The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 707 - 706: Barriers

Chapter 707: Chapter 706: Barriers

Speaking of the past, Zhou Shuhuan’s face showed a trace of resentment, but it quickly subsided to a calm demeanor.

"I only wanted Gao Hualiang to get close to Shen Baolan in order to get a divorce, but I didn’t expect him to have a change of heart halfway through and actually conspire with Shen Baolan to scheme against my money."

Pei Yang sighed with relief, "In that case, you should speak more clearly with the police. Catch Gao Hualiang as soon as possible, and maybe you can still recover that money."

When Pei Yang said this, he thought of Zhou Fu.

Shen Baolan only had one son, Zhou Fu, and ultimately the money, house, and shops would all be left to Zhou Fu.

But what Zhou Shuhuan thought was that even if the money was recovered, it would still be to the benefit of the Shen Family. Rather than that, he would prefer to let the money go to waste and feel relieved.

He hated Shen Baolan too much, and by extension, he loathed both of Liu Cuihua’s elderly couple and Shen Hao. It was their fault for not raising Shen Baolan properly, causing him immense destruction.

"Okay, I will return to Fengcheng with you tomorrow."

Zhou Shuhuan got home around two in the morning.

Seeing Qiao Ya fast asleep on the sofa, he deliberately moved quietly, but still woke her up.

"Husband."

Zhou Shuhuan helped her up, his expression gentle, "Why didn’t you go to bed to sleep?"

Qiao Ya rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall, muttering, "Drinking so late, that crowd really... Don’t they know what day it is today?"

Zhou Shuhuan took her hand, "Xiaoya, I have to go to Fengcheng for a trip tomorrow."

Qiao Ya suddenly became five parts more awake.

Upon learning that Pei Yang wanted Zhou Shuhuan to surrender to the police voluntarily, she was furiously aggrieved.

"Is he crazy? We kindly invited him over for a wedding drink, arranged the best hotel for him, how have we wronged him? I see he didn’t have any good intentions, he purely came to add to our troubles!"

Zhou Shuhuan soothed her, "Don’t be upset, let’s stick to what we agreed upon before. The whole thing was my doing, you just helped me with a few phone calls, and you didn’t know about my dealings with Gao Hualiang."

Qiao Ya’s tears cascaded down like pearls falling off a string.

"Husband, I don’t want you to go to prison. What will I do with the child without you?"

"If I can’t come back soon, I’ll leave the factory in your hands. I know it will be tough for you, but I promise you, I will come back as quickly as I can."

After saying this, he cupped her face and kissed her.

Qiao Ya was soothed by his kiss, and her emotions gradually calmed down.

"Before you leave, see Lawyer Liu first, or have him go with you."

"I’ve already contacted Lawyer Liu."

Hearing this, Qiao Ya couldn’t help but embrace him, "I can’t bear to part with you. Can’t it wait a few more days? We only got married today; I want you to spend more time with me."

"We have a lifetime ahead of us, there’s no rush at this moment."

Zhou Shuhuan comforted her softly, showing no sign of panic or uneasiness on his face.

Because before returning home, he had already been reassured by the lawyer, knowing that he wouldn’t be in too much trouble.

...

Since he couldn’t purchase a morning flight ticket, Zhou Shuhuan didn’t leave with Pei Yang and instead took an afternoon flight.

By the time he arrived in Fengcheng, it was already evening. Pei Yang was specially waiting outside the airport to pick him up.

After getting into the car, the three of them found a place to have dinner before heading to the Public Security Bureau.

It was already half-past ten at night by the time they finished giving their statements.

Essentially, Zhou Shuhuan had instructed Gao Hualiang to approach and seduce Shen Baolan to achieve the goal of divorce, which involved the crime of intentional entrapment.

The plot had not materialized, amounting to attempted entrapment. Moreover, since Zhou Shuhuan had turned himself in voluntarily, the police did not intend to pursue his criminal liability but instead imposed administrative punishment.

However, Zhou Shuhuan needed to stay in Fengcheng temporarily to assist with the investigation until the police could rule out the possibility that he collaborated with Gao Hualiang on a kidnapping plot.

This outcome was pleasing to both Zhou Shuhuan and Pei Yang.

As a good brother, Pei Yang also didn’t want to see Zhou Shuhuan behind bars once again.

