"Father—!"
All eyes turned in shock, then widened in astonishment.
Shen Yuhan stumbled forward, her knees buckling as she collapsed just beyond the threshold of the room, her hands clenched tightly over her chest. Her voice rose again, trembling and raw, "Why must Heaven punish our Shen family like this? First Mother, and now you? Father, please… please open your eyes and speak to me—just once!"
Her sobs were not the gentle, artful whimpers of Shen Yulan—they were wild, unrestrained, the kind of sorrow that cracked through restraint and shattered decorum. Her body shook with every breath, as though grief itself was wringing her dry.
"Father… if I could take the pain for you, I would—just take me instead!" she cried again, her voice breaking. "How can a daughter bear to see her father like this?"
Behind her, Ah Zhu and Ming'er knelt in practiced synchronicity, their cries harmonizing with hers, their red-rimmed eyes shimmering with tears they had coaxed out minutes earlier. One of the older maids nearby gasped softly, moved by the sight of the once cold and distant eldest daughter breaking down so completely.
Even the physician paused in his preparations, casting a glance at the kneeling trio, murmuring under his breath, "The eldest miss… truly knows what it means to be filial."
Madam Su, who had been kneeling beside Shen Zhirui's bed, froze mid-wipe. Her hand trembled as she stared at Shen Yuhan, her composure faltering for a split second.
Shen Yulan's lower lip trembled—not with grief, but with barely contained fury. Her eyes darkened as she watched Shen Yuhan's dramatic display, but her jealousy was masked behind the appearance of concern.
Shen Yuhan bowed low, her forehead touching the floor with a hollow thud. "Please, Father, don't leave us… please… I was wrong before, I should've come sooner… please wake up… I'll be a better daughter…"
Each word was clear. Loud. Perfectly audible to every servant and attendant in the room, causing their hearts to ache at the sight of Shen Yuhan crying for her father. The scene was so heart-wrenching, so meticulously performed, that it captured the full attention of everyone present.
Behind them, Ah Zhu and Ming'er, whose eyes were already red and wet with tears, immediately jumped into their roles. They gently pushed the older maids aside, finding their places beside Shen Yuhan, one on the left and one on the right, offering their full support in a perfect display of feigned sorrow. Together, the trio seemed like a single unit, the very embodiment of filial piety and heartache.
The air in the room thickened with emotion, and even Madam Su, whose earlier tears had seemed so genuine, felt her hold on the situation slipping.
Her eyes flickered between Shen Yuhan and Shen Zhirui, her lips tight with frustration. The eldest daughter's unrelenting display of grief was putting her efforts to shame. No matter how she tried to hold herself together, the contrast was unmistakable—Shen Yuhan was the true picture of a devoted daughter, and the weight of it pressed down on her. She clenched her fists under the folds of her sleeve, her nails digging into her palm as she struggled to maintain control.
She had never imagined that Shen Yuhan, the cold and distant child who had often appeared indifferent to her father's well-being, could become so convincing in this act. But there she was, throwing herself on the floor with abandon, every sob resonating with a desperation that threatened to overshadow her own carefully crafted tears.
Shen Yulan, standing off to the side, seemed to shrink into herself. She had always been the one praised for her filial piety, the one who could draw tears with the softest whimper. But now, as she watched Shen Yuhan's display, it was clear that she was no longer the center of attention. The pity that had once been her currency now belonged to Shen Yuhan, and with it, the entire room's perception of who was the rightful daughter.
Unable to contain her envy any longer, Shen Yulan stepped forward, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke, "Father… please don't be angry with Sister… she has always been a good daughter in her heart…" She reached out, her hand trembling as if unsure whether to comfort her sister or claim the role of the grieving daughter herself.
Her voice, though delicate, carried a weight of hidden resentment. Shen Yuhan's performance had unsettled her, and her facade of grief faltered for a moment.
But Shen Yuhan, not missing a beat, lifted her tear-streaked face to meet Shen Yulan's eyes. Her gaze was cold, calculating, but to anyone who did not know her as well as her two servants did, it appeared as though the tears made her vulnerable, frail even.
"You don't understand," Shen Yuhan choked out, her voice quivering with a tremor that seemed just a bit too exaggerated. "I've never been a good daughter... but I swear, now that I realize the depths of my mistakes, I'll make amends. I will be the daughter you've always wanted me to be." She bowed her head again, her hands pressed tightly to the floor.
Behind her, Ah Zhu and Ming'er exchanged a knowing glance, their expressions unreadable to the others. They remained silent, their faces painted with sorrow, their performances flawless.
Madam Su's voice trembled, and her gaze lingered on Shen Yuhan for a moment longer, an unreadable expression flashing in her eyes before it softened, becoming that of a caring mother—an image she had long cultivated. She reached out to gently pat Shen Yulan's head, her fingers brushing over her daughter's dark hair in a tender, almost possessive gesture.
"Enough of this," Madam Su said, her voice laced with a mixture of authority and concern. "Your father needs rest. I know our Yulan is deeply concerned for her father, but for now, let the physician examine him. I'm sure once he wakes up, he will understand how worried you were for him."
The words were a balm, sweet and calming, yet sharp enough to cut through the atmosphere of heightened emotion. In one swift move, she had redirected the room's collective gaze away from Shen Yuhan's masterful performance, and toward the vulnerable, tear-stricken face of her younger daughter.
.