Ch 13: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

Shen Yunrui tried to explain, “I was just surprised that Mr. Huo came so early. I didn’t expect it.”

Someone tried to smooth things over. “That’s right; Yunrui was just worried that Mr. Huo might be too busy to come.”

Over the past two days, Shen Yunxuan had been diligently fulfilling her part of the marriage agreement. Now that they were at the Shen family’s home, Huo Siheng naturally wanted to uphold her dignity. He replied, “Work is endless, but Yunxuan’s matters are more important.”

Shen Yunrui stared at him as if she had seen a ghost. What does he mean by ‘Yunxuan’s matters are more important’? Could it be that Huo Siheng has fallen for Shen Yunxuan?

This wasn’t just a blow from seeing Huo Siheng treat Shen Yunxuan better than her. It was a complete upheaval of her rebirth advantage—her knowledge of the past life’s trajectory. If things could change so drastically, what use was her foresight? Was this just a small deviation, or had everything begun to shift?

Shen Yunrui felt an urgent need to confirm this. Her gaze darted between Shen Yunxuan and Huo Siheng as she probed, “It seems like you two get along very well? Didn’t you only meet on your wedding day? How is your relationship so good after just three days?”

Her question was so abrupt that the room fell silent. Everyone thought Shen Yunrui was being inappropriate. In families like theirs, who openly discussed emotional matters?

Huo Siheng’s behavior was clearly about showing respect for his wife and giving her face. Everyone could see from his attitude that Shen Yunxuan held a significant position in the Huo family. Why bring up their personal relationship? Did it even matter?

Has Shen Yunrui lost her sense of propriety? Does she think everyone is as obsessed with love as she is?

Shen Yunxuan glanced at her sister and, holding Huo Siheng’s hand, said with a smile, “Perhaps relationships are about fate. Some people can grow close in just a few days, while others remain distant even after more than twenty years.”

Her words clearly referred to her twenty-plus years of estrangement from the Shen family. The subtle jab at Shen Yunrui’s recent behavior, combined with her poised delivery, made the room grow noticeably colder.

At that moment, Huo Siheng’s phone rang. It was a call from a senior executive at his company. After excusing himself to Shen Yunxuan, he stepped aside to take the call.

Seeing an opening, Shen Guobang quickly stood up and said, “Yunxuan, your grandfather wants to have a word with you. He’s been waiting for a long time. Let’s go see him.” Everything that had happened earlier left him feeling humiliated, and he hadn’t even dared to invite Huo Siheng to the study. Now that Huo was temporarily away, he wanted to address things privately within the family before the situation escalated further.

Shen Yunxuan nodded and told the guests to make themselves comfortable. The relatives quickly smiled and agreed, though the atmosphere had shifted. In this household, Shen Yunxuan now carried herself as though she were the true host, with everyone treating her as the center of attention.

All of Shen Yunrui’s efforts to build herself up had crumbled. Her face twisted in frustration as she stomped upstairs without even informing Lin Huaizhi. Meanwhile, Lin Huaizhi, sitting awkwardly among unfamiliar and not-so-friendly faces, felt entirely out of place and deeply uncomfortable.

When they arrived at the study, Shen Guobang noticed that Huo Siheng’s assistant, Yang An, had followed them in. He frowned and was about to speak when Yang An said, “Mr. Shen, Mr. Huo instructed me to stay with Mrs. Huo at all times to ensure her well-being. Please, just pretend I’m not here.”

Shen Guobang shot a look at Shen Yunxuan, clearly hoping she’d send Yang An away. However, she calmly sat down and said, “There’s nothing to hide. Trying to conceal things will only make people suspicious. Go ahead and speak your mind.”

Shen Yunrui sighed theatrically. “Sister, why are you treating the family like this? Anyone would think you’re holding a grudge against us for marrying you off.”

Her words were sharp, designed to sow seeds of discord. With Yang An present, this could easily create tension between Shen Yunxuan and the Huo family. If either Huo Siheng or Madam Huo were petty, they might start doubting Shen Yunxuan’s loyalty or feelings about her marriage.

Shen Yunxuan smiled faintly. “Don’t misunderstand me, sister.”

Shen Yunrui smirked. That’s right. One word from me, and you’re forced to defend yourself, caught in a cycle of explaining and proving yourself helplessly.

