Chapter 96

Hearing Yáo Hóngméi’s words, Xia Qingning’s eyes flickered. Seeing the guilt and determination in her eyes, she understood what she wanted to say. Without hesitation, she immediately replied:

“Okay.” Then, she quickly walked to the living room and said to Lu Jingzhe, who was sitting at the table:

“Sister-in-law said she has something to tell you.”

Lu Jingzhe looked slightly confused but didn’t ask anything. He followed Xia Qingning into Yáo Hóngméi’s room.

Logically, it wasn’t appropriate for him, a younger brother-in-law, to enter his sister-in-law’s room. But with Xia Qingning accompanying him, and his intuition telling him that Yáo Hóngméi must have something important to tell him, he didn’t mind so much.

Yáo Hóngméi was leaning against the bed. When she saw the tall, cold-looking Lu Jingzhe, the sense of justice she had built up in her heart suddenly weakened. Her gaze involuntarily avoided his.

Xia Qingning noticed her expression and, fearing a change of heart, immediately reminded her:

“Sister-in-law, didn’t you have something to tell Jingzhe?”

“Oh, oh.” Yáo Hóngméi responded but didn’t say anything else.

Her eyes were downcast, and her expression became increasingly complex. On the one hand, she felt guilty towards Xia Qingning and Lu Jingzhe. On the other hand, she was afraid of the consequences of revealing the truth, which she couldn’t bear.

She wavered between her conscience and self-preservation, struggling constantly. She didn’t speak for a long time.

As she remained silent, Xia Qingning’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper. Finally, she couldn’t help but remind her:

“Sister-in-law.”

Yáo Hóngméi finally came to her senses. She had made a decision. She looked at Lu Jingzhe and said softly:

“Second brother, thank you for buying us so many things. You really spent a lot of money.”

Xia Qingning’s eyes instantly darkened. She couldn’t help but ask:

“Sister-in-law, is that all you want to say? Back then, Lu Lìdōng…”

“Qingning!” Yáo Hóngméi immediately raised her voice, interrupting her:

“I don’t mean anything else. I just want to thank Second brother.”

Hearing her words, Xia Qingning’s face turned cold. She knew that Yáo Hóngméi wouldn’t tell Lu Jingzhe the truth about climbing into bed that year.

Perhaps for a moment, she really wanted to tell him, but now she had too many concerns. She still held a glimmer of hope, thinking that Lu Lìdōng still had feelings for her and wanted to continue living with him. So, she didn’t want to reveal the truth and dig up her husband and mother-in-law’s grave.

“If it’s just thanks, then forget it.” Before Lu Jingzhe could speak, Xia Qingning answered for him. Her voice was a little cold. She turned to Lu Jingzhe and said:

“Let’s go.”

Sensing the low pressure emanating from Xia Qingning, Lu Jingzhe frowned slightly. He looked at Yáo Hóngméi and asked in a deep voice:

“Sister-in-law, are you sure you have nothing to say?”

Yáo Hóngméi met Lu Jingzhe’s cold gaze and immediately lowered her head in guilt. Then, she gently shook her head.

“Let’s go.” Xia Qingning said to Lu Jingzhe. She didn’t look at Yáo Hóngméi again and turned and walked out of the room.

After they left, two lines of tears streamed down Yáo Hóngméi’s face. She knew that she hadn’t helped Xia Qingning clear her name. She had left in a huff. Actually, how could she not want to tell the truth? But her current situation…

Yáo Hóngméi lowered her head in guilt and whispered:

“Qingning, I’m sorry!”

It was impossible not to be angry, but now that it had come to this, Xia Qingning couldn’t force Yáo Hóngméi to tell the truth. She sat at the table and calmed down for a while before her mood recovered.

She also realized that she had been a little too hasty. Her goal wasn’t just to help the original owner clear her name and restore her reputation. She also wanted Wang Mingfang and her son to pay for what they had done. A painless price wouldn’t do. It had to be a devastating price, one that would cripple them!

Well, since Yáo Hóngméi still had illusions, she would shatter them completely. Then, she wouldn’t have to force her. She would take the initiative to deal with Lu Lìdōng and his mother and son.

It was late today, so they couldn’t practice driving. Xia Qingning started learning self-defense with Lu Jingzhe again. After practicing for a few days, she had basically mastered the key points of a few moves, but unfortunately, she was too weak. Now, when she used them, they were just fancy moves.

But building strength wasn’t something that could be achieved overnight. She wasn’t in a hurry. In a while, she would go to the army with Lu Jingzhe. There would be many opportunities for training. The facilities and equipment would be better there, and the training would be more systematic and convenient.

At this time, Lu Lìdōng, who had just gotten off work, walked into the courtyard with a worried look on his face. As soon as he came back, he didn’t care about his wife and children. He directly started calling “Mom.” He called out once, but no one responded. He became even more anxious.

“Brother.” He Shanshan heard his call and came out of her room. Then, she pulled Lu Lìdōng into her room and exaggeratedly told him that Yáo Hóngméi had threatened to tell everyone about the things they had done to Lu Jingzhe and Xia Qingning.

Lu Lìdōng’s face turned pale. He knew his brother’s personality better than anyone else. If he really found out, it would be a disaster. He looked fierce and cursed:

“That stinky woman, she’s good for nothing. If she dares to talk nonsense, I’ll beat her to death!”

As they were talking, they saw Wang Mingfang walking into the courtyard with a cloth bag. Seeing his mother, Lu Lìdōng finally felt like he had found a backbone. He immediately told He Shanshan to quickly call her in.

Soon, He Shanshan pulled Wang Mingfang into the room. The three of them closed the door. Lu Lìdōng looked at Wang Mingfang anxiously and asked:

“Mom, how did your chat with Pandi go today?”

Compared to her son, who was flustered, Wang Mingfang was much calmer. She spoke with confidence:

“What are you panicking about? Are you afraid your mother can’t handle a little girl?”

“It’s not that, Mom. You don’t know, she’s young and easy to fool, but her mother is not a pushover. If her family finds out, they’ll definitely come knocking on our door. They’ll definitely try to extort money from us. If things get out of hand and Dad finds out…”

Lu Lìdōng didn’t continue. He was still somewhat afraid of Lu Bǎichuān. On the one hand, Lu Bǎichuān was the head of the family, and he still had some authority. On the other hand, he was afraid that he would no longer financially support him.

“How could your father find out?” Wang Mingfang said confidently. Then she said:

“I’ve already found a place to settle her. I also told her not to tell her parents. Her parents treat her like a cash cow. As long as you send them some money regularly, they won’t come to the city. They won’t know about this.”

Lu Lìdōng felt a little relieved. He knew his mother’s abilities. But just as he was feeling a little better, he heard his mother suddenly say:

“The most important thing now is to get a divorce quickly.”

“Divorce!?” Lu Lìdōng was excited again. His voice became louder. He looked at Wang Mingfang in disbelief.