Chapter 022: Birth Control Pills

Early morning sunlight softly blanketed the perfectly trimmed lawn of the Jiang estate.

Shen Qingli stepped out of her room dressed in a simple white T-shirt and light blue shorts, her long black hair casually tied back, a white crossbody bag slung over her shoulder.

As she passed the garden, she happened to overhear a few maids whispering to each other.

One of them, Liu Lifen, was gently turning the nozzle of a watering hose and said in a lowered voice, “Wow, Madam seems to be in a good mood today. I thought she’d be furious after seeing Miss Luo come down from upstairs, but look—she’s actually eating with them.”

She even glanced toward the main villa’s dining room with a look of disdain. In her heart, she was hoping Madam Jiang would drive Luo Shuyao out.

That way, Shen Qingli would have a shot!

Even though Shen Guiqi and Shen Qingli had already rebuked her, she still fantasized about Shen Qingli marrying Jiang Junwen and herself benefiting from that connection to the Jiang family.

Another slightly plump maid chimed in, still busy with her chores, “Exactly. Last night things got so tense—Young Master insisted on taking Miss Luo upstairs, and Madam was so angry. I thought for sure there’d be a scene this morning.”

At that moment, an older and more experienced maid sighed and said slowly, “Ah, mothers and sons fight all the time, but in the end it’s always the mother who compromises. How many women can truly fall out with their own children?”

Shen Qingli paused mid-step and glanced toward the main villa with a complicated expression.

In her previous life, Jiang Junwen hadn’t brought Luo Shuyao home.

The two of them hadn’t officially gotten together until after they went abroad.

Not long after that, Jiang Junwen started dating her instead.

When she first returned to the Jiang estate as his girlfriend, Madam Jiang had treated her very kindly and warmly—even invited her to stay for a meal.

At the time, Shen Qingli had been thrilled, thinking Madam Jiang had truly accepted her.

But in reality, Madam Jiang had put birth control pills in her soup.

She and Jiang Junwen had been together for a while by then, and Madam Jiang was terrified that her grandchild would come from the womb of a mere chauffeur’s daughter.

So she gave her a heavy dose.

Soon after drinking the soup, Shen Qingli had stomach pains and rushed to the bathroom, throwing up several times.

That incident damaged her health, and for the next five years, she was unable to get pregnant.

When Jiang Junwen found out the truth, all he said was that he couldn’t go against his mother—and just brushed the whole thing off with that one sentence.

Now, this time, the one being drugged was Luo Shuyao. Shen Qingli wondered what Jiang Junwen would do about it.

With those memories in mind, she quickened her pace to head out, but was suddenly stopped by the old butler hurrying toward her.

The old butler smiled and said, “Ali, don’t rush off just yet. Madam wants to see you. She has something to say.”

Shen Qingli frowned slightly, feeling a wave of irritation, but still nodded politely. “Okay, I’ll go right now.”

The butler smiled and gestured, “Come with me. I’ll take you there.”

As she followed him toward the main villa, Liu Lifen came over and grabbed her arm.

Shen Qingli frowned. “Aunt Fen? If it’s not urgent, let’s talk later. I’m in a hurry.”

Liu Lifen hesitated before lowering her voice and saying, “Last night, when you didn’t come back, Young Master was so worried. He even wanted to go out and pick you up in the rain. I’m telling you, he still cares about you.”

Shen Qingli looked at her coldly. “Aunt Fen, if you like Jiang Junwen that much, why don’t you go chase him and marry him yourself? He’s so great—how could you bear to give him to someone else?”

Liu Lifen’s face darkened in displeasure. “You little brat! How dare you say such outrageous things?”

Shen Qingli pulled her arm free and said coldly, “Let me say it again—I only call you ‘Aunt’ out of respect for my dad. Don’t assume that means you’re really my elder. From now on, stay out of my business. Or don’t blame me for being rude.”

With that, she strode off toward the main villa.

