Chapter 108
What does it mean to be struck by lightning out of nowhere?
What Xu Gui said at that moment was like a thunderclap that suddenly exploded in everyone's ears, leaving them blank and unable to react for a long time.
The viewers in Xu Gui's live stream were also in an uproar.
What did Xu Gui mean by that?
[Wow, this is supposed to be a family drama, but it's suddenly turned into a midnight suspense thriller? Xu Gui's words are packed with information; the hairs on my arms are standing on end.]
If Xu Gui is telling the truth, and this woman isn't Qiao Xinyue's mother, then who is she? Another question is, after living under the same roof for so long, surely Qiao Xinyue wouldn't recognize her own mother?
So, this is really strange. Did Xu Gui really not miscalculate?
Netizens were buzzing with discussion, the barrage of comments alone creating a noisy atmosphere. But inside the Qiao family's music room, it was completely quiet, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, until Qiao's father frowned and said:
"absurd!"
Suddenly, the eerie silence was abruptly broken.
Mr. Qiao looked at Qiao Xinyue, who had a blank expression, with displeasure, and said the same thing again: "I thought that at your age, you would already know which friends you should make and which you shouldn't make... But I didn't expect that you would dare to bring all sorts of shady people home!"
“Uh…” Fu Xia raised her hand slightly and interrupted Qiao’s father in a low voice, saying, “Uncle, I’m sorry, Miss Xu is my friend. I invited her. She and Xin Yue didn’t know each other before.”
"..."
Oh, this.
In an instant, the words of reprimand that Qiao's father hadn't finished saying were stuck in his throat, neither swallowed nor spat out. He could only forcefully hold them back, finally managing to say, "So, you're Xiaoxia's friend..."
Fu Xia nodded and added, "Besides, Xu Gui isn't some shady character; she's my good friend!"
Mr. Qiao: "...Oh, is that so?"
Netizens: We almost fell into our trap of feeling embarrassed for others again!
Mr. Qiao composed himself, glanced at Xu Gui, and said to Xia with a serious expression, "Xia, although it's not my place to say this, as your elder, I still have to remind you of a few things."
He glanced disdainfully at Xu Gui standing there and said in a low voice, "Although this young lady is your friend, isn't she being a bit too rude? Visiting someone's home and then insulting the hostess is not something a cultured person would do."
Upon hearing this, Fu Xia chuckled and said, "Uncle, since you know you shouldn't say these things, then don't. You know I don't like hearing these kinds of things." Her tone was extremely nonchalant.
Mr. Qiao was speechless.
Just then, Xu Gui chuckled and said, "If simply stating a fact can be called an insult, then I must be insulting people every single day?"
Under the gloomy and displeased gaze of Mr. Qiao, Xu Gui gently raised his proud head and introduced himself: "I forgot to introduce myself to you all before. My surname is Xu and my name is Xu Gui. Xu is the Xu of Yanwu and Gui is the Gui of Gui!"
"I specialize in fortune telling, I'm a master fortune teller!"
She spoke with pride and confidence: "In this world, as long as you are willing to pay the price, there is nothing I cannot calculate... This includes the secrets you all dream of hiding in your hearts."
Her words were pointed and profound.
"A fortune teller who specializes in telling fortunes, or a diviner?" Mr. Qiao scoffed. "You've certainly made a unique way of describing swindling and cheating..."
Mrs. Qiao snapped out of her daze. Her eyes blinked, a hint of panic flashing in them. However, everyone's attention was focused on Mr. Qiao, and no one noticed her momentary lapse in composure, except for Zhou Qingping beside her…
Feeling the pain in her wrist, Zhou Qingping cautiously glanced at Qiao's mother beside her, her expression trembling.
Qiao's mother quickly recovered and turned to look at Qiao Xinyue, frowning as she said, "Xinyue, I know you're unhappy that your father and I want to take Qingping as our goddaughter, but you shouldn't be so self-degrading and making friends with such shady people, should you?"
