Severing ties with family to marry the young marshal, his whole family chases me to the crematorium.

Shen Qingyao was so angry she laughed, looking at Shen Yanming as if he were a fool.

"Why are they different? It's because the scales in your hearts are different!"

Shen Yanming was speechless for a moment, and he opened his mouth several times but could not find a rebuttal.

Yes! They told Shen Qingyao before that blood ties are not important, what matters is affection.

They raised Shen Yuanyuan for twenty years, and their feelings for her had long surpassed blood ties. Her biological parents had done bad things, but she was innocent and it had nothing to do with her.

But when Shen Qingyao presented this theory today, they felt it was wrong, yet they couldn't refute it.

Seeing that Shen Yanming's expression had become noticeably uncertain, Shen Yuanyuan was extremely anxious, but she dared not show it too obviously.

She was about to say something when Shen Yanting spoke first.

"Qingyao, you are forcing us to make a choice, to choose between you and Yuanyuan, but we have never forced you to choose between the two. Even if you get married to the young marshal, the Shen family and the young marshal's mansion are still your home."

Shen Yanting lacked confidence; Shen Qingyao's questioning had already unsettled him.

"Am I forcing you to make a choice? Shen Yanting, your entire Shen family is truly blind and incompetent!"

"Even if I were forcing you to choose between the two, didn't you still choose Shen Yuanyuan and abandon me? Since you could abandon me, why can't I sever ties with you?"

Shen Qingyao was driven crazy by the Shen family. When she had been so enthusiastic and tried so hard to please them, they didn't appreciate it and treated her like trash.

Now that she doesn't want anything to do with the Shen family anymore, they keep pestering her and won't let go; they're acting like a bunch of lunatics.

If it weren't for this damned divine punishment, she would have liked to hire someone to kill him and solve all these problems.

"We've never given up on you, how could you think that?"

Shen Yanting was puzzled and unconvinced; he did not believe that they had ever given up on Shen Qingyao.

"When have you ever not given up on me? When have you ever chosen me?"

"Alright! Now I'll give you a choice: me or Shen Yuanyuan, you choose one!"

Shen Qingyao's face showed no expectation, only indifference and aloofness.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuanyuan looked flustered. The situation had completely tilted in Shen Qingyao's favor, and she had no idea whether Shen Yanming and Shen Yanting would choose her.

"Big brother, third brother, stop arguing! It's all my fault! Since my sister can't tolerate me, then let me go."

“My younger sister is the Shen family’s biological daughter, and I am just an adopted daughter. It is only right and proper for me to leave and make room for my sister. Over the years, Yuanyuan has been very grateful for the love and care from her parents and brothers. Yuanyuan will remember this kindness for the rest of her life.”

After saying that, Shen Yuanyuan turned her wheelchair and walked out. When she reached the door, she covered her face and sobbed softly, her whole body trembling, and tears dripped from between her fingers onto the ground.

Shen Yanming immediately grabbed Shen Yuanyuan's wheelchair with heartache, not letting her leave. He was about to scold Shen Qingyao, but was stopped by Shen Yanting's gaze.

“Qingyao, we will not make such a choice. We will not give up on you or Yuanyuan. You are the Shen family’s biological daughter, and we will never abandon you. But Yuanyuan is also the daughter that the Shen family has raised for twenty years. Besides, her parents are no longer here. She has nowhere to go if she leaves the Shen family, and we will not let her go.”

Shen Yanting's attitude was firm and he did not back down at all. This result was exactly what Shen Qingyao expected, and she was not disappointed.

Having already experienced being abandoned after being forced to choose between two options in her previous life, she still harbored some resentment in her heart when given the chance to do it again.

"Really? Shen Yuanyuan, your biological father and mother, are they really... all dead? Not a single one left?"

Shen Qingyao spoke slowly and deliberately, emphasizing the words "biological parents".

She didn't miss any unusual reactions from Shen Yuanyuan, so when Shen Yuanyuan's trembling body paused slightly, it didn't escape her notice.

Sure enough, Shen Yuanyuan knew who her biological parents were, and one of them was definitely a member of the Shen family—either Shen Wenzhong or Liu Shuyi.

And the most likely candidate is Shen Wenzhong, her biological father.

"Sister, I've already agreed to leave the Shen family, what more do you want? Why are you still trying to rub salt in my wounds now?"

Shen Yuanyuan's face was full of stubbornness and anger, with tears still hanging on her face, giving people an image of resilience and unyieldingness.

"Shen Qingyao, what do you mean? Are you deliberately saying this to provoke Yuanyuan? How can you be so vicious?"

Compared to Shen Yanming's impulsiveness and irritability, Shen Yanting appeared much calmer, and his eyes became more thoughtful after hearing Shen Qingyao's words.

"Qingyao, take good care of your injuries. We'll come to see you another day. Don't overthink things. Neither you nor Yuanyuan will be abandoned by the Shen family. You've never been forced to choose between two options."

Shen Yanting was filled with an inexplicable sense of irritation. He knew that no matter how much they argued today, they wouldn't get to a conclusion, so he left those words and turned to leave.

But as soon as he turned around, Shen Qingyao's cold and distant voice came from behind him.

"Shen Yanming, it was I who abandoned you, it was I who didn't want you anymore, do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yanting paused slightly before quickly leaving, his retreating figure giving the impression of a hasty escape.

Aside from saying one sentence when he first came in, Si Jingnian watched Shen Qingyao fight against the crowd the whole time, silently giving her confidence and support.

Only after the Shen family had all left did he put away his gloomy and terrifying expression.

"You're better off without a family like that. From now on, you still have the Young Marshal's Mansion and... and me."

Looking at Shen Qingyao's dejected expression, Si Jingnian felt a pang of heartache.

Shen Qingyao reminded him of his childhood, when he didn't understand why his father disliked him and always treated him coldly.

Even though he and his younger brother are both his sons, why does he love his younger brother so much? He would hold his younger brother above his head, play with him, teach him to write, and teach him to shoot arrows and guns.

All he remembered about him was indifference and scolding; he had seen the hatred and disgust in his father's eyes countless times.

He didn't understand, and to this day he still doesn't quite understand, why he hated himself so much.

“Ah Yao, not all parents love their children, and not all family members care about us, but it’s not our fault. You’re fine, and I’m fine too. They’re blind.”

“Ayao, they are not worth your heartache. Giving you up is their loss.”

Si Jingnian's voice was very pleasant, and his speech was neither too fast nor too slow, which soothed Shen Qingyao's originally agitated emotions.