After Becoming the Mother of the Scumbag Stand-In Female Lead - Chapter 3

The scream drew the attention of the other three people in the living room. Butler Li frowned as he walked over to the woman. “Miss Zhao, what’s wrong?”

Miss Zhao clutched her cheek, still nervously scanning her surroundings. “Something just hit me…”

Butler Li observed her tightly held cheek and also looked around.

Then he approached Sheng Yunjin nearby and asked with concern, “Young Mistress, are you alright?”

Sheng Yunjin shook her head. With her hands clasped behind her back, she leisurely strolled over to the woman and examined her face with feigned curiosity, tilting her head left and right. “Did you get hit? How bad is it?”

Miss Zhao grew furious at the sight of that innocent face. She had visited this house several times with Sheng Mingzhao, yet Sheng Yunjin always ignored her. Now that she heard about being hit, the girl couldn’t wait to come mock her!

Just as detestable as her long-dead mother!

Normally, Miss Zhao would never show her anger in front of others, but her face burned with pain—she even suspected it might be disfigured. The long-suppressed resentment combined with the humiliation of being mysteriously struck ignited the volcano in her heart.

Butler Li was instructing the maids who had come at the commotion to thoroughly inspect the living room for any flying insects.

Hearing this, Miss Zhao exploded with rage. She uncovered her swollen cheek, revealing five distinct finger marks. “Looking for fucking insects? Someone definitely hit me!”

“Pfft—hahaha…”

Sheng Yunjin took in the vivid slap mark on the woman’s face, then crossed her arms and laughed heartily without restraint. The maids nearby hadn’t intended to laugh, but seeing their young mistress’s amusement, they couldn’t help but suppress giggles.

In this household, their work was generally arranged by Butler Li. The massive villa had only two masters besides him.

Chairman Sheng, though stern and taciturn, made few demands beyond meals and tea—hardly requiring their service. His only questionable aspect was his private life, which didn’t concern them anyway. With generous salaries, they simply did their jobs.

The other was Sheng Yunjin. Though somewhat spoiled, the girl was beautiful, clever, and polite to the staff—nothing to complain about. Any tantrums were directed at her father, never at them.

Beyond these two, they most frequently encountered the various women Sheng Mingzhao brought home—all bearing some resemblance to each other.

Initially, they treated these special guests with utmost respect, uncertain if one might become the future mistress. But as years passed—over a decade—not a single companion lasted more than a month in this house.

Truth be told, Chairman Sheng never took these women seriously, and Sheng Yunjin regarded them with even less regard. Gradually, the staff understood—these women were merely passing shadows.

Moreover, to put it bluntly, these women entered this household for nothing but money—for Chairman Sheng’s hefty breakup fees.

They weren’t even as respectable as the servants who earned their keep through honest labor.

Naturally, the household staff looked down on them.

Surrounded by mocking laughter, Miss Zhao was so furious she nearly lost her mind. She scanned the room before viciously grabbing Sheng Yunjin by the collar. “What are you laughing at? You must be the one who hit me!”

Butler Li, standing nearby, quickly stepped in with a frown, pushing her away and shielding Sheng Yunjin behind him. His tone was stern. “Miss Zhao, watch your words.”

He glanced at the vivid handprint on her face—it did look like a slap. But he had seen clearly that Sheng Yunjin had been standing far away at the time.

There was no way she could have done it.

Besides, the young miss had no reason to hit her. Over the years, no matter how many women had come and gone, Sheng Yunjin had always ignored them. Why would she suddenly resort to violence now?

Miss Zhao was just lashing out in anger. Truthfully, she had no idea who had slapped her. But in this entire house, aside from Sheng Yunjin, who else would dare?

Then it struck her—she had been with Sheng Mingzhao for nearly a month. Soon, she’d likely be kicked out. Since she’d already been slapped, she might as well milk it for all it was worth. Whether Sheng Yunjin had done it or not, she would pin the blame on her!

She knew one slap wouldn’t be enough to drive a wedge between Sheng Mingzhao and his daughter—dinner had already made her painfully aware of her own insignificance in his eyes.

But if she could use this incident to squeeze out some extra compensation, it would be worth it!

Tears welled up instantly as she put on a pitiful act. “Miss Sheng, I know you hate me. Ever since I came here, you’ve never even looked at me properly. But what have I done wrong? I just admire your father. Why would you hit me over that?”

Standing behind Butler Li, Sheng Yunjin gritted her teeth in fury.

