The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 193 Wedding

Chapter 193: Chapter 193 Wedding

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Thanks to Feng Huiying, Shen Mingzhu had fresh, hot melon to eat as soon as she got home—

"...the couple returned home hand in hand, looking even more affectionate than they did when they first married. But come to think of it, Shen Baolan has gotten quite skinny, nearly as thin as you are now, with a waist this small."

Feng Huiying said, gesturing a circle with her hands.

Learning that Shen Baolan had managed to lose so much weight in just a month, Shen Mingzhu couldn’t help but be surprised.

Her first reaction was, could Shen Baolan have been transmigrated too?

If there really was another transmigrator like her, that would be interesting.

...

In the evening.

Shen Baolan lay contentedly in bed, glancing at Zhou Shuhuan beside her, who was equally breathless, and felt the heavy stone in her heart finally settle.

Zhou Shuhuan had consented to share a bed with her, which surely meant he would no longer consider divorcing her.

With some luck, she might get pregnant next month, and then her status as a daughter-in-law of the Zhou family would be thoroughly secured.

In a few years’ time, once Zhou Shuhuan had made his fortune through business, and she had become a wealthy lady, she could finally trample Shen Mingzhu beneath her feet.

The more Shen Baolan thought about it, the prettier the picture became. She snuggled up to Zhou Shuhuan like a delicate woman and said softly, "Shuhuan, I’ll definitely bear you a healthy baby boy."

Zhou Shuhuan held her without a word, but his expression revealed his good mood.

Shen Baolan looked at his face and suddenly had an idea. "Shuhuan, why don’t you go into business? That’s how you make real money, and you have the ability, really, believe me."

"My mother once had my fortune told, and I was said to have the destiny of augmenting my husband’s fortune. My man will prosper someday, becoming a multimillionaire. Even Mingzhu can run a factory, and you are much better than her, you’ll definitely make a lot of money."

Zhou Shuhuan didn’t take Shen Baolan’s words to heart, thinking she was just joking around, and instead he began talking about Shen Mingzhu’s marriage.

Upon hearing this, Shen Baolan curled her lip. "She’s quick on her feet, to have found another prospect so soon. What does the man do? How old is he? He’s not some old geezer, is he?"

Subconsciously, Shen Baolan was convinced that Pei Yang, as she had dreamt, was already gone, and Shen Mingzhu was remarrying.

Zhou Shuhuan was oblivious to her thoughts and thought her old habit was flaring up again, her mouth running wild without a filter, and he was immediately not in the mood.

"Yang has already returned. If you dare to talk nonsense about him and Mingzhu again, we are done!"

Shen Baolan was stunned. "What did you say? Pei Yang came back? He isn’t dead??"

Zhou Shuhuan was so annoyed he didn’t even want to speak, simply got dressed, and left the house cold-faced.

Shen Baolan sat dazed on the bed, unable to regain her composure for a long while.

Pei Yang wasn’t dead?

Pei Yang was actually alive!?

Then Zhou Shuhuan couldn’t become a multimillionaire, and she wouldn’t become a wealthy lady?

...

After leaving the house, Zhou Shuhuan found a quiet place to smoke, extremely vexed.

Shen Baolan’s physical transformation, which he had found quite pleasing and exciting at first, had just resulted in her speaking without restraint, making him suddenly realize that no matter how good or bad Shen Baolan’s exterior was, it couldn’t change her nature—gossipy, vulgar, and coarse.

Why couldn’t she be like Shen Mingzhu, a demure good wife and mother?

...

The next morning, Shen Baolan sent Zhou Hao off to kindergarten.

Once downstairs, she didn’t hurry off. Instead, she deliberately dawdled while chatting with neighbors.

Not long after, she saw Shen Mingzhu leading Pei Ziheng towards the gate from building five.

And the tall man walking behind the mother and son, if not Pei Yang, who else could it be?

Seeing Pei Yang was indeed alive, Shen Baolan felt her heart turn cold in an instant.

It was over, Zhou Shuhuan wouldn’t become a multimillionaire, and she wouldn’t become a wealthy lady.

Outsiders were unaware of Shen Baolan’s inner turmoil, only seeing her staring blankly at Pei Yang, and thought she was daydreaming again, looking down on her in secret contempt.

