Edited by Qiuxue and Noks
Currently, Shen Yuling, his daughter, was the most important person to Shen Youquan.
He had no time to think about who Shen Yurao’s father was or how his wife had betrayed him.
It was never too late to investigate those messy things. Instead it was his daughter’s current state that worried him the most.
He was now aware of how much ignorance his past self had always shown. He owed her so much of her childhood—so much that the heavy feelings of guilt and remorse almost pressed him into a state of breathlessness.
Shen Yuling sat beside her father obediently, tilting her head up as she asked, “Dad, you’re not picking Brother up too?”
“No.” Shen Youquan turned the steering wheel and drove the car onto the road.
After hearing her father’s reply, Shen Yuling didn’t feel any traces of happiness, instead she felt slightly uneasy.
“But if we don’t leave together with Brother, Grandpa, Grandma and Mom will be angry when we reach home, and they will scold us.”
Shen Youquan’s heart tingled and he quickly comforted his daughter, “No, no one will dare to scold you. Daddy is here.”
Shen Yuling pursed her small mouth, obviously not believing her father’s promise.
But she quickly regained her energy and became happy, because this was the first time she had gotten along so closely with her father.
Father and daughter toured around the inner city for a while before stopping at a shopping mall that offered both shopping and entertainment.
Shen Youquan was initially planning to first take his daughter to the children’s playground on the top floor.
But as they passed by a children’s clothing store, Shen Yuling got attracted to the beautiful skirt displayed behind the glass window. Seeing this, he simply took his daughter inside and asked the shopping assistant to match several sets of clothes for her.
The shopping guide looked at the father and daughter carefully and said with a smile, “You two look really alike. It’s as if the two of you were carved out of the same mold. It’s the first time I’ve seen a father and daughter resemble each other so much, like the two of you.”
If Shen Youquan had heard this kind of sentence before, it would not have had any impact, let alone touch his heart to arouse feelings of pride. But hearing it now, his nose suddenly became sour.
She is his child. A child bearing features similar to his and having the same blood as him.
How could he have ignored her until now?
He stroked the strands of dark hair that swayed above his daughter’s head, and laughed bitterly.
His daughter’s hair, like his own, were thick and firm.
It was said that people with rough hair were stubborn and clumsy, couldn’t properly express with words the thoughts in their mind, and had poor communication skills. All in all, it meant that it was quite hard for them to make a living.
He had suffered a lot because of this in his early years, but had never expected that the same experience would also befall his only daughter.
If he had never found out the truth and continued to allow his daughter to grow up under the influence of their neglect and Shen Yurao’s plundering, what would she have eventually become?
Thinking of this, Shen Youquan couldn’t help but recall the documentary he had watched last night while he was waiting for the results of the paternity test.
A red footed falcon had laid its eggs in the magpie's nest. The two kinds of eggs were completely different in size and color, but the magpie couldn’t see this difference.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The magpie hatched the falcon’s egg at its own expense, but the first action that the young falcon with no hair took after it was full of food was not to sing out in gratitude, but to squeeze the magpie’s own eggs out of the nest so that they would shatter onto the ground.
Yo mbegrf, rbwf wjuqlf mtlmxr kfgf iemxs fcbeut ab tjamt jibcu klat atf lcagevlcu ojimbc mtlmx, yea yfmjerf atfs mbeiv cba mbwqjgf klat j ojimbc lc rlhf cbg ragfcuat, atfs bcmf jujlc wfa atf ojaf bo yflcu atgbkc bea bo atf tlut ygjcmtfr.
Ktfs mbeiv bcis qbkfgifrris ojii jcv wffa atflg vfjatr ktlif ralii jilnf joafg yflcu qertfv bea ys atf rluclolmjcais ijgufg-sfa-sbecu ylgv…
And, through it all, the magpie would not notice that anything was wrong or amiss. It still brought insects to feed this crib-robber every day, and this way, this thief grew stronger and stronger.
