Chapter 64 His expression was deathly pale.

The bank card did not hit Qin Qiao's face directly, but grazed her left earlobe before falling to the ground and bouncing a few times.

Yang Shuhua had never laid a hand on her daughter in her entire life; she cherished her like a precious gem. But what was her daughter trying to do now? Had she become independent? Did she no longer need her?

Yang Shuhua's body was still trembling, but she felt a little better after venting her emotions.

The moment she looked up, Qin Qiao's cold, frosty face and the resentment she felt towards her mother struck Yang Shuhua like a knife to her heart.

Suddenly, the sound of children laughing noisily came from the building across the street. Yang Shuhua looked over and saw two children jumping around in the living room, so clear that it seemed as if they were right in front of her.

This neighborhood is over 30 years old. The buildings are very close together, and since the houses weren't soundproofed in the past, you could hear every argument in the neighborhood clearly.

Yang Shuhua clenched her fingers, got up and went to the balcony to pull the two curtains tight. Only after confirming that they were completely sealed did she turn around and walk back.

Back inside, Yang Shuhua went straight into her room, because she suddenly remembered that on the day of Guangguang's wedding, her younger brother had given her two red envelopes after the event, asking her to give them to Qin Qiao and Jia Shu.

She opened the drawer, staring at the four bold characters "美美满满" (meaning "beautiful and fulfilling") on the red envelope, and her younger brother's words echoed in her ears: "I've been so busy all day, but I prepared these two red envelopes a long time ago. They're not for the children, but for Jia Shu and Qiao Qiao. I wish them all the best and a harmonious and happy life."

Jia Shu still harbors resentment because of that slap.

That day, she didn't get home until 3 a.m., and couldn't fall asleep in bed. Just as she was getting upset, her phone screen suddenly lit up, and a Weibo post about Chen Jiashu popped up.

She clicked on the link casually and immediately felt a chill run down her spine. The blog post, written from the perspective of someone who had experienced it firsthand, portrayed her daughter, Qiaoqiao, as an ungrateful and heartless woman. The comments below were even more appalling; whenever Chen Jiashu was mentioned, they were all expressing sympathy and pity for him.

Qiaoqiao was kind and obedient from a young age, but those people twisted her into a vicious, scheming, and wicked woman!

She immediately called her eldest sister and asked her to come and look after the three children. She then rushed to the airport and boarded the earliest flight to Lanchuan City.

Throughout the journey, that blog post and the malicious comments kept burning in her mind. As soon as the plane landed, she rushed straight to Chen Jiashu's company with a burning rage.

She was so angry that she lost her mind. The moment she saw Jia Shu, all her reason was consumed by rage, and she raised her hand and delivered a hard slap to his face.

Jia Shu was completely stunned by this sudden attack. Chaos erupted as everyone crowded around; she only remembered the secretary frantically calling out "Brother!"

She really hadn't expected that this slap would knock him off his net; she hadn't anticipated such a serious consequence.

That night, she received one phone call after another from relatives, all asking what was going on. The eldest sister asked immediately, "Is it true that Jiashu is going to jail?" Her next sentence was, "This child has suffered so much. Shuhua, you really shouldn't interfere in his and Qiaoqiao's affairs anymore."

Their tone and their questioning seemed to have already sided with Chen Jiashu. Before Yang Shuhua could even utter a word, she was already convicted.

Yang Shuhua let out a long sigh of relief, took the red envelope, and gently closed the drawer.

The door hadn't been opened for a long time. Qin Qiao took her phone out of her bag; it was almost ten o'clock. She looked away and gazed at the balcony. Because the window wasn't closed, the curtains were occasionally lifted by the wind.

She understood Yang Shuhua less and less. She drew the curtains tighter. What was this family hiding that they were trying to conceal? Could hiding in her room and avoiding the situation make it seem like nothing had happened?

Her life was like a ship that had malfunctioned at sea; she tried desperately to correct its course, only to find herself drifting further and further away from the right path. Sometimes she even felt that this forced adjustment itself was a mistake…

Qin Qiao gripped the handbag tightly, then suddenly felt something between her fingers. Looking down, she saw the leather surface covered with deep marks from fingernails, with black flakes of skin embedded in the crevices.

There were happy times during this period, but whenever I thought about what Yang Shuhua did, resentment and panic kept churning within me.

Even more so, he sometimes dreams about his misdeeds being exposed.

Since Yang Shuhua has taken the initiative to return to Jiang City, it would be better to let her stay here. It would be better for both of them to see each other less often. This was a decision she made after repeatedly weighing the options.

She sighed deeply; wasn't this also a form of cover-up?

"Knock knock!" Someone was knocking on the door from the outside.

The guest bathroom is right next to the entryway, so the knocking sound is especially clear.

Qin Qiao tidied her stray hairs behind her ears, opened the door, and decisively walked out.

Yang Shuhua opened the security door before her.

"Shuhua, you're back." Aunt and cousin stood at the door. "We just came back from outside and saw light coming through the crack in the door, so we knocked to see if we could help."

Qin Qiao stepped forward and greeted her, "Auntie."

"Qiaoqiao's here too... Is she on vacation?" Auntie subconsciously peeked inside. "Is Jiashu here too?"

“Jiashu, he didn’t come,” Qin Qiao replied.

“That’s true, Jia Shu is a big boss.” Auntie smiled, walked into the house, took her right hand, and gently stroked the back of her hand: “Qiao Qiao, we remember all the good things Jia Shu did for us over the years, and we will be grateful to him for the rest of our lives.”

These words were clearly meant for Yang Shuhua. Out of the corner of Qin Qiao's eye, she saw Yang Shuhua's smile falter, her lips pressed into a straight line.

