Chapter 550 Deliberate

"What's wrong with your voice? Are you angry and didn't get enough rest?" Zhao Xiyue continued to play the role of a caring bestie. "Let me come over and keep you company. Let's chat so you don't feel bored alone."

"No, really," Ji Wan immediately refused, his tone filled with anxiety that brooked no argument. "Nian Nian has a high fever, 39.8 degrees Celsius. I just used physical cooling to cool her down, and now she can't leave home without someone. And I'm afraid she'll be infected with you."

high fever?

Zhao Xiyue tightened her grip on the wine glass, and the tenderness in her eyes quickly faded, leaving only the coldness of being rejected.

What a good excuse.

Is it because you feel guilty that you dare not see me? Ji Wan, do you really think that your husband can cover up everything?

"Is that so..." Zhao Xiyue's voice was still gentle, but it was filled with an indescribable weirdness. "Then you have to take good care of Nian Nian. It's the most frustrating thing when a child is sick. I won't bother you anymore, just get busy."

After hanging up the phone, the disguise on her face instantly fell apart.

She drank the rest of the red wine in the glass and then smashed the glass to the ground.

After the crisp sound of shattering, there was deathly silence.

Zhao Xiyue pulled out a few photos from another encrypted phone.

The photos were taken from tricky angles, capturing moments of Nian Nian crying. One showed the child sitting on the ground with a bruise on her arm, as if she had been pinched.

One photo shows a child with a fever patch on his forehead, tear marks on his face, and his eyes full of grievance and fear.

There is another photo, showing Ji Wan's profile with a sullen face, forcibly feeding medicine to the child. The light is dim, and his face looks hideous.

These photos were taken secretly during her previous "visits" when Ji Wan wasn't paying attention. The bruise was from Nian Nian playing around; the tear marks on her face were from crying during the vaccination; the medicine she force-fed was because it was too bitter and the child refused to drink it.

But under the splicing and guidance with ulterior motives, it doesn’t matter what the truth is.

Zhao Xiyue used the encrypted phone to send the photos to an overseas account she had never directly contacted.

A text is attached.

"I'm an ordinary mother and a former neighbor of Ms. Ji. I just can't stand it anymore. Those marketing accounts deserve to be blocked for taking money, but the child is innocent. The Chi family is extremely powerful and can suppress all negative public opinion, but they can't suppress a mother's conscience. This is what a wealthy stepmother is like. This is the truest side of her private life. Please save this poor child."

After doing all this, she deleted all the records and flushed the SIM card down the toilet.

As if nothing had happened.

In less than five minutes, this "blood and tears accusation" with rich pictures, texts and emotions exploded like a depth bomb in the ocean of the Internet that had just calmed down.

If the previous revelations were just hearsay, this time, there are "pictures" and "truth".

The netizens who had just been shocked by Chi Wenyan's thundering methods instantly found a new outlet for venting their anger, and their anger burned exponentially.

"Oh my god, I take it back. This isn't about money, this is the mafia. They're using money to silence everyone, and then they're abusing the kids behind closed doors."

"Photos, I have photos! What's with the bruises on the child's arms? Don't tell me it was from a knock. The color looks like it was twisted."

"It's so heartbreaking! Look at the look in the child's eyes, he's so scared... Ji Wan is such a vicious woman, and Chi Wenyan is also blind! An accomplice!"

"I was saying there was something wrong with the previous apology letter. What did they mean by 'blinded by greed' and 'please let me go'? Turns out the truth is they were being held at gunpoint by capital. It's terrifying when you think about it!"

The torrent of public opinion was more ferocious and more filthy than the last time, and it was filled with tremendous malice as it once again pounced on the mother who was guarding her daughter's bedside and had not slept all night.

The early morning sun filtered through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the expensive carpet.

Ji Wan stayed up all night, and only fell asleep in a daze on the edge of the bed when it was almost dawn.

Her dreams were filled with her daughter's heart-wrenching cries. She woke up suddenly and immediately touched Nian Nian's forehead.

The fever is gone.

The cool touch under his palm finally relaxed Ji Wan's nerves which had been tense all night.

She breathed a long sigh of relief, and seeing her daughter's rosy face return, the heavy weight in her heart finally fell to the ground. She tucked the corner of the quilt for Nian Nian, and the child whimpered uncomfortably in her sleep and turned over.

At this moment, the sleeve of Nian Nian's pajamas slid up, revealing a small piece of her white and tender arm that looked like a lotus root node.

And the shocking purple bruise on his arm.

The bruise was not big, but it was like the most poisonous scorpion stinging Ji Wan's eyes fiercely.

Her whole body froze, and her blood seemed to solidify in an instant.

How could there be an injury?

How could she not notice?!

These days, her mind and eyes were full of Nian Nian's illness. She was so busy feeding her medicine, wiping her body, and taking her temperature that she didn't even realize that her daughter had such an injury!

Boundless self-blame and guilt flooded over her like a tide, leaving her almost breathless. But following closely behind was a raging, cold rage.

Who is it?

Who dared to do such a dirty trick to her daughter in the Chi family, right under her nose?!

Ji Wan stood up abruptly, her vision blurring from her haste. She steadied herself by holding onto the bedside table, a trace of gentleness gone from her face. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes held only an icy chill.

She walked out of the bedroom and faced the empty corridor. Her voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable majesty.

"Mother Wang!"

Wang Ma, the housekeeper who had worked in the Chi family for thirty years and was known for her calm demeanor, practically trotted over. She was holding breakfast prepared for Ji Wan, but when she saw Ji Wan's expression, her heart skipped a beat and the tray in her hand shook.

"Madam, you..."

"Call all the servants who have been near Nian Nian in the past few days to the living room downstairs!" Ji Wan's voice was flat, like a piece of cold jade. "Now, immediately!"

Mother Wang didn't dare to ask another question and immediately nodded to do it.

A few minutes later, in the living room.

Seven or eight maids and childcare workers stood in a row, heads bowed, not daring to utter a single breath. The villa was so eerily quiet they could even hear their own heartbeats.

Ji Wan walked down the stairs slowly. She was not wearing shoes and stepped barefoot on the cold marble. Every step seemed to be stepping on everyone's heart.

Her gaze was like a knife, scraping across everyone's face.

Finally, she stopped in front of the queue and said in a terrifyingly calm voice, "Nian Nian has a wound on her arm. Whoever did this, please come forward."

No one said anything, only a few timid ones began to tremble.