Ch 100: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

Without the “Shen Yunxuan’s sister” gimmick, Shen Xuewei found it hard to land acting jobs, even after talking herself hoarse. Then, inspiration struck. She approached a few directors she wanted to collaborate with and pitched an idea: Xing Kai’s superiors valued him highly, and he was likely to be promoted to regimental commander soon. Wouldn’t a military officer’s wife acting in films make an even bigger headline? As Xing Kai climbed the ranks, the value of her past filmography would also rise in prestige.

Surprisingly, in an era that emphasized results over gimmicks, Shen Xuewei’s pitch found a receptive audience. Even at the nascent stage of the entertainment industry, there were profit-driven individuals. Eventually, Shen Xuewei managed to secure a lead role in a movie.

This time, she stopped mentioning Shen Yunxuan altogether, cutting ties with her shadow. Meanwhile, Shen Yunxuan only heard a snippet from the village chief, saying that Xing Kai had lost contact with Shen Xuewei and had brought their two children to the military base.

This caught Shen Yunxuan’s attention. Typically, military families only brought their children along if the wife was stationed with them. With Shen Xuewei away filming and out of reach, who else could be looking after the children but Bai Xiaoling?

This situation prompted Shen Yunxuan to realize a valuable lesson: reborn individuals shouldn’t overly trust memories of their past life. Many events aren’t what they appear on the surface, and memories can subconsciously idealize or distort certain details. To avoid being misled by memories, one must evaluate situations objectively and consider present realities.

As Shen Yunxuan’s business continued to expand, she delved into her “Heiress Shen Yunxuan” memories to learn about corporate management and growth strategies. She even hired two retired experts from Haishi at high salaries to teach her.

Seeing this, Xiao Jun also hired teachers for himself. Initially, the rest of the family didn’t understand. The business was thriving—why spend time studying? Wouldn’t practical experience from running the business be more useful than theoretical knowledge?

Shen Yunxuan explained, “What we’re learning now are professional skills. Without them, our potential ceiling might stay at the middle tier, no matter how hard we try. By learning more, we can raise that ceiling to the upper tier, giving us a chance to reach it. It’s like running a race—knowledge can give us speed, stamina, and the ability to break through barriers, letting us run further.”

Although the Xiao family didn’t fully grasp the benefits, Shen Yunxuan’s explanation was clear. At the very least, learning would broaden their horizons and improve their knowledge base. For people from smaller towns with limited education, learning specialized skills could be much more efficient than trial-and-error experience.

Xiao Zhijun went to the capital to study advanced culinary arts. There, he discovered how limited his previous experience had been. The world outside was vast, and the chefs he encountered were incredibly skilled. Humbled, he adopted the mindset of a beginner, diligently assisting and learning from others.

Yu Hong went south, where the fashion industry was most developed. Through networking and experience exchanges, she visited many factories and boutiques, enrolled in design courses, and explored management and marketing strategies. For the first time, she fully grasped the concept of “market share” that Shen Yunxuan often mentioned. It felt like everyone was vying for pieces of a massive cake, and she realized how fortunate she was to have claimed a large slice early on, thanks to Shen Yunxuan. However, to grow her share or even maintain it, she needed to stay ahead of the curve or risk being left behind.

Fueled by a newfound sense of urgency, Yu Hong became laser-focused on expanding her fashion business. Women her age were often settling into roles as grandmothers, but she was brimming with ambition and vitality. She couldn’t be more grateful to Shen Yunxuan—marrying into a family with such a capable daughter-in-law had completely transformed her life.

Sister-in-law Xiao, too, pursued studies in retail operations, product placement, and customer psychology. She already operated several general stores but dreamed of owning a department store like those in major cities. Initially, she thought this goal was too far-fetched to mention, but after hearing Shen Yunxuan’s encouragement to study and aim higher, she felt hopeful for the first time. Even if she failed, she’d know she had tried her best.

