Chapter 116: "You bitch, don’t touch me!
Shen Changrong forced a stiff smile, trying desperately to save face. "It seems this was all a misunderstanding. My wife hasn’t been sleeping well lately, so she’s not quite in her right mind. My apologies, officers, for making you come all this way for nothing."
The two police officers exchanged a look, both speechless. However, they didn’t show any annoyance, simply nodding as they prepared to leave.
Shen Lu called out to them. "Officers, please wait. How could this be a trip for nothing? The matter of me being slandered isn’t over yet."
Mr. Shen shot Shen Lu a glare. "It’s not your place to speak here!"
The officers didn’t want to get mixed up in the troubles of these upper-class citizens, so they perfunctorily told Shen Lu to file a report first, and a dedicated officer would come to investigate.
"Wasting police resources is a bad look. Or are you two planning to just collect a paycheck for doing nothing?" Shen Lu retorted sarcastically.
The officer didn’t get angry at Shen Lu’s words, calmly sticking to his point. "Our department has its own rules and regulations. If you have a complaint, you can file one."
Shen Lu frowned. She hadn’t expected the Upper City District police to be so indifferent.
"You two will stay and handle this for me."
To everyone’s surprise, it was Princess Ruoxin who had spoken.
With the princess having spoken, the two officers naturally didn’t dare to refuse and immediately accepted the order.
Shen Lu glanced at Princess Ruoxin in surprise, but her eyes unexpectedly met those of Li Zexing, who was standing beside her.
Li Zexing’s eyes were beautiful, as if they could speak, possessing a gentle and serene kind of beauty.
Shen Lu’s heart inexplicably skipped a beat, and she dazedly pulled her gaze away.
Shen Lan flinched, instinctively looking for someone to lean on. But Mrs. Shen had already gone back upstairs, and neither Shen Changrong nor Shen Yi could be bothered with her right now. The father and son were staring daggers at Shen Lu, looking as if they wanted to skin her alive.
She pressed her lips together tightly as a bad feeling began to well up inside her. She started to back away, hoping to slip out of the crowd unnoticed.
But Shen Lu’s attention had been on her the whole time. The moment she moved, Shen Lu grabbed her by the wrist and used the True Heart Potion on her.
A slight chill brushed across the back of her hand. Shen Lan shrieked as if she’d been stung by a scorpion.
"You bitch, don’t touch me!"
It had been a while since Shen Lan had said anything so sharp and vulgar. Ever since learning she was the true daughter of the Shen Family, she had been trying hard to act in a way that befitted her status, lest others say she was ill-bred.
As soon as Shen Lan struggled, Shen Lu let her go.
"Why are you running? Afraid of what you’ve done being exposed? It’s fine. You didn’t commit murder or arson. At worst, you’re just morally corrupt. A slander conviction won’t land you in jail. You’ll just have to compensate me and apologize."
Shen Lan wanted to play the victim like she usually did to get away with it. She was just about to start crying when a stream of harsh, ugly words came pouring out of her mouth, as if of their own accord.
"Compensate you and apologize? Why don’t you take a good look at yourself and see what you are? You’re just a lowlife from the Lower City District. As if you’re worthy of my apology!"
"So what if I slandered you? Shouldn’t I have? You stole seventeen years of my life. I’m just making you pay back a little interest."
Shen Lan’s eyes widened in terror, her right hand flying to her throat.
’Wh-what’s happening?’
’These aren’t the words I wanted to say!’
A cool smile touched Shen Lu’s lips. "So, Miss Shen, you admit to slandering me, correct? I can’t be bothered with the other things, so let’s just talk about that doctored video Mrs. Shen released today. The person who stole the necklace was you, wasn’t it?"
’Of course I have to deny something like that!’
"Yes, it was me!"
Shen Lan couldn’t control her mouth at all. She mimicked Mrs. Shen’s earlier action and clamped a hand over it, trying to physically force herself to shut up.
But it was completely useless.
"What right do you have to stay in the Shen Family? I’m back now, so you should crawl back to the Lower City District and live your pathetic, low-class life! Shen Lu, I just can’t stand to see you happy!"
"Because of you, I needlessly suffered for seventeen years! You could never imagine how hard life in the Lower City District is!"
Tears of despair streamed down her face. Shen Lan felt like she was about to faint.
’No, these were things I only ever said in my head! I never meant for so many people to hear them!’
Shen Lu’s tone was haunting. "Because of you? What, was I, a newborn baby, capable of orchestrating my own switched-at-birth plot?"
’How ridiculous.’
’Shen Lu could understand Shen Lan holding some resentment toward her, but was it really this severe?’
"If you had been a baby boy, Father would never have mixed us up! You..."
Before she could finish, the overly agitated Shen Lan got her wish and fainted.
Many people were standing near her, but no one reached out to help. Shen Lan collapsed onto the floor in an ungraceful heap, causing the onlookers to frown.
Shen Changrong could no longer maintain his dignified facade. With a trembling hand, he ordered someone to carry Shen Lan away, then began seeing his guests out in a strained voice.
Shen Yi, for his part, was overwhelmed with shame and fury. He rushed toward Shen Lu to vent his anger.
’It’s all this troublemaker’s fault! If it weren’t for Shen Lu, none of this would have happened!’
This time, before Shen Lu’s 100% damage-reflection ability could take effect, Bai Lei stepped in and blocked Shen Yi.
"Get out of my way!" Shen Yi roared.
Bai Lei sneered. "If you keep this up, the Shen Family will truly have no dignity left."
Shen Changrong had no choice but to shout at his eldest son to behave.
"Your Shen Family’s conduct is truly awful," Princess Ruoxin commented bluntly, pouting. "I wasted my entire evening watching such a low-class farce."
Shen Changrong was furious inside but didn’t dare to argue back. He could only offer an apologetic smile. "My son and daughter were unruly and have offended you. I will discipline them strictly. Please forgive them, Fourth Princess."
Princess Ruoxin hummed noncommittally and tugged on Li Zexing’s sleeve. "Brother Ze Xing, let’s go. This place is so boring."
Li Zexing nodded, and the two of them walked out together.
After a moment’s thought, Shen Lu walked up to Princess Ruoxin and said, "Thank you."
’If she hadn’t spoken up, the two officers definitely wouldn’t have stayed.’
Princess Ruoxin looked Shen Lu up and down before saying bluntly, "I wasn’t helping you."
’Why would a high-and-mighty princess from the Royal Family ever care about a low-class citizen from the Lower City District?’
After leaving the Shen residence and getting into the car, Princess Ruoxin couldn’t help but ask Li Zexing, "Brother Ze Xing, why did you help Shen Lu?"
She wasn’t some bleeding heart; she would never help a low-class citizen she didn’t know. It was Li Zexing who had told her to do it.
Li Zexing propped his chin on his hand and gazed out the window. "To solve a problem."
’It would save him from his mother constantly saying how kind-hearted Shen Lan was, what a good girl she was, and always thinking of ways to help her out.’
’If he hadn’t wanted to get an earful from his mom, he wouldn’t have needed Princess Ruoxin to speak up just now. He could have made the police stay himself.’
"Huh? What do you mean?" Princess Ruoxin didn’t understand.
"It’s nothing. Thank you for your trouble today. I’ll take you home."
"Ah, but it’s not even eight o’clock yet. Brother Ze Xing, stay out with me a little longer."
Li Zexing’s voice deepened, smooth like fine wine. "Be good."
Princess Ruoxin didn’t dare make a fuss after that and was obediently taken home.