Reborn in the 80s: My Whole Family Secretly Hears My Thoughts and Goes Wild with Success! - Chapter 19

“Liya, stop. Zhiqiu didn’t mean it,” Wang Fengqin said hypocritically, pulling Shen Liya back. “Zhiqiu just gave birth—she must be uncomfortable, and that’s affecting her mood.”

“As someone who’s been through it, I understand. Besides, I haven’t been perfect either…”

“Auntie, how could you possibly be at fault?” interrupted Lu Shuangshuang, who stood beside Shen Liya with a side-braided ponytail. She shot Shen Zhiqiu a disdainful look from head to toe. “Even a birth mother couldn’t have done better than you!”

“Honestly, some people think they’ve climbed the social ladder, dreaming of turning a sparrow into a phoenix. But a sparrow will always be a sparrow—it’ll never become a phoenix.”

“Relying on borrowed power, acting all high and mighty!”

“Ugh, I hate people like that!”

“Oh-ho! Lu Shuangshuang, impressive!” Shen Zhiqiu clapped mockingly. “Your idioms have improved! You actually used those two correctly—what a miracle!”

“Make sure you keep it up next time you’re on stage. Wouldn’t want you embarrassing yourself again, would we?”

Lu Shuangshuang’s face flushed crimson with rage. She planted her hands on her hips and glared. “Shen Zhiqiu, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“I spelled it out pretty clearly. Still don’t get it?” Shen Zhiqiu feigned surprise. “Shuangshuang, didn’t you say you love reading? What kind of books? Picture books without words?”

The others burst into laughter, unable to hold back.

This was the first time they’d seen Shen Zhiqiu’s sharp tongue in action—she had destroyed Lu Shuangshuang.

Lu Shuangshuang, the resident “peacock” of their performance troupe, flaunted her family’s status and looks, always looking down her nose at everyone. But behind the beauty was an empty head—no education, no common sense, and a long history of humiliating blunders.

Once, during an important event, the main host had fallen ill, and Lu Shuangshuang had jumped in. All she had to do was read the script, but she’d tried to improvise—messing up idioms and turning the whole troupe into a laughingstock. The troupe leader had ordered her to study more, but of course, she’d just hidden comic books inside “real” books.

Then, when a military reporter interviewed her, she’d bragged about being a bookworm—only to be exposed on the spot. Again.

Nobody dared bring this up in front of her, though. She was petty, jealous, and held grudges like no other.

From the moment Shen Zhiqiu joined the troupe, Lu Shuangshuang had targeted her. Yet, strangely, Shen Zhiqiu never reacted—no anger, no hurt. That only made Lu Shuangshuang bolder.

Recently, Lu Shuangshuang had accused Shen Zhiqiu of cutting up her performance costume and confronted her. In the heat of the argument, she’d shoved Shen Zhiqiu—hard enough to send her to the ground, triggering an early labor.

Lu Shuangshuang hadn’t even planned to visit today. The troupe leader had ordered her to apologize, and she was terrified the Yue family would retaliate. But at the last second, she’d shown up—only to start trouble again.

What shocked everyone was how different Shen Zhiqiu was after giving birth. She wasn’t holding back anymore.

“Shen Zhiqiu!“

Blinded by fury, Lu Shuangshuang raised her hand to strike—exactly what Shen Liya wanted. A vicious grin spread across her face.

She had to return the slap Ye Jiawen had given her—but through Shen Zhiqiu. And who better to use than this brainless fool?

SLAP!

Shen Zhiqiu caught Lu Shuangshuang’s wrist—and smacked her across the face.

Silence.

Everyone’s jaws dropped as they stared at Shen Zhiqiu, then at Lu Shuangshuang, whose head had snapped to the side.

“Shuangshuang!” Shen Liya rushed to steady her.

Lu Shuangshuang touched her stinging cheek in disbelief. “You hit me?!“

“What, you can attack me, but I can’t fight back?” Shen Zhiqiu threw off the blankets, stood, and marched over, gripping Lu Shuangshuang’s wrist like a vise. Her gaze was icy.

“You’re lucky my daughter and I are okay. That slap was payback for shoving me.”

“I—I didn’t mean to! Someone pushed me first!” Lu Shuangshuang’s bravado crumbled. “B-besides, you’re fine now!”

“If I wasn’t, you wouldn’t be standing here acting tough.” Shen Zhiqiu flung her hand away. “You’d be in a cell.”

“Y-you’re bluffing!” But Lu Shuangshuang’s legs were already shaking.

The memory of Shen Zhiqiu collapsing, blood soaking her pants, had haunted her for days. She’d barely slept or eaten since, terrified of being arrested.

“Lu Shuangshuang, whether you meant it or not, you caused my early labor. You are responsible.”

“I said it was an accident! Don’t expect an apology!” Lu Shuangshuang stamped her foot like a child.

She’d die before apologizing to Shen Zhiqiu!

“I don’t want one. Even if you begged, I’d never forgive you.” Shen Zhiqiu’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.

“Anyone who harms my daughter is my enemy.”

Though her words were aimed at Lu Shuangshuang, the real target was Wang Fengqin—who, unfortunately, wasn’t paying attention.

With Shen Zhiqiu distracted, Yue Mingyuan absent, and YaYa asleep in her crib…

Now was the time.

The mystic had said the cursed needle’s power would last only seven days. Today was the seventh. If she didn’t pierce the baby’s fontanelle now, the spell would fail.

She’d schemed so hard for this moment.

Creeping toward the crib, Wang Fengqin slipped the needle from her sleeve—

CRACK!

A thunderclap boomed out of nowhere.

Wang Fengqin’s hand jerked—and the needle plunged into her own arm, vanishing instantly.

Her blood turned to ice.

No… NO!

She had to find the mystic. Now.