The Brothers Only Added Fuel to the Fire

"Oh my, Auntie, why is your face swollen like a pig's head?" Shen Ruogu, who stood in the doorway watching the spectacle, suddenly exclaimed.

"You won't be disfigured, will you?" Shen Jinyan chimed in beside him.

One had a sharp tongue, and the other was downright savage. Together, the two brothers only added fuel to the fire, enjoying the drama without a care for how bad things got.

Shen Banxia's head was lowered as far as it could go. Her shoulders shook, and her face turned red from holding back her laughter.

"What nonsense are you two boys talking about?"

Xu Cuie turned and glared at her two grandsons, scolding them before turning back to Shen Shuyi with a pleasant expression.

"It's nothing serious. Just a quarrel between husband and wife. Yanni said some nasty things, and Wenchuan got carried away and lost control.

Wenchuan called me first thing this morning to explain. He also said he'd come over later to apologize to Yanni and me and take her home.

Weren't you taking the children out to the countryside? You should get going."

All she wanted now was for Shen Shuyi and her children to leave as quickly as possible, before anything else went wrong.

"Even if he apologizes, we can't just let Wenchuan take her home!

How could he hit his wife? Does he have any respect for our family?

As Yanni's family, we can't let her suffer such an injustice, no matter what!" Shen Shuyi continued fanning the flames.

"I'll give him a good talking-to. He won't dare do it again. Go enjoy yourselves!" Seeing that Shen Shuyi still wouldn't leave, Xu Cuie urged her on impatiently.

"Mom, why are you trying to chase us away?" Shen Shuyi asked, sounding hurt.

"That's not what I meant. I just thought you should set off early. If you get back early, come over for dinner tonight."

Xu Cuie froze for a moment, then forced out a smile and explained.

She certainly knew how to make things sound nice.

"Oh, so that's what you meant, Mom. I thought you were chasing us away!

We'll be off, then. Remember to eat the loquats, Mom. I just had the butler put them in the fridge," Shen Shuyi said, softening her tone.

"I know!" Xu Cuie replied with a fake smile plastered across her face.

"Yanni, if anything happens, just tell me. As your sister-in-law, I'll stand up for you. We have nothing to fear!" Shen Shuyi made sure to add before leaving.

Shen Shuyi walked out of the villa, and the children followed. Not one of them said goodbye.

Normally, Xu Cuie would have found fault with that and lectured them, but today, she only wanted Shen Shuyi and her children gone. She had no time to care about such things.

Once Shen Banxia got into the car, she couldn't hold back anymore. She laughed so hard her whole body nearly went into spasms.

She hadn't expected her own mother to be so adorable when she got scheming. She had thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle, constantly stirring things up.

The three members of the Xu family had looked even funnier, seething with anger but not daring to let it out.

Shen Ruogu's expression, however, was dark. He was nowhere near as carefree as Shen Banxia.

So his father had been having an affair for some time. His grandmother and the others had all known, yet they had joined forces to hide it from his mother and her children.

Judging by his mother's reaction earlier, she had probably discovered it long ago and simply hadn't exposed him.

He had never imagined that his parents, who seemed so loving, had long since become a couple in name only.

Shen Ruogu wanted to ask Seventh Sister whether she had known about their father's affair all along, but he couldn't get the words out.

He glanced at Seventh Sister, who was only interested in enjoying the drama and didn't care if things got worse, and felt both angry and miserable.

[My fourth brother looks really angry. That's normal, though. Who could calmly accept that the father they love most is actually a scumbag?]

[Still, seeing his true colors now is better than only finding out when he gets stabbed that Dad put those haters up to it, then dying in pain and despair!]

[Too bad my fourth brother can't really act. After he gets stabbed to death, he won't even have any decent work to his name. That tiny handful of fans won't have anything to remember him by!]

"..." After hearing Seventh Sister's thoughts, the fourth son of the Shen family grew even more miserable and withdrawn.