The aunt showed no intention of going any further inside; they just stood at the door, chatting about mundane everyday matters.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, and the motion-activated lights turned on. Qin Qiao followed the sound and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see her cousin-in-law appear at the corner of the stairs.

My cousin's husband quickly stepped over the last few steps and stood in front of them. "Qiaoqiao, you're back."

So, another long chat ensued. It's rare for her to be back, and she could easily ramble on about anything. It was her brother-in-law's sneeze that finally ended the conversation.

Finally, the aunt ended the conversation: "Alright, alright, it's getting late, let's go back."

*

The moment the door closed, a layer of frost settled on Qin Qiao's face. She went back to the sofa, grabbed her purse, and didn't want to linger there for even half a second.

Yang Shuhua's footsteps stopped behind her: "Just because Mom... said something she shouldn't have? Or did you... invite me back just to humiliate me... Qiaoqiao... are you trying to force me to my death?"

Faced with her trembling question, Qin Qiao clenched her fist so tightly that white marks appeared on her knuckles, and a very faint, cold laugh escaped from her throat, laughing at herself for the six years she had missed with Chen Jiashu and for being deceived by Yang Shuhua's superb acting skills half a year ago.

That's not accurate. Aunt, cousin, cousin's husband... everyone was fooled by her gentle appearance.

That laugh, like a spark thrown into an oil drum, instantly ignited Yang Shuhua.

She shouted angrily, "It was Chen Jiashu, wasn't it? What did he say to you! He made you break ties with me, didn't he?!"

She had completely lost the dignified and gentle image she usually pretended to have.

Yang Shuhua grabbed her arm and used brute force to pull her around.

But when Qin Qiao's cold gaze met hers, Yang Shuhua lowered her eyelids guiltily, and even her fingertips deflated.

Qin Qiao waved his hand and opened it for her:

What are you afraid of?

Yang Shuhua was stunned. She slowly raised her eyes and saw her daughter's angry red eyes and pale face wet with tears.

She lowered her hand, curled her fingers, and a chill ran down her spine, as if every cell in her body was trembling.

Qin Qiao stepped in front of her and coldly accused her:

"Who drove whom to their death?!"

Yang Shuhua's pupils dilated violently, and the color drained from her face, turning deathly pale. Her lips parted slightly, trembling uncontrollably.

But in just two seconds, Yang Shuhua proudly raised her chin, tears streaming down her face: "Fine... In your eyes, I, your mother, am utterly worthless. I've spent half my life revolving around you, and all I get in return is you wanting to break ties with me for a man!"

Qin Qiao retorted defiantly, "How long are you going to keep deceiving yourself? Why did you intercept the letters Chen Jiashu sent from prison the moment I divorced him? Why did you use my account and my phone to block all of his social media accounts?"

"Are you trying to erase him from my world?!" With that shout, tears welled up in her eyes and fell in large drops.

After the accusation, it felt as if something inside her collapsed, leaving a huge void. The purse fell from her hands to the ground, and she could barely support herself. Her hands gripped the sofa armrests, her arms trembling.

A guilty conscience and fear flashed across Yang Shuhua's face, which Qin Qiao saw clearly this time, but it was quickly replaced by that familiar victim mask.

Is this still her mother? The mother who taught her from childhood not to lie, to be kind-hearted, to respect teachers, and to treat others sincerely?

Qin Qiao's lips trembled so much that she couldn't utter a complete sentence.

My mind was like a wildfire, burning everything away, leaving only a scorching wasteland.

This is horrible... How could she hurt Chen Jiashu like this?

If she hadn't returned to Jiang City and found that letter at the bottom of the wardrobe, she would never have believed that Yang Shuhua would do such a thing!

This was like a nightmare.

Yang Shuhua: "I... I was so angry that he brought up divorce. Just thinking about the day we moved out, he didn't even show his face. He called me 'Mom' for two years..."

"Enough!" Qin Qiao immediately exposed him, her fists clenched tightly: "I changed two phones, and you blocked him again on each one, a total of three times!"

Yang Shuhua blinked rapidly, somewhat afraid to look at her.

She took a deep breath and, with her last ounce of strength, threw out irrefutable evidence: "The cell phone Jia Shu gave me broke on the third day after the divorce. I just fixed it the day before yesterday. How do you explain that? Are you still going to try to deny it?!"

Yang Shuhua's lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single syllable. Her eyes, which had been full of accusation, were wide open, but now only filled with immense panic and emptiness.

"Thump!"

A clear, muffled thud came from outside the door, like something falling to the ground.

Qin Qiao's expression changed drastically, and she almost instinctively ran towards the door.

I flung open the door, and the orange overhead light was on. There was no one outside, but a familiar white cane lay forlornly on the ground.

In an instant, it felt as if an invisible hand had gripped her throat, and she could no longer breathe.

The next moment, chaotic footsteps echoed in the stairwell, and suddenly, there was a loud thud.

Qin Qiao rushed downstairs, turned the corner of the first platform, and saw Chen Jiashu who had fallen on the next platform.

Suddenly, her feet seemed to be frozen in place, as if encased in cement, and she choked out, "Jia Shu..."

The man struggled to his feet, grabbing the stair railing haphazardly with his right hand to help himself up, before finally securing the handrail.

He seemed not to hear anything at all, or perhaps he was afraid of everything behind him, and just staggered and blindly continued to flee downwards.

"Jiashu!"

Qin Qiao finally broke free from all restraints and ran down the platform. The moment he stood on the platform, she hugged him tightly from behind.

Under the dim yellow light, his expression was lifeless, and his whole body was as cold and hard as a sculpture that had lost its soul.