Chapter 151 Things Are Getting Lively

What was the actual truth of the matter?

Although no concrete evidence was presented and everything was based on one-sided accounts, everyone had their own scale to weigh the situation, and Elder Shen was naturally no exception.

The details of Hong Chen's exposure might not be one hundred percent true, but Shen Qing's version and Lu Bin's corroboration were undoubtedly false. Just as Hong Chen had said, anyone who believed them would be a complete idiot!

Of course, that was not the point. Lu Bin had been stabbed, but he would only need to use a wheelchair for a few days; it was not as though he could never walk again. What they were fighting over now was pride, a matter of saving face.

This was not a courtroom, but the Shen family estate, and Elder Shen was the emperor of the Shen family, whose word was law on all matters, big and small.

An emperor did not need a reason to bestow a reward, and similarly, he needed no reason to take a life. The only things that required weighing were gains and losses in interests.

Hong Chen had clearly seen through the crux of the matter. He did not argue about right and wrong, and the appeal to family ties was merely secondary; instead, he had thrown two distinct bargaining chips right in front of Elder Shen.

On one side was a top-tier family. Young Master Lu was not entirely in the wrong, but he was most likely out of favor within his family. To put it bluntly, he was just a spoiled scion with crude methods. Siding with him could ensure they did not offend the Lu family and might even curry favor with this young master, but expecting any tangible benefits from doing so was sheer self-deception.

On the other hand was the suddenly prosperous family of the second daughter. The pyramid of seventy-eight thousand cash piled on the table and the jade pendant worth sixty-eight thousand were concrete, tangible benefits. To cast them aside would be no different from cutting off future sources of wealth.

There was another point: Lin Yufei did not carry the Shen surname, but she had the blood of the Shen family flowing in her veins and was Elder Shen's maternal granddaughter. If someone were allowed to take her away from the Shen family, the family would lose all its dignity and face.

Under the gaze of numerous eyes, Elder Shen remained silent for about half a minute before finally raising his eyes to look at Hong Chen with a profound and inscrutable expression. When had Huifang's good-for-nothing son-in-law suddenly become so enlightened and savvy?

"Since the truth of this matter has not been thoroughly investigated, we naturally cannot be so rash." With just this single sentence, Elder Shen shifted his gaze from Hong Chen to Lu Bin. "Young Master Lu, I believe there is a misunderstanding here. Once I investigate thoroughly, I will certainly give you an explanation."

The old fox. He didn't want to lose either side and was planning to act as a middleman.

Hong Chen smiled and shook his head, saying nothing.

Lu Bin, however, darkened his face and pointed to one of his legs. "Elder Shen, it is this very leg that I was injured in. A three-inch-deep wound, just one centimeter away from the main artery. The blood I lost dyed half my trousers red. The doctor said I won't even be able to stand for half a month. Now, I am simply asking you to hand over the culprit to me. That is not asking too much, is it?"

Lu Bin's tone was less than polite, fueled by anger. Prior to this, Shen Mo had told him that Lin Yufei's status in the Shen family was only slightly higher than that of a servant, perhaps even lower than the housekeeper's. For Elder Shen to step in and block him over such a lowly woman was to completely fail to treat him, a young master of the Lu family, as someone of importance.

Elder Shen narrowed his eyes. This was pushing him into a corner. Unlike Hong Chen, who had offered tangible interests for him to choose from, Lu Bin was directly using his status to coerce him. While the Shen family could not afford to offend the Lu family, that did not mean a mere Lu family scion could act wildly on Shen family territory!

Shen Mo frowned and said, "Grandfather, Yufei stabbed Young Master Lu; that is an indisputable fact—"

"Shut your mouth. There is no place for you to speak here." Elder Shen cast a severe glare at him, fished out his mobile phone, and gestured to Lu Bin. "Although my Shen family is not some prestigious aristocratic clan, I still have some connections in Nancshi. As for myself, I can still speak a word or two with the eldest of the Dong family. If I swallow my pride and ask him to act as a middleman, he should grant me this face. Why don't we also call your elders, pick a time and place for everyone to sit down and talk it through, and get to the bottom of the truth?"

Lu Bin's pupils constricted slightly. The Dong family and the Lu family were both top-tier families. If the head of the Dong family were truly invited to act as a middleman, even his father stepping forward would be considered of too low a status. More importantly, rather than saying he was bullying others by leveraging power, it was more accurate to say he was bluffing with borrowed authority; he had not dared to let his family know anything about what happened last night.