"Besides, the reason your father and I wanted to take Qingping as our goddaughter is because Qingping has a pitiful background. She has no parents and has never enjoyed any happiness since she was born. But what about you? You have been living a life of luxury since you were a child and have never suffered any hardship. Can't you be a little more generous?"
When talking about Zhou Qingping's hardships, Qiao's mother lowered her head and touched Zhou Qingping's face with pity. When she raised her head again, she looked at Qiao Xinyue with disappointment and asked her, "When did you become so narrow-minded? I am really disappointed in you."
Qiao Xinyue's expression turned cold.
The viewers in the live stream were also somewhat confused by what Qiao's mother said.
Wait, did I hear that right? This is someone criticizing their own daughter because of a complete stranger?
[I'm starting to doubt what Xiao Gui just said. This woman might not really be Qiao Xinyue's biological mother. What kind of biological mother treats her daughter like this? She's disappointed, but Qiao Xinyue hasn't even expressed disappointment in her as a mother yet.]
Although Qiao's mother seems to genuinely dislike Qiao Xinyue, this alone cannot prove she isn't Qiao Xinyue's biological mother. Because in this world, there are indeed people who don't love their own daughters! Haven't there been news reports of mothers accidentally killing their daughters?
Anyway, I felt that Mrs. Qiao's attitude was a bit off; let's just call it my gut feeling—my gut feeling is usually very accurate.
At the door of the music room, Qiao's mother was still talking.
"During your time abroad, we are so grateful to Qingping for keeping your father and me company. If she hadn't taken care of us in China, do you think you could have been so carefree abroad?"
As she spoke, her voice trembled, seemingly from anger, and her face showed a mixture of pain and rage. She said, "I know you're unhappy with me, but I never expected you to have your friend insult me like this, even saying things like I'm not your biological mother..."
At this point, she seemed genuinely distressed, tears welling in her eyes. She seemed to feel ashamed of her appearance and turned her head away towards her husband.
Qiao Xinyue was just angry at her words, but seeing her crying now, she couldn't help but feel sad again and said, "I didn't mean that..."
Xu Gui felt he needed to make a statement.
"Ahem!" She coughed lightly and said, "Although I already said that, I seem to need to explain again... I didn't mean to insult anyone, I was just telling the truth!"
As she spoke, she looked at Qiao Xinyue and said, "Just now, I did a divination for you, Miss Qiao, and the result was quite unexpected... Miss Qiao, would you like to know what the result of this divination is?"
Qiao Xinyue was taken aback.
Xu Gui then asked, "Miss Qiao, what price can you afford for this outcome?"
Mr. Qiao frowned and said with disgust, "What results? I think you're just a liar... I can tell you straight, we don't welcome liars in our family!"
Xu Gui ignored Qiao's father and just stared at Qiao Xinyue without blinking.
Qiao Xinyue's mind was in turmoil at this moment. She thought of Xu Gui's reputation as a diviner and the unerring predictions he had made in the live streams she had watched...
Finally, she remembered what Xu Gui had said.
"You are not welcome in our home. Please leave now..."
Five million!
Before Mr. Qiao could finish speaking to send them away, Qiao Xinyue suddenly spoke up. Mr. Qiao was stunned, then looked at Qiao Xinyue with shock and anger: "Qiao Xinyue, you..."
"Five million!" Qiao Xinyue's urgent voice rang out again, directly interrupting her father. She stared straight at Xu Gui, her eyes suddenly reddening for some reason.
She said, "I'll give you five million! Tell me, what's your calculation result?"
Mr. Qiao raised his voice: "Qiao Xinyue!"
Unfortunately, apart from Qiao's mother and Zhou Qingping, no one present paid him any attention.
Xu Gui's eyes lit up when she heard Qiao Xinyue's words, and she immediately replied, "Okay!" Her tone was cheerful, filled only with a desire for money, nothing else.
