Reborn in the 80s: My Whole Family Secretly Hears My Thoughts and Goes Wild with Success! - Chapter 91

“Shen Zhiqiu, how dare you hit me! You shameless slut! I’ll fight you to the death today!”

Shen Zhiqiu caught Li Yan’s raised hand and shoved it away. “Li Yan, I’m warning you—if you keep making a scene, I’ll drag you to the police station and let everyone see what a disgraceful shrew their ‘respectable teacher’ really is!”

Li Yan cared deeply about her reputation, especially her pride in being an educator. Shen Zhiqiu’s words made her hesitate, but they also stoked her fury. Feeling both humiliated and aggrieved, she glared at Shen Zhiqiu with dagger-like eyes and spat through gritted teeth, “Shen Zhiqiu, you have the gall to threaten me with the police? How can you be so brazen?”

Shen Zhiqiu stood tall, her gaze steady. “A clear conscience fears no accusation. You’re the one slandering me with baseless lies, ruining my reputation without a shred of proof. I have nothing to hide—why should I be afraid?”

“If you’re so sure of yourself, let’s go to the station. The officers can call my brother-in-law over, and we’ll get to the truth. Why are you so scared? Seems to me you’re the one with something to hide!”

Li Yan scoffed. “What nonsense! What would I have to hide?”

“If you’re truly innocent, then why did you agree to divorce him and give up Xiaoxin and Xiaohui just to keep the house?” Shen Zhiqiu shot back. “If you really believed there was something between me and him, why didn’t you bring it up in front of the whole family before the divorce? If we were involved, wouldn’t it have happened long ago?”

“Or is it because you’re the one who’s been seeing another man, and now you’re trying to flip the blame onto me?”

Li Yan instantly denied it. “That’s a lie! I’m not that kind of woman! I spend all my time either at school or my parents’ home—I never interact with other men!”

“Shen Zhiqiu, how dare you accuse me without proof?”

“Li Yan, so you do know that baseless accusations are slander!” Shen Zhiqiu retorted. “Then why is it okay for you to slander me, but not the other way around? If all it takes is flapping your lips to spread lies, then fine—you can do it, and so can I.”

“Li Yan, you shameless tramp! Can’t you live without a man? If you hadn’t been running around seducing other men behind my brother-in-law’s back, would he have divorced you?”

Shen Zhiqiu threw every insult Li Yan had hurled at her right back, turning Li Yan’s face as colorful as an overturned paint palette.

The onlookers, now understanding the situation, burst into laughter.

“Shen Zhiqiu, just you wait!” Li Yan, humiliated and fuming, pointed angrily at her before storming off.

Shen Zhiqiu fired back without hesitation, “Wait for what? For you to marry your lover so I can attend the wedding? Forget it—I won’t be going!”

Amid the crowd’s laughter and pointed fingers, Li Yan burned with shame and hatred.

She wouldn’t let Shen Zhiqiu get away with this. She’d find proof that Shen Zhiqiu had seduced Yue Mingde and ruin them both!

“Zhiqiu, what’s wrong with that woman?” Li Shuying glared at Li Yan’s retreating figure. “She’s like a rabid dog, biting at anyone in sight.”

“I’ve barely interacted with her, but she’s despised me since I married Mingyuan. Especially after Yaya was born—she was bitter about everything, from my in-laws doting on Yaya to them arranging a premium hospital room for me.”

Shen Zhiqiu sighed. “At Yaya’s full-month celebration, she secretly brought her nephew, and somehow he ended up fighting with her sons, Xiaoxin and Xiaohui. After that, my brother-in-law filed for divorce.”

She briefly explained the situation. “Earlier, when I went to find Mingyuan’s brother-in-law, I ran into him and followed him to see where he lived. He’d bought some hair clips and ribbons to sell at the night market, so I took a few to give to my colleagues at the song and dance troupe.”

“He insisted on paying me back, and just as he handed me the money, Li Yan walked in.”

“I could tell something was off from her expression, but I never imagined she’d jump to that conclusion.” Shen Zhiqiu shook her head, exasperated.

Li Shuying’s frown deepened. “Zhiqiu, you need to be careful around her. Your sister-in-law is the type who’s blinded by her own pettiness—she’s irrational, vindictive, and holds grudges. People like her can be even more dangerous than outright villains.”

Shen Zhiqiu linked arms with her. “Don’t worry, Auntie. I’m already on guard.”

After the incident with the silk pouch, she’d lumped Li Yan in the same category as Shen Daqiang and Wang Fengqin—people who demanded constant vigilance.

…..

When they returned to Fu’an Alley after shopping, they spotted Shen Xiang sitting by the front gate, a stray dog curled up beside him.

The dog nudged Shen Xiang, who immediately sprang up and ran to Shen Zhiqiu with a pitiful sniff. “Big Sis.”

Shen Zhiqiu had expected his visit. She took his hand. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

But Ye Jiawu blocked the gate, glaring at Shen Xiang. “Zhiqiu-jie, don’t let him in! Last time, he tried to stab me with a knife!”

He hadn’t forgotten—and he’d been waiting for a chance to pay Shen Xiang back.

“Xiao Xiang, do you remember what I told you before?” Shen Zhiqiu turned to Shen Xiang.

Shen Xiang blinked, confused. “Big Sis, which part?”

“‘To correct a mistake is a virtue greater than any.’ What you did last time was wrong. Shouldn’t you apologize to Jiawu and say you’re sorry?”

“A hero’s blade should be turned against enemies, not family.”

“Xiao Xiang, you’re my brother, and Jiawu is too. That makes the two of you brothers as well.”

“Brothers should care for and help each other, not fight to the death.”

Shen Xiang shot a sullen glance at Ye Jiawu, clearly unwilling.

Jiawu noticed and scoffed. “Zhiqiu-jie, I don’t want his apology. I want to fight him—beat him until he admits defeat!”

Shen Xiang wiped his nose with his thumb and jeered, “Bring it on! We’ll see who beats who!”

Ye Jiawu stepped forward. “Let’s go!”

“No!” Shen Zhiqiu snapped. “No fighting!”

“Zhiqiu, just let them,” Ye Yunlin interjected. “They’ll never respect each other until they settle this. Better we supervise it so they don’t go too far.”

He turned to Shen Xiang. “But let’s be clear—win or lose, you still owe Jiawu an apology.”

“No matter what, pulling a knife was unacceptable. If you’d really hurt Jiawu that day, you’d have ruined his life—and your own. An apology wouldn’t have been enough to fix that.”

“A real man owns up to his mistakes. There’s no shame in admitting you were wrong—only cowardice in refusing to.”

The word “coward” struck a nerve. Shen Xiang thumped his chest twice, marched up to Ye Jiawu, and—to everyone’s shock—dropped to his knees, kowtowing before him.