Marrying the Ugly Woman of a Rich and Powerful Family - Chapter 27
Shen Qingyuan automatically ignored Cang Yan’s comment about her mother being a rich person and said dryly, “Your parents have a really good relationship.”
Cang Yan unconsciously straightened up, a look of triumph on her face. After thinking for a moment, she decided there was no need to show off and retorted, “How is your parents’ relationship?”
Shen Qingyuan paused, her eyes momentarily unfocused. She said quietly, “I don’t have parents.”
“Even if the relationship is bad, you don’t have to say that…” Cang Yan was slow to realize that Shen Qingyuan’s parents were divorced, and now she had a stepfather and a birth mother.
Do not advise kindness to others without knowing their suffering.
She stopped talking in time and secretly observed Shen Qingyuan. Seeing her looking dejected, she couldn’t help but frown in sympathy.
Was Shen Qingyuan’s life really that miserable?
Why hadn’t she noticed before?
Shen Qingyuan knew Cang Yan had misunderstood. She truly didn’t have parents. She didn’t know which irresponsible couple gave birth to her and then abandoned her. Even her surname was randomly chosen by the orphanage director from the Hundred Family Surnames.
Shen Qingyuan had no longing for something she had never possessed like parents. She often felt that when one person is fed, the whole family is not hungry. She quickly put aside her worries, acting as if nothing had happened.
Flipping the spatula in her hand, she continued to stir-fry the vegetables.
Cang Yan stood silently by the counter.
When Shen Qingyuan added seasoning, she accidentally got smoke in her eyes and rubbed them with the back of her hand.
Cang Yan couldn’t help but glance up again.
Was she so hurt that she was about to cry?
Did she really have a stepmother after getting a stepfather?
No wonder she called her ‘Silly Sister’ and only went home once after coming to her house, never returning again.
Cang Yan looked confused, hesitating whether to advise Shen Qingyuan to stop cooking and go back to her room to be alone.
Shen Qingyuan had already stir-fried two vegetarian dishes, and edamame was boiling on another burner. She asked Cang Yan, “You have no sense of participation at all. Why don’t you try to make something yourself?”
Cang Yan subconsciously wanted to refuse, then thought Shen Qingyuan just wanted her to eat. She said, “I’ll fry an egg.”
She had seen online that fried eggs were easy to make and could be shaped as desired. She thought this was the least difficult, requiring only occasional flipping.
However, the truth was that as soon as the egg dropped into the oil, Cang Yan held up the pot lid like a shield, preventing oil from splashing on her.
“Shen Qingyuan, come and fry it yourself!” Cang Yan couldn’t help but frown when she got close. She felt it was very dangerous, as if the oil would explode and splatter all over her at any moment.
Shen Qingyuan: “…”
She folded her arms and just warned, “It’s going to burn.”
Cang Yan tried to flip it, her hand quickly retracting each time. Finally, she stopped forcing herself, stood far away, and handed the spatula to Shen Qingyuan, saying, “You do it.”
Shen Qingyuan had no choice but to take the spatula and flip the egg. The yolk had spilled everywhere and was still runny, but the egg white was already burnt.
Shen Qingyuan fried two more eggs. Cang Yan only watched from a distance. She swore she would never enter the kitchen again. What a terrible idea this was.
However, Shen Qingyuan was quite reassuring when she did things, especially when she wasn’t speaking.
As soon as she spoke, she made people half-dead with anger.
Shen Qingyuan scooped out the fried eggs and plated them. Her fried eggs were completely different from the one Cang Yan attempted, with a stark contrast between golden yellow and charred black.
Shen Qingyuan said, “It seems you have no destiny with the kitchen.”
Cang Yan curled her lip and said uncaringly, “No destiny, no destiny. I don’t care.”
Shen Qingyuan mainly felt that cooking could relax her, especially when leisurely making the delicious food she wanted to eat. She lifted the lid of the clay pot and said, “The fragrant edamame you wanted.”
Cang Yan immediately smelled a fresh fragrance.
After Shen Qingyuan scooped out the edamame, drained it, and plated it,
She left with the edamame.
At the dining table.
“Try to see if you have an appetite? I think if you want to gain weight, you need a professional nutritionist to properly balance the flavor and nutrition. Of course, you also need auxiliary exercise; without exercise, you look listless,” Shen Qingyuan nagged.
