After a Real Person Plays the Protagonist of an Anguish Novel [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Housewife

Early morning, it was time for the Shen family breakfast again. Tang Yiqing stepped out of his room and instinctively glanced at the tightly closed door next door, wondering how Shen Mingzheng was doing.

Last night, he looked quite badly beaten. Tang Yiqing had wanted to go over and show concern, but he was shoved away. After the family doctor visited, Shen Mingzheng had returned to his room and hadn’t come out since.

Shen Mingzheng didn’t like him; this was something Tang Yiqing had known for a long time. After yesterday, he believed Shen Mingzheng truly had thoughts of replacing his wife. Consequently, he decided not to disturb him now; otherwise, if he truly annoyed him and the plot changed, it wouldn’t be good.

Tang Yiqing walked down the stairs. After a few steps, he heard the sound of someone descending quickly—the footsteps were casual and erratic. Tang Yiqing’s heart tightened as he looked up and, as expected, saw Shen Zeqi.

The corner of Zeqi’s mouth was split and purple, and there were bruises on his forehead. When his gaze fell on Tang Yiqing, he quickly looked away, his expression tight and gloomy, as if he were utterly repulsed by the sight of him.

Tang Yiqing looked at him, hesitating to speak. Soon, the fresh scent of bath gel from Shen Zeqi hit him. Tang Yiqing spoke up, “Second Brother, are you… alright?”

Shen Zeqi walked past him without sparing him a single glance. A cold snort rang out: “Won’t die.”

Tang Yiqing breathed a sigh of relief. Recalling the things Shen Zeqi had said was still very embarrassing. The fight between the two brothers yesterday had started because of him, and he didn’t want things to get too tense between them; otherwise, the one who would ultimately be blamed was still him.

Just as he was staring dazed at Shen Zeqi’s retreating back, Shen Mingzheng’s voice suddenly rang out beside him, making him jump.

“You didn’t actually take Shen Zeqi’s words seriously, did you?”

Shen Mingzheng’s voice was like a sinister ghost, his tone laced with disdain and mockery. His eyes narrowed as he stared directly at Tang Yiqing, looking at that submissive face.

How could someone have a face and a demeanor that looked so easy to bully?

Tang Yiqing’s eyelashes trembled as he explained, “I didn’t think that way.”

Shen Mingzheng let out a cold sneer. “It’s better that way. You should know in your heart how you obtained the title of Mrs. Shen. You should be protecting it with fear and trembling. If you fantasize too much, be careful that you end up with nothing. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Tang Yiqing’s Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty, and his eyes turned red. Shen Mingzheng swept a glance at him and then walked down the stairs, a trace of irritation rising in his heart. “Always putting on this pitiful, bullied look. Heh, knock it off; no one pities you.”

Tang Yiqing stood on the stairs for a good while, moving down only after his emotions had calmed. He had tried to explain away Shen Mingzheng’s suspicions and prejudices before, but no one believed him. No matter how he explained it, he was seen as a person who used unscrupulous means to climb the social ladder.

His expression returned to calm, and he lamented: This really is a ‘dog-blood’ angst novel.

The atmosphere at the dining table today was eerily quiet. The second and youngest sons of the Shen family both had bruised faces and remained silent. The expressions of Father and Mother Shen were unprecedentedly stern; the pressure over the entire table was extremely low.

Even Shen Shanyu felt it. He remained very quiet while eating, but when he looked at Tang Yiqing, he still couldn’t help but give a heavy “Hmph,” his small face scrunched up.

Tang Yiqing knew why he was unhappy. It was because today he was supposed to go out to play with Shen Mingzheng and He Chenguang, but the plan had changed because of yesterday’s fight. With the injuries on his face, Shen Mingzheng wouldn’t see He Chenguang.

Shen Shanyu blamed all of this on him. He had seen his father and second uncle fighting yesterday, and he believed everything was because of Tang Yiqing. If it weren’t for him, his father wouldn’t have fought his second uncle, and today’s outing wouldn’t have been canceled.

Not just Shen Shanyu—Tang Yiqing noticed that Shen Mingzheng was also very irritable. The fight was one thing, but he probably kept replaying the cause of the conflict in his mind: their argument and the clash with Shen Zeqi. Ultimately, he blamed everything on Tang Yiqing. He might even view this incident as a disgrace. He had always looked down on him, yet this time he had actually clashed with his own brother because of him.

Tang Yiqing remained silent. Although he and Shen Mingzheng had never had intimate contact after marriage and his child, Shen Shanyu, didn’t like him, they had lived under the same roof for so long after all. He could guess a few parts of their inner thoughts based on the usual attitudes the father and son showed him.

The Shen villa fell quiet. Three days had passed since the fight between Shen Zeqi and Shen Mingzheng. The already thin family atmosphere now appeared even colder and more solemn.

Tang Yiqing passed these few days without waves. He did whatever he needed to do, and he didn’t stop live streaming because of that day’s argument; instead, he treated it as seriously as a real job.

He had already lost his sense of self in this house; live streaming was the only thing he persisted in. He couldn’t truly lose himself completely.