It didn’t know that its own children had long been strangled, or that all the resources that it had painstakingly sought out had been plundered by a stranger…
When the video had shown the weak magpie chick being pushed out of the nest by the stronger falcon, Shen Youquan had felt a sudden shock and had immediately been covered with cold sweat.
It was at that moment that he finally understood what a vicious tragedy was being narrated by the idiom— ‘the dove occupies the magpie's nest.’ And the very same tragedy was happening within his family.
What was the difference between him and the magpie who fed these crib-robbers with moths?
He was even more stupid and pathetic than the magpie, because while the magpie had no intelligence and couldn’t see anything abnormal, he could! He had seen and heard everything clearly, yet had remained ignorant…
He had abandoned his own daughter and had let her grow up in a dark corner, while treating a child with whom he had no relations the way one would treat a prince.
Then, once he aged, he would have married his own daughter into another family, sending her off with a trivial dowry, and would have left all of his wealth to Shen Yurao.
Thinking of such a future, Shen Youquan felt chills form in the depths of his heart, and he could only lower his head and kiss the top of his daughter’s hair with guilt-ridden red eyes.
Shen Yuling just raised her head and looked up at her father in confusion.
In the end, the father and daughter duo bought two sets of parent-child outfits before heading over to the toy store.
Shen Youquan pointed to a dazzling array of toys and asked, “Do you like this one? Do you want that? As long as you want anything, Dad will buy it for you.”
Shen Yuling wrung her eyebrows and shook her head again and again. Her mouth was closed tightly and she did not dare to express any opinions.
It wasn’t until Shen Youquan pointed to a set of Barbie dolls that her eyes suddenly brightened, but then just as quickly dimmed again as she said sadly, “Dad, Brother doesn’t like these dolls. Don’t buy them for me.”
Shen Youquan breathed heavily for a few moments. Then, he squatted down and looked at his daughter.
He asked in a soft voice, “Why can’t I buy these dolls for you if your Brother doesn’t like it? You like this Barbie doll right?”
Shen Yuling shook her head and spoke in an even lower volume, “Brother will twist off their heads and arms. He doesn’t like Barbie dolls.”
She was still young and didn’t know how to express her feelings. She could only use crude language to describe the series of events she had seen with her own eyes.
However, Shen Youquan came to a realization after understanding the meaning hidden within his daughter’s descriptions.
Why did his daughter dare to not buy the dolls? Because he had brought her here alone to choose for toys instead of paying attention to her brother’s opinion.
In this family, her brother’s will was of the utmost importance, and she was often treated as a simple attachment.
Her daughter obviously liked the Barbie dolls, but why did she refuse?
Because her brother didn’t like Barbie dolls and he would destroy them. She was reluctant to make the dolls suffer, so she would rather not buy them in the first place.
Shen Yurao wouldn’t let her play with the toys he didn’t like, and that went doubly so for those that were his favourite.
He had been plundering, and his daughter had been yielding for so long that it had reached the point where she would automatically capitulate to his desires, so much so that this manner of ‘getting along’ had become a habit for her, or rather an unspeakable rule that she had to follow— a rule which even he, the father, had unknowingly asserted to as well.
Shen Youquan looked at his daughter’s small face, which had a clear expression stating ‘I want it but I must refuse’ written all over it.
His heart was tangled. He felt a dull ache in his head, and the air he inhaled through his nasal cavity seemed to have turned into a sharp blade as it pierced his internal organs.
He took his daughter into his arms and said in a choked voice, “Let’s buy them. As long as it’s something my baby likes, Dad will buy it for you! Don’t care about whether Shen Yurao will be happy or not, or whether he will like it or not. What you have is yours, and no one can take it away!”
“Really, Dad?” Shen Yuling asked cautiously, but this cautiousness only caused Shen Youquan’s nerves and heart to hurt even more.
How could he let his daughter show such a humble appearance even in front of his own eyes?
Was he worthy of being a father?
