Late that night, Shen Shuyi headed to the garage, not to go out, but to check where her husband had gone that afternoon.
The dashcam showed that after leaving home, Xu Junshan had first gone to the underground parking garage of an upscale residential complex. He returned to the car over an hour later, and a woman got into the passenger seat with him.
The dashcam hadn't captured the woman's face, but her voice sounded rather affected.
Their next exchange made Shen Shuyi's breath catch-
"We need to get Mingyue's arrangements for going abroad sorted out quickly. We can't keep putting it off. I'm afraid Shen Shuyi will find out she's our daughter, and then we'll be in trouble."
"I know what I'm doing. Tell the kids to keep a low profile for now and not cause me any trouble."
"I'll tell them. We can't afford any more slipups at a time like this."
"If those people you hired hadn't been so good at taking money and so useless at getting things done, I wouldn't have all this trouble on my hands."
"How was I supposed to know this would happen? Baldy Brother promised me he'd take care of it cleanly."
"All right, all right. Let's pretend it never happened. Don't bring it up again."
Shen Shuyi's hands and feet went ice-cold, and her heart raced. She could hardly believe what she'd just heard.
So this was Xu Junshan's true face!
How laughable that she'd always considered him a good husband and thought she'd found a treasure!
Before this, she'd still been skeptical and reserved about the thoughts she'd heard from Banxia.
After all, she'd been married to Xu Junshan for over twenty years. Forget keeping a mistress-there hadn't even been any gossip about him.
Every wife in her circle said she'd married a wonderful man. Not only was he utterly devoted to her, but he also kept her family's company running smoothly. A husband like that was impossible to find.
She'd always felt blessed, too, believing she'd been right to stand her ground all those years ago.
That was why she'd spent almost the entire first decade of their marriage having children.
Only after she'd hemorrhaged while giving birth to the twins, Shen Qingfeng and Banxia, and nearly died had she decided not to have any more children and to devote herself to her husband and children.
Twenty-seven years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Only now did she realize that this had been Xu Junshan's goal all along.
Keep her having children so she had no energy left to take over her parents' company.
No matter how dissatisfied her parents were with their son-in-law, as they grew older, they could only leave the business to him. He was still better than an outsider.
Fortunately, she'd found her biological daughter, heard her thoughts, and become more vigilant. Otherwise, she wouldn't have discovered anything today.
Fortunately, the shares hadn't yet been transferred to Xu Junshan, and she hadn't been kicked off the board.
Fortunately-
Things hadn't reached their worst point yet. There was still time to salvage the situation.
Shen Shuyi forced herself to calm down. There was plenty to do next, and she couldn't act rashly.
Otherwise, not only would she lack the evidence to sue Xu Junshan and be unable to do anything about him, but if they divorced now, he would also walk away with half their assets.
How could she let a heartless scumbag like him take a share of the assets her parents had left behind and the Shen Family's century-old legacy?
She needed to plan for the long term and proceed carefully.
Bored out of her mind, Shen Banxia went back upstairs.
First, she roughly calculated her assets. Her mother had opened a bank account for her with a balance of one million, along with a supplementary credit card that also had a limit of one million.
In other words, without selling anything, she currently had two million at her disposal.
She had to use that two million to make money, but she couldn't spend it recklessly. Money spent on earning more money didn't count toward her food, clothing, housing, daily necessities, or transportation, so it would deduct from her life points.
In other words, if the rate at which she used that money to earn more and exchange it for combat power and life points couldn't outpace the deductions, she'd only die faster.
So how and when she used it would be crucial.
Pacing around her bedroom and feeling more energetic the more she thought, Shen Banxia decided to go out for a stroll and survey the market.
But she'd barely reached the gate when the Shen Family's security guard stopped her.
He explained that the Shen Family had a rule: underage children couldn't go out after nine and had to be home before ten unless accompanied by a family member.
It was just past nine, so she couldn't leave.