Cang Yan ate the edamame. The edamame cooked with star anise and other seasonings tasted quite good. She mumbled a response. She had paid attention to everything Shen Qingyuan said, but the main problem was that her body didn’t obey.
Shen Qingyuan saw she was uninterested and stopped talking.
It was a thankless task.
Cang Yan ate a small half bowl of food. She looked at the charred fried egg with disgust, and also had no appetite for the other dishes. She said, “You should cook for me from now on.”
She didn’t need to make anything else, just boiled edamame was fine.
“You wish. I cook occasionally because it’s a hobby. If I do it too much, I won’t agree,” Shen Qingyuan cooked now because she didn’t have to clean up. Washing pots and dishes had nothing to do with her. She could just dust her hands and leave after cooking.
Cang Yan said, “True, your cooking isn’t as good as Aunt Cai’s. Or I can hire a new chef; it would definitely be better.”
Shen Qingyuan glanced at the bowl in front of Cang Yan, which was filled with small half-bowls of edamame shells. She hadn’t eaten anything else. She said sarcastically, “No matter how delicious the food is, you still can’t eat it. You have a bird’s stomach. You should eat small, frequent meals from now on and nurse your body back to health, otherwise, it’s all pointless.”
Cang Yan felt a salty taste in her mouth and drank some soup to relieve it. She said carelessly, “That’s none of your business. Being too controlling is annoying. I didn’t marry a mother hen.”
Shen Qingyuan: “…”
Shen Qingyuan realized that as long as Cang Yan didn’t want to eat, no amount of coaxing would work. It was a waste of her time to cook for Cang Yan.
Why should she care if Cang Yan ate or not?
It was only eighty jin; she wasn’t dead!
It would be better if she was dead!
But… a grown person only weighing eighty jin.
The thought that she weighed thirty-two jin more than Cang Yan made Shen Qingyuan feel terrible.
Did she need to lose weight?
Shen Qingyuan finally decided to stop caring whether Cang Yan lived or died. The person had survived for twenty-eight years, so why was she suddenly so meddlesome after coming here?
If Cang Yan didn’t eat, then she didn’t eat. It was none of her business!
Shen Qingyuan finished her meal angrily, didn’t even look at Cang Yan, slammed the bowl down hard, and went upstairs.
Cang Yan: “…”
She stared blankly in the direction Shen Qingyuan disappeared.
So inexplicable.
The matter of Mo Ze being taken away by the police quickly had a result. The police announced that a senior student named Mo from University A was suspected of trafficking illegal videos. The videos involved thousands of people and was likely a group crime. This incident quickly brewed online, sparking discussion, and the school was temporarily trending.
“Our school is actually trending because of this.”
Shen Qingyuan was filled with anger from Cang Yan and had no mind to study. Her composition template was placed next to her, and she was lying on the sofa browsing Weibo when she saw this private message.
She asked, “Who are you?”
“I’m the little nun number one from your house. This is my Weibo. Follow me,” Li Xinyan quickly typed.
“How did you find this account?” Shen Qingyuan and Li Xinyan followed each other and continued to gossip.
“I came to see what was on your Weibo, but unfortunately, it’s all been deleted, so I can’t see anything.” Li Xinyan used to read the ‘A Plant’ Weibo out of curiosity. After learning that ‘A Plant’ was Shen Qingyuan, she became even more interested.
Shen Qingyuan said, “What could be on Weibo? I’ve turned over a new leaf. A prodigal son’s return is worth more than gold. I advise you not to dwell on who I used to be.”
Li Xinyan was a bit embarrassed about being discovered. She said, “Of course, I know you’ve reformed. Sigh, I didn’t expect Mo Ze, who looks so gentle, to be a pervert. Our campus network has blown up. There are posts revealing that they even have an industrial chain, where some couples seeking excitement would actively allow people to film on the side. I feel so awkward listening to it.”
Shen Qingyuan was interested and said, “Show me that post.”
Li Xinyan sent her the link.
The two followed the post and gossiped over the internet.
This kind of thing could easily incite public outrage from women. However, there were always some clueless perverts who jumped in, complaining that the resources hadn’t been released before they were caught, saying it was a huge loss.