On that same day, Shen Youquan almost emptied out half of the toy store before accompanying his daughter to the playground.
In fact, he hadn’t spent much time with his children before, but had never felt that he was a particularly incompetent parent. But now, looking at his daughter’s smiling face, he felt that his chest was burning with heat.
This was his child, the one in whose veins flowed the same blood as his, who possessed the same eyebrows and the same stubborn temper that he had.
He would protect her growth and overcome any and all obstacles for her.
Was there anything more wonderful and meaningful in the world than this?
The pain and anger his wife’s betrayal had brought about disappeared into nothingness when his daughter smiled. Shen Youquan had managed to completely calm his internally agitated mood now, and he was ready to take his daughter home.
As they walked back, the father and daughter pair happily munched away at sweet ice-cream cones. Then, in the midst of that happy moment, a mobile phone could be heard ringing.
As soon as the call connected, Zhong Huilu, Shen Youquan’s wife, anxiously asked, “Is Ling Ling with you?”
“Yes.” Shen Youquan’s tone was the same as usual.
But then, Zhong Huilu suddenly yelled out from the other side, “How can you suddenly pick up the child and not give me a call or even tell me in advance?! You can pick them up, but how could you only pick up Ling Ling and not Rao Rao? Did you know that Rao Rao was taken away by a stranger?!”
“What did you say?” Shen Youquan’s expression changed drastically.
“Rao Rao has been kidnapped! A woman pretended to be my assistant and took Rao Rao away!” Zhong Huilu could only repeatedly urge, “Where are you now? Come back quickly, hurry up! I’m afraid that something might happen to Rao Rao!”
“I’ll be right back!” Shen Youquan threw his ice-cream cone into the dustbin, carried his daughter in his arms and hurriedly left.
He raced the car all the way home while his emotions swung wildly up and down.
For a short while, he was glad that he had taken the initiative to bring his daughter away, meaning that she was not in danger; at the same time, he was worried about Shen Yurao’s safety.
Although Shen Yurao was not of his own seed, he had raised him for five years after all. The love and care he had showered on the child was real, and it couldn’t immediately be removed so decisively.
Hatred, resentment and anger were boiling in his heart, but these negative emotions were all caused by Zhong Huilu’s betrayal.
Reason told him that he could not vent his anger on an innocent child.
Of course, since the moment he had discovered the truth, he could also no longer regard this child as his own child and give him love, especially after seeing how the other so naturally schemed against his own sister.
He rushed into the house with his daughter in his arms. Before he could even understand the situation, his father started to scold him, “How can you only come back now?! Did you know Rao Rao was taken away by a stranger? Why did you pick up Shen Yuling instead of Rao Rao? What are you thinking inside that head of yours?”
Before Grandfather Shen’s voice could even fade, a strange number contacted Shen Youquan, saying that Shen Yurao was now in their hands.
If they didn’t receive 50 million yuan, they threatened the Shen Family by telling them that all they could do was simply prepare a coffin for the child and then wait to collect the body.
If the Shen Family dared to call the police, they would immediately kill the hostage.
Shen Youquan was used to experiencing big upsets, so his mind still remained noticeably clear when facing such an unexpected situation.
He hurriedly handed his daughter over to the nanny and told her to take the child upstairs, then turned to patiently deal with the kidnappers.
“My son is really in your hands? Let him speak to me, otherwise I won’t believe your words!”
Shen Youquan pressed the speaker button and, almost immediately, Shen Yurao’s weak cry sounded out.
Shen Youquan could still keep his senses about him, but his parents and Zhong Huilu almost fainted.
The method the kidnapper was using was very clever. After stating their purpose, they quickly hung up the call.
Shen Youquan promptly called them back, only to find that the other party’s mobile phone had been turned off.
His mother cried hoarsely, “Rao Rao has been kidnapped? He was really kidnapped? God, why is it my family’s Rao Rao?!
“Shen Youquan, why didn’t you take my Rao Rao away rather than picking up Shen Yuling, this kind of money-losing good? What were you thinking?
