The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 213. Betrayal (Third Watch)

Chapter 213: 213. Betrayal (Third Watch)

Shen Xitong glared fiercely at Xiao Li, "There’s no place for an outsider like you to speak here."

"What outsider? She’s my wife, your sister-in-law. If anything, you’re the outsider," Li Yong wouldn’t back down an inch.

Shen Xitong sneered, well, very well, "Fine, she’s part of your family. I’ll give you two options, either she leaves now, or you all leave with her. If you don’t get out within ten minutes, I’ll call the police and say someone is trespassing, and have you all thrown out."

"You’re welcome to try. Let’s see who ends up getting thrown out," Li Yong said defiantly, as stolid as a pig being taking to slaughter, watching Shen Xitong grind her teeth with anger. But she dared not take it too far; she had just left the hospital and didn’t want to go right back in.

She sat down on the couch huffily and glared coldly at Li Yong, "Give up my room. Otherwise, forget about ever getting a penny from me. My reputation may be tarnished now, but I certainly have more money than you. If you won’t move out, fine. I’ll leave, and you can all have this place. Without money, I’d like to see how long you parasites last."

Economic dependence was the Li family’s Achilles’ heel. They had no income, all relying on Shen Xitong’s support. Although Li Yong later found a job as a security guard with Shen Xitong’s help, his meager income barely covered his own expenses.

He had previously stolen and sold Shen Xitong’s jewelry for tens of thousands of yuan, taking Xiao Li out to play for two days and spending most of it. Though Li Yong was tough and careless, he was well aware of the current situation and was ready to compromise. Xiao Li pinched him hard on the waist and glared at him.

Li Yong let out a pained hiss and looked at Tian Cuifang, "Mom, look at her stinginess. Xiao Li is pregnant now, and the doctor said she needs good rest. Her room is the best in the house; shouldn’t it be offered to Xiao Li?"

Tian Cuifang looked hesitantly at Shen Xitong and then at Xiao Li, finally siding with the latter, after all, her grandchild was growing inside Xiao Li’s belly.

"Xitong, Xiao Li’s condition isn’t stable, she needs to rest well. Don’t you think?" she ventured.

"No way, either she leaves, or you all leave with her," Shen Xitong concluded, ready to break all ties with her own family since her reputation was already damaged and the Shen family wanted to sever relations with her.

"It’s just a room, what are you arguing about?" Li Datou came out of his room and looked discontentedly at Tian Cuifang, having heard the argument from outside. This daughter was born to aggravate him; the house was never peaceful as soon as she arrived, "Xitong, let Xiao Li have your room, and you move to the smaller one. It’s just a place to sleep. As the older sister, what can’t you give up?"

Shen Xitong sneered, "Have any of you ever really figured out who the real owner of this house is? I’ve changed my mind now."

She crossed her arms and looked around at each member of the Li family, "All of you, get out. You can’t live here anymore. Leave now. If you don’t, I’ll have security throw you out."

Li Yong was hot-tempered and exploded upon hearing this again, "What do you mean, your house? Is the house under your name? It clearly belongs to the Shen family. You’re acting like a precious daughter of the Shen family. Now you’re just someone the Shen family has thrown out, and you still look down on us? You should check if you still have your pheasant feathers on you."

Li Yong’s words were offensive, his cursing incessant, and Li Datou and Tian Cuifang did nothing to stop him. Li Datou even seemed to agree with his son, while Tian Cuifang stayed quiet and out of the way. Xiao Li, however, picked up something from the conversation.

"Li Yong, wait a minute, just wait," she interjected.

Li Yong, in the midst of his tirade, turned to Xiao Li, "Wife, what’s wrong?"

Xiao Li frowned, "Did you just say this house belongs to the Shen family? Didn’t you tell me it was your sister’s and that it would be under your name after a while?"

Li Yong’s heart skipped, knowing he had messed up in his anger, "Wife, you heard wrong. This house was given to my sister by the Shen family, and it’s already registered under her name. Eventually, after we get married, it’ll be transferred to me as our marital home."

Shen Xitong understood and felt her rage cool like a doused fire, looking coldly at Xiao Li, "You’ve been lied to. This house belongs to the Shen family, not me. They’ve tricked you."

"Shut up," Li Datou barked at Shen Xitong, "Xiao Li, although the house is currently the Shen family’s property, it was given to Xitong. After you marry Li Yong, your name will be added to the house."

