Chapter 73 is somewhat substantial.
If they persist in this matter, Song Zhiwei will be the one who loses face in the end.
She straightened her back and said, trying to appear calm, "Uncle, I'm not joking. The earring is indeed in Zhiwei's hand."
“She just tried to hide, but I caught her red-handed. If you don’t believe me, you can search her bag or check the security footage outside.”
Zhou Yuce's gaze slowly fell on Song Zhiwei's palm, his eyes narrowed, and he locked his gaze firmly on the pair of pearl earrings that she was gently holding with her fingertips.
The earrings gleamed with a warm yet dazzling light under the lamp.
His pupils contracted slightly, his breath hitched a little, and his eyes involuntarily tightened.
More and more people gathered around, whispering among themselves.
Many of them are powerful and influential families that are on par with the Zhou family.
Their relationships were complicated, and neither of them wanted to offend the other easily.
This public conflict has undoubtedly put the whole situation in an awkward position.
Zhou Huaiqing's face grew increasingly grim, veins throbbed on his forehead, his hand gripping his cane tightened and loosened, and his lips pressed into a stiff line.
He slowly raised his eyes, and the trace of gentleness that had remained in his gaze as he looked at Song Zhiwei was nowhere to be seen.
How can the Zhou family's reputation be trampled on like this?
Qin Yunshu stood there, her face turning pale.
She subconsciously tightened her grip on Zhou Yunhan's arm, feeling her soft embrace. After a moment of internal struggle, she gritted her teeth and finally said, "Zhiwei, return the things to Yunhan, and then apologize to her in front of everyone."
Upon hearing this, Song Zhiwei was jolted, her eyes widening in shock as she stared directly at Qin Yunshu.
"Mom, what are you saying?"
If she admits it at this point, it would be tantamount to admitting that she stole something.
Even if the truth is clarified later, rumors and gossip will follow you like a shadow, and you will never be able to hold your head high for the rest of your life.
Qin Yunshu did not answer her, but lowered her eyes and avoided her gaze.
She looked down at Zhou Yunhan, who was clinging tightly to her arm.
Qin Yunshu's heart softened, then hardened again, and she finally raised her head.
"I'll say it again, I apologize to Yunhan."
"impossible!"
Song Zhiwei stared intently at her, her voice suddenly rising.
The moment the words left his mouth, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, there was a crisp "snap".
Song Zhiwei's cheek suddenly turned to the side, and a burning pain instantly exploded within her.
She staggered and raised her hand to touch her burning cheek.
Her eyes suddenly reddened, and tears welled up uncontrollably.
She looked at the woman before her in disbelief, a woman who had once been kind and gentle.
No matter how hard she tried to grit her teeth and endure it, tears still slid down her cheeks and scalding hot as they hit the ground.
She never imagined that one day...
Qin Yunshu was willing to sacrifice Zhou Yunhan's reputation and trample on her dignity in order to protect her.
"Sister-in-law."
Zhou Yuze was also stunned, his brows furrowed suddenly, and a trace of regret flashed in his eyes.
He stepped forward and stood directly in front of Song Zhiwei.
Instead of retreating, Qin Yunshu stepped forward and snatched the pair of earrings from Song Zhiwei's hand.
In front of everyone, she personally put the earrings on Zhou Yunhan's earlobes.
"Auntie brought it back for you."
"Thank you, Auntie, I love you the most!"
Zhou Yunhan smiled sweetly, her cheeks slightly flushed, and took the initiative to lean forward and kiss Qin Yunshu on the cheek.
The way the two looked at each other was obvious to everyone around them, and no one knew what was going on.
Song Zhiwei dug her nails deep into her palms, not feeling any pain even as blood seeped out.
She couldn't stay any longer; her chest felt so tight she could barely breathe. She lifted her skirt, turned, and rushed out of the crowd.
"Zhiwei?"
As soon as Zhou Yuze saw her run away, his brows furrowed. Without thinking twice, he immediately chased after her.
As Song Zhiwei ran, she wiped away the tears on her face, her fingertips touching her cheeks, which felt icy cold.
But my heart ached as if it had been burned by fire.
That slap made her ears ring.
She bit her lip, forcing herself to take a step forward, not daring to look back or stop.
She sprinted to the hotel entrance in one breath, her ankles feeling a little weak from the rapid pace, but she still rushed forward with all her might.
Just then, she saw a taxi with its "vacant" light on slowly pull up to the side of the road.
Without thinking, she reached out and opened the back door.
He fell in, his voice trembling and rapid.
"Go, drive, hurry up!"
The driver glanced in the rearview mirror and saw her face streaked with tears, her eyes red, and clear fingerprints still visible on her face. His heart tightened.
Without asking any questions or hesitating, he quickly stepped on the gas.
The car smoothly merged into the night traffic and quickly drove away from the brightly lit hotel.
Just as the car turned the corner, Zhou Yuze finally chased after it.
He stood panting outside the hotel entrance, looking around, his suit disheveled and his eyes filled with panic.
His gaze swept across the empty road, and he saw only a taillight disappearing into the thick darkness of the night, leaving no trace.
Song Zhiwei huddled in the corner of the back seat, her arms wrapped around her knees, her body trembling slightly.
At first, she tried to hold back, biting her lower lip tightly to prevent sobs from escaping her throat.
But when the car passed through a dark overpass, and all that remained was silence and the sound of the cold wind hitting the car windows, her defenses completely collapsed, and she finally couldn't help but bury her face in her knees and burst into tears.
Actually, she always thought she could endure it.
From childhood to adulthood, he faced ridicule and exclusion from Zhou Yunhan and Zhou Yunsheng.
She never rebelled, nor did she ever complain to anyone.
It wasn't that she wasn't afraid, or that she wasn't aggrieved; it was that she already knew it would be useless to say anything.
Because of Qin Yunshu, her mother, who should have loved her the most, never stood by her side.
Whether it was when she was a child, she was wrongly accused of damaging Zhou Yunsheng's limited-edition sneakers, or when she was in junior high school, her exam materials were stolen and she was accused of deliberately causing trouble.
Qin Yunshu would always question and criticize her immediately.
Even if the evidence clearly points to someone else, she refuses to believe her even once.
So she learned to be silent.
If I don't tell, at least I can still deceive myself.
Perhaps, in her mother's heart, her daughter still holds some weight?
Even just a tiny bit would be fine.
But today's slap completely woke her up.
In that instant, she finally understood that she was nothing in her own home.
Looking back on those longings for maternal love, those secret hopes hidden deep in my heart...
Looking back now, it seems like a joke.
She felt pitifully foolish, ridiculous, and pathetic for spending so many years guarding an illusion that never existed.
The driver drove silently, his hands firmly gripping the steering wheel.
The sight of the girl crying and trembling in the rearview mirror tugged at his heartstrings.
He quietly reached out and turned up the car's heater by one level, then turned off the music.
She was afraid that even the slightest sound would hurt her fragile emotions.
In such cold weather, she was dressed so thinly, with only a thin woolen coat covering her frail body; she must have been frozen stiff long ago.
Song Zhiwei didn't know how long she had been crying.
As she gradually regained consciousness, she choked up and gave an address in broken sentences: "Go... turn left ahead, cross the bridge, Xingheyuan Community... let me know when you get there."
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