The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 753 - 752: Zhuang Shiqing Gets Arrested

Chapter 753: Chapter 752: Zhuang Shiqing Gets Arrested

Seeing Zhuang Xueqi return to her room, Ning Yuan appeared indifferent on the surface, but his back was secretly tense.

Over the years since their marriage, the two had clearly delineated their separate lives.

And the master bedroom was Zhuang Xueqi’s private territory—every time he entered, he was kicked out and cursed at by Zhuang Xueqi.

From the moment Zhuang Xueqi entered, he had braced himself for being scolded to "get out."

Unexpectedly, Zhuang Xueqi said nothing and went straight into the walk-in closet.

What was she thinking?

Could it be that she wanted him to stay overnight, to show goodwill?

Hmph, wishful thinking on her part—he wasn’t seeking a divorce solely because of their two children.

"Zhuang Xueqi, don’t think..."

Approaching the closet door, he saw Zhuang Xueqi packing her luggage and the words on Ning Yuan’s lips halted, "What are you doing?"

Seeing that Zhuang Xueqi ignored him, he rushed in and kicked the suitcase open.

Zhuang Xueqi, furious, threw clothes at him, "Are you sick?"

Ning Yuan caught the clothes and threw them on the floor, "You’re the one with a problem, Zhuang Xueqi. Having the kids was your insistence. Are you planning to wash your hands of them now?"

After shouting, he made sure to state his stance clearly, "Just to be clear, I do not agree to a divorce."

Zhuang Xueqi glared at him, her chest heaving violently. After a while, she cursed, "Idiot," then bent down to stuff the scattered clothes back into her suitcase, explaining her actions,

"I’m going abroad for something, you will take care of Manman and Enbao in the next few days."

Learning that she was only going abroad, Ning Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

"When will you be back? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking because I care about you but for the sake of the children."

"I’ll tell them before I leave."

During the conversation, the luggage was neatly packed.

Zhuang Xueqi closed the suitcase, turned her head to look at him, her tone unyieldingly harsh, "Get out, I need to rest."

Ning Yuan, pushed back into the adjacent guest bedroom, pointed at the wall separating them, "Can you please understand the situation? At this time acting like a spoiled princess, you should be on your knees thanking me, showing gratitude and compliance!"

Imagining Zhuang Xueqi kneeling before him, massaging his legs and rubbing his shoulders, Ning Yuan grinned from ear to ear.

...

"Mrs. Ning, why have you come to London at this time?"

Seeing Zhuang Xueqi standing outside the apartment, Shen Mingzhu couldn’t hide her surprise.

Zhuang Xueqi didn’t explain or waste words, making her intentions clear upon entering:

"The money I stored with you, how much is it now?"

Shen Mingzhu quickly calculated with her ledger book and reported a number to Zhuang Xueqi.

"Mrs. Ning, I saw the air travel incident involving your family company. If you urgently need money, I can liquidate the stocks and bonds first."

Zhuang Xueqi shook her head, "I specially came here to ask you for a favor."

"Tell me."

Zhuang Xueqi watched her for a moment before speaking, "I hope you can safeguard this money. Except for me, do not tell anyone who inquires."

Shen Mingzhu didn’t hastily agree, "Mrs. Ning, I appreciate your trust, but I also have my concerns, you know, I have a family, children, and hundreds of employees behind me, I have to be responsible for them."

Zhuang Xueqi took a sip of her coffee, revealing the situation facing the Zhuang family to Shen Mingzhu.

"Shen Mingzhu, I can guarantee with my life that you won’t be implicated for safeguarding this money."

Saying so, she took out paper and pen, asking Shen Mingzhu to write her an IOU.

The IOU stated that the 1.25 million investment capital originally taken from Zhuang Xueqi by Shen Mingzhu was a loan.

With this IOU in place, any investment income generated from this money would appear to have nothing to do with Zhuang Xueqi and was instead the personal property of Shen Mingzhu.

This involved a huge risk—if Shen Mingzhu later denied it, Zhuang Xueqi would have no way to retrieve the money from her.

Zhuang Xueqi put away the IOU, and Shen Mingzhu couldn’t help but joke,

"Mrs. Ning, do you trust me so much? What if I get greedy..."

Zhuang Xueqi interrupted her. "You won’t, and you don’t have the guts either."

Shen Mingzhu was embarrassed.

Even a sinking ship has three thousand nails, and if the Zhuang Family were actually to collapse, it wasn’t something someone from the ordinary class could afford to provoke.

Moreover, she was not short of money.

As Shen Mingzhu saw Zhuang Xueqi off, she couldn’t help but offer some consolation, "Mrs. Ning, in life, other than life and death, everything else is trivial."

"Don’t worry, I won’t take it too hard."

With a mocking tone, Zhuang Xueqi stepped forward, but after a few steps, she stopped, turned around, and gently embraced her.

"Thank you."

Shen Mingzhu smiled and hugged her back, "Although it might be a bit presumptuous, I still want to say, if there’s anything I can help with, please feel free to ask."

The setting sun was like blood, and Zhuang Xueqi’s slender and fragile figure bathed in the golden afterglow looked lonely yet strong.

This scene redefined Shen Mingzhu’s understanding of the daughter of a wealthy family.

That pride emanating from her bones, no matter what adversity she faced, she would never bend her stiff backbone.

Exhausted from the journey back to Mingyuan, upon seeing the two children playing joyfully in the living room, Zhuang Xueqi put aside her fatigue and walked towards them with a smile.

"Manman, Enbao."

"Mommy!"

After affectionately cuddling with the children for a while, Yan Jing called her upstairs to talk.

"As of now, the plane crash’s death toll has reached sixty, with seventeen still missing and twenty-eight severely injured. I just received the news, your father has been taken away by the authorities."

Zhuang Xueqi swayed.

Yan Jing supported her, whispering consolingly, "No matter what, you will always be Manman and Enbao’s real mother."

The implication was clear: the Ning Family could protect her, but not the Zhuang Family.

Despite being prepared, hearing the news of Zhuang Shiqing’s arrest still made Zhuang Xueqi’s fear and anxiety overwhelming, reddening her eyes.

"Mom, please look after Manman and Enbao for a while, I need to go home."

Yan Jing patted her shoulder, "Go ahead."

Returning to the Zhuang household.

The sprawling villa exuded a desolate and dismal atmosphere of a place deserted by its inhabitants, the servants seemingly nowhere to be found, and Mother Zhuang sitting alone on the sofa.

"Mom."

Zhuang Xueqi spoke, her voice carrying an uncontrollable sobbing tone.

Mother Zhuang looked at her, her tone cold, "Why cry, he’s not dead."

Zhuang Xueqi choked up, "Where is Xiao Xu?"

"He’s upstairs. He witnessed your father being taken away and got a little scared."

Her tone was slightly annoyed, "Just when he’s about to take his college entrance exams in a week."

With such a huge upheaval at home, it would be difficult for him to perform well.

"Send Xiao Xu abroad. I have already contacted the school, and the visa is being expedited. You should go with Xiao Xu."

Mother Zhuang looked at her, "And you?"

"I still have Manman and Enbao, the Ning Family won’t abandon me."

Mother Zhuang was silent, then said, "Arrange it as you see fit."

Zhuang Xueqi went upstairs, ready to comfort her brother Zhuang Xu and to inform him of the family’s plans.

But before she could speak, Zhuang Xu asked her a heartbreaking question, "Sister, is Dad going to jail?"