"I don't know!" Shen Banxia looked up at her second brother and answered with a bewildered expression.
"The man we just saw was our own dad!" Shen Jinyan stressed.
"Oh!" Shen Banxia replied.
"You saw him defending that woman just now, too!
Why would he defend that woman instead of our aunt?
Obviously, there's something going on between them!" Shen Jinyan tried to convince his seventh sister.
"And then what? Are you going to ask Dad to confirm it?
Do you think Dad will admit it? If he denies it, what will you do then?" Shen Banxia asked.
Shen Jinyan was stumped again. He made one last desperate attempt.
"Are we supposed to pretend we don't know anything? What if we've misunderstood Dad?"
Shen Jinyan fell silent the next second, because his seventh sister was looking at him as though he were an idiot.
[Ugh, I shouldn't have brought my second brother along to watch the drama. He's so hopelessly naive, I might end up getting him killed. What a mistake!]
[I should've brought my fourth brother. He's calculating, but he stands out too much. I might end up making entertainment headlines with him.]
[No, my fourth brother wouldn't work either. I should've brought my third brother. He's the smartest, and I wouldn't have to worry about running into entertainment reporters or fans! That's right, bringing my third brother would be the safest bet!]
Listening to his seventh sister's increasingly savage remarks, Shen Jinyan felt a chill run down his back and muttered,
"I just can't accept the fact that Dad's cheating yet!"
[Xu Junshan would even murder his wife and children for money. What's a little cheating compared to that?]
Shen Jinyan stared at his seventh sister in shock, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Is it that hot in here? You're sweating."
"It is a little hot! What else would you like to eat?" Shen Jinyan gave a couple of awkward chuckles and picked up his phone to order more food.
"No need. I'm full!
Oh, and don't tell anyone about what happened today!
Mom can't find out I went out to have fun instead of staying home and studying!"
"Don't worry, I won't tell. Whenever you want to go out, just bring me along."
Shen Banxia nodded, then added,
"You can't tell Dad either!"
"I won't. Not a word!"
Shen Jinyan really did keep everything to himself. This was a serious matter, and he couldn't jump to conclusions before getting to the bottom of it.
Even once he did, as his seventh sister had said, he would have even more reason not to act rashly.
After all, this involved their father, and more importantly, the lives of everyone in the Shen Family. He had to be cautious.
Late that night,
Shen Banxia woke up thirsty and went downstairs for some water. She had only herself to blame for eating too many sunflower seeds that evening.
She happened to see Xu Junshan walk into the house with his head hanging low, looking exhausted and weighed down by worries.
"Dad!"
"Ah-" Xu Junshan jumped. When he turned and saw Shen Banxia, he was annoyed but couldn't lash out. Suppressing his anger, he asked, "Banxia, why are you still awake this late?"
"I'm thirsty. I'll go back to bed after I drink some water," Shen Banxia answered innocently, holding her glass in both hands.
"Banxia, come sit down and talk to Dad for a bit."
Xu Junshan had been about to go upstairs, but now he changed his mind and invited his daughter to sit in the living room.
Shen Banxia obediently walked over and sat on the sofa.
"Have you settled in since coming back?"
Shen Banxia nodded.
"There's lots of yummy food!"
Xu Junshan was exasperated, but he still did his best to continue in a kindly voice.
"I've been busy lately and haven't had time to take you out or buy you anything. If there's anything you want, just tell your mommy."
"It's all right. I know you're busy, Dad. You can send me some money, and I'll buy it myself," Shen Banxia replied with a smile.
He wanted credit for being generous without actually spending any money. How could he have it both ways?
Xu Junshan froze for a moment, then nodded with an awkward chuckle.
"All right, all right. I'll send you some money in a bit. Buy whatever you want."
Under Shen Banxia's gaze, he reluctantly picked up his phone and transferred a hundred thousand to her.
Then he got to the point and began fishing for information.
"You went to Aunt Cui's with Mom today. Did you have fun?"
"It wasn't fun, but there was lots of yummy food. Aunt Cui's chef makes really good desserts. They were delicious.
"I could eat-"
"I'll hire a chef who's good at making desserts for you, too. What did your mommy and Aunt Cui talk about?
"And that business about your mom and that lady wearing matching necklaces-can you tell me about it in detail?" Xu Junshan hurriedly interrupted his daughter.
He wasn't interested in what his daughter had eaten. He only wanted the details of the matching-necklace incident,
and whether Shen Shuyi had become suspicious of Lin Xiyue's identity.
"I wasn't paying attention to what Mom and Aunt Cui talked about.
"Later, two more ladies came over. One of them, the monkey lady, was wearing the same necklace as Mom-"
"The monkey lady?" Xu Junshan asked in confusion.
"Yes! She looks like a monkey, and she put on so much makeup that she looked like a monkey's bottom on Mount Huaguo," Shen Banxia said with a laugh.
Exasperated, Xu Junshan interrupted his daughter again.
"Then what?"
"Mom didn't say anything, but that monkey lady kept saying Mom's necklace was fake and hers was real.
"She said it was a wedding anniversary gift from her husband and one of a kind, so there couldn't possibly be another one. She insisted Mom must have copied hers.
"Eventually, Mom got so fed up that she had someone come and authenticate them.
"It turned out the necklace that monkey lady was wearing was Mommy's. That monkey lady actually stole Mom's necklace!
"Dad, hurry up and have the police arrest that monkey thief.
"She stole something and still acted so arrogant. She should be arrested and sent to prison."
By now, the more Xu Junshan heard, the angrier he became.
He had always thought Lin Xiyue was gentle, considerate, and modest. He hadn't expected her to be so vain, or to nearly ruin his plans.
She had even gotten into a fight with his younger sister today, bringing the police down on them and making a complete spectacle of herself.
But angry as he was, he knew perfectly well that he couldn't let any of it show in front of Banxia.
Even if she was stupid, if she repeated it to Shen Shuyi and made Shen Shuyi suspect him, he would be in trouble.
"That really was outrageous. How did donations get involved afterward?"
"The monkey thief was afraid Mom would call the police and have her arrested, so she wanted to compensate Mom with money. Mom didn't want her money, so she donated it to Aunt Cui's charity fund!"
"Didn't you tell her to donate?"
Why had Lin Xiyue told him that Shen Shuyi and Shen Banxia had forced her to donate, costing her the little money she had painstakingly saved, and demanded that he compensate her?
"Why would I tell her to donate? It had nothing to do with me!" Shen Banxia looked at Xu Junshan and asked with an innocent, puzzled expression.
Xu Junshan was at a loss for words. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond. In the end, he could only chuckle awkwardly and say,
"Maybe I misheard."
"Dad, that monkey thief was awful. She even said the necklace was a gift from her husband.
"Wasn't she just trying to say her husband stole it and it had nothing to do with her?" Shen Banxia argued confidently.
At that, Xu Junshan broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly asked,
"Did your mom say she would pursue the matter?"
"No. Mom thought getting her things back was enough. She didn't want to waste her time on that kind of woman."
"Oh. It's late. Get to bed." Seeing that he couldn't get any useful information out of her, Xu Junshan dismissed his daughter with some irritation.
"Okay. You should go to bed early too, Dad. Good night!" Shen Banxia said obediently, then put down her glass and went upstairs.
[Xu Junshan won't be getting any sleep tonight!]
Before you continue