Chapter 576: 366 Father and son have similar tastes, sharp-tongued and ruthless (4 more updates)
Jiang Shiyi, though not familiar with the Huo couple, out of respect for their professions, immediately lowered his crossed arms and obediently stood properly.
"Which lady? I can’t see from here." Mrs. Huo, being a woman and not very tall, could indeed not see clearly with colleagues, security, and police there.
"Auntie, I have a better view from here." Jiang Shiyi promptly and obediently moved aside.
"The Jiang family’s... third child?"
"Yes."
"Has he returned to the country?"
"Mm."
"What on earth happened here?" Mrs. Huo looked at the ground where a computer was smashed, indicating that the prior situation was quite chaotic.
Jiang Shiyi was naturally explicit with them.
However, the information he knew was very limited, pieced together only from their conversations.
Still, this couple had already heard the police mutter a couple of sentences, and combined with his account, they managed to piece together an outline of the events.
"Which Miss Shen is that?"
Jiang Shiyi extended his hand and pointed, "The one closest to Huo Big Brother."
"Her skin is quite fair, pretty indeed. The young lady looks a bit thin," Mrs. Huo observed. "Just now at the Jiang residence, I saw a photo of Xiaowu’s wife. Is this her aunt? Doesn’t look much like her."
The Huo family lives far from Beijing and generally doesn’t indulge in gossip, not even inquiring into the Xie family’s secrets, let alone the relationships between Tang Wan and Shen Shuci.
"After my sister-in-law’s mother passed away, the elderly Shen couple adopted her."
"Looks very young, do you know how old she is?"
Jiang Shiyi slightly knitted his brows, "Not sure exactly, but she seems to be younger than my sister-in-law."
He had overheard Jiang Chengsi mention this unintentionally, saying something about how Tang Wan’s aunt, though young, was quite formidable, even managing to nearly defeat him.
"Younger than Tang Wan? Then isn’t that..."
The couple exchanged a glance. Over the years, they too had considered finding a partner for their son, watching colleagues with daughters, but they always looked for someone of a similar age, usually just two or three years younger, at most four.
Their son was in his thirties already, introducing him to a fresh-faced young lady in her early twenties might even attract minor complaints from her parents.
So...
Does their son like younger ones? A close to ten-year gap.
Isn’t that too much of an age difference?
Mrs. Huo glanced at her husband.
"Why are you looking at me?" the man spoke in a hushed tone.
Mrs. Huo chuckled lightly, "Not only has he inherited your looks and personality, but his taste... follows yours as well."
It seems like she had overheard Grandma mentioning casually once that some of the Huo uncles and aunts had substantial age differences; it was gossip among the elders, and since it was about the Huo family, no one would carelessly talk or dare to probe too much.
Jiang Shiyi stood by, his eyes fleetingly scanning the couple next to him; he answered when asked, and dared not speak beyond what was necessary!
And his phone vibrated a few times; Jiang Jinsang had sent another message, but with the current situation, it was really not a good time to explain, so he simply ignored it.
"How is it? Cousin hasn’t arrived yet?" Tang Wan was quite anxious inside. Listening to that woman’s tone, it was exceedingly unfriendly, but relying on Jiang Shiyi’s help, he was not obligated to go over, and it was embarrassing to keep calling to urge him.
"He should be arriving soon, probably on the way, hasn’t seen my message yet," Jiang Jinsang twirled his finger.
Out of the two people he messaged, not a single one replied. What were they all up to?
"Don’t worry, auntie’s temperament is such that she won’t be taken advantage of."
Seeing Tang Wan anxious, he could only comfort her like this.
**
At that moment in the office area, Shen Shuci returned to her seat, pulled her bag over to the desk beside her, and seemed to be searching for something.
"Xiaoshen, what are you looking for?" the manager walked over, feeling significantly relieved seeing the police there.
"She’s just stalling for time. At such a young age, not learning good things. I really don’t know how her parents taught her, to raise such a daughter?"
Shen Shuci’s fingers rummaging through her belongings paused, and she turned her head to look at the speaker, her eyes cold and abrasive.
Peng Yan was startled, her heart pounding, "Why, why are you glaring at me like that!"
From the time she started accusing her of misconduct, even calling her a slut, Shen Shuci had never shown such a frightening expression before. That gaze was utterly cold, fierce enough to kill.
"I’ll have you know, the filthy act you’ve done, I’ve already told your family about it!"
"They seem to still be unaware, you know it’s shameful, didn’t dare tell your family, did you?"
