After nine lifetimes of reincarnation, the yandere villainous heroine descends.

"Why are you back?"

Inside the elegant boudoir, Chu Siqi raised her eyes and carefully examined Shao Miao standing in front of her.

Shao Miao lowered her eyes and said in a low, hoarse voice, "My mom doesn't want me anymore."

That short sentence instantly made Chu Siqi's throat tighten.

He suppressed the surging teasing in his heart, his expression froze for a long moment, and finally he stammered out three words: "Why?"

"have no idea."

Shao Miao responded softly.

A heavy silence suddenly fell over the room.

After a long silence, Chu Siqi broke it first: "So, what do you want from me all of a sudden?"

"have no idea."

"You...came back specifically for a reason, right?"

Chu Siqi pressed for an answer.

Shao Miao kept her head down, her voice weak: "I don't know."

Seeing her clueless and confused state, Chu Siqi felt a surge of anger.

Her little face puffed out, and she glared at her fiercely: "Are you deliberately making fun of me?"

"no."

Shao Miao pursed her lips and turned her head away to avoid her gaze.

Chu Siqi sighed and pressed her forehead in exasperation, softening her tone as she tentatively asked, "Do you want to see Shen Shuchou?"

Upon hearing this, Shao Miao trembled slightly and remained silent.

Chu Siqi saw through her thoughts at a glance, and the anger in her eyes subsided considerably: "I understand. You can't find him, so you wanted to ask me to see him, right?"

Shao Miao nodded slightly and responded softly, "Mm."

"Ugh."

The next moment, a sigh even deeper than Shao Miao's slowly spread out.

Chu Siqi's face was filled with resentment, and she lowered her eyes, saying, "If you come to me with that in mind, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

"He's no different from a dead man now; I can't find a trace of him at all."

His tone carried a hint of aggrieved complaint.

Shao Miao looked up and gazed at her quietly.

"Don't think I'm just trying to fool you. I, the eldest daughter of the Chu family, would never stoop to lying about something like this. I've sent him countless messages, and I haven't received a single reply yet."

Chu Siqi spoke calmly.

Shao Miao's gaze remained fixed on her as she softly pressed, "Then you didn't take the initiative to go to him?"

Hearing these words, Chu Siqi's lips curled into a self-deprecating smile.

"How could I dare? The people around him would rather tear me to pieces if they saw me."

Upon hearing this, Shao Miao suddenly recalled the phone call she had made last time, which she had mustered up the courage to make, only to hear the voice of an unfamiliar woman on the other end.

For a moment, the boudoir fell silent, the two young girls each caught in their own turbulent emotions, speechless and silent.

"Shao Miao".

Chu Siqi called her softly.

Shao Miao looked up at her.

"You know, there are many times when I don't want to like him so stubbornly anymore."

A sense of melancholy spread across Chu Siqi's eyes: "As the eldest daughter of the Chu family, what kind of person can't I find? Yet I'm completely devoted to him, but I never get the response I want from him."

She smiled faintly, but her smile was full of helplessness.

"So, are you planning to just let it go?"

Shao Miao asked in a low voice.

"It's a bit like that, and it's not. At least I want to fight it one more time. If it really comes to nothing in the end, I won't die hanging over this tree."

Chu Siqi spoke in a flat tone.

She looked at Shao Miao and slowly revealed a long-held realization: "Shao Miao, our true rivals have never been each other. After all this time, I've finally figured it out. One-sided affection can never be forced into fulfillment."

"Um."

Shao Miao responded, her tone low.

.......

.......

In the courtyard, the woman's soft voice slowly reached everyone's ears.

She smiled faintly, walked slowly closer, and finally stopped a few steps in front of Shen Shuchou.

"She's quite good-looking."

She glanced at the boy indifferently and commented with a light laugh.

He then turned to the elders of the Shen family and calmly said, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Shi Yan. If Elder Shen wants to investigate, he can find out my background at any time."

The moment the name "Shi Yan" entered his ears, Shen Shuchou's eyes narrowed slightly.

