Chapter 35: Confronting the "Other Woman"

Illegitimate child.

If not for Lin Yi's outburst, Lu Ran would have long forgotten about this matter. After all, even if others thought so, they wouldn't say it to his face.

In his previous life, Lu Ran was surprised by the inexplicable rejection he faced from others.

It was also Lin Yi who, pointing her finger at him, accused him of being an ill-intentioned illegitimate child plotting to seize the Shen family's wealth.

Lu Ran was astonished; he never expected his background to be twisted in such a way.

He had tried to explain that he wasn't, but was met with a counter-question: "If you're not an illegitimate child, then what are you to the Shen family?"

Indeed.

He was never acknowledged by the Shen family.

His existence held no difference from that of an illegitimate child.

Afterward, Lu Ran no longer participated in such social gatherings.

He had thought about clarifying the situation with Madam Shen.

But he was afraid she might misunderstand and think he was complaining about Shen Xingran, so he kept it to himself.

And now...

Sitting beside Lu Ran, Shen Xingzhuo's face was ashen.

Lin Yi still pointed at everyone, her bravado masking her fear, "What do you guys, Chen Sheng, mean by this? Are you also bewitched by this slut's bastard son?"

Chen Sheng: "..."

Excuse us, we were just terrified.

"Lin Yi!"

This cry came from Shen Xingran.

He hastily held onto Lin Yi, saying, "Stop talking."

As soon as he finished his sentence, Lin Yi's voice rose abruptly, "Why can't I say it?! It's because you're too weak all the time that this illegitimate child can get away with everything!"

Shen Xingran: "..."

Normally, he enjoyed fanning the flames through such interventions.

But now!

He truly wasn't!

Shen Xingran had no desire to hear the word 'illegitimate child' at all during this period.

Lin Yi kept repeating it, making Shen Xingran break out in cold sweat.

"Lin Yi! Do you want to die?!"

Shen Xingzhuo bellowed.

Lin Yi was taken aback by the sudden outburst.

Then, her face filled with disbelief as she looked at Shen Xingzhuo as if he were an idiot:

"I was speaking up for both of you brothers, and yet you're scolding me?"

Shen Xingzhuo clenched his fists but dared not look at Lu Ran beside him.

Of course, he knew that this rumor had originated from Shen Xingran and that he had tacitly approved it.

Just a few days ago, he had even helped Shen Xingran cover up the truth under Lady Shen's questioning.

Lin Yi shifted her gaze between Shen Xingzhuo and Lu Ran.

As if a realization dawned on him, he said, "Oh, I get it. You're also bewitched, right?"

He then pointed his gun at Lu Ran and continued, "Sure enough, you're a carbon copy of your mother, that vixen who seduces men and destroys families!"

These words stunned both Shen Xingzhuo and Shen Xingran.

There was a momentary silence across the entire venue.

Amidst the quiet, Lu Ran couldn't help but chuckle.

Only then did Shen Xingzhuo snap back to his senses. He strode forward in two steps, grabbed Lin Yi's collar, and lifted him up. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

Lu Ran, from the side, instigated subtly, "He said your mom is a vixen."

Shen Xingzhuo: "..."

Shen Xingran: "..."

Lu Ran's voice wasn't loud.

None of the peacemakers, including Chen Sheng, who were busy trying to separate them, could hear him.

Lin Yi, who was being held by Shen Xingzhuo, did hear it but failed to react.

The argument inside continued.

Outside the club, a taxi pulled up.

The rear door opened, and a woman stepped out, fully covered from head to toe in a wide-brimmed sun hat, mask, and sunglasses. She held her phone and walked slowly towards the entrance of the club.

Mrs. Shen was somewhat nervous at this moment, her palms moist with sweat.

During this period, she hadn't been able to step outside at all. Whenever she did, she felt as if everyone was looking at her with the gaze that said, "Your husband has been cheating on you for a long time."

In this moment, she was eager to apprehend the illegitimate child while simultaneously dreading the revelation that the matriarch of the Shen family had personally come to do so.

Each encounter with others' gazes, each sight of Shen Xingran and Shen Hongyuan's deception, felt like a brutal torment to Madam Shen's heart.

Now, at last, the dust had settled.

Madam Shen sought out the club's manager.

As she was escorted to the wooden fence surrounding the venue, she felt an unusual calm within.

Very well.

Let her confront this illegitimate child!

Once she had him in her grasp, she would demand explanations from Shen Hongyuan and his two sons who had kept this secret.

Madam Shen nodded discreetly at the supervisor.

Once the supervisor left, she leaned over the wooden fence to listen.

This was an outdoor club with simple wooden barriers for visual separation, offering no soundproofing whatsoever.

