The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 309 - 308: The Competitive Desire Between Men

Chapter 309: Chapter 308: The Competitive Desire Between Men

Shen Mingzhu quietly gave a few instructions to Du Juan and Shen Chaobei, then they split up to carry out their tasks.

Back at the Pei residence, after coaxing his sister to sleep, Pei Ziheng made up an excuse to send Aunt Yu out of the house, then picked up the phone and called Shi Yizheng, instructing him to find a way to get information out of Hong Jinbao as soon as possible.

...

Shen Mingzhu first visited People’s Shopping Mall and Baihui Department Store, imploring both venues in a low and humble voice to give her more time to solve the problem and trouble, but was met with rejection.

In the end, she had no choice but to sign agreements with both stores to terminate their collaboration.

Afterward, she went to the police station to inquire about the progress of the case and to see if she could visit Pei Yang.

As expected, she was also rejected.

With the case under investigation, relatives were not allowed to see the suspect, and the progress of the case would not be divulged to her at all.

Walking out of the police station, Shen Mingzhu was lost and dispirited, walking along while wiping her tears.

This scene was all witnessed by Wang Hongcheng, who was secretly tailing her. He was ecstatic, metaphorically as if he had drunk a chill cola on a hot summer day, refreshed from head to toe.

You wretched woman, trying to fight me? I was out here hustling when you were still nursing!

Now let’s see how you die.

Confident that Shen Mingzhu could not turn the situation around this time, Wang Hongcheng hummed a tune as he gleefully rode his motorcycle back.

However, what Wang Hongcheng didn’t know was that after he rode off, Shen Mingzhu calmly wiped away the tears on her face, her gaze coldly fixed on the direction he departed.

Shortly after, Shen Mingzhu hailed a rickshaw, telling the rickshaw puller to head to the family court.

Around the corner of the street, a dark green jeep was quietly parked.

Yan Yi sat in the driver’s seat, resting one hand on the steering wheel while calmly watching the rickshaw carrying Shen Mingzhu fade into the distance.

Ning Yuan was reclining in the passenger seat, chin in hand, his gaze also fixed in the direction of Shen Mingzhu, his expression amused.

"I never realized she was quite the actress," Ning Yuan quipped.

Yan Yi withdrew his gaze, remembering how he almost couldn’t resist getting out of the car to comfort her and couldn’t help but laugh.

It was his concern that clouded his judgment; she had never been the ordinary housewife who could only cry when confronted with problems.

"Get out," he said.

Hearing this, Ning Yuan pushed open the door while remarking, "Why do I feel like she doesn’t need your knight-in-shining-armor act?"

"Whether she needs it or not, and whether I should do it, are two different things," Yan Yi replied.

Ning Yuan clicked his tongue twice, then with a teasing expression, he said, "Old Yan, have you ever considered another possibility? Like making a move while he’s down. If Pei Yang doesn’t get out this time, wouldn’t you have a chance?"

No sooner had he spoken than he was met with a cold look from Yan Yi.

Ning Yuan shrank his neck and offered a sheepish smile, "Just kidding..."

Before he could finish, he heard Yan Yi reply, "I’ve thought about it."

Ning Yuan: "..."

"You serious? Or just kidding?"

"Old Yan, this isn’t a joke. Don’t act on impulse."

"Even if so, it’s not like you and she have a chance."

"Unless you take her abroad, keep her there maybe the family won’t care, but with her temperament, she probably wouldn’t agree..."

Ning Yuan was rambling on his own, even almost deciding on the names for their future children.

Yan Yi didn’t join in, for he had indeed thought about it. Upon hearing that Pei Yang had been arrested, the idea had involuntarily popped into his mind.

To take advantage of her at her most vulnerable moment.

But the wicked thought was fleeting.

The upbringing ingrained in him made him disdainful and unwilling to use such underhanded methods against a good man, nor did he wish to harm her in such a way.

Indeed, as Ning Yuan said, he had many ways and means to keep her by his side, to make her his own.

But the price of doing so would inevitably be the destruction of her, trampling upon her soul and personality.

He wouldn’t do it.

...

In the interrogation room.

Interrogator: "When did you start substituting inferior products for good ones, producing these illegal products?"

Pei Yang: "Officer, we are really wronged. Those spicy strips and dried tofu are not produced by our food factory. Someone maliciously counterfeited and tried to frame us."

Interrogator: "Cut the crap. Answer what I ask, and honestly explain the problem to get lenient treatment!"

Pei Yang: "It’s not that I won’t answer, but I really can’t. Our factory’s business is good, and I have no need to use inferior products and ruin our reputation."

Interrogator: "If it’s not produced by your factory, where did these counterfeit products found in your office come from? Did they fall from the sky?"

Pei Yang: "We unintentionally discovered that there were counterfeit and substandard spicy strips and dried tofu on the market. Worrying that children might eat them and have problems, we urgently collected all the spicy strips and dried tofu available for sale on the market—that’s what you saw."

The interrogator slammed the table, "If the products weren’t produced by you, what are you flustered about? Did you rush to collect them back to the factory to destroy the evidence?"

Pei Yang: "I didn’t, I haven’t..."

Just then, the door of the interrogation room was pushed open, and the two staff members in charge of the interrogation were called out.

Just when Pei Yang thought the interrogation had ended and relaxed his body to rest, an unexpected person walked into the interrogation room.

Yan Yi placed a cup of water and a decent meal in front of Pei Yang and sat down opposite.

It should be known that this position is where the interrogator sits, and Yan Yi chose to sit without anyone daring to come in and stop him, which shows his profound background.

"Eat, it’s not poisoned," Yan Yi said teasingly, seeing Pei Yang only staring at him without using his chopsticks.

Hearing this, Pei Yang no longer held back.

Despite being very thirsty and hungry, he only drank half a cup of water and didn’t eat much of the food.

It was uncertain when he could get out, and if they didn’t allow him to go to the bathroom, wouldn’t that be the end of him?

"Dr. Yan, thank you," Pei Yang said, wiping his mouth, expressing his gratitude to Yan Yi.

Yan Yi looked at him and replied, "No need to thank me, I am only fulfilling someone else’s trust, that’s all."

"Your wife came to see you, but the police station wouldn’t let her. Seeing her crying while walking on the street, I felt quite uncomfortable."

If one were to combine these two sentences, it would give the impression that the person entrusting Yan Yi was Shen Mingzhu.

In fact, the ’someone else’s trust’ Yan Yi referred to was Zhong Qing.

He deliberately kept his words vague, indeed harboring an intention to test.

To test a husband’s trust in his wife.

As a professional in psychology, he understood too well that human nature could not withstand such tests.

But he wasn’t a saint; he also had emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, envy, and jealousy.

Pei Yang laughed upon hearing this, "Then it seems I owe even more thanks to Dr. Yan. Actually, I had been wanting to find an opportunity to personally express my gratitude. If it weren’t for your strong support for Hengxing to purchase Ronghua mooncakes, my family of four wouldn’t have been able to move into a big house so soon. Once this matter is settled, I will definitely invite Dr. Yan and Miss Zhong to visit our house, to see our new home."

"Sure."

Yan Yi stood up and left. He took a few steps and then turned back, "However, there’s something you might have misunderstood. The purchase of Ronghua mooncakes by Hengxing wasn’t under my instruction. Your wife had made a special trip because of this and Qingqing also told her the real reason. How come, she didn’t tell you?"

Seeing Pei Yang stunned, Yan Yi smiled, "Well, it’s normal for couples not to share everything; they always have some secrets of their own. You shouldn’t overthink it."

Pei Yang’s face darkened as Yan Yi left with a laugh.

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