"I'm not sure either. We haven't been in touch for a while." Shen Shuyi shook her head, lifted her teacup, and smelled the tea before taking a sip. "This is good tea!"
"Since you like it, take a couple of boxes home later," Cui Yushu replied.
"I just gulp it down. Better not waste your good tea on me." Shen Shuyi shook her head.
She rarely drank tea when she was alone. She only had a few cups when she was with Yushu.
"You liking it is compliment enough. How could that be a waste?" Cui Yushu turned to Shen Banxia. "Banxia, have you met Aunt Wanzhi?"
Shen Banxia shook her head.
The original owner of her body had only heard that name after the Shen Family went bankrupt, because some of the money Xu Junshan had moved overseas had gone through Wanzhi's husband's trust channels.
That had been one of the factors that accelerated both Xu Junshan's transfer of assets and the Shen Family's bankruptcy.
"How could she know Wanzhi? She only came back to the Shen Family three days ago," Shen Shuyi replied with a smile.
Cui Yushu did not pursue the question. Instead, she said approvingly,
"Shuyi, Banxia is your lucky star. You were destined to find her again."
"I think so too!" Shen Shuyi nodded in agreement.
If not for her biological daughter, she would still be getting played for a fool by that treacherous scumbag Xu Junshan.
Noticing Yushu give a faint sigh at this point, Shen Shuyi asked tentatively,
"Is Jingyan still with that man?"
She knew Yushu had been worrying over her daughter Jingyan lately.
"It's as if she's under a spell. Nothing I say gets through to her.
"If she didn't look so much like me, I'd drag her off for a DNA test.
"Is she really my daughter?" Cui Yushu said helplessly.
"I feel like Jingyan takes after me more, like she's my daughter. She won't turn back until she hits a brick wall!" Shen Shuyi shook her head with a bitter smile.
Hadn't she fought with her parents in exactly the same way back then, insisting she would marry no one but Xu Junshan?
Young people always seemed to think their judgment was right, while their parents were stubborn and old-fashioned.
Looking back now, she had been unbelievably naive!
"You're doing all right, at least. Xu Junshan knows how to be grateful and keeps the Shen Corporation running smoothly for you.
"That boy Jingyan likes has a character problem. Anyone can see he doesn't truly love her. He's only after my family.
"How could I entrust the rest of Jingyan's life to someone with such ill intentions?"
The more Cui Yushu spoke, the angrier she became. She had no idea how she had given birth to a daughter like this.
Shen Shuyi smiled bitterly without offering much explanation. It was not yet time to expose Xu Junshan's true colors.
Even with her closest friend and confidante, she had to be extremely cautious when her entire family's survival was at stake.
"Think of a way to sort it out."
"I've tried everything I can think of, short of killing that boy.
"Jingyan even threatened to kill herself. She said if I dared touch her boyfriend, she'd die right in front of me.
"Tell me, what's the point of having a daughter like that? I'd have been better off laying an egg!"
Cui Yushu could not help rolling her eyes when she finished.
Shen Banxia could not hold back a snort of laughter.
Shen Shuyi and Cui Yushu both turned to look at her. Shen Banxia gave an embarrassed smile and apologized,
"Sorry, Aunt Cui, Mommy. I just thought of a funny story and couldn't help myself."
"It's all right. What funny story? Share it with me!" Cui Yushu asked with a smile.
"There was once a couple who loved each other deeply, the kind who swore they would live and die together.
"But their parents opposed their relationship, so the young couple decided to elope.
"On the way, they ran into a bandit who robbed them of all their money.
"The bandit saw that the girl was pretty and decided he wanted her too.
"The girl screamed for help in terror, but the man ran faster than a rabbit without once looking back. Suddenly, the girl stopped resisting.
"In the end, the bandit let her go. He said, 'You wanted to elope with a loser like that? You'd be better off with me!'"
Shen Banxia laughed again after finishing the story.
"Better off with him!"
