Xia Jianyong truly hadn’t expected Xia Yuhuan to completely defy conventional reasoning.
Although Xia Yuhuan had been too young when she went missing and had forgotten her childhood memories of her biological mother, she was well aware that her mother had died while searching for her.
On the day she first learned of this, she had been overwhelmed with grief, weeping bitterly and consumed by guilt.
She believed it was all her fault—that her disappearance had caused her mother’s death.
If not for her, her mother wouldn’t have died.
It was precisely by leveraging this guilt that Xia Jianyong had managed to control Xia Yuhuan and dared to pressure her into the substitute marriage.
Unexpectedly, this tactic no longer seemed effective? Could it be that Xia Yuhuan no longer cared about Xia Qingqing at all?
Noticing that Chi Zhenghao was already paying attention to them and that Xia Yuhuan was about to speak again, Xia Jianyong immediately snapped, “Xia Yuhuan, if you dare spout nonsense again, consider whether you can bear the consequences!”
With his back to Chi Zhenghao, Xia Jianyong’s eyes bore nothing but icy murderous intent toward Xia Yuhuan.
If not for living in a society governed by law, Xia Yuhuan would likely have died at his hands more than once by now.
Xia Yuhuan sneered, “The mother who truly loved me is already dead. The person standing before me now is nothing but a hypocritical and disgusting scumbag. You don’t even deserve to be called ‘Dad’ by me. What consequences could I possibly be unable to bear?”
Xia Jianyong stared fixedly at Xia Yuhuan, “Since you know your mother loved you, surely you wouldn’t want her to rest uneasily even in death, would you?”
Xia Yuhuan fell silent at his words, her reddened eyes and tightly clenched fists seeming to scream of her resentment.
Thinking she had conceded, Xia Jianyong softened his tone to persuade her, “Xiao Huan, I am, after all, your biological father. Though we’ve been estranged due to our years apart, what grudge can last overnight between father and daughter?”
“I know you resent your sister for growing up by my side and can’t stand the sight of her. You want to ruin her marriage, but you are her elder sister after all. If such malicious behavior gets out, how will outsiders view you?”
“Be good now. Let’s keep family matters within the family and discuss them privately behind closed doors. There’s no need to make a spectacle of ourselves in front of outsiders.”
As he spoke, Xia Jianyong moved closer to Xia Yuhuan, thinking that even if he couldn’t persuade her, he could at least cover her mouth or knock her out in time.
But Xia Yuhuan remained wary of him, retreating step by step as he advanced, not allowing him to get any closer.
Just as Xia Jianyong grew increasingly frantic, he spotted Li Rouyue holding a stick behind Xia Yuhuan.
Chi Zhenghao, who had been watching the situation closely, instinctively shouted, “Watch out behind you!”
Almost simultaneously with his warning came a loud thud as something hit the ground.
“Ah! Ouch…”
After a brief cry of surprise, all sound ceased.
It was Li Rouyue—Xia Yuhuan had thrown her over her shoulder onto the ground. The pain knocked the wind out of her, leaving her temporarily unable to make a sound.
“Yueyue…”
“Mom…”
Xia Jianyong and Xia Zhuyu exclaimed simultaneously.
They rushed forward to check on Li Rouyue.
Seizing the opportunity, Xia Yuhuan moved further away, watching the father and daughter crouched worriedly over Li Rouyue with a trace of mockery in her eyes.
Though her combat skills were average, she had always maintained her physical training and possessed considerable strength. Having taught herself a few self-defense moves in her previous life, combined with her heightened vigilance, the techniques had finally come in handy.
The feeling of subduing an enemy with a single move—it was exhilarating!
Xia Zhuyu glared at Xia Yuhuan through tears, shouting at her, “Xia Yuhuan, how can you be so vicious? My mother is also your stepmother, and you actually struck her so harshly! Aren’t you afraid of seriously injuring her?”
Chi Zhenghao, standing nearby, frowned and said, “But just now, Auntie was the one who attacked Xia Yuhuan with a stick first.”
“If she hadn’t retaliated in time, she would be the one lying here now.”
Xia Yuhuan looked at Chi Zhenghao in surprise upon hearing this.
She truly hadn’t expected Chi Zhenghao to speak up for her.
