Chapter 17 Everyone knows the truth

Lan Yuchu didn’t know how to face her. Hearing everything that had happened today, he realized that if he hadn’t shown up in time, he didn’t even want to imagine what could have happened.
“From now on, don’t be so reckless. What if something really went wrong?” he said first, his voice slightly trembling.

Lin Qiyue noticed something off in his expression. He was clearly worried about her, so she offered a soft explanation:
“I just thought… I knew it…”
She started to explain but decided against it. Right now, the family probably didn’t know what had happened yet. She didn’t know how to explain it once they got home.

But just as luck would have it—when they arrived home, Lan Huaixi was already there.

Qian Xiuying sat with a cold and helpless expression, looking at her husband. The two weren’t speaking, and the atmosphere was thick with tension.

When she saw the front door open, Qian Xiuying immediately stood up and rushed over.
“Qiyue!”
Seeing the slap marks on Lin Qiyue’s face, she frowned in worry, wanting to ask what happened but couldn’t bring herself to say the words.
“I’ll go boil some eggs for you to help with the swelling.”
She turned and went into the kitchen.

Little Yangyang was playing in the courtyard, completely unaware of what had happened or the tension in the house. He didn’t know his mother was the reason for the suffocating atmosphere.

Lan Yuchu led Lin Qiyue into the living room.

“Dad?”

“Dad, Yuchu and I are back,” Lin Qiyue said. This was the first time she had met her father-in-law in person—a man with a natural aura of authority even without saying a word.

He sat with his eyes closed, suppressing the anger on his face.
Hearing Lin Qiyue’s voice, he immediately stood up. When he saw the bruises on her face, concern and guilt washed over him.

“Child, you’ve suffered… Please sit down.”
Lan Huaixi had never expected something like this would happen. He motioned for Lin Qiyue to sit, glancing unintentionally at Yangyang before sitting back down.

Lan Yuchu looked at his father, a little nervous.
“Dad… you already know everything?”

“Yes. I got word. That He Weiguo isn’t a simple man—his brother-in-law holds a powerful position. He wants to protect him. The local authorities couldn’t do anything, so they called my office and explained the situation. That’s how I found out my own backyard was on fire.”

Lan Huaixi had never imagined such a thing would happen inside his own family.
He Weiguo’s brother-in-law was the right-hand man of one of the four top leaders. One sentence from him could ruin lives. Everything hinged on the words of powerful people.

Lan Huaixi had done what he could to suppress the matter and called in relevant people to handle it. But the other side wasn’t willing to let it go—they wanted to use He Weiguo to take him down. Tonight was going to be a turning point.

Lan Yuchu wasn’t surprised.
“The chances of a conviction are high. But… Shen Qingmiao…”

Trying to suppress her involvement wasn’t going to be easy.

“Dad?”

Just then, Lan Chuhe returned home in a hurry after getting a phone call. He looked at his younger brother and sister-in-law, then at his father. He looked older than his thirty years, with a scruffy beard and weary face—like someone in his forties.

Lan Huaixi fixed his gaze on this son, the fury inside him bubbling up.
“Hmph. Great choice in a wife, huh?”

Lan Chuhe couldn’t say a word in his defense. He just stood there awkwardly.

Lan Huaixi gave a small motion with his hand, signaling for him to sit.

Seeing this, Lin Qiyue felt it wasn’t her place to stay any longer, so she said,
“Dad, big brother, I’ll go back to my room now.”

Lan Huaixi looked at her and nodded, his eyes filled with guilt.
“Qiyue, don’t worry. With me here, nothing will happen. Eat well, get some rest—you’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep.”

She was the child of an old friend who had entrusted her to his care before passing away. And yet, he had been too focused on work to properly care for her. Not only had he failed to protect her, but he’d let her suffer so much. He was deeply ashamed—unworthy of facing his departed friend.

Lin Qiyue left the living room and saw Yangyang pulling Qian Xiuying to come play with him. In that moment, Lin Qiyue was struck by how adorable the child was.

But then she remembered who his parents were—so cruel and heartless. She simply couldn’t bring herself to like him.
After all the torment the original Lin Qiyue had endured, how could she possibly feel affection?

Even Qian Xiuying’s expression had become conflicted when looking at the child now.

Back in her room, Lin Qiyue took a shower and started sorting out her dirty clothes.

Knock knock.
“Qiyue, it’s Mom. Can you open the door?” Qian Xiuying called softly.

Lin Qiyue opened the door and saw that Qian Xiuying’s eyes looked red and puffy from crying. She held a bowl of noodles and two boiled eggs wrapped in a towel.

“Qiyue, eat first. Sleep after you’ve eaten.”
She brought the noodles inside and pulled Lin Qiyue to sit down.
“Let me apply the eggs to your face—it’ll reduce the swelling quickly.”

Her voice had softened noticeably.

Lin Qiyue didn’t speak. She simply sat on the sofa and let her mother-in-law roll the warm eggs across her face.

“Ow…” she winced. The egg was still a bit hot.

“Just bear with it a little longer.” Qian Xiuying blew on the egg while continuing to gently roll it over the bruise. She couldn’t help but sigh.
“You… why didn’t you say anything when you were suffering? What if something had happened?”

