Chapter 77: The Secret of the Old Mansion

In the Lishan area of A City, at the Song family’s ancestral home.

A black Porsche Panamera slowly drove in.

“Mom.” Song Qinglong stepped into the villa’s grand entrance.

Old Madam Song was seated on the sofa, engaged in conversation with her granddaughter. Upon seeing her son, her wrinkled face blossomed into a warm smile. “Qinglong, you’re back?”

Song Xiaoxiao looked up, her eyes curving into a playful pout. “Dad, what took you so long?”

Before Song Qinglong could respond, a soft, melodious voice interjected: “Xiaoxiao, darling, that’s no way to speak to your father.”

Xiaoxiao sat up straight, her face etched with disdain. “Who asked for your opinion?!”

“Oh, you child.” Old Madam Song hugged her precious granddaughter a little tighter. “How can you talk to your mother like that?”

“She’s not my mom!” Xiaoxiao’s lips curled into a defiant pout.

The moment these words left Xiaoxiao’s mouth, Chen Xue’s large, doe-like eyes welled up with tears. “It’s all my fault… My daughter refuses to accept me as her mother…”

Song Qinglong swiftly pulled Chen Xue into his embrace. “Xue’er, don’t be upset with Xiaoxiao. She didn’t mean it like that.”

Chen Xue’s voice trembled with emotion. “It’s my fault… being with you without any official status… Legally, Xiaoxiao’s mother is Du Mansheng, not me, Chen Xue… She’s called Du Mansheng ‘mom’ for six or seven years. How can we expect her to change that overnight?”

“All you do is cry! It’s so annoying!” Xiaoxiao, visibly irritated by Chen Xue’s tears, wriggled free from her grandmother’s arms and stormed upstairs.

“Xiaoxiao—” Song Qinglong called after her, but to no avail. Left with no choice, he turned back to comfort the distraught Chen Xue. “Who says you don’t have a status? We were together first! It was the Du family who forced me into this marriage with their power and influence… If anyone’s the third party, it’s Du Mansheng!”

Hidden at the top of the stairs, Xiaoxiao bit her lip hard, listening in silence.

Chen Xue’s sobs intensified. “Qing-ge^[1]brother Qing, please don’t say such things… Back then, when your father was gravely ill, if the Du family hadn’t stepped in to help… I fear the Song family might not have survived that difficult period…”

Old Madam Song nodded approvingly, clearly impressed by Chen Xue’s understanding and magnanimity.

However, Song Qinglong’s response was sharp and bitter. “The Du family this, the Du family that… Why does everyone keep singing their praises?! Do they truly believe that without their help, my Song family would have crumbled to dust?”

For a fleeting moment, a dangerous glint of malice flashed in his eyes.

Old Madam Song heaved a weary sigh. “Qinglong, I know you have your pride, and I understand how wronged you feel in this matter. That’s precisely why I supported you in bringing Xue’er back and even helped keep it hidden from the Du family! But when all is said and done… we owe the Du family a debt of gratitude. Mansheng… she hasn’t done anything wrong. Even if you want to divorce her now and marry Xue’er, I’m afraid it wouldn’t reflect well on us if word got out.”

“Yes, the Du family helped us, but haven’t I more than repaid that debt by helping them earn fortunes over the years? Their daughter has lived as the pampered young mistress in our home, enjoying every luxury. Have I ever mistreated her?” Song Qinglong snapped impatiently. “I’ll handle this matter myself, Mom. Please, let’s not discuss it further.”

Old Madam Song opened her mouth to speak but, after a moment’s hesitation, thought better of it and remained silent.

In the corner of the second-floor landing, Xiaoxiao pressed her lips together tightly as she absorbed every word of the conversation below.

A few moments later, she quietly crept back to her room.

As the cherished princess of the Song family’s younger generation and the apple of both the Song and Du families’ eyes, Xiaoxiao had lived a life of unparalleled privilege since birth, the object of envy for many.

But everything had changed drastically when she was just five years old…

Xiaoxiao could still vividly recall that fateful day when her father had suddenly brought home a delicate, unfamiliar woman and instructed her to address this stranger as “mom”…

How could this woman, who had appeared out of nowhere, possibly be her mother?