Xiao Li was no fool. She realized she had been deceived. Hands on her hips, she burst out, "So you’ve been deceiving me! After all the trouble I went through to bear a son for your Li family, to marry your good-for-nothing son, this is how you treat me! You bunch of liars, I won’t stand for it. I’ll abort this child! Li Yong, we’re breaking up, right now."

Xiao Li made a gesture as if to hit her own stomach, but Tian Cuifang wouldn’t have it—after all, there was a grandson inside. She quickly grabbed Xiao Li’s waist, and Xiao Li’s fist ended up landing on Tian Cuifang, not lightly, rendering her a muffled groan. Yet, she could not care less about the pain, "Xiao Li, you mustn’t be impulsive, this is also your child, you can’t be so heartless as to not want him."

Xiao Li sneered, "Without a house, there will be no place to live after he is born. Why bring a child into the world just to suffer with you all, eating chaff and swallowing vegetable leaves? Better to not have him in the first place."

Li Datou had been accustomed to male chauvinism all his life, and Tian Cuifang had been obedient and compliant since marrying him, nothing like Xiao Li’s shrewish behavior. His eyes bulging with anger, "Look at yourself, do you even resemble a woman? You follow your husband like a hen following a chicken, a dog following a dog. You married my son and you belong to my son, and now that you have a child, you even think about breaking up, aborting the child, are you even worthy of being called a woman with that attitude?"

Xiao Li was no Tian Cuifang, her nature was bold, and she had taken a liking to Li Yong initially because he was handsome, thinking it would be fun to fool around with him. But then unexpectedly, a life was created, and Xiao Li did not want this child and considered abortion.

The Li Family got wind of this and pleaded with her not to go through with it, telling her that Shen Xitong was Li Yong’s sister and had bought an apartment for him in Beijing. They promised if she agreed to marry Li Yong and have the child, the apartment would be put in her name.

She was skeptical at first, but then Shen Xitong had that press conference, didn’t she? Announced it publicly. Li Yong also took advantage of Shen Xitong’s absence to bring her to see the apartment, and Xiao Li was naturally convinced.

Xiao Li, an orphan, was beautiful and had dropped out after junior high. She had grown up among men, hoping to marry rich and have her own apartment in Beijing. Now the opportunity was in front of her, and she was determined to seize it.

But she had not expected them to turn out to be a family of deceivers in the end.

Li Datou yelled at her, but Xiao Li was not scared at all. With the "golden medal" in her belly, the Lis dared not touch her.

"Who still abides by the ’Three Obediences and Four Virtues’ in this day and age? Listen here, old man, are you sick in the head? Li Yong and I aren’t even married yet; it was all consensual. Now I’ve changed my mind; we can go our separate ways. And this child in my belly? I don’t want it either. Let Li Yong find someone else to bear his children."

"Xiao Li, don’t be like that. We’ve been good for so long, how can we just split up like this? Although the apartment isn’t mine at the moment, my sister is rich. She could even buy a villa in Beijing if she wants. I could ask her to buy us a new one, bigger and better than this one." Li Yong held Xiao Li’s waist, not letting her go. He truly liked Xiao Li now, and even if she had been rude to his father, in Li Yong’s eyes, she was more important than anyone else.

Li Datou wanted to embrace his grandson, but the child was still in someone else’s belly, and since Xiao Li had not even registered the marriage with Li Yong, it wasn’t officially a marriage. Li Datou found it improper to reprimand his daughter-in-law and, turning his anger towards Shen Xitong, who was watching the commotion as if it was a play unfolding before her.

"You, go buy an apartment for your brother and write his and Xiao Li’s names on it. Consider it your wedding gift to your brother; you don’t need to worry about the bride price." Li Datou spoke as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and Shen Xitong couldn’t help but laugh.

"Haha, not a penny of my money will go to you; you can forget about that."

Upon hearing these words, Xiao Li’s eyes narrowed and she swung her fist at Li Yong. "Look at you, the cheat, deceiving my body and my heart. Now that you’ve got what you wanted, you don’t think you need to take responsibility, do you? Let me tell you, Li Yong, without an apartment, you can forget about wanting this child."

Li Datou couldn’t sit still when he saw his precious son being beaten. He wanted to pull Xiao Li away but was afraid of harming the child in her belly, pacing desperately in place. Seeing Tian Cuifang, he bellowed, "Are you dead or something? Can’t you step in to pull them apart?"

Tian Cuifang hurriedly stepped in to separate them, and Shen Xitong watched with great interest, finding the internal strife the most entertaining.

When Li Datou saw her smiling, he grew even angrier, picking up an ashtray from the table and hurling it at Shen Xitong, who anticipated the move and dodged it.

