She took a breath and continued:

“We’ve figured things out. It’s not like what Lin Yao’s parents said at all! Their daughter did something wrong, but she turned around and blamed Qi Qi! Qi Qi did nothing wrong; she’s the biggest victim!”

He Wanrou was completely stunned, her mouth agape in disbelief:

"But, Auntie, didn't you say yourself that you wanted them to get a divorce?"

Qin Peilan was taken aback by the question, and her face instantly flushed slightly with embarrassment.

She did mention divorce twice in the heat of the moment.

But all of that happened after receiving a phone call from Lin Yao's parents that twisted the truth. In a fit of anger, they felt that their son had been bewitched by a country woman, which was why he spoke recklessly.

Moreover, the main target of her complaints at the time was her son, Shen Huaichuan, whom she blamed for "lacking self-control" and "failing to recognize talent."

But they never tried to smear Zhou Qiqi.

No one else has ever used such vulgar language as "little bitch" or "poisonous woman" to insult others like He Wanrou!

Qin Peilan has a straightforward personality and has always been bold and responsible.

She took a deep breath, didn't shy away, and nodded directly in admission: "Yes, I did say that."

Her gaze shifted to Shen Huaichuan and Zhou Qiqi, her eyes filled with apology and sincerity.

"This is where I was wrong, Huaichuan, Qiqi. On behalf of your father and me, I apologize to you both! We, the two of us, will never mention this matter again!"

When she looked at Zhou Qiqi, her eyes were gentle and kind, and her eyes and brows were full of smiles, clearly showing that she was very satisfied with this daughter-in-law.

But after she finished speaking, she turned to look at He Wanrou, and her expression completely turned indifferent.

From the moment she stepped through that door, He Wanrou kept calling her "little slut" and "poisonous woman," which made Qin Peilan feel uncomfortable.

She is an educated and cultured person, and she cannot tolerate such foul language.

She paused, her tone becoming more serious:

"It was all a misunderstanding before. Now that we've figured it out, let's put it behind us. But you, Xiao He, what you said just now was really awful and outrageous. You should apologize to Qi Qi properly."

He Wanrou stood frozen in place, her face flushing red and then turning pale.

All her previous assumptions were that the Shen family elders would completely change their attitude towards Zhou Qiqi.

I never expected things to change so drastically!

But surprisingly, curiosity turned into liking and protecting?!

Shouldn't it go from dislike to extreme disgust?!

The enormous difference made her head spin, and she was on the verge of a breakdown!

Ask her to apologize to Zhou Qiqi?! No way!

"But...Aunt Qin..."

She tried to struggle and say a few words in her defense.

Shen Zhenbang, who had been silent all along, spoke up calmly:

"An apology is warranted. Besides the issue of how you address her, there's another point: this isn't the old society anymore, where women are expected to hold up half the sky. Men and women are equal in marriage. Stop using outdated terms like 'divorce her.' Your awareness needs to be raised. If you can't do that..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

He Wanrou knew Shen Zhenbang's temper all too well. He usually didn't talk much, but once he did, his next sentence was likely to be telling her to "pack her things and go home."

She absolutely cannot leave! If she leaves, she'll have no chance at all!

Before Shen Zhenbang could finish speaking, He Wanrou bit her lower lip sharply, as if she had made a great decision!

She staggered forward, and to everyone's astonishment, she knelt down straight before Zhou Qiqi with a thud!

Her sudden kneeling made a huge noise, even startling Zhou Qiqi, who instinctively took a half-step back.

"Sister Qiqi! I'm sorry! It was my fault! Please forgive me! I really didn't mean to!"

He Wanrou's voice was choked with sobs, and tears streamed down her face.

"Please forgive me! I really didn't mean it! I... I misunderstood before! I thought you really did those things that hurt Brother Huaichuan and the Shen family. I... I was confused for a moment, blinded by greed, that's why I said those things about you! Please forgive me this time!!"

As she sobbed, she turned to Shen Huaichuan and added, still choking back tears:

"Brother Huaichuan, I'm sorry! I apologize to you too. I shouldn't have misunderstood Sister Qiqi..."

With tears streaming down her face, she looked quite pitiful.

Qin Peilan ultimately couldn't bear to do it.

She sighed, looked at Zhou Qiqi, and softened her tone:

"Qiqi, look... what do you think about this? Can you forgive her this time?"

In Zhou Qiqi's heart, of course she was a hundred times unwilling to forgive.

But He Wanrou has already gone to such lengths to put on an act. If she were to grit her teeth and say she wouldn't forgive him, it would only make her seem unreasonable and cold-hearted.

Moreover, she could tell that her mother-in-law still felt sorry for He Wanrou for taking care of them, and if she insisted on not forgiving her, her mother-in-law would definitely feel bad.

Given my mother-in-law's current health condition, she really shouldn't be subjected to any more stress.

Fine, let's just deal with it as it comes. Anyway, she's not afraid of He Wanrou's tricks.

Zhou Qiqi's mind raced, but her expression remained indifferent. She was too lazy to continue playing the "green tea" act and simply said calmly:

"Alright, Sister He, I forgive you. Get up now."

She paused, a half-smile playing on her lips, and added casually.

"Those who know will understand that you are sincerely apologizing; those who don't will think you're threatening me by kneeling here."

He Wanrou was so choked by her words that she almost spat out blood.

But she dared not show it on her face, and could only follow the lead, weakly standing up on her own, wiping away her tears as she said:

"Sister Qiqi, what are you saying? How could I be that kind of person? As long as you forgive me, I'll get up right now, I'll get up right now..."