Chapter 381: Chapter 381: A Headache

Their family wasn’t wealthy to begin with. Getting robbed blind on top of it all... forget getting married, they wouldn’t be able to live.

Mrs. Deng cried, "This is all the trouble your sister brought upon us!"

Father Deng said, "If I’d known this would happen, I never should have agreed to let Deng Ying get a job! If she had just stayed obediently at home, we’d have Jianxin’s bride price by now."

Hearing this, Mrs. Deng’s wails grew louder. "Wasn’t I just thinking she could earn a little money by going to work? She got her salary last month—it was over a thousand!"

"And what good is a measly thousand?"

The more Deng Jianxin listened, the more confused he became. He impatiently cut them off and demanded they explain everything from beginning to end.

Only then did Mrs. Deng wipe her tears and tell the story from the top.

Deng Ying had hitched a ride home today, originally intending to see her little sister. Mrs. Deng remembered that she had just spoken with the Wei Family the day before; they were looking for a wife for their son and offering a generous bride price.

Mrs. Deng immediately had Deng Xuan keep Deng Ying there while she went to invite the three members of the Wei Family over for dinner.

The Wei Family’s son took a liking to Deng Ying at first sight. Mrs. Deng was overjoyed and immediately told Deng Ying.

To her surprise, Deng Ying refused, saying she didn’t want to get married.

Mrs. Deng didn’t say much more, but soon, Wei Yi came knocking on the door.

Deng Ying sensed something was wrong and called Shen Lu, but the door was opened anyway.

It turned out that Mrs. Deng and Father Deng had plotted together. They decided that reasoning with Deng Ying was useless, but if they forced the situation, she would have no choice but to accept it.

And since Wei Yi also agreed, that’s what led to what happened next.

After listening, Deng Jianxin’s expression turned grim. "What a heartless, ungrateful wretch!"

Mrs. Deng said, "Tell me about it! We gave birth to her, we raised her, and when we find her a good family to marry into, she refuses. To cause a mess like this, it’s just..."

"This can’t be over just like that. Her boss wrecked our house. She has to pay!"

Deng Jianxin casually picked up a shattered crock. "This... our family spent a thousand... no, ten thousand Star Coins on this! Now it’s useless. Make them pay for it!"

Father Deng and Mrs. Deng exchanged a look, and it suddenly dawned on them.

’Our son is so smart. Isn’t this another way to make money?’

There were plenty of broken things in the house. As long as they demanded a high enough price, forget the bride price—they’d have enough to buy a new house.

The whole family beamed, wishing it were dawn already so they could go and hassle Shen Lu.

"First, let’s gather up all the broken things. We can’t go tonight, and we don’t know how strong the wind will be tomorrow, or if we can even go out," Deng Jianxin said with a look of regret.

Father Deng and Mrs. Deng nodded repeatedly. "As soon as the weather clears, we’ll go immediately."

Mrs. Deng nudged Deng Xuan. "Didn’t you go stay at that shop with your sister for a while? Do you remember how to get there?"

Deng Xuan nodded forcefully. "I remember, I remember! The shop where my sister works is really easy to find!"

"At least you’re good for something. Deng Xuan, let me warn you, if you dare be an ungrateful wretch like your sister, I’ll beat you to death right now!"

"I won’t! I... I’m always good to you, Mom," Deng Xuan said pitifully, clinging to Mrs. Deng’s leg. "Mom, if my sister’s boss doesn’t give you money, you can... you can find that other big sister, Sang Yue. She’s really nice and so pretty!"

Deng Jianxin was noncommittal about the little girl’s sense of aesthetics. ’What does a little kid who only thinks about candy all day know about beauty?’

...

Shen Lu told Deng Ying to go take a hot shower first. Deng Ying, like a marionette, obediently did as she was told.

"Fu Cheng, are you feeling unwell anywhere?" Shen Lu walked to Fu Cheng’s side, wanting to lift his clothes to check the severed ends of his limbs.

Fu Cheng maneuvered his wheelchair back a little. "I just drove the car, it’s not like I did any strenuous exercise. Nothing’s wrong."

Before, he had no choice; he was completely unable to care for himself.

Now that he could do most things himself, he never let Shen Lu see his body again.

’What’s there to see in this broken body?’

Whenever he thought about it, a wave of insecurity would wash over him.

Fu Cheng knew he shouldn’t feel this way, but he couldn’t help it.

Shen Lu didn’t notice Fu Cheng’s insecurity; her attention was entirely on Deng Ying.

"You should go up and rest. I still need to talk with Deng Ying."

Fu Cheng grunted in agreement. He wasn’t good at comforting people, and besides, he didn’t know Deng Ying well. There was no need for him to stay.

Deng Ying took a rather long time in the shower. Shen Lu guessed she must have been crying secretly, because when she came out, Shen Lu noticed her eyes were especially red and swollen.

Yang Jing was also living in Dormitory 2, so Shen Lu could only sit with Deng Ying on the living room sofa.

"Take the next couple of days off. Don’t overthink things."

"Boss, I don’t want to rest. Please let me work as usual." ’If I’m alone, my mind will just run wild. It’s better to be busy, with no time to think about other things.’

Shen Lu agreed.

Today wasn’t a good time to ask for details about what happened. Shen Lu patted the back of Deng Ying’s hand and told her to go to her room to sleep.

"Boss..." Deng Ying’s voice suddenly choked up. "I raised Xiao Xuan myself. How... how could she do this to me?"

If her sister hadn’t been clinging to her, she would have returned to the shop long ago, and none of this would have happened.

"Kids don’t know any better, but that’s also what makes them the cruelest," Shen Lu sighed. "In your sister’s heart, her mother carries more weight than you do."

"But when she was sick, my mom wasn’t even willing to buy her medicine! I was the one who stayed up all night taking care of her, I was the one who did everything to get her medicine, and whenever there was anything good to eat, I always saved some for her."

Deng Ying couldn’t accept the fact that she had been betrayed by her sister. "She would have died long ago without me, but today, she helped Mom and Dad harm me!"

Shen Lu really didn’t know how to comfort her about something like this.

She wasn’t from this world. She had almost no emotional attachment to either the Shen Family or the Liu Family, so when those two families came after her, she wasn’t hurt at all—she only thought about how to get revenge.

After venting her resentment for a while, Deng Ying felt much better, but also very tired.

Shen Lu noticed and sent her back to her room to sleep.

Just as the door closed, Sang Yue’s head popped out.

"What was that all about?"

She had gone out with Deng Ying, but Deng Ying had gotten out of the car first. Later, after Sang Yue finished signing her rental contract, she was supposed to pick Deng Ying up on the way back in Wu Jun’s car.

But Deng Ying had sent a message saying she was staying home for dinner and would return to the shop on her own afterward.

Sang Yue didn’t think much of it. It was perfectly normal for someone to go home for dinner.

But what happened later was unusual. Sang Yue had just been discussing the shop renovation plans with a design company. When the discussion ended and she was about to go out, she heard Shen Lu and Deng Ying talking outside.

She really didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but her curiosity got the better of her, so she listened in a little. But it was all bits and pieces, and she couldn’t make sense of it.

Shen Lu had a headache. Sang Yue’s curiosity and enthusiasm were truly headache-inducing.

’But thankfully, she’ll be moving out soon.’

"Did you get your shop rented?" Shen Lu asked in return.

"It’s rented, and for the price you mentioned."

"And the renovation plan is set?"

"Set. I still want that princess-style look, mainly white with pink accents."

"Okay."

Shen Lu nodded and walked away.

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