Be Careful, Scum Dad! Mommy Is Back!
Chapter 386: This Is Our True Purpose!

Chapter 386: Chapter 386: This Is Our True Purpose!

At this moment, Xining saw Zhuang Tian inside the banquet hall, behind Shang Yueling, giving her a triumphant smile. Right in front of her, Zhuang Tian quietly pulled the curtains of the balcony, blocking the view from inside.

Shang Yueling was merely a tool in Zhuang Tian’s hands, used to exploit her possessiveness over Shang Lvxing to make her act against Xining.

Unfortunately for her, not only did Shang Yueling fail to shove Xining away, but both her hands were being firmly pinned to the ground beneath Xining’s feet. Her whole body was crouched in front of Xining in a pitiful posture, her face turning an angry, embarrassed shade of red.

She gritted her teeth and hissed, "Let me go!"

Her petite and skinny stature had always been a source of insecurity for Shang Yueling. Today, she specifically wore ten-centimeter heels, which made her already unstable balance even worse. Now crouching, she couldn’t endure it any longer—in a posture almost "devout," she knelt in front of Xining.

"Shang Yueling, you may use Shang Lvxing as a pretext to deal with me, but in reality, you’re just afraid of me exposing your identity, aren’t you?"

Xining’s words sent a sudden chill through Shang Yueling’s heart. She feigned ignorance, looking up at the woman towering over her.

She snapped back furiously, "What identity? What’s there for me to be afraid of you exposing?"

"Don’t try to deny your scheming to seduce him! You’ve been coveting the Shang Family’s wealth and status, trying to lure him into marriage. Don’t think I don’t see through people like you—vain, self-righteous, pretending to be noble while being nothing but a hypocritical lowlife!"

Not hearing a rebuttal from Xining, Shang Yueling grew more emboldened.

"What, have I hit a little nerve? Tell me, as a woman riding on men to gain what you have now, why come back to this country? Why not stay abroad? If you promise never to step foot in the country again, I might not expose your identity to him. I’ll even leave you with a clean reputation. How about it?"

Towards the end of her words, her eyes glimmered with excitement.

As long as Xining’s face, which closely resembled Chu Yan’s, never appeared in front of Father Shang, he wouldn’t suspect Shang Yueling’s identity.

Xining leaned down slightly and gripped Shang Yueling’s chin, tilting her face to examine it closely. Sure enough, she bore a three or four-part resemblance to the features Xining’s mother originally had. No wonder Shang Lvxing had chosen her as a pawn.

She chuckled and asked, "Is it that I want the Shang Family’s splendor and wealth, or you?"

"I’m the eldest daughter of the Shang Family. Whether I want it or not, it’s all mine!"

Shang Yueling’s voice carried an obvious trace of guilt and panic, though she quickly calmed herself down. She had already written about Shang Lvxing’s suspicions—that she might not be Chu Yan’s daughter—and sent the information off, trusting the recipient to handle it.

As for Xining... Shang Yueling’s gaze darkened.

She had already warned that person in her letter to find an opportunity to destroy Xining’s face, the one that bore such resemblance to Chu Yan’s. That way, even if she presented herself before Shang Qing, it wouldn’t threaten or trouble her anymore.

Thinking about it, Shang Yueling’s lips curved into a cold smile, eager to see Xining’s face ruined.

However, she still felt a bit regretful—if only she had shoved Xining into the sea earlier. With the cruise ship’s speed, by the time someone noticed her missing tomorrow morning, her corpse would be long gone.

A dead person was always more reassuring than a living one.

Xining: "...Is that so?"

The lightness of her tone carried enough weight to make Shang Yueling increasingly uneasy. Could she know?

"Anyway, mark my words—so long as I, Shang Yueling, am part of the Shang Family, you’ll never succeed!" Her confident proclamation provoked a heartfelt laugh from Xining.

Shang Yueling furrowed her brows. "What are you laughing at?"

She tried to seize the chance to withdraw her hands, yet no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t succeed. The pair of feet pinning her hands down were slim and delicate, yet carried an inexplicable force she couldn’t escape!

"Stop laughing! Let me go, or you’ll regret it!"

Despite sneaking aboard and wearing an ill-fitting gown given to her by Zhuang Tian, Shang Yueling still had the nerve to utter such audacious threats. Xining was almost tempted to applaud her boldness.

Xining crouched down, concentrating her strength into her legs. Shang Yueling’s cheek throbbed with pain, scrunching her face into a tightly knit expression. She was about to unleash more venomous words, but was suddenly silenced as Xining gripped her neck and pinned her, reversed, against the railing.

Good news—her hands were freed!

Bad news—half her body dangled precariously over the edge of the railing!

Though Xining’s grip on her neck wasn’t suffocatingly tight, Shang Yueling felt entirely immobilized.

Gazing into Xining’s eyes, as bottomless and dark as an abyss, her scalp tingled with dread. One hand clung desperately to the railing behind her, while the other tried to push away the hand squeezing her neck. Yet, as before, her efforts were futile.

Xining’s blank, unyielding face—it was terrifying!

Shang Yueling: "No... Don’t!"

The pressure on her neck tightened little by little, and Xining’s voice grew colder than the night air. "Shang Yueling, if you want to preserve your current wealth and status—your name—then you’d best not provoke me again."

Struggling to stay alive, Shang Yueling hurriedly pleaded, "I... I understand... Please let... let me go."

Xining suddenly loosened her grip, and Shang Yueling instantly collapsed to the ground, her legs buckling beneath her.

The aftermath of her fear left her trembling uncontrollably.

"Cough, cough... cough..."

Her post-traumatic coughing echoed across the balcony as Shang Yueling’s body shivered relentlessly. When she looked up at Xining, her eyes widened in disbelief. Her gaze was locked on something behind Xining.

Xining, who had been casually flexing her wrist to relieve the tension, noticed the panic in Shang Yueling’s pupils shift to shock, and then to twisted glee.

She realized someone was standing behind her.

Xining turned slowly and saw that the previously drawn curtains had been pulled open once again.

Shang Lvxing stood there, coldly watching the woman who had fallen to the ground. What could hurt more than the indifference of someone you cared about?

And behind him was a crowd of banquet hall guests, looking through the opened curtains at the scene before them.

Their furrowed brows and expressions of disapproval made it clear—they had all seen the moment Xining grabbed Shang Yueling by the neck.

In the far corner, Zhuang Tian’s victorious smile revealed her satisfaction.

Shang Yueling lowered her head, pretending to be afraid, and whispered softly, "Didn’t expect this, did you? This is our goal all along! Now everyone’s seen you attack me, Xining. You can’t explain your way out of this."

The wind at night was fierce, and her voice didn’t carry far. Only Xining, standing close, could hear her clearly.

Shang Yueling lifted her head again, hoping to see panic spread across Xining’s expression. Instead, all she saw was the faint disdain curling on Xining’s lips.

And then came the cryptic words that left Shang Yueling utterly speechless.