"Li Datou, try laying a hand on me again, and I’ll call the police."

"I’m disciplining my own daughter; the police can’t do anything even if they show up." Seeing that Shen Xitong dared to dodge, Li Datou pulled off his belt and swung it at Shen Xitong with no mercy.

For a moment, the Li Family’s home was in complete and utter disarray.

**

Shen Qinglan woke up early to find a torrential downpour outside, so she skipped her morning jog, made breakfast at home alone, and then settled down to paint. Due to the issue with Chu Yunrong, she hadn’t picked up a brush in a long while, but today she felt inspired to paint, as she was alone at home. Just as she was immersing herself in the painting, she suddenly heard the phone ringing in the living room—the security at the gate was calling to tell her that someone was looking for her.

Shen Qinglan was puzzled; people usually called her directly. "Who’s looking for me?"

The guard glanced at the woman before him and mentioned a name. Shen Qinglan’s eyes flickered slightly, "I understand, I’ll be right down."

Shen Qinglan had never seen Fang Tong in such a disheveled state, soaked through by the rain, her eyes red and her demeanor utterly dispirited. "Fang Tong," Shen Qinglan called out.

Fang Tong glanced at Shen Qinglan and recognized who it was. Before she could speak, tears began to fall. Shen Qinglan sighed softly and pulled her under the umbrella, "Come back to my place first."

Once home, Shen Qinglan went to run bath water, then pushed Fang Tong toward the bathroom, "Don’t say anything, just take a hot shower first." She had touched Fang Tong’s skin earlier; it was ice cold.

Fang Tong stood under the showerhead, letting the hot water pour over her without even taking off her clothes. Shen Qinglan found some clothes she had never worn, knocked on the bathroom door, and said, "Fang Tong, I’ve left clothes outside the door for you. Change into them once you’re done."

No response came from inside. Shen Qinglan waited for a while and spoke again, but still, Fang Tong did not reply.

Half an hour later, Shen Qinglan, unable to wait any longer, opened the bathroom door only to see Fang Tong crouched under the shower, her expression numb.

A flicker of anger crossed Shen Qinglan’s eyes as she stepped forward to turn off the water and pulled Fang Tong up from the floor. "Fang Tong, what on earth are you doing?" She lifted her chin, forcing her to make eye contact.

Fang Tong’s gaze was unfocused, but the cool tone of Shen Qinglan’s voice seemed to bring back some of her senses. Suddenly, she embraced Shen Qinglan and began to sob uncontrollably, her cries filled with heart-wrenching despair.

Shen Qinglan let her cry, waiting until Fang Tong’s sobs began to subside before wrapping her in a bath towel. "Get changed first."

This time, Fang Tong obediently changed her clothes and sat quietly on the sofa.

Shen Qinglan poured her a cup of hot water and placed it in front of her. "Can you tell me now what happened?"

Fang Tong was silent for a long time before finally speaking. "Ding Minghui cheated on me." As she finished speaking, tears fell again.

Shen Qinglan’s expression paused slightly, then she looked at Fang Tong. "Did you see it with your own eyes?"

Fang Tong nodded, "Qinglan, I really didn’t want to break up with him, I just wanted us to cool down for a while, but he..."

It was then that Shen Qinglan realized how much had happened to Fang Tong while she had been busy with her family affairs.

Due to rumors in the company, Fang Tong’s relationship with Ding Minghui had been strained. Wen Xiyao’s arrival and Shen Junyu’s intervention had eased the rumors quite a bit, but because of Ding Minghui’s distrust, the two had been in a cold war state.

A few days ago, during Li Bo Ming’s birthday, Fang Tong had dinner with him. Ding Minghui saw Fang Tong chatting and laughing with another man before getting into his car. A couple of days later, Ding Minghui unexpectedly saw Li Bo Ming having dinner with Fang Tong’s family.

"Li Bo Ming is the son of my father’s good friend. He was alone on his birthday so my parents decided to invite him to dinner. By chance, Ding Minghui saw us while we were eating out. I tried to explain, but he wouldn’t listen, and we had a huge argument."

"Why would Ding Minghui be there?" Shen Qinglan was skeptical. It seemed like quite a coincidence to bump into someone just going out for dinner.

Fang Tong shook her head, her eyes red and swollen, "I don’t know. We had a fierce argument that day."

Even Fang Tong had suggested they break up, but Ding Minghui hadn’t agreed. Their relationship had since plummeted to a new low, and every time Fang Tong tried to speak with Ding Minghui, he would avoid her. Then, this morning, Fang Tong suddenly received a message from Ding Minghui saying he was ill, had a high fever, and asked if Fang Tong could come to see him.

