Chapter 596 My Little Sister, Shang Ruyi
A face that was both familiar and unfamiliar appeared before my eyes.
"Like—little sister!?"
Hearing that almost unfamiliar voice and seeing the joy on that almost unfamiliar face, a joy tinged with a hint of guilt, Shang Ruyi's breath caught in her throat.
The face before me was unfamiliar because I hadn't seen it for over ten years; yet it was also familiar because even though I loathed and resented him so much, I couldn't deny that he was a handsome man. His most striking features, such as his bright, sparkling eyes and straight nose, were reminiscent of my brilliant and handsome father.
However, compared to his gentle and refined father, Shang Ruohong, this man exuded a harshness from the bottom of his heart. Even when he looked at me with a smile, I felt a sharp pain as if his gaze was scraping my bones.
Shang Ruyi's brows furrowed unconsciously.
Because the person calling her "little sister" was none other than her own older brother, Shang Shoufei.
The two last met ten years ago.
Ten years ago, at his father's funeral, Shang Shoufei, who was only fourteen years old but already possessed a ruthlessness and cold-heartedness that even some adults lacked, ruthlessly kicked him out of the Shang family business. He not only ignored his cries and pleas but also didn't even leave him a spare piece of clothing to keep warm.
Over the years, Shang Ruyi rarely mentioned him, because mentioning him was like someone having to recall the most terrifying nightmare of their childhood. Hatred was a minor matter; the real pain was the feeling of being tormented by the memories of hatred and suffering, unable to breathe and with a heart-wrenching pain.
But Shang Ruyi never expected that this nightmare would become a reality at this moment, and even sit in front of her.
She still calls herself "little sister"?
She clenched her fists instinctively, digging her little finger tightly into her nails.
The numbness of not feeling anything brought her back to her senses. An instinctive resentment and the sharpness cultivated by years of suffering made her want to say something immediately, but before she could utter a single word, her throat was constricted and her hand was gently grasped.
It is Shen Wuzheng.
He stood beside her and quietly took her hands in his.
His eyes were fixed coldly on Shang Shoufei, who called him "Little Sister," yet felt a pang of guilt and embarrassment under his gaze. He asked, "What did you call me, Little Sister?"
"...!"
Shang Shoufei was taken aback, and the smile on his face immediately turned awkward.
However, Shen Shiyan, sitting in the main seat, said softly, "Wu Zheng, this is, after all—"
But he didn't finish his sentence. First, Shen Wuzheng looked up at him, and second, Yu Shi, who was already impatient, pinched him hard. Under the pressure of his son's imposing gaze and his wife's coercion, even if he wanted to consider the reputation of the Shang family, he couldn't speak at this moment.
He could only sit motionless in the distance, his face contorted in a grimace, feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
Without "outside help," Shang Shoufei seemed a little uneasy. He thought for a moment, stood up, cupped his hands in a salute to Shen Wuzheng, and said, "You must be Wuzheng. It's been a long time."
Shen Wuzheng didn't even lift his eyelids: "I am—Shen, Wu, Zheng."
"..."
"This is my younger sister, Shang Ruyi."
His two sentences were cold and harsh, like two knives stabbing into Shang Shoufei's heart at the same time. The first sentence was a reminder that he and Shen Wuzheng were not that familiar or close, and that he should not call her by her name directly. The second sentence was a reminder that the "little sister" here belonged only to him, Shen Wuzheng.
Shang Shoufei's expression grew increasingly stiff.
However, he also seemed to be a very perceptive and tactful person, and immediately said to Shen Wuzheng, "Young Master Shen, it's been a long time."
After saying that, before Shen Wuzheng could speak, he immediately turned to look at Shang Ruyi and said, "Ruyi."
"..."
Shang Ruyi looked at him calmly without saying a word.
Although Shen Wuzheng had only exchanged one move with him and won decisively, that short moment had calmed her down and restored her usual rationality.
Shang Shoufei's visit to the Shen family at this time was certainly not for the sake of the Shen family.
It's for their own sake!
No, it was for his own sake.
Speaking of which, the last time Shang Ruyi heard news of him was when she was still in Luoyang. When Wang Shaoji came to deliver the Divine Arm Bow to Yuwen Ye, he mentioned to her that her brother, Shang Shoufei, had been cheated out of his money while trying to buy an official position in Daxing City. Judging from his current attire, although he was wearing a rather magnificent dark blue brocade robe with white crane feather patterns, he was clearly still a commoner.
The Shen family has been back in Chang'an for so long, and he came of all times—once today, the very day Yuwen Yuan's great undertaking was accomplished. So he wasn't looking for the Shen couple, but rather trying to find him through them.
No, he wasn't looking for himself either.
It was the Princess Consort of Qin!