Shen Qingyuan began to suspect that all the dimwits online were the same group of people.
Shen Qingyuan’s Weibo private messages were too numerous to handle. They were still mostly insults. After gossiping for a while, she didn’t want to see any more negative news. She said goodbye to Li Xinyan and went offline.
In the morning.
Cang Yan said slowly, “The video has been found. Judging by the quality, it should have been shot via remote-controlled recording.”
Shen Qingyuan’s approach was too passive. If Mo Ze didn’t hand over the video, she would be at a disadvantage. Cang Yan had asked people to pay close attention. Since Mo Ze had been engaged in transactions, the packaged videos were still around, and clues were quickly found.
Shen Qingyuan thought about how she angrily left yesterday because Cang Yan wouldn’t eat, feeling a bit awkward, as if she cared a lot about Cang Yan!
Fortunately, she hid it well and asked nonchalantly, “Do I need to go to the police station?”
“What else?” Cang Yan clearly didn’t dwell on yesterday’s incident. “I’ve already informed your parents.”
Shen Qingyuan lowered her head, pondering, about to ask if Cang Yan would go with her. After all, she had given Cang Yan attitude after dinner yesterday, so it wasn’t right to be all smiles now.
Cang Yan seemed to read her mind and said, “Your parents don’t seem very reliable. I’ll go with you.”
Shen Qingyuan had already told her yesterday that she was practically without parents. Cang Yan couldn’t be so petty as to not even help with this, right?
“Ah? Okay,” Shen Qingyuan secretly rejoiced.
The two went to the police station, and Shen Qingyuan’s parents also arrived.
Yin Ruoyun’s rigid impression of her daughter made her assume her daughter fell into the water by accident while playing. After being rescued, her body was still very healthy, and she was busy getting married, so she didn’t pursue the matter.
Now, she knew there was more to the story.
Of course, she showed concern again.
Shen Tongtao, on the other hand, was all business.
Cang Yan watched the stepfather and birth mother with an expressionless face.
Silently observing.
Shen Qingyuan was not a criminal but a victim. The police officer asked her to recall what happened. Shen Qingyuan was afraid of saying too much and arousing suspicion, so she said, “After I fell into the water, I almost couldn’t even remember Cang… my wife.”
Cang Yan raised her eyebrows at the comment.
Yin Ruoyun chimed in, “Officer, my daughter’s memory really got worse after falling into the water. Let that beast Zhou Chuan explain why he tried to murder her.”
The fact that this matter was being brought up again was completely unexpected for Zhou Chuan. When he saw Shen Qingyuan was safe and no one came looking for him, he thought the incident was over. So, he joked with Shen Qingyuan as usual, but he hadn’t expected Shen Qingyuan’s personality to change drastically, to the point of starting to study diligently.
Later, Mo Ze privately warned him, saying he knew about the bad deeds he had done.
He felt guilty, thinking Mo Ze and Shen Qingyuan were involved, so he didn’t dare to look for Shen Qingyuan again.
Now, the police were saying they had evidence that he pushed her into the water. Zhou Chuan was still a student and instinctively felt scared. His body was still trembling when he arrived at the police station.
Especially since the other side had so many people, and he was alone.
But because Shen Qingyuan was not injured, he composed himself and recalled, “We always had a good relationship. That day, I was just joking, trying to scare her. I didn’t expect her to actually fall in.”
“Is that all? What were you doing by the river?”
“Shen Qingyuan said she was in a bad mood, and I went to comfort her.”
Cang Yan raised an eyebrow to indicate: “You were in a bad mood?”
“I don’t remember,” Shen Qingyuan shook her head.
“She said she was about to marry Cang Yan and didn’t know if she would still be so free, so I went to comfort her. We originally went to the riverside to fish, but we forgot to bring the fishing rods, so we were just chatting by the river.”
Cang Yan’s face darkened upon hearing this.
Did she look like someone who would lock Shen Qingyuan in a small dark room? Was marrying her that terrifying?
The police officer then played the blurry, obviously secretly filmed video. Zhou Chuan immediately became excited: “This proves I was joking.”
