Chapter 188 Where did you put Little Crystal?
Upon hearing that it was someone from the Zhao family who wanted to meet Shen Ying, Shen Hanzhi stopped cursing. His expression was still not good. He glanced in the direction of Shen Ying's bedroom before saying, "Could you invite the young master of the Zhao family to our home?"
I'll explain this to them.
In Shen Hanzhi's eyes, Shen Ying's current state was as if she were possessed. If he allowed Shen Ying to meet the Zhao family alone, he was worried that she would really ruin everything for him.
Shen Ming said, "This... I'm afraid it won't work. Young Master Zhao clearly said he wants to talk to my sister alone."
"But Uncle, judging from Young Master Zhao's demeanor, perhaps the Zhao family has no intention of giving up on the marriage alliance."
Yu Shu said, "Her father, since that's the case, let Yingying go and meet him. Yingying knows what to do."
Shen Hanzhi hesitated for a moment, but finally had Shen Ying called out again. Seeing Shen Ying's disheveled appearance, he was furious: "Hurry up and get ready to go with Ming Su to see the Zhao family. Shen Ying, I'm warning you, if you dare to mess this up, you can forget about this child."
Shen Ying stood at the doorway and could see Xiao Shuijing in Yu Shu's arms from a distance. She said, "I can go, but you must give the child back to me."
Shen Han knew: "Shen Ying, you have no right to bargain with me now. If you want your child to be alright, do as I ask immediately and try to appease the Zhao family."
Seeing that Shen Hanzhi was about to lose her temper again, Shen Mingsu quickly went to Shen Ying and said a few words of advice. Only then did Shen Ying reluctantly go into the house to change her clothes.
After leaving the Shen family mansion, Shen Ying still couldn't bring Xiao Shuijing back. Shen Mingsu took Shen Ying directly to a coffee shop and said, "Sister, what are you thinking? Why did you go back to the capital with Jin Yanzhou? You know perfectly well that Uncle..."
"Where is Zhao Chengmo?" Shen Ying asked directly without answering Shen Mingsu's question.
Shen Ming said, "There was no Zhao Chengmo. I was lying to my uncle just now. I just wanted to bring you out to ask you what you plan to do next."
Shen Ying returned to the capital without even telling him in advance.
Shen Ying said, "Bring Zhao Chengmo here. I do have something I want to talk to him about."
Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of Shen Ying, Shen Mingsu resigned himself to his fate and went to help Shen Ying make phone calls to arrange meetings.
Seeing her perfectly healthy older sister, who should have been shining brightly with a promising future, now struggling to maintain her freedom, Shen Ming felt a pang of sadness.
Rather than staying here with Shen Ying, he wanted to question Jin Yanzhou about what he really thought of Shen Ying.
But he couldn't do that.
Shen Ying was determined to let go, so he couldn't go to her head and disrupt her plans.
While waiting for Zhao Chengmo to arrive, Shen Ying felt uneasy and anxious. She looked at Shen Mingsu and said, "I can manage on my own here. Ah Su, could you please go to my house again? I'm worried about leaving Xiao Shuijing with my dad. Please go back and check on her."
Even though Xiao Shuijing is Shen Hanzhi's grandson, Shen Ying has not forgotten that Shen Hanzhi keeps calling her an illegitimate child. Even with Yu Shu watching over Shen Hanzhi, Shen Ying is still worried.
"And what about here..."
"Don't worry about me. I'll take care of things here and go back soon. Asu, promise me you'll protect Little Crystal."
After urging Shen Mingsu to leave, Shen Ying still couldn't calm down, feeling as if something bad was about to happen.
She drank half a cup of hot milk, but still couldn't suppress her heart palpitations. Just when she was about to leave, Zhao Chengmo finally arrived late.
Beside Zhao Chengmo was a young girl. She was wearing a simple knitted dress, and neither her clothes nor her bag were brand-name. She looked very plain standing next to Zhao Chengmo.
Shen Ying had met this girl before. Just before she and Zhao Chengmo decided to get engaged, Zhao Chengmo showed her a photo of his girlfriend, Lu Cai.
Zhao Chengmo first pulled out a chair for Lu Cai before sitting down opposite Shen Ying. He said, "Miss Shen, I was a little late picking up Lu Cai. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
"But didn't we agree you'd be in Hong Kong? Why did you suddenly come back to Beijing?"
He didn't use an aggressive tone, but his words implied that Shen Ying shouldn't have come back.
Shen Ying said, "This must be Young Master Zhao's girlfriend. I think that given your relationship, Young Master Zhao probably doesn't want to maintain this kind of relationship indefinitely, leaving Miss Lu to follow you without any status or recognition, right?"
"What do you mean by that?" Zhao Chengmo asked, extending his arm to protect Lu Cai, his gaze fixed on Shen Ying with a hint of wariness.
Shen Ying said, "I have a way to make Miss Lu stand openly by your side and get Madam Zhao to agree to your marriage to Miss Lu. However, this requires Mr. Zhao's cooperation. I wonder if you are willing?"
