Reborn Heiress: Seeking Revenge-Chapter 535 Watching you cry with a smile (1)_1
In the once bustling conference room, only a few people remained. Shangguan You’s lips curled into a half-smile as she watched the lawyer approaching her.
"Miss Shangguan, here are the thirty percent of Shen Family’s shares you’ve received, and a check for one billion yuan as a penalty fee from the Shen Family. Please take a look; do you have any questions?" The lawyer’s words dropped like a stone into Spring Water, and the ripples seemed to splash across Shen Cheng’s face, mirroring his utter humiliation.
Even Wanqian’s face stiffened for a moment, but she quickly shook her head, casting aside the gloom in her heart. Had she known Shangguan You had acquired another twenty percent of the company’s scattered shares, she would never have agreed, in her capacity as a shareholder, to cede thirty percent of the shares to Shangguan You. What was originally meant to be used against Shen Cheng had now ensnared her as well. She, too, had been outmaneuvered by Shangguan You. She had only intended to dilute Shen Cheng’s shares, which was why she had done this favor, not to mention the powerful backing Shangguan You possessed. But this time, Wanqian had shot herself in the foot. She had single-handedly disrupted the once-balanced situation. Now, neither she nor Shen Cheng held more shares than Shangguan You. She had effectively handed over what was within her grasp to someone else. If she hadn’t consented, the lawsuit could have dragged on for much longer. By then, the entire Shen Family would have been under her control. But now, things had taken an unexpected turn. In her heart, Wanqian now harbored a trace of resentment, even jealousy, towards Shangguan You.
Shen Cheng’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Wanqian and Shen Jia. What had they done? How could they join hands to just give the Shen Family away? At this thought, Shen Cheng shuddered with anger, glaring furiously at Wanqian. If looks could kill, Wanqian would have been shattered into pieces by now.
"Shen Wanqian, do you realize what you’re doing? You idiot?" Shen Cheng bit out, his teeth clenched as he scanned the contract. His body trembled with anger. Even if he and Wanqian fought, at least the Shen Family was still in their hands! But now Wanqian was actually pushing their power away? Giving it to an outsider for free? It benefited a mere teenager, and with the powerful forces backing Shangguan You, reclaiming it was nothing more than a pipe dream!
"Mr. Shen, this is the court’s verdict from yesterday. Yesterday, Miss Wanqian agreed to pay the penalty fee and transfer thirty percent of the Shen Family’s shares. Under the judge’s witness yesterday, all contracts took effect and are legally binding." The lawyer’s words poured over Shen Cheng like a bucket of cold water. Shen Cheng’s semblance of composure ebbed away, his hands slowly starting to tremble as he held the documents. The two lawyers exchanged contracts, shook hands very amicably, and left the conference room.
With their departure, the entire conference room fell dead silent, the only sound Shen Cheng’s heavy, labored breathing. He had always treated Shen Congming’s family as dearer than his own kin, but in the end, it was his dearest relatives who had stabbed him in the back. The lawsuit was entrusted to Shen Congming, but Shen Congming had conspired with Wanqian behind his back, even hiding the outcome from him. Shen Jia had been directly involved; he had always treated her like a sister, but in the end, this ’sister’ had also backstabbed him, leaving him with two bleeding wounds. All his past efforts were in vain; the Shen Family he’d built was just handed over to someone else. The humiliation of Wanqian’s infidelity was nothing compared to the pain of being betrayed by his own family. He, Shen Cheng, had schemed his entire life and had never imagined failure, let alone a failure this bitter.
Under the dual assaults, Shen Cheng seemed to age a decade, his normally gentle eyes now bloodshot and fierce as he stared at Wanqian and Shen Congming. If he could, he would even strangle them.
"You despicable woman!" Shen Cheng roared, flinging his hand toward Wanqian’s face. "You actually gave away the company’s shares for nothing! Do you lack a brain? Have you lost your mind?" Old grudges and new ones intertwined, making his strike even more merciless.
"Shen Cheng, if you must blame someone, blame your own heartlessness. It was your lack of compassion first that led to my ruthlessness." Wanqian stepped back, avoiding Shen Cheng’s grasp. She wasn’t a pushover either. She had tolerated Shen Cheng’s abuse in the past out of love, but now that they had openly fallen out, there was no need to pretend anymore.
"Am I heartless? Heartless? If I were truly heartless, then after Wanyou passed away, you wouldn’t have been the only woman in my life! If I were heartless, the moment I discovered you had cuckolded me, I would have thrown you out! If I were heartless, I would have kept all the Shen Family’s shares firmly in my own hands, not giving you any chance to strike back! Heartless, you say? HAHAHA!"
Shen Cheng burst into wild laughter, his eyes filled with pain, his face contorted. "If I were truly heartless, I wouldn’t have ended up like this! I always treated you all as family, even as my only family! But what did you, Shen Congming, do? And you, Shen Jia? I treated you as family, yet you treated me as an enemy, stabbing me in the back, giving away the Shen Family for nothing! Is this what family does? Is this what a lover does? I, Shen Cheng, must have been truly blind, mistaking my dearest for enemies, and enemies for my beloved! HAHAHA!"
Shen Cheng laughed and roared, his usual composed demeanor completely shattered. He was on the verge of collapse.
Shen Congming’s lips trembled continuously, his face deathly pale. Shen Cheng has been so good to our family... I have no defense... But I was forced to do this; I had no other choice... Faced with Shen Cheng’s accusations, he was utterly speechless.
"Brother Shen Cheng," Shen Jia couldn’t help but call out, seeing his state.
"Get away from me!" Shen Cheng shoved Shen Jia aside, his voice cold. "I don’t have relatives like you! I don’t have such ruthless kin who specialize in backstabbing!" He had schemed his entire life, only to be outmaneuvered by his own family in the end. His confidence, his immense pride, was once again brutally trampled underfoot.
In his current state of mind, his thoughts suddenly turned to Wanyou, who had asked him with her dying breath whether he had ever loved her. At last, he understood the feelings Wanyou must have had before her death.
"Shen Cheng," Wanqian said, "even now, do you still need to speak this way? Can we not have a proper conversation?"
