A group of people kicked open the door of the rented room and barged in. Ignoring Song Ning, who was lying on the hospital bed and had become as thin as a skeleton, they smashed things and threatened her to return the money.

Song Ning almost choked on her breath and passed out.

She propped herself up from the hospital bed and, in a hoarse voice, stopped them: "What are you doing? Zhang Cheng, Yuan Jianguo, what are you doing! Do you know that this is illegal!"

Yuan Jianguo searched the entire rented room but found nothing of value. He turned around and angrily said, "You surnamed Song, you think you're in the right for not paying back your debts? I think you and your daughter deserve a beating!"

He wanted to step forward and hit them, but Zhang Cheng stopped him: "Forget it, no matter how much we pressure them, they have no money. We might as well trust Xu Qingran this time. What if she really gets us some money?"

Yuan Jianguo said, "Old Zhang, do you still believe them?"

Zhang Cheng said, "This Song guy has always been pretentious since he was young. He looks like a city person, so his family must be quite wealthy. Let's stay here for now and leave when Xu Qingran brings the money."

Yuan Jianguo glanced at the sickbed, furious yet helpless, and spat out a mouthful of blood. He said viciously, "Fine, we'll stay here. Tell your daughter to bring the money right away, or you'll have to come back with us obediently. I think your daughter is quite pretty. If she can't pay back the money, she can prepare to marry my son!"

Song Ning gritted her teeth and said, "Don't push your luck!"

The sound insulation in the tenement building is very poor; you can clearly hear the arguments and insults coming from upstairs from the courtyard downstairs.

Many neighbors peeked out to see what was going on, and some even called the landlord.

Tang Hanyan watched as another group of people rushed upstairs, making even more noise inside. Soon after, Song Ning and Xu Qingran were thrown out along with their suitcases. Poor Song Ning, who was already ill, fell heavily to the ground.

The landlord locked the door, cursed a few times, and then Song Ning and her entourage left in a hurry.

After threatening Xu Qingran repeatedly and receiving her repeated promises, Zhang Cheng and his group left with their men.

The farce lasted until 9:30 p.m., finally ending after more than three hours.

Tang Hanyan watched with great interest the mother and daughter who were crying in each other's arms not far away. She never expected that she would witness such a good show.

She walked slowly forward, lifting her skirt, until she stopped in front of Xu Qingran and Song Ning: "You're Song Ning?"

Song Ning's face was ashen, her hair disheveled, and she was no longer recognizable as the young lady she once was. She slowly raised her head, her eyes icy: "If you want to see a joke, then get lost!"

Tang Hanyan paused for a moment, then laughed with amusement, her tone sarcastic: "Song Ning, you've fallen so low and you're still putting on airs like a young lady? This is your daughter, Xu Qingran?"

Tang Hanyan got tired of standing, so she winked at the person next to her, and someone immediately brought over a stool for her to sit down.

She straightened her skirt and stated her purpose: "My name is Tang Hanyan, from the Tang family of Linzhou."

Upon hearing this title, Song Ning's expression immediately changed, and she grabbed Xu Qingran's hand: "Let's go, let's go."

Xu Qingran wiped away her tears. Her knees were red from kneeling. She tried to get up, but her legs went numb from kneeling for so long that she couldn't stand up and fell to the ground again.

Tang Hanyan's gaze was sharp as she coldly asked, "Tang Songwen is my father. Do you know this person?"

Song Ning's voice was hoarse, as if it had been rough from rolling in the desert: "I don't know you, Qingran. Get up quickly, let's go."

They were surrounded as soon as they made a move.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave." Tang Hanyan curled her lips: "Song Ning, back then, you and Luo Yuan had a fight, and to get revenge on him, you deliberately plotted against my father, taking advantage of his drunkenness to sleep with him, and then leaving afterwards. But on the night you gave birth to Song Qingyou, you sent a message to my father saying that he had another child, making him feel guilty about it for the rest of his life. Luo Yuan abandoned you, but you want to hurt my family. How do you think we should settle this score?"

Song Ning froze abruptly. She hadn't expected that after so many years, the Tang family would actually come after her.

Xu Qingran stood there, stunned, looking at Song Ning in disbelief: "Mom, is what she said true?"

Song Ning didn't look at Xu Qingran, but instead looked at the haughty girl in front of her, who looked as delicate as a porcelain doll. She clearly understood that since the Tang family had come looking for her, they must have already investigated the whole story.

She took a deep breath and said, "I did this to save Qingyou. Your father is in a high position and has great power. Only by knowing that this daughter exists can he rescue Qingyou from her dire situation."

Tang Hanyan almost laughed out loud in anger upon hearing this: "What you say is so high-sounding. If it was to save Song Qingyou, why didn't you tell the truth? Instead, you sent an anonymous text message. Song Ning, you are just too selfish and self-serving, seeking revenge on everyone."

When a young girl touched a nerve, Song Ning's face turned even paler.

Tang Hanyan slowly said, "You gave birth to a bloodline for my Tang family, so your merits and demerits cancel each other out. We, the Tang family, can overlook what you did to my father, but..."

She paused for a moment, then looked at Xu Qingran: "You made my sister walk on thin ice in the Song family for so many years, suffering all kinds of bullying, making her marry someone she didn't love, and growing up carrying those ridiculous hatreds. Tell me, how should we settle this score?"

Tang Hanyan bent her knuckles and tapped the table repeatedly, seemingly waiting patiently for her answer.