As she spoke, her gaze fell upon Lu Cai. Looking into Lu Cai's clear eyes, she seemed to see herself many years ago.
For a long time, she had unconditionally believed in the promises Jin Yanzhou made to her, and even after repeated disappointments, she could always comfort herself again and again.
But when she suddenly realized there was no hope on this path, she tried to extricate herself, but it was already too late.
It was only at this point that she finally realized that promises have always been the most ephemeral and useless things.
Now all she wants is to get rid of Jin Yanzhou and the Shen family completely, and Zhao Chengmo might be the best help. She can just give Lu Cai a push along the way.
"Miss Shen, are you telling the truth?" Lu Cai's eyes lit up, and she looked at Shen Ying with almost expectant eyes.
Zhao Chengmo also looked at Shen Ying, but unlike Lu Cai, his eyes were shining. Instead, he hesitated and said, "Miss Shen, you know that my family is not easy to get past. If you are not sure, you should not say such things. I don't want to disappoint A-Cai."
“If you don’t try, how can Young Master Zhao be sure that the outcome will be disappointment? There’s nothing in this world that you can be sure of; you only know by trying,” Shen Ying said.
She stared intently at Zhao Chengmo, as if trying to see through what was hidden behind his hesitation.
Lu Cai also said, "Amo, I think Miss Shen makes a good point. Why don't we give it a try first?"
Zhao Chengmo asked, "Chen Ying, you have to promise me that the method you're talking about won't hurt A Cai."
Shen Ying nodded and quickly expressed her thoughts.
The doubt in Zhao Chengmo's eyes had not yet dissipated. He said, "If things really go smoothly as you say, my Zhao family may agree to your conditions."
"But what if? Your method would also damage the reputation of the Zhao family. Even if everything else is secondary, can you guarantee that Jin Yanzhou won't interfere?"
“He won’t,” Shen Ying said.
This is the capital city, and Jin Qingyu is watching her intently from the sidelines. Jin Yanzhou will only try to distance himself from her.
Zhao Chengmo was still hesitating when Lu Cai said, "Chengmo, let's give it a try. You know, our social statuses are too different. If no one helps us, Auntie will probably never agree. I think Miss Shen's method is feasible."
"Please listen to me this time, okay? If it doesn't work after this, I'll listen to you from now on."
Shen Ying didn't speak at this moment. She waited for Zhao Chengmo and Lu Cai to discuss it, but the panic in her heart became more and more obvious.
Shen Ying took out her phone and sent several messages to Shen Mingsu, wanting to ask how Xiao Shuijing was doing, but Shen Mingsu did not respond.
Just as she was about to make the call, Zhao Chengmo said, "Then I'll gamble with Miss Chen this once."
Shen Ying said, "If we're going to put on an act, then I'll have to trouble you, Young Master Zhao. Please don't contact Miss Lu for the time being. It's getting late, so I'll be going now. I'll contact you later."
Before Zhao Chengmo could even reply, Shen Ying hurriedly went out and hailed a car.
Zhao Chengmo then looked at Lu Cai: "Cai, you were too impulsive today. If this succeeds, that's fine, but have you thought about what if it doesn't?"
You know I don't want you to get hurt.
Lu Cai said, "I think Miss Shen is right. How will we know the result if we don't try?"
Even if the final result isn't what we expected, at least we gave it our all, and I can accept my fate with peace of mind.
When she looked at Zhao Chengmo, her eyes shone with a stubborn light, and she exuded an indomitable spirit, which was what attracted Zhao Chengmo the most.
Zhao Chengmo compromised: "Okay, whatever you say. No matter what the outcome, A-Cai, my feelings for you will never change. Let's go, I'll take you home."
The car sped along, and when Shen Ying returned to the Shen family mansion, before she even opened the door, she heard a commotion coming from inside. It was Shen Mingsu, who was questioning her: "Uncle, Xiao Shuijing is your granddaughter! She's so well-behaved and adorable, how could you bear to give her away?"
With a jolt of surprise, Shen Ying felt her breathing become heavy and she could hear a buzzing sound in her ears.
She burst through the door and saw Yu Shu sitting on the floor crying, Shen Mingsu constantly questioning her, and Shen Hanzhi remaining silent.
"Where's Little Crystal? Dad, where's Little Crystal? Didn't you promise me you'd make sure Little Crystal was alright?" Shen Ying asked.
When she spoke again, her voice was trembling.
Shen Hanzhi didn't speak. Yu Shu staggered towards Shen Ying: "Yingying, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I didn't take good care of Xiao Shuijing for you."
"Where is Xiao Shuijing? Where did you take her?" Shen Ying questioned again.
Yu Shu then said, trembling, "Little Crystal...she made you forcibly send her to the orphanage."
"I'm sorry, Yingying, it's all my fault. I couldn't protect her for you."
Shen Ying's legs immediately gave way, and she collapsed to the ground. It was Yu Shu who caught her and prevented her from falling.
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