Chapter 42

Zhuang Yazhi will first refer to this woman as Shen Qianmei, since Shen Yiheng did indeed give her account.

"They are twins, and they look very similar, but their personalities are quite different; one is arrogant and willful, while the other is introverted and shy."

“Shen Qianli was taken back to the Shen family to be raised when she was a child, but Shen Qianmei was unwilling to come with her and lived alone for many years.”

"She lives a secluded life and doesn't want to see anyone; only a few people know of her existence."

Can we confirm that she is still alive?

Zhuang Ya asked a question.

Where is she?

Shen Yiheng hesitated for two seconds, his bright eyes sparkling with interest.

That's a question that's impossible to answer definitively.

"Everyone knows that Shen Qianli is dead, but no one can prove whether Shen Qianmei, whom no one cares about, is still alive."

Who is alive and who is dead, only we know.

The trending topic is rapidly gaining traction, and Shen Qianmei has now become the focus of the entire Haicheng.

At first, some people questioned Shen Qianmei's identity, until Old Master Shen appeared. He angrily banged his cane and cursed the group: "It is none of your business to talk about the people of my Shen family."

Everyone wisely kept quiet and fled before things escalated.

"Uncle, don't be angry, be careful not to upset yourself." Shen Qianmei considerately helped the old man to sit down, showing her utmost care.

The bodyguards surrounded the scene, leaving only a few members of the Shen family behind. Shen Yiheng took out his phone, snapped a picture of the scene, and sent it to Zhuang Yazhi, providing a real-time report and adding the text: "Guess if she is Shen Qianmei or Shen Qianli?"

"Naive," Zhuang Yazhi replied coldly.

There was nothing unusual in the video; it's perfectly normal for an uncle to protect his nephew.

With Old Master Shen's name protecting her, Shen Qianmei can now act with impunity in Haicheng. This makes Zhuang Haiming even more trembling. He is terrified even when he sees Shen Qianmei's back from afar, and he starts to hide from a distance of 2 miles. His fear is no less than that of seeing a ghost.

Zhuang Yazhi patted the door behind her, signaling Zhuang Haiming to come out: "The person has already gone far away."

Dark circles under his eyes were like rusty iron shackles etched into Zhuang Haiming's eyes. For two weeks after Shen Qianmei returned, he hadn't slept well for two consecutive weeks. When he came out, his steps were unsteady, and he looked around suspiciously, his heart almost jumping out of his throat.

"Tell me, is this person Shen Qianmei or Shen Qianli?"

Zhuang Haiming was also hesitant to draw conclusions. Although they hadn't met yet, the casual glance from afar was enough to send chills down his spine, a strange sense of familiarity exploding on his cold back.

Even her closest bedmate couldn't reach a conclusion, which only deepened Zhuang Yazhi's doubts.

To welcome Shen Qianmei home, the Shen family threw her a party.

Zhang Baoxian arrived at dinner time, bringing with him an invitation.

“Sinan, I am deeply sorry for what Qianmei did to you in the past.”

"But the two children are still young and have a bright future ahead of them. We can't let this break our bond and connection, don't you think?"

Su Sinan did not reply; she was hesitating.

Zhuang Yazhi was watching from a distance on the second-floor staircase.

Her high-profile return, and the fact that Zhang Baoxian personally invited her, shows that Shen Qianmei is truly extraordinary.

Zhuang Yazhi accepted the invitation and brought Zhuang Haiming along to attend.

"Head up, chest out, mouth closed."

"Shen Qianli is dead. She is Shen Qianmei."

The scumbag dad was timid and hesitant, taking one step forward and three steps back, looking furtive as if he was about to steal something at any moment.

Zhuang Haiming couldn't feel at ease at all, so even when he went inside, he sat in a rather dark corner.

Fortunately, this was a masked ball party, and everyone there was wearing masks, so he wasn't recognized for a while.

As the star of the party, Shen Qianmei made a grand entrance under the spotlight in a royal blue dress, dancing gracefully to the accompaniment of melodious music, moving as nimbly as a colorful butterfly.

The stage was beautiful, and the performers were even more beautiful, captivating the men in the audience.

Zhuang Yazhi began observing Shen Qianmei from the moment she entered. She was poised, elegant, and composed, polite yet noble and unapproachable.

As I was looking, a devilish masked face appeared before me, subtly and forcefully grabbing my attention.

The blue velvet suit perfectly accentuated his muscular physique, while the white gemstone embellishment on the chest exuded both elegance and nobility.

Zhuang Yazhi casually complimented, "Not bad for your hairstyle," before pushing the person away.

You don't even need to look to know who he is.

But it was clear that Shen Yiheng had gotten used to it; he didn't make a fuss and just followed silently.

During the free dance segment, Shen Qianmei, who was in the center, strolled around casually. Perhaps because the lighting was a bit dim, she accidentally bumped into someone.

"Careful," Cheng Huai'an carefully steadied her, his limbs inadvertently brushing against Shen Qianmei's soft waist, before he withdrew his gentlemanly hand in a second.

Shen Qianmei had a slender figure, and her waist was so thin that it could be grasped in one hand, comparable to a nimble water snake. She was quite embarrassed and lowered her eyes shyly.

It's very alluring.

The interaction between the two was observed by everyone, and some even took photos with their phones.

As her husband, Zhuang Haiming was well aware of Shen Qianli's past.

He felt very uncomfortable watching this person who looked exactly like Shen Qianli exchanging flirtatious glances with Shen Qianli's ex-lover.

Cheng Yan was also at the ball. He was wearing a white suit and sitting at the bar. He had finished his drink, but he kept holding the empty glass, looking preoccupied.

