HBWMA -Chapter 172 She’s a Repeat Offender, Please Don’t Forgive Her!

“Labels can even change back?”

Jiang Huashan stared at Shen Mianzhi, examining her closely. But in the eyes of others, this scene had clearly turned into her “making things up.”

Shen E immediately seized the advantage and shot back sharply.

“Did you hear that? This ill-mannered ungrateful wretch was the one who struck first. She pushed Lanlan into such a desperate situation—does that mean Lanlan isn’t even allowed to fight back? My Lanlan was just acting in self-defense. What’s wrong with that?”

Shen Jiao let out a cold laugh.

“Are you deaf or something? It was your daughter who brought my daughter to the lotus pond. No matter how you look at it, your daughter clearly had bad intentions.”

“Taking her to the lotus pond means bad intentions?” Shen E retorted. “Can’t she just be going there to chat? My Lanlan is kind-hearted—she goes to church every week to pray. How could she possibly bully someone? On the other hand, that little ungrateful thing—her background is unclear, her origins unknown. Who knows what kind of upbringing she had before? Jiao, you should be careful—”

“Ah!”

Before she could finish speaking, Old Master Shen, who had been silent all this time, suddenly picked up a cup of warm tea from the table and splashed it directly onto Shen E’s face.

Bang—!

Immediately after, he slammed the teacup heavily onto the ground.

The sharp crash made everyone’s hearts tremble.

“Impure background? Unknown origins?”

Old Master Shen slowly stood up, tapping Shen E’s face with his cane as he said in a deep voice:

“I’m not dead yet, and you already dare to step all over me?”

Shen E’s mind went blank. She stared dazedly at the shattered pieces of the official kiln Song porcelain cup on the floor.

This was the old master’s favorite tea set—only five cups existed in total. One had been broken years ago when Shen Xi’s death was heard. Now another one had shattered.

Shen Rang hadn’t seen the old master this angry in a long time. He hurried forward to support him.

Shen Lanxi was also stunned, and after a brief hesitation, he stepped out from the screen area.

“Grandpa, anger is bad for your health.”

Following his lead, Shen Guiling and Shen Qingyu also quickly stepped forward. A group of them gathered around the old master in concern.

Even Xiao Lanlan had never seen such a scene before. Frightened, she hid behind Shen E.

Shen E, despite being splashed with tea, did not dare to show any anger. She could only cry in grievance.

“Dad… what are you doing? With so many children here, at least give me some dignity.”

Old Master Shen was forced back into his seat by the crowd, but hearing this only reignited his anger.

“You still want dignity? Since you walked in, have you said a single dignified word?”

Shen E hesitated, then turned back to look at the helpless Xiao Lanlan. Gritting her teeth, she continued stubbornly: “Dad! Lanlan is your biological granddaughter! How can you believe outsiders instead of your own granddaughter?”

“Outsider?”

Old Master Shen nodded sharply.

“Shen Zhi!”

Shen Zhi immediately ran in from outside the tea room.

“Yes, Old Master.”

Old Master Shen ordered coldly:

“Call the old residence. Tell them to prepare—tomorrow I will bring Xiao Hua home to the ancestral hall and register her in the Shen family genealogy. Also have the lawyers prepare my will. After I die, apart from the family public assets, all my private assets will be left to Xiao Hua. If she dies of old age, her future children will be the first heirs. If she dies prematurely, all this wealth will be donated to benefit the public.”

“!!”

These words were like a thunderclap out of a clear sky. Even Jiang Huashan couldn’t react in time.

As the stabilizing pillar of the family, the old master held 71% of the Shen family’s controlling shares. Excluding the public portion, there was still about 12% left. That might not sound like much, but once distributed among the Shen family, that 12% alone could control the company.

The market value alone was already in the hundreds of billions, not to mention the old master’s privately held assets.

Families like the Shen family usually set up family foundations; although wealthy, every expense is strictly controlled. Private assets, however, are different—they can be spent freely, however one wishes.

“Dad!”

Shen Jiao was also shocked, her face full of disbelief.

Shen Zhuang looked at Shen E. “Didn’t you say she had an improper background and unclear origins? And now she’s suddenly legitimate?”

