Chapter 93: Weakness Part 2

No matter how aloof her nature, Shen Ruoshuang was always willing to listen to her mother’s teachings. To follow in her mother’s footsteps, she had unhesitatingly chosen the same path.

Until she was fourteen. That was the year she personally walked in on her mother and a female lover in bed.

At that time, her parents hadn’t divorced. In the eyes of the public, they were a perfect, respectful couple.

It turned out it was all a mask maintained for the sake of appearances.

Her mother cycled through lovers one after another, and her father had even started a new family elsewhere.

Her home had long since been shattered, reduced to a pile of morally bankrupt rot.

She was just like her name—Ruoshuang, “Like Frost.”

She was the proud, untainted flower on a high peak, the cleanest patch of snow atop a winter branch.

She had always despised such behavior.

How could she accept that the mother she had once worshiped like a goddess was actually this filthy, hedonistic mess?

That scene became Shen Ruoshuang’s recurring nightmare. It wasn’t just the infidelity; the sight of those intertwined female bodies made the fourteen-year-old girl, who knew nothing of the world, feel an intense sense of disgust and nausea.

Like her parents’ facade, Shen Ruoshuang remained aloof and perfect to the outside world.

Her intense pride forced her to guard this rotting secret, causing her to become the very thing she hated most.

Her parents divorced soon after, but not because of her. It was because Shen Yi’s company had stabilized, and the two had reached a parting of ways regarding interests and equity.

Her mother, as always, controlled everything. Shen Ruoshuang was awarded to Shen Yi.

She knew Shen Yi simply couldn’t bear to lose the “sunk cost” invested in her; after all, she had been groomed as the successor for years.

In reality, her father had no intention of taking her anyway; he had his own family and a pair of children.

After the divorce, nothing improved. The arrogant and forceful Shen Yi would never admit she was wrong.

Shen Yi continued to meet different lovers, and the mother and daughter continued to clash at every turn, their relationship suffocating and oppressive.

Finally, in her first year of high school, Shen Ruoshuang defied her mother’s arrangements. She left the Capital and transferred to the remote town of Yuanwu.

And now, four years later, her most shameful nightmare had reappeared before the person she loved.

Even though her mother’s private life no longer caused her that much pain or anger, the sense of inferiority and helplessness she felt in front of the person she loved was her greatest weakness.

Just thinking about Xu Yinian witnessing what she had seen as a teenager made her feel as if her pride was being violently torn open, exposing all the filthy, disgusting wounds inside.

Three years ago, when Xu Yinian had brought that mistress to her, she had already tasted this wretched agony.

Back then, she hadn’t even realized that the girl had already become someone special to her.

Shen Ruoshuang’s pride only ever dissolved for Xu Yinian.

How could one love someone and not feel inferior?

She didn’t dare face the girl’s gaze, fearing she would see disbelief, judgment, or pity.

But Shen Yi was right there. She no longer even had the chance to summon the courage to face her or change the ending.

She could only watch as Bai Ran led her away, leaving her to sink alone into the rot.

Shen Ruoshuang retracted the darkness in her eyes and looked directly at Shen Yi, her voice stiff.

“How far did you two go?”

Being asked so bluntly didn’t make Shen Yi feel any shame. Instead, she let out a cold sneer.

“Embarrassed? You let someone plot against you and lure them to our doorstep, and you’re not embarrassed by that?”

“Relax. I have no interest in doing anything out here. Now, it’s my turn to ask.”

“Give me a reason.”

Shen Ruoshuang pursed her lips, her expression flat. “Roommate friction.”

“You have to be that stupid to let a creature like Bai Ran walk all over you. You wouldn’t usually answer a question like that. What are you trying to hide?”

Shen Yi looked impatient. She tugged at her collar, smoothing out the wrinkles left by her lover. Even such a casual movement was stunningly beautiful.

Shen Ruoshuang clenched her teeth. She couldn’t let Xu Yinian fall under Shen Yi’s scrutiny. With her mother’s obsession with control, she would never approve; she would even use methods to sabotage them.

If she and Xu Yinian were already together, this opposition wouldn’t matter.

But right now, Shen Ruoshuang was just one of the many people lusting after and pursuing Xu Yinian.

Finally, as if exploding with long-suppressed emotion, she suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze losing control. Her voice was hoarse.

“…She knows you are my weakness. She knows this is the only way to get back at me. Are you satisfied now?”

Shen Yi’s hands froze, but the mask of cold severity on her face remained unbreakable.

“Our temperaments are identical, yet you insist on obsessing over these trivialities. It is an utterly meaningless endeavor.”

Shen Yi’s voice was as cold as a surgical blade, precise and devoid of empathy. “Whether you hate me or love me has never been important. What matters is that you currently require my assistance—both financially and academically. Do you understand?”

She leaned back, her gaze chillingly indifferent. “You are an adult now. Stop acting like a child running to a parent to lodge a complaint. This talk of ‘weaknesses’ and ‘suffering’ only makes you appear pathetic and immature.”

Having lived with her for eighteen years, was there anyone who understood what kind of person Shen Yi was better than Shen Ruoshuang?

The corner of Ruoshuang’s mouth twitched in a joyless smirk, but she didn’t even possess the energy for self-ridicule. If Shen Yi bought the lie, then Xu Yinian would remain hidden from her scrutiny. That was all that mattered.

“I will give you one week to handle this,” Shen Yi continued, clearly done with the conversation. “If you cannot manage something so simple, I will intervene personally. I don’t care how pathetic you choose to be, but the Bai family dared to scheme against me. They must pay the price.”

Shen Yi massaged her temples, showing no concern for where her daughter might go next. She signaled for her secretary to clean up the aftermath as she prepared to depart.

Secretary Zhou had only just finished escorting the femme fatale, Liu Qiao, out of the building when she hurried back. Seeing Shen Ruoshuang standing alone in the middle of the private dining room, she felt a pang of sympathy.

“Miss Shen, have you eaten? Would you like me to order a few dishes for you?”

When Shen Ruoshuang shook her head, the secretary realized there was nothing more she could do. She could only follow CEO Shen as the older woman walked away.

This was her fifth year serving as Shen Yi’s secretary, and she was well-acquainted with the friction between this mother and daughter. At the same time, she deeply admired her employer’s genius and ruthless efficiency. In just five years, the Shen Group had grown into a titan of industry under Shen Yi’s leadership, dominating the development of the regions surrounding the Capital. Even the “old money” families—the elites who had occupied the Capital for centuries—did not dare to look down on her.

Human nature was a complex tapestry. Secretary Zhou wasn’t in a position to judge Shen Yi’s private morals; the most she could do was quietly attempt to mediate the conflict between the two women and offer the young miss a bit of warmth.

She didn’t dare say much herself, but there was one person who could actually speak to both of these fire-and-water personalities.

When Secretary Zhou had reached out earlier, that person happened to be nearby. If she hurried, she would likely run into Shen Ruoshuang.

I hope she can offer the young miss some comfort, the secretary sighed inwardly.

Just then, Shen Yi, seated in the back of the car, suddenly spoke. Her voice was characteristically frigid, masking any underlying intent.

“Look into the person who barged in.”

Secretary Zhou’s breath hitched. The one who barged in…

Did she mean that young girl?

She remembered that Shen Yi had let her go quite easily at the time. Why was she bringing her up now? Even after years by CEO Shen’s side, the secretary couldn’t fathom the meaning behind the command.

Was she suspicious that the girl had an ulterior motive? Was it a simple reaction to the blatant protection and favoritism Bai Ran had shown her?

Or was it something else entirely?