Chapter 220: Just Kill Me!

Xu Deming, still seething with anger, wanted to continue his assault but was restrained by Xu Xuehui. He was forced to retreat, a mix of rage and relief in his eyes. Despite the violent confrontation with Xie Bingyan, Xu Deming felt a twisted sense of satisfaction. For the first time, he had vented his pent-up frustration and anger.

Back in the living room, Xu Shuying was trying to tend to her wounded mother, while Xu Yuechan, who had been watching the ordeal unfold, was visibly shaken and fearful.

“Second daughter, you know about what happened years ago, right? When did it occur, and how did you find out?” Xu Deming asked, his voice steely and demanding.

Xu Xuehui’s eyes reddened as she spoke, her voice trembling with the weight of past events. “It was six years ago, right around the time Xu Mo was preparing for his college entrance exams. He collapsed while working part-time. Eldest Sister took him to the hospital for a full-body checkup.”

“Is that how Eldest found out? About the heavy metal poisoning? How severe was it? Are there any lingering effects?” Xu Deming pressed on.

“We don’t know the full extent of it,” Xu Xuehui replied. “Xu Mo hasn’t said much. There might be some lingering effects, or there might not be. Fifth Sister mentioned that heavy metals are very toxic and hard to remove from the bloodstream completely. If Xu Mo often suffers from headaches, it could be due to this.”

Xu Deming’s heart grew colder with each revelation.

Xu Deming was overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation. He was uncertain whether Xu Mo had suffered from frequent headaches over the years. The lack of clear information about Xu Mo’s condition made him anxious. Even if there was only a tiny chance of lasting effects, he couldn’t afford to be complacent.

“Did Xu Mo not mention anything to you about this?” Xu Deming asked, his voice filled with desperation.

Xu Xuehui shook her head. “We tried to reach out to him, but Xu Mo believed it was us who had poisoned him. It wasn’t until later that he might have realized it was Mom who did it.”

“Why didn’t he say anything? Why hasn’t he spoken about it since the day he left?” Xu Deming’s face was etched with confusion and regret.

“Yes,” Xu Xuehui confirmed with a sob. “Dad, it was because of this that Xu Mo hated our family. He used to look forward to returning home, even if there was only a slim chance. It was only after that incident that he lost all hope.”

“Then, perhaps… I might be an accomplice!” Xu Deming murmured, his expression one of utter despair.

“However, it’s all in the past. It’s been a long time, and Xu Mo should have recovered by now!” Xu Xuehui said hurriedly, fearing that Xu Deming might continue to investigate.

“It won’t be that easy to move past it. The body can recover, but the wounds on the heart are not so easily healed! I am an accomplice, truly an accomplice. I haven’t given him anything, not even a little bit…” Xu Deming’s eyes grew red as he continued to murmur:

“It’s been so many years! It happened five or six years ago, and all this time, I didn’t know or care at all. Second, I really didn’t care!”

Seeing his vacant and despairing expression, Xu Xuehui could only silently weep, unsure of what to say.

…

Xie Bingyan’s face was swollen.

She had been hit with several punches and slapped more than a dozen times, leaving her face bruised and swollen.

The room was in chaos, with the bookshelf overturned, the table flipped, and furniture scattered across the floor.

Even Xie Bingyan’s skirt was somewhat torn.

Her clothes and arms were stained with blood. She had just fiercely retaliated against Xu Deming, caught off guard by his willingness to physically confront her.

The fact that Xu Deming had choked her, attempting to kill her, enraged Xie Bingyan even more.

Now, with a bit of recovery, she spotted a large glass trophy nearby and immediately reached for it, intending to storm outside. Her anger only grew as she thought about taking the trophy and smashing it over Xu Deming’s head, hoping to cause him severe injury.

Xu Shuying saw this and quickly grabbed her, fear evident on her face: “Mom, what are you still trying to do? Is this not enough?”

“Let go of me!” Xie Bingyan screamed back at her.

“I won’t let go!” Xu Shuying cried out, “The family is falling apart, almost completely shattered! No one can save the Xu family now! It’s clearly your fault—why can’t you just apologize? How long are you going to keep this up?”

“Xu Shuying?” Xie Bingyan roared in anger, gritting her teeth with each word.

“Go ahead and hit me! I won’t let go! Do you still want to take the trophy and make things worse? Mom, how far do you want to take this? Eldest sister isn’t coming back. She said she’ll never return! She’s completely given up!” Xu Shuying cried out, “Why… do you have to try to kill him? Why?”

Xie Bingyan was furious and struggled to break free, but Xu Shuying held on tightly: “I won’t let go! Mom, you might as well kill me too! Isn’t that what you want?”

“Xu Shuying, I said, let go!” Xie Bingyan roared.

“I won’t let go! This is all your fault! Everything started because of you! And you’re still causing a scene! Aren’t you old enough to stop?” Xu Shuying said stubbornly.

“Enough? How could it ever be enough? Until Xu Deming is torn to pieces, it will never be enough!” Xie Bingyan yelled, her words coming out through clenched teeth.

“Then just kill me too! Poison me just like you did with Xu Mo! Since you’ve already poisoned one, what’s another?” Xu Shuying cried uncontrollably, unable to stop.

“Poison you? Who’s poisoning you?” Xie Bingyan roared, glaring at her with a face full of malice.

“Isn’t it you? Didn’t you want to poison Xu Mo? It’s been so many years—what grudges are still left unresolved? Why do you still want him dead?” Xu Shuying shouted through her tears.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Xie Bingyan’s rage erupted.

Xu Shuying cried, “I know Dad wronged you, and that you’re very resentful! But you already vented your anger when you abandoned Xu Mo years ago. Why continue doing evil? You brought Xu Mo back from the orphanage just to poison him! It’s been years—can’t you let it go?”

“What are you blabbering about?” Xie Bingyan couldn’t hold back any longer. She slammed the glass trophy to the ground and slapped Xu Shuying’s face.

The sharp crack echoed as Xu Shuying was slapped nearly to the ground, her hair falling loose.

In this moment, Xu Shuying felt overwhelming despair: “Just kill me! Just kill me! Since you’ve already poisoned one son, what does it matter if you kill another?”

“Fifth!”

Xie Bingyan could no longer control her rage. She furiously slapped Xu Shuying again, hitting her face with a forceful blow.

*Slap! Slap!*

Xu Shuying was slapped repeatedly, feeling heartbroken, but she clung desperately to Xie Bingyan’s legs, refusing to let her go to find Xu Deming.

“Even if you kill me, I don’t care! I don’t want to see this family anymore. Just kill me!”

Xie Bingyan’s anger flared again, and she tried to slap Xu Shuying once more. But Xu Shuying, unmoving and resolute, kept holding on to her.

Seeing this, Xie Bingyan lost control and smashed the glass trophy on the floor.

With a loud crash, the trophy shattered into pieces.

“It’s clearly your fault! You should never have poisoned Xu Mo! If you didn’t like him, you could have just let him go. Why poison him? You even used palladium from my lab…”

“What are you talking about? Who poisoned him? Who did what?”

Xie Bingyan was enraged.

“You! It’s you!” Xu Shuying stared at her, looking dazed and desolate, still clinging to her legs and refusing to let go. “We all know! Eldest sister knows, second sister knows, I know too! Xu Mo knew long ago who poisoned him! And now, Dad knows too!”