Chapter 69: Finally, the facade is torn off.

Jiang Shiyuan's expression froze for a moment.

"Tongtong is so pitiful... Aunt Xie, my heart aches for Tongtong!"

Lin Zhixin choked back tears, "I only hate that I can't take Tongtong's pain away. I'm so useless..."

"God, if you want to torment me, then torment me! Why can't you leave Tongtong alone?!"

"Zhixin, your health isn't very good either, so please don't say such unlucky things."

Madam Xie's eyes welled up with tears, clearly deeply moved by the woman. She gently patted her shoulder and said, "Jinghuai is very busy, flying all over the world. He has to shoulder the burden of such a large family business all by himself, so it's inevitable that he's not up to the task. In the future, we'll need your help to take good care of Tongtong."

Even though the child has a biological mother, she insists on entrusting the child to another woman.

It was as if Jiang Shiyuan was already dead in her eyes.

Lin Zhixin wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her fingertips and said firmly, "Auntie Xie, please don't worry. I will definitely treat Tongtong as my own daughter. Jinghuai, you can focus on your work."

Jiang Shiyuan lowered her eyelashes, her heart not stirred by much emotion.

She had long since become numb.

Over the past five years, Madam Xie has shown her disdain in various ways, while openly favoring Lin Zhixin. She even praised Lin Zhixin for being gentle and virtuous in front of Xie Jinghuai, saying that she was more suitable to be the Xie family's daughter-in-law.

Whenever this happens, Xie Jinghuai pretends to be dead, either drinking tea or looking at his phone, remaining indifferent.

At that time, Jiang Shiyuan thought he was just taciturn, just too lazy to care and do nothing.

Now it seems he tacitly agreed. Madam Xie was his mouthpiece.

"Mommy...Mommy..."

Tongtong's little mouth was cracked and dry. She opened her eyes groggily and burst into tears, hugging her tightly. "Auntie Xinxin! Mommy doesn't want me anymore!"

"Auntie Xinxin, please don't abandon me!"

Lin Zhixin quickly comforted her, "Auntie won't, Auntie will always be by your side, don't be afraid."

Jiang Shiyuan's pupils trembled, and she took a step back, disappearing into the darkness.

Is it that she doesn't want him?

Didn't he keep saying she was a nuisance, someone even dogs hate, and that he wanted his dad to get him a different mom?

Madam Xie launched into a tirade in a fit of rage, making no attempt to conceal the presence of outsiders; the more people there were, the more furious she became in her rant.

"She doesn't even care about her own son, all she does is laze around and fool around with other men! Does Jiang Shiyuan even deserve to be a mother? I don't think she deserves to be a human being! What a tragedy!"

Outside the door, Butler Ning, having finished her work, rushed over and, seeing Jiang Shiyuan standing at the door, greeted her happily:

"Young Madam, when did you arrive? Why don't you go inside?"

Madam Xie and Lin Zhixin, who were inside the room, naturally heard it. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with their own dark thoughts.

"Take good care of the young master."

Jiang Shiyuan didn't go in or say anything else; she simply turned around and walked downstairs.

Just as Butler Ning was about to call her back, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Madam Xie walked out, exuding a fierce aura, and asked abruptly:

"Jiang Shiyuan is here? Where is she?"

Butler Ning hurriedly said, "Young...Young Madam has come downstairs..."

"Disrespectful and ill-mannered brat!" Madam Xie cursed angrily, fiddling with her jade prayer beads, and stormed downstairs.

Only then did Butler Ning notice that Lin Zhixin was also in the room!

She only told the young mistress and the eldest young master about the young master's illness.

It seems that the eldest young master contacted Miss Lin privately, asking her to come to Guanlan Garden to take care of the young master. Then Miss Lin contacted Madam Xie.

Butler Ning tugged at his hair, feeling deeply regretful.

She meant well but did something wrong!

...

As Jiang Shiyuan stepped into the living room, Madam Xie's sharp voice pierced her back:

"Stop right there!"

Jiang Shiyuan paused, her eyes turning towards him with a cold expression.

Madam Xie's shout brought out all the servants in Guanlan Garden, who were all hiding in the shadows, waiting for this big show.

When the eldest son and his wife lived under the same roof as Madam Xie, it was common for Madam Xie to set rules for the young mistress.

But, each time it happened when the young master wasn't around.

In private conversations, they all lamented that there's nothing good about marrying into a wealthy family. Women without their own family's support are stuck with cold-hearted husbands, bossed around by their mothers-in-law, and have no dignity whatsoever.

What's the difference between this and long-term prostitution?

There are differences.

The young mistress's "spring" is only sold to the eldest young master, and it is only voluntary.

"Jiang Shiyuan, you gave birth to me but didn't raise me, do you even have a heart?!"

Madam Xie rushed up to her and angrily questioned, "I heard from Zhixin that you went to pick up other people's children from school, but you ignored Tongtong completely. Do you know how angry you made Tongtong?"

Tongtong cried all night last night, and today she's too sick to get out of bed; her asthma has flared up again. This is the kind of mess you, as her biological mother, have made!

“I have never ignored him; it’s just that he doesn’t want me to. Rather than be a repulsive mother, I’m willing to grant him his wish and give that child his freedom.” Jiang Shiyuan’s eyes were as still as a dry well.

She has truly let go of everything, and she's tired of it all.

Even if it wasn't Lin Zhixin, but Li Zhixin, Wang Zhixin... she wouldn't care who Xie Junheng's mother was.

"Oh, I understand."

Madam Xie narrowed her eyes and curled her lips into a mocking smile. "What are you up to? Do you think I can't see through you? Aren't you just looking for an opportunity to get revenge on Jinghuai and me because of what happened last time?"

I misunderstood you, but it's true that you're flirting with other men and have no self-control! You can't stand seeing Jinghuai and Zhixin getting close, so you came up with this despicable trick to use Tongtong to manipulate Jinghuai. To make Jinghuai suffer, you even stabbed the child in the heart... Even tigers don't eat their cubs, have you lost all your conscience?!

The servants glanced at Jiang Shiyuan with mixed and suspicious expressions.

"Hmph, that's true. Besides your status as a mother who has a son, what else do you have that compares to Zhixin?"

Seeing that Jiang Shiyuan remained silent, Madam Xie thought she had the upper hand and spoke even more sharply and viciously, "Zhixin is more favored by Jinghuai than you, more filial to her elders than you, and more educated, more capable, and able to help the Xie family. She is a hundred times better than you! If it weren't for your good fortune in getting pregnant with Jinghuai's child, do you think you could have held onto your position as the young mistress? Do you think Jinghuai would have tolerated you for so long?"

You're incompetent, immoral, and lack the skills to back it up; you have to accept that. Using a child as a pawn—how could your mother have raised such a despicable daughter?!

Having already made up his mind to leave, Jiang Shiyuan could ignore whatever this hermaphrodite said.

But that damned woman dared to drag her mother into this!

Jiang Shiyuan's almond-shaped eyes instantly turned crimson, two balls of anger burning and leaping in their depths, yet she instead laughed:

"Heh, if you liked Lin Zhixin so much, why didn't you insist on letting Xie Jinghuai take her into the family back then?"

"You speak so foully, like a toilet that's been clogged for three days. You must be regretting it so much you're vomiting up your guts!"