Chapter 55

“Qiao Baihe is the kind of person who, even when she’s bullied, just swallows her grievances. She’ll stand there with red eyes, still cooking for a bunch of ungrateful people, all the while wondering if she’s the most unnecessary person in the world,” Qiao Xinyi said.

Right after she finished, Chen Yubing picked up the thread: “Our family is small, our business is modest, and the child we raised is innocent. Unlike your He family—big family, big enterprise, big capabilities—and the kid you raised is full of tricks. Just nineteen years old, and already scheming like a spy in an espionage movie.”

“How can you talk like that?” Zhou Yun shouted angrily. “What do you mean, ‘full of tricks’? How can you talk about a young girl like that? You’re just being malicious!”

“Oh? You can’t take it when my mom says one thing about He Rou? Then how come you went mute just now when your family’s old lady said Qiao Baihe was full of schemes?” Qiao Xinyi shot back. “Qiao Baihe really is simple-minded. And the one standing next to you really is crafty.”

“Full of tricks” was absolutely not a compliment in this setting. He Rou bit her lip and started crying. Seeing Zhou Yun was about to speak again, she sobbed and said, “Mom, we came here today to take Baihe home. Please don’t argue with the Qiao family because of me. I’m not worth it. Qiao Baihe is your real daughter.”

She was crying so hard she could barely catch her breath, leaning entirely against Zhou Yun. Her voice was so weak it was barely audible—Qiao Xinyi would’ve described it as sounding like she was terminally ill. It was all so theatrical, it made you want to slap her just to make her stand up and speak properly.

“This is all my fault. I wasn’t thorough enough that day. I just missed Mom and Dad so much and wanted to surprise them by bringing their real daughter back. I only thought about making them happy—I didn’t consider how hurt Baihe would feel if Mom and Dad didn’t come in person to get her.”

He Rou began walking toward Qiao Baihe, reaching out to take her hand—but Qiao Xinyi quickly stepped between them and shoved Qiao Baihe behind Chen Yubing. He Rou swayed as if she had been gravely wounded.

“You cried and carried on at the police station last time, now you’re crying and carrying on again here. Honestly, if you don’t go into professional mourning, it’d be a waste of your talent,” Qiao Xinyi snapped. She wasn’t about to let He Rou get anywhere near the simple-minded Baihe. What if He Rou pulled some sob story stunt again right here?

Qiao Xinyi went straight for the jugular: “That day when you had someone pass on the message calling Baihe back, it was nothing more than a power play.”

“When Baihe went back, you pretended to be sick and kept your mom at the hospital. That wasn’t just a show of dominance—it was a way to test Baihe’s personality.”

“If Baihe had left after waiting a bit, you’d have written the whole thing off like it never happened.”

“But Baihe waited a whole day and night, and that’s when you knew she was easy to manipulate. That’s when you convinced your mom to tell outsiders that Baihe was just a relative who came to live with you.”

“So if anything, my mom calling you ‘full of tricks’ is really letting you off easy!”

Qiao Xinyi continued, “Even now you’re still pretending, speaking in that passive-aggressive tone. You think I can’t hear the implications in your words? He Rou, you really are a criminal’s daughter, through and through!”

Having her petty schemes laid bare in public like this—and then being hit with that last line, “a criminal’s daughter”—He Rou almost fainted on the spot.

“I didn’t—I really didn’t—how could you think of me that way?” He Rou sobbed, accusing Qiao Xinyi. “How can you be so vicious in how you judge me?”

“You didn’t?” Qiao Xinyi put her hands on her hips. “If you didn’t, then swear it. Swear to the heavens that if you had even one of those thoughts that day, then may you never marry into the family you’re engaged to now!”

Qiao Xinyi raised her chin. “Come on, He Rou, say you didn’t—then swear it.”

“Why are you being so aggressive?” He Rou cried, “I know you resent the Chen family for what they did to you—but am I not innocent? Why are you taking it out on me?”

Tears streamed down her face as she continued, “Just because I’m the Chen family’s biological daughter, you hate them and lump me in too—that’s why you’re treating me like this, isn’t it?”

“Cut the crap,” Qiao Xinyi waved her hand dismissively. “Just answer me—do you dare to swear or not?”

In the He family, it wasn’t just He Shengli who wanted to rely on He Rou’s fiancé’s family to climb higher in his political career—He Rou herself wanted to marry into that family to live a better life than the one she had with the He family. So of course, she didn’t dare to swear. Deep down, she was scared.

“See that? Guilty conscience. Can’t even answer,” Qiao Xinyi shook her head. “But I can swear! If I, Qiao Xinyi, have wronged He Rou, then may He Rou not be able to marry her fiancé!”

Her tone was so firm, so righteous, that for a moment, no one even processed what was wrong with what she just said.

Even He Rou fell into the trap. Furious, she blurted out, “Are you jealous that I found such a good man? Is that why you keep humiliating me again and again?”

Qiao Xinyi rolled her eyes dramatically. “I don’t even know who your fiancé is, but the fact that he picked you tells me he’s either blind or brain-damaged. So why would I be jealous of someone who found a dumbass like that?”

“My fiancé is ten thousand times better than whatever garbage you managed to dig up. I’ve got nothing to be jealous of.”

“You’re just an illiterate who’s never been to school a single day—what kind of good fiancé could you possibly find?” He Rou scoffed. When the He family had investigated the Qiao family, they hadn’t found any trace of a relationship for Qiao Xinyi. So He Rou assumed she was making it all up out of jealousy.

Qiao Xinyi was a tough one to argue with, so He Rou didn’t want to deal with her anymore. She turned back to Qiao Baihe and asked gently, “Baihe, are you still mad? Is that why you won’t come back with us? Are you upset because I was sick and didn’t come pick you up that day? Or are you mad that I was your parents’ daughter for nineteen years in your place?”

“If it’s because I didn’t go to get you, I’m sorry. I really didn’t do it on purpose—I was sick and in so much pain. I explained this to you. I just forgot by accident.”

“If you’re upset because I spent those nineteen years with Mom and Dad and stole your family from you, then I’ll kneel and apologize—I’ll kowtow to you.”

As she spoke, He Rou actually started to bend down. Zhou Yun, alarmed, rushed forward and stopped her. “Child, this isn’t your fault. How could I let you kneel and bow?”

The whole time, the twelve-year-old He Baiqiang had been silent, like he was holding it in. Suddenly, he burst out at Qiao Baihe with a shout:

“You annoying brat! Why should my sister kneel to you? Who do you think you are?”

“If you want to come back to this family, then fine—if not, forget it. You think you’re so special that everyone should be begging and flattering you?”

“Look at how peasanty and pathetic you look. All these people came to see you—that’s already giving you more face than you deserve. What more do you want?”

He Rou looked panicked and tried to stop him after he finished. “Little brother, don’t talk to Baihe like that. She’s your real sister. What you said might hurt her.”

“So what if it hurts her? In my heart, you’re my sister! It’s even better if she doesn’t come back—there’s no extra room in the house anyway,” He Baiqiang snapped. “And our older brother said the same thing—he only recognizes you as his sister.”

The “older brother” he referred to was He Wansing, the second child of the He family, who didn’t come today.

Thankfully, ever since the day Qiao Baihe had been brought back by Qiao Xinyi, she’d made up her mind to stay with the Qiao family and never go back. Otherwise, those words would’ve been truly heartbreaking to hear.

“You should all just go. I’m not leaving with you. I’ll always be my mom’s daughter,” Qiao Baihe said, clutching Chen Yubing’s hand tightly. “I don’t care that her house is small. I don’t care that she’s just a factory worker. She raised me for nineteen years, and I’ll be by her side for every nineteen years to come.”

She looked straight at He Baiqiang. “I don’t like your family. I don’t like you either. I already have a younger brother—and he’s better than you.”