Shen E was completely stunned. She hadn’t expected that a casual remark of hers would cause her to lose inheritance worth hundreds of billions. If Jiang Huashan truly inherited all of Old Master’s private assets, then from now on, whether it was the first branch, second branch, or third branch of the Shen family, they would all have to treat her like a deity.

Shen Zhi stood frozen in place. The news was simply too shocking—he didn’t even know whether he should comply.

“Dad! Dad!” Shen E no longer dared to protect Xiao Lanlan. She dropped to her knees in panic. “Dad, please calm down. It was my fault! I shouldn’t have angered you. Please don’t act on impulse! Lanxi and the others are still watching. You can’t let them lose heart!”

Shen Lanxi’s eyes flickered with surprise. He could sense the Old Master’s favoritism toward Jiang Huashan—otherwise he wouldn’t have chosen to handle this matter at such a critical moment. But he never expected the old man’s bias to be so extreme: all seven children of the Shen family combined were not worth as much as Jiang Huashan alone.

The atmosphere grew heavy. Everyone reacted similarly—shock mixed with disappointment. Who wouldn’t want to be the one favored by Shen Zhuang?

Shen Guiling looked toward Jiang Huashan in the crowd. She was calmer than he had imagined, but upon closer inspection, she was different from her usual spectator-like demeanor; there seemed to be suppressed emotions hidden in her eyes.

“Little Hua’er, come here.”

Jiang Huashan stood up and walked toward Shen Zhuang.

Shen Zhuang patted her head, then tapped his cane toward Shen E.

“At my age, how much longer do I have left to live? And yet this is how dutiful you all are? Determined not to let me have peace of mind?”

Shen E wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, her face ashen.

Shen Zhuang continued, “Let me make this clear today. I’ve spent my entire life dedicating myself to the Shen family. I owe nothing to the Shen family. And now, all of you hold great power and status—you don’t owe me anything either. But Little Hua’er is the only child I have ever chosen of my own free will. That is what I owe her. So remember this: from today on, she is backed by me, Shen Zhuang. Anyone who wants to touch her should first weigh whether they have the ability to defy the heavens!”

At this point, no one dared to speak.

Shen E had never seen Shen Zhuang this angry before. She trembled uncontrollably.

The two girls on the side were even worse off—they were already regretting everything. They had assumed this adopted daughter of the Shen family was insignificant, but they had kicked an iron plate instead.

Only Xiao Lanlan was different. Having grown up in the Xiao family, and never once been reprimanded harshly by Shen Zhuang, she did not understand how serious the situation was. She only knew that her grandfather had just scolded her and her mother for an outsider—and even intended to give away enormous assets to that outsider.

Her jealousy flared. Her eyes turned red as she straightened her neck.

“Grandfather, that’s unfair! Jiang Huashan stripped my clothes and bit me—why didn’t you say a word about her? Am I not your biological granddaughter anymore?”

“Lanlan!” Shen E’s heart almost jumped out of her chest. She quickly covered Xiao Lanlan’s mouth, her face full of panic. “Dad, the child doesn’t understand. Please don’t take it to heart.”

Shen Zhuang closed his eyes, disappointment written all over him. “How dare I?”

Shen E immediately knelt down, pulling Xiao Lanlan down with her. “Dad!”

“Grandfather, I don’t want anything else. I just want fairness! Even if there was a mistake, it was both of our faults. You can’t favor one over the other.”

Xiao Lanlan was young, proud, and willful. Coupled with Shen Mianzhi’s testimony, she believed this was an unsolvable he-said-she-said situation, so she deliberately acted as though she had suffered a great injustice.

“Grandfather,” Jiang Huashan spoke at the right moment. The moment she did, everyone’s attention shifted to her.

She reached into her suit pocket and pulled out a miniature camera.

The instant the camera appeared, the fighting spirit in Xiao Lanlan’s eyes was extinguished. The other two girls collapsed to the ground as if their souls had been drained.

Jiang Huashan said calmly, “Grandfather, Xiao Lanlan is a repeat offender. Please do not forgive her.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she pressed play on the camera.