"mom--"

Xiao Qingwan stormed into Madam Xiao's bedroom in a fit of rage. She had barely uttered a sound when Madam Xiao glared at her fiercely.

What did you call me?

Xiao Qingwan shuddered, her lips trembling as she whispered, "Auntie..."

Madam Xiao's original surname was Song, but she felt that after marrying into the Xiao family, she was the rightful wife of the head of the Xiao family, with a noble status, and people always called her "Madam Xiao".

Xiao Qingwan was originally the child of Madam Xiao, who was pregnant out of wedlock when she was young and secretly gave birth to her. At that time, she was not even twenty years old!

In order to marry into the Xiao family, Madam Xiao concealed the fact that she had given birth to a child and told everyone that Xiao Qingwan was her adopted niece, a fact that even the head of the Xiao family did not know.

She is now forty years old, but she eats bird's nest and shark fin every day and gets hyaluronic acid injections for whitening. She takes excellent care of herself and still looks young, beautiful, elegant and noble, and looks like she is just over thirty.

"Watch your address! You're my adopted niece, don't get me wrong! What brings you here?"

Xiao Qingwan's face paled slightly, but she remained obedient and did not refute. Following Madam Xiao's question, she reluctantly said:

"Mom...Auntie, how did Ji Baishu come back alive? Shouldn't she have died long ago? Brother Ling Chen actually said she's his fiancée! What am I supposed to do? You said that Brother Ling Chen could only be mine!"

Having grown up in the Xiao family and been accustomed to wealth and luxury, Xiao Qingwan would never look down on ordinary people. Besides, Xiao Lingchen's looks and abilities had already won her heart.

As a second wife, Madam Xiao was able to wield considerable influence among the noblewomen of Beijing. Xiao Qingwan had long fantasized about how glamorous it would be if she became the young mistress of the Xiao family!

If the mother and daughter could become the wives of the Xiao family for two generations, that would truly be… She licked her lips, her voice a mixture of urgency and anxiety: “Auntie, you promised you would help me!”

Madam Xiao gave a soft snort, not taking her words to heart: "What are you afraid of? Who is she, and who are you? We'll teach her a lesson sooner or later!"

"But Brother Ling Chen seems to really like Ji Baishu—"

Madam Xiao chuckled dismissively, her eyes full of disdain.

"You're still young, you don't know what kind of person Xiao Lingchen is. He's so cold-blooded, cruel, and heartless, how could he possibly care about a girl? At most, he'd just keep her around for amusement, and she'd probably suffer quite a bit in secret! How could he possibly care?"

A hint of disdain flashed in her eyes: "It's just a trinket, what are you worried about? What we want is this wealth and luxury, and it will only be yours!"

"Can……"

Madam Xiao held Xiao Qingwan's shoulders and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Xiao still loves me. As long as Ji Baishu is dead, he will most likely agree to let you marry Xiao Lingchen. What are you worried about? Ji Baishu's parents died the same way, and she will die in the same way soon!"

"Ah, then I'm relieved..."

.

Xiao Shisan removed the eavesdropping earpiece and lowered his head in fear.

Don't worry? You're kidding me! You actually dared to lay a hand on Miss Bai Shu! You're really asking for it!

He swallowed hard, glancing cautiously at the figure beside him, and whispered, "Young Master..."

Madam Xiao probably doesn't know that the entire Xiao family has long been covered with eavesdropping and surveillance devices installed by the eldest son's men! She thought she had everything under control, but little did she know that she had been living under surveillance for a long time.

Xiao Lingchen twirled a fountain pen between his fingers, his gaze sinister and bloodthirsty, so terrifying that it made people tremble with fear. Even Xiao Shisan dared not look him in the eye.

“She dared to attempt to harm my little princess. It seems,” the man’s indifferent voice, tinged with chilling murderous intent, “she is eager to end her life.”