Suddenly looking up, Zhuang Yazhi and Cheng Yan met eyes. He got up and headed towards them almost without hesitation, his goal firmly set in motion.

The closer they got, the more hurried their steps became.

He reeked of alcohol when I approached, and after sitting down, I guessed he had drunk quite a bit; his eyelids were slightly red.

Shen Yiheng frowned. He stood beside Zhuang Yazhi, forming an invisible protective wall to guard against Cheng Yan's approach.

With each step Cheng Yan took closer, the tension intensified.

Zhuang Yazhi had nowhere to retreat and was trapped between the two unwilling to give in, unable to move.

She hated this scene and loathed being treated as an object of conflict.

When the atmosphere became tense, a waiter came over with a glass of red wine.

Zhuang Yazhi seemingly reached for the wine, casually wiping the glass.

With a crash, before the two could react, the wine glass had already fallen to the ground and shattered into pieces.

The commotion was quite loud, and everyone present, thinking someone was causing trouble, turned to watch the spectacle.

Zhuang Yazhi's light and elegant skirt, the blue and white long skirt fluttering like ripples on water.

Taking this opportunity, she strode away under the watchful eyes of Shen Yiheng and Cheng Yan, heading towards the center of the dance floor where Shen Qianmei was.

At this moment, Shen Qianmei was still immersed in dancing with Cheng Huai'an when she unexpectedly turned around and bumped into Zhuang Yazhi's arms.

A fleeting shock betrayed her panic. Zhuang Yazhi raised her hand and placed it on her slender waist, which was indeed soft.

The next second, a lively dance music started, and Zhuang Yazhi gave Shen Qianli no chance to escape, forcefully controlling her to dance.

The two had an extraordinary chemistry; the more they danced, the more synchronized they became. The dazzling lights shone with colorful brilliance because of them, stunning the entire audience.

"Miss Zhuang is so beautiful and charming that even Mr. Shen and Mr. Cheng are captivated by her. Why are you so interested in dancing with me?"

As the music changed, Shen Qianmei was no longer willing to be controlled and quickly switched to actively lead the dance steps.

Under the dim light, Qianmei was so alluring. Even though she was over forty, she was still shy, charming, and gentle. Her deep eyes were like the clear blue water of spring. Just one glance was enough to captivate.

Who says girls have to dance with boys?

"Sister Qianmei is so beautiful."

Zhuang Yazhi offered a heartfelt compliment, her sweet smile revealing her utmost sincerity.

The unexpected praise disrupted Shen Qianmei's dance steps.

Looking back, Shen Qianmei spun around and returned to Zhuang Yazhi's embrace, her long, soft curls gliding past, and a sweet floral fragrance filling the air.

Zhuang Yazhi lowered her head and took a deep breath, gently sniffing the air; her delicate cheeks were flushed, her shyness was evident, and from afar and up close, one could faintly smell the lingering fragrance of peach wine.

Subtle and captivating.

Such a beautiful woman even made Zhuang Yazhi take a few more glances; her beautiful image lingered in his mind for a long time.

Just as the music ended, Zhuang Yazhi gracefully took her bow and turned to leave. Witnessing Shen Qianmei's shock, she left with a meaningful smile, her gaze subtly restrained.

"So, so? Who is she?" Zhuang Haiming asked impatiently on the way back.

Zhuang Yazhi found him a bit annoying and opened the window to let in some fresh air.

"She can be whoever she wants to be."

That was all.

Not getting the answer he wanted, Zhuang Haiming went home and started fuming again, pacing back and forth all over the house.

At first, Zhuang Yazhi thought he was going to steal money and run away, until he pulled a file bag out of a cabinet in a corner.

"Found it."

In the past, when he was with Shen Qianli, he had mentioned Shen Qianmei a few times.

“Shen Qianli doesn’t know how to reply to messages, so Shen Qianmei can only deliver messages by writing letters.”

Zhuang Yazhi picked it up and looked at it. There was only one letter every two or three months.

Several letters were sent, each just a thin sheet of paper.

The content written above was nothing out of the ordinary; it was simply a request for Shen Qianli to go home and visit.

"January, March, July, August..."

The last letter was on August 13th, two days before Shen Qianli went to prison.

At this moment, Zhuang Haiming was completely oblivious. He casually picked up a letter, thinking he would find an opportunity to compare the handwriting.

Zhuang Yazhi put away the last letter.

"Daughter, now Dad can only rely on you. You said you would protect me, right?"

Zhuang Haiming looked preoccupied, and now he could only place his hopes on Zhuang Yazhi.

Zhuang Yazhi nodded solemnly: "Of course, I will protect you for the rest of my life."

After returning to her room, Zhuang Yazhi made a phone call to check if Shen Qianmei had visited her in prison.

The last letter was sent so close together that she wondered if it was possible that Shen Qianmei had visited her in prison, and that Shen Qianli had killed her own sister to survive, and was now taking Shen Qianmei's place back in Haicheng.

A perfect exoneration.

Or perhaps, Shen Qianli didn't die, and Shen Qianmei is still alive; both of them are alive.

The one who killed her in the hospital was Shen Qianli, and the one who returned to the public eye was Shen Qianmei; the two sisters appeared alternately.

Or perhaps, before her death, Shen Qianli entrusted Shen Qianmei with her will, asking her to return to Haicheng to fulfill her unfinished wish.

Or perhaps, Shen Qianli died and was reborn, her soul inhabiting Shen Qianmei's body, the two sharing one body.

And again and again and again...

Countless possibilities flashed through my mind.

She resembles Shen Qianli, yet she doesn't resemble Shen Qianli; this is the most perplexing aspect.

Zhuang Yazhi couldn't figure it out, so she turned over and fell fast asleep.