Upon hearing this, Shen Mingyi's heart sank. He looked at Shen Jinshu in disbelief, never expecting such an outcome.
"Hmph, looks like no one's willing to help you." The bearded man sneered, his words mercilessly mocking Shen Mingyi. His sharp words felt like a knife stabbing into Shen Mingyi's heart, causing him immense pain.
Shen Mingyi's voice was hoarse, "I borrowed this money all for you..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Jinshu's expression gradually became impatient. "Third Brother, I have never asked you to do these things for me."
The implication was that all of this was Shen Mingyi's own choice, and she couldn't be blamed.
There's no reason to take back what you've given away. If you don't have the ability to do something, don't try to appear capable when you're not.
The thought that not only would Shen's mother not get the seal, but she would also be kicked out of the Duke of Ling's mansion made Shen Jinshu feel suffocated.
They're all useless; since they're no longer of any use to her, she doesn't need to feign politeness with them anymore.
Shen Mingyi froze completely, clearly catching the impatience and disgust hidden deep in Shen Jinshu's eyes.
How did his sister end up like this?
The bearded man picked at his ear, then swiftly dislocated Shen Mingyi's hand. He looked up at Shen Jinshu with a wicked smile. "Enough. I don't have time to listen to your complaints. I'll ask you one more time, you really don't want to save him?"
Shen Mingyi still held a sliver of hope. He stared intently at Shen Jinshu, hoping to hear what he wanted to hear from her.
But Shen Jinshu just pursed her lips and remained silent, her beautiful, moist eyes filled with a barely perceptible sense of guilt.
Now, there was nothing Shen Mingyi didn't understand.
He now understood the despair and regret that Shen Yuzhou had felt back then.
"Alright, then I'll follow the rules." The bearded man's disdainful gaze swept over the two of them. What a joke about brotherly and sisterly affection! It seems it's nothing more than that.
He waved his hand, signaling his men to take action without holding back.
Soon, screams pierced the sky. Shen Jinshu frowned her delicate brows and simply turned her head away, preferring not to see it.
The fists, as big as sandbags, pounded on Shen Mingyi's body, but they were nothing compared to the pain in his heart.
That was his beloved younger sister, whom he had cherished for over ten years. For her sake, he was willing to abandon his own sister and go against his mother and brother.
In the end, he became a complete joke.
"stop!"
Mother Shen rushed over to stop the fist that was about to come down. Seeing Shen Mingyi's miserable state, crystal tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I will pay back the money he owes you."
The bearded man raised an eyebrow, took the thick stack of silver notes, patted them lightly in his hand, looked down at Shen Mingyi with an ambiguous expression, and said, "You really have a good mother."
Having said that, the bearded man took the silver note in his hand, laughed loudly, and left.
Anyway, they beat the person, got the money, and also let Shen Mingyi see Shen Jinshu's true colors, so they achieved their goal.
On the other side, Shen's mother struggled to help Shen Mingyi, who was beaten to a bloody pulp, up, wiping away tears with heartache.
"Mother, where did you get so much money?" Shen Mingyi didn't believe that his mother could suddenly produce such a large sum of money.
Madam Shen's face stiffened, and she replied dryly, "Given by the Duke's Mansion..."
This money was given to her by the Duke's mansion out of consideration for their blood ties, as a guarantee for her livelihood.
Even if they don't become extremely wealthy, they will at least be able to live comfortably from now on.
But now that she has paid off a large sum of money for Shen Mingyi, she has very little savings left.
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingyi nodded, a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.
He was unaware that his mother had been kicked out of the Duke of Ling's mansion. He assumed that the Duke's mansion had accepted him as their grandson and couldn't bear to see him suffer.
Shen's mother was unaware of Shen Mingyi's thoughts and had no intention of explaining further. Instead, she cast a accusing glance at Shen Jinshu, who was standing to the side.
"Shu'er, you just stood by and watched your brother get beaten. When did you become so cold-blooded and heartless?"
Shen Jinshu sneered, disclaiming all responsibility, "I learned all this from you guys. Besides, it was my third brother's own choice to borrow money at exorbitant interest rates to help with my dowry; I didn't force him to do it."
"Things given away are like water spilled on the ground; there's no reason to ask for them back. It would be a laughingstock if word got out."
"But he is your brother." Mother Shen had no way to refute this, and after a long pause, she finally managed to utter this harmless remark.
Shen Jinshu lazily raised her eyes, a hint of schadenfreude in them. "Mother, have you forgotten that my elder brother is Shen Rushan?"
As for Shen Mingyi, he has his own younger sister. I almost forgot, Song Zhiyu doesn't acknowledge you at all.
Seemingly devastated, Mother Shen clutched her chest and staggered back, saying, "You said you would consider me your own mother..."
"Mother," Shen Jinshu called out impatiently, her beautiful red lips pressed into a straight line, indicating that she was not in a good mood.
"You're as naive as ever, believing everything I say. It's just a lie, why bother taking it to heart?"
I've always known who my biological mother is. I only acknowledged you as my mother and took Song Zhiyu's place to have a legitimate identity.
Under the shocked gaze of Madam Shen, Shen Jinshu slowly spoke again, "In the past, when you had value, we could be a loving mother and a filial daughter. Now, you can't even get a small seal, and you've been kicked out of the Duke of Ling's mansion. You have no value left, so why should I lower myself to please you?"
Now that things have come to this, she is no longer afraid of breaking ties with Shen's mother.
The woman claimed to treat her like her own daughter, but the moment the truth about her origins was revealed, she violently shook off her hand.
If it weren't for her humble and ingratiating manner, and her intentional or unintentional mentions of her childhood, would Shen's mother still have treated her without any barriers?
"So this is what you've always thought of me." Mother Shen was filled with mixed emotions. She never imagined that the kindness of raising her over the years was not as great as that of Ye Rou, who gave birth to her but did not raise her.
Shen Jinshu seemed oblivious to the tears on her mother's face, each word piercing her heart: "When you repeatedly hurt Song Zhiyu for my sake, did you ever imagine this day would come?"
“Originally, if you had just obtained that seal, His Highness could have dragged the Duke of Ling’s mansion down with him, and I could still have been your obedient and kind daughter. But who told you to be so foolish?” Shen Jinshu shook her head regretfully. She shouldn’t have placed all her hopes on her mother.
Shen Mingyi couldn't listen any longer. He weakly gasped and scolded, "Enough, Shen Jinshu. My mother and I have never wronged you."
Only now did he finally see Shen Jinshu's true colors, but it was too late, and everything was beyond redemption.
Shen Mingyi gave a bitter laugh. Blood was still dripping from his hands hanging by his sides, but he was completely unaware of the pain. He just forced a smile, a smile that looked more like a cry.
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