Fang Tong, every time she thought of Ding Minghui alone in Beijing, sick with no one to care for him, her heart softened. She went to the pharmacy to buy some cold medicine and then took a taxi to Ding Minghui’s place.

Although she had never stayed at Ding Minghui’s place before, Fang Tong had the keys to his house. She used the keys to open the door, and when she saw the women’s high heels by the entrance, her heart sank abruptly.

Ding Minghui lived in a one-bedroom apartment, not large, with just a small living room besides the bedroom. Fang Tong gazed at the bedroom door, suddenly wanting to turn around and leave.

A voice in the depths of her heart told her to leave immediately, but another voice urged her to open that door.

Fang Tong had thought about her future with Ding Minghui: maybe they would marry, or maybe they’d break up due to family reasons, but she never imagined Ding Minghui would sleep with another woman—a woman ten years her senior, at that.

"Qinglan, I know that woman. She’s his manager. I’ve already caught them eating together once before, and at last year’s company annual event, Ding Minghui attended with her too. Do you think they’ve been together for a while and Ding Minghui has been deceiving me all along, or..." Fang Tong couldn’t go on, her heart felt like meat on a chopping board, being minced to pieces.

"Qinglan, what should I do?" Fang Tong said, tears flowing silently. She looked even more pitiable than when she had been sobbing earlier, and a chill flashed through Shen Qinglan’s eyes. She hadn’t expected Ding Minghui, who seemed so honest, to have an affair.

"What do you want to do?" Shen Qinglan asked. As an outsider, she didn’t feel it was her place to interfere.

"Qinglan, I want to break up. Every time I think about him sleeping with another woman behind my back, and maybe not for the first time, I feel sick."

"Then follow your heart and do what you need to do."

"But it hurts so much, Qinglan. I’ve been with him for nearly four years. Just over a month ago, he told my parents that he would marry me after we graduated, that he would treat me well for life, but now..." Fang Tong clutched her chest, as if a knife had stabbed a hole there and it was bleeding.

Shen Qinglan took the initiative to hug Fang Tong, "Some matters need a decisive break. Better to make a painful decision now than suffer for a lifetime. It’s better to cut the mess with a quick knife; the principle of short pain over long pain, you should understand it yourself without me saying it."

The warm embrace didn’t warm Fang Tong’s heart; she felt like she was in a deep abyss.

Shen Qinglan had never experienced such a thing and didn’t know how to comfort a heartbroken woman; she just held her and gently patted her back.

When Fang Tong left Shen Qinglan’s house, the rain outside had stopped. After the spring rain, even the air in Beijing seemed alive. But Fang Tong only felt the cold. As soon as she stepped out of the community gate, she saw Ding Minghui waiting there, his clothes a bit wet, unsure how long he had been there.

When Fang Tong caught him that morning, Ding Minghui panicked. Watching Fang Tong run away, he hurriedly picked up clothes from the floor and chased after her, but he didn’t see her. He tried calling her only to find her phone switched off; he went to her office and was told she hadn’t come in. He didn’t know where Fang Tong’s home was but faintly remembered that Shen Qinglan lived here, having picked up Fang Tong from here before, so he took a chance and waited here, unexpectedly encountering her.

"Tongtong," Ding Minghui called out joyfully as he saw Fang Tong and rushed forward. Fang Tong recoiled as if frightened, "Don’t come any closer."

Ding Minghui stood still, at a loss. "Tongtong, listen to my explanation. It’s not what you think."

Fang Tong looked pale but her gaze towards Ding Minghui was icy, "It’s not what I think? So what is it? Are you going to tell me that you didn’t sleep with that woman, or were you forced? Ding Minghui, am I so easy to deceive that you still want to lie to me?" It seemed as though she was reminded of the nauseating scent when she opened the door; her stomach churned.

"Tongtong, listen to me. It really isn’t what you think. I was just drunk yesterday, I don’t know why she was at my place, I didn’t deceive you." Ding Minghui’s face was a bit pale, whether from the cold or from Fang Tong’s gaze.

"Ding Minghui, I’ve said before, my world of feelings has no room for deception, let alone betrayal. It’s completely over between us. From now on, you take your own path, and I’ll take mine," Fang Tong declared resolutely.

Ding Minghui’s face looked awful, and he stared at Fang Tong in disbelief, "Tongtong, are you trying to break up with me?"

Fang Tong, expressionless, confirmed, "Yes, Ding Minghui, I will not love you anymore."