“Then I’ll tell you the result I’ve calculated… I’ve calculated,” Xu Gui said, her tone gradually turning cold. She looked at Qiao Xinyue and said, “I’ve calculated that your mother has been dead for a long time.”
"..."
Qiao Xinyue staggered. Fu Xia, who had been watching her closely, quickly reached out to support her and asked anxiously, "Yueyue, are you alright?"
Qiao Xinyue grabbed Fu Xia's arm tightly with her other hand. She didn't look at Fu Xia, but at Xu Gui. She asked, "When...when did she die?"
Xu Gui: "June five years ago."
Qiao Xinyue: Five years ago, in June... five years ago.
Five years ago, she was seventeen years old and in her second year of high school. Because she had planned to go abroad from the beginning, she was preparing for her trip. She remembered that at that time, her mother was in a car accident and spent more than half a year recuperating in the hospital.
Once Qiao's mother had fully recovered and finished her recuperation, Qiao Xinyue was also ready to leave the country.
"Could it be that car accident?" Qiao Xinyue murmured—if anything happened to Qiao's mother five years ago, it could only be this car accident.
Upon hearing her voice, Mr. Qiao angrily said, "Qiao Xinyue, wake up! You don't actually believe this liar, do you? If this isn't your mother, how could she look exactly like her?"
Qiao Xinyue snapped out of her daze and subconsciously looked at her mother. Her mother was frowning, and her face did indeed look very similar to the Qiao mother in Qiao Xinyue's memory.
Qiao Xinyue was a little confused and subconsciously looked at Xu Gui.
Xu Gui looked at the angry father and asked, "Uncle, as Aunt's husband, didn't your wife tell you that she has a twin sister?"
Mr. Qiao was stunned, and Qiao Xinyue was also stunned.
"A twin sister?" Qiao Xinyue suddenly realized, her gaze falling directly on "Qiao's mother." "Yes, my mother has a twin sister. I've heard her mention her before..."
"Yueyue, Auntie actually has a twin sister?" Fu Xia exclaimed in surprise.
Qiao Xinyue said, "Yes, but because she died young, many people don't know... However, I heard my mother say that her older sister didn't actually die young. She just eloped with someone when she was young. My grandfather thought she was shameful, so he kicked her out of the house and cut off all ties with her!"
"For this reason, my maternal grandfather's relatives kept quiet about this matter, and I didn't even know I had such an aunt after I was born."
It wasn't until one day, a relative inadvertently mentioned it that she learned about it from Qiao's mother. Her grandfather reacted very strongly, and she found it strange. When she got home, she asked Qiao's mother about it.
Because she had never met this aunt before and rarely heard anyone mention her, Qiao Xinyue only suddenly remembered this matter when Xu Gui brought it up.
“I heard my mom say that she looks exactly like my aunt, except that my aunt has a mole inside her right eyebrow…” Her eyes fell on “Mother Qiao’s” face, or more accurately, on the other woman’s right eyebrow.
She searched carefully, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find a single mole there.
Qiao Xinyue felt a little anxious.
However, "Mother Qiao" seemed to have received some kind of affirmation from her reaction. A strange excitement flashed in her eyes, but she still made a sad face, which made her look strangely distorted.
She said, "Yueyue, just because I want to take Qingping as my goddaughter, you doubt whether I'm your biological mother? Isn't it too cruel of you to do this to me?"
Qiao Xinyue looked helplessly at Xu Gui, but Xu Gui said softly, "A mole can be removed."
Qiao Xinyue nodded: "...Yes, moles can be removed."
"Enough!" Mr. Qiao suddenly shouted. He rubbed his temples, seemingly feeling a headache, and said irritably, "Your mother is standing right here, perfectly fine, and you're already suspecting she's a different person just because of something she said to an outsider? I think you've gone mad."
Qiao Xinyue replied, "Miss Xu is a diviner; she can't be wrong!"
