As soon as He Wanrou finished speaking, the elderly couple of the Shen family were stunned for a moment, their eyes filled with doubt.

That makes some sense. Suddenly pulling out a newspaper seems a bit... too deliberate.

He Wanrou noticed the change in the old couple's eyes, and she could hardly contain her smugness; the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl upwards.

It's done! As long as she can make the old couple have even the slightest doubt about Zhou Qiqi, she'll have a chance!

Zhou Qiqi sneered inwardly, "They've come, just as I expected!"

She was just waiting for He Wanrou to pull this last trick!

Otherwise, wouldn't all her previous act of feigning grievance have been for nothing?

Zhou Qiqi bit her lower lip, her head drooped, her shoulders hunched, and she said in a wronged tone:

"Sister He, are you implying that I was showing off? I really didn't mean that! I'm just... just a little slow to speak and a little clumsy... Just now, Sister He, you asked me to clean up the water stains, and I couldn't find a rag or mop for a moment. I was in a hurry, and when I saw some old newspapers nearby, I just grabbed them. I didn't mean any harm at all..."

She lifted her face, her eyes red-rimmed, tears welling up, and continued:

"Besides, I had no idea you'd suddenly break the cup, Sister He! Water was spilled all over the floor. It all happened so suddenly, how could I have had time to prepare the newspaper? Sister He, why do you have to think of me like that? Are you...?"

She choked back a sob, as if gathering her courage, and her voice trembled with tears as she accused him:

"You just don't want me to stay here, right? If you really dislike me that much, just say so! Why do you have to beat around the bush like this? I...I...you've wronged me!"

She was so out of breath that she suddenly buried her face in Shen Huaichuan's arms, her shoulders trembling, looking incredibly pitiful.

Shen Huaichuan quickly hugged her tightly, gently patting her back with his large hand and whispering words of comfort.

Looking at Zhou Qiqi's aggrieved appearance and recalling her earlier situation, Shen Zhenbang and Qin Peilan instantly dispelled any lingering doubts they had.

yes!

The water was spilled by accident!

How could Zhou Qiqi possibly have foreseen the future and prepare the newspapers in advance?

Considering He Wanrou's sarcastic and abusive demeanor just now, coupled with these words...

The scales in the elderly couple's hearts have now completely tipped in Zhou Qiqi's favor.

Qin Peilan, in particular, immediately frowned and looked at He Wanrou, her tone disapproving:

"Wanrou, what you said is indeed inappropriate. You shouldn't have made such assumptions about Qiqi."

This sudden reversal of the situation was like a bucket of ice water being poured over her head, leaving He Wanrou completely stunned!

The hatred and resentment in her heart were almost bursting!

Zhou Qiqi, that little bitch! Such a clever copycat!

What she just said, those words she used! Weren't they all things He Wanrou had said before?!

That bitch! She actually copied it verbatim and used it on herself?!

He Wanrou was so angry that her vision blurred and her chest heaved violently.

But she was no pushover; her mind worked quickly, and she immediately remembered Zhou Qiqi's "green tea" tactics against her: feigning innocence and shedding tears!

She steeled herself and, from an angle where no one could see, pinched her inner thigh hard!

The pinch was applied with great force, and a sharp pain shot through me, instantly bringing tears to my eyes!

She immediately adopted an expression even more aggrieved and pitiful than Zhou Qiqi's, tears streaming down her face, her voice trembling with sobs, as she retorted:

"Waaaah... Sister Qiqi, what are you saying? I... when did I ever say I didn't like you being here?"

She raised her tear-filled face, deliberately looking at the elderly couple from the Shen family, and then said...

"You're Huaichuan's wife in name only, and you...don't conflict with me. Why...why wouldn't I like you? What do you mean by saying these things?"

After she finished speaking, she immediately felt reassured.

She learned all these words perfectly!

That's what Zhou Qiqi just said.

She was waiting for Aunt Qin to speak up for her, just like she had defended Zhou Qiqi earlier.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, Zhou Qiqi, who had been "crying" in Shen Huaichuan's arms, suddenly raised her head.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, but there wasn't a single tear on her face, and her eyes were incredibly clear.

She looked at He Wanrou and asked softly:

"Yes, Sister He, Huaichuan and I are husband and wife. We've submitted the report and gotten our marriage certificate, but why..."

As she spoke, she sighed softly, her tone filled with confusion and hurt, and continued...

"You always call Huaichuan 'brother' and are so caring, but you find fault with me at every turn and try every trick in the book to target me? Why is that?"

This simple question, asked so casually and without revealing anything, was like a needle, piercing straight into the most hidden place in He Wanrou's heart.

He Wanrou's tear-streaked face turned deathly pale in an instant.

Zhou Qiqi's question was straightforward, without any beating around the bush.

The elderly couple from the Shen family had lived most of their lives and had seen all kinds of people and things. They were just blinded by their emotions and preconceived notions. But now, after Zhou Qiqi pointed it out and they thought about it carefully, they realized that was exactly the case.

He Wanrou, from the moment she entered, addressed Huaichuan as "Brother Huaichuan" with such warmth in her eyes and tone. But the moment she turned to Qiqi, her words were barbed, her praise masking criticism—the contrast was stark.

It seems she... really doesn't like Zhou Qiqi.

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