Xia Lan pulled Du Wenqing back two steps, causing Chen Tong to lose her balance and fall to the ground.

"Ouch!" Chen Tong cried out in pain, pointing at Xia Lan in anger and about to hit her, but she seemed to have injured her hip from the fall, and it hurt terribly with the slightest movement.

"Don't try to frame me! I didn't even touch you! You were the one who tried to push me, and I dodged it so you fell down. Don't try to blame it on me."

Xia Lan blinked, looking completely innocent.

"If you hadn't dodged, I wouldn't have fallen."

Chen Tong said angrily.

"I find all three of you disgusting. One of you sold out your father for personal gain, and now that you're down on your luck, you want to bring your child and wife back to your ancestral home?"

Xia Lan pointed at the three of them and said with a smile.

Du Xinghua was only sixteen years old. When Xia Lan pointed her finger at him and scolded him like that, he gritted his teeth and retorted.

"What right do you, an outsider, have to talk about my dad? He already said he had no choice back then, what more do you want from him?"

Du Xinghua's words caused an instant silence in the room.

Xia Lan scoffed.

"He's like a hanged ghost without clothes—shameless."

"Is there such a thing as selling one's father for personal gain without any choice? Who forced him? Who killed him? Was he driven to desperation?"

Xia Lan looked at Du Zhimin, who hadn't said a word since the beginning, letting his wife and son rush forward while he hid behind.

"I really don't want to curse you, you shameless, despicable, treacherous, and wicked scoundrel."

“Despicable people are always ungrateful; ingratitude is an inherent part of being despicable.”

"You can say nothing, but every word you say will become nonsense."

"Everyone has to pay the price for their decisions. You made the decision to betray your father for personal gain and enjoyed these ten years. Now it's time for you to pay the price. Don't say you had no choice. Nobody here is a fool."

Xia Lan walked up to Du Zhimin, speaking one sentence at a time.

Du Zhimin stared at Xia Lan, who faced him calmly, unfazed by his coldness.

"If I hadn't discovered that your father was ill, he would have died months ago!"

“In these ten years, if you have done anything for your father, even just a single grain of rice, I will not stop you from recognizing each other.”

Xia Lan looked intently at Du Zhimin, whose eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yet you did nothing, because you were certain your father wouldn't come back, wasn't that right..."

"I didn't mean that!" Du Zhimin retorted immediately, feeling extremely guilty.

“I went to look for him, but the messages I received didn’t mention him.”

Du Zhimin shouted.

"So how did you investigate?"

Xia Lan had no intention of letting Du Zhimin off the hook. She had to make him tell her how he had searched, where he had searched, how he had searched, and who he had asked for help!

"It's...it's someone from my hometown!"

Du Zhimin answered eagerly.

"You and your sister are really related; you both have the exact same expression when you lie."

Seeing Du Zhimin's anxious attempt to come up with a lie to cover it up, Xia Lan could only think that he and Du Juan were indeed siblings, even their lies were the same.

Du Wenqing pursed his lips.

"Your sister said she also asked people to search for ten years, but found nothing! Do you believe her?"

Xia Lan looked at Du Zhimin and asked with a smile.

Du Zhimin pursed his lips.

He wanted to say he believed it, but seeing Xia Lan, he chose to keep quiet.

"Since you have nothing to say, then please take your wife and son and leave!"

Xia Lan was too lazy to waste words with him and directly told him to leave.

“I will take care of Old Du. He doesn’t need your fake concern. If you had really cared about him, things wouldn’t have come to this!”

Let's go back!

After Xia Lan finished speaking, she didn't want to hear their rebuttals, so she took Du Wenqing's arm and turned to go back into the house.

Just before entering, Du Wenqing stopped and left a message.

"The father-son relationship between us ceased to exist the moment you chose to report me!"

Du Wenqing did not dislike Du Zhimin; on the contrary, because he was their first child, he and his wife devoted a lot of energy to him.

No father doesn't hope his son will succeed, and he was no exception.

From childhood to adulthood, he had high hopes for him, wishing him to succeed.

He paved the way for him, hoping he would have a smooth and happy life.

But the result was that he was reported by his own son.

For the past ten years, Du Wenqing has been thinking every day about where he went wrong, where he educated his son wrong, and why his son has turned out this way.

I've considered countless answers, but ultimately everything remains unknown.

He knew how slim his chances were of making it back home.

He once wanted to find his son and ask him what he had done wrong as a father, but the moment he actually saw Du Zhimin...

He felt that nothing else mattered anymore.

Xia Lan, who stood in his way, struck his heart with every word she uttered. In that instant, Du Zhimin's answer became unimportant.

"Dad!!!" Du Zhimin shouted in disbelief.

At that moment, he finally felt the panic of losing his father.

Xia Lan glanced back at Du Zhimin, and Du Wenqing pulled Xia Lan into the house. The door was immediately slammed shut.

"Old Du..."

Xia Lan looked at Du Wenqing, who shook his head.

"The moment I saw him, I felt that nothing else mattered! Let it all go! From now on, I will be a lonely old man with no children."

Du Wenqing sighed softly, his steps faltering, looking utterly pitiful.

Qin Yu, who had been standing behind the door, went up and patted Du Wenqing on the shoulder.

Xia Lan thought Qin Yu was going to comfort Du Wenqing, but the tone suddenly changed...

"It's time to take your medicine!"

Qin Yu's words shattered Du Wenqing's sorrow.

"I'm going to sleep! I'm so sleepy."

Du Wenqing suddenly quickened his pace and walked towards his room.

Qin Yu was already prepared, and grabbed Du Wenqing by the collar with one hand.

"..."

With nowhere to run, Du Wenqing glared fiercely at Qin Yu.

Xia Lan opened her mouth, then closed it again.

"..."

So all that sad look I just gave was an act?

"The sadness is real, and so is the reluctance to take medication."

Qin Yu explained to Xia Lan.

"...Okay, I understand."

Xia Lan watched as Qin Yu picked up Du Wenqing and brought him to the table to sit down. In front of Du Wenqing was a bowl of dark, strange-smelling Chinese medicine.

"He suffered severe financial losses in his early years, and this is a tonic medicine specially prescribed for him by his old doctor."

Qin Yu patiently explained to Xia Lan.

"I'm not sick or in pain, why should I take this medicine! All medicines have side effects. My health is already bad, wouldn't taking this medicine make it even worse?"

Du Wenqing always has a hundred reasons to refuse to take her medicine.

"drink!"

Qin Yu's single word silenced all the words Du Wenqing was about to say.

Xia Lan watched Du Wenqing drink his medicine, and it was as if she were seeing herself in him...

That's terrible.

vomit.