“Did you hear Rao Rao’s cry? He must be so scared. He’s still sick! Will those people tie him up, or beat him, or scold him and not give him food? Will he be able to wait alive till the time we can save him?
“My God, I have two grandchildren in my family. Why don’t you exchange them? I’d rather it be Shen Yuling that was kidnapped, I’d rather it be her than my Rao Rao!
“Just a little bit, in just a little bit, my family’s Rao Rao will be able to escape a kidnapping. God, open your eyes, you blessed the wrong person! Shen Youquan, go and get the money for me. Go!”
Shen Youquan, who was still worried about Shen Yurao, was suddenly angered by the words he heard coming out of his mother’s mouth.
What did she mean by exchanging his daughter and Shen Yurao?
Why would God bless the wrong person?
In his mother’s heart, the torture her granddaughter suffered didn’t matter a whit, and even if she lost her life, it wouldn’t make a difference.
But Shen Yurao couldn’t suffer the slightest of grievances, huh?
What a vicious mind, what an absurd idea?!
Their thoughts were simply too ludicrous!
At this moment, the remnant of pity Shen Youquan had for Shen Yurao was swiftly burned away by his raging fury.
He was able to climb up from being a nobody to reach the towering position he held today not only on the basis of his ability and talent, but also by being ruthless and tenacious.
He was already feeling very reluctant to spend 50 million to save a wild seed. Thus, after listening to his mother’s words, he really wished that Shen Yurao had never been born!
The dove occupies the magpie’s nest… Fan Jialuo’s prediction had been right.
If he had continued to indulge in the lie created by his wife, his parents would, one day, just like the ignorant magpie, connive or even help the crib-robber in depriving his daughter of everything that was rightfully hers!
…
Noks: Damn these patriarchal old fogies!!!! Be angry at the boy being kidnapped and SY not picking up both the kids, but to wish misfortune on the girl instead of the boy, you should get slapped on your head, Mother Shen.
Frozenmirage: …*remembering my first time getting a Barbie dolls from my father 
Could it be a strategy of the mother to make them protect the boy even more and get some money?
Thanks for the chapter!
+1 :0
+1 a possibility
What a bunch of scum!!!
This kidnapping feels fishy… It’s definitely not a coincidence
Thank you for the chapter!!! 😂😂
*❤️❤️
This kidnapping is surely not as simple as it seems.
Mother Shen is so horrible…you shouldn’t think about other’s child like that, how can she wish such a fate on her own blood? Too ruthless. She is just a five year old kid.
Thank you very much:)♡♡♡♡.
This remind me of my childhood.. my grandad loves me and he always indulge me but when it comes to our brother, he will get 2 times more then us girls like pocket money. Me and my sisters get a dollar than my brother will get 2 dollar…. I always complain to him about it especially when he got sick… I say where is you precious grandson, why you need me to feed you… but of course I know he loves me but its just how the society is at that time
I wonder if the kidnapping was planned for both children. And then conveniently, Yuling would “accidentally” die along the way… Really chilling. Thankfully it’s not too late for the dad, but I feel sad for Yuling. Her dad only really resolved to love her after finding out the son was not his, not before. Thanks for the chapter!
What a scummy family. How can they not love those children equally? Such blatant favoritism makes me sick.
I certainly didn’t expect this but damn… This doesn’t feel right, I wanna see in which direction it’ll go :/ ALSO THAT DAMNED MAN SHOULD STAND UP FOR HIS DAUGHTER?? HIW CAN HE LET THESE CRAZY PEOPLE SHIT TALK HER LIKE THAT
In this arc/case I’d sometimes wonder if the boy was of his blood, how large of a scale would the father change?
i gotta say, i cant rly relate to all the focus on how yurao isnt biologically his when the real problem is their favoring of him and negligence of his daughter, the unequal treatment. like, would he have done anything if shen yurao turned out to be his son after all?