Chapter 195: Overlapping Shadows

“How do you feel now? Did you get hurt anywhere just now?”

Jiang Lai’s gentle voice was mixed with anxiety and panic. ‘That bastard Si Yina,’ she thought, worrying intensely about whether Shen Ruxue was injured.

Based on the female bodyguard’s performance just now, that group was reckless. Jiang Lai was truly worried, and while she feared for Shen Ruxue, she also wanted to know her daughter’s situation.

Why did only Shen Ruxue appear here? Had her daughter, Jiang Leyi, managed to hide from all this, or had some other accident occurred?

Jiang Lai no longer believed a single word that came out of Si Yina’s mouth. she wanted to find answers from someone else, but those questions would have to wait until Shen Ruxue recovered her senses.

Shen Ruxue had only just woken up from her unconscious state. She felt as though her head was filled with mush; all her memories stopped at the scene where those hateful women had grabbed her.

Shen Ruxue knew nothing about what happened afterward, but her mental resilience was among the best. The first thing she did after waking up was glance at the person beside her. Finding that it was not her daughter, her frantic heart slowly settled.

Although Shen Ruxue was currently in a situation where she was completely unable to move and had no idea what she was about to face, her mood was not terrible. Instead, she breathed a sigh of relief.

‘As long as Jiang Leyi wasn’t caught, it’s fine,’ she thought. At least this time, as a mother, she had protected her daughter well.

“What’s the situation now?”

Facing Jiang Lai, who was in the same predicament as her, Shen Ruxue’s tone was as cold and indifferent as it had been at the resort. Yet, deep within her words, a hint of concern for Jiang Lai still leaked through.

“But you don’t need to worry too much. The police should know about our current situation by now. Besides, if I’m out of contact for too long, many people will come looking for us.” Jiang Lai looked at Shen Ruxue, who was actually comforting her, and her guilt reached its peak. She wanted to say something, but her words were shaky as she struggled to express herself. “I’m sorry… If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be in such a dangerous situation.”

“Is it because of you?”

Hearing this, Shen Ruxue felt a trace of resentment. If not for the woman in front of her, her daughter would not have been placed in such a dangerous position.

Shen Ruxue had experienced much in her life. No matter how difficult or absurd a situation became, she wouldn’t feel too much fear. As someone who had died once, many things failed to cause even a ripple in her heart.

However, when she heard that her daughter had encountered danger because she was caught up in the other woman’s affairs, the bit of heartache and concern she had felt earlier vanished without a trace.

Jiang Lai was no fool and keenly captured Shen Ruxue’s current resentment. It could be said that she herself was the culprit who had dragged the people around her into danger.

If she had stayed further away from Si Yina in the beginning, she wouldn’t have been targeted, and such a troublesome thing would not be happening now.

Since Shen Ruxue had ended up in this state because of her, Jiang Lai could never just ignore it. Enduring the other woman’s resentful gaze, Jiang Lai repeated the explanation she had given her sister-in-law, clarifying why all of this was happening.

“Rest assured, her target has always been only me. No matter what happens, I will never let you get hurt. I will definitely make sure you return safely.”

After Jiang Lai finished speaking, she could clearly feel that the way Shen Ruxue looked at her had changed. The original resentment was gone, replaced by a slight hint of pity.

Shen Ruxue was not an aggressive person. When she realized that Jiang Lai was also a victim, heartache took the lead. As for the prejudice and defensiveness she had held earlier, they vanished completely in that moment.

Shen Ruxue couldn’t explain why she believed her so easily. She didn’t know where this subconscious trust came from.

Looking at Jiang Lai — who was full of worry and taking all the blame and responsibility upon herself — she couldn’t help but associate the woman before her with her husband.

If her husband encountered such a thing, he would also think of bearing it all alone in silence. Even if his actions weren’t understood, and even if he became battered and bruised, as long as the people around him weren’t hurt, he would feel it was all worth it.

On this point, the two were extremely similar. Even those determined, beautiful eyes were identical to her husband’s. If she only looked at the eyes, she could truly see her husband’s shadow in the woman before her.

With such a striking similarity, she worried even more about Jiang Lai’s current state. After a moment of hesitation, Shen Ruxue shifted her body and leaned her head against Jiang Lai’s shoulder, softly comforting her. “Don’t take what’s happening now to heart, and don’t take all the responsibility upon yourself. You aren’t the reason for all this. If you want to blame someone, blame Si Yina.

“She’s practically a psychopath. Don’t start doubting yourself because of a psychopath. You have to believe that you’re a good person.”

In the end, Shen Ruxue still chose to believe in her sister’s choice. No matter what, her sister’s judgment shouldn’t be wrong.

Although her sister’s previous love-brained behavior had really made her anxious, the reason Shen Ruxue could trust the woman before her so much was because she was so much like her husband.

After completely letting down her guard, the things Shen Ruxue focused on were also different than before. In the past, she would unconsciously compete with the woman in front of her.

There were truly too many overlaps between them. Their first formal meeting was during the time her daughter was hospitalized, which could be called the start of their rivalry. Later came her sister’s clear favoritism — a level of favoritism that made her, the older sister, quite jealous.

But once she let go of her stubbornness, Shen Ruxue discovered special traits in Jiang Lai that she had never noticed before: her eyes and her character.

Shen Ruxue loved her husband immensely even now. When she saw the overlaps between this woman and her husband, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of affection by association.