Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase
Chapter 40 - 37: Deserved to Be Slapped

Chapter 40: Chapter 37: Deserved to Be Slapped

The Shen family’s business and property were completely seized. When Shen Jianian left Beicheng, the only things she took with her were a nearly inseparable cello and a jade bracelet her mother had given her before she passed.

Coming to Yicheng to seek refuge with Yin Chengde, she couldn’t find acceptance from Hu Yuzhi and Yin Shuyao. Using the excuse that the guest room needed renovation, they settled her in the attic on the top floor used for storing miscellaneous items.

The attic hadn’t been properly cleaned for who knows how long; a slight rummage would send dust flying everywhere.

Her good uncle only expressed slight dissatisfaction before leaving it at that.

Shen Jianian, as a newcomer and a dependent, had no room to be picky and made do with the situation. Later, the Yin Family’s villa indeed underwent some minor renovations, like custom wood furniture, changing ceiling lights, and curtains.

Once the renovations were completed, they did not suggest that Shen Jianian move to the guest room, so she continued living in the attic.

The jade bracelet left by her mother accompanied her through countless long and unbearable nights. She didn’t dare wear it on her wrist, fearing that one day she might accidentally break it, losing the only memento from her mother.

She wrapped it in layers of cloth, put it in a wooden box, and stuffed it under the bed.

After Old Madam Qin’s birthday banquet, she broke ties with the Yin Family. When she returned later, Hu Yuzhi’s attitude was aggressive, even wanting to tie her up and send her to Qin Zhongtian as an apology. The scene that day was so chaotic that thinking back on it felt like an escape from death, leaving her no chance to take the bracelet. _{fr\eewe.bn(o)v\el.c(o)m}

She always had this matter on her mind, hoping to find another suitable opportunity to retrieve the bracelet from the Yin Family and the cello left in the hotel that night, ideally when that mother and daughter were not home.

She waited until today, when Yin Shuyao flaunted her mother’s bracelet in front of her with smug pride.

"Shen Jianian, I just can’t stand to see you smoothly sailing through life. Why should you have all the good things to yourself?" Yin Shuyao waved her right hand with the bracelet before her eyes, "I’m not giving it to you; what can you do about it?"

Shen Jianian wished she had never met this person; she had been blind in the past for not seeing her true nature.

"Cry, I just love watching you cry. It seems heaven is fair, letting you enjoy riches and luxury for the first twenty years, but you won’t be that lucky from now on."

Seeing Shen Jianian pushed to tears yet helpless made Yin Shuyao immensely happy.

With eyes red with rage, Shen Jianian enunciated each word: "Give it back to me."

"If you want it, come and snatch it yourself. If you manage to take it, I’ll say you’ve got skills."

Yin Shuyao’s laughter was piercing as she turned around, walking away in high heels.

After just a couple of steps, her hair was suddenly yanked, pulling painfully at her scalp, causing Yin Shuyao to frown and shout, "Shen Jianian, let go!"

Shen Jianian grabbed a lock of her hair and pulled backward with one hand while gripping her forearm with the other, trying to slide the bracelet off her wrist, only to find it stuck at the widest part of her knuckles.

People in the shop heard the commotion and ran over, seeing the two girls tangled in an odd position, momentarily forgetting how they should react, standing there in a daze.

The bracelet was about to slip off, and Yin Shuyao, not wanting Shen Jianian to succeed, suddenly found a surge of brute strength and slammed backward into Shen Jianian, causing her scalp to hurt even more.

"If you want it so badly, I’ll give it back to you!" Yin Shuyao raised her hand, forcefully striking it against the corner of the wall.

With a cracking sound, the fine jade bracelet shattered into two pieces, falling onto the tiled floor and breaking into four chunks.

Shen Jianian stood frozen, feeling as if her heart was torn into pieces like the bracelet.

Why did they do this to her? She wanted to ask the heavens, ask Yin Shuyao, what terrible crime had she committed to deserve this?

The last item her mother had left her, her only remaining hope, was destroyed just like that.

Shen Jianian, feeling utterly drained, collapsed down to the ground, tears dropping silently onto the floor in large droplets.

She picked up the four broken pieces of jade, gently enclosing them in her palm.

"You were the one who insisted on trying to take it, who can you blame?" Yin Shuyao mocked, while holding her aching head, "Such a pity, that was such a good bracelet."

Slowly standing up, Shen Jianian wiped away the tears from her eyelids. Through her blurred vision, she saw the extremely detestable face of Yin Shuyao. The anger accumulated in her chest could no longer be suppressed. Shen Jianian, with all her might, slapped her hard.

