Seventh Sister really was a master manipulator

At dinner, the Shen brothers heard about Seventh Sister catching a crocodile and were all stunned.

Only Shen Ruogu reacted strongly.

"Didn't you promise me you wouldn't touch dangerous animals again?"

"My crocodile buddy isn't dangerous. Besides, I said I wouldn't touch Wangcai. My crocodile buddy is called Lucky!" Shen Banxia shrank back a little and defended herself with an innocent look.

Shen Ruogu nearly choked on his own breath.

"How did a crocodile get into our house?" Shen Lingyun asked, utterly baffled.

"It escaped from the safari park and swam along the landscaped river,

then crawled through a drainage pipe into our back garden. It's already been sent back to the park.

This won't happen again," Shen Shuyi explained.

"Good thing it was a little crocodile and didn't bite Seventh Sister. Otherwise, it could have been serious."

"Never mind being bitten. I was scared half to death!" Xu Mingyue complained, looking aggrieved.

"Seventh Sister, if this happens again, don't go near it! Call us immediately," Shen Jinyan instructed sternly.

"There'd better not be a next time!" Shen Shenxing snapped.

Xu Mingyue felt even more miserable. She had thought her brothers would all comfort her after hearing what she said, but they acted as though they hadn't heard her at all and only cared about Shen Banxia.

"Mingyue, are you all right?" Shen Qingfeng noticed Xu Mingyue's forlorn expression and took the initiative to ask.

"I was scared half to death. You have no idea-Banxia came charging at me holding that crocodile. I almost got bitten!" The more Xu Mingyue spoke, the more wronged she felt.

Her words strongly implied that Shen Banxia had deliberately grabbed the crocodile to make it bite her.

"My crocodile buddy wouldn't bite you. You screamed too loudly and scared it." Shen Banxia, who usually focused solely on eating, actually spoke up to defend her crocodile buddy.

"You... you're on its side, so of course you'd speak up for it. Just like dog owners who all say their dogs don't bite," Xu Mingyue retorted irritably.

"I'm not speaking up for it. I'm stating a fact. It's a Chinese alligator, the gentlest kind of crocodilian. And it's still a little one. It doesn't even have all its teeth yet. It wouldn't bite anyone!" Shen Banxia stressed.

"No matter how gentle it is, it's still a crocodile. That's its nature!" Xu Mingyue was furious.

"That's true. Just like a bad person is still bad no matter how much they pretend to be kind. That's their nature!" Shen Banxia nodded in sudden understanding and agreed.

Xu Mingyue instantly choked on her words. As though someone had seized her by the throat, she couldn't say a thing and could only glare in fury.

The members of the Shen family lowered their heads and ate, each struggling hard to hold back their laughter.

"Eat. Stop talking so much," Xu Junshan said.

Shen Banxia lowered her head and resumed eating. After a few bites, she looked up again and asked,

"Dad, do you think I'm right?"

Caught completely off guard by the sudden question, Xu Junshan choked.

After finally getting his coughing under control, he said unhappily,

"No talking at the table. Eat more and talk less!"

Shen Banxia said nothing more and continued eating.

A little while later, something occurred to Xu Junshan, and he had just begun,

"Tomorrow-"

when Shen Banxia interrupted him.

"Dad, didn't you say no talking at the table, eat more and talk less? Why are you talking?"

Xu Junshan's face turned livid with anger, and he couldn't utter a word.

This daughter really was an idiot!

In a fit of anger, he announced that he was full, got up, and left the dining room.

Xu Mingyue had little appetite either. After another couple of bites, she also said she was full, told Sister Lian to clear her plate, and left.

Now only the members of the Shen family remained at the table.

With the eyesores gone, everyone's spirits lifted, their appetites improved, and the food tasted even better.

"Dinner is so delicious. Why did they leave after just a few bites? What a waste!" Shen Banxia couldn't help remarking.

The Shen brothers finally lost control and spat out their food.

