Ye Qingqing roughly guessed what would happen next; what Dong Siyue said was pretty much what she had guessed.

Unwilling to accept her youngest daughter's tragic death, Dong's mother pretended to accept the money to deceive the enemy. Then, she sneaked into the main culprit's house and killed the entire family of three.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Dong was too timid and lacked strength. The main culprit's father only suffered minor injuries, while the main culprit and his mother were stabbed to death by Mrs. Dong.

Dong's mother was arrested at that time, and she did not intend to escape.

Dong Siyue cried as she said, "The reason my mother accepted that money was to leave it to me. She even wrote me a letter telling me not to worry about her, to take the money and leave our hometown, and never to come back..."

“But how can I abandon her? My mother is my only family… I can’t just watch her die… But the main culprit’s father is too powerful; I can’t fight him at all. My mother is suffering torture and humiliation in prison, living a life worse than death, and I am powerless to do anything about it…”

Thinking of the past, Dong Siyue broke down again, sobbing uncontrollably.

Ye Qingqing watched her quietly without saying a word. Such sorrow was beyond the comprehension of others; only Dong Siyue could slowly calm herself down.

Dong Siyue took a sip of wine and said in a hoarse voice, "Moreover, the father of that main culprit wanted to sell me to a slut. At that time, I was desperate and no one was willing to help me. I even prepared a bomb, thinking of taking those people down with me, when Li Hongming appeared..."

Even without Dong Siyue saying it, Ye Qingqing could guess what happened next. When Dong Siyue was at her wit's end, Li Hongming's appearance was like a guiding light, illuminating Dong Siyue's world and saving her from despair.

For Dong Siyue, Li Hongming was her only lifeline; she had no other way out but to cling to him.

"He hired a lawyer for me, represented my mother in court, and even warned the father of the main culprit. I am very grateful to him..."

"So that's why you went with him?" Ye Qingqing asked.

Dong Siyue nodded, then shook her head. "Actually, my relationship with Li Hongming isn't purely out of gratitude. I don't know how to describe it. I don't love him, but I can't get rid of him. It's like I've gotten used to a pair of shoes, and no matter how good other shoes are, I don't want to wear them. Do you understand what I mean?"

Ye Qingqing nodded. "Understood."

Li Hongming appeared when Dong Siyue was most lost, and he was like the sun in her whole world. Dong Siyue had a strong dependence on this old man, or you could say it was an inertia. Whether objectively or subjectively, she couldn't live without Li Hongming.

Dong Siyue said self-deprecatingly, "I know my identity is dishonorable, that I'm a mistress despised by everyone, but I really didn't want to hurt anyone, nor did I want to replace anyone. I just wanted to be by his side. Actually, when my mother passed away, Li Hongming promised to set me free, but I didn't agree because I had nowhere to go..."

Ye Qingqing couldn't help but ask, "Did your mother lose her case?"

Dong Siyue shook her head. "We won. My mother wasn't sentenced to death; she was only given twelve years."

Ye Qingqing found it strange and didn't understand why Dong's mother still died. Dong Siyue took the initiative to explain, "My mother was really, really weak. She used up all her courage in her life when she killed the main culprit's family. After that, she became even weaker than before, and she even lost the will to live..."

Ye Qingqing's heart sank. Could it be...?

really--

"After being sentenced to twelve years, I went to visit my mother in prison. She talked a lot that day, rambling on and on. I didn't think much of it. But before I even got home, my mother committed suicide in prison, piercing her carotid artery with a sharpened toothbrush handle..."