"You’ve had a long night, let’s go, get some late night snacks, and then I’ll take you back to rest."

"Forget it, Yang, I’m not in the mood to eat."

Pei Yang didn’t insist, "Then I’ll take you back."

"No need, the house isn’t ready anyway. Let’s just find a nearby hotel to stay, it’s more convenient."

"All right."

After making sure Zhou Shuhuan had a place to stay, Pei Yang then drove off.

...

In the hotel, Zhou Shuhuan called Qiao Ya first to report his safety, then he made a call to Ma Sufen and her husband.

To attend his wedding, Ma Sufen and her husband had traveled to Fucheng a few days earlier, taking Zhou Fu with them, and stayed in a rental house not far from the marriage home.

Qiao Ya could accept the old couple moving to Fucheng, but she didn’t want to live together with them.

Upon learning that her son wouldn’t have to go to jail, Ma Sufen was naturally overjoyed, but she also fiercely scolded Pei Yang:

"I think he’s still bearing a grudge about you taking back the shares before, unable to bear seeing you live a good life. He really thinks no one can see through his motives!"

Zhou Shuhuan couldn’t say whether Pei Yang was acting out of revenge or not, but he now felt very relieved and no longer had any guilt facing Pei Yang.

"It is I who owed Brother Yang; from now on, we’re even," he said.

...

November in Fengcheng had already entered winter, especially at night, when the piercing cold wind on one’s face felt like a knife cutting through it.

Yet Pei Yang seemed immune to the cold, his car window remained open, and he let the chilly wind blow all the way home.

"What’s wrong with you?"

Seeing his hair tousled like erect stalks of grain and his cheeks and nose red from the cold, Shen Mingzhu was both surprised and somewhat distressed.

"Wife, I’m hungry."

The man leaned on her shoulder, bending at the waist, his body emitting a deep dejection.

Shen Mingzhu’s heart softened, she patted the top of his straw-like hair and said, "You go take a bath first, I’ll make you something to eat."

"Mhm, thank you, wife."

...

"Shuhuan is fine; the police decided to be lenient and are not going to pursue his criminal responsibility," Pei Yang said after having a hot shower and eating steaming noodles, which lifted his spirits considerably.

Shen Mingzhu propped her cheek and watched him, "Isn’t that a good thing? Why do you still look so unhappy?"

"Do I?" Pei Yang touched his cheek.

Shen Mingzhu gave a soft snort, "The way you came back just now, you looked like a dog that was kicked around on the roadside."

Pei Yang: "..."

There was no need to be so graphic.

He paused for a moment, then slowly spoke, "I’m half a year older than Shuhuan and bigger in size. I’ve always treated him like a younger brother, and he always happily followed behind me, listening to what I said."

"This time I thought he would listen to me like when he was little, but today I suddenly realized I was wrong."

He looked up at Shen Mingzhu under the light, his face showing confusion, perplexity, and a touch of grievance:

"Wife, am I too full of myself? I thought I was doing it for his own good, but in fact I don’t understand Shuhuan’s real thoughts at all."

Shen Mingzhu spoke in a calm voice, "Teacher Dong once said this, ’The day you realize that whatever you do is wrong, it’s not your fault, it’s that a relationship has come to an end.’"

"When he started his business and asked you for money, you gave it to him without a second thought, but the first thing he did after success was to push you out."

"With the matter of the divorce, he didn’t lack better ways to handle it, but he deliberately chose the worst one. Whether as a husband or a friend, he is a spineless lowlife."

If these things had happened to anyone else, Pei Yang would have chosen to cut ties without hesitation.

But towards Zhou Shuhuan, he had always shown patience and indulgence, making up all sorts of excuses for him.

But now, he suddenly didn’t want to make any more excuses for him.

Perhaps it was true what they say, every encounter has its time and every farewell its season.

"Wife, who is Teacher Dong?"

"Eat your noodles."

"Male or female?"

After receiving a death glare from Shen Mingzhu, Pei Yang obediently picked up his chopsticks, "I’ll eat the noodles, the noodles my wife made are really delicious."

Shen Mingzhu gave him a "you know what’s good for you" look, stood up, and went back to the bedroom to sleep.

...

The next day, after finishing the morning meeting and returning to her office, Shen Mingzhu found Qin Jinlian there.

The first thing she said upon seeing her was, "Liu Cuihua couldn’t get out of bed today."