She looked at "Mother Qiao" and said, "She's definitely not my mom! My mom loves me the most. She's told me more than once that I'm her most beloved baby, and she would never ignore me or my feelings because of another girl..."
"Mother Qiao" sobbed, crying, "Yueyue, even now, in my heart, you are still my precious child!"
She stepped forward, trying to grab Qiao Xinyue's hand, but Qiao Xinyue suddenly stepped back, glaring at her with a fierce expression. "Qiao's mother's" expression froze, then she looked at Qiao Xinyue sadly and said:
"If you really don't want to, Yueyue, then I won't take Qingping as my goddaughter, okay?"
“You’re making it sound like Miss Qiao is being unreasonable,” Xu Gui said again. She looked at “Mother Qiao” and asked, “Are you really willing to not take Zhou Qingping as your goddaughter? After all, Zhou Qingping is your own daughter.”
!!
Xu Gui's words were undoubtedly another bombshell, and everyone looked at "Mother Qiao" and Zhou Qingping beside her in surprise.
Zhou Qingping, being stared at by everyone, involuntarily took a few steps back and hid behind "Mother Qiao," demonstrating her dependence on "Mother Qiao."
"Enough!" "Mother Qiao" glared fiercely at Xu Gui and hissed, "Stop talking nonsense! It's because of your sowing discord and spreading rumors that Yueyue has become suspicious of me..."
"What grudge do you have against our family that you're causing trouble for us? And what makes you think I'm not Yueyue's biological mother? Is it just because you're a liar?"
"Mother Qiao" seemed extremely angry. "If I really had a problem, Yueyue, her father, and my husband would have found out long ago. Would they have waited for you to slander me like this?"
“I was indeed in a car accident, but I’m perfectly fine. My husband can vouch for that!”
She looked at Qiao's father with a dependent expression: "Honey, you're right, aren't you?"
Mr. Qiao: "...Yes, my wife, I can naturally tell whether she's true or false! You girl, I don't care what you're trying to do, I advise you to give up. Yueyue is easily trusting, but I won't! Don't try to sow discord between my husband and me."
Xu Gui read it aloud: "Provoke?"
She chuckled softly, then suddenly said, "I've already called the police."
Upon hearing her words, the expressions on everyone's faces changed. Fu Xia and the others were surprised, while Mr. and Mrs. Qiao were incredulous.
"You actually dared to call the police?" Mr. Qiao asked incredulously.
Xu Gui gave him a strange look and said, "Why wouldn't I dare to call the police? As a respectful, law-abiding, and virtuous citizen, I think it's a good habit to call the police when you encounter strange things."
And she is determined to maintain this habit.
Mr. Qiao: "..."
Mr. Qiao's face turned red with anger.
Xu Gui looked at "Qiao's mother" and asked, "If you really are Qiao Xinyue's biological mother, would you dare to do a paternity test with her? And..."
Her gaze fell on Zhou Qingping, who looked terrified behind "Qiao's mother," and asked, "Do you dare to do a paternity test with Zhou Qingping?"
A layer of sweat appeared on "Mother Qiao's" forehead, it was hard to tell if it was cold sweat or something else, she said in a panic, "I, I..."
Xu Gui: "Whether what I said is true or not, once the police arrive and do an examination, everything will be clear! But Ms. Shi Yujia, do you dare to do it?"
"Mother Qiao," or rather, her older sister Shi Yujia, had a blank expression on her face.
"Could it be that you really aren't Yuling?" Qiao's father suddenly took several steps back, looking at Shi Yujia with suspicion and uncertainty.
Shi Yujia stood there, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. Zhou Qingping, who was hiding behind her, couldn't help but look up at her, because Zhou Qingping could feel that her body was trembling.
"So, you really aren't my mother..." Qiao Xinyue stared at Shi Yujia in shock and anger, her eyes red as she asked, "Then where is my mother? Where did my mother go? Did you... did you kill her?"