But then Shen Yunxuan said something entirely unexpected: “For the past twenty-some years, I’ve always been at odds with this family.”

Shen Guobang and the others froze, glaring at her with shock and anger. Even Yang An looked up in surprise.

Shen Yunxuan maintained her calm smile. “Isn’t that true? If there’s no grudge, then why could Yunrui donate a building to a prestigious school while I, having gained admission myself, was still considered inadequate? Why did Yunrui have endless money and assets while I could barely make ends meet? Why was Yunrui praised for doing the same things that got me scolded?

And why was Yunrui’s marriage to the Huo family described as paving her path to lifelong wealth, while mine was framed as a duty to marry into the Lin family to be a virtuous wife and take care of them, so as not to bring shame to our family?

Even those so-called ‘lessons’—being denied food, forced to stand all night, or locked out in the pouring rain—are too numerous to count. If I hadn’t done a DNA test, I might have genuinely thought I was the child of your enemy.”

She spoke with a detached air, her smile unwavering, as though recounting someone else’s story. But the weight of her words was undeniable, and the room grew heavy with tension.

Even Yang An, who had only been listening, felt uncomfortable imagining what kind of life she must have endured in this household. Huo Siheng, who had finished his call and arrived at the door just in time to hear her words, also felt a pang of discomfort. He hadn’t expected her life in the Shen family to be so bleak.

Lin Huaizhi had come along with Huo Siheng and now stood awkwardly by the door, his face flushed. Shen Yunxuan’s words seemed to paint Shen Yunrui as the favored one who had benefitted from the family’s bias. This made him feel smaller in comparison to Huo Siheng, who seemed worlds above him. For the first time, Lin Huaizhi regretted returning for this visit. The entire situation felt more troublesome than it was worth, leaving him increasingly agitated and uncertain about his decisions.

Lin Huaizhi hesitated to knock on the door, but Huo Siheng stopped him.

Huo Siheng wanted to hear how the Shen family would handle this situation. If they were smart, they would recognize that the Huo family had accepted Shen Yunxuan as their daughter-in-law and make amends to repair their relationship with her. He also wanted to know whether Shen Yunxuan would forgive them, as that would influence how the Huo family treated the Shen family in the future.

However, instead of showing regret, the Shen family reacted with anger, seeing Shen Yunxuan’s calmness as arrogance. To them, she was merely emboldened by her marriage to the Huo family.

Madam Shen snapped, “You even secretly did a DNA test? So that’s why you always pretended to be obedient while scheming in the background. Now that you’ve grown wings, you’re finally showing your true colors!”

Shen Yunxuan spread her hands, mocking, “See? Isn’t this exactly how one would treat an enemy? Tell me, Madam Shen, what have I ever done to you?”

Madam Shen’s face twisted with resentment, and she blurted, “You stole your sister’s nutrition in the womb, leaving her frail and small while you were born oversized, causing my difficult labor and injuring my body. Then you cried nonstop as a baby—it’s like you were born to curse this family!”

Yang An, standing nearby, inhaled sharply. What kind of mother says such cruel things to her own child?

But when he glanced at Shen Yunxuan, she laughed out loud, as if she’d just heard the funniest joke. “I was oversized? Were you carrying twins that weighed over ten pounds combined? How big could I possibly have been? Five pounds? Six? No one on Earth would say that’s oversized, let alone blame a newborn for your injuries.

Don’t tell me you’re blaming me for not being able to have a son afterward. Was it because Grandma scolded you, and you had nowhere to vent your anger, so you took it out on me? And as for me crying nonstop, could it have been because you were so focused on Yunrui that you left me to be neglected by the servants?”

Shen Yunxuan genuinely found it laughable. In her previous life, she had never heard such absurd accusations. By the time she rose to prominence, the Shen family had fully accepted her success and depended on her, so they wouldn’t dare to say anything unpleasant. She never expected Madam Shen to shift all her dissatisfaction onto her and genuinely believe it over time.

If Shen Yunxuan had truly taken away Shen Yunrui’s nutrition and harmed her health, how could Shen Yunrui be so lively and scheming? Even in her past life, the wealthiest family wouldn’t have chosen to marry someone physically weak. Madam Shen was clearly making things up.