Shen Banxia didn't make things difficult for the guard and turned back.
Since she couldn't use the front gate, she'd have to find a less conventional way out.
Twenty minutes later, Shen Jinyan picked up Lisa, his new girlfriend of less than two days. The moment they met, they started kissing.
Shen Banxia watched them curiously, studying their movements-
Their faces were pressed so close together, and they kept nibbling at each other. Didn't that hurt? Could they still breathe?
Lisa, who had been lost in the kiss, suddenly widened her eyes and shoved Shen Jinyan away with a shriek. Trembling like a leaf, she stared at the back seat, her face drained of color.
"A ghost-a ghost-"
Shen Jinyan turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin, too. He would have, if he hadn't immediately recognized who it was.
"Shen Banxia, what are you doing here?" Shen Jinyan demanded through gritted teeth after taking a deep breath.
"I saw you were going out, so I came along. Miss, where's the ghost? Where?" Startled by Lisa's reaction, Shen Banxia turned to look behind her as she asked.
"Jinyan, who is she?" Lisa swallowed, nervous and frightened.
"My sister! My biological sister!" Shen Jinyan pressed a hand to his forehead and asked Shen Banxia helplessly, "Does Mommy know you're out?"
"No. Mommy should be asleep by now, so let's not disturb her.
Go ahead. Just pretend I'm not here.
Second Brother, why are you just sitting there? Did you forget what you were doing?
Start from where you tilted your head and nibbled on her neck!" Shen Banxia said animatedly.
Shen Jinyan's expression darkened further. He shoved Shen Banxia back into the rear seat, then turned to apologize to Lisa.
"Lisa, sorry. I can't spend time with you tonight. I have to take her home. I'll call you later."
Lisa? Could she be that Lisa who juggled a whole bunch of boyfriends and honey-trapped countless men?
Well, this should be interesting.
Second Brother was about to get caught in bed with her. In a panic, he'd climb out the window naked, only to miss his footing and fall from the second floor.
The onlookers would film it and upload the video, making him a laughingstock across the country!
Shen Jinyan froze and looked at his seventh sister in astonishment.
But she merely pressed her lips together and met his gaze with an innocent smile.
"Jinyan, your sister is adorable. Why don't we take her home first?"
"Lisa, I'm really sorry. I'll ask you out again another time. Today, I have to teach this sister of mine a proper lesson, or who knows what trouble she'll get into next."
"All right. Drive safely, and call me when you get home!"
Lisa was so frustrated that she wanted to tear Shen Banxia to pieces, but knowing she couldn't change Shen Jinyan's mind, she forced a smile and replied gently and considerately.
She even remembered to turn to Shen Banxia and wave. "Goodbye, little sister."
Shen Banxia merely watched Lisa quietly without responding.
An inexplicable chill ran down Lisa's spine. She gave a dry laugh to cover her embarrassment and hurried out of the car.
Once Lisa was out, Shen Jinyan shifted into gear, stepped on the gas, and drove off.
Second Brother, why did you run away? Now you've lost your chance to jump out of a building!
And your chance to become famous nationwide!
In the back seat, Shen Banxia grumbled inwardly with some regret. Now she wouldn't get to watch the drama unfold.
Shen Jinyan wanted to ask his sister what she'd meant by those words, but he couldn't make a sound.
In the end, he could only change the subject and scold her irritably.
"If you wanted to go out, you could've told me. Would I really refuse to give you a ride? Do you realize you could scare someone to death, popping up like that?"
"I wanted to go out on my own, but the security guard wouldn't let me. He said our family rules don't allow minors to go out after nine. What else could I do?
Then I happened to see you going out, so I thought I'd hitch a ride. How was I supposed to know you wouldn't stop anywhere along the way?"
Shen Jinyan was left utterly speechless. How had his seventh sister become the aggrieved one? She made it sound as though this was his fault!
Before you continue