The crisp sound echoed in the quiet store, and everyone was stunned by the coldness on Shen Jianian’s face, instinctively holding their breath.

Yin Shuyao clutched her face, her eyes wide with disbelief as she looked at her.

She didn’t expect Shen Jianian to hit someone, had no defense at all, and after reacting, she roared like crazy, "Shen Jianian! You have some nerve hitting me!"

Yin Shuyao rushed forward to retaliate, but Zhu Yilan stepped in to block her, "Miss, this is a public place, please mind the impact."

Yin Shuyao’s blood boiled, "Get out of the way!"

"Enough, Yin Shuyao, you’ve got to stop," Qin Sang had a face full of disdain, unable to endure, "I’ve seen it all, it’s you that repeatedly seeks trouble. It’s your fault for getting hit. If this spreads, you may not be embarrassed, but our Qin Family can’t afford the humiliation."

No longer able to stay in the shop, Qin Sang finished speaking, turned around, and left. She didn’t take the few things Yin Shuyao bought for her on the sofa, thinking they were unlucky.

If it wasn’t for the old lady’s traditional conservative mindset, putting pressure on my elder brother, how else would my brother have married such a woman.

Qin Sang took the elevator down, recalling the scene in the store. So many people were watching, really a complete loss of face.

Not just Yin Shuyao, also her mother, whom Qin Sang once met, quite disliked.

Seeing her sister-in-law storm off, Yin Shuyao panicked, not caring about Shen Jianian’s slap, and chased out.

Having gone through the farce, even someone as cold-hearted as Zhu Yilan, could see Shen Jianian was in a very bad mood, her face apathetically numb, as if her soul had been extracted.

"Are you okay?" Zhu Yilan wasn’t very good at comforting people, her tone somewhat stiff.

Shen Jianian seemed not to hear her, her eyes vacantly staring at a certain spot.

Her palm throbbed with pain, her eyelashes fluttered, she lowered her eyes, her open palm had a cut, oozing some blood. It was the sharp break of the jade bracelet that had cut her skin.

*

The night was as thick as ink, sparse cold stars scattered across the sky, Yin Shuyao drove home alone.

Passing through the living room, Hu Yuzhi called her a few times, but she ignored it, heading straight to her bedroom on the second floor, closing the door. Unable to vent her anger, she rushed to the dressing table, swept away a bunch of skincare and makeup products.

A series of crashing sounds burst out, audible even downstairs.

Recently, Hu Yuzhi had been elated with good news, glowing all day long, the sudden loud noise startled her somewhat. She held her chest and asked the servant, "Go see what’s going on with the Miss."

The servant went up but soon came back down, looking troubled, "The Miss won’t let me into the room, I asked outside the door, she got really angry."

"What’s going on?" Hu Yuzhi murmured, standing up, adjusting the shawl on her shoulders, she went up to the second floor, knocked on the door, "Yaoyao, it’s Mom, open the door, tell Mom what’s the matter."

After waiting a while, Yin Shuyao opened the door, her small face red and swollen, covered in tears, the room behind her a mess.

Hu Yuzhi paused, not bothering with the smashed skincare and makeup products, gently wiping her tears with her hand, concernedly asking, "How did your face end up like this? Weren’t you picking out dresses with the Qin’s young lady today?"

The two girls had a conflict? Hu Yuzhi guessed.

"Don’t mention it." Yin Shuyao flopped onto the bed, gritting her teeth as she talked about that person, "It was Shen Jianian, not sure who’s backing her, she even snatched my chosen dress, and slapped me!"

Because of this incident, Qin Sang had a very bad impression of her. By the time she chased out of the mall, she had already gotten into a taxi. What if Qin Sang went home and told her family, what if the Qin Family had opinions about her?

She wasn’t married yet, the Qin Family could call off the marriage anytime.

Yin Shuyao was both angry and anxious, tears like a running faucet, streaming endlessly.

"Shen Jianian, she’s still in Yicheng?"

"Yeah, I also find it odd, she has no relatives or friends here." Yin Shuyao’s shoulders twitched as she cried, "The dress was over three million, she bought it just like that."

Looking at her daughter, Hu Yuzhi’s mind was filled with ideas, Shen Jianian staying in Yicheng was always a ticking time bomb, who knows when she might run into Qin Zhongtian, catch his eye, and turn the tables.

Her daughter had worked hard for the position of the Qin family’s young mistress, she wouldn’t allow anyone to ruin it.

"We have to find a way to get Shen Jianian out of Yicheng." Hu Yuzhi’s gaze was fierce, showing no restraint in front of her daughter.