Reborn in the 80s: My Whole Family Secretly Hears My Thoughts and Goes Wild with Success! - Chapter 16

“I’m afraid Zhiqiu might go to your workplace or tell the neighbors about this. We were only looking out for her, but she doesn’t appreciate it—instead, she blames us! What’s the point of all our effort?”

Wang Fengqin sighed dramatically. “Ah—children grow up and drift away. Now that her uncle’s here, we’re pushed aside.”

“Especially me, the stepmother. Everything I do is wrong.”

“Mom, don’t be upset. What have you ever gained from this? You treated Shen Zhiqiu better than your own daughter, and look how she repays you! And how she treats me!”

Shen Liya touched her cheek. “That slap from her cousin still stings. What if it leaves a mark?”

“Her uncle even dared to hit Dad, and she just stood there watching! I bet she put them up to it!”

“Dad, Mom, Shen Zhiqiu is an ungrateful wretch! All your kindness was wasted on her!”

Wang Fengqin and Shen Liya played off each other seamlessly, watching Shen Daqiang’s expression darken. They knew when to stop—this wasn’t their first performance.

“Disgraceful! As if you haven’t humiliated me enough!” Shen Daqiang gritted his teeth, eyes burning with hatred. “Just like her mother!”

“If she dares spread rumors, I’ll beat her to death!”

“Dad, calm down.”

Wang Fengqin nudged Shen Liya, who stepped forward to pat Shen Daqiang’s chest. “Don’t waste your energy being angry with her.”

“Chen Can got you a bottle of good liquor. I’ll bring it over soon.”

“You’re a good girl.” Shen Daqiang pulled Shen Liya into an embrace, his hand wandering down her back as he smirked at Wang Fengqin. “Your mother raised you well.”

“Husband, I’ll make your favorite dishes tonight.” Wang Fengqin pressed against his other side, her arm looped possessively through his.

Shen Daqiang’s eyes gleamed. “Yes, yes!”

“Xiao Xiang, why so quiet? Did that brute scare you?” Wang Fengqin frowned at her son’s uncharacteristic silence.

“Mom, don’t call him that.”

To everyone’s surprise, fear had given way to awe in Shen Xiang. “Brother-in-law is amazing!”

“Dad, Mom, do you think he’d teach me martial arts?” His eyes shone with hope.

Shen Daqiang and Wang Fengqin exchanged glances. He frowned, clearly reluctant, but she seized the opportunity.

“Of course! You could even enlist like him, become an officer.”

Catching her drift, Shen Daqiang nodded. “Your mother’s right. I’ll talk to him.”

“But… will he agree?” Shen Xiang scratched his head, uncharacteristically hesitant. “He doesn’t seem to like me.”

“I’m his father-in-law! He’ll do as I say!” Shen Daqiang puffed out his chest.

“Then please ask him, Dad! I want to be strong like him—wear a uniform, command respect!”

Shen Xiang’s imagination ran wild: himself in military gear, a pistol at his hip, driving tanks or flying planes. Even Bai Xue would beg to marry him then.

Later, Shen Daqiang whispered to Wang Fengqin: “Next time you visit the hospital, have that wretched girl bring it up.”

Wang Fengqin agreed softly. “As you say, husband.”

For all his bravado about being Yue Mingyuan’s respected father-in-law, Shen Daqiang shriveled in his presence—too cowed to even meet his eyes.

But he noticed Yue Mingyuan’s care for Shen Zhiqiu. Let her be the messenger. If he refuses, Xiao Xiang will blame her instead of us.

Wang Fengqin had the same thought. She’d long wanted Shen Xiang to enlist, and proximity to Yue Mingyuan could only help. Her brilliant son would surely surpass him someday.

“Don’t rely solely on that little shrew,” she told Shen Liya. “Have Chen Can intervene too.”

A two-pronged approach—pressure from both the Yue and Chen families—would ensure success.

“Why bother if you’re making Shen Zhiqiu ask?” Shen Liya rolled her eyes at Shen Xiang. “He hit you, and you still fawn over him? Idiot.”

“Second Brother-in-law’s weak, ugly, and his family’s nothing special. Why wouldn’t I prefer Mingyuan?”

“You—!” Flustered, Shen Liya raised a hand to slap him.

“Mom! She’s hitting me again!” Shen Xiang stuck out his tongue and darted ahead.

Wang Fengqin stopped Shen Liya. “He’s grown now. No more hitting.”

Quietly, she added: “Chen Can’t be your only lifeline. Your brother’s future is yours too. Once he’s successful, the Chens will grovel at your feet!”

“Remember, blood runs thicker than water.”

A lifetime of this rhetoric had worn Shen Liya down. “Fine. I’ll talk to Chen Can.” She hesitated. “But no guarantees.”

“Timing matters.” Wang Fengqin whispered a strategy, and Shen Liya’s eyes lit up.

“Mom, you’re brilliant.”

Wang Fengqin preened. “Years of experience. How else do you think I landed your father?”

Back in the hospital room…

After Shen Daqiang’s family left, Li Shuying and Ye Yunlin fumed.

“That bastard!”

“I knew he was shameless, but this?!” Li Shuying gnashed her teeth. “Keeping her salary hostage!”

Ye Jiawen gasped. “Dad, Mom—do you think they stole the money we sent Zhiqiu too?”