Although she didn’t need it.
So, was Chi Zhenghao a man overflowing with a sense of justice?
The thought flashed through Xia Yuhuan’s mind, but her expression remained cold as she spoke, “That’s right. I, Xia Yuhuan, am not the type to take a beating passively. I think you all should have realized that by now.”
Chi Zhenghao, standing beside her, asked, “What were you about to say earlier? What is the truth behind Xia Zhuyu wanting to marry me?”
He hadn’t forgotten that it was this matter that had triggered the earlier chaos.
Xia Jianyong, hearing this, immediately glared at Xia Yuhuan, his eyes filled with threats.
When he spoke to Chi Zhenghao, however, he was restrained and polite: “Nephew, she’s just jealous that her sister grew up by my side and can’t stand to see Zhuzhu doing well. That’s why she’s speaking recklessly and talking nonsense. Yuhuan, isn’t that right?”
Xia Yuhuan curled her lips into a smile. “Of course not!”
“You want to threaten me into silence by using my mother’s ashes? Well, I refuse to comply!”
“I’m the type who weighs a hundred pounds, with ninety-nine pounds of defiance—my specialty is disobedience.”
Xia Jianyong was so furious his head was buzzing.
Never before had he regretted bringing Xia Yuhuan back as much as he did now.
Xia Yuhuan turned to Chi Zhenghao and said, “Silly little brother, do you really think Xia Zhuyu likes you? She’s just using you as a cover.”
Chi Zhenghao frowned, but Xia Zhuyu screamed and lunged forward. “Shut up, Xia Yuhuan! Shut up!”
Xia Yuhuan quickly hid behind Chi Zhenghao, using his figure to block Xia Zhuyu while speeding up her words.
“Xia Zhuyu had already received a notice from the Youth Office to go to the countryside, but she didn’t want to endure the hardships there. So, she agreed to meet with you, hoping to marry you to avoid going to the countryside.”
“Chi Zhenghao, Xia Zhuyu is using you as a shield, a scapegoat!”Although you’ve achieved some success in the military and are qualified to take her with you as a dependent, if you marry her at this critical moment and someone reports you for maliciously evading the rural policy, your future will surely be affected, right?””
“Shut up, Xia Yuhuan, shut up! Hao-ge, don’t listen to her nonsense! That’s not how it is! I didn’t—I truly like you, Hao-ge! Don’t let her drive a wedge between us…”
Unable to reach Xia Yuhuan or stop her from revealing the truth, Xia Zhuyu broke down, screaming in despair.
Seeing that Xia Yuhuan had already exposed their plan, she knew it was all over.
She wasn’t sure if Chi Zhenghao would still believe her declaration of love, but she didn’t dare to give up even a sliver of hope at this moment. She quickly grabbed Chi Zhenghao’s hand, trying to explain.
Chi Zhenghao looked at her with icy eyes, his expression utterly cold.
“Is what she said true?” Chi Zhenghao asked coldly.
“No, it’s not true, nothing she said is true! My feelings for you are real, Brother Hao, you have to believe me. She’s deliberately trying to drive us apart, she has malicious intentions…” Xia Zhuyu defended herself incoherently.
Xia Yuhuan had already dropped the bombshell she wanted to drop and accomplished what she set out to do. She had no intention of prolonging the confrontation.
“Well, it seems you two have some issues to resolve privately. I won’t stay and intrude. I’ll leave you some personal dimension to talk it out. Please continue.”
With that, Xia Yuhuan turned without hesitation and dashed toward the door.
She truly embodied the art of lighting a fire and making a quick escape.
Xia Zhuyu’s eyes burned with resentment as she watched Xia Yuhuan’s retreating figure.
At this moment, she wished she could tear Xia Yuhuan apart with her bare hands!!!
But she didn’t dare let go of Chi Zhenghao’s hand, afraid that if she released him, he would run away and any possibility of their marriage would be completely ruined.
Xia Zhuyu could only cling desperately to Chi Zhenghao, pleading and explaining with humble desperation.
She didn’t want to be sent to the countryside – clinging tightly to Chi Zhenghao was her only lifeline. Unless all hope was completely lost, she would never stop fighting for this chance!