Chapter 42

Zhang Qiufeng grasped Ye Yao’s hand, her grip weakening.

Things had not developed as she had intended. So much time had passed, and she had hidden the truth for so long…

But how did this child find out?!

“Ye Yao, explain yourself! What is going on here?”

“Yeah, is there something else behind all this?”

The neighbors couldn’t wait to ask questions, completely forgetting that Wang Guihua had initially come to settle a score with Ye Yao and her mother.

Wang Guihua finally started to panic. “Ye… Ye Yao, some things shouldn’t be… shouldn’t be talked about carelessly…”

“Seventeen years ago, not long after I was born, my father was still around and was very close friends with Uncle Zhao,” Ye Yao interrupted, not giving her a chance to continue.

She knew Wang Guihua was afraid now, but it was too late.

“That year, Uncle Zhao made a terrible mistake…”

At that moment, Wang Guihua’s pupils shrank violently. Unbelievable—Ye Yao really knew!

Zhao Jianshe lowered his gaze, feeling like he no longer had the face to face anyone.

The neighbors followed Ye Yao’s words, trying to recall. Seventeen years ago, there didn’t seem to be any major incident involving the Zhao family.

However, there was the Ye family. At that time, Ye Yao’s father, Ye Dongming, was working in a factory, transporting goods, holding onto a secure government job, and living quite well.

But that same year, he got into an accident while driving, hit someone, and fled the scene.

However, on the third day after the accident, he voluntarily turned himself in at the police station. Not only did he pay a huge sum in medical compensation, but he was also sentenced to three and a half months in prison. After being released, he was fired from the factory.

From that point on, the Ye family’s decline began.

Ye Yao’s voice continued, “Uncle Zhao hit someone with his car and ran away.”

The surrounding crowd collectively gasped.

This… this…

“Ye Yao, are you mistaken? We all remember—wasn’t it your father back then…?”

The speaking neighbor suddenly seemed to realize something, their face changing color.

“Could it be that…?”

Not just them—everyone else also started to connect the dots, looking at Zhao Jianshe in shock.

Zhao Jianshe did not deny it. He had no intention of denying it.

Back then, he had acted on impulse, making a terrible mistake. Later, out of fear, he had even gone as far as to kneel before Ye Dongming, begging for help.

At that time, Wang Guihua was already pregnant with their second child. A traditional doctor had checked her pulse and predicted it was a boy. Zhao Jianshe couldn’t bear the thought of his unborn son growing up without a father.

Ye Dongming, as his best friend and a kindhearted man, eventually caved under his pleas and took the blame for him.

They had thought that since the victim hadn’t died, it would just be a matter of paying compensation. But they never expected Ye Dongming to be sentenced to prison and lose his job.

Perhaps it was karma—when Wang Guihua was six months pregnant, she suffered an accident and lost the baby.

It was a fully-formed baby boy.

For all these years, Zhao Jianshe had lived in regret, wondering countless times—if he could go back, he would never make the same choice again!

His cowardice had completely destroyed his best friend’s family.

Wang Guihua stared at him fiercely, seeing that he was about to admit everything. She grabbed his arm desperately.

So many years had passed, and no one even knew if Ye Dongming was dead or alive. As long as Zhao Jianshe didn’t admit it…

“Yes, I was the one who hit and ran all those years ago!”