“Enough! Must you keep this up?” Shen Guobang glared at Shen Yunxuan and said coldly, “If your sister hadn’t stepped aside, how could you have gotten such a good marriage? If the family hadn’t put in so much effort, how could you have married into the Huo family? You should be grateful, not ungrateful!”

Shen Yunxuan raised an eyebrow. “Grandfather said the Shen family owed the Lin family a debt and planned to arrange marriages for both me and Yunrui without consulting us. Isn’t that ungrateful?”

Grandfather Shen’s face turned ashen.

“And honestly,” Shen Yunxuan continued, “I don’t believe in repaying debts by marrying off granddaughters. If you owed the Lin family, it was your responsibility to repay them. Marrying off a granddaughter… look at Yunrui,” she said with mock pity. “She looks so worn out after just two days. There’s a saying about working like an ox or a horse to repay a debt, but you didn’t need to take it literally and send your granddaughter to be a servant. Grandfather, how could you bear to do that?”

Grandfather Shen banged his cane on the floor. “How dare you speak to me like this!”

Shen Yunrui jumped in, “Stop trying to sow discord between me and Grandfather!”

Shen Yunxuan tilted her head, feigning confusion. “I guess I truly don’t belong here. Even my mother-in-law said so. It’s better if we have less contact. We always end up arguing, and it’s never pleasant.”

The Shen family, now desperate, threw caution to the wind. “Do you think you can still have a voice in the Huo family without the Shen family’s support? Don’t be naïve! In an arranged marriage, the Huo family values your identity as a member of the Shen family. Without us, you’re nothing!”

Before Shen Yunxuan could respond, Yang An stepped forward. “I believe you’ve misunderstood. Madam Huo said the wedding fiasco made her seriously doubt the Shen family’s character. She was initially planning to have Mr. Huo divorce Mrs. Huo immediately after the wedding. However, seeing Mrs. Huo handle the situation gracefully and get along well with Mr. Huo changed her mind.

In the past two days, Madam Huo has treated Mrs. Huo like her own daughter, ordering custom clothes and jewelry, taking her to exclusive clubs and stores, and ensuring she isn’t slighted in social settings. Today, Madam Huo and Mr. Huo specifically assigned me to accompany Mrs. Huo to prevent her from being mistreated. At first, I didn’t understand why such precautions were necessary in her own family, but now I do.

I must remind you that Mrs. Shen Yunxuan is now the wife of our company CEO, the lady of the Huo household. Any further disrespect toward her will be considered a direct affront to the Huo family. I trust you wouldn’t want to face the consequences of provoking the Huo family.”

No one expected the Huo family to defend Shen Yunxuan so adamantly. The Shen family, who had been lording their seniority over her moments ago, fell silent in shock and humiliation. If the Huo family only recognized Shen Yunxuan and not the Shen family, wasn’t this marriage alliance essentially pointless? How could that be acceptable?

Shen Guobang hurriedly asked, “Yunxuan, what about the collaboration between the Huo and Shen families that we discussed? Did you bring it up?”

Shen Yunxuan nodded. Just as they began to breathe a sigh of relief, she added, “I already made it clear: there’s no one in the Shen family skilled at business. The Huo family won’t be collaborating with you.”

“What?! Shen Yunxuan, have you lost your mind?!” Shen Guobang shot to his feet, glaring angrily at Shen Yunxuan.

Shen Yunrui, however, felt that things were finally aligning with her past life. She sneered, “I don’t think it’s you telling the Huo family not to cooperate with ours. More likely, you begged Huo Siheng for resources, and he turned you down, didn’t he? And now you’re making these bold claims—aren’t you afraid Yang An will report everything to Huo Siheng?”

A knock sounded at the door, cutting off the conversation. Before anyone could respond, Huo Siheng pushed the door open and walked in. “Afraid Yang An will tell me what? I already heard everything. Yunxuan is right, and I fully agree with her. I have no intention of collaborating with the Shen family.”

He glanced coldly at the Shen family members. “It seems the Shen family doesn’t welcome us, so we won’t impose any further.”

With that, Huo Siheng took Shen Yunxuan’s hand and started heading downstairs. The Shen family panicked and rushed after them. They couldn’t let them leave like this—if they did, it would not only be an irreparable loss of face but also the complete severance of any potential support from the Huo family!

Lowering their heads to apologize was a small price to pay—so they would do it!

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