Meanwhile, Lin Yanwan focused on importing cutting-edge appliances and developing even more user-friendly models. Eldest Brother Xiao sought further training as he aimed for the position of vice-principal.

This created an atmosphere of intense learning within the family. Influenced by the adults, Shen Mingzhu and Sister-in-law Xiao’s son, Xiao Zhe, began taking their studies seriously, even in kindergarten. While their school curriculum was simple, they showed a keen interest in learning. At home, they requested tutors and engaged in curiosity-driven lessons akin to exploring “A Hundred Thousand Whys.”

The family’s commitment to learning not only prepared them for future challenges but also instilled a culture of continuous growth, ensuring that the Xiaos and Lins would remain ahead of the curve in their respective industries.

Shen Yunxuan, realizing they were genuinely eager to learn, hired teachers to help the children explore their interests. They delved into a wide range of subjects, from astronomy to geography, anything that piqued their curiosity. The two children were overjoyed, eagerly learning a lot in the process.

As the New Year approached, Shen Yunxuan’s company had matured into a well-managed, professional enterprise. No longer the fledgling operation it once was, it had not only retained its market share but also expanded, making it a year full of accomplishments.

The family gave the company staff a holiday and enjoyed a lively celebration. They even went to watch a movie together, coincidentally starring Shen Xuewei.

The film’s script was solid—Shen Xuewei had selected it based on her memories of its potential success in her previous life. While her character and reputation left much to be desired, her looks and the rigorous direction ensured the movie was watchable.

During the movie, Lin Yanwan leaned over to Shen Yunxuan and said, “If she keeps working hard like this, she might actually do well. I hear her brother is also with them at the military base. If he stays on this path, he might turn out fine. They’ve had it easy, haven’t they? After all they put you through, they’ve hardly paid any price.”

Shen Yunxuan paused, holding her mother’s hand. “Mom, do you think I haven’t sought revenge on them?”

Lin Yanwan hurriedly replied, “I understand. It’s because you’re so kindhearted. Even after all they did to you, all you did was publicly cut ties with them and left them alone.”

“Left them alone?” Shen Yunxuan chuckled. In truth, many of their troubles were indirectly caused by her, though she had avoided direct confrontation to maintain her reputation. She hadn’t realized people thought her too kind.

She tried to explain, “I didn’t actively go after them because I understand them. With their personalities, they might scrape by in the lower rungs of society, but the moment they gain some money or power, they’re bound to trip themselves up. I don’t need to do anything—just sit back and watch the spectacle.”

Lin Yanwan suddenly understood. She had worried her daughter might be too softhearted, but now she saw her daughter had it all figured out. That was a relief—compassion in business was a liability. Now she could rest easy.

As expected, Shen Xuewei and her brother lived up to Shen Yunxuan’s predictions. Shen Xuewei’s film received positive feedback, marking the highest point of her rebirth journey thus far. Emboldened, she felt she had finally found the right path to success. She envisioned becoming a household name, running an entertainment empire, grooming stars to generate wealth for her, and achieving unmatched prestige. Combined with her title as the wife of a future senior officer, she imagined no one could live as comfortably as she would.

Buoyed by this confidence, Shen Xuewei decided to return to the military base, radiant and glamorous. However, just as she arrived, she saw Xing Kai riding a bicycle with their son Xiaobao, both smiling brightly.

Shen Xuewei couldn’t believe her eyes. Wasn’t Xing Kai supposed to dislike Xiaobao? Yet here they were, looking so close. Then she laughed to herself. Leaving Xiaobao behind had its benefits—it seemed to have brought the father and son closer.

But where were they headed, looking so happy?

Traveling by car, Shen Xuewei had it turn around to follow them. She assumed they might be heading to a restaurant, a park, or some other leisurely outing. She never expected them to stop in a narrow alley, where they met Bai Xiaoling.