Shen Shuyi and Cui Yushu exchanged looks, their expressions entirely different.
Shen Shuyi thought her daughter's joke was painfully unfunny!
Cui Yushu, however, suddenly seemed to realize something and broke into a smile.
"Banxia, you're my lucky star too! That was a wonderful story!"
"You're too kind, Aunt Cui. Can I eat the Osmanthus Cake now?"
"Of course! If there isn't enough, I'll have the cook make you more. Eat as much as you like. Don't be shy," Cui Yushu said, beaming.
Shen Shuyi had said her biological daughter seemed a little slow, but how was this slow? She was wise beneath that simple exterior!
The story she had just told was clearly a hint: the person who tied the knot had to be the one to untie it.
Their goal should not be to deal with that boy, but to resolve the problem with her daughter Jingyan.
Only when her daughter completely lost hope in him would she truly turn back.
And hadn't that story just given her a hint about how to make her daughter turn back?
Cui Yushu was so delighted that she wanted to pile not just delicious food, but mountains of gold and silver in front of Shen Banxia, as long as she liked them.
Wanzhi finally arrived with her friend Lin Xiyue.
While the adults exchanged pleasantries, Shen Banxia quietly sized up the mistress, Lin Xiyue.
She was petite, with understated, elegant makeup and a delicate air that made people want to protect her, topped off with sweet features.
No wonder Xu Junshan was so besotted with her that he was willing to betray his wife for her.
After the introductions,
Chen Wanzhi suddenly exclaimed in surprise,
"Xiyue, you and Shuyi really must be destined to meet. Even your taste is the same. You're wearing matching necklaces today!"
Lin Xiyue, who wore an ivory wool skirt suit, happened to be wearing an emerald necklace identical to Shen Shuyi's.
Wearing identical jewelry was just as awkward as showing up in the same outfit.
But Chen Wanzhi smoothed things over with a single remark about their shared taste.
If it had been an ordinary piece of jewelry, everyone would have agreed politely and let the matter drop.
But the emerald necklace Shen Shuyi wore that day had been a fortieth-birthday gift from her mother, specially commissioned from a renowned designer. There was only one in the world.
The design had even been patented. There could not be an identical one unless it was a copy.
Still, everyone liked beautiful things. It was normal for someone to see a design they liked and have a copy made.
For Cui Yushu's and Chen Wanzhi's sake, Shen Shuyi did not want to make an issue of it in front of everyone. Just then, she heard her daughter's snide commentary.
[Isn't she Xu Junshan's mistress? Of course they have the same taste. They even share a husband!]
Shen Shuyi turned to look at Lin Xiyue as if she had been electrocuted.
She had never imagined that this seemingly gentle, fragile woman was the mistress Xu Junshan had been keeping behind her back!
No wonder her voice had sounded familiar. It was the woman's voice from the dashcam recording.
In that very instant, Shen Shuyi caught the jealous, vicious look in Lin Xiyue's eyes. Although Lin Xiyue immediately replaced it with a welcoming smile, Shen Shuyi had already seen it, and fury surged through her.
Lin Xiyue had not expected to suddenly meet Shen Shuyi's gaze. Embarrassment turned to anger, and the next moment, she blurted out,
"What a coincidence. My husband commissioned this necklace from a designer as an anniversary gift for me.
"I heard it was the only one in the world. I never imagined you'd have the same one, Shuyi!"
She regretted it as soon as she finished. This was not yet the time to confront Shen Shuyi.
After all, at this critical juncture, her relationship with Xu Junshan could not be exposed.
Even if Shen Shuyi's necklace was a copy of hers, she could not make an issue of it now.
But she had spoken in the heat of the moment.
[Like mother, like daughter. They both love acting as if every woman they meet is their older sister!]
"What a coincidence indeed. Mine was also specially commissioned from a renowned designer, and it's one of a kind.
"May I ask which renowned designer created yours?" Shen Shuyi asked, her smile never reaching her eyes.
Before you continue