The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 873 - 872: Negotiating with Zhou Shuhuan

Shen Mingzhu didn’t want to argue with Shen Baolan in front of the siblings, so she told them to head home first.

As she watched Pei Ziheng’s tall and straight figure leaving, Shen Baolan couldn’t hide the envy in her eyes:

"It’s been years since I’ve seen Pei Ziheng, and he’s grown into a handsome young man. I heard he graduated from university and even started his own company; he has become a big boss. You will have good fortune to enjoy in the future."

While speaking, she glanced at Pei Tang, who was standing beside Pei Ziheng, and couldn’t help but murmur, "My Yuanbao is the same age as your Guoguo, but being a boy, he should be taller than your Guoguo."

Shen Mingzhu didn’t respond. "Shen Baolan, there has always been only hatred and resentment between us. Whatever schemes you have in mind, it’s all in vain."

"Our past grudges have gone on for so many years, and you’re still holding onto that resentment?"

Shen Baolan, with a sycophantic smile, said, "The police told me that I owe my rescue to you. It was you who ran into Gao Hualiang in Thailand, and later paid someone to extract information from him, finding out where I was. You could be considered my savior, and I came specifically to thank you."

Shen Mingzhu had warned She Zheming not to tell Shen Baolan or her family about paying for the hypnotist; she didn’t want anything to do with that family, but couldn’t withstand the "enthusiasm" of the other officers working on the case.

"Save it. The best thanks you can give me is to stop bothering me."

Shen Mingzhu was blunt, but Shen Baolan didn’t seem offended.

"You’re now a big boss, yet why is your temper still so short?"

Shen Mingzhu laughed bitterly, "After so many years, you still have the same skill at twisting the truth. So, not wanting to deal with you means I’m petty and lack generosity?"

"You must have forgotten what I said to you the last time we met, okay, I’ll say it one last time. I truly have no interest in your affairs. You take your wide path, I’ll cross my log bridge; let’s not interfere with each other. Do you understand?"

"Shen Mingzhu, wait!"

Seeing Shen Mingzhu leaving, Shen Baolan reached out to grab her.

But Shen Mingzhu quickly dodged Shen Baolan’s hand with a side step.

Shen Baolan, unable to stop her momentum, fell to the ground, losing her balance.

Shen Mingzhu turned to leave but paused when she caught sight of the other’s actions from the corner of her eye.

Shen Baolan sat on the ground, propping her upper body with her arms, her legs forcefully pushing against the ground, trying to stand up. But her left leg, because of her disability, didn’t have the strength, and she flailed about like a drunken person. It was quite the comical sight.

After struggling for a long time without being able to get up, she finally gave up, sat on the ground, caught her breath, and looked up at Shen Mingzhu.

"I ended up like this because of Zhou Shuhuan; it was he who instructed Gao Hualiang to harm me. I won’t just let this be; I’m going to Fucheng to settle the score with him."

He plotted against you, but you also deceived him out of five million; both of you are as bad as each other.

Shen Mingzhu sneered inside but said aloud, "I’m not interested in your squabbles. Do whatever you like, it’s none of my business."

Having said that, she turned around and walked away.

Shen Baolan wanted to chase after her but couldn’t get up, so she could only shout after her with a strained voice, "I don’t have the fare, lend me some! Not much, just a thousand will do. I’ll repay you with interest once I get the money!"

"Are you even listening? Are you going to lend it or not?"

"Shen Mingzhu! Are you deaf?"

Shen Mingzhu pretended not to hear and hurried back to her house.

As soon as she entered the door, she ran full into Pei Yang, who had been about to go looking for her.

"I was just about to find you. Pei Ziheng told me Shen Baolan came to look for you, is everything okay?"

"It’s fine."

Shen Mingzhu briefly explained Shen Baolan’s reason for seeking her out, then, despite the pleas of the two Shen Chaobei brothers, she skipped lunch and drove back to the city without hesitation.

Fearing Shen Baolan’s relentless harassment, she couldn’t stay at the house on Zhong Street, so she quickly packed some luggage and moved to Ruifeng Garden, intending to stay there temporarily.

Ruifeng Garden was a high-end residential area with strict access control, which could prevent Shen Baolan from harassing her.

...

As Shen Mingzhu expected, in the afternoon, Shen Baolan indeed came knocking again.

When she learned that Shen Mingzhu had returned to the city, she refused to leave.

However, she had also wised up, not creating a scene that would cause annoyance, but instead shared with the two brothers the hardships she had suffered over the years she had been trafficked.

Out of sympathy and pity, and upon hearing from Shen Baolan that there were four more daughters outside waiting for money to be redeemed, each brother gave five hundred, putting together travel funds for Shen Baolan to go to Fucheng.

By the time Shen Mingzhu learned about this, two days had already passed, and Shen Baolan had gone to Fucheng.

...

Although Shen Baolan and Shen Hao arrived at Fucheng without issue, they did not meet Zhou Shuhuan.

Zhou Shuhuan had taken Qiao Ya and the children back to Qiao Ya’s hometown for the New Year.

The siblings waited outside the electronics factory for a whole half month before they were running out of options, and finally, Zhou Shuhuan appeared.

In fact, the siblings had sought him out on the first day, and the factory’s security had informed Zhou Shuhuan of this.

He guessed that Shen Baolan coming to him was not for anything good, intentionally avoided her, but couldn’t keep hiding forever, which is why he showed up.

"What do you want from me?"

Years had passed, and Zhou Shuhuan had indeed become the image of a successful businessman, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, his hair meticulously combed, and the golden watch on his wrist gleaming brightly, his gaze at the siblings distant and sharp.

Even though she knew beforehand that Zhou Shuhuan had been successful in his business, seeing him in person, seeing his confident demeanor, Shen Baolan wished she could slap herself twice.

She should never have agreed to the divorce and let that cheap woman Qiao Ya take such a great advantage!

Filled with regret, she also felt hatred deep in her bones.

Hating Zhou Shuhuan for his heartlessness, for being despicable and shameless, for setting a trap for her with a young man.

Right then, she didn’t beat around the bush and stated her purpose directly.

First, to take her son Zhou Fu back, and second, to demand ten million yuan in compensation from Zhou Shuhuan.

Zhou Shuhuan was speechless, not to mention Shen Hao was stunned.

He supported his sister in settling scores with Zhou Shuhuan, hoping they could get some money to improve their family’s living conditions.

But he hadn’t expected his sister to be so bold as to demand such amounts.

"Shen Baolan, have you lost your mind? Even if I had it, why should I give it to you? What are you to me?"

Shen Baolan stood up, supported by Shen Hao, and lifted her sleeves and hems to reveal countless crisscrossing scars that were shocking to behold.

"In these seven years of being trafficked, there hasn’t been a day I wasn’t beaten, nor a day I had enough to eat, and I was forced to give birth to four children. And this permanently crippled left leg of mine, all of this was brought upon me by you."

"Zhou Shuhuan, not only have you made me suffer like this, but you also almost left my mother paralyzed. The police might let you off, but I won’t. If you don’t pay up, I’ll go to the reporters and expose your vicious deeds, let you be reviled for a thousand years; let’s see who would do business with you then!"

Zhou Shuhuan snorted coldly, "Shen Baolan, you ended up like this today because you were foolish! Yes, Gao Hualiang was arranged by me, but all I asked him to do was to seduce you, to get you to agree to the divorce sooner. Everything else has nothing to do with me."

"Whether you’re a reporter or whatever, suit yourself, but let me remind you, this is a society ruled by law. If you slander me without evidence, I can sue you for defamation."