Sure enough, Seventh Sister was the true master manipulator, an expert at delivering seemingly innocent insults and dealing invisible killing blows.

Shen Shuyi, however, felt a faint unease. Although Banxia's responses seemed foolish and socially clueless, she had angered Xu Junshan. There was no telling whether he would find a way to get rid of her. In any case, it was only a matter of time.

Shen Shuyi decided to assign two more bodyguards to protect Banxia discreetly, especially once she started school. She worried that Banxia might be in danger, and that she might be bullied.

That day, under the pretext of going for a soak, she had arranged to meet a trustworthy, experienced female lawyer.

She had chosen that location to avoid Xu Junshan's eyes and ears, as well as hidden cameras and listening devices.

She had also avoided using her own personal lawyer so as not to arouse Xu Junshan's suspicions.

The lawyer had explained that unless there had been a prenuptial agreement from the outset, or the other spouse voluntarily relinquished their share, the law made no provision for forcing the spouse at fault to leave a marriage with nothing.

Clearly, Shen Shuyi couldn't use Xu Junshan's affair and illegitimate child to demand that he walk away empty-handed in a divorce. She couldn't even bring a bigamy charge against him.

The objective elements of bigamy required a married person to marry someone else, or a person to marry someone they knew was already married.

Yet Xu Junshan hadn't married Lin Xiyue, nor had he lived with her.

Her only shortcut was to engineer a situation in which Xu Junshan would ask for a divorce himself and give up the Shen family's assets.

Otherwise, no matter what evidence she presented in court, she couldn't make Xu Junshan leave the marriage with nothing and receive the punishment he deserved.

At the same time, to protect her family, she needed incriminating evidence against Xu Junshan and the Xu family. Without it, she couldn't get them convicted either.

This strengthened her resolve to return to work at the Shen Corporation the next day.

As long as she forced Xu Junshan to lose his composure, he would inevitably slip up, giving her a chance to gather evidence.

Monday dawned bright and sunny, with spring warmth and flowers in bloom.

It was also Shen Banxia's first day at the International High School after her transfer.

Early that morning, Xu Mingyue was once again woken by Shen Banxia's spirited reading aloud.

She had gone completely numb. Now she sat listlessly at the dining table, taking the occasional bite of breakfast without tasting a thing.

She was on the verge of losing her mind, yet she still had to maintain her sweet, obedient image in the Shen household. She couldn't impulsively confront Shen Banxia.

She could only console herself that she had, at most, one more morning to endure. Once they got to school, she would make Shen Banxia wish she were dead.

Shen Shuyi had intended to accompany both girls to school, then take Banxia to say hello to the principal.

Shen Banxia politely declined, saying that she had only just transferred and the Gaokao was only a few months away. She didn't want to disturb the principal, and Mingyue would look after her anyway.

"We're in the same class. You'll look after me and make sure nothing happens to me, right?" Shen Banxia turned to Xu Mingyue and asked earnestly.

"Mm!" Distracted, Xu Mingyue hadn't even heard what Shen Banxia said. Her response was entirely automatic.

"Mom, you heard her. Mingyue will look after me, so you can go to the office without worrying."

"Fine, I won't take you to school, but you need to change. You have to wear a uniform to school.

Your new uniform is already hanging in your dressing room," Shen Shuyi told her.

She had arranged for someone to prepare a uniform for Banxia in advance, but hadn't expected her to come downstairs that morning still wearing her old floral padded jacket.

Shen Shuyi worried that if she went to school dressed like that, she would face prejudice and bullying.

"Okay!" Shen Banxia agreed readily without any fuss.

Shen Banxia hadn't let her mother take her to meet the principal and ask for special attention because she wanted more freedom to act later. After all, too much attention from school administrators and teachers wasn't always a good thing.

Changing into a uniform would help her blend in among the students.

All she wanted now was to keep a low profile through high school, find opportunities to make some money, and boost her combat strength. Perfect!

After all, an international school never lacked wealthy kids, and they were all excellent resources!