Chapter 12: Familiar Face

"This man looks familiar."
"Yeah! I feel like I've seen him somewhere before!"
"..."
"We've all seen him," Shen Ruowei said, her smile carrying a hint of deeper meaning. "He was the lawyer who read the will yesterday—Mr. Wen."
"The one from Wen Yuan Law Firm?" Shen Er said as he exchanged a glance with Shen Si. When he spoke again, his expression grew even more animated. "The old man was wise all his life but muddled at the very end—did he really get fooled by these two scoundrels?"
"What a pair of adulterers..."
"..."
What could cast more doubt on the legitimacy of this will than a lawyer and his client caught in an improper relationship?
For a moment, nearly everyone in the room felt a surge of vindication; it was as if the day had finally arrived when they could trample Song Mi beneath their feet.
The Shen family had more daughters than sons. Aside from the eldest son, Shen Yanrong, who was kidnapped and killed five years ago, there was the second son, third son, fourth son, and the youngest, the twelfth son. The other seven were all daughters of noble birth.
In such a vast family, conflicts of interest and scheming were nearly daily occurrences. Song Mi's sudden appearance, instead of dividing them, had kindled an unprecedented unity among them.
All at once, every member turned their weapons outward, ready to drive away this outsider.

As the eldest sister and initiator of the meeting, Shen Ruowei was undoubtedly pleased. "A Ming, I heard you and Lu Zhizhi, the heiress of the Lu family, were classmates in university?"
Having waited patiently all this time, Shen Rumeng—the seventh young lady—had been waiting for this very question. "We used to have meals and go shopping together quite frequently!"
Shen Ruowei nodded. "Then you must know that Lu Zhizhi's brother is a major shareholder at Wen Yuan Law Firm?"
But Shen Rumeng had a different idea. Why go through Lu Zhizhi's brother to deal with Song Mi when you could strike much closer to home?
Once this photo was released, Lu Zhizhi herself wouldn’t be able to sit still for a minute!
When a woman decides to act ruthlessly, there are countless ways to make another woman's life miserable.
"Big Sister, perhaps we should try a different approach!"
Shen Rumeng didn’t hold any particular grudge against Song Mi, but she wasn’t about to pass up such a perfect opportunity. "As far as I know, Lu Zhizhi has secretly loved Wen Yanli for years, always using her brother’s connections to get close to him."
She waved the photo in her hand. "Front-page headline, plus a trending topic!"
"I’ve already got the title in mind," she said, pulling out her phone and quickly typing. "Newly crowned CEO caught in a passionate embrace with the undefeated god of law in an elevator—will Old Master Shen rise from the grave in fury?!"
"Let your father be the one to rise from the grave!" Even though Shen Ruowei was well aware of her sister’s style, her face fell at the last sentence.
Shen Rumeng quickly adapted. "Alright, I’ll be more careful with my wording!"

"I just want something explosive enough to attract attention!"
After a pause, Shen Ruowei’s expression softened. "We still need to reach out to Lu Zhiyuan. Wen Yuan Law Firm ultimately follows his lead."
"I’ll go," said Shen Yanfeng, the fourth son. "If they come at me with knives, why should I bleed without fighting back?"
Everyone knew that Yu Pingsheng from the real estate division was his wife’s relative. What Song Mi did this morning was clearly aimed at him.
His tongue pressed against his molars as he glanced left and right, curling his lips. "Second Brother, Third Brother, show your trump cards too!"
"United brothers, unbreakable strength!"

...

Early the next morning, as soon as Song Mi got into her car, a swarm of reporters suddenly gathered, blocking her vehicle at the hotel entrance so tightly she couldn’t move. "...What’s going on?"