Scarred Hearts — A Girls' Love Tale - Chapter 16

The power struggle among the five sons of the Shen family had become quite a scandal.

It started when the third son stirred up trouble right after Old Master Shen passed away. Then the fourth son turned the tables and took him down. The fifth and second sons tried to join forces to assassinate the fourth, but the eldest son caught wind of it and used the opportunity to force the second and fifth to hand over their authority. He then pushed the fourth out of power on the grounds that he was unfit for leadership.

Though it sounded like a tongue-twister of infighting, the power struggle wasn’t that complicated. As for Shen Jiayan, the eldest daughter of the Shen family, she had always focused on her own role and never got involved in the power games. So when Shen Zhiwen, the eldest son, settled scores later on, he had no mercy for his brothers—placing them under house arrest or getting rid of them—but spared Shen Jiayan alone.

Shen Jiayan didn’t hold any real power. Her small shares in the family business had little influence, so Shen Zhiwen felt comfortable leaving her be.

It was said that Shen Jiayan and Luo Qinghan had been close since childhood—longer, even, than Yan Shuangfei had known Luo Qinghan.

Although the Shen family favored the Han family more, that hadn’t affected the friendship between the two women, who had been inseparable growing up.

Thankfully, Shen Jiayan’s orientation was “normal”—she was known to be quite the flirt, always chasing after new flings. So Yan Shuangfei felt secure knowing her precious Qinghan wouldn’t stray, even with this childhood friend around.

These two women shared a love for shopping, but both disliked having staff tagging along. That’s how Yan Shuangfei ended up getting dragged along as their designated pack mule.

“Yan Shuangfei,” Shen Jiayan said, drawing out each syllable of her name. Her face was serious at first, but then broke into a teasing grin. “Tsk tsk, I can’t believe you’ve grown so much. When I first saw you, you were just this tall.” She gestured with her hand, completely ignoring the rare blush creeping across Yan Shuangfei’s face.

It’s always embarrassing when someone starts rambling about stories from your childhood—especially ones you don’t even remember.

Embarrassment aside, something didn’t feel right to Yan Shuangfei.

Wait a second. I haven’t seen her that many times. How does she know so much about me?

She instinctively glanced at Luo Qinghan. As expected, Luo Qinghan was staring at a massive billboard on the side of a building, completely absorbed. But her ears were slightly red—maybe from the cold?

“Let’s go.” After a while, when Shen Jiayan still showed no signs of stopping, Luo Qinghan finally spoke. “It’s almost noon.”

That snapped Shen Jiayan out of her nostalgic ramblings. She smiled and grabbed Yan Shuangfei’s arm, linking hers naturally and leading the way.

Yan Shuangfei frowned ever so slightly. She wasn’t used to people getting this close to her. It triggered a vague sense of danger. Years of training had made her hypersensitive to being touched by strangers.

Of course, Luo Qinghan didn’t count as a stranger.

As for Shen Jiayan—anyone who could keep her head down and avoid getting caught up in the ruthless Shen family power struggle couldn’t be as simple as she appeared. Yan Shuangfei, ever suspicious, didn’t buy the innocent act for a second.

They say when three women gather, it’s like putting on a stage play. But with Yan Shuangfei being the quiet type and Luo Qinghan keeping to herself, it was Shen Jiayan who did all the talking. She chatted about the weather, shopping, life—anything and everything—while Yan Shuangfei stayed focused on her assigned role: the pack mule.

“Su Chéng.” While the other two were off buying snacks, Yan Shuangfei called out to her personal assistant.

“Yes, boss.” Su Cheng’s voice buzzed in her earpiece, background noise hinting that he was one of the security detail on this outing.

“Don’t call me ‘boss’ in public,” Yan Shuangfei corrected seriously. “Call me President Yan. I’m a legitimate businesswoman, running a proper operation.”

A proper con artist, more like. Yan Shuangfei was far from a wholesome entrepreneur—she never hesitated to exploit the hardworking masses if there was profit to be made.

Her kindness and good temper were reserved for one person only: Luo Qinghan.

“Look into Shen Jiayan for me—ASAP,” she said bluntly. “Also, tell Yan Qi to keep a close eye on that so-called Yan Shaoqiu.” If Shen Jiayan had the time and mood to go shopping without a care, then the Shen family must be in a stable state—completely out of sync with her original plan, which involved striking at the Shen family first.

Yan Qi couldn’t be pushed too hard either. If he got desperate and lashed out, it would be the Yan family that suffered most. Let’s see how many families jump in to help once the water gets hot enough to boil Yan Qi alive.

Old-school crime families valued justifying their actions—basically, if you were going to kill someone, you needed a proper excuse.

When the two women returned with their snacks, Luo Qinghan handed a milk tea to Yan Shuangfei. Shuangfei didn’t particularly like sweet stuff, but because it came from Luo Qinghan, she took it without hesitation.

“You two are way too lovey-dovey,” Shen Jiayan commented. As someone who had gone through one failed relationship after another, she was allergic to this kind of intimacy.

Luo Qinghan ignored her, continuing to interact with Yan Shuangfei. Shuangfei had been doing well lately—she deserved a reward.

But just on their way back, Yan Shuangfei received a message from Su Cheng: “Something’s going on with the Chang family.”

The Chang family—ranked lowest among the four major families—wouldn’t have even been on her radar if not for Chang Zheyun.

If she got the chance to kill Chang Zheyun, she could finally claim Luo Qinghan for herself.

Everyone knew Yan Shuangfei listened to Luo Qinghan’s every word, but they never imagined anything more. Shen Jiayan being trusted by Luo Qinghan must have some hidden reason too.

Chang Zheyun was like a thorn in her chest—always there, always painful. Now that a chance had come up, Yan Shuangfei wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate him. She’d give Luo Qinghan a reason to be free, and herself a rightful chance to pursue the one she wanted. She wasn’t about to settle for being just a bed partner.

Their relationship wasn’t a typical casual fling, but it couldn’t quite be called a real romance either. Yan Shuangfei refused to be satisfied with the way things were. Chang Zheyun was an obstacle that had to be removed—no matter how weak he seemed, no man from a prestigious family would quietly tolerate his wife cheating on him.

So, Chang Zheyun had to die.

But how would Luo Qinghan handle it?

Yan Shuangfei suddenly grinned strangely. Bathed in the warm winter sunlight, her smile somehow sent a chill down your spine.

Almost there. Soon, I won’t have to carry the damn label of “the other woman” anymore!