Shen Mingzhu noticed Shen Baolan as soon as she walked out of the apartment building, hard to miss in her bright rose-colored dress.

As Feng Huiying had said, Shen Baolan had completely transformed, standing between five-foot-six and five-foot-seven in height and weighing probably around 110 pounds.

Pei Yang too was surprised by Shen Baolan’s change, unable to resist giving her several looks.

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When he left, Shen Baolan was still as fat as a pig, but now she’d actually slimmed down to a stick.

Shen Baolan was quite distraught that Pei Yang was still alive, yet when Pei Yang appraised her, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of springtime fancy in her heart, believing that he, too, was captivated by her beauty.

After all, she had become slim and attractive, while Shen Mingzhu looked rough around the edges.

Clad in white shirt and black trousers, with old-fashioned black leather shoes on her feet, she was not only less refined than before, but her skin had also darkened.

Presented with the current her and Shen Mingzhu, who knew whom Pei Yang would choose?

Buoyed by a smug sense of superiority, Shen Baolan took the initiative to greet Pei Yang, "Pei Yang, when did you get back?"

Just as she was confident that Pei Yang would stop to talk with her, he strode past her with his long two-meter legs, treating her as if she were thin air.

It was Shen Mingzhu, however, who glanced at Shen Baolan with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile as she passed by.

Competing with Shen Mingzhu had become a habit and second nature for Shen Baolan; seeing Shen Mingzhu glance at her, she instinctively sucked in her belly and puffed out her chest.

From Shen Baolan’s demeanor and actions, Shen Mingzhu could assert that the person before her was indeed the original Baolan and had not gone through any time travel.

...

Once Pei Yang stepped out of the family compound, he couldn’t help but complain to Shen Mingzhu, "Does Shuhuan’s wife have a problem? Why does she keep staring at me?"

Shen Mingzhu teased, "She probably fancies you."

"It’s early in the morning, don’t tell ghost stories, it’s too damn terrifying."

Shen Mingzhu rolled her eyes at the man, feeling a secret admiration for Shen Baolan.

She was like a cockroach that couldn’t be killed.

Every time you thought she was crushed, she’d revive with full health before long.

But on second thought, the other party was after all the big winner in life according to the book, so having some skill was not surprising.

...

The wedding day arrived in the blink of an eye.

Before the sky even brightened, the Pei Family home was already brightly lit.

Pei Wenping had invited a horde of female relatives along with Feng Huiying and several other women from the family compound. More than a dozen of them gathered in her bedroom, chattering away and giving Shen Mingzhu a headache.

They were all eager to help her with her hair and makeup, but Shen Mingzhu politely declined.

She could compromise on everything else, but hair and makeup had to be done by herself; she was about to take family and wedding photos, and she didn’t want to be left with a lifetime of regrets and shadows.

Shen Mingzhu applied a Korean bridal makeup to herself.

With abundant natural light during the day and wearing a white wedding dress, the light and elegant Korean makeup was just perfect.

After finishing her makeup, Shen Mingzhu began to do her hair.

Her forehead was full and round, so a middle parting looked very good on her. She twisted her hair into a low chignon at the back of her head, pinned the pearl headband she had made herself, and donned the veil to complete the look.

"Here comes the bride!"

At Pei Wenping’s cue, the men in the living room, with Pei Yang at the forefront, turned their heads to look at her in unison.

Shen Mingzhu was not someone unaccustomed to being the center of attention, but still, she felt somewhat uneasy under the gaze of a group of men, a faint warmth spreading across her cheeks.

Pei Yang took large strides toward her, his passionate, profound eyes seemingly trying to absorb her into his depths.

"Wife, you’re truly beautiful."

"Kiss! Kiss!"

A chorus of teasing calls sounded, causing the mild heat on Shen Mingzhu’s cheeks to suddenly become scorching hot.

...

Across the street from the entrance of the family compound, a dark green jeep was parked in silence.

Yan Yi sat in the passenger seat, his thin single eyelids slightly drooped, lost in thought.

Ning Yuan lounged in the driver’s seat, an arm draped over the window, appearing relaxed.

"She’s out."

Yan Yi turned his head toward the entrance of the family compound.