Thus, as Madam Shen drew near, she overheard someone mentioning an illegitimate child.

Determined, she kicked the fence open and yelled, "Where is that illegitimate child?"

A familiar voice echoed.

Shen Xingran, pacing anxiously on the lawn, froze immediately upon hearing it.

Shen Xingzhuo was also taken aback.

Only Lu Ran's eyes lit up.

Lu Ran, a man known for causing trouble, pointed at Madam Shen standing by the fence.

He cleared his throat and introduced her solemnly, "Ladies and gentlemen, our final guest makes a grand entrance! Here she is! The very same seductress who bore my illegitimate child and disrupted other people's families!"

"Absolutely genuine, no deception! As close to family as it gets!"

Madam Shen was well-covered, concealing her identity.

Aside from Lu Ran, Shen Xingran, and Shen Xingzhuo, who were familiar with her voice, no one else could recognize her. Lin Yi was no exception.

Upon hearing Lu Ran's words, Lin Yi's anger flared even more.

Taking advantage of Shen Xingzhuo's stiffness, he broke free from his grip.

Then, he dashed towards the woman by the fence.

"Great! The mistress actually has the audacity to show up again!"

"Are you so well-covered because you're ashamed to show your face? Let me see what kind of beast you truly are!"

Seems like she had inherited Mrs. Lin's skills in dealing with mistresses.

Lin Yi moved swiftly, pouncing on Madam Shen with a flurry of strikes and scratches.

As he fought, he called out to Shen Xingran, "Stop standing there! Come help, let's give her a good beating and send her to your mom pronto!"

Both Shen Xingran and Shen Xingzhuo were utterly stunned.

Mom? Whose mom?

"Aah! What on earth are you doing?!"

Madam Shen was clawed at from above. Struggling free, her hat, mask, sunglasses, and shawl all fell off in the process.

Lin Yi continued to call for backup.

Glancing back, he was stunned. "Aunt... Aunt...?"

The entire scene erupted in an uproar!

It turned out to be Madam Shen herself?

They had ended up hitting the main wife while trying to hit on the mistress?

Everyone's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Even the Border Collie, who had been frantically chasing after a Frisbee, froze in its tracks, staring at this group of disobedient two-legged sheep.

Among Chen Sheng's group, there were some quick-witted individuals.

Upon seeing Madam Shen and recalling Lu Ran's words just now, their mouths gradually widened in disbelief.

But Lin Yi wasn't as sharp-minded.

He had been furious just moments ago, and now he was so embarrassed that he could fly. He hurriedly picked up Madam Shen's hat and mask.

"Ah, Aunt Shen, my apologies, I mistook you for that mistress. It's all because of that illegitimate child."

As he spoke, he turned to reproach Shen Xingran, "Why didn't you tell me Aunt was here? I couldn't recognize her, and you couldn't either?"

Lu Ran held a handful of nuts, darting around playfully.

He softly retorted, "Who knows, maybe it's because she's not blood-related?"

These words firmly anchored Shen Xingran in her spot.

"Shut up, you illegitimate brat!" Lin Yi scolded.

Mrs. Shen's hair was disheveled from Lin Yi's scratches, leaving her dizzy and barely able to stand.

But she hadn't forgotten why she was there!

At the mention of "illegitimate child," she forcefully lifted her head, "Illegitimate child! Where is the illegitimate child?!"

Shen Xingran hurriedly clarified, "Mom, you've misunderstood. There's no illegitimate child here!"

But Madam Shen didn't yield to his persuasion as usual.

She even pointed at him and sternly said, "Do you still want to deceive me? Do you think I'll be fooled by the two of you again?"

Lin Yi chimed in, "Yes, yes, Star Dye. With the illegitimate child right here, why are you still hiding it from Auntie!"

Lu Ran couldn't hold back his laughter, shaking with mirth.

Was Lin Yi sent by a monkey to be his savior?

Madam Shen was delighted to hear Lin Yi's words.

She didn't hold a grudge against Lin Yi for slapping her just now. She held onto Lin Yi's hand and said, "Good child, tell Auntie which one is your Uncle Shen's illegitimate child?"

Lin Yi's eyes sparkled as he pointed at Lu Ran, who was munching on sunflower seeds and sipping coke behind them, watching the show.

"It's him!"

Madam Shen looked over angrily, only to find no one there.

She asked in confusion, "Where?"

Those standing over there were all acquaintances of the Shen family, with known pedigrees.

"Exactly that one!" Lin Yi stomped her foot in urgency.

Madam Shen's expression remained blank.

Then, it suddenly turned deathly pale.

Could it be!

The mistress was actually from another family's wife!

Had Mr. Shen Hongyuan been wearing a green hat?

