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

"However, Grand Tutor Lou has always been highly regarded by the Emperor. Without solid evidence, it's impossible to bring down the Lou family. There are no shortcuts in this matter. In order to deepen the misunderstanding between Lou Li and Xiao Yan, these things of the Lou family must not leave the Great Zhou. His Highness the Crown Prince will send people to chase after them. You should stay in Xuancheng. It's not safe for a woman like you to do such a thing."

Shen Cong'an tried his best to make his tone sound normal. He knew he was not good enough for Xie Wanru and did not want Xie Wanru to know his feelings.

"And I heard that Shen Nian'an went to see you again. He... didn't make things difficult for you, did he?"

In the dead of night, he also felt that his thoughts were absurd, but he knew very well how he felt every time he saw Xie Wanru.

Joy, a racing heart... He was certain he had fallen for Xie Wanru. The absurdity had changed that fact; he couldn't control his feelings, and besides, Xie Wanru was worthy of his affection.

"Shen Cong'an, you've crossed the line."

Xie Wanru turned her back, unaware of Shen Cong'an's thoughts; she simply didn't want to be rejected.

“I saved you, not so you could stop me from doing things. I admit you’re smart, but I’d rather you listen to whatever I say from now on. You disagreed when I went to the Northern Border to save my third brother, and you did the same when I went to stop Xiao Yan last time. Does that mean I have to listen to you from now on?”

Xie Wanru's questioning was somewhat aggressive, even unreasonable, but she was genuinely annoyed at the moment. The thought of Shen Nian'an, that scoundrel, constantly popping up to disgust her made her lose control of her emotions.

Shen Cong'an did not refute. He had indeed crossed the line. His relationship with Xie Wanru was not that of friends, but more like that of... master and subordinate.

The person behind her fell silent. Xie Wanru turned around and saw that Shen Cong'an, who was usually cheerful and energetic, looked somewhat dejected.

She suddenly realized that what she had just said was a bit too much. "If you really want to help me, you should support me instead of just blocking me. I don't like it when people deny my ideas. All the time I have now is a gift from God. Even if I suddenly die someday, as long as it doesn't affect others, I won't lose out."

Xie Wanru deliberately avoided looking at Shen Cong'an, and sat down to take a sip of tea.

“Shen Nian’an did come to see me. He’s probably gone mad, thinking that if he cries, I’ll forgive him. Hah, I should have made him see what he really is long ago. He was so busy dealing with Xiao Yan that he forgot about him. You should separate from the Shen family as soon as possible, because I don’t want to see him again.”

Xie Wanru put down her teacup and recalled her past life, the bloody smell that had been buried by time spreading through her.

She knew that Shen Nian'an would do such a thing, partly because of Fu Rou's instigation. She was surprised that a woman's hatred for her had reached the point of wanting to wipe out her entire family.

But if Shen Nian'an hadn't been so ruthless, he wouldn't have been instigated. Therefore, Shen Nian'an, Fu Rou, and Shen Yanzhi all deserve to die.

"You mean... you want me to separate from the family?"

Shen Cong'an asked in disbelief. He knew Xie Wanru wouldn't let the Shen family off the hook, but he didn't expect this day to come so soon.

“Yes, I heard that Shen Nian’an is going to sell the estate. Your good sister will have to spend a lot of money this time. Now that you’ve broken away from the Shen family, I can… arrange things next.”

Xie Wanru poured Shen Cong'an a cup of tea and waited for his decision.

His father was still alive, yet he wanted to divide the family property. This was not something Shen Cong'an could easily accept, but he also knew that the man had no true feelings for him.

After his thoughts drifted away for a while, Shen Cong'an picked up the cup of tea in front of Xie Wanru.

Even if the Yong'an Marquis's mansion were emptied, it wouldn't amount to 30,000 taels of silver. Therefore, no matter how much Shen Zhan dislikes Shen Cong'an, he has no choice but to try various ways to rekindle the father-son bond between them.

Because the property left by Shen Cong'an's birth mother, Madam Meng, has been in Shen Cong'an's hands all these years. Even during the two years that Shen Cong'an was in a coma, the money was managed by people left by Madam Meng. The cash was deposited in a money shop and not entered into the accounts of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion.

With Shen Cong'an in a coma, and Xie Wanru's dowry to take advantage of, the shop's business has improved again, so there was no rush to break ties with the Meng family. But now it's not an option.

Even though Shen Cong'an said that they were only family to outsiders, but not to their own family, Shen Zhan still had to find a way to solve the problem of the family's shortage of money and get some money from Shen Cong'an for emergency use.

So he went to find Shen Cong'an, who had just returned to the mansion, and stopped him.

Because once his son returns to his own courtyard, he will no longer have any interaction with his family members.

He first explained the whole story to Shen Cong'an.

"Does Father think that as long as he thinks of me when something happens, that is the greatest care and respect he can show to me, the eldest son of the Shen family?"

Shen Cong'an responded with a joking remark after hearing this.

I never think of him when there's nothing wrong, but when something happens, I feel it's only right to call him out. Why should I?

Shen Zhan's face darkened slightly, but he still forced a gentle expression: "Cong'an, you've misunderstood your father. How could I not care about you? It's just that I've always been slow-witted and don't like to get involved in household affairs, so I've inevitably neglected you. Now that the household is facing difficulties, the first person I think of is you. Doesn't that show your importance in my heart?"

Shen Zhan asked himself if he had wronged Shen Cong'an. He did know some things, but he did not let Shen Nian'an actually kill Shen Cong'an.

If it weren't for his father protecting him, he would have been killed by Shen Nian'an long ago.

Shen Cong'an sneered, his eyes full of sarcasm: "If I didn't hold the assets left by my mother and still have some use, would you even remember me? I'm afraid my status as the eldest son of the Shen family is nothing more than a decoration in your eyes, isn't it?"

Shen Zhan was speechless for a long time after being choked by Shen Cong'an's words. Although he was dissatisfied, he also knew that this was not the time to completely break with Shen Cong'an.

Even though Shen Cong'an knew the truth about his coma, he hadn't left the Shen family. He still maintained a family relationship with them in public. He knew that Shen Cong'an still cared about the Shen family. As long as he was willing to humble himself, his son would still obediently listen to him.

He took a deep breath and said slowly, "I know I haven't cared enough for you in the past, but I treat everyone else the same way, not just you. I'm afraid that spoiling you too much will make you children lose yourselves. Right now, the Marquis's mansion is indeed short of funds, and your sister has caused such a big disaster. If it's not dealt with in time, it may damage the reputation of the entire Yong'an Marquis's mansion. As the eldest son, you should share the burden of the family."

Shen Cong'an's gaze was deep and dark, as if...?