Chapter 30

His temper was excessively foul, and his demeanor excessively domineering. Especially since Zhuang Yazhi was standing on the high platform at this moment, his disdainful gaze, as if looking at trash, pierced them like needles.

The group of people didn't care about anything else. Someone took advantage of the chaos to push them, and everyone rushed towards Zhuang Yazhi's platform like madmen.

Ten steps, seven steps, five steps—it's just a hand's breadth away.

Zhuang Yazhi grabbed the vase beside her and smashed it hard on the ground. The loud shattering sound echoed through the sky. Several of the people who rushed up were hit on the head, while the rest of them were too scared to move. They cursed and took a few steps back in fear.

"You hurt someone again."

Some of them realized what was happening and started bringing it up again.

"I'm going to sue you, I'll sue you until you're bankrupt."

Zhuang Yazhi did not deny it: "I will compensate."

There are only a few people like that. Even if you shower them with gold, it would only be a drop in the ocean. They wouldn't even be considered a money-losing proposition.

"Of course, since you've caused trouble and disrupted the Zhuang family's business activities, you also have to pay compensation."

With so many wealthy people compensating her, she's not losing out.

Everyone looked troubled, and they all wanted to run away at the first sign of trouble. But it was at this moment that hundreds of bodyguards in black rushed out from all directions and surrounded them, leaving none of them able to escape.

Zhuang Yazhi looked up and immediately noticed the cold figure standing there.

Such a demeanor is unique to Shen Yiheng.

As the leader, he was followed by sirens and alarms, and the riot control team made a powerful entrance, with a force as imposing as a thousand soldiers about to give birth to an enemy.

“Send them all to the police station.”

No matter how much the group complained and begged for mercy, it was no use. In the end, they were all arrested and taken to the police station on charges of rioting.

"Thanks." Zhuang Yazhi simply said thank you; she could have handled it herself.

Among the dispersed crowd on the outskirts, Zhuang Yazhi noticed a desolate figure fleeing.

This vase is exactly the same as the one at home. Zhuang Yazhi smashed it specifically to show Zhuang Haiming.

Let him see what real troublemaking looks like.

"Let's have dinner together tonight," Shen Yiheng invited.

Zhuang Yazhi readily agreed: "Okay."

"Let's go to your house."

"While you're at it, let's see how Aunt Qianli is doing lately."

I was so busy fixing Zhuang Haiming that I forgot about her.

As the car drove along the highway, a casual glance startled Zhuang Yazhi, who sat bolt upright in the passenger seat.

As luck would have it, she ran into Shen Qianli here. Shen Qianli drove up in a black supercar and sped past her at the bend.

The taillights were blinding, and the fleeting, painful image made Zhuang Yazhi abruptly close her eyes.

Zhuang Yazhi still vividly remembers that car accident; the dangerous scene lingers in her mind like a thorn stuck in her heart, causing her frequent, dull pain.

Shen Yiheng realized something was wrong: "What's wrong?"

He wanted to reach out and offer his help, but Zhuang Yazhi ruthlessly brushed him off.

When she opened her eyes again, Zhuang Yazhi anxiously looked around until the car drove into the underground parking garage, where she saw two supercars with the same appearance parked side by side.

Zhuang Yazhi pressed in a cold voice, "Are both cars yours?"

"The one on the left is mine, and the one on the right is Shen Qianli's. It was a birthday gift from my grandfather."

Zhuang Yazhi still vividly remembers that car accident. She looked at Shen Yiheng, squinted, then lowered her eyes, her emotions complicated.

Zhuang Yazhi was deep in thought; the suffocating scene she had just witnessed made her feel the pain of death once again.

Because of this car, and because Shen Yiheng walked towards her during the car accident, she became convinced that the person who hit her was Shen Yiheng.

But when Shen Qianli's car brushed past her just now, it gave her a familiar feeling of being chased, and her breath caught in her throat.

Another possibility flashed through Zhuang Yazhi's mind.