"You called my family?" Shen Shuci’s voice was extremely cold, even the Huo couple by her side couldn’t help but turn to look, having known her for so long, this was the first time they saw her like this.
Shen Shuci always faced them with courtesy, her lips curling into a smile.
At this moment, her gaze seemed light and lacking in force, but Peng Yan knew it was like an ice blade pressed against her throat.
A bit more force, and blood would spill.
A sudden chill permeated her entire body, yet she still stiffened her lips and said, "So what if I told them!"
Originally still intent on rummaging through her bag, Shen Shuci now lost all patience and dumped its contents out all at once.
Everyone was stunned...
Shouldn’t a woman’s bag typically contain things like lipstick, portable mirrors, compact powder for touch-ups?
Yet her bag held pepper spray, chili oil for self-defense, stun gun...
The Huo Family exchanged looks.
With their full-time escort, who was Miss Shen trying to guard against by carrying these items?
Their gaze drifted aimlessly and fell on their own master but got scolded back by his cold stare, the man glanced briefly not far away, he had noticed earlier...
How did his parents return to Beijing, and appear here?
By now, Shen Shuci had pulled a recording device the size of a fingertip from her bag and fiddled with it, soon, the clear conversation between Manager Fan and her started playing.
"Xiaoshen, it’s so late, it’s not safe for a girl like you to take a taxi, take my car... I’ve noticed you ever since you started at the company, not many young people have your drive..."
Everyone present had worked with Manager Fan and immediately recognized the voice.
Then, Shen Shuci spoke, "Manager Fan, please conduct yourself with dignity."
"Xiaoshen, you surely understand my feelings towards you. You’re new to the company, there’s a lot you don’t understand, I can slowly explain them to you, if only you..."
A scream followed immediately.
The recording stopped abruptly.
The whole world went silent.
Even the police were dumbfounded, she had evidence and hadn’t handed it to them?
"Aunt..." Shen Shuci held the recorder up, walking over to her, "You should recognize your husband’s voice, right?"
"If you doubt the authenticity of this recording, you can get it verified."
"I know why you think I seduced him, it must have been Manager Fan who told you so. He has slandered me like this at the police station before when I chose not to reveal the evidence since I knew he had committed other offenses, and getting arrested was inevitable."
"I’ve never liked to kick someone when they’re down, besides, a charge of indecency, once confirmed, would tarnish not just him but would make it impossible for your whole family to hold their heads high, and you have children, right? If he knew what kind of person his father was, I believe it would be a devastating blow to him."
Indecent acts like molesting female employees might not carry as heavy a legal sentence as assaulting public officers or defamation would, but morally, it would condemn him to social obliteration.
He has already paid the price, and Shen Shuci did not wish to kick him while he was down.
"Manager Fan slandering me is understandable. He wouldn’t want his family to know that he can’t control his lust."
"Actually, what kind of person your husband really is, I don’t believe you’re completely unaware. I said before we could talk privately, and it wasn’t because I feared you or felt guilty..."
"I was truly trying to save you face!"
Peng Yan had only been stiffening her lips all along; Shen Shuci was right, her family background really was that affluent, she didn’t need to seduce a married older man, especially not a manager like Fa Shoucheng who wasn’t much in Beijing.
But with things having escalated to this point, she couldn’t step back now, so Shuci’s recording was the last straw for her.
Without this recording, she could still deceive herself, but now the last veil of modesty was stripped away.
Shen Shuci spoke softly, yet her words caused Peng Yan unbearable shame and humiliation.
"This recording, I won’t hand it over to the police. You can take it, ask Manager Fan about it." Shen Shuci suddenly reached out, gripping her hand.
Peng Yan’s body trembled violently, her fingers icy cold, she instinctively tried to retract her hand, but Shuci’s grip was so strong she forcibly held her, pushing the recorder into her palm.
"Regarding the compensation for the damages you caused to the company today, someone will definitely be seeking compensation from you. Whether they will claim for other damages, such as intentional disturbance, disrupting company order, that’s not for me to handle."
"Just one thing, Ms. Peng!"
"If my family suffers any misfortune because of you, I assure you, I won’t just kick you while you’re down, I’ll..."
"Pursue it relentlessly."
Shen Shuci suddenly leaned closer, her breath against Peng Yan’s ear, no one else heard what she said, but they saw Peng Yan’s body tremble, her legs weak, stumbling back.
If it weren’t for the police car supporting her, she would have surely collapsed!
"Did you hear clearly?"
Peng Yan’s face was deathly white, staring at the person in front of her, unexpectedly...
She didn’t seem like someone so fierce and decisive with words.