Qin Manshu's previous expression of sadness, pain, and despair vanished completely. She smiled and helped Madam Qin tidy her messy hair and clothes, then continued, "Sometimes I don't know if you're really crazy or just pretending. Why did it have to be you who made this call? You should know that Grandma cares most about the reputation of our Qin family. If she knew in the afterlife that you actually spread rumors about our Qin family, causing everyone in our family to be arrested and questioned by the police, she would never let you go, even as a ghost."

Her tone was gentle, just as gentle as when she spoke to Old Madam Qin. When Madam Qin suddenly grabbed her arm, her sharp nails scratching her arm and leaving a bloody mark, she wasn't angry. Instead, she looked at the blood on her arm and laughed.

She looked up and suddenly stared at Madam Qin.

Madam Qin seemed to subconsciously sense fear. She backed away, muttering to herself, "It wasn't me, it wasn't me, please don't hit me, please don't hit me—"

She seemed to finally feel fear when facing Qin Manshu. Instead of questioning him hysterically as before, her voice gradually softened, like a frightened child hiding in a corner, trembling.

As if recalling something, she felt increasingly afraid and hid, saying, "Don't come any closer, don't come any closer."

As she spoke, she waved her hand as if to chase Qin Manshu away.

Qin Manshu watched her approach step by step. She looked at this woman, just standing there expressionless.

Old Mrs. Qin has the most traditional mindset. In fact, she was very dissatisfied when Mrs. Qin gave birth to a daughter. If Mr. Qin hadn't passed away early, the old lady would definitely have demanded that the woman have another child. Especially now that there is sperm freezing technology, the old lady has said countless times that she should have forced her son to participate in the clinical research project that the Qin family invested in.

Although the technology at the time was quite good, it was far from being as mature as it is now. Qin's father had no interest in it whatsoever. He even knew his mother well; if this technology were used, the old lady would definitely go and choose other women who satisfied her for artificial insemination.

Before Madam Qin fell ill, the old lady had mentioned several times that she was not satisfied with her, and that she was not only dissatisfied with her but also with Qin Manshu.

Madam Qin lived an extremely repressed life. Sometimes the old lady would blame Madam Qin for not taking good care of her son's death. She would even angrily call Madam Qin a jinx, saying that her son had married her to bring bad luck. Madam Qin's condition was already very unstable because of her husband's death, and with these words from the old lady, she was often in a daze.

No one knows exactly how Madam Qin suddenly progressed to the point where she needed care. All that is known is that one day she suddenly went crazy and desperately insisted that Qin Manshu was not her child and that her child had long since died.

Afterwards, Madam Qin disappeared. The old lady, worried that Madam Qin might do something shameful, sent people to look for her. To their surprise, Madam Qin returned carrying an infant and gestured for silence to the old lady, saying, "I've found my child! I've caught up with her! This is my child—"

The old lady couldn't tolerate her daughter-in-law being so crazy, so she had someone do a psychological evaluation for Mrs. Qin. It was found that Mrs. Qin was mentally exhausted and had certain impairments in both perception and thinking, and even had some paranoia, delusions of reference, and non-bloodline delusions.

From then on, Old Madam Qin no longer allowed Madam Qin to leave the Qin family, and Madam Qin would never appear in public again. Madam Qin was placed under house arrest, and Qin Manshu became Madam Qin's guardian. Qin Manshu would strictly supervise Madam Qin's medication and have the medical staff accompanying Madam Qin report on Madam Qin's condition.

She was like a good daughter; even though her mother disowned her, and even though Madam Qin went mad, she would still grab Qin Manshu and demand that she return her daughter.

Qin Manshu stood there watching Madam Qin, watching Madam Qin's red eyes, watching Madam Qin's erratic behavior, she bent down and said, "I am your daughter."

"You're not!" the woman who hadn't dared to refute Qin Manshu just moments before cried out sharply.

Qin Manshu looked at her and corrected her, "If I'm not your daughter, then who is? You personally raised me and taught me to be obedient, to listen to you, and to listen to Grandma. Oh, it's a pity Daddy is dead, otherwise I should be listening to Daddy the most. How obedient I am now! Aren't I growing up according to your requirements? I do whatever Grandma tells me to do. If Grandma tells me to lock you up, I lock you up—"

She began telling Madam Qin how obedient she was, like a child begging for attention, seemingly waiting for the woman to say a word of praise. But she didn't get one, because Madam Qin kept watching her with trepidation.

Qin Manshu's gaze grew colder and colder. She looked at Madam Qin expressionlessly, her smile completely gone. She no longer begged for any answer from Madam Qin, but said in a cold tone, "Grandma disliked you making a fool of yourself the most. Now that she's gone, I'm in charge of the Qin family. You better not cause any more trouble, or you won't be able to explain it to Grandma when you leave."

She spoke very softly. She didn't know when Madam Qin would regain consciousness or have a relapse. It would be best to know when she was lucid. Even if she had a relapse now, she had already given her a hint. She would be very troubled about how to deal with whatever Madam Qin did next.

Qin Manshu no longer held any hope and turned to leave as if she had already accepted all the facts.

After the door closed, Madam Qin seemed to be greatly frightened, and she kept trembling with fear.

*

The news of the passing of Old Madam Qin and the death of Fu Peiyun, the former chairman of the Qin Group, from a serious illness quickly spread. In fact, people did not know much about this old lady, only that she was the grandmother of Qin Manshu, the current chairman of Qin's Pharmaceutical Group, a very large private hospital in China.

Although Old Mrs. Qin was strict with Qin Manshu, had a very strong hierarchy, looked down on many people, and was arrogant, as the chairperson of a large group that donated a large sum of money to charity and medical care every year, people still spontaneously wished the old lady a safe journey online.

Even the controversies she caused in public due to inappropriate remarks during her life are now receiving the greatest goodwill because of her passing.

In an effort to generate buzz, marketing accounts dug up photos of Mrs. Qin in her thirties attending various events. In those photos, Mrs. Qin appeared dignified and elegant, dressed beautifully, and the hashtag #TimeIsNoBeatsBeauty# became a trending topic.

Qin Manshu managed to suppress all the malicious marketing attempts to ride the wave of her fame. Now, she only hopes that the passing of Old Madam Qin will pass quietly and not cause any further related topics.