Liu Lifen stood frozen, glaring at Shen Qingli’s back, chest heaving with anger. “That ungrateful girl! I’m doing all this for her…”

…

In the garden, Luo Shuyao’s slippers from last night still sat at the doorway, mud clinging to the surface. Shen Qingli glanced at them with a flicker of disgust and ignored them.

When she entered the front hall, Madam Jiang was having breakfast with Luo Shuyao and Jiang Junwen.

The dining room was luxuriously yet warmly decorated. A crystal chandelier cast a soft glow over the elegant dishes on the table.

Madam Jiang had a gentle smile on her face as she said to Luo Shuyao, “I never had anything against you personally. It’s just that Ah Wen is still so young—only nineteen. He’s at an unstable stage in life, and I worry a relationship might distract him from his studies.”

This sudden change in attitude left Luo Shuyao stunned. Blushing, she glanced shyly at Jiang Junwen, her voice soft and sweet. “Auntie, I understand. I’ll make sure Ah Wen stays focused on school.”

In truth, although they had slept in the same bed last night, Jiang Junwen hadn’t touched her.

Luo Shuyao had wanted to go further, hoping to define their relationship—but Jiang Junwen didn’t even touch her. He used to be so attentive.

She suspected that Madam Jiang’s change in attitude might have been based on the false assumption that something had happened between them.

So now, she needed to be even more cautious—she couldn’t let Madam Jiang suspect anything.

Just then, Madam Jiang pushed a bowl of bird’s nest porridge toward her, her eyes full of affection. “Have some porridge, dear. You’re too thin.”

Luo Shuyao smiled and accepted it cheerfully. “Thank you, Auntie.”

She lowered her head and sipped the porridge obediently, looking sweet and well-behaved.

Meanwhile, Jiang Junwen had no appetite. He sat leaning slightly forward, brows tightly furrowed, looking clearly agitated.

Yet Luo Shuyao was right beside him, and his mother had accepted her.

So why was he still so unsettled? He couldn’t figure it out himself.

Until Shen Qingli walked in.

The moment he saw her, he straightened up and stared at her intently, his gaze filled with unspoken complexity.

Shen Qingli ignored him. Her eyes flicked to Luo Shuyao, who had nearly finished her porridge.

She pressed her lips together and politely asked Madam Jiang, “Madam, you wanted to see me?”

Madam Jiang smiled, a mysterious glint in her eyes. “I heard about what happened yesterday. Ah Wen snatched your phone so you wouldn’t take pictures, didn’t he?”

Shen Qingli nodded calmly.

Jiang Junwen frowned in displeasure. “Mom, are you seriously still making her keep tabs on me?”

Madam Jiang shook her head and glared at him, her tone a mix of reprimand and indulgence. “Of course not. I just meant—you can’t treat Ali like that. Why would you steal her phone? Life’s so inconvenient without one.”

Then she pulled a brand-new phone—still sealed in the box—out of her handbag and handed it to Shen Qingli. “I saw your screen was cracked, so I bought you a new one. It’s also a little thank-you for keeping an eye on Ah Wen these past few days. From now on, you don’t need to monitor him. Shuyao will help me with that.”

Luo Shuyao, having finished her bird’s nest porridge, smiled sweetly, her eyes curving into little crescents. “Don’t worry, Auntie! I’ll make sure he studies hard!”

Shen Qingli sneered inwardly but kept a sweet expression on her face.

She took the phone, thinking that now she wouldn’t ask Jiang Junwen to reimburse her for the screen repair.

She thanked Madam Jiang obediently. “Thank you, Madam. I’ll head to school now.”

Madam Jiang nodded with a smile. “Go on, then.”

Jiang Junwen immediately stood up, his movements hurried. “It’s getting late. I need to go to school too.”

Luo Shuyao also stood up, but suddenly clutched her stomach. Her face turned pale, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She grabbed Jiang Junwen’s sleeve and whispered weakly, “Ah Wen… my stomach… it really hurts…”