During these few days, Shen Mingzheng hadn’t spoken a single word to him, ignoring him entirely. Once, during a live stream, he accidentally met his gaze; the other man’s expression was poor, seemingly viewing his resumed streaming as a form of provocation.

He also tried to strike up a conversation to ease the relationship, but Shen Mingzheng seemed determined to ignore him. Perhaps only on the day he truly stopped the live streams would Shen Mingzheng talk to him again.

Under the condition that the plot remained stable, Tang Yiqing didn’t take it to heart. What truly worried him was that Shen Shuowen had not yet returned.

After that night, he hadn’t seen him again. For the first few days, he had been in the medical room on the fourth floor, and later he was transferred to the research institute at the University of Science and Technology, which had the most authoritative diagnostic equipment and professors. He didn’t know what the situation was like now.

Could it be because of him that the pheromones went out of control? Every time this thought popped up, Tang Yiqing would tell himself he was being conceited. He barely reached the level of an A-class Omega; his pheromones didn’t have such a powerful influence to make an S-class Alpha lose control.

It was already late summer, and the afternoon sunlight was exceptionally bright and scorching.

After picking up Shen Shanyu, Tang Yiqing parked the car and then walked out of the garage together with Shen Shanyu’s small backpack.

After only a few steps, he saw Shen Shanyu run over excitedly, waving his hand and shouting happily, “Uncle He! Uncle He!”

Tang Yiqing’s footsteps faltered. He looked toward the villa entrance. The sunlight was intense now, and the light reflected from the floor-to-ceiling glass windows was even more piercing. Tang Yiqing squinted his eyes, barely making out the person standing beside Shen Mingzheng.

He was dressed all in white. Perhaps because the sunlight was pouring over him, he appeared exceptionally dazzling and radiant at this moment. Shen Shanyu threw himself into his arms, and he reached out to catch him, gently stroking Shen Shanyu’s hair. The tall and upright Shen Mingzheng stood nearby with a bit of a smile on his face. The scene looked very harmonious, as if they were the true family of three.

Tang Yiqing’s pace was a bit slow. Facing the sudden visit of He Chenguang, his face was dazed, in a state of bewilderment. He moved his gaze toward Shen Mingzheng and happened to meet his cold eyes, though only for a brief moment before he shifted his gaze to He Chenguang beside him.

Tang Yiqing’s eyes felt red and hot, but in his heart, he thought that Shen Mingzheng had probably called He Chenguang to the house on purpose. One reason was his dissatisfaction with the live streaming, and the second was likely to unscrupulously allow He Chenguang to enter the house. It showed that he not only didn’t take his wife seriously but was also further crushing his bottom line until one day, He Chenguang truly replaced him as a member of the Shen villa.

As he got closer, he noticed a small boy standing two steps behind He Chenguang. He was carrying a backpack that was very disproportionate to his small frame, holding a worn-out rabbit plushie, and his clothes appeared old—forming a sharp contrast with the glamorous He Chenguang beside him.

Tang Yiqing was somewhat surprised. This must be He Chenguang’s child. What he didn’t expect was that, relative to He Chenguang’s exquisite splendor, his child appeared somewhat shabby. The boy kept his head down, silent, clutching the plushie tightly—so quiet it was easy for people to overlook him.

Supposedly, when He Chenguang was about to give birth, his husband got into a car accident, and his husband’s family, the Zhou family, went bankrupt at that time. Members of the Zhou family went abroad or to prison. He Chenguang must have suffered while bringing up the child, but now that He Chenguang was a streamer with tens of millions of followers, logically, his child should be as glamorous as he was. This silent child, dressed in old clothes and acting like a little adult, was truly unexpected.

At this moment, He Chenguang’s gaze turned toward him. He walked closer and extended his hand. “Yiqing, hello.”

Tang Yiqing looked over. He was wearing light makeup, his skin was porcelain-white and delicate, and he looked exquisite right down to his hair—he didn’t look like someone who had already become a mother at all, forming a sharp contrast with Tang Yiqing’s temperament.

Actually, Tang Yiqing had known about He Chenguang since school because he and Shen Mingzheng were in the same school. Because of Shen Mingzheng, he would always go to their school under various excuses and had seen him from a distance several times, but from beginning to end, they had never met officially like this.

They had eaten together at circle gatherings, but hadn’t said more than a few words. They had met a few times after he married Shen Mingzheng; He Chenguang would stand by Shen Mingzheng’s side in an intimate posture, and Tang Yiqing didn’t have the courage to step forward.

A cloying sweet scent of milk candy rushed toward Tang Yiqing. He looked at the person with a proper smile in front of him, wondering if he was intentionally releasing pheromones. It carried a hint of blatant provocation, identical to the scent that often lingered on Shen Mingzheng.

“Hello,” Tang Yiqing said, reaching out to shake the hand extended toward him.

He Chenguang quickly let go and then looked at Shen Mingzheng. “I’ve always wanted to come visit. You were finally willing to let me come today.”