Bai Xiaoling was there with two children, greeting Xiaobao with a sweet smile and holding him in her arms. She chatted warmly with Xing Kai, who, in turn, helped adjust her scarf with practiced familiarity. They looked for all the world like a happy family of five.

Shen Xuewei’s mind went blank for a moment, buzzing with disbelief. How was Bai Xiaoling here with her child? And how had Xing Kai gotten involved with her? And why was her son so close to Bai Xiaoling?

Rage flooded her mind. She stormed out of the car and shoved Bai Xiaoling to the ground, slapping her across the face several times. “You shameless woman! How dare you seduce my husband!”

Her long nails left scratches on Bai Xiaoling’s face. Bai Xiaoling screamed, “Brother Kai, help me!” Her cry only fueled Shen Xuewei’s fury. Xing Kai had forbidden her to call him that, yet he let Bai Xiaoling do it? Did this mean that in Xing Kai’s eyes, Bai Xiaoling mattered more than she did?

Shen Xuewei punched Bai Xiaoling in the eye, sending her into a panic. The pain and fear took her back to the domestic violence she had endured with her second husband. It was too much—she was terrified.

Xing Kai quickly pulled Shen Xuewei off Bai Xiaoling. Seeing Bai Xiaoling’s pitiful, frightened face, he was filled with guilt and concern. He helped her up while Bai Xiaoling’s children glared at Shen Xuewei. Though they harbored no genuine affection for anyone there, they knew better than to intervene, simply putting on a show of defiance.

Suddenly, Xiaobao rushed forward, hitting Shen Xuewei and crying, “You’re a bad mom! You can’t bully Auntie Bai!”

Shen Xuewei froze, feeling a chill in her heart. This was her own flesh and blood, yet he was defending that shameless woman? She slapped Xiaobao across the face and pointed at him, yelling, “Ungrateful brat! How dare you side with an outsider against your own mother? Have you no conscience?”

“Enough!” Xing Kai’s eyes burned with fury. “You abandoned Xiaobao, and it was Xiaoling who took care of him tirelessly and lovingly. Xiaobao is standing up for her because he has a conscience. Even such a young child knows you’re in the wrong. Don’t you think it’s time to reflect on your own mistakes?”

“You think I’m wrong? Everything I’ve done, all my hard work to earn money, has been for this family!” Shen Xuewei retorted, her voice rising. “And what about you? A dignified battalion commander, breaking military marriage rules, and hooking up with this fox spirit. You’re the one in the wrong!” Years of suppressed resentment against Xing Kai’s dominance exploded from Shen Xuewei. She wasn’t the powerless woman she once was; she was now a famous actress with a bright future. The pent-up rage spilled over.

She charged forward and slapped Xing Kai’s face, leaving several scratch marks as he was caught off guard while supporting Bai Xiaoling. It was Bai Xiaoling who managed to shove Shen Xuewei away, giving Xing Kai the chance to restrain her.

Suddenly, several people entered the alley, shouting at them to stop. A neighbor opened their door and said to the newcomers, “Officers, they’ve been fighting here, screaming so loudly it scared us.”

The police frowned. “Everyone, stand still! What’s going on here? Why are you fighting?”

Xing Kai’s heart sank. A public brawl like this would tarnish his reputation. Bai Xiaoling, quick-witted, stammered, “We… we’re old acquaintances. Just a family disagreement that got heated. No fighting, really. Sorry for the trouble.”

Shen Xuewei, however, was seething. “You want to sweep this under the rug without asking me? After all I’ve suffered? No way! Xing Kai, you’ve done something so shameful, and you still have the nerve to face people? A real man would own up to his actions, but you’re just a coward! You’re disgusting!”

Xing Kai’s face turned an ugly shade as he glared at Shen Xuewei like she was dead to him. He despised her to the core. Ever since she came into his life, she had turned it upside down. If it hadn’t been for her latching onto him, he could’ve reconciled with Bai Xiaoling and enjoyed a happy family life. How dare she now accuse him?