Hearing him call her name again, Shang Ruyi pinched her little finger, which had long since lost all feeling, and coldly asked him, "What are you doing here?"
Shang Shoufei's thick, dark eyebrows twitched slightly.
When Shang Ru saw him, she not only didn't address him as "Big Brother," but also didn't use any gentle terms of address. She directly questioned him, her voice undisguisedly cold, clearly showing that she had no room for sentimentality whatsoever.
Although the weather had cooled down, he broke out in a cold sweat at that moment.
If it were anyone else, or even Shang Ruyi in the past, he would have been furious and even punished her according to family rules. But now, the woman standing in front of him is no longer the helpless little sister who was once driven out of the house by him.
It was the Princess Consort of Qin!
Thinking about this, Shang Shoufei's legs trembled slightly.
He had previously heard that the daughter-in-law of Yuwen Yuan, the Duke of Sheng, who had captured Daxing City without firing a single shot and enthroned a new emperor, was none other than his younger sister, whom he had been driven from her home and later adopted by the Shen couple. This gave him a chill, fearing that Shang Ruyi would remember the past and seek revenge. Later, he heard that Shang Ruyi had also come to Daxing City with Yuwen Ye, and he felt conflicted, half fearful and half tempted. Being close to the source of the opportunity, he had always dreamed of becoming an official, and now he was letting go of a brother-in-law who had become a great general and had a promising future. It was a real pity.
While he was hesitating, the general and his wife set off for Fufeng.
So he immediately suspended his plan to go and meet his relatives.
After all, given what he had done to Shang Ruyi in the past, he knew very well that Shang Ruyi wouldn't forgive him so easily. It was more likely that she hadn't had time to hold him accountable before. If he really gave her time to deal with him, he was afraid he would suffer the consequences.
If she could die on the battlefield, although I might lose the shortcut to officialdom, at least I would be one less threat.
Unexpectedly, news of a great victory in Fufeng soon arrived. Not only that, but there were also rumors that the general's wife, a woman, had directly participated in the battle of Fufeng and even burned tens of thousands of Xue Xian's troops to death. Such rumors terrified him. He never imagined that the little girl he had driven out of his home, who only knew how to cry and beg him, would now have such abilities and such ruthless methods. The little hope he had in his heart was forced to be suppressed.
He dared not imagine what methods Shang Ruyi would use to deal with him if he appeared in front of her again.
And now...
If it weren't for the need to survive, and for... his future, how could he dare to appear in front of Shang Ruyi again?
Thinking of this, he suppressed the slight displeasure and even greater fear in his heart, still forcing a smile onto his face, and said with a smile, "Ruyi, are you still blaming your older brother?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi glanced at him indifferently, as if to say "What do you think?" or as if she didn't want to talk to him at all.
Shang Shoufei, however, still had the audacity to continue, "Ruyi, you should also be understanding of your elder brother."
"oh?"
“At that time, the people in the clan said that you had caused the deaths of your parents and were an unlucky person. They wanted to drown you in the pond. Your elder brother drove you out of the family in order to save your life.”
"..."
"Now that I see you are all well, I can rest assured."
"..."
Hearing such shameless words, Madam Yu rolled her eyes to the top of her head, and even the usually gentle Shen Shiyan couldn't help but frown.
He hadn't forgotten how, ten years ago, when he rushed back to Shangjia to mourn his brother-in-law in the dead of winter, he found Shang Ruyi by the roadside. She was disheveled, shivering from the cold, and even had bruises from fighting with beggars on her body. She looked as wretched as a stray kitten. If he hadn't arrived in time, she probably wouldn't have survived that day.
This is definitely not the kind of ending one should receive for being kicked out of their home in an attempt to save their life. Shang Shoufei didn't even give her a thick coat to keep warm.
But now, he has the nerve to say such things.
Shang Ruyi didn't even bother to sneer.
She simply said, "Yes, I'm perfectly fine."
"..."
"Now that you're relieved, can you leave? My uncle, aunt, brother, and I want to have a family reunion and talk things over."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Shang Shoufei's lips twitched again.
Clearly, Shang Ruyi's words meant that she did not acknowledge him as her elder brother at all, and only regarded the Shen couple and Shen Wuzheng as her family.
They are the real "family".
At this point, no matter how thick-skinned or eloquent he was, he couldn't stay any longer after the Princess of Qin had already given him the order to leave. He could only sigh and say, "In that case, I'll head back now."
After speaking, he bowed to the Shen couple and also cupped his hands in greeting to Shen Wuzheng before turning and walking out.
However, just as he was about to walk out of the reception hall, he suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at Shang Ruyi, who had not turned to look at him, and said, "Ruyi, you have been away from home for more than ten years... Don't you want to go home to pay respects to your father and your mother?"
"...!"
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