Volume One, Chapter Sixteen: A Woman with Hidden Motives

"No, what you're saying isn't true, that's impossible. I wasn't switched at birth, I was stolen—it's not like that! Then where are my parents? Where are they?" Shen Ruzhi broke down, covering her face and sobbing loudly.

Anyone seeing her would feel a pang of sorrow; fate had dealt this child a cruel hand.

"Mom, tell me, you have to tell me—is it true? Where are my real parents? I wasn't abandoned by the roadside, was I?" Shen Ruzhi clung to Wang Cuilian's hand, shaking her, desperate for the truth.

"Let go of me! I don't know what you're talking about. I picked you up, that's it." Wang Cuilian, flustered and panicked, jerked her hand free.

She bit down on her denial—eighteen years had passed. Where could they possibly find the truth now?

"Wang Ping is just spouting nonsense. If you want to call me a child trafficker, then show me some proof." Wang Cuilian quickly regained her composure, glaring at them with newfound confidence.

Tian Xiaoxia said, "Then accept an investigation! If a child went missing in the hospital, I'm sure we can find out."

Wang Cuilian’s nerves were on edge; her hands trembled behind her back. Damn Tian Xiaoxia—she was relentless.

"Do as you please; everything I've said is true. Wang Ping is just holding a grudge because I kicked her out years ago and refused to let her stay on as a maid. She’s framing me out of spite. Song Cheng, time is running out—aren't you going to let us go?" Wang Cuilian’s guilt was obvious; everyone could see it. But, as for evidence, it was nearly impossible to find. Wang Ping’s few words weren’t enough.

Shen Ruzhi knew Wang Ping’s appearance wouldn’t force a confession, but people always had a penchant for gossip. Wang Cuilian’s refusal to accept an investigation was, indirectly, an admission of guilt. From now on, people would whisper and label her as a likely thief.

Song Cheng glanced at his watch. "Enough. Everyone, go home."

The Shen family was kept back. Wang Yaoyao’s eyes, brimming with unwillingness and resentment, bored into Shen Ruzhi as she passed by.

She spoke with a chilling tone: "Shen Ruzhi, I know it’s all your doing, isn’t it?"

Everyone had underestimated Shen Ruzhi. She was no empty-headed beauty.

Shen Ruzhi remained calm, her expression unchanged. "Cousin, I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"You!" Wang Yaoyao’s face turned ashen as she glared at her. A hint of amusement flickered in Shen Ruzhi’s eyes.

Wang Yaoyao ground her teeth. "Shen Ruzhi! It really is you! It must be you. I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you!"

Suddenly, Wang Yaoyao lost control, her face twisting with rage as she lunged at Shen Ruzhi, hands wrapping around her throat, pressing her to the ground.

Yesterday, she’d been dreaming of a new life in Hong Kong as the cherished daughter of a wealthy family. Today, she was being sent to the countryside. The crushing contrast was too much for her to bear.

It should have been Shen Ruzhi taking the blame for them, not her!

"What are you doing! Wang Yaoyao, are you insane?"

The police immediately intervened, grabbing Wang Yaoyao’s arms and pulling her off, restraining her quickly.

Shen Ruzhi coughed repeatedly. "I'm fine, I’m fine. Officer, maybe my cousin just can't accept it all at once. I'm worried they might do something unexpected. For your safety, I think it's best if they're tied up."

"Shen Ruzhi!"

Wang Yaoyao’s chest heaved with fury, struggling desperately.

Seeing Wang Yaoyao’s frenzied state, Song Cheng and his men exchanged glances and took out handcuffs.

"You’d better behave. Once you reach the farm, you’ll be freed. Make sure to reform yourselves."

The crisp click of handcuffs echoed as the Shen family was herded onto the train like criminals, as if they were the worst of the worst.

Humiliation swept over them. Shen Jinlin wished he could crawl into a hole—he was an official in agricultural research, yet here he was, reduced to such disgrace.

With the handcuffs on, any thought of escaping vanished from him.

He blamed Wang Yaoyao for everything.

Couldn’t she just behave?

Shen Ruzhi watched the backs of the Shen family, her gaze growing colder with every passing second. Shen Zhongguo, this is what you owed me in a past life.

When the crowd dispersed, Shen Ruzhi prepared to look for a place to stay. Tian Xiaoxia, bubbling with excitement, insisted on accompanying her.

Shen Ruzhi didn’t refuse. They hadn’t gone far when a young man appeared before them—the same one from the train, the one who’d charged her thirty yuan for the ticket.

The circumstances had been pressing, but thinking of it now, she still felt a twinge of pain at the expense.

"Cousin."

Tian Xiaoxia stopped in her tracks, stunned to see Song Qitian. In an instant, she transformed into the perfect obedient child, hands folded in front of her, standing straight and still, tense with nerves.

Shen Ruzhi was taken aback. Cousin? He was actually Tian Xiaoxia’s cousin?

"Tian Xiaoxia, I have something to remind you: not everyone is worthy of friendship. Some people are full of ill intent and ulterior motives. Such people are scheming and ruthless, willing to do anything to achieve their goals." Song Qitian stood tall, looking down at Shen Ruzhi with a cold, imposing presence that sent chills down the spine.

Though Tian Xiaoxia hadn’t interacted much with Song Qitian growing up—just the occasional holiday meeting—she’d always been genuinely afraid of him. He was even scarier than her parents.

She was so nervous she barely registered his words. Whatever he said, nodding was safest.

She nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, Cousin, you’re right."

Shen Ruzhi, no fool, realized he was openly criticizing her, accusing her, both overtly and subtly, of befriending Tian Xiaoxia with ulterior motives.

Song Qitian’s gaze was sharp as a blade, settling on Shen Ruzhi’s lovely face. Her cherry lips were pressed together, her long hair twisted into a bun with loose strands framing her face, making her look all the more delicate.

"Tian Xiaoxia, is she your friend?"

Tian Xiaoxia clung to Shen Ruzhi’s arm and introduced her. "Yes, Cousin, Zhizhi is my best friend. Zhizhi, this is my cousin, Song Qitian."

Shen Ruzhi offered a polite smile. "Hello, Brother Song. Yesterday, about—"

Before she could finish, Song Qitian’s cold voice cut her off, dismissing her without mercy. "I don’t make a habit of claiming strangers as relatives."