Xie Jingyue's attitude was clear: she wanted to be Xie Qingqing's protector, and no one could bully her.

The old lady watched from the side. Although she was a little puzzled as to why her youngest daughter was so protective of a younger generation, she thought about how she had protected her youngest daughter a lot over the years.

In reality, it all comes down to first impressions. If you click with someone, everything is fine.

Mr. and Mrs. Xie looked very displeased, not because Xie Wan'er had done anything wrong, but because their younger sister had disrespected them in front of so many people by saying she would protect the child.

That's their child! It's clearly a family matter, but their younger sister interfered. Isn't that obviously telling everyone that they don't care about this child?

It's one thing to dislike this child, but you can't let others know. He's still your own flesh and blood; if outsiders find out, what will they say about this?

Xie Jingyue, as if she had read their thoughts, sneered and said, "Tell me, if outsiders knew that the Xie family's daughter was living a life worse than an adopted daughter, what would they think?"

What did Xie's daughter do wrong? Is this adopted daughter actually adopted or an illegitimate child raised outside the family? If someone treats their own daughter badly, how can they be trusted in terms of character control?

Making headlines is fine, but if it affects the stock market, then the Xie Group will become a huge piece of meat. The business world is like a battlefield; what if those people seize the opportunity and try to take a bite?

“I have no objection to you keeping this adopted daughter. After all, you’ve raised her for so long, you’d develop feelings for even a dog. But I will never allow outsiders to bully the Xie family. Once you know your place, you should know your place.”

She reached out and gently tidied Xie Qingqing's hair, her smile sweet, but her voice ethereal, like a ghost.

“That’s the family business that my father worked so hard for over many years. If it’s destroyed in your hands, I don’t think my father will rest in peace.”

"Xiaoyue, that's enough." The old lady gently tapped the table. She didn't want to bring up her husband, as this matter wasn't really a big problem at all.

She then turned her gaze to Xie Lao Er, saying, "Lao Er, with the Xie family's capabilities, raising another child is no problem at all. But I hope you can distinguish between what's important and what's not. The children of the Xie family have never been stepping stones for others."

She used to dislike Xie Wan'er because the child was too cunning. However, considering the Xie family bloodline, she didn't show it much.

But after what happened today, she realized that this child was bad to the core. After learning his true identity, instead of being afraid of being sent away, he became even more lawless, relying on his pampered nature.

Then look at the second son, he's a fool too. I can't understand why the old man entrusted the family business to him, but thinking about it carefully, the eldest son's abilities are indeed inferior to the second son's, and the other brothers are ranked lower.

Once the old lady spoke, Xie's father could only lower his head and listen, no matter what.

However, his dislike for Xie Qingqing intensified.

He caused so much trouble as soon as he came back; who knows how chaotic things will get from here on out.

"By the way, give Qingqing Xie Wan'er's room. Since she's an adopted daughter, she should do what an adopted daughter should do." Xie Jingyue directly pointed out the problem. "Switch the two children's rooms. Don't cry to me. Qingqing has suffered for you for so many years. You're not grateful to her, and you're always targeting her. I've spoiled a heartless wretch all these years. I must have been blind before."

Xie Wan'er's tears fell drop by drop, but she dared not cry out loud. She just looked helplessly at her parents and brother.

However, the older brother's gaze held a hint of reproach, but after all, he had doted on his younger sister for so many years, so he subconsciously patted her head to comfort her.

"Aunt, Wan'er just misunderstood something and did something wrong. She's still young and can change in the future."

Xie Jingyue raised an eyebrow. "Can it be changed? Are you sure?"

If she hadn't stood up for her, Xie Qingqing would have faced increasingly worse treatment, with all sorts of visible and invisible wounds. These people were like blind men; they couldn't see anything when Xie Wan'er cried.

Xie Qingqing had been suppressed for so long that she eventually forgot how to resist and had no way to file a complaint. Her final thought was simply to go to university, for better or worse, as long as she could get away from this family.

Unfortunately, her grades were too poor, she failed the exam, and ultimately died at the hands of a group of thugs. Those thugs were hired by Xie Wan'er.

Her life was filled with such misery, and even in death, she did not have a good ending. The Xie family did not know her experiences or what she had gone through over the years. All they learned from Xie Wan'er's explanation was that she deserved it.

Xie Wan'er had a wonderful ending; she not only got into a top university but also studied abroad and married a wonderful husband. The Xie family was happy for her, but they forgot about a lonely child.

Xie Jingyue could understand why Xie Qingqing had become introverted due to the bullying she had suffered over the years, but if she continued to be so timid, even if she wasn't bullied to death, she would eventually die from thyroid nodules.

All that resentment bottled up inside for so many years—even if she eventually escapes this family, she'll probably still suffer from a host of health problems. Women are most prone to developing various nodules from suppressed anger, which can easily lead to serious health issues over time.

“Jing Chen, you need to know that this is your own sister. Your own sister suffered for ten years in place of your fake sister. If it weren’t for your fake sister’s mother, your own sister wouldn’t have left the Xie family.”

“But this has nothing to do with Wan’er,” Xie Jingchen explained dryly.

"Then why did she bully Qingqing? Why wouldn't she let Qingqing eat? Why did she ruin Qingqing's reputation?"

He was speechless.

It's true that children compete for attention.

But this "normality" is based on the premise that both of them are members of the Xie family. You're not a member of the Xie family anymore, so why do you dare bully a member of the Xie family?

Why did they dare? It was because of the courage given to them by these blind men.

"Wan'er, go apologize to Qingqing quickly." Xie Jingchen had a good relationship with this aunt, and he didn't want the family to fall into this situation.

Xie Wan'er knew she had no one to back her up, so she could only swallow her grievances, walk up to Xie Qingqing, and shout, "I'm sorry!"

At that moment, Xie Qingqing regarded Xie Jingyue as a god.

"Should we accept her apology?" Xie Jingyue asked her tentatively.

"I, I..." she hesitated.