Thinking of this, tears welled up in Qin Yaxin's eyes. She looked at Song Lan with pleading eyes and said, "Sister-in-law... Sister-in-law, can't you really understand me? What's wrong with me liking Zhou Zhiyuan? Why can't you and my brother accept my feelings?"
Please, sister-in-law, please help me persuade my brother…
Before Qin Yaxin could finish speaking, she was whipped.
Qin Yaxin collapsed to the ground in pain. Just as she was about to cry out, she heard Song Lan say, "Go ahead and shout. If anything happens to Dad, you will be the sinner of this family. Then, I'll see how you face your older brother, older sister, second brother, younger brother, and younger sister!"
Tears streamed down her face as Qin Yaxin covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound.
Another lash landed on Qin Yaxin, and Song Lan said coldly, "Your love is immoral, and your love almost cost a life. Qin Yaxin, tell me, was I wrong to whip you? Tell me, do you know you were wrong?"
"I did nothing wrong! It's not wrong for me to like Zhou Zhiyuan. It's Zhou Zhiyuan's wife's suicide attempt; it has nothing to do with me! It's just a divorce, what's the big deal?"
"How could she be so devastated as to try to take her own life?! Sister-in-law, that woman was too fragile; you can't blame me!"
Qin Yaxin sobbed, but she dared not cry loudly or speak loudly, feeling only that she was very wronged.
"Fine, you're really something, refusing to turn back now!"
Song Lan's whip fell on Qin Yaxin again, her words sharp and stern: "Zhou Zhiyuan's ability to divorce his wife shows that he, as a man, lacks responsibility and accountability."
You want to be with him for love, but can you guarantee that he won't abandon you one day for another woman, for what he considers love?
Qin Yaxin, use your brain! The fact that he could have a relationship with you while married means there's something wrong with him. Tell me, what exactly do you like about him?
Qin Yaxin was whipped several times in a row, but whether she was tough enough or concerned about her father's health, she kept her teeth clenched and did not cry out in pain.
She curled up on the ground, hugging herself tightly, so that Song Lan's whip basically landed on her back.
Qin Yaxin was wearing the coat that Zhou Zhiyuan had given her before the New Year. Now, the coat had been whipped beyond recognition, especially the back, which was covered in tears. Even the sweater she was wearing underneath was torn in several places.
It's easy to see from this that Song Lan used considerable force.
"Do you realize your mistake?"
Song Lan asked in a cold voice.
“I did nothing wrong… Sister-in-law, it’s not wrong that I like Zhou Zhiyuan, it’s not wrong that I want to be with him, and it’s not my fault that Zhou Zhiyuan’s wife tried to commit suicide…”
Qin Yaxin felt a burning pain all over her body, but she didn't want to give in or admit to a mistake that wasn't hers.
Song Lan laughed in exasperation: "Really?" The leather whip in her hand resumed its work.
A burning pain spread throughout her body and grew increasingly intense. Qin Yaxin could no longer bear it and let out a soft groan of pain, but she still refused to admit her mistake.
As time passed, bloodstains appeared on the whip. Just as Song Lan was about to deliver the umpteenth lash, she finally heard Qin Yaxin's voice admitting her mistake: "I was wrong, I know I was wrong, sister-in-law, please don't hit me anymore, I really know I was wrong, sob sob..."
Song Lan put away the raised whip and asked, "What did you do wrong?"
Sniffling, Qin Yaxin choked out, "My mistake was liking a married woman, my mistake was not listening to your and my brother's advice, my mistake was... my mistake was knowing Zhou Zhiyuan had a wife and daughter but still not breaking up with him, my mistake was hearing you say that Zhou Zhiyuan's wife, Comrade Xia, wanted to commit suicide because she didn't want a divorce, and I still said... and I still spoke ill of her..."
"Now that you know you're wrong, what are your plans?"
Song Lan asked again.
"I'll call Zhou Zhiyuan right now and break up with him!"
As she spoke, Qin Yaxin ignored the extreme pain emanating from her body, struggled to get up, and then moved with difficulty to the desk, reaching out to grab the landline microphone.
Zhou Zhiyuan's family did not have a landline, but they had a public telephone less than 100 meters from their house. This public telephone had a person in charge of billing, and naturally provided the corresponding service.
For example, if a call comes in, the staff member responsible for guarding the landline will find out who is calling and go to their home immediately to notify them.
Therefore, as soon as Qin Yaxin dialed the number, she was told to go and call Zhou Zhiyuan right now, and to call again in five minutes.
Putting the receiver back on the landline, Qin Yaxin noticed the gaze fixed on her. She bit her lip and looked at the source of the gaze, Song Lan. She said, "I need to call back in five minutes."
Upon hearing this, Song Lan gave a soft "hmm" and said, "Sit down."
After standing there for a moment, Qin Yaxin sat on the sofa opposite Song Lan, her head lowered and her lips tightly pressed together, remaining silent for a long time.
"Since you know you've made a mistake and understand where you went wrong, then I'll say a few more words to you."
Song Lan's eyes were calm and composed as she said, "As your sister-in-law, I expect you to be honest and trustworthy. In other words, I don't want you to say one thing and do another. Even if Zhou Zhiyuan and his wife really end their marriage, you must remember everything you said today and not have any further involvement with him!"
She paused for a moment, then continued, "One must have a clear conscience and sound values. Most importantly, don't forget your profession. To put it bluntly, you are an actor and a public figure. I don't need to elaborate on how important your personal image is; I'm sure you know it very well."
If the public were to learn about your affair with Zhou Zhiyuan, what kind of image do you think you would leave on everyone? A third party who interferes in someone else's marriage, even driving the original spouse to the point of contemplating suicide?
Don't say you didn't interfere in Zhou Zhiyuan's marriage, and don't say that Zhou Zhiyuan's wife's suicidal thoughts have nothing to do with you, because the public sometimes doesn't investigate the truth; they only sympathize with the weak and only criticize you.
On the other hand, even after you learned that Zhou Zhiyuan was married, you still wanted to be with him. At this point, you had already interfered in someone else's marriage. Then, on New Year's Eve, Zhou Zhiyuan asked his wife for a divorce for the umpteenth time.
Forcing the other person to leave their home late at night and nearly fall headlong into the rushing river while standing by the stone bridge is enough to ruin your reputation and make it difficult for you to maintain a foothold in the entertainment industry.
Of course, if you don't care about your career and don't want a brilliant life, then you can forget everything you said to me today. But you should also know one thing: I will no longer acknowledge you as my sister-in-law. Even if we meet, we will be strangers!
Alright, that's all I have to say for now. The choice of which path to take from here on out is yours to make!
As soon as Song Lan was about to get up and leave the study, she heard Qin Yaxin say in a tearful voice, "Sister-in-law, please don't ignore me, don't treat me like a stranger. I, I really know I was wrong. I swear... I will never have anything to do with Zhou Zhiyuan again. I, I'll call him again right now..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
