Retired Villainess Transmigrates into a Cannon Fodder - Chapter 900

As for Mr. Shao, there was one thing he dared to say: Setting a trap and creating a scheme for someone in the business world was simply too easy. He immediately had his assistant investigate the Chen family and then informed Shao Yan about his plans daily, guiding him to accomplish the task while teaching him some tactics of the business world along the way.

The Shao family only had one heir, so if Shao Yan had the intention to change, then he should be taught everything that needed to be taught.

Shao Yan was unusually serious in his studies. He had made the decision to change, but this kind of change was quite agonizing. However, he didn’t like the feeling of seeing Chu Xiang explore the world while he remained stagnant in one place, so he had to change.

Mrs. Shao felt relieved just like her husband, but she was, after all, a mother. Seeing her son work so hard made her soft-hearted and compassionate. After thinking it over, she secretly arranged to meet Chu Xiang for a meal without informing Shao Yan.

Chu Xiang’s initial reaction was whether she had finally encountered a situation where someone had squandered five million. However, in less than a second, she dismissed that thought. As soon as Mrs. Shao saw her, she smiled and said, “I invited you out for lunch. Did it inconvenience you?”

Of course, Chu Xiang shook her head. “I’m just memorizing some vocabulary at school during lunch, and it’s quite dull. How could it compare to having a meal with you?”

Mrs. Shao liked her unaffected demeanor and remembered her admonition, so she asked, “Why didn’t you let me pick you up? Why did you insist on waiting a while before going into the private room with me? Is something the matter? Are you afraid of being seen?”

Chu Xiang answered truthfully, “Mommy Shao, I’ve noticed that no one in the class knows that Shao Yan is your son. I think there might be some gossip going on, so I need to be careful. Besides, I don’t want people to know how good you are to me.”

“Oh? Why not? Isn’t it good for me to support you?” Mrs. Shao looked at Chu Xiang, genuinely puzzled by this.

Chu Xiang smiled sweetly and said, “They’re just trivial matters. There’s no need to trouble you with them. I’m fine as I am now. Please don’t worry. By the way, did you come to find me today for something… related to Shao Yan?”

Mrs. Shao realized that Chu Xiang was truly intelligent. Not only was she adept at reading people’s expressions and body language, but she also had excellent deductive abilities based on certain clues. She chuckled and said, “If you were born into our family, you probably could have become your Dad Shao’s deputy by now.”

Her smile faded slightly as she picked up a glass of water and took a sip. Chu Xiang didn’t rush her and continued to calmly observe her. Mrs. Shao composed herself and sighed before saying, “When you first met Xiao Yan, he was expressionless and wouldn’t talk to anyone. It must have been difficult to get along with him at that time. But he wasn’t like this when he was younger.”

She took out a DVD from her bag and played a video for Chu Xiang. Her face showed a nostalgic expression. “This was recorded when Xiao Yan turned seven. Look, how lovely he smiled back then? How happy he was playing?”

In the video, the young boy was running around in the garden with his friends, sweating profusely but with a radiant smile on his face. The contrast between his current self and the boy in the video was like fire and ice, the difference was too great!

After watching, Chu Xiang looked up and asked her, “What happened to him? Was he kidnapped?”

Mrs. Shao was surprised and asked, “How did you guess that?”

Chu Xiang replayed the video and continued watching. “I feel like Brother Zhang is not an ordinary driver. He seems more like a skilled soldier.”

Mrs. Shao nodded. “Xiao Zhang was someone your Dad Shao had to pull some strings to get. He is extraordinary. With his protection, we can feel at ease sending Xiao Yan to school.” She took another sip of water, and her hand holding the cup trembled slightly before she placed it back down.

“When Xiao Yan was seven years old, his closest friend’s family went bankrupt. Because they were involved in something they shouldn’t have been, the Shao family didn’t intervene to save them. We only provided assistance after their bankruptcy, trying to send them abroad.

Xiangxiang, I don’t know if you understand, but at that time, the Shao family had already done everything we could.”

Chu Xiang reached out and held her hand, comforting her with a gentle voice, “I understand. Mommy Shao, it’s all in the past now.”

Mrs. Shao smiled briefly, gripping her hand tightly as if drawing strength from it. “Even now, when I recall those scenes from the past, I still feel suffocated. We believed we had done everything we could, but that family resented us, thinking we stood idly by. They even suspected us of being behind it all. They had no possibility of making a comeback at that time, so perhaps they were in despair and wanted someone to share their downfall. They actually had Xiao Yan’s friend deceive him and lure him out.

When we found him, he was under someone’s control, being forced underwater while being cursed at relentlessly. Xiao Yan’s good friend was crying beside him. He was scared, but he kept blaming Xiao Yan, saying that the Shao family ruined their family and that he deserved it.”

Mrs. Shao’s voice contained anger and tremor. “Xiao Yan was so young at that time. How scared and sad do you think he was? We saved him and took him to the best hospital with the best team of experts for treatment. He was in a coma for a week before waking up. After waking up, he didn’t cry or make a fuss, but he also didn’t speak or smile. He had no reaction to the outside world, not even eating.

The doctors and psychologists worked together for a long time, and he gradually became the way he is now, living a normal life, except that he doesn’t speak or show any facial expressions. I had thought that he would be like that for the rest of his life, until you… until you almost drowned.”

She looked at Chu Xiang with gratitude and sympathy in her eyes. “You’ve suffered. I heard that the situation was very dangerous at that time, and you went into shock, almost missing the opportunity for treatment.”

Chu Xiang nodded. “I asked my classmate, and she said I had no signs of life at all. Then Xiao Yan suddenly said, ‘I’ll do it,’ and he persisted in performing CPR on me until I was saved. He saved me.”

Mrs. Shao said, “Ever since then, Xiao Yan changed, changed for the better. I don’t know if it’s because he saw you almost drown and he personally saved you, which triggered something in him. In any case, the barrier he had to shut out the outside world started to loosen, and it’s been getting looser. I can see that he cares a lot about you, and he’s willing to listen to you. He’s even started to communicate with the people around him and started speaking.

His father and I went to see a psychologist, and the expert said that this might be his only chance in his lifetime. If it succeeds, he can become a normal person again. If it fails, he might build even thicker barriers and completely isolate himself from the outside world.”

Mrs. Shao took a deep breath and tightly held Chu Xiang’s hand. “Xiangxiang, I want to ask you, can you help Xiao Yan? He’s willing to listen to you. Can you help him come out of his shell? From now on, you’ll be the most important person in the Shao family.”

Chu Xiang could see how serious and anxious she was. Even though the Shao family was incredibly wealthy, Shao Yan was even more important to them. Her relationship with Shao Yan was extremely close, and even if Mrs. Shao didn’t say anything, she would help Shao Yan. Today, Mrs. Shao sincerely and earnestly shared the past with her and asked for her help, all because of a mother’s love and respect for her.

Chu Xiang smiled in response to her eager anticipation. “Mommy Shao, you told me not to stand on ceremony, but now you’re being formal yourself? Shao Yan will definitely be fine, don’t worry.”

Mrs. Shao smiled through her tears. “I know, I trust you. If you didn’t genuinely care for him, how could he have undergone such a significant transformation? Xiangxiang, thank you.”

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