Was his father doing more than just having an affair? Did he want him dead, too?

Why? Because he couldn't act?

"Seventh Sister, did Mom already know about Dad's affair?" Shen Ruogu took a different approach to his question.

"I don't know, but judging by her reaction, she probably noticed something was wrong before this.

Ruogu, if Mom knows Dad's cheating, why isn't she angry?" Shen Banxia asked curiously.

She had thought that once her mother found out, she would become hysterical and storm in for an all-out showdown.

After all, her mother had always been blinded by love. She had once disregarded everything to be with Xu Junshan. How could she accept his betrayal?

Yet her mother's reaction had been calmer than the Dead Sea!

"If Mom exposes Dad's true colors now and goes all out against him, the most she'll get is a divorce.

If they divorce, Dad will walk away with half the assets. Mom probably doesn't want to let him off that easily.

Or perhaps-"

"Perhaps what?" Shen Banxia pressed.

"Mom still can't let go of Dad. She doesn't want to bring it out into the open and divorce him!"

[What's there to miss about a scumbag who wants to wipe out the family and take everything? Will she only be satisfied once he kills the whole family?]

Shen Ruogu's heart lurched at that. Did Seventh Sister mean their father wanted to kill not just him, but the entire family?

"Dad could also choose to come clean himself, then divorce her and take half the assets!"

"Maybe Dad isn't satisfied with only getting half!" Shen Ruogu replied gloomily.

[So my fourth brother is actually the smartest person in our family. He spotted the key issue right away.]

[Xu Junshan really isn't satisfied with just half. That's why he's going to transfer the assets and plot against the Shen family.]

[That way, he can get all the assets and run off with his mistress.]

[What a black-hearted, ruthless bastard! An animal!!!]

After such a blow, Shen Jinyan and Shen Ruogu were deeply worried about their mother, so they persuaded her to go to Lakeside Leisure Manor for tea and a change of pace.

Shen Jinyan had his bodyguard drive his car and rode with his mother instead.

Once they arrived at the manor, Shen Banxia was sent off to row a little boat on the lake.

Shen Shuyi and her two sons brewed tea by the lakeside while keeping an eye on Shen Banxia.

"Mom, don't be too upset. You still have us. We're all on your side." Shen Jinyan tried hard to steady his emotions as he awkwardly comforted his mother.

The blows he had suffered since yesterday had hit him harder than being beaten up by a woman.

He had regarded Xu Junshan as his own dear father, yet Xu Junshan wanted to wipe him out. The incomprehensible despair of it was overwhelming.

Shen Shuyi smiled and nodded, comforting her son instead.

"I'm fine.

It's better to find out now than to learn the truth later, when there's nothing we can do to put things right."

But from the start, she had never intended to let her sons find out.

She had brought that jackal Xu Junshan into the Shen family, so she would deal with him herself. She hadn't wanted to drag her sons into it.

She hadn't expected them to discover it anyway.

"Mom, you still want to win Dad back?" Shen Jinyan stared at his mother in shock.

"Mom means Dad hid his affair from her, and Grandma and our second aunt knew about it long ago and helped cover it up.

They might have other motives and schemes, too. Now that we know, there's still time to do something about it," Shen Ruogu explained, giving his older brother a speechless glance.

He really wanted to ask, Jinyan, are you an idiot?

"Since you both already understand what kind of man your father is, and you're adults capable of thinking for yourselves, I won't hide it from you anymore.

I only recently learned that your father never willingly married into our family. From the very beginning, he intended to wipe out the Shen family and take everything.

He only started acting now because your grandparents were around before. They guarded against him and never handed him control, so he couldn't find an opportunity.

Now that your grandparents are both gone, and Mingyue's identity has been exposed, they're worried that waiting any longer will be risky. They've already begun to act."

"What identity? Wasn't Mingyue just the child who got switched at birth?" Shen Jinyan asked in confusion.