Chapter 115: What Are You Barking About?
Shen Lu knew exactly what was going on. If Mrs. Shen was this confident, it had to be a video that worked against her.
She secretly asked the system, "Do you know anything about video restoration technology?"
[Apologies, Host. That is beyond this system’s capabilities.]
’Their Super Delicious Popularity Cooking System is just for cooking. How would it know anything about video restoration?’
"Out of consideration for the dozen or so years we spent raising you, I wanted to leave you with one last shred of dignity. But not only are you ungrateful, you’re also here spouting nonsense. In that case, there’s no need to afford you that dignity anymore."
Mr. Shen immediately ordered a servant to call the police. "Shen Lu, you’ve disappointed us far too much. Just go to prison and properly repent for your sins!"
Oh?
The situation had flipped again?
All eyes shifted in unison from the Shen Family to Shen Lu, filled with an anticipation they themselves hadn’t even realized.
’With video evidence, how could she possibly defend herself?’
This wasn’t a problem she could solve just by talking her way out of it.
Shen Lu truly had no solution. She didn’t know anything about video restoration, and she had no one to help her.
Just then, Shen Lu suddenly remembered the Lottery Ticket from yesterday that she still hadn’t used. She quickly thought the word, ’Lottery.’
A giant blind box lottery wheel unfolded, visible only to Shen Lu.
The crowd noticed Shen Lu staring blankly ahead as if in a daze, seemingly helpless in the face of the situation.
’So... she really did steal the necklace, didn’t she?’
The flashing light finally came to a stop. Shen Lu clenched her fists, her heart pounding with suspense.
’I don’t know what prize I’ll get. But knowing this system’s usual tricks, it should be something that can help me.’
[Congratulations, Host! You have drawn prize #72 from the blind box: one bottle of True Heart Potion.]
[True Heart Potion: After use, the target cannot lie for one hour and can only speak the truth. If they attempt to lie, their true inner thoughts will be spoken aloud automatically the moment they try to speak.]
[Note: One bottle contains five uses. Each use is a one-time application.]
Shen Lu couldn’t help but shout ’Good!’ in her mind. ’This True Heart Potion came at the perfect time.’
The potion was in a tiny bottle, smaller than her palm. She secretly retrieved it from her system inventory without anyone noticing.
The instructions were simple: just spray it on the target’s skin.
The police from the Upper City District were dispatched far more quickly than those from the Lower City District. They arrived at the Shen Mansion in less than five minutes.
Mr. Shen stepped forward to explain the situation, pointing at Shen Lu. "It was her. She stole my wife’s necklace while she was here at home. Please arrest this thief and take her to the station."
The police officer nodded and said to Shen Lu, "Please come with us to cooperate with the investigation."
"I’ll cooperate, of course. But before I go with you, I’d like to see the video Mrs. Shen mentioned. May I?"
Mrs. Shen sneered. "Did you think I was bluffing? Shen Lu, you’re a stubborn one. You won’t admit defeat until you’re staring death in the face."
Not many people were so eager to seal their own doom, but Mrs. Shen figured she was looking at one today. She raised her hand and played a surveillance video for everyone to see.
The top-right corner of the video displayed the date and time. On screen, a slender figure snuck into Mr. and Mrs. Shen’s bedroom, emerging a moment later.
The moment the figure emerged, Shen Lan’s heart leaped into her throat. She recognized that back—it was her own!
’Why would Mother play the video? Does she want to ruin me completely?’
Shen Lan cursed Mrs. Shen in her heart, her face turning an awful shade.
’The Royal Family would never accept a daughter-in-law with a flawed character. My dream of becoming the Crown Prince Consort is shattered! Not even a man from a decent family would be willing to marry me now!’
But as the girl in the video fled the bedroom in a panic, she lifted her head. The face was not Shen Lan’s—it was Shen Lu’s.
Shen Lan’s eyes instantly widened, and the tension drained from her body.
’It’s not me?’
’It’s actually not my face?!’
It only took Shen Lan a moment to understand. With tears welling in her eyes, she looked at Mrs. Shen. ’Mother must be helping me.’
’I knew Mother loved me.’
Mrs. Shen snorted coldly. "Shen Lu, what do you have to say now?"
Shen Lu watched the video very carefully. She had to admit, if she weren’t absolutely certain the original Shen Lu hadn’t stolen the necklace, she would have believed the video was real.
There wasn’t a single trace of editing. It was more natural and realistic than any AI deepfake technology.
While watching the video, Shen Lu had already discreetly moved closer to Mrs. Shen. She quickly sprayed a dose of the True Heart Potion onto the back of the woman’s hand.
Mrs. Shen, having been sprayed with the True Heart Potion, didn’t feel a thing. She thought it was just a puff of air on her hand, completely oblivious that the potion was beginning to take effect.
"I do have something to say," Shen Lu replied calmly. "And I’ll say it again: I didn’t steal the necklace. This video of yours is a fake. The person on screen who entered your room is not me."
Shen Yi snapped, "Stop telling such blatant lies! Do you really think Mother would go so far as to fake a video just to frame you?"
Shen Lu replied, "You never know."
Mrs. Shen let out a derisive laugh. She had intended to say she wasn’t that petty, but the words that came out were: "Yes, this video is fake."
Shen Yi: ?
Mr. Shen: ?
Shen Lan: ?
Police: ?
Onlookers: ?
Shen Lu: ︿(￣︶￣)︿ ’Okay, the potion’s working. You can’t lie anymore~’
Mrs. Shen slapped a hand over her mouth. ’What did I just say?’
Shen Lu pressed on. "Fake? Surely you’re not joking, Mrs. Shen."
Mrs. Shen wanted to play along with Shen Lu and say she was just joking, hoping to smooth things over. But her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own, babbling uncontrollably.
"I’m not joking. Who do you think you are, and who do you think I am? As if I’d bother joking with you!"
"I hired someone to put your face in that video, you little brat! Did you really think you’d get away with humiliating me in the Lower City District last time? Now you can rot in a jail cell for me!"
Mr. Shen’s face was ashen. His voice trembled as he shouted Mrs. Shen’s full name, "Xie Mei, have you gone mad?!"
’Who would just openly admit to framing someone like that?’
"What are you barking about? You know what? I hate it when you order me around, Shen Changrong! You just got lucky being born into a good family. If our family backgrounds were swapped, I could have married someone so much better!"
Tears of terror streamed down Mrs. Shen’s face as she unwillingly spoke the words she had buried deep in her heart but never dared to voice.
’It’s over. It’s really over.’
Even when she clamped her hand over her mouth, her voice still escaped from beneath her palm.
’I must be possessed! How else could this be happening?’
Shen Changrong’s expression was beyond ashen. No man could tolerate such a loss of face, especially not with a house full of guests and the distinguished Princess Ruoxin in attendance. Mrs. Shen had thoroughly humiliated him.
"Someone, help my wife upstairs. She’s ill."
Shen Changrong desperately wanted to rush over and slap Mrs. Shen twice across the face, but he couldn’t. At least, not in front of so many people; he couldn’t commit such an unseemly act. The best solution was to get her out of sight.
Mrs. Shen didn’t dare to resist. She played along, feigning weakness and allowing the servants to help her to a bedroom on the second floor.