In the video, Zhou Chuan and Shen Qingyuan were walking one behind the other on the bank. Shen Qingyuan looked uninterested, standing facing the river. Zhou Chuan was tiptoeing behind Shen Qingyuan. An uninformed person might have thought he was trying to hug her secretly. However, he suddenly reached out and poked Shen Qingyuan’s waist. Judging by the gesture, he was probably planning to push her and then pull her back, but he didn’t manage to grab her, and Shen Qingyuan fell straight into the water.
Shen Qingyuan questioned him coldly, “That’s your idea of a joke?”
She was extremely angry. The original owner was not evil by nature. Although she had many flaws, even her initial intention for writing fanfiction about Cang Yan was to criticize her for being too weak and to write her as stronger. Yet, she died because of a joke?
The police officer next to them also asked, “Is that the kind of joke you can just casually make? And why didn’t you try to save her? Instead, you ran away.”
“I didn’t expect her to actually fall. I can’t swim. She clearly said she could swim before. I didn’t know she was just showing off,” Zhou Chuan covered his face with his hands, looking on the verge of tears. “I was very scared and wanted to call for help, but… but I didn’t see anyone.”
Shen Qingyuan interjected with a cold face, “You were afraid that if someone saw you, you wouldn’t be able to escape responsibility, right? So you just ran away, pretending you didn’t know about it.”
Zhou Chuan was exposed on the spot and stammered, unable to speak.
“Now you’re not only guilty of attempted murder but also failing to render aid,” Shen Qingyuan, completely discarding her frivolous manner, maintained a cold expression throughout, logically listing his crimes.
Zhou Chuan, hearing the list of crimes pressing down on him, screamed hysterically, “You didn’t die! I said it was a joke! What more do you want?”
“You should be grateful that I didn’t die, not use my not dying to excuse yourself. Whether I died or not, this is a crime,” Shen Qingyuan reminded him.
“If I had to die for it to be considered a crime, then what is the law for? Just to mourn the dead? The law is here to warn people like you who are about to commit a crime about the consequences, and it’s here to protect the people.”
“Well said!” a police officer suddenly interjected. He initially thought this was a minor incident that could be settled with a simple mediation. Now, he was listening with his bl00d boiling.
Cang Yan watched Shen Qingyuan without blinking. This was a completely different Shen Qingyuan—mature, meticulous, and spoke with clear logic, like… a teacher.
Zhou Chuan was still trying to defend himself: “I was joking!”
“That was attempted murder!”
Shen Qingyuan returned home filled with anger. The rest of the matter was left for Shen Tongtao and Yin Ruoyun to negotiate.
Cang Yan saw that she cared deeply about the incident and said, “I will hire a good lawyer for you afterward. Crime is crime. Intentional or unintentional, it’s a crime. Zhou Chuan will be punished.”
“Mm,” Shen Qingyuan said expressionlessly.
Cang Yan, being given the cold shoulder, wasn’t angry. She couldn’t help but complain, “You’re more irritable than me today.”
It scared her into not daring to be irritable herself.
Shen Qingyuan: “…”
Cang Yan decided to sacrifice her beauty for once. She sat next to Shen Qingyuan and generously offered, “You can lean on my shoulder.”
Shen Qingyuan leaned on Cang Yan’s shoulder without a word, sniffing the fragrance on her, and her mood improved significantly.
No matter how good the lawyer Cang Yan hired was, the punishment Zhou Chuan received wouldn’t be too severe because everyone thought she hadn’t died and hadn’t sustained any injuries.
Did she have to prove that she had died?
Shen Qingyuan shifted her position restlessly on Cang Yan’s shoulder. Finally, she moved to a comfortable spot and quietly settled down.
Cang Yan noticed Shen Qingyuan had moved to her chest. She was uncharacteristically patient and didn’t push her away. Instead, she asked gently, “How does it feel?”
Is her mood better now?
Shen Qingyuan didn’t answer for a long time.
Cang Yan thought she was asleep. She felt a slight pain where Shen Qingyuan was pressing against her chest. She was caught between a rock and a hard place, hesitating whether to push Shen Qingyuan away, when she heard Shen Qingyuan say regretfully, “It feels alright. It would be even better if it were softer.”
“!!!”
Cang Yan pushed Shen Qingyuan away with a dark expression!
She had to be irritable today!
If she wasn’t irritable, she wouldn’t be the firecracker!