who was usually stern and rarely smiled, broke into a happy smile.

Shen's mother was efficient and, after calming down, immediately began arranging for a high-end postpartum care center, a postpartum nanny, and so on, striving to take good care of her daughter-in-law.

"By the way, Shen Yu, don't tell anyone about Yao Yao's pregnancy for the first three months. Also, it's Zhao Yan's wedding tomorrow. Since Yao Yao is pregnant, it's better to be careful. You shouldn't go. Shen Yu, you can go by yourself."

Shen Yu nodded in agreement; he had originally planned to go alone as well.

After giving instructions to Shen Yu, Shen's mother, worried that her daughter-in-law might be unhappy, bypassed him and went to Yao Yao's side, explaining lovingly:

"Yaoyao, don't be angry. Mom is just worried about your health. Tomorrow is Zhao Yan's wedding. There will be too many people and it won't be safe. Let Chen Yu go by himself. He's tough and strong! Mom will take you to the auction tomorrow. We'll buy whatever you like! If you like them all, we'll buy them all! Mom will pay for them!"

Shen Yu: "..."

Yaoyao quite likes this mother-in-law. She is open-minded and generous and never interferes in her and Shen Yu's lives. This is the first time her mother-in-law has made a request. Moreover, afraid that she would be unhappy, her mother-in-law has proposed a compensation plan. Yaoyao loves to shop!

"Thank you, Mom~ Mom, you're so good to me!" Yao Yao hugged her mother's arm with both hands, rested her head on her shoulder, and swayed back and forth, acting coquettishly.

Mother Shen's heart softened at her daughter-in-law's actions: "Oh, Yaoyao is so good! My daughter-in-law is the best; she's my little darling!"

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law excitedly discussed tomorrow's itinerary, completely ignoring the helpless looks on the father and son's faces.

*

Zhao Yan's wedding was conventional, neither overly grand nor simple.

When facing Chen Ke, Zhao's parents kept a straight face, but when in front of outsiders, their smiles never faded.

On the screen of the wedding banquet stage, scenes of the couple from their first meeting to falling in love were played, which were warm and romantic. The emcee asked the couple to talk about their love story. Chen Ke recounted the hardships they had overcome, and her voice choked up so much that she could not speak. People in the audience listened and wiped away tears.

Ignoring the emotional appeals on stage, Shen Yu kept looking at the auction items Yao Yao had sent him on his phone.

Wang Zihui also came alone. Ever since that party, his girlfriend has hated Chen Ke terribly and bluntly told Wang Zihui: "From now on, wherever Chen Ke goes, I, Jin Yunduo, will never go near her. She can forget about coming to my wedding!"

This left Wang Zihui at a loss, unsure how to resolve the situation. As the best man, before he could even help the groom fend off the drinks, he was already downing glass after glass himself, trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

After going through rounds of procedures, the banquet officially began, and now it was time for the toasting. Shen Yu was sitting at a table with a group of business friends. When Zhao Yan and Chen Ke arrived at this table, Shen Yu raised his glass to them and said with a smile, "May you have a long and happy marriage and many children."

The blessings were well received, and seemed no different from before, but from this moment on, something seemed different.

Zhao Yan raised his glass in return: "Thank you, Brother Yu."

He finished the drink, his mouth filled with spiciness, and a bitter feeling welled up inside him. A rift had finally formed between him and Brother Yu; he had crossed the line. Zhao Yan couldn't help but recall his conversation with Shen Yu on the phone yesterday.

Zhao Yan: "Brother Yu, Coco sometimes speaks without thinking. She's just too naive and doesn't have any bad intentions. Besides, things between girls shouldn't affect our brotherhood."

Shen Yu: "Zhao Yan, do you really not know what Chen Ke is thinking?"

Zhao Yan was stunned. Shen Yu's words hit the nail on the head. Zhao Yan guessed Chen Ke's thoughts, but he didn't stop her. Instead, he let Chen Ke do as she pleased. Zhao Yan felt that if it could really help his brother find true love, that would be good too. In Zhao Yan's subconscious, arranged marriages had no feelings.

Zhao Yan paused for a few seconds before explaining, "I know, but Brother Yu, to be honest, I'm doing this for your own good. I hope you can be happy."

"You are not me, how do you know I'm not happy? Zhao Yan, you didn't have this kind of self-righteous hobby before." Shen Yu's voice was like a sharp blade, striking Zhao Yan's heart and cutting a bloody wound.

Zhao Yan's voice was weak in his rebuttal: "But my sister-in-law went back to her parents' home less than a month after her wedding, and also..."

"Zhao Yan!" Shen Yu interrupted him halfway through his sentence, and this time, Shen Yu's voice was even colder.

"You can criticize me for anything, but please don't talk about my wife. I don't like discussing my private affairs in front of outsiders, but that doesn't mean you can let your imaginations run wild! Brains are for doing things, not for gossiping."

“I’ll say it again: my wife and I have a very good relationship. Even if our relationship wasn’t good, that’s no reason for me to cheat, nor is it an excuse for you to help me find a mistress. People should have a bottom line of morality and shame, and they shouldn’t cross that line!”

Shen Yu's tone on the other end of the phone was very serious, and his words were sharp.

A long silence followed, neither of them speaking, just waiting, the only sound being their breathing.

Zhao Yan felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, sweeping away all his emotions and leaving only a chilling feeling. He apologized, his voice hoarse: "Brother Yu, I'm sorry."

Shen Yu simply hummed in response and hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Shen Yu leaned wearily against the sofa in his study, rubbing his throbbing temples. He felt terrible. He had never imagined that things would come to this.

Shen Yu was good at understanding people's hearts. He saw through Chen Ke's thoughts, but ignored them because he thought they were childish. Besides, she was his brother's girlfriend after all, and he couldn't put his brother in a difficult position because of his own guesses. Today, he confirmed with Zhao Yan that Zhao Yan had the same idea, which Shen Yu found very ridiculous.

As soon as the wedding banquet ended, Shen Yu, Wang Zihui, Li Jiacheng, and others said goodbye and left the scene directly, heading straight for the location sent by Yao Yao.