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nXiang Cheng did not expect Jiang Xue to be so quick to push the blame onto someone else. She exonerated herself of wrongdoing with only a few words while pinning the blame on the supposed thief.

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nRelieved of his burden, Xiang Cheng took the opportunity to assess Shen Xi calmly. He wanted to see how she would react.

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nShen Yan was furious when he heard Jiang Xue’s accusation. He raised his hand and was about to teach her a lesson when Shen Xi stopped him.

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nAlthough harsh and highly improper for her to speak to her foster father as such, Shen Xi knew Jiang Xue was right. The Shen couple were at the bottom of society’s totem pole and could not oppose the Jiang family. Shen Xi could not, in good conscience, allow her biological father to confront something so dangerous on her behalf.

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nThe damaged car’s owner was not clear on the situation, so he took Jiang Xue’s words at face value. Moving to pull Shen Xi aside, he reasoned, “Since you hit my car, you should accompany me to make the report to our respective insurance companies.”

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nShen Xi’s alleged identity as a thief complicated the matter at hand. Since she was not the owner of the car but someone who had appropriated and caused mischief with it, there was a lot of paperwork to go through. The damaged car’s owner was not about to let her get away so easily.

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nBefore he could lay a hand on her daughter, Lu Shan slapped the offending appendage aside, rebuking him sternly, “Don’t you dare touch her!”

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nShen Xi did not expect her mother, who was normally meek and gentle, would suddenly rebuff the man in such an imposing manner.

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nIn her previous life, Shen Xi had only seen her mother through videos shown to her by Jiang Xue. By then, her mother had already been in a vegetative coma for a long time. She was as thin as a stick, and her skin clung to her bones for dear life.

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nTo see her mother alive and well, bright and moving with such vigour, brought happiness and relief she could not quite put into words. She was a force of nature, unleashed upon the target who had drawn her ire.

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n“Ow! How dare you hit me! You’re asking for a beating.” The owner of the damaged car charged Lu Shan and Shen Xi.

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nShen Yan was by his wife and daughter’s side instantly, blocking the man. He stopped the man’s fist and swept him off his legs.

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nJiang Xue frowned as she watched from the sidelines. She could not understand why the Shen couple had suddenly changed so much. Now, they were as fierce as tigers protecting their cub.

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nIt was completely different from Jiang Xue’s impression of the two.

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nShen Xi pointed at a camera in the corner and said loudly, “Sir, I strongly suggest you check the surveillance footage. It would be best if you did so now. Otherwise, that young woman over there will have someone erase the surveillance footage. Do you understand?”

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nThe car owner was stunned but hightailed when a dawning comprehension came to him.

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nJiang Xue had not considered this course of action and hurried toward the man to stop him. She could not let her parents know about this, or everything she had done would come to light. She could not allow her parents to learn of her attempted murder.

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nShe tugged on the man’s shirt and begged pitifully, “Big Brother, don’t be hasty. I’ll pay you back; I’ll pay however much I need to for your car’s repairs. Please don’t make a big deal out of this, alright?”

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nJiang Xue noticed the car’s owner staring, transfixed by her bulging chest, and she hardened her heart. Puffing her chest, she said, “Let’s keep in touch. We’ll talk about compensation afterwards, okay?”

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nLecherous eyes drank in her body, and he added Jiang Xue as a friend without thinking further. He did not forget to touch Jiang Xue’s hand a few times as they exchanged contact information.

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nJiang Xue swallowed her nausea. For now, she would have to do her best to pacify this man. While he was distracted, she would delete the surveillance footage captured.

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nOn the other side, Shen Xi asked Shen Yan and Lu Shan, “Mom, Dad, are we leaving?”

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nWhen Lu Shan heard Shen Xi call her ‘Mom’, her heart fluttered with mixed feelings. There was the joy of recovering what she had lost, the bitterness of being separated for so many years, and the guilt she felt towards Shen Xi…

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nThe Shen couple looked at Jiang Xue, who was not far away and sighed in unison. Then, they turned around and left with Shen Xi.

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nXiang Cheng felt extremely uncomfortable when he saw Shen Xi leave without saying anything to him.

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nAfter Jiang Xue appeased the car’s owner, she saw that Shen Xi and the rest were preparing to leave. The profile of the family of three as they departed was warm, and it made her uncomfortable.

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nShen Xue was so angry she picked up the rearview mirror that had been knocked off the side of the car and tried clobbering Shen Xi with it.

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nWith a bang, Shen Xi felt a sharp pain in her head before losing consciousness. The last thing she heard was Lu Shan’s worry-filled cry.

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