The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 751 - 750 Plane Crash

Chapter 751: Chapter 750 Plane Crash

Although she refused to become Zhao Yihuan’s godmother, Shen Mingzhu was still happy about the safe delivery of the baby.

She invited two female friends she had met in London to dine at a famous Michelin restaurant, and they ordered a bottle of expensive wine.

When her friends asked her what the celebration was for, she told them, "A close friend of mine has given birth to a lovely daughter."

Time had already smoothed out the many complications.

In her heart, she still regarded Shen Hongmei as a close friend.

...

"Everything in London is great except that you can’t find authentic dumplings here; the Chinese restaurants are worse than each other..."

While eating, Ye Jianli complained without getting any response. When he looked up, he noticed that Yan Yi’s gaze was fixed on a certain spot in the restaurant.

Following his gaze, he saw Shen Mingzhu dining happily with her friends, and his eyes lit up.

"You go ahead and eat, I’ll go over and say hello."

After saying this, he stood up and walked towards Shen Mingzhu’s table without waiting for Yan Yi’s response.

Watching Ye Jianli’s eagerly joyful departure, Yan Yi picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank it all expressionlessly.

"Miss Shen, what a coincidence to see you and your friends here!"

"Mr. Ye, we meet again," Shen Mingzhu politely stood up to chat.

"Yes, it seems we’re destined to meet! I’m here with my cousin. He’s in London on business, and we decided to catch up."

Probably worried that Shen Mingzhu might misunderstand, he elaborated a bit more.

Shen Mingzhu looked in the direction he signaled but didn’t see anyone; however, the food and utensils on the table confirmed that Ye Jianli was indeed dining with friends.

After Ye Jianli left, Shen Mingzhu called over the waiter to pay the bill but was told that her table’s bill had been taken care of.

Shen Mingzhu instinctively thought it was Ye Jianli who had paid, so she reciprocated by taking care of his table’s expenses.

After Shen Mingzhu and her party left the restaurant, Yan Yi returned to his table to continue his meal.

Watching him elegantly lift a piece of cold steak using a fork and knife and putting it into his mouth, Ye Jianli was both amazed and puzzled.

A person who is usually finicky about everything is able to eat cold steak without changing his expression?

"Where did you go? The food is cold; let’s order again."

"No need."

Yan Yi slowly swallowed the beef in his mouth, took a sip of the accompanying wine, and then asked, "The lady just now, are you familiar with her?"

"You mean Miss Shen? We met on the airplane."

Ye Jianli didn’t hide his admiration for Shen Mingzhu and went on endlessly, "...It’s a pity we met too late. She’s already married and has two children. Oh, if only she wasn’t married, I would definitely pursue her."

Ha, are you daydreaming?

You pursue her?

Are you worthy?

Is it your place?

Yan Yi remained calm on the surface, but inwardly he was furiously criticizing.

After parting ways with Ye Jianli, he immediately called his aunt, Ye Jianli’s mother, to complain:

"Auntie, you better arrange a blind date for Jianli soon; he’s developed a crush on a married woman, he’s lost it."

Having set the trap for Ye Jianli, Yan Yi then headed to the student residence.

During his journey to London, he had imagined many scenarios and settings for a chance encounter with Shen Mingzhu.

When he accidentally saw her in the restaurant, looking at her smiling face from a distance, there was a momentary impulse to conquer and possess her, given he had the means and capability.

Perhaps if he could have her as a person, he might be able to let go of years of obsession.

But the next second he cleared his mind; he couldn’t treat her that way.

Compared to destroying her, he would rather see her succeed.

She was originally like a climbing trumpet creeper, growing upward, blooming brilliantly like summer flowers.

"You can leave now."

"Sir, where would you like to go?"

"To the airport."

The black taxi drove away elegantly and soon disappeared at the street corner.

As the sun set in the west, Shen Mingzhu stood on the balcony watering the newly acquired plants, unaware that someone had stood silently at the street corner for a very, very long time.

...

"Boss Ning, there’s been an accident with Northern Airlines!"

In the afternoon, Ning Yuan was lounging with his legs crossed drinking coffee when his assistant, Ke Wen, suddenly rushed into the office and immediately turned on the TV.

"Breaking news coming up next, at 2:48 PM, a B146 jet headed to the Capital skidded off the runway and crashed into a swamp. Currently, the rescue team is urgently assisting the passengers of the crashed flight..."

Watching the bold and enlarged words ’Northern Airlines’ on the television, Ning Yuan suddenly realized.

Fuck, isn’t that the Zhuang Family’s property?

From the images on the TV, the accident was quite severe; the entire plane had broken into three pieces.

Luckily, since it crashed in a swamp, there wasn’t an explosion or fire.

However, for a private airline, such a crash was devastating.

Ning Yuan picked up the phone, thought for a moment, and dialed home first.

After learning that Zhuang Xueqi had already gone back to her parents’ house, he called Ning Wenqian.

Ning Wenqian must have received the news earlier than him; he was already at the airport in Hong City, preparing to take a private plane back to Fengcheng.

"Let’s talk when I get home tonight."

Ning Wenqian hung up swiftly. Ning Yuan, no longer in the mood to work, drove back to Mingyuan at breakneck speed.

In the yard, which was as large as a sports field, the twins were playing badminton, laughing and playing carefree, obviously unaffected by the outside world.

Ning Yuan leaned against the car door and watched for a while, then picked up his mobile phone to call Zhuang Xueqi.

The call connected quickly; he initially wanted to ask about the plane crash, but what came out was, "When are you coming back?"

"Not any time soon."

The call was abruptly disconnected.

Ning Yuan irritably raked his fingers through his hair, then called Yan Yi to inquire about the casualties of the accident.

When Ning Wenqian returned, it was already nine o’clock at night.

The twins had been taken to their quarters by the nanny; Ning Wenqian, Yan Jing, and Ning Yuan, a family of three, sat on the couch.

The TV was on, showing live coverage of the search and rescue operation for the crashed flight.

As the bodies of victims were retrieved from the swamp one by one, the atmosphere in the living room became increasingly tense.

"Dad, how badly will this affect the Zhuang Family?"

Ning Wenqian didn’t answer but said to him, "The project in Y Country has concluded."

"Oh."

After responding, Ning Yuan suddenly realized that his marriage to Zhuang Xueqi had been because of that project.

Father Ning looked at him, "If you want a divorce, I can arrange a lawyer."

Ning Yuan’s brain didn’t quite catch up, "What do you mean?"

"Aren’t you always saying you don’t like Xueqi and have been wanting to divorce her? Now that the project is over, you’re free."

Ning Yuan looked at Father Ning, then at his mother, and it took him a while to find his voice again, "Do you treat me like a tool? You place me wherever you want, and now that the project in Y Country is over, what’s the next project? Which family’s daughter are you planning to match me with this time?"

He scoffed, "I’m now a twice-divorced man with two children, I doubt anyone else would want me!"