Shen Shanchang took one look at Lu Bin's complexion and realized instantly that this fellow was merely a paper tiger putting on a bold front, thoroughly intimidated by the old man's words. Although somewhat disappointed, he still chimed in to smooth things over. "Dad, this is just a minor dispute between youngsters. Bringing President Dong into this is making a mountain out of a molehill."

Elder Shen gave a noncommittal hum.

The third brother, Shen Shanze, was the sharpest-witted of the three brothers. Seeing through Elder Shen's intentions—which were merely to intimidate and force Lu Bin into a tactical retreat—he immediately stepped forward with an amiable expression. "Young Master Lu, today is the old lady's birthday, and we are all deeply honored that you came to offer your congratulations. There's no need to ruin the mood over a minor misunderstanding. Rest assured, we will give you a satisfactory account. As for how much compensation is appropriate, we can discuss it slowly after the banquet."

Shen Shanze's words made Shen Shanchang's eyes light up. Exactly! Hadn't Huifang's family struck it rich? Rather than stubbornly fighting over a woman for the sake of pride, it would be much better to extort a heavy sum from them. As long as the money was sufficient, what problem couldn't be solved? What woman couldn't be had?

Shen Shanchang could no longer maintain his reserve. He leaned close to Lu Bin's ear and whispered something, which finally caused Lu Bin's gloomy expression to improve slightly, though he still looked somewhat reluctant. At that moment, a cold voice suddenly rang out.

"Dad, Young Master Lu's request is not excessive at all. There is no need for our Shen family to shield this family, and this family has never regarded us Shen family members as blood relatives."

Everyone turned their heads to see that the side door connecting the hall to the inner rooms had been pushed open. A graceful and luxuriously dressed middle-aged woman walked out, her face covered in an icy frost as cold as snow.

The members of the Shen family looked somewhat bewildered. The woman was named Yang Meihua, the wife of the eldest son of the Shen family. Weren't they told that her elders from her maiden family had passed away and that the eldest son's family had gone to attend the funeral?

Acting as if no one else was there, Yang Meihua walked up to the two elders, suddenly reached out to knock over the money pyramid on the table, and then grabbed two bundles of cash, hurling them fiercely toward Shen Huifang's family. She shouted viciously, "You people have already pushed things to the extreme! Who are you putting on this hypocritical act for?!"

Yang Meihua's sudden action startled everyone present. Shen Huifang anxiously asked, "Sister-in-law, what on earth has happened?" Lin Yuanguang chimed in as well, "Yes, eldest sister-in-law, is there some sort of misunderstanding?"

Yang Meihua did not answer, nor did she make any further moves; she simply stared fixedly at Shen Huifang's family, her gaze as venomous as if she were looking at the murderer of her own father.

Elder Shen asked in a deep voice, "Meihua, what is this all about?"

"Elder Shen, I truly apologize. I originally intended to wait until the birthday banquet was over before asking you to hand someone over. Now that Young Master Lu has also come for someone, we might as well get it all done at once." Four more people walked out from the room. The leading man had a terrifyingly gloomy expression, followed by three men—one tall, one short, and one plump—of varying builds, but all sharing the same cold expression and gazes as sharp as blades.

Elder Shen's pupils shrank abruptly. The leading man was Qian Jingsong, the head of the Qian family, and the three men behind him were the Qian family's strongest martial artists—one first-rank and two half-step first-rank. For such a lineup to arrive at the Shen family estate without him having any prior knowledge of it—what on earth were they trying to do?

Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Those who did not recognize Qian Jingsong wore blank expressions of incomprehension, while those who did were utterly shocked. First, Young Master Lu came knocking to demand someone, and now the head of the Qian family had arrived in person, also demanding someone. Today's birthday banquet at the Shen family was truly turning out to be a lively affair.

"Dad, Shanliang and Tianbao went out of town. I specifically hurried back this morning. The head of the Qian family was brought in by me through the back door after the birthday banquet began. The Qian family head has no malicious intent toward the Shen family; he is merely here for two people."

Yang Meihua offered this explanation to Elder Shen. Elder Shen furrowed his brow deeply, but did not ask further questions. He stood up and walked forward to greet them. Lu Bin was a junior, and no matter how powerful his top-tier family was, Elder Shen could rely on his seniority to remain seated. But now that Qian Jingsong had shown his face, he could no longer put on airs; as the head of a quasi-top-tier family, Qian Jingsong's status was higher than his own.