Shen Mingzheng smiled and led He Chenguang inside. Shen Shanyu immediately followed, holding He Chenguang’s hand and calling him “Uncle He” repeatedly.

Tang Yiqing entered afterward. A silent small figure walked beside him. Looking at the backs of the two adults and one child in front, they really looked like a family. For some reason, he suddenly felt the child beside him was as pitiful as his own situation. He could feel it; this child must have been ignored for a long time to develop such a silent personality at an age when he should be most lively and active.

Just as they entered, they saw Mother Shen, Lin Ruizhi, coming out of the kitchen. When she saw He Chenguang, she was clearly stunned; evidently, she recognized him.

Lin Ruizhi was wearing a black stand-collar dress, her posture as elegant as ever, but her expression was indifferent. When she looked at He Chenguang, she carried the authority of an elder, her face showing a hint of arrogance during the shift in expression.

Actually, Lin Ruizhi’s usual aura gave people a strong sense of distance. The feeling Father and Mother Shen gave was the same: indifferent and keeping people thousands of miles away. They even treated their own sons with a faint sense of detachment.

They would give their children the top-tier cultivation, but emotionally they were never as close as ordinary parent-child relationships. If it were in ancient times, their relationship with their sons would be more like an emperor and his offspring—there was a sense of monarch and subject.

There was no obvious wave on Lin Ruizhi’s face, but people who had lived with her for a long time would know that she was already angry.

He Chenguang greeted her intimately, “Aunt Lin.”

Lin Ruizhi ignored him directly. Shen Mingzheng reminded her, “Mom…”

But before he could finish his sentence, he met Lin Ruizhi’s cold gaze. Her brows knit slightly. “Come here, I have something to say to you.”

The two went to one side. He Chenguang acted as if he didn’t feel Lin Ruizhi’s dissatisfaction with him, squatting down to talk to Shen Shanyu.

Shen Shanyu was a very smart child. He felt that He Chenguang was being given the cold shoulder, so he spoke to amuse him, vividly displaying a child’s innocence and playfulness.

On the contrary, Tang Yiqing and He Chenguang’s child just stood there stupidly. Tang Yiqing focused his attention on the faint dialogue coming from Lin Ruizhi and Shen Mingzheng. Listening carefully, he could hear what they were saying.

“What are you thinking? Why did you bring him to the house?” Lin Ruizhi said.

“We’ve known each other for so many years; it shouldn’t be a problem to bring him over,” Shen Mingzheng said.

“You!” Lin Ruizhi stalled. “Do you think we really don’t know about those messy affairs of yours outside? Now you’ve brought the person home—isn’t that just to make Yiqing look bad?”

“I didn’t think that much,” Shen Mingzheng said.

Lin Ruizhi let out a cold snort. “I’m warning you, don’t ruin the Shen family’s reputation. I shouldn’t need to remind you when to exercise restraint.”

“Mother, I know what I’m doing,” Shen Mingzheng said.

“And,” Lin Ruizhi lowered her voice, sounding exasperated, “don’t go too far. At the very least, leave enough dignity for your wife.”

Tang Yiqing heard almost everything they said. On the surface, Lin Ruizhi was on his side; in reality, compared to the Shen family’s reputation and glory, what did he count for?

Shen Mingzheng walked back as if nothing had happened. He Chenguang also stood up, looking completely unaffected by Mother Shen’s cold treatment.

The front and back yards of the villa were connected. They walked toward the door leading to the backyard. At this time, the sunlight inside was transparent. Tang Yiqing looked at the backs of the two people; he really didn’t want to see anymore and intended to go upstairs.

Just then, he heard He Chenguang say to Shen Mingzheng, “Has that peach tree borne fruit yet? I want to eat peaches.”

Shen Mingzheng said, “It has. I’ll take you there now.”

Hearing this, He Chenguang gave a light laugh. “When you said you’d plant a peach tree for me back then, I thought you were lying. I didn’t expect you to really bring me peaches at graduation. Now I must see that peach tree for myself.”

At this point, Tang Yiqing’s figure froze. He had already walked all over the backyard. He had seen that peach tree; it was specially enclosed with a uniquely shaped fence. The tree grew exceptionally well, obviously having been meticulously cared for. At the time, he wanted to pick a peach, but just as he raised his hand, he was stopped by the suddenly appearing Shen Mingzheng.

At that time, Shen Mingzheng’s face was very unsightly, and he told him coldly, “This is not a place you should come to; don’t come here again in the future.”

Thinking of this, Tang Yiqing’s expression was dazed for a moment. He realized a gaze had fallen on his face. His eyelashes trembled as he raised his eyes; a pair of reddened eyes met Shen Mingzheng’s long, narrow eyes.

There was a bit of a smile on Shen Mingzheng’s face, as if he were very pleased to see this hurt look of his.

At this moment, a subtle feeling arose within Shen Mingzheng, but most of it was indeed gratification. Tang Yiqing was grieving because of a tree he had planted for He Chenguang—regardless of whether it was true or false, his performance at this moment looked real.

Seeing him like this, he indeed felt a sense of triumph.

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