Qiu Shuying let out a bitter smile. "Mother's mind has been twisted to the extreme. Do you think she really had my uterus removed for your sake?"
"No, not at all! She did it simply because she couldn't stand to see lovers end up together! Do you know why she brought me and your eldest brother out of the orphanage? Everyone outside thought it was out of kindness, but her true intention was to witness firsthand how deep the bond of childhood sweethearts truly was."
Childhood sweethearts!
Mother would never be able to escape those four words in this lifetime!
Nan Xiao's gaze deepened, as if he could swallow the entire universe in the next second.
Qiu Shuying avoided his terrifying gaze and continued, "My love for Nan Yao was a forbidden act in her eyes. Less than a month after I married your eldest brother, she started pushing women onto him. Your eldest brother cried himself to sleep countless times over this."
"But what could we do? Father never interfered in family matters, and Mother held absolute sway in this household. Your eldest brother had no choice but to keep his distance from those women, and I could only endure!"
"Mother was afraid I would get pregnant, so she had Aunt Xia bring me 'tonic' every day, and she would always watch me drink it before leaving. It was only when your eldest brother discovered the deception and bribed someone in the kitchen to secretly replace the medicine that I was finally able to conceive."
"But I never expected..." Qiu Shuying raised her hand to caress her abdomen.
This action reminded Nan Xiao of Luan Qian.
His throat felt as if it were blocked by something, and after a long struggle, he couldn't utter a single sound.
"It wasn't Yu Xi being naughty and bumping into me that day; it was Aunt Xia who pushed her onto me. It was all arranged by Mother. But by the time I learned the truth, it was long after the fact, so I feel guilty towards Yu Xi."
"After my uterus was removed, Mother thought your eldest brother would no longer love me, but she miscalculated. Not only did he not despise me, but he treated me even better. So she sent me away and drugged your eldest brother, causing him to sleep with that woman in our marital bed."
"You know what happened later. Qi Hongping became pregnant with your eldest brother's child and then came to the Nan family daily, demanding that I make room for her. In a fit of rage, I almost jumped into the river to commit suicide. It was Father's bodyguard who found me and sent me back to the old house."
"Eventually, Father stepped in and sent Qi Hongping away, and peace was restored to the household. But your eldest brother, fearing Mother would do more harm to me, began to pretend he didn't care about me, and would occasionally stay out overnight. Gradually, Mother stopped targeting me because your eldest brother..."
Qiu Shuying didn't finish, but Nan Xiao understood. The reason Mother no longer targeted his eldest sister-in-law was because his eldest brother already had other women outside.
Qiu Shuying pulled at her lips with a self-mocking smile. "Mother won. She managed to break up another pair of childhood sweethearts!"
"As for you and Yu Xi, it really wasn't me!"
"That day, I saw Aunt Xia sneak into Yu Xi's room and steal one of her dresses, and I knew she was up to no good again. So I followed her, wanting to see what she was up to. As a result, I overheard her and Xia Qianqian plotting how to get you."
"That night, Xia Qianqian changed into Yu Xi's dress and knocked Yun Siyan unconscious. I don't want to brag about how great I am or say I wanted to protect you. I just hated Aunt Xia and didn't want her to succeed. I knocked Xia Qianqian out and dragged her to Haitang Courtyard."
"Originally, I intended to throw Yun Siyan out as well, but Mother had stomach pains, and I was called to take care of her. I didn't have a chance to go back to your courtyard. As for how Yu Xi ended up in your bed, I truly don't know."
"And that manuscript, it wasn't me who wrote it. I only found out about it when Father came to see me. Otherwise, do you think Father would have tolerated me if it had really been me who wrote it?"
Nan Xiao fell into contemplation. If Qiu Shuying didn't write it, then who did?
And who exactly put Xi Bao into his bed?
And Aunt Xia, Xia Qianqian, they started scheming against him so early on.
All of them deserved to die!
Nan Xiao looked up at Qiu Shuying. Less than fifty years old, her eyes were already etched with wrinkles. She had been through so much these past few years; she was truly an unfortunate woman.
"Do you want to leave this place? I'll arrange it for you. A change of environment, forget everything here, and start anew."
Qiu Shuying shook her head. "I didn't leave when I was young, what's the point of leaving now? Don't worry, no matter how much I hate Mother, I won't do anything to harm her."
"I'm not worried about Mother, because you can't do anything to her. I just want you to live a more relaxed life."
"Thank you. But it's not necessary. For years, I've been reciting Buddhist scriptures and praying. I've let go of what needs to be let go." Qiu Shuying glanced at the time. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll have them prepare a few more dishes. You should have dinner with Father. He's been eating alone at home lately; he's quite lonely."
Nan Xiao looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze. He couldn't quite understand his sister-in-law's thoughts. Mother had done so many wrong things to her, why did she still choose to stay?
"Alright, I'll go to Father's courtyard first," Nan Xiao said, picking up the file bag and walking straight out.
Qiu Shuying watched his distant figure, a hint of an unreadable emotion flashing in her eyes.
Nan Xiao arrived at Nan Zhenting's courtyard and saw his father playing chess alone. He frowned slightly and sat down on the chair opposite him.
Nan Zhenting lifted his eyelids and glanced at him. "Finally decided to come back?"
Nan Xiao picked up a white piece and placed it on the board. "I went to eldest sister-in-law's courtyard to verify some matters."
Nan Zhenting frowned. "Verify what?"
"The person who knocked Yun Siyan unconscious back then wasn't Xi Bao, but Xia Qianqian!"
The name Xia Qianqian made Nan Xiao feel disgusted.
Earlier, his eldest sister-in-law had said that Xia Qianqian was involved in the past events, and he had barely managed to suppress his emotions. Now, in front of his father, he still couldn't help but gagged twice.
Nan Zhenting clutched the chess piece in his hand tightly, not moving it for a long time.
Nan Xiao picked up the teacup and took a few sips, finally suppressing the strong feeling of discomfort.
He calmly recounted to his father everything Qiu Shuying had told him.
He hadn't hidden anything from his father, perhaps his father knew more about the past than he did.
"It seems this Aunt Xia can't stay!" Nan Zhenting made up his mind and placed a piece heavily on the board.
"Yu Xi's matter, and that manuscript, were indeed not written by your eldest sister-in-law."
Nan Xiao frowned. "You know who did it?"
"You've been muddle-headed for the past four years. You haven't even noticed that the family changed drivers, have you?"
"..." He truly hadn't known!
"You mean that driver did it?"
"He was just a pawn. But as for who was instigating him, I hadn't found out before he died."
"Died?"
"Yes, when I was chasing him, his car was going too fast and crashed into the guardrail. Before he died, he admitted to doing those two things. But he didn't know who ordered him to do it. The reason he did it was because his wife and children were in that person's hands."
Nan Xiao slammed his fist onto the chessboard, cracking it instantly and scattering the pieces everywhere.