He suddenly remembered that when he left Yandu, Ling Xinglin had secretly instructed him to be careful of a certain woman.

Unexpectedly, the other party found him so quickly.

Shen Chong'an's expression was calm, and he didn't have too many doubts in his heart. However, he had never heard of this name before.

Shen Yanzhi, standing beside him, suddenly spoke up, hitting the nail on the head: "So it's someone from the Zhu family."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present understood instantly.

The Zhu family in the capital once had a powerful figure who held a high position in the Mingyou Bureau, but he had long since died in the line of duty. The outside world only knew that his identity and authority had been inherited, but no one knew who that successor was.

Only then did everyone realize that the one who inherited everything was that man's widow, Shi Yan.

"snort!"

Shen Chong'an scoffed coldly, his face filled with anger. "I'm handling the Shen family's internal affairs. What right does the Mingyou Bureau have to interfere?"

Shi Yan's smile remained unchanged, his tone relaxed yet his words sharp: "If it were truly a family matter, I naturally have no right to interfere. But he is not your Shen family's private property; he is a registered member of the Mingyou Bureau. The Shen family's attempt to detain someone from our bureau is something I should naturally address."

"Nonsense!" Shen Chong'an's voice deepened. "His surname is Shen, and the blood of the Shen family flows in his veins! Even if he denies it, it doesn't change that fact!"

Shi Yan's gaze was calm as he unhurriedly retorted, "The capital is vast, and there are countless people with the surname Shen. Are they all members of your Shen family? You keep claiming that you have Shen family blood, but do you have any concrete evidence?"

"You can't produce evidence that he belongs to the Shen family, but I have proof that he belongs to the Mingyou Bureau."

Before he finished speaking, Shi Yan raised his hand and slowly took out a formal certificate.

Shen Shuchou looked down, his heart slightly startled.

He himself didn't know when he had signed the document, but he didn't reveal it in public. With the situation still unclear, he didn't want to expose too many of his cards to the Shen family.

"Little girl, you're simply being outrageous!"

Shen Chong'an, angered by her relentless pressure, creased his brows and said, "Do you really think my Shen family has no connections or influence within the Mingyou Bureau?"

Faced with his fury, Shi Yan remained calm and composed, a smile playing on his lips. "Whether the Shen family has connections or not is none of my concern. I only ask to leave with my men today. Elder Shen, do you have any objections?"

Her smile vanished abruptly, a hint of subtle pressure flashing in her eyes:

"Having held a high position for many years, you should be well aware of the consequences of obstructing the Mingyou Bureau's law enforcement."

Or—if I were to suffer even the slightest injury at the Shen residence today, and the news reached the Mingyou Bureau, Elder Shen, do you truly wish to see such a outcome?

Shen Chong'an's expression suddenly darkened, and his tone turned icy: "Are you threatening me?"

"I did not make any verbal threats," Shi Yan replied calmly. "Whether it counts as a threat or not is entirely up to Elder Shen to decide."

After saying that, she ignored everyone else, turned and walked to Shen Shuchou's side, her eyebrows curving slightly: "Let's go."

Shen Shuchou gave her a deep look, remained silent, and followed her outside.

Shen Chong'an stood there, his face grim and terrifying, staring intently at the departing figures of the two. In the end, he suppressed his anger and did not try to stop them again.

Once the two figures had completely disappeared into the alleyway and the wind in the courtyard had died down, Shen Yanzhi frowned, unable to suppress his doubts, and stepped forward: "Dad, you just let them go so easily?"

"Shut up."

Shen Chong'an's tone was cold and firm, leaving no room for discussion. He said in a deep voice, "Everyone else, step back. Shu Che, you stay."

The group bowed and took their leave, and the large old house instantly became deserted.

Stepping out of the Shen family's vermilion gate, Shi Yan paused, turning back leisurely. Her eyes sparkled as she looked Shen Shuchou up and down with a smile. A slight smirk played on her lips as she spoke in a languid yet teasing tone, "Handsome young man, won't you do me the honor of buying me a drink?"