Shen Qianli got out of the car. She looked much more haggard and thinner recently. She greeted Shen Yiheng and Zhuang Yazhi coldly.

Before entering the house, Zhuang Yazhi was completely dazed.

She needed to calm down and subconsciously kept her distance from Shen Yiheng.

Zhang Baoxian wasn't there today, and Zhuang Yazhi stared intently at Shen Qianli without saying a word at the dinner table.

As she wished, Shen Qianli has not been doing well lately.

Her son was injured and she wasn't allowed to visit him. Her daughter also ignored her. When she came out to eat, her eyes were red after hanging up the phone, probably because she had just had an argument with Zhuang Haiming.

That's a bit tragic.

But in her previous life, when Shen Qianli slammed down the vase, blood flowed from her mother's head.

But she's only shedding two tears now, how could that be enough?

Recalling the scene when she returned, Zhuang Yazhi felt panicked and her breathing became heavy and unsteady.

If the car accident was also related to Shen Qianli, and both she and her daughter had been harmed by Shen Qianli, then she couldn't wait even a second longer to settle this deep-seated grudge.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was cold. Zhuang Yazhi was glaring at Shen Qianli, and Shen Yiheng glared back at her as well.

From his perspective, the two of them were fine on the way back, but Zhuang Yazhi got angry because Shen Qianli appeared.

Annoying.

"Aunt Chen, it's time for you to go home."

Initially, it was because her mother had been feeling a bit unwell recently, and Shen Qianli offered to stay with her for a while.

But there is no need for that now.

The blatant order to leave left Shen Qianli feeling very awkward.

But now she has to rely on Shen Yiheng's resources to get the tech company up and running. She can't afford to miss this crucial opportunity, so she can only give a casual reply: "Yeah, I've been planning to do that too."

After she finished speaking, she glared back at Zhuang Yazhi, suspecting that Zhuang Yazhi had said something bad about her to Shen Yiheng, since Zhuang Yazhi had not been friendly since she came in.

Seeing that things were not going well, Shen Qianli wisely left first.

Only Zhuang Yazhi and Shen Yiheng remained at the dinner table.

Zhuang Yazhi wanted to go out for some fresh air. After walking a few steps away, she inadvertently turned around and found that no one was beside her.

Looking back, I saw Shen Yiheng standing blankly at the doorway, like a child who had done something wrong, hesitant to go forward.

I just realized that I had been a bit cold to him.

"Come here," Zhuang Yazhi gestured with her eyes.

Shen Yiheng strode forward as if granted a pardon.

As night deepened, the two strolled casually through the courtyard.

The moonlight shone alone on the flower terrace, and Zhuang Yazhi's heart began to wander.

In his previous life, Shen Yiheng was arrogant and domineering, seizing and plundering without any thought of selfishness or possession.

The action of shaking off his hand in the car will only be met with violence in return.

But in this life, he is noticeably more gentle and reserved, and also afraid—afraid of being rejected.

Even someone who is usually arrogant has such a humble side.

"You like me that much?" Zhuang Yazhi asked.

He acted almost without hesitation, his gaze resolute. But because of his bad mood, he felt conflicted inside.

"You don't like me that much?"

Shen Yiheng was sad. He looked into the eyes of the person he was looking at, longing to be loved, but his heart was in turmoil and he lowered his eyes to avoid their gaze.

Zhuang Yazhi did not answer.

On the way back, Zhuang Yazhi refused Shen Yiheng's request to accompany her in the car, and drove off alone.

My thoughts are complex and difficult to understand, as hazy as the bright streetlights along the way.

The next day, she arranged to meet Cai Siyue at noon at the coffee shop downstairs in Qianhai Technology Building.

Cai Siyue was in a bad mood and deliberately avoided Shen Qianli at work today.

Now, as I scroll through my phone, every few notifications I see are about John, and the more I look, the more annoyed I get.

At the same time, a figure was walking towards them from the surging crowd.