She should have slapped that mouth shut earlier!

But then, a new idea struck her. With one hand hidden behind her back, her fingers flicked almost instinctively, weaving a spell with surprising familiarity.

Putting on an aggrieved expression, she stepped forward. “Auntie, if you know you’re unwelcome, you should have the decency not to barge into other people’s homes.”

The word “auntie” nearly made the barely-twenty-something Miss Zhao faint from rage.

A glimmer of golden light shot from Sheng Yunjin’s fingertips toward Miss Zhao’s forehead, unnoticed by anyone else.

Smirking inwardly, Sheng Yunjin continued, feigning hurt. “I was sitting over there watching TV the whole time—I never took a single step toward you. But you, Auntie, after dinner, you kept standing in front of my mother’s portrait, staring at it. What exactly were you trying to do?”

The moment her words landed, a deep voice spoke up from behind Miss Zhao.

“Explain yourself. Why were you lingering in front of my wife’s portrait?”

Her face suddenly turned pale as Miss Zhao turned to face Sheng Mingzhao, who had arrived unnoticed. She opened her mouth, trying to concoct some pleasantries to gloss over the situation.

She truly hadn’t expected Sheng Yunjin, who usually seemed so unassuming, to be so sharp-tongued. At such a young age, she already knew how to divert the conversation!

Miss Zhao cautiously studied Sheng Mingzhao’s grim expression before speaking slowly, “I was just standing here to admire Mrs. Sheng’s portrait. Since the Chairman holds her in such high regard, naturally I wanted to take a closer look. But honestly, it’s nothing special.”

The moment her words landed, the entire living room fell into dead silence.

Miss Zhao was horrified—how had she blurted out her true thoughts?!

“Every time I come here, I have to see this photo. It’s so annoying.”

Her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own, spilling her innermost thoughts uncontrollably. Miss Zhao bit her lip hard, her face twisted in distress.

She couldn’t keep talking like this—if she did, she might not leave this place alive today.

Slap.

Another crisp sound of a slap rang out. Sheng Mingzhao withdrew his hand, his face dark as he kicked her aside.

Miss Zhao collapsed to the floor, clutching her other cheek. Tears streamed down her face as she suddenly realized she could control her mouth again. She quickly looked up, sobbing, “Chairman, Chairman, I was wrong! I was talking nonsense! Please forgive me, Chairman…”

Steward Li, seeing Sheng Mingzhao’s stormy expression, swiftly called for security. In less than two minutes, Miss Zhao was dragged out and thrown beyond the gates.

…

Silence returned to the living room, leaving only Sheng Mingzhao and his daughter, Sheng Yunjin.

Sheng Yunjin watched as her father gazed at the portrait with nostalgic longing. In the past, she would have ignored it, but after today’s incident, she felt a surge of anger and frustration.

“Do you even deserve to look at my mother like that?”

Sheng Mingzhao turned to her, his expression as impassive as ever. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“She was my wife. I was her husband. Why wouldn’t I deserve to?”

Sheng Yunjin stared at him, sensing that he genuinely believed his own words—as if, in his mind, there was nothing wrong with his actions.

She let out a cold laugh. “How noble of you! So, adept at separating body and heart.”

With that, she turned and strode upstairs without another glance.

Not long after that day, Sheng Yunjin left the country.

……

The hospital room was quiet. Instead of immediately approaching the bed, Sheng Yunjin took her time surveying the spacious, well-lit ward, even casually peeling and eating an orange from the fruit bowl in the sitting area.

Only after finishing the orange did she saunter over and sit down beside Sheng Mingzhao.

Her gaze flicked indifferently over the cast on his right leg before finally meeting his eyes. With a careless smile, she remarked, “Well, you’re awake. Judging by the expressions of that mother and son outside, I thought you might not wake up at all.”

Sheng Mingzhao closed the tablet in front of him, ignoring her sarcasm. Instead, he asked, “If not for them, would you have ever come back?”

Sheng Yunjin nodded without hesitation. “Of course not. If I weren’t worried they might kill you one day and leave me an orphan, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

Sheng Mingzhao couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. He lightly tapped Sheng Yunjin’s shoulder with the book from the small table, saying, “Sheng Yunjin, can’t you wish me well for once?”

Shaking her head ambiguously, Sheng Yunjin covered a yawn with the back of her hand before standing up drowsily. Before turning to leave, she remarked, “Chairman Sheng, you’ve lived to such an age—surely you’re not going to turn into some naive fool in your twilight years.”