HBWMA -Chapter 171 The Shifting Label

Shen Lanxi returned after leaving, conveying Old Master Shen’s intention.

In an instant, the atmosphere shifted. Fu Sui’er instantly came back to life, jumping up and down while hugging Jiang Huashan.

“This is great! Grandpa is still the best!”

Jiang Huashan also couldn’t hide her joy. Even Shen Lanxi understood the importance of the bigger picture—logically speaking, the old master shouldn’t have interfered at this point. But he did anyway.

On the other hand, Xiao Lanlan was in gloom and despair. She had originally thought she could finally catch her breath, but instead the matter had once again fallen into deadlock.

“What do we do, Lanlan? What do we do?”

The two girls hadn’t expected things to escalate this far either. Old Master Shen was no ordinary person—if they were recorded in his memory, their lives would basically be over.

Xiao Lanlan was also flustered. Her grandfather was not someone easy to deal with; she needed to prepare her explanation in advance.

“Brother Lanxi, could I get a blanket?” If she went back now to change clothes, she would lose the chance to play the victim. To regain some advantage, Xiao Lanlan planned to meet Shen Zhuang in her current state. The wound around her waist was proof of Jiang Huashan’s wrongdoing.

Shen Lanxi had clearly prepared in advance and brought two blankets—one for Xiao Lanlan, and one for Fu Sui’er.

“Let’s go.”

At the banquet, Shen E was holding Mrs. Zhou’s hand and whispering to her. She intended to help the Xiao family get closer to the Zhou family and had been extremely attentive all night.

Shen Jiao looked at Shen E’s cheap, desperate behavior and almost felt sick. She stood up, intending to go out for some air, when she suddenly saw Aunt Feng rushing out from the crowd.

“Miss…”

Aunt Feng looked anxious and whispered a few words to Shen Jiao. Shen Jiao’s expression immediately changed. She glanced back at Shen E and quickly walked out of the main hall.

On the other side, Shen E was still chatting enthusiastically with Mrs. Zhou when a Xiao family steward suddenly interrupted them. Shen E apologized briefly and followed the steward out.

Shen Lanxi and Shen Guiling were both absent. Zhou Yanheng was surrounded by a crowd of younger guests, becoming the center of attention at the banquet.

He glanced toward the center of the crowd. The Shen family really was interesting—on such an important occasion, the important people were all missing.

The troublemakers by the lotus pond were taken to the tea room.

The room was separated by a screen. Shen Lanxi, Shen Guiling, and Shen Qingyu sat behind it, while Jiang Huashan, Fu Sui’er, Shen Mianzhi, and Xiao Lanlan sat on the sofas in the outer hall holding ginseng tea. The other two girls didn’t even dare to drink, sitting nervously beside Xiao Lanlan.

Old Master Shen sat in the main seat, eyes closed, never expressing any stance from beginning to end.

Xiao Lanlan, wrapped in a blanket, carefully looked at him.

“Grandpa…”

“Don’t rush,” Shen Zhuang said calmly. “Wait until all your elders arrive before we talk.”

Xiao Lanlan bit her lip, feeling somewhat reassured. Great—her mother would definitely support her when she arrived.

Fu Sui’er lowered her head and sipped her ginseng tea, secretly exchanging a look with Jiang Huashan.

Don’t worry! My mom isn’t someone to mess with either.

Jiang Huashan almost laughed, but the situation didn’t allow it. She could only continue pretending to be melancholic.

Shen Mianzhi, with half her face swollen, remained silent as an attendant carefully applied medicine for her.

“Dad!”

Soon, voices came from outside the door.

Shen Ran, Shen E, and Shen Jiao entered one after another.

“Zhizhi?!”

Shen Ran had been entertaining guests in the side hall when he was suddenly informed that the old master was calling for him. Before entering, he was still confused—but the moment he saw Shen Mianzhi’s face swollen beyond recognition, anger instantly surged in his eyes.

“Who did this?!”

The girl who had acted earlier trembled all over, helplessly looking toward Xiao Lanlan.

Shen Mianzhi held her father’s hand and said obediently in a way that made her even more pitiful: “Dad, I’m fine.”

Shen E immediately checked Xiao Lanlan, who also looked disheveled.

“Lanlan, are you okay?”

Xiao Lanlan threw herself into Shen E’s arms, crying.

“Mom… sob sob sob… my clothes… my waist… I was almost ruined today!”

Shen E only had this one precious daughter, treating her like her own eyes. How could she ever suffer like this? She was both heartbroken and furious, glaring sharply at Jiang Huashan.

“Lanlan, did someone bully you? Don’t be afraid—tell us. Grandpa and Mom will definitely stand up for you.”

Fu Sui’er couldn’t believe Xiao Lanlan still had the nerve to twist the truth, and immediately pointed at her.

“Mom, it was Xiao Lanlan! She’s jealous of Huashan. She even wanted to strip Huashan’s clothes and throw her into the pond!”

At those words, Shen Qingyu raised his eyes, his gaze piercing through the screen and locking onto Jiang Huashan.

She still had her head lowered, showing no reaction, half-hidden in the black suit with a fragile, broken aura.

Shen Jiao narrowed her almond eyes slightly, looking dangerously at Xiao Lanlan.

“You’ve got that kind of ability?”

Xiao Lanlan didn’t dare meet her gaze. Shen E shielded her immediately, confronting Shen Jiao.

“Everyone knows those two girls are as close as sisters wearing the same pair of pants. What Fu Sui’er said may not be reliable.”

Fu Sui’er immediately retorted.

“If I’m not reliable, then ask Mianzhi! She should be credible enough, right?”

Everyone turned to Shen Mianzhi.

Shen Mianzhi looked up at Shen Zhuang. Seeing that he still had his eyes closed, she quickly lowered her head again and said softly: “I only saw cousin Lanlan bring Huashan to the inner courtyard. After that, Sui’er and I heard someone calling for help. When we rushed over, we saw Huashan biting at Lanlan’s clothes. Then Lanlan’s companions attacked Huashan and tore her clothes. Sui’er fought one of them while trying to protect Huashan, and both of them fell into the water. I wanted to step in and resolve the situation but was also hit. After that… Brother Lanxi arrived.”

Jiang Huashan froze and looked up at her.

Fu Sui’er was furious. After going through everything together, she had begun to treat Shen Mianzhi as a life-and-death friend. But the moment she heard this testimony, she was completely disappointed.

Shen Mianzhi’s head lowered further and her voice grew softer.

“Grandpa, everyone was at fault today. Why don’t we just let it go?”

Above her head, the label flickered again, returning to:

【Love-brained, Saintly, Intelligent, Bold, Filial.】