Was it possible that this illegitimate child had pretended to be a child from a familiar aristocratic family and often visited their Shen household?

This would be a major affair involving two families!

Lin Yi pointed twice in succession, and each time, Madam Shen bypassed Lu Ran.

The surrounding Chen Sheng and others had more or less grasped the situation and turned their eyes away, unable to bear witnessing it further.

Undeterred, Lin Yi specified her target more precisely, "That one right there, munching on sunflower seeds with a Coke in hand!"

Madam Shen froze for a moment before her gaze slowly met Lu Ran's.

Lu Ran smiled and waved at her, "Hi, ma'am. Oh no, I should call you Vixen today."

"Dearest Vixen Mommy, I'm your illegitimate son."

"Who?" Madam Shen seemed to be caught off guard.

She even turned to Lin Yi for confirmation, "Lu Ran?"

"Yes, that's him..."

Lin Yi's tone was also slightly uncertain at this point.

"Lu Ran… Huh?"

Mrs. Shen couldn't help but laugh, "What kind of joke is this? How could it possibly be Lu Ran?"

To put it bluntly.

Out of all the boys in the world, including Shen Xingyu, Shen Xingzhuo, and Shen Xingran, any one of them could potentially be Shen Hongyuan's illegitimate child.

But not Lu Ran.

Because when they did the paternity test back then, it was Mrs. Shen who personally took Lu Ran to do it.

And also because she had no intention of acknowledging this seemingly unsophisticated orphan, she incredulously went to five or six different institutions for confirmation.

In the end, they received an undeniable result:

Lu Ran was undoubtedly her biological son.

It was undeniable that when she found out the rumored illegitimate child was Lu Ran, Mrs. Shen breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Perfect.

There was no illegitimate child vying for the family fortune.

Yet in the next instant, Madam Shen felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity.

She recalled the hushed whispers she had recently overheard.

And the speculative glances from others that she couldn't shake off.

If Lu Ran was an illegitimate child,

what did that make her?

A mistress?

She, the legitimate wife, married through proper channels,

had somehow been labeled as a mistress without rhyme or reason?

Madam Shen's expression gradually darkened.

With a sharp gaze, she fixated on Lin Yi and asked, "Who told you that he's an illegitimate child?"

Lin Yi, now panicked, quickly deflected, "It wasn't me... It was, it was Shen Xingran who said so! How could I not believe him when he said it?"

Madam Shen looked at Shen Xingran in disbelief.

"No, Mother, I didn't. I didn't..."

Shen Xingran hurried to clarify.

He first turned to Shen Xingzhuo.

But this time, Shen Xingzhuo averted his gaze, ignoring him.

Shen Xingran hastily contradicted Lin Yi, "Lin Yi, don't talk nonsense. When did I ever say that?"

As he spoke, Madam Shen had already started walking slowly towards him, "Did you say that or not?"

"Not my mother..."

Shen Xingran's panic made his limbs go limp.

He turned to look at the others present.

Everyone was gazing at him with peculiar expressions.

As if they had suddenly realized what kind of person he truly was.

Shen Xingran had always presented himself as gentle and innocent to the outside world.

He seemed like a little prince living in a fairy tale, untouched by the world's harsh realities.

It was as if all the darkness in the world had nothing to do with him.

But now...

He deliberately referred to someone's legitimate son as an illegitimate child, unworthy of recognition.

What game are you playing?

"Look at me! Did you say that or not?!" Mrs. Shen shrieked.

Shen Xingran began to show vulnerability. "Mom, I was just so scared. You know me... I just..."

Slap!

A slap landed on Shen Xingran's face.

Mrs. Shen was genuinely heartbroken.

She asked, "Have I ever treated you badly? You went around saying Lu Ran is an illegitimate child. Do you know what people will think of me?!"

"No, Mom. How could I?"

"Don't call me Mom! I don't have a son like you!"

Mrs. Shen turned and left the venue.

The spectacle gradually drew to a close.

Lu Ran stood by, calmly munching on sunflower seeds, as if everything that had unfolded had nothing to do with him.

The others present were all astounded, feeling a mix of awkwardness and shame.

They had always regarded Lu Ran as an illegitimate child.

Though they didn't actively make things difficult for him, they had shown their coldness and exclusion in subtle ways.

Someone whispered, "Damn, what's up with Shen Xingran?"

"I never would have guessed he'd act like this usually..."

"Wait, Lu Ran is actually his biological son?"

...

"An actual biological child?"

The usually calm and composed voice cracked for the first time.

Ji Min maneuvered his wheelchair to turn around.

With his tie still undone, he frowned and looked at Manager Chen behind him with an almost incredulous expression:

"Lu Ran is Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen's biological son?"