You're the one who wants to marry a mistress, and I'm marrying someone else, yet you still

Chapter 62 Shen Nian'an begs Shen Cong'an

Shaking off the snowflakes, Xie Wanru went inside to find Mo'er and Dongzhu.

"I've never seen anyone who loves to be insulted so much. They come to see you even though they're in the wrong."

Dongzhu's face showed extreme disgust. Otherwise, if her mistress hadn't told her not to cause trouble for Shen Nian'an, and that it wasn't the right time, she really would have gone and put a sack over her head.

Xie Wanru chuckled lightly, her eyes filled with indifference and detachment. "There's no need to get angry with him. He's just a clown. Let's do our own thing and wait for the right opportunity."

The affair between Shen Nian'an and Fu Rou has spread throughout Xuancheng. Whether they can get a divorce depends on the imperial decree. If it doesn't work out by the New Year, she will have no choice but to go to the Empress again and cry. If once doesn't work, she will go twice, until the Empress softens.

Inside, the fireplace was burning brightly, making the room warm and cozy. Mo'er was engrossed in flipping through a picture book, seemingly unaffected by the commotion outside.

When Xie Wanru came in, he looked up and gave her a warm smile, "Aunt Wan."

Xie Wanru felt a warmth in her heart, walked over and sat down next to Mo'er, gently patting his head, "Stay here with Aunt Wan tonight. Aunt Dongzhu has already informed your father, and we'll send you back tomorrow."

"Is it really okay? Can Mo'er live in the same courtyard as Aunt Wan?"

Mo'er's voice was clear and melodious, carrying the unique innocence and joy of a child, and sounded especially beautiful in the quiet night.

It seemed that being able to stay by Xie Wanru's side was the greatest joy of all.

Listening to this, Dongzhu couldn't help but smile, as if the gloom of the past few days had been swept away by this heartwarming scene.

"Of course it's true."

Xie Wanru sat down and put down the hot water bottle. The room was warm, so there was no need for it.

"Then let Mo'er recite a poem for Aunt Wan and Aunt Dongzhu."

Shen Mo smiled and wanted it, and Xie Wanru naturally wouldn't refuse him.

After Mo'er finished reciting the poem, Xie Wanru clapped her hands gently, her eyes full of praise, "Mo'er is great! In the future, Mo'er will definitely become a knowledgeable and responsible person."

Mo'er's eyes shone with determination as she was praised.

"Mo'er will definitely do it. Mo'er will become a high-ranking official and will never let anyone bully Aunt Wan again!"

Xie Wanru and Dongzhu exchanged a smile. Sometimes, adults' promises are useless, but children's promises sound especially sweet.

"Okay, Aunt Wan, we'll be waiting."

Snow was falling heavily outside the window, but inside the house it was warm and cozy.

Shen Nian'an returned to the Shen residence in a fit of anger, only to learn that her father had led men to beat Fu Rou half to death. Although Fu Rou was not locked in the woodshed, she was simply placed in the courtyard of the old lady of the Shen family, and the family doctor was not allowed to take a look at her.

But the two children are still locked up in jail.

Shen Nian'an was furious, but there was nothing she could do.

The father's disgust for Xie Wanru and her son was obvious, and his own position in the Shen family was already teetering on the brink because of Fu Rou and the two children.

Shen Nian'an rushed into the old lady's courtyard, where she saw Fu Rou lying on the bed, her face pale and covered in wounds. When she saw Shen Nian'an enter, a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes.

"Nianlang, you have to get me out of here. I can't stay here. I'll be beaten to death. I'll really be beaten to death," Fu Rou said weakly.

The pain of being beaten by the servants' sticks today still echoed in his mind. He thought it was all going to end soon, but little did he know it was far from over.

Shen Nian'an was heartbroken, but could only softly comfort her, "Bear with it a little longer, I'll think of something. I'll have someone come and treat you first."

After leaving the old lady's courtyard, Shen Nian'an went straight to the study. He wanted to talk to his father, because if things continued like this, Rou'er would really be beaten to death.

However, Shen Zhan refused to see him, only sending a message that if he continued to harass Fu Rou and the two children, he would lock them both in the woodshed or expel them from the Shen family.

The snow outside the window was falling heavier and heavier, as if it were going to bury the whole world.

Shen Nian'an found herself in Shen Cong'an's courtyard as if possessed.

He knelt in the snow, all his strength drained away. After so many days of this, neither divorce nor staying together worked out. He truly didn't know what to do next.

Are we just going to stand by and watch Fu Rou get beaten to death and her two children be sent away to another mansion?

Only at this moment did Shen Nian'an begin to doubt herself, question her past actions, and regret... not treating Xie Wanru well.

If he and Xie Wanru had treated each other with respect, would Xie Wanru have been less arrogant at this time?

"What are you doing here? Kidnapping Mo'er wasn't enough, are you going to kidnap me to be a bargaining chip in your negotiations with Xie Wanru? She and I don't know each other at all."

Shen Cong'an's voice suddenly came from inside the house, carrying a biting chill that complemented the wind and snow outside.

He pushed open the door, standing coldly on the threshold in a long, aloof white robe, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing Shen Nian'an's heart.

Shen Nian'an raised her head, her eyes filled with exhaustion and helplessness.

"Brother, I was wrong."

Shen Nian'an was so cold that snot was running from her nose.

But now, besides Shen Cong'an, he doesn't know who else he can ask for help.

"Could you please go and beg my father to stop harming Rou'er? If this continues, Rou'er will die."

Shen Cong'an sneered, his laughter filled with endless mockery.

Death? Would Shen Nian'an be afraid of death?

"You only realize your mistake now? What were you doing all this time? What do you think your regret can salvage? Xie Wanru's heart, the Shen family's reputation, or even your own precarious position?"

Shen Nian'an lowered his head, letting the snowflakes fall on his hair and shoulders, gradually melting, as if melting away along with his hopes.

“I know you hate me too, you hate me just like Xie Wanru, but I didn’t kill you. I had so many opportunities to do it while you were unconscious, but I didn’t.”

"So, I should thank you for sparing my life? I think you should get up and stop making a fool of yourself kneeling here." Shen Cong'an finally spoke, his tone devoid of warmth, yet it could be considered a relief. "I won't help you. You have to walk your own path. Some mistakes, once made, can never be undone."

Shen Nian'an struggled to her feet, her knees already numb from the cold, and the chill in her heart intensified.

"I have never wanted to kill anyone, yet you want Rou'er dead. Do you want me dead too?"

He watched Shen Cong'an's resolute back as he walked away.

Shen Cong'an sneered.

“Shen Nian’an, you’re not just stubborn, you’re ridiculous. If you were a man, you wouldn’t have waited until Shen Yanzhi was this old to come up with a solution. You should have taken on the responsibility of being a father long ago, or even before he was born. But you didn’t. You kept putting it off, and now you’re blaming others.”

"What's even more ridiculous is that you made me unconscious for so long, and you still expect me to remember your mercy in not killing me?"