Shen Qianli felt uncomfortable and looked up to meet Zhuang Yazhi's sharp, scrutinizing gaze.

With her sharp eyes, she immediately noticed the presence of her daughter, Cai Siyue.

Zhuang Yazhi openly and unabashedly invited Cai Siyue to dinner, which was undoubtedly a blatant provocation to Shen Qianli. After all, in Shen Qianli's opinion, if Zhuang Yazhi hadn't been causing trouble behind the scenes, she wouldn't have had conflicts with her two children and still hadn't made up.

She was afraid that Zhuang Yazhi would stir up trouble in Cai Siyue's ear again and say things that were detrimental to her.

After get off work, Shen Qianli couldn't wait a second longer. She passed by the office and pulled Cai Siyue out for a talk.

"Zhuang Yazhi is not a good person. Stay away from her in the future."

The concern was not what she had expected. Cai Siyue lowered her eyes, unable to hide her disappointment, and bitterly furrowed her brows.

"We haven't seen each other for so many days, don't you care how I'm doing?"

Shen Qianli didn't take it seriously, maintaining the air of an elder who thought she was doing what was best for her junior: "I'm just concerned about you, so listen to me."

Cai Siyue turned away and said, "This isn't concern, it's oppression."

"I have the right to choose my friends."

He turned and left immediately after speaking, his lonely figure colder than the winter wind.

"Si Yue!" Shen Qianli shouted in dissatisfaction.

There was no response, only silent rage in exasperation.

Before I could even catch my breath, my phone received a message from an unknown number.

"You've kept this a secret for a long time. Cai Siyue doesn't even know who her biological father is."

Those few words were enough to shock Shen Qianli so much that her pupils dilated in shock, and her hands trembled as she held the phone.

She wasn't stupid; she immediately realized who had sent the message.

In her panic, her gaze darted around, and she caught a glimpse of Cai Siyue getting into a sports car. Shen Qianli instinctively dialed a number, but the only response was that the phone was temporarily unavailable.

Shen Qianli, with a ferocious expression, threw her phone on the ground and smashed it to pieces.

She watched the sports car drive away, her mind in a panic. To avoid any trouble, she quickly went downstairs, got into her car, and followed.

As the city lights illuminated the night, two sports cars engaged in a fierce chase on the city avenue.

Zhuang Yazhi, seizing the opportune moment, turned the steering wheel to the right and steered Shen Qianli into another lane.

She had a question in her mind that she urgently needed to verify.

It was rush hour, and one section of the road was particularly congested.

In order to catch up with Zhuang Yazhi's car, Shen Qianli changed lanes and overtook several cars, which caused several cars behind to rear-end each other.

She was almost there; one more press of the accelerator and she could catch up with Zhuang Yazhi's car.

Sweating profusely, she finally caught up with Zhuang Yazhi's car. She tried to roll down the window and talk to Zhuang Yazhi, but before she could say a word, Zhuang Yazhi changed lanes and accelerated, quickly driving away and leaving her far behind in just a few seconds.

"Damn it." Shen Qianli slammed her hand on the steering wheel.

The phone screen lit up, and a photo of a strange man appeared.

That one glance was enough to make Shen Qianli lose her mind, her head spinning and dizzy.

She was so angry that she lost her mind and experienced a series of hallucinations, with only the dazzling red taillights of the car speeding away in front of her remaining vision.

Shen Qianli gripped the steering wheel tightly and kicked hard with her right foot.

Zhuang Yazhi had been waiting for this moment. He glanced at the rearview mirror, his gaze fierce and resolute. He took a deep breath and waited for the bad thing to happen.

The powerful impact pushed me back the next second, and fear and despair exploded in my heart once again.

In that single second, Zhuang Yazhi was completely certain.

That's the feeling, so familiar it's suffocating.

She found the murderer.

Just as she was about to close her eyes, the cold and aloof figure of Shen Yiheng appeared in the dark world of her mind. He seemed angry, turning his back to her and refusing to look at her.

What should I do? It seems I really misunderstood him.