Chapter 170 Framing
The bright red handwriting was as glaring as blood, and every stroke exuded malice and humiliation.
"This..." Qiao Wanyin's lips turned slightly pale, and her throat felt like it was blocked by something, so she couldn't say a complete sentence for a moment.
"This is the anonymous letter I received last week."
Song Yazhi's tone was as cold as ice, each word clear and carrying an undeniable sense of pressure: "The postmark is from this city, and there's no signature on the envelope, but I'm certain that someone is behind this."
She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. "There are rumors circulating that you're only after our city's residency permit, that's why you're pursuing my son, and that you're not sincere at all."
Qiao Wanyin suddenly looked up, her eyes flashing with anger, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
"Mom, this is clearly a frame-up!"
Her voice suddenly rose, but still carried a hint of restraint, "Mai Dong and I are legally married, the paperwork is complete, and the photos are real. Who said I committed marriage fraud?"
"Yeah?"
Song Yazhi sneered, a mocking smile playing on her lips, making no attempt to hide her suspicion. "Then tell me, after being married for so long, why haven't you dared to tell us? Why have you never dared to visit us? Why haven't we even had a proper wedding?"
Qiao Wanyin was speechless for a moment.
She opened her mouth, but didn't know how to explain.
Actually, Fu Li'an had already written to them to tell them this!
The letter was sent three months ago. The handwriting was neat, the content was sincere, and a photocopy of the marriage certificate was attached.
But did that letter ever reach Song Yazhi?
still……
Were they intercepted midway?
She dared not think too deeply about it.
"Furthermore," Song Yazhi continued, her tone even more chilling, "I've had someone investigate, and your reputation back in your hometown isn't exactly stellar."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Wanyin broke out in a cold sweat, feeling as if her back had been doused with cold water.
She knew clearly what kind of person the original owner of the body was in her previous life—absurd, willful, vain, associated with the village hooligans, and even stole money from home to gamble in the city.
Although those things have nothing to do with her now, once they are brought up, how can she easily explain them away?
"Mom," she took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady, "that's all in the past, now I—"
"What's going on now?"
Song Yazhi suddenly raised her voice, interrupting her, her eyes filled with contempt and anger, "Now you dare to steal our family's heirloom jade ruyi?"
Qiao Wanyin's eyes widened, her pupils suddenly contracted, and she was so shocked that she almost stood up.
"What jade ruyi?"
She blurted it out almost without thinking, her voice filled with surprise and confusion.
"snort!"
Song Yazhi snorted coldly, crossed her arms, and looked down at her. "The last time you came to my house, the family heirloom jade ruyi was gone. If it wasn't you, then who was it?"
"I don't!"
Qiao Wanyin retorted quickly, her tone firm, "I don't even know what that jade ruyi looks like! Is it rectangular? Round? Is the jade green or white? I've never seen it before!"
"Still trying to argue!"
Song Yazhi stood up abruptly, her high heels making a dull thud on the floor, her aura intimidating. "The jade ruyi was placed in the mahogany cabinet in the study, in a conspicuous spot. You just left, and it's gone. You say it wasn't you? Did a thief break into my house?"
Qiao Wanyin's face turned pale, and her lips trembled slightly.
She really had never even seen where that jade ruyi was.
That time she went to the Fu family, it was only to deliver some local produce from her hometown; she didn't even go into the study.
She couldn't even remember which floor the room was on.
But now, he has no way to defend himself.
No matter what she says, the other party will only assume she is a thief.
But Song Yazhi doesn't seem like the kind of person who would easily frame someone.
She is usually prudent in her actions and speaks with evidence. She is not the kind of elder who would lose her temper indiscriminately without knowing the facts.
But this matter has inadvertently involved that jade ruyi, and as soon as she opened her mouth, she pointed the finger directly at herself, her attitude resolute and leaving no room for negotiation.
This left Qiao Wanyin feeling very confused and even more uneasy.
What exactly happened?
Is the jade ruyi truly missing, or is there another hidden story behind it?
If it really was a theft, then you should have reported it to the police, instead of questioning yourself based on mere speculation.
But her mother-in-law's attitude was unusually firm, as if she had already concluded that it was her doing, and she didn't give her a chance to explain herself.
Such baseless accusations are simply unacceptable.
Could it be Fang Wanyu who did this?
The thought suddenly flashed through Qiao Wanyin's mind, and the more she thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.
The last time she went to Fu Lian'an's house, Fang Wanyu also went there and even went into the study, saying she wanted to find an old photo album.
She waited outside for a while before Fang Wanyu came out, looking perfectly normal, but she didn't think much of it at the time.
Looking back now, the timing is too coincidental, which inevitably raises suspicions.
If that jade ruyi is really gone, who else could have touched it besides her?
Qiao Wanyin remembered clearly that only she and Fang Wanyu entered the study that day.
She simply followed Fu Lian inside and sat down for a while; she didn't rummage through anything, let alone take the jade ruyi.
Fang Wanyu, on the other hand, grew up in the Fu family and was familiar with everything there, so she naturally had more freedom of movement.
Maybe she took it and is deliberately trying to pin the blame on herself.