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. Tears started to fall from her eyes.

“Mom, I’m sorry…”
Lin Qiyue realized she had been too reckless. If Lan Yuchu hadn’t shown up today, she would’ve been doomed.

Qian Xiuying sighed again.
“Qiyue… Mom owes you an apology.”

If it hadn’t been for her coldness, Lin Qiyue wouldn’t have suffered so much in this household. She’d always believed Lin Qiyue had schemed her way into marrying the second son.

If it hadn’t been for her husband explaining everything earlier—how it had all started and what Lin Qiyue had endured—she wouldn’t have known that this girl had been carrying so much pain all these years.

They’d nearly let that wretched couple destroy her life.

“Ever since you came into our family, you haven’t had a single good day. I’ve let your parents down… I’ve let you down too.”

Lin Qiyue gently comforted Qian Xiuying, saying, “Mom, you haven’t let me down. Everything will pass—don’t cry anymore.”

To her, it felt like she had avenged the original Lin Qiyue, but she didn’t feel happy at all. She’d been slapped several times and had nearly lost her life.

She was frustrated. Even though she’d transmigrated into a novel, she didn’t seem to have any kind of protagonist halo. He Weiguo even had powerful connections—if it hadn’t been for the Lan family’s high status, things would’ve ended very differently, and probably much worse for her.

Qian Xiuying watched as Lin Qiyue finished the noodles and coaxed her into eating the boiled eggs too.

After eating, Lin Qiyue felt exhausted. Her nerves had been stretched to the limit all day, and now she truly needed to rest.

She slept straight into the evening, until Lan Yusui came to wake her for dinner. Only the three women were at home—the men had all gone out.

“Mom, Yusui, where is everyone?” Lin Qiyue asked curiously.

Lan Yusui also found it strange. She shrugged and said, “I don’t know either. They weren’t home when I got back. Yangyang is gone too, it’s really odd.”

Lin Qiyue looked over at Qian Xiuying.

“Let’s just eat,” Qian Xiuying said, clearly not in the best mood. After all, she had raised that grandson for two years only to find out he wasn’t biologically hers.

The three women sat down to eat together. Qian Xiuying picked up some meat and put it into Lin Qiyue’s bowl, saying with concern, “If you’re tired, don’t go to work tomorrow. I’ll call and help you request a day off so you can rest properly.”

“Mom, I can’t. I already took Saturday off—I can’t take another day. And soon, I’ll be going to the countryside with Yuchu to visit my parents’ graves, and I’ll need a few days off for that too,” Lin Qiyue replied.

She remembered the original Qiyue hadn’t picked up her paycheck from the previous month yet—she couldn’t afford not to go in.

Seeing that Lin Qiyue was firm about it, Qian Xiuying didn’t insist further.

After dinner, Lin Qiyue helped clean up, but Qian Xiuying wouldn’t let her do much, telling her to rest instead—likely out of guilt. Lin Qiyue didn’t argue and accepted the gesture.

Back in her room, she pulled out the fabric she’d bought earlier and continued sewing clothes.

Lan Yusui poked her head in to peek. Lin Qiyue sensed someone watching her, turned around, and saw Lan Yusui at the doorway.

“Why don’t you come in?” Lin Qiyue asked curiously.

Lan Yusui couldn’t exactly say that their mom had asked her to check on Lin Qiyue’s emotional state.

“I just wanted to check on you. Second Sister-in-law, are you making clothes?” she quickly changed the topic.

Lin Qiyue nodded. “Just passing time. Making a few pieces.”

“Why don’t you make one for me too? I really like the styles you make. And that braid you did the other day—I’ve never seen anything like it!” Lan Yusui was genuinely excited and wanted Lin Qiyue to teach her.

“Sure, I’ll teach you,” Lin Qiyue said.

“Really?!” Lan Yusui was thrilled.

Lin Qiyue brought her to the mirror and began teaching her how to braid. Then she took her measurements and spent two hours sewing two dresses for her.

By the time it was bedtime, Lan Yuchu still hadn’t come home. Lin Qiyue didn’t wait for him. She left the door unlocked and turned off the lights to sleep.

In the middle of the night, in a daze, Lin Qiyue felt someone kiss her forehead and wrap an arm around her waist. She was sleeping deeply and didn’t think much of it, drifting right back to sleep until morning.

She had to get up for work—it was her first official day on the job in this world. She wanted to experience what working life was like, since in both her past lives, she’d died before ever having a formal job.

When she got up, Lan Yuchu was already gone. As a soldier, he was probably out for a morning run.

She put on one of the dresses she’d made and tied her hair into a neat ponytail. Looking at herself in the mirror, she found her reflection delicate and pretty. The slap marks had faded, though there was still a faint trace of redness.

When she opened the door, Qian Xiuying had already left for work, but just then, Lan Yuchu returned from outside.

“You’re up?” he asked.

Lan Yuchu was wearing a shirt she had made for him. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and the top two buttons of the collar were undone. His face had a sheen of sweat, and in that moment, he looked especially handsome.