The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 398 - 397: Yan Yi, The Scapegoat Warrior

Chapter 398: Chapter 397: Yan Yi, The Scapegoat Warrior

For Shen Mingzhu, a modern woman from the future, encountering such an incident made her first thought about calling the police and letting the perpetrator face legal punishment.

But then, considering Yan Yi’s identity and family background, she guessed that even if he were taken to the police station, it would probably be just for show.

Looking at Yan Yi’s gentle and unfathomable face, Shen Mingzhu had mixed feelings.

In the past, she had been truly grateful to Yan Yi, thankful that he had used his status to clear her of false accusations and save her husband.

But now, that very status also served as a protective shell, shielding Yan Yi from the consequences of his wrongdoing.

After much thought,

Shen Mingzhu decided to first try communicating with Chu Yuqing.

Although Chu Yuqing’s invitation to dinner was highly suspicious, she was, after all, Zhong Qing’s mother.

In her opinion, no mother could watch her daughter suffer such abuse and remain indifferent.

After all, if anyone dared to harm her Guoguo in the slightest, no matter who it was, she would fight them to the end!

...

Shen Mingzhu stopped Chu Yuqing outside the hospital room and told her about Zhong Qing’s injuries truthfully.

"... Mrs. Zhong, did Qingqing ever tell you about these things?"

Chu Yuqing’s beautiful face showed both worry and confusion, "I didn’t know, Qingqing never told me."

Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu tactfully suggested, "Qingqing might not have mentioned it, perhaps there is some unspeakable reason, could it be because the one hurting her is someone close?"

Chu Yuqing, unaware of Shen Mingzhu’s suspicions about Yan Yi and afraid of implicating her husband, said, "Mrs. Pei, I’m very thankful you told me this. Qingqing never opens up to me about her problems, otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened..."

As she spoke, she wiped the crocodile tears from her eyes with a handkerchief.

Shen Mingzhu was fooled by her feigned sorrow and found it hard to say more.

For a mother, the thought of her daughter attempting suicide was heartbreaking enough, let alone learning that her daughter had suffered inhuman abuse and she had been completely in the dark, which was undoubtedly like rubbing salt into her wounds.

They would wait for Zhong Qing to wake up before addressing everything.

...

While Shen Mingzhu and Zhong Qing’s mother were having a private conversation, Yan Yi stepped away for a while. When he returned, he brought a lavish breakfast.

"Aunt Qing, Mingzhu, have something to eat and rest a bit."

"No, thank you, I’m not hungry. You go ahead."

The coldness in Shen Mingzhu’s tone surprised Yan Yi.

Chu Yuqing’s gaze shifted back and forth between the two, her expression a mix of surprise and understanding.

Beyond being the eldest son of the Yan Family, Yan Yi’s illustrious status also included being the grandson of an important official in the Capital, with several uncles holding positions at least at the level of Vice Division Chief.

It was precisely because of these statuses that, even though he kept a low profile, he was still unanimously regarded as a prince-like figure in Fengcheng.

Even she, his prospective mother-in-law, had to treat Yan Yi with great courtesy.

Yet Shen Mingzhu dared to snub Yan Yi.

And Yan Yi didn’t even seem to get angry.

Chu Yuqing at this moment was completely convinced of her daughter’s claims that Yan Yi was fond of Shen Mingzhu.

Other than romantic affection, she couldn’t think of any other reason why a man would indulge a woman with whom he had no blood relation.

"Mrs. Pei must be very worried about Qingqing, which is why she’s upset. She’s Qingqing’s best friend, and Qingqing trusts her a lot."

Chu Yuqing appeared to be explaining on behalf of Shen Mingzhu, but in reality, she was reminding her.

You are my daughter’s friend, and Yan Yi is my daughter’s fiancé. You had better understand your status and place.

Yan Yi soon left, perhaps out of anger.

Persuaded by Chu Yuqing, Shen Mingzhu eventually sat down at the coffee table to have breakfast.

The meal was rich and tasty, but Shen Mingzhu’s thoughts on Yan Yi’s treatment of her friend soured her appetite—after an egg dumpling and a couple of sips of porridge, she didn’t want to eat anymore.

The hospital room lacked ventilation, with the smell of disinfectant mingled with the aroma of breakfast creating an indescribably strange odor.

Shen Mingzhu used the excuse of going to the restroom to get some fresh air.

The public restroom was located at the end of the corridor around a corner, probably to dissipate smells, and opposite the restroom was a row of windows on the slanting wall.

A familiar, slender figure stood in front of a half-opened window, holding a cigarette between his fingers.

Shen Mingzhu’s steps paused momentarily.

Yan Yi turned his head and saw her, looking just as surprised before promptly stubbing out the cigarette in his hand.

Shen Mingzhu didn’t greet Yan Yi, walking straight into the restroom, yet she could feel his gaze lingering on her.

To avoid another awkward encounter on her way out, Shen Mingzhu intentionally lingered inside longer than necessary.

However, the smell inside the public restroom was truly unpleasant; it had no doors on the cubicles, only half-height partition walls, and below was a continuous trough that was flushed every ten or so minutes.

Holding her nose and squatting for four or five minutes, Shen Mingzhu couldn’t stand it any longer.

When she stepped out of the restroom, intending to breathe in some fresh air by the window, she discovered Yan Yi had not left.

He was leisurely watching her.

Her breath caught in her throat.

"Do you have a moment to talk?"

Without waiting for Shen Mingzhu to respond, Yan Yi spoke again, "At the very least, let me know why you despise me."

For Yan Yi, discerning emotions was his forte.

Shen Mingzhu’s inexplicable anger and the look of disgust when she saw him were both confusing and depressing to him.

For the first time in his life, he felt this sense of frustration from a woman.

"Did I do something wrong?"

The man’s expression and tone were very sincere, and his gaze was filled with innocence and hurt.

He was like a child who had done something wrong but didn’t know what exactly he had done.

Shen Mingzhu cast her gaze out the window, not meeting the man’s eyes, while she silently warned herself.

Don’t be deceived by a man’s pretense.

"Dr. Yan, I am very grateful for your help in the past. But I have always believed that no matter how high a man’s status is, how revered he is, or how great his achievements and honors are, from the moment he lays hands on a woman, he sinks to the dust."

"I look down on such men, and that’s why I despise you."

Yan Yi was very intelligent and, connecting Shen Mingzhu’s past behavior to Zhong Qing, instantly guessed what was going on.

"You think I hurt Zhong Qing?"

"Isn’t it? Under her clothes, her body is almost completely bruised, there are strangulation marks on her neck, and even earlier, I saw bite marks on her chest. Who else could inflict such injuries, if not the person closest to her?"

"You sentence me to death without even asking, Shen Mingzhu, what kind of person do you think I am in your heart? Despicable, vile, a violent pervert towards women?"

Shen Mingzhu opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say.

She felt a strong sense of injustice emanating from the man before her.

Yan Yi’s narrow eyes stared at her, "You’ve never tried to understand me. If you had taken a little effort to do so, you would know what kind of person I am."

Shen Mingzhu curled her fingers, her thoughts somewhat disordered, her voice losing its strength, "If it wasn’t you, then who could it be?"

Yan Yi couldn’t help but laugh.

He had never felt so suffocated in his life.

Suspected of poor character, yet he had to find a way to prove his innocence.

"Come with me."

"Where to?"

"To see the evidence," Yan Yi looked at her, his voice playful, "Evidence that can prove my innocence."

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