The police, sensing something amiss, scrutinized the scene more closely. Recognizing Shen Xuewei as the actress who was also the younger sister of Director Shen, and connecting the dots to Xing Kai’s role as a prominent battalion commander, they decided not to probe further. Instead, they took everyone back to the station.

Xing Kai and Bai Xiaoling tried to downplay the incident, aware that any scandal could ruin Xing Kai’s career. But Shen Xuewei, furious and unable to accept this betrayal, was hellbent on making them pay, even if it meant creating a mess. She refused to let them off easily.

As a result, news of Shen Xuewei’s return spread across the military base. Stories of her catching Xing Kai reuniting with his ex-wife and brawling in public with scratched faces became the talk of the town.

People were stunned. Previously, most saw Shen Xuewei as problematic—arrogant and troublesome. But now, the scandal painted Xing Kai in an equally bad light. Xing Kai insisted he was merely helping his ex-wife and checking on the children, but no one believed him. Everyone knew he’d left Xiaobao in someone else’s care, but learning it was with Bai Xiaoling all along? It sounded like a family reunion.

Frequent visits to Bai Xiaoling under the pretense of “helping” were hard to justify. The idea of them being alone for extended periods was suspect at best. Still, despite the rumors, no one truly sympathized with Shen Xuewei. Most just watched the drama unfold from the sidelines. The political commissar even gave them a stern lecture, but without solid evidence of infidelity, nothing more could be done.

From then on, Shen Xuewei and Xing Kai’s household was in constant turmoil. Their daily fights terrified Xiaobao, and the atmosphere at home was chaotic. Shen Jie added fuel to the fire, frequently demanding money from both of them.

Shen Xuewei clung to Xing Kai’s alleged affair, berating him constantly. Xing Kai retaliated by accusing Shen Xuewei of exploiting her role as a military wife to make unethical money and criticizing her for acting in films where she played romantic roles with other men. He found her behavior improper. Shen Xuewei mocked him as old-fashioned, while Xing Kai deemed her modern views as frivolous.

One argument escalated when Shen Xuewei, unable to win verbally, stormed off to attack Bai Xiaoling physically. The confrontation landed Bai Xiaoling in the hospital, where it was revealed she was pregnant.

This revelation caused an uproar in the military base. If Bai Xiaoling were carrying Xing Kai’s child, it would confirm his misconduct. Bai Xiaoling, fearing the consequences, offered to terminate the pregnancy. Xing Kai was relieved but before they could act, Bai Xiaoling’s two children went to the media.

In a shocking interview, the children exposed all the sordid details of their home life. They accused Shen Xuewei of beating them, starving them, and threatening their father not to bring them to live with the family. They even recounted how, during a fit of rage while pregnant, she had threatened to kill them, forcing them to run away and nearly die.

Shen Xuewei’s movie was at its peak popularity, and the news exploded across the nation. Overnight, she became a national pariah, vilified as the epitome of an evil stepmother. Public opinion turned viciously against her, with people condemning her behavior. Families in similar situations bore the brunt of the backlash, with stepmothers everywhere now viewed through a lens of suspicion and prejudice.

Shen Xuewei had just begun to find success as an actress when a wave of criticism came crashing down. Scholars published articles condemning her in newspapers, recounting her history of bullying Shen Yunxuan as a child, scheming against Xing Kai as an adult, physically fighting with her mother-in-law, mistreating her stepchildren, abandoning her family to pursue an acting career, and engaging in various publicity stunts that tarnished the industry’s reputation.

At that time, newspaper articles carried significant influence. Most people trusted what they read, believing it to represent truth and reason. With the papers criticizing Shen Xuewei so harshly, the public quickly accepted that she truly was as reprehensible as described.

As the outcry grew louder, directors who had planned to collaborate with Shen Xuewei directly informed her that they would no longer work with her. Her fledgling career as a star came to an abrupt end, leaving her enraged and desperate to seek revenge on the two children who had exposed her. But they had already vanished, leaving her with no way to track them down.