Her last sentence was spoken very softly, almost inaudibly, as if raising her voice even slightly would startle something.
"I didn't!" Shi Yujia suddenly looked up and loudly denied it.
Her words, however, already said enough.
Mr. Qiao staggered, muttering, "You really aren't Yuling..."
He was dazed for a few seconds, then suddenly strode forward, grabbed Shi Yujia's arm, and shouted at her, "Where's Yuling? Where did Yuling go? Where did you take my wife?"
Shi Yujia struggled and suddenly pushed him away, then shouted, "Shi Yuling is dead!"
Seeing the shocked and angry expression on Qiao's father's face, Shi Yujia actually revealed a gleeful smile. She sneered and said, "Who are you trying to fool with this act? People who don't know you might think you're very affectionate towards my sister. But if you were really affectionate towards my sister, how come you didn't recognize me as her at all these years?"
Upon hearing this, Mr. Qiao seemed to have suffered a major blow, his body swaying as if he was about to collapse to the ground at any moment.
"Dad!" Qiao Xinyue rushed over, grabbed him, and asked, "Are you alright?"
Mr. Qiao closed his eyes, two lines of tears streaming down his cheeks. He said, "Yueyue, I'm so sorry for your mother! I was blind and ignorant, I didn't even realize that this vicious woman wasn't your mother!"
As he spoke, he seemed unable to express himself any further, and choked up and burst into tears.
"Dad, this isn't your fault!" Qiao Xinyue glared at Shi Yujia and said, "If anyone is at fault, it's this woman! She impersonated my mother, deceived you, and deceived me!"
She demanded, "You vicious woman, tell me right now, what did you do to my mother?"
At this point, Shi Yujia calmed down. She tidied her stray hairs and said, "Xinyue, you should call me Auntie. After all, I am your mother's older sister."
Qiao Xinyue: "You were kicked out of the house by my grandfather a long time ago and we've cut off all ties. You're not my aunt anymore!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Yujia's face twisted with hatred. She said, "That old bastard of your maternal grandfather, just because I fell in love with a man, he actually wants to sever ties with me. I am his own daughter! How can he treat me like this? He just cuts ties like that, and he won't even see me when I come to visit!"
Qiao Xinyue: "...What does this have to do with my mother? I'm asking you, where did you take my mother? Did you kill her?"
Upon hearing this, Shi Yujia's expression turned strange. She sighed and said, "Your mother is indeed dead, but I didn't kill her. She died in a car accident; she was gone on the spot..."
As she said this, she suddenly laughed, but tears kept streaming down her face as she laughed.
"She deserved it. Who told her to try to save me when she was in the car accident? If she didn't die, who would? Oh, wait a minute!" Shi Yujia shook her head and denied it again. "It wasn't her fault. If anyone was at fault, it was your grandfather. Blame him for kicking me out of the house in the first place!"
"It's his fault! Why did he ignore me when I went to him for help?"
Speaking of Qiao Xinyue's maternal grandfather, Shi Yujia's own biological father, a deep-seated hatred appeared on Shi Yujia's face. She said bitterly, "If he hadn't been so inactive, I would never have come to your mother, and your mother wouldn't have gotten into this mess! So, if anyone is to blame for this, it's your maternal grandfather!"
She shouted, "It's his fault! He's heartless and cruel! He's a cold-blooded monster!"
Qiao Xinyue's mind was in a mess. She couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is going on? You said my mother died in a car accident. What exactly happened in that car accident? And how did you become my mother?"
Shi Yujia let out a breath and said, "To tell this story, we have to go back to five years ago."
Five years ago, Shi Yujia had just returned to City A from Province Y. She had eloped with her husband and severed ties with her parents and relatives, claiming that she would never come back. However, due to her husband's early death, she was struggling to make ends meet and returned with her dignity shattered.
Upon returning home, her first thought was to go find her parents.
"But can you believe it? Back then, I couldn't even get through the gate of Shijia Residential Area..."
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