Wu Xiufang pushed her away as if she had seen a ghost, her voice turning anxious. "What did you just say?"
"I said the woman who was strangling me in my dream seemed to say her surname was Zhu," Meng Yao corrected herself. "People and events in dreams are nonsensical, I don't remember very clearly."
Wu Xiufang's face had already turned deathly pale. If Zhu Qin had truly become a vengeful spirit, she should have come for her, so why would she harm her daughter?
Now she had lost her only son and only had two daughters left, and Meng Yao was her most beloved.
She never believed in such things, no matter what she had done before, but Shaohua was gone, forcing her to believe in retribution.
Meng Yao was startled by Wu Xiufang's stunned and fearful expression. She quickly tugged at her hand and asked, "Mom, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Wu Xiufang snapped back to reality and said, "I'm afraid you've encountered something unclean. Tomorrow, you'll come with me to the temple to pray, and let a high monk take a look at you."
"No need. Mom, I'm fine," Meng Yao said. She had mentioned the woman's surname was Zhu to test her mother, but seeing her mother's reaction, she could already conclude that her mother knew or recognized Aunt Zhu.
She had only mentioned a surname, and her mother became so nervous and fearful. Could it be that her mother had truly done something wrong to Aunt Zhu?
Wu Xiufang insisted on taking her to the temple, saying, "It's better to believe it exists than not to believe it doesn't. Let's go and get a protective amulet."
"Mom, I was just scared by Jiaxi holding the knife, that's why I had this nightmare..."
"Listen to me, we're going to the temple tomorrow. I'll also ask your sister if she's free later. If she's not, we'll get a protective amulet for her." Wu Xiufang was determined for her to go.
Meng Yao thought she had no choice but to accompany her mother. She really shouldn't have tested her like this.
Wu Xiufang then asked her, "Did you thank Song Jiaping? Is he staying at a hotel now?"
"I sent him a text to thank him. I haven't seen him again and don't know where he's staying this time," Mu Mengfan didn't want to see Song Jiaping at all now and was afraid to.
She couldn't accept or forgive what Song Jiaping had done before. Before he knew her, he knew she was the daughter of his enemy, yet he deliberately approached her and tried every means to make her fall in love with him.
Wu Xiufang had also sent people to investigate, but they couldn't find out where Song Jiaping was staying.
It seemed Song Jiaping was deliberately hiding his whereabouts this time. If he hadn't saved Meng Yao, no one would have known he was back.
Without quickly ascertaining Song Jiaping's whereabouts, she could never feel at ease, always feeling that something big was about to happen.
Wu Xiufang couldn't ask Meng Yao about Song Jiaping's residence again, so she could only say, "When you have time, invite Song Jiaping out to relax with you."
"Mom, maybe not. My marriage with Jiaxi failed, I don't want to see him, I just want to heal myself," Meng Yao became sad again.
"I understand how you feel. You look so haggard. You should rest. I'll go to the kitchen and see what nourishing soup I can make for you." Saying this, Wu Xiufang left her room.
Meng Yao didn't lie down to sleep. She hugged her pillow and wondered what she should do.
Her mother seemed to already know Song Jiaping's true identity and kept asking her about him, intentionally or unintentionally.
Before, her mother never thought highly of Song Jiaping and never brought him up proactively.
If her mother were to openly confront Song Jiaping, what should she do?
Meng Yao didn't want anything to happen to either of them. How could she stop them from hurting each other?
...
Meng Qi searched online for information about the Wu family's past, but found very little about the Wu family's history.
She had also asked people to investigate, but many things had happened many years ago, and it wouldn't be clear in a short period.
Meng Qi tried to contact Song Jiaping, but the phone number he had called her from was either unanswered or completely unreachable.
If Song Jiaping truly intended to take revenge on her parents, why did he go abroad earlier?
Moreover, Song Jiaping had intended never to return when he went abroad. Now that he had suddenly returned to Lancheng and his whereabouts were uncertain, was he planning to launch an unexpected attack on her parents?
The more Meng Qi thought about Song Jiaping's past actions, the more uneasy she became. How could she protect her parents?
If everything Meng Yao said was true, then it was a deep-seated hatred, and reconciliation would be impossible. She could only stand by her parents and help them with all her might.
...
Song Jiaping saw Meng Qi's call but didn't answer it.
It seemed Meng Yao had already told Meng Qi about this. Meng Qi calling him was nothing more than trying to persuade him not to deal with her parents.
But he knew he couldn't agree. Before formally filing a lawsuit, he planned not to see Meng Qi and Meng Yao again.
Song Jiaping had waited for so many years, and thanks to the help of President Qin and Officer Su, he finally had this opportunity for revenge, and he couldn't give up or miss it.
Otherwise, he would truly be letting down his parents and grandfather who were in the netherworld.
As for Meng Yao, he had already sent people to protect her in secret, and he would not let Meng Yao encounter the same danger again.
Song Jiaping turned off his phone. This time, he was full of confidence and certainty, and he could finally get revenge.
...
The next morning, Wu Xiufang took her two daughters to a famous temple in Lancheng.
She prayed to every Bodhisattva in each hall with great piety, only hoping that she could still be lucky enough to eliminate those who opposed her, such as Song Jiaping and Qin Tianyi.
After they burned incense and paid homage to the Bodhisattvas, Wu Xiufang led them to meet a high monk of the temple and obtained protective amulets for them.
Wu Xiufang had something to ask the high monk privately, so she asked Meng Qi and Meng Yao to wait outside.
Coincidentally, Meng Qi also wanted to have a private chat with Meng Yao. They went to a pavilion outside and sat down.
"Why did Mom suddenly think of coming here to burn incense and get peace amulets today?" Meng Qi asked strangely.
"She also saw that video online. She's probably afraid something will happen to us again," Meng Yao said in a smaller voice. "I also told Mom that I had a nightmare and dreamed of Song Jiaping's mother, which scared her."
Meng Qi suddenly understood and asked, "Was Mom very scared at that time?"
"Yes, not just scared, but terrified. She was stunned for a while before she recovered." Meng Qi then asked, "Sister, did you find anything? What if Mom and Dad really did such wicked things?"
"Those old matters won't be found out so quickly, it will take some time." Meng Qi had already thought of what to say. "What else can we do as children? Of course, we have to help them deal with Song Jiaping. We can't let him ruin our family and the company."
Meng Yao cautiously asked, "Then if they do too many bad things, can't we uphold justice and eliminate evil even at the cost of family ties?"
Meng Qi didn't expect her to say something like that and retorted, "The phrase 'uphold justice and eliminate evil' is easy to say, but can you really do it? Among us three siblings, Mom and Dad spoil and indulge you the most. Can you bear to see them go to jail at this age?"