The children had exposed everything, trading their family’s secrets for money promised by reporters. Their revelations included the fact that Xing Kai had once threatened Shen Yunxuan to protect the Shen family, a story they overheard during private conversations among the Xing family.

They also disclosed that Xing Kai had reconciled with Bai Xiaoling long ago and that the two frequently spent nights together. Xing Kai had reportedly promised to divorce Shen Xuewei as soon as he could gather enough evidence against her and then remarry Bai Xiaoling. He had even been giving most of his salary to Bai Xiaoling and encouraged Xiaobao to call her “Mom.” Sometimes, when drunk, Xing Kai would boast about his contributions and how his superiors valued him, claiming he had a good chance of being promoted to regimental commander or even division commander, promising Bai Xiaoling a better future.

Additionally, the children revealed that it was Xing Kai who had forced Shen Xuewei to cut ties with her natal family after the Shen family scandal, even though the narrative at the time had painted Shen Xuewei as cold-hearted. Xing Kai had gained public praise for apologizing and compensating Lin Yanwan’s family, but now it was clear he had manipulated the narrative for his own benefit.

The children didn’t stop there. They exposed that Xing Kai’s elder brother had tried to sell chickens poisoned with rat poison to a food factory, which fortunately rejected the batch after stringent inspections. This led to the factory severing ties with the Xing family. Meanwhile, Xing Kai’s second brother had lost all his money to theft while buying goods in another province and was now scheming how to ask Xing Kai to cover his losses.

As for Bai Xiaoling, the children revealed she wasn’t innocent either. She had initially abandoned the family, marrying a poor and abusive man out of desperation. Unable to endure her new life, she returned to Xing Kai, using his position to force her abusive husband into a divorce.

In the children’s account, the entire Xing family appeared to be full of wrongdoers. While they exaggerated certain details, much of what they said held truth, shocking the public.

The two children had thought things through. Xing Kai, who was supposed to be their strongest pillar, had shown clear favoritism towards Xiaobao, sidelining them entirely. Even if they depended on Xing Kai’s position, he rarely prioritized their needs, giving them only scraps of his resources and attention. Realizing that their futures with him were bleak, they chose to take the money from the reporters and run away, planning to work or start a small business in another city. After all, many people in their hometown of Jianlin City had found success in business.

Their departure left Xing Kai in a precarious situation. The children’s revelations provided concrete leads for investigation, and eventually, Xing Kai was expelled from the military. Shen Jie, who had also been caught stealing from the kitchen and proving himself lazy and unreliable, was discharged as well.

While most families ushered in the new year with hope and progress, the Xing family found themselves facing utter ruin.

Shen Xuewei and the others slinked back to Jianlin City in disgrace. On the way, they encountered Xiao Jun and Shen Yunxuan driving past in a shiny car. The contrast between the two groups was striking—one exuding affluence and confidence, the other mired in humiliation.

As Shen Xuewei’s gaze met Shen Yunxuan’s, a storm of emotions churned within her: shame, humiliation, resentment, and finally, overwhelming jealousy.

Why was Shen Yunxuan doing even better in this life than in the previous one?

As they passed each other, going in opposite directions, the scene seemed to foretell their futures—one destined to rise ever higher, the other to sink further into despair.

In her daze, Shen Xuewei thought back to her previous life. When she was down and out, she could always rely on leeching off Shen Yunxuan. But in this life, with no one to lean on, how could she survive? Was she doomed to remain in misery?

No. She refused to admit defeat! Hadn’t Shen Yunxuan once said this was an era brimming with opportunities? There was still hope!

The first thing she needed to do was divorce Xing Kai. His military rank was all he had going for him, and he wasn’t worth clinging to anymore. This life she had fought so hard to claim—she didn’t want it anymore.

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆

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