Chapter 2: Best Friends? More Like Enemy Friends!

Just as Shen Can finished his thought, Mother Shen returned. Liu Yuwen was a gentle woman who genuinely cared for Shen Can.

"Cancan, eat up. Are you feeling any discomfort? Tell me if anything's wrong," she said, holding a bowl of porridge and reaching out to feed him.

Shen Can took the bowl, smiled, and replied, "Mom, I'm fine. I can eat by myself. You've been working hard; go rest. I'll go down for dinner later."

Liu Yuwen had planned to stay longer, but then she remembered her best friend was coming over that evening. She hadn't rested well the past couple of days and wouldn't have the energy to entertain.

"Alright, I'll go rest now. If you need anything, tell me. Your brothers are all home today; just have them do whatever you need," she instructed before leaving.

Shen Can lay in bed for the rest of the afternoon before getting up. He had already seen several of his brothers since returning to the country, but at the time, he didn't know they were the tragic villains from the book.

Eldest Brother Shen Yu was currently managing the Shen Group. Their father, Shen Hong, was gradually stepping down. Eldest Brother was a steady and business-savvy man with an exceptional nose for commerce.

Second Brother Shen Ze had founded a design company specializing in jewelry and fashion, where he also served as chief designer. He established the company to pursue his dream, and his family fully supported his endeavor.

Third Brother Shen Chi was unexpectedly discovered by a director while in college. With a genuine interest in acting, he entered the entertainment industry and is now a Film Emperor with tens of millions of fans.

When Fourth Brother Shen Yao was younger, his grandfather, seeing his potential as a soldier, sent him to join the army. He was supposed to be away on duty, but he had returned for a mission that required the prestige of the Shen family's name.

As Shen Can approached the dining room to greet his parents and brothers, his attention was immediately drawn to a stranger at the table. Who is this person?

Liu Yuwen noticed Shen Can's gaze and smiled, saying, "Cancan, come sit. This is my best friend from college."

So this is that friend who moved in with us, then opened a beauty salon with Mom under the guise of a business partnership, only to be responsible for multiple medical accidents?

And then she blamed everything on Mom, humiliating her in the circle of socialites. No, no, no, this isn't a best friend—this is a sworn enemy in disguise!

Liu Yuwen's smile froze. Had she misheard? Cancan hadn't opened his mouth, yet she'd heard his voice, and the words were about her best friend.

Looking at her husband and sons, she noticed their expressions were slightly unnatural. No one knew them better than she did. The fact that they were all looking awkward at the same time suggested they might have heard Cancan too.

But it wasn't the right time to ask. After a pause, Liu Yuwen continued, "This is your Great-Aunt."

Normally, she would have asked Shen Can to address her as Great-Aunt, but Liu Yuwen suddenly didn't want him to. Instead, she gestured for him to sit down.

As Shen Can sat down, he thought:

Hmm, her surname is Zeng. I don't just know her surname; I know her name is Zeng Mei. Zeng Mei, Zeng Mei, what an unlucky name. Meeting my mother was truly her misfortune.

You cried about being so miserable from domestic abuse, and my mother encouraged you to be an independent woman and bravely say no to an unhappy marriage. You agreed so readily, promising you definitely would, then played the victim and moved into our house.

People who really want a divorce would want to be out the next day. Why are you dragging your feet like this? When asked about the situation, you just play the victim, wail about your suffering, and make up excuses.

Finally, using a connection who lived with us and wanted to curry favor with our family, she used my mother's name to swindle an investment and opened a beauty salon.

Opening a salon is one thing, but she didn't even run it properly. The equipment was second-hand, the doctors were second-rate, but her sales tactics were top-notch, and she swindled a lot of people.

When accidents happened at first, she didn't try to fix them or fire the doctors. She just kept trying to make more dirty money.

Although the police eventually cleared my mother's name and confirmed the salon had nothing to do with her, her reputation in the circle of socialites was ruined.

Before the investigation, my mother was accused of making dirty money—even a wealthy socialite like her would stoop to such things. After the investigation, she was painted as a complete fool—how could someone with such limited intelligence even be a socialite?

Since then, my mother hasn't dared to leave the house. Every time she goes out and runs into those socialites, she feels like they're all looking down on her, and she's gradually become depressed. It's not entirely her fault—she was blinded by her loyalty to an old friend, and who could have imagined you'd do such things behind her back?

Still, few people bother to put themselves in others' shoes. At any rate, we can't keep this incompetent fool around the house any longer. I need to figure out how to subtly hint to Mom that she should kick her out.

Liu Yuwen's grip tightened on her chopsticks as she listened. She had been skeptical at first, but now she truly believed it. After all, Zeng Mei hadn't mentioned going to the divorce court the next day. As Cancan had said, shouldn't someone suffering from domestic abuse and wanting a divorce be more urgent?

Moreover, Liu Yuwen hadn't told Cancan her name, yet he knew it. Among everyone present, only her husband likely knew her name, and that was because she had mentioned it to him before.

But her sons couldn't possibly know. Zeng Mei's family had recently moved back to City A after working in another province. Could Cancan predict the future? Or was there something else? Why else would he know how things would unfold?

"Mom mentioned Great-Aunt Zeng Mei is staying with us? Why didn't she bring her children?" Shen Ze asked casually, as if it were an offhand question.

Hearing Shen Ze's question, Zeng Mei immediately looked embarrassed. "Oh, that wouldn't be proper. My children are all grown up now; they couldn't possibly stay here."

As Zeng Mei spoke, her eyes flashed with intense jealousy. Even Liu Yuwen's son was more accomplished than hers. When they were in school, her grades had been better than Liu Yuwen's, and more boys had chased after her than after Liu Yuwen.

Yet now, she wasn't as well-off as Liu Yuwen. Was it just because Liu Yuwen came from a slightly better family? How ridiculous.

Bullshit! It's your damn son who doesn't listen to you at all. Who knows where he's off gallivanting now? And when you think about it, his acting is so bad—what if he messes it up and ruins everything? After all, ever since your family found out my mother was rich, you've been trying to squeeze money out of her, haven't you?

Squeezing a little wasn't enough, so you went for the big score and ended up in prison. Whatever, people like him never admit they're wrong. Let's just get rid of her as quickly as possible.

The family members all nodded in agreement. Dinner was eaten in a suffocatingly silent atmosphere and at breakneck speed. After all, sharing a meal with someone like that was truly nauseating.

After dinner, Liu Yuwen chatted with Zeng Mei with a forced smile, while the others sat in separate corners, scrolling through their phones. Meanwhile, Shen Can was still racking his brain for ideas.

Hmm, I've got it! We can leak the news about Zeng Mei being abused to her husband's workplace.

Unbeknownst to Shen Can, the family had created a new group chat right after dinner, and Shen Chi had started it.

"Do you think this will work? I feel like it's a long shot," Shen Chi said first.