"Dad, I agreed with what the girl did," Shangguan Hao said quickly, seeing his daughter’s pitiful expression and shielding her behind him.
"Shangguan Hao, do you realize how much this affects you? Do you know you’ll be looked down upon?" Shangguan Zhi was livid with anger and resentnt. Such an incident happening in another family might have been forgivable, but for it to occur within the esteed Shangguan Family was intolerable.
The good reputation of the Shangguan Family was completely ruined.
"How can you command respect in the army? Where do you expect to hide my old face?" Shangguan Zhi, his beard quivering with indignation, slamd the table several tis. The THUDS made Shangguan You’s shoulders tremble.
"Dad, the Li Family is trouble, and they’ve been tarnishing our na everywhere. This ti, we’ve completely resolved the issue. It’s actually a good thing for us," Shangguan Yu said softly, trying to persuade him.
"Yes, Dad. Since it’s happened, even if it’s bad for the Shangguan Family’s reputation, the news about the Li Family blackmailing the Shangguan Family has also spread. So, it’s not a loss for us," Liu Ruoling chid in, glaring at Shangguan You. Look at how you’ve angered the old man.
"Hmph! Unfilial son and granddaughter! You want to anger to death, don’t you? How could I have such an unfilial pair like you two?" Shangguan Zhi slamd the table again, his beard practically bristling with fury. He was absolutely seething.
"Grandpa, I was wrong. I won’t dare to do it again," Shangguan You said, her head lowered, her shoulders shaking, looking utterly pathetic and apologetic as she confessed to Shangguan Zhi.
"Dad, please don’t be angry. We were wrong," Shangguan Hao said, stepping in front of Shangguan You and apologizing to Shangguan Zhi.
"Hmph! All of you, go back to your rooms and reflect! Without my permission, you’re not to go anywhere! Always causing trouble! Unfilial son!" roared Shangguan Zhi, driving everyone out.
Watching the closed door, the anger on Shangguan Zhi’s face rapidly faded, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. This girl... her move was beautifully played. Even though the Shangguan Family lost so face, the Li Family was utterly ruined this ti, with no chance of recovery.
Moreover, for the girl to act so decisively, she must have known about the Li Family’s sches all along, burning her bridges to ensure their complete and utter downfall. He had to admit, her move was exceptionally well played.
Now, the news about complaints against the Li Family didn’t hurt the Shangguan Family at all. However, without this DNA evidence, the rumors about the Li Family abandoning their wife and daughter would have been critical. After the Li Family’s downfall, if the Shangguan Family were then accused of abandoning a wife, it would have been fatal for them, even destroying Shangguan Hao’s career. The Li Family’s move was indeed vicious. Unfortunately for them, they encountered this girl—an illegitimate daughter who turned all their plans to dust.
The more the Li Family struggled, the more they proved themselves to be contemptible clowns. Now, having been blackmailed by an illegitimate daughter, the Shangguan Family’s reputation was actually being elevated. It grew increasingly better within their circle, while the Li Family was no longer a concern.
Shangguan Zhi had to admit that he, an old man, couldn’t keep up with the younger generation. He sighed in relief. Making Shangguan Hao and Shangguan You face the wall was rely a pretense for outsiders. This was intended to garner more sympathy for the Shangguan Family, which in turn would hasten the Li Family’s downfall.
The Li Family had countless enemies in the political arena; Shangguan Zhi could now simply watch the fire burn from across the river.
Shangguan Zhi’s hand moved gently over a pen holder beside him, revealing a hidden chamber. He strode into it. As soon as his figure disappeared, the door to the chamber closed once more.
「The Shen Family mansion was brightly lit.」
Shen Jia sat on the sofa, watching a news report about Shangguan You becoming the top scholar in the college entrance examination. Her hands clenched tightly, and her heart seethed with resentnt. Seeing Shangguan You’s faint smile on TV, that pretentious act, her anger flared even more intensely.
CLATTER! Shen Jia hurled the remote control to the floor.
"Jiajia, what’s wrong?" Duan i hurried out of the kitchen upon hearing the noise. Seeing her daughter’s sullen expression, she couldn’t help but frown. The Shen Family mansion had not known a day of peace since Shen Cheng’s fallout with Wanqian.
"It’s nothing."
Duan i glanced at the TV screen and let out a long sigh. "Jiajia, Shangguan You’s academic performance is so outstanding; you should be happy for her. She was once your classmate, wasn’t she? And given her status and position, do you really think you can compare to her?"
"We’re just rchants, while they are at the center of power—they are the officials. Do you think commoners can fight against officials? And why do you hate her so much? If you hadn’t constantly opposed her and made things difficult for her, do you think she would target you? At those banquets, you repeatedly antagonized her, yet she did nothing to you. If she had wanted to, the Shen Family would surely have nothing left. But she didn’t do anything, did she?" Duan i calmly tried to reason. Shen Jia needed to adjust her mindset; offending Shangguan You again could spell disaster for the Shen Family. Of everyone, Duan i saw things the most clearly.
"Mom, are you asking to fawn over her?" Shen Jia shot up from the sofa, looking at Duan i in disbelief.
"Jiajia, I’m not asking you to fawn over her; I’m asking you to adjust your attitude. Don’t forget, we are currently dependent on others. Do you know the current state of the Shen Family?" Duan i sighed again. Although the Shen Family appeared prosperous on the surface, their stocks were plumting, many shareholders were withdrawing their investnts, and the lawsuit with the Shangguan Family was proving to be the most severe trial the Shen Family had ever faced.
If they couldn’t weather this storm and the Shen Family collapsed, would they still be able to enjoy their current comfortable life?
Moreover, Shangguan You herself hadn’t even made an appearance. It was just a lawyer acting on her behalf, without even leveraging any connections from the Shangguan Family. If the Shangguan Family were to use their influence, the Shen Family would go bankrupt imdiately. Would they still be able to live here then?
"Mom, the Shen Family is a nationally renowned enterprise! Don’t be such a worrywart. With Brother Shen Cheng here, how could sothing like that happen?"
"Silly girl, there’s an ancient saying: ’Commoners don’t fight officials, and the poor don’t contend with the rich.’ Haven’t you heard it? Do you know why we ended up with nothing in B City and had to rely on your cousin? It’s because we offended soone we shouldn’t have. A small pretext was enough for us to lose everything. Do you really think the Shen Family can fight against the governnt?" Duan i sighed softly. Since coming to Beijing, she had often wondered why they had ended up with nothing.
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