Chapter 191 Let it slip

"I've done what I was supposed to do, what's there to be embarrassed about?"

Her tone was calm, her eyes were open, and there was not a trace of evasion.

She slowly stood up, straightened her clothes, and her voice clearly reached everyone's ears, "We are a legally married couple, living under the same roof, eating, sleeping, and doing what a married couple should do. It's perfectly normal. Are we supposed to pretend we don't know each other and sleep in separate rooms for the rest of our lives?"

Song Yazhi's well-maintained, smooth face suddenly turned a deep liver color.

Her lips trembled violently, veins throbbed on her forehead, and her eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.

In over fifty years, when had she ever heard such blunt and "shameless" words?

From childhood, she was raised to be reserved and modest; who would dare to discuss marital life in public?

What's more, it was said by the daughter-in-law herself!

His finger trembled as he pointed at Qiao Wanyin, his lips quivering for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word.

She opened her mouth, wanting to curse, but felt it would be offensive; she wanted to leave, but was unwilling to show weakness.

It felt like there was a wad of cotton stuck in my throat, I couldn't catch my breath, my face flushed red, and even my breathing became rapid.

Seeing this, Fu Li'an immediately stepped in front of Qiao Wanyin, "Mom, don't misunderstand, that's not what she meant."

He stepped forward, his broad back shielding Qiao Wanyin behind him.

He softened his voice, trying to ease the tension, "Mom, Qingqing just wanted to say that we are a normal couple with a good relationship, and whether or not she gets pregnant is a natural thing. She didn't have any other intentions, so please don't overthink it."

"That's not what I meant?"

Song Yazhi finally found her voice and raised it high, "What does she mean? A young girl, saying these things all the time, isn't she ashamed?"

Her voice was shrill, almost piercing our eardrums, "Doesn't she have any shame? Just because she's married, she can say these things so casually? What will people think of our family if word gets out? She's disgraced, and we're all disgraced because of her!"

Qiao Wanyin pursed her lips, neither anxious nor annoyed: "Mom, if you feel ashamed, you're overthinking it."

She remained standing behind Fu Li'an, her voice steady and clear, without anger or backing down, "I am your daughter-in-law, and I've been telling the truth about my life with Mai Dong. I have a clear conscience, and I've been doing legitimate things, so why should I feel ashamed?"

"Which couple doesn't do this? Otherwise, how would they have children? They can't just find them, can they?"

Her tone shifted, becoming somewhat matter-of-fact and nonchalant: "Marriage is about building a family and having children. If you don't even mention that, what's the point of getting married? Just for show? Mom, you went through the same thing back then, why are you being so demanding of us?"

"You—" Song Yazhi choked on her words, her chest heaving violently as if something was choking her. Her face flushed red, and her fingertips trembled slightly. "I...I really can't be bothered to talk to someone with no manners!"

Her voice was sharp and piercing, filled with undisguised contempt and disdain; every word was like a knife stabbing at the other person.

"mom."

Fu Lian stood still, his voice low, almost squeezed out from the depths of his throat, yet his deep tone carried a chilling coldness, like the cold wind in the dead of winter, sending shivers down one's spine, "Please don't speak like that."

He paused, his gaze calm yet firm as he looked directly at his mother. "Qingqing is right, we are a legally married couple. It's inappropriate for you to scold her like that."

Every word was spoken clearly and forcefully, leaving no room for doubt.

When her son confronted her directly, Song Yazhi's eyes widened instantly, her pupils contracted violently in shock, and she froze on the spot, as if she had been slapped in the face by an invisible hand.

She never imagined that the son she had raised with such hardship would dare to contradict her in front of so many people.

She turned sharply to Fang Wanyu, who was standing to the side, her movements so rapid she almost stumbled, like a drowning person suddenly seeing a piece of driftwood, desperately grasping at the last straw: "Wanyu, look, look quickly—what has become of my son?"

Her voice rose, trembling with sobs and incredulous grief, "For a woman, he's even disowning his own mother! Is this still the son I gave birth to? Is this still the good son I raised with such care and love?"

Her eyes reddened, her lips trembled, and suddenly she lowered her voice, yet each word was clear and distinct: "Who knows if that child is his biological one?"

Fang Wanyu quickly stepped forward, reached out to support her swaying arm, and said in a gentle, almost pleading voice, "Auntie, please calm down. Brother Maidong acted impulsively, please don't take it to heart... that's not what he meant."

While she was trying to persuade him, she was also subtly giving Fu Lian a meaningful look, attempting to ease the tense atmosphere.

Fu Li'an's brows furrowed sharply, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp as knives, and the air pressure around him seemed to drop to freezing point in an instant.

His voice was as cold as ice, each word landing heavily on the ground: "Mom, what exactly did you mean by what you just said?"

He didn't raise his voice, but his deep tone was more chilling than a roar.

The living room instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the air seemed to freeze, and even the sound of the wind blowing the curtains outside the window could be clearly heard.

Everyone held their breath, afraid that the slightest movement would ignite the oppressive silence.

Qiao Wanyin gasped for breath, as if she had been punched in the chest, and froze, her face turning deathly pale.

She could hardly believe her ears; they were ringing, and only one question kept echoing in her mind—"Who knows if that child is his biological one?"

These words burrowed into her heart like a venomous snake, gnawing at her dignity and pride.

Song Yazhi suddenly realized that she had let something slip, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes, but her inherent pride and stubbornness made it impossible for her to say "I'm sorry".

She suddenly tilted her head back, chin raised, as if to defend some inviolable dignity, yet her words still carried a sharp sarcasm and disdain: "What, am I wrong?"

Her voice trembled, yet remained firm, "She's always out and about, doesn't do her job properly, and her social circle is a mess. Who knows what shady things she's been doing behind the scenes..."

"mom!"

Fu Lian roared out suddenly, his voice like a thunderclap from a clear sky, shaking the entire living room.

That usually calm and gentle face was now flushed red, with veins bulging on his forehead and a frighteningly fierce look in his eyes, as if he could breathe fire.

His hands were clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, his knuckles cracking from the force, as if he were about to smash something down at any moment.

Qiao Wanyin had never seen him so furious before. She stood there stunned, her heart almost stopping.

At this moment, Fu Lian was like a beast that had been completely enraged, his eyes bloodshot, the veins on his temples throbbing, and his whole body exuding a chilling sense of oppression.