“Come on — I’ve kicked you too! Now you go pick a fight with me outside! Go on, come out with me right this second!”
Xiao Yunting’s eyes burned red with rage, his voice sharp with icy fury.
He had never imagined that mother and daughter would dare pull such a stunt. Thank goodness the girl stood before him safe and sound — otherwise, he had no idea what irrational thing he might have done.
Her life had been hard enough in her past: she’d grown up all alone in an orphanage, working day and night just to scrape together tuition. When she finally found him, he’d gone and wronged her anyway. Before she could even heal from that heartbreak, she’d been hit by a truck and woken up in this strange, unfamiliar world.
The thought of it made his anger blaze hotter still. He seized Qin Mengshuang — pale as a sheet of paper — and dragged her toward the door as easily as if she were a helpless chick, without an ounce of mercy.
Xiao Shan rushed forward to stop him. But Xiao Yunting, blinded by fury, gave a mighty swing and sent Xiao Shan stumbling hard aside.
“Yunting, stop this at once!” Old Master Xiao hurried over too. Panicked, he called his grandson’s name and clamped a firm grip on his arm, straining every ounce of his strength to hold him back.
Yu Wanzhi caught her breath, her heart hammering in fear that Xiao Yunting might do something reckless. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, crying softly, “Please don’t do this… I’m so scared…”
At the sound of her tearful voice, Xiao Yunting went rigid. Slowly his grip loosened, and he let out a long, ragged breath, steadying his breathing. He glanced at Qin Mengshuang’s wretched, lifeless face — and with a look of utter disgust, shoved her away.
Old Master Xiao surveyed the chaotic scene, his face dark with displeasure. He first glanced at the stunned young girl, then at his panting grandson, and finally fixed his gaze on the pale-faced Qin Mengshuang.
“Tell me what truly happened. I know my own grandson well. He would never act so rashly — not unless someone provoked him first!”
A flash of malice flickered deep in Qin Mengshuang’s eyes. That little brat had already laid hands on her — and yet this old fool still sided entirely with that boy!
What, then, had all her twenty years of devotion to this family amounted to?
“It’s simply because I mentioned that Jiaorui wanted to speak — to speak with this Comrade Yu and settle a disagreement — and Xiao Yunting flew into a rage! I never imagined that twenty years of living under the same roof would mean less to him than a woman he’s known barely a few days!”
“You claim to treat her as a friend, but anyone with eyes can see what you truly think of her. Hah! I shudder to imagine what reckless things he might do in the future if he really marries someone like her!”
“A wife should be virtuous — a bad wife can ruin three generations! Father, Xiao Shan — you’d both better think carefully. If you let such a troublemaker enter the Xiao family, will we ever know peace again?”
Qin Mengshuang was in searing pain, yet her words dripped with calculated malice. Since all pretense was already gone, she had nothing left to fear.
Xiao Yunting flared up at her words, but Old Master Xiao swiftly held him back. The old man gave a faint, cold smile and said:
“I cannot say whether Xiao Yu will join our family. But I do know this: the greatest mistake of my life was allowing a viper like you into this house. You may have fooled that fool Xiao Shan with your old schemes — but did you truly believe you could deceive everyone?”
“Qin Mengshuang, for twenty years you’ve paraded around as the generous, gracious lady — while simmering with resentment behind everyone’s backs. Are you not weary of living such a lie? How many twenty-year spans does a person get? You’ve spent every day scheming and grasping for things that were never yours to take. I grow tired just watching you!”
The old man spoke softly, his tone betraying no trace of anger. Yet both Xiao Shan and Qin Mengshuang felt a chill crawl down their spines, raising the hair on their necks.
“Father… I have no idea what you mean… Back then…” Qin Mengshuang suddenly regretted her outburst. She knew the old man doted on that girl more than anything. After holding her tongue for so many years — why had she said those things just now?
Xiao Yuzhang cut her off sharply. “Enough. Hypocrisy sickens me most of all. Didn’t you say your daughter is missing? Then call the police. The military is not your personal service. If you have trouble — go to the police.”
Xiao Shan swallowed hard. With heavy, hesitant steps, he walked to the telephone and dialed the local police station.
The police arrived in less than ten minutes. Qin Mengshuang told them what she chose to share. Captain Zhou Yuan furrowed his brow as he finished taking notes, then turned to ask:
“So you’re saying your daughter Lin Jiaorui left early this morning to find Comrade Yu — solely to pick a fight with her?”
“Comrade Yu — did you have this quarrel?”
Yu Wanzhi lifted her gaze to meet the captain’s eyes, speaking with perfect innocence:
“I haven’t seen her at all today. I’ve only been in Beijing a few days, and I’ve been out seeing the sights. This morning I took a bus to Xiangshan Mountain to enjoy the scenery, and rode back toward the city around noon.”
“On the bus ride back, I met a girl. We hit it off instantly and talked happily all the way. This afternoon we walked the streets together, watched a film, and had dinner — we’ve been side by side the whole time. I never once laid eyes on Lin Jiaorui.”
Captain Zhou Yuan nodded slowly.
“Did anyone see you at Xiangshan? And — what is the name of this girl you met? Where does she work?”
Before Xiao Yunting could object, Yu Wanzhi herself flared up.
“Captain Zhou — why on earth would I need a witness for going sightseeing? Why must I prove I never met her? If you’re so inclined to believe Qin Mengshuang’s words and suspect me in her daughter’s disappearance — shouldn’t it fall to you to produce evidence linking me to it?”
“Besides — just because Qin Mengshuang claims her daughter came looking for a fight, does that make it true? I could just as easily claim Lin Jiaorui ran off with some disreputable acquaintance she met! Why not demand her prove her story is true?”
Xiao Yunting gave a cold snort and chimed in:
“Exactly! With how heavily you’re leaning toward her, I could just as easily say you’re having an affair with her! Go on — prove to me right now that you’re not!”
Zhou Yuan fell silent. He shifted his gaze toward Old Master Xiao seated at the head of the sofa, and Xiao Shan beside him. He realized he had indeed leaned toward Madam Qin — after all, comparing the daughter-in-law of a military commander to a girl with no standing in the Xiao family… naturally he had weighed one side heavier.
Old Master Xiao gave him a sharp, withering glance.
“Captain Zhou — your professional judgment leaves much to be desired, does it not?”
Zhou Yuan pressed his lips together, inwardly groaning: Dammit… I’ve curried favor right into the mud.
“Ah — what I meant was… if Comrade Yu had witnesses, it would simply clear her name sooner. I meant it in her best interest.”
Yu Wanzhi rolled her eyes.
“I do not need your ‘best interest.’ Nor will I give you any information about my friend. If you wish to verify my whereabouts, I can give you a list of places I visited this afternoon. As for Xiangshan — I went there to admire the scenery. I paid no attention to who else was there!”