Chapter 20 Escorting the Daughter-in-law

His gaze locked firmly on Lan Xubai. “I have always stood for fairness and justice!” he declared, then turned to the driver behind him, his expression fierce. “Xiao Li, call the police.”

“Wait—” Lan Luobai rushed over, drenched in sweat and panting hard, followed by his three roommates and two elderly men. “Uncle Liao, I have witnesses! My sister-in-law is being wrongfully accused!”

Everyone was out of breath, so tired they could barely stand up straight.

“Luobai?” Liao Si looked at Lan Luobai, his brows tightly furrowed. “What are you doing here?”

Lan Xubai was also surprised but remained focused on the woman in his arms. He glanced down at Lian Nanshu with deep concern and guilt clouding his eyes.

When Lian Nanshu saw Lan Luobai appear, she finally stopped crying. She had already anticipated this—one of the witnesses Lan Luobai brought was someone she had noticed earlier. When Driver Xiao Li pulled Liao Meimei from the lake, she saw two people across the water watching the scene unfold. Their clothing matched exactly with what she remembered.

“Uncle Liao, you can’t wrong my sister-in-law. She never pushed Sister Meimei.”

Liao Si frowned. “You can’t just cover for her because she’s your sister-in-law. That would be obstruction of justice.”

“We’re not covering for anyone! We were standing right behind the big tree and saw everything.”

“Yes, we’re students at the school. We saw it clearly. Teacher Nanshu was leaving, but that older girl stopped her, grabbed her hand, and then purposely fell backward.”

“That’s right. She verbally insulted Teacher Nanshu, saying that if she couldn’t have him, she wouldn’t let Teacher Nanshu be happy either. Then she deliberately stepped back, lost her footing, and fell into the lake. It was Teacher Nanshu who shouted for help and called someone to rescue her. And these two elderly men were collecting trash in the middle of the lake—they can confirm it.”

Lan Luobai’s three roommates all stepped forward to explain for Lian Nanshu. Their words were sincere and their eyes clear with honesty.

Liao Si’s face immediately turned cold. Doubt started creeping into his heart—could it really be his daughter’s fault? But then he quickly convinced himself that Lan Luobai must have bribed these people.

“How do I know you’re not lying? Maybe you paid them off!”

Liao Si still believed his daughter would never lie to him.

Lan Xubai grew even more angry upon hearing this. He stepped forward and questioned Liao Si, “Uncle Liao, let’s call the police. If you believe Luobai is lying, then let the authorities investigate. Since we now have eyewitnesses, we’ll definitely find more. Then we can see if it’s really your driver who’s lying.”

As he said the last part, Lan Xubai turned to look at the driver behind Liao Si, who was now visibly trembling.

One of the elderly men, the older of the two, finally spoke. “I may be old, but I saw it clearly. This young lady didn’t do a thing. It was the girl you called Miss Liao who fell back on her own and rolled into the lake. She even shouted that she was being murdered. This young lady reached out to pull her up, but she refused to be helped and shouted that the girl was trying to kill her.”

“I saw it too—it was exactly like that. They were walking on the stone path, then that other girl suddenly ran onto the grassy area by the lake.”

The old man pointed to Lian Nanshu. “This young lady hadn’t even stepped onto the grass at first. That other girl said a bunch of things, and only then did this one walk over. After a brief argument, when this young lady tried to leave, she was called back and that’s when the other girl fell.”

Liao Si’s face turned darker and darker, and he looked in disbelief at the driver behind him—Xiao Li was now shaking uncontrollably. As a battle-hardened veteran, he could easily tell who was lying in a scene like this.

Lian Nanshu hadn’t expected things to be resolved so quickly. She thought she’d have to defend herself much more.

Liu Yuanxiao sighed and closed her eyes in resignation. “What a mess…” She walked up to Lian Nanshu, then looked at Lan Xubai, her expression full of shame.

“Dabai, Nanshu, I’m sorry! It’s my failure in raising my daughter. I sincerely apologize.” She bowed deeply, a full ninety degrees.

Lan Xiongan stood off to the side, silently watching the scene.

Liao Si was too ashamed to look at either Lan Xubai or Lian Nanshu.

Lan Xubai looked down at Liu Yuanxiao, then at Lian Nanshu, still full of pain for what she had endured.

“Auntie, my wife has been wrongly accused once again. I can’t accept that. I will submit the evidence to the police—everything. Including the rumors she spread about my wife, the way she used her illness to manipulate other men to test and sabotage our marriage. Since Miss Liao shows no sign of true remorse, I believe jail is the best place for her.”

His voice was calm but full of fury, every word deliberately spoken.

“Auntie, Uncle Liao, you have both served the people and made great contributions. But now, you should look deeper into your daughter’s actions—see clearly what kind of person she truly is.”

“You—” Liao Si was so enraged he couldn’t even speak.

Liu Yuanxiao had initially wanted to plead on behalf of her daughter, but after hearing all this, she knew there was no chance. Tears filled her eyes as she lowered her head in shame.

Lan Xubai continued, “I’ve already handed the evidence to the police. When she wakes up, they’ll come talk to her. Goodbye.”

Without waiting for anyone’s response, he led Lian Nanshu toward the infirmary.

“Nurse, my wife’s face was hit. Can you take a look?”

The nurse saw the clear red handprint on her face, gently applied some ice, then treated it with an anti-inflammatory ointment.

“How much force did they use for it to leave a mark like this? Just a small face like hers—how could it possibly withstand such force?” The nurse looked at the injury with genuine sympathy. Lian Nanshu lifted her head to glance at Lan Xubai. His expression was still stern, still serious. He looked angry, she thought.

But remembering how he had just defended her, spoken up for her—at that moment, all the grievances she’d suffered over the years came flooding back in her mind.

In the past, there had never been anyone to stand up for her.

After finishing the treatment, the nurse left. Lan Xubai sat down in front of Lian Nanshu, frowning in distress as he looked at her small face.

“I should’ve been there to shield you. I didn’t know she went to find you. I’m sorry.”

The tears that had finally stopped welled up again instantly. Lian Nanshu broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

Hearing her sobs, his heart couldn’t help but tremble. He slowly moved closer, wrapping her in a hug, gently patting her back. “Go ahead and cry.”

When you’ve been wronged, of course you need to let it out.

But the next second—

“This is a hospital. Keep your voice down!”

Just as she was about to let it all out in a full-on cry, Lian Nanshu was caught between laughter and anger. She pounded on his shoulder, voice thick with emotion, “You jerk~”

Hearing her nasal, choked-up voice, Lan Xubai only felt more heartache. He continued gently rubbing her back.

“Don’t worry. This time, I won’t let her get away with it. I’ll protect you.”

He regretted not making her pay the price back then—his moment of softness gave her the opportunity to act again.

Lian Nanshu was truly upset. It had hurt. She leaned against Lan Xubai’s shoulder, holding back her cries as her body trembled.

“Sister-in-law!”

Lan Luobai had followed them in. She had been standing outside the door the whole time and hadn’t come in. But when she heard the sobbing, she couldn’t help but worry and stepped inside.

Seeing her sister-in-law leaning against her older brother’s shoulder in tears, she immediately grew anxious and apologetic.

“Sister-in-law, I’m so sorry! I didn’t help you in time and let you suffer so much!”

She had been thinking about finding witnesses for her sister-in-law and hadn’t followed her right away. It wasn’t until her father told her that she realized Uncle Liao had actually hit her sister-in-law—and even sent her to the police station.