Bai Miao was taken aback by Xia Wan's question.
Then she laughed.
"How do you know we didn't provide help to You Shuang and her child back then?"
Xia Wan said, "If you had provided help, Ziqi and her son wouldn't have ended up like this. The You family is a secretive family, and I don't think they couldn't even protect their own orphan."
Cui Ziqi was taken home by Cui Jiyang when she was a child.
They were sent to mental hospitals to be tortured, and then thrown into orphanages where no one could protect them.
If even one member of the You family had offered a helping hand, he wouldn't have ended up like this.
This Bai Miao claims to be Cui Ziqi's aunt.
However, when they met, he didn't ask her how Cui Ziqi had been doing all these years.
They urged her to find You Shuang's ashes.
She was certain that Bai Miao's motives were not pure.
If she can be certain that the You family cannot be Cui Ziqi's backer.
She wouldn't let Cui Ziqi know anything about the You family.
Bai Miao swirled his wine glass, not immediately answering Xia Wan's question.
The faint smile on her lips seemed to carry a touch of warmth.
"It's not that we don't want to help You Shuang, it's that she doesn't accept our help."
After a long while, Bai Miao spoke softly, revealing the secret events of twenty-five years ago.
Twenty-five years ago.
You Shuang, pregnant with Cui Ziqi, fled back to the You family home, but gave up on entering at the door and resolutely left.
The You family searched for her for a long time before finally finding her in Qingzhen, a town next to Anshou Village.
At that time, You Shuang was already seven months pregnant.
Bai Miao and her husband You Sheng walked onto the bluestone slabs on a rainy day and arrived at the door of an old, dilapidated bungalow at the end of Qingzhen Street.
You Shuang was anxiously collecting the clothes.
With her large pregnant belly, she hurriedly threw her wet clothes and bedding into the house.
Young You Shuang was an absolute beauty.
She was the eldest daughter of the You family. She had been away from home for several years, but she had blended into the city. She wore a loose and inexpensive maternity dress, her hair was casually tied back, and her pretty face looked quite haggard.
You Sheng had never seen his older sister in such a sorry state, and in an instant, he was furious.
He quickened his pace and walked to the door.
When You Shuang saw him, she was shocked and confused, but not surprised.
Why don't you go home?
You Sheng pointed at You Shuang's large belly, "Whose child is it?"
You Shuang invited the two of them into the house.
The house is simple, a small house of about forty square meters. After the living room, kitchen and bathroom take up a certain area, the space left for the bedroom is small.
You Shuang had bought a lot of children's clothes and toys early on, which were piled up in the bedroom and hadn't been tidied up yet.
She gestured for her younger brother and sister-in-law to sit down.
I poured them some plain water.
"If you've come to take me back, you can leave after you finish this glass of water."
You Sheng protested, "Sister! Where did you live such a miserable life at home? You have to come back with me today!"
Yu Shuang was in her late pregnancy and had to support her lower back when she sat down.
Seeing this, You Sheng couldn't help but reach out and help her up.
You Shuang touched her belly, a happy smile on her lips.
"I'm not suffering. I'll have my baby with me in the future, and I'll be very happy."
When she talks about her children, her eyes and brows are full of tenderness, radiating a mother's pure and natural expectations and love for her children.
The siblings were very stubborn; they would start fighting after only a few words.
Bai Miao stopped You Sheng and asked You Shuang:
"My sister was already at the door that day, why didn't she go in?"
You Shuang pursed her lips into a straight line, looked at Bai Miao for a long while, and then said:
"Now that I have left the You family, I cannot allow my children to become victims of the family like I have."
You Sheng was furious. "Grandpa is dying. If you have any filial piety left, come back with me to see him!"
A look of inner conflict flashed in You Shuang's eyes, but she ultimately persisted.
"You Sheng, if you still consider me your older sister, leave now, or I'll make sure you die before Grandpa."
You Shuang held a dagger in her hand, her eyes flashing with a cold light.
You Sheng was completely disappointed in You Shuang and left with Bai Miao.
A week later, Grandpa You passed away.
You Sheng and Bai Miao came to find You Shuang again.
Unfortunately, You Shuang is no longer around.
Bai Miao seemed to sigh deeply, his voice transcending time and space to return to the Ganqing Bar.
“We’ve been looking for You Shuang for a long time, but she seems to have vanished into thin air. There’s been no news of her since. She’s a capable woman. If she doesn’t want us to find her, we’ll never find her in this lifetime. Some time ago, our father also passed away. He left a will, hoping that we could find You Shuang and my nephew whom I’ve never met.”
"Over the years, we didn't have much hope until the Cui family's Southern Pharmaceutical Factory incident happened. I accidentally saw Ziqi's appearance and thought he looked a lot like You Shuang. Following this clue, I discovered that Cui Ziqi was You Shuang's son."
Bai Miao talked a lot.
Xia Wan could only glean one piece of information from this story.
You Shuang did not want Cui Ziqi to return to the You family and become a sacrifice for the family.
"May I ask, why did Ziqi's mother say she didn't want Ziqi to return to the You family and become a sacrifice for the family?"
Bai Miao smiled faintly and looked at Xia Wan.
"They are merely victims of arranged marriages. Although the You family is a secretive family, they are outwardly strong but inwardly weak. Over the years, they have long since vanished. The You family is barely holding on by arranging marriages among their descendants."
Xia Wan didn't speak.
She found the reason far-fetched, yet strangely reasonable.
Bai Miao stared intently at Xia Wan, wanting to tease her.
"What? You don't want Ziqi to go back to the You family? Are you afraid he'll marry another woman? I've investigated your Xia family; they're one of the wealthiest families in Lincheng. The You family will agree to your marriage."
Xia Wan snorted dismissively.
“I have severed my father-son relationship with that old man from the Xia family. Unfortunately, you can no longer rely on the Xia family.”
"Well, there's no other way then. I'll just have to find another woman for Ziqi. Doesn't the Xia family still have Xia Zhizhi? Maybe she could..."
"That's a load of rubbish!"
Xia Wan was furious. "Cui Ziqi has never received a single favor from the You family since he was born. Don't even think about making arrangements for him!"
As she spoke, Xia Wan stood up, lowering her eyes to give Bai Miao a cold look.
"I understand now. If you find Ziqi's mother's ashes, you'll probably use them to threaten him into returning to the You family and forcing him to marry another woman. Let me tell you, I won't help you with this. Please don't show your face in front of him again!"
Xia Wan left.
Bai Miao watched her departing figure and smiled.
Everyone says Cui Ziqi isn't doing well, but he's never short of people who love him.
Seeing that Xia Wan had left, Su Meng sat down opposite Bai Miao, staring at her with her big, round eyes.
"Sister Bai, Xia Wan isn't helping us look anymore, so what are we going to do next?"
Bai Miao drank the last sip of wine in his glass.
His voice sounded thick with the effects of alcohol, "Wait, she'll come back."
Su Meng didn't understand what Bai Miao meant.
The songs at Ganqing Bar were changed; the soothing songs were replaced with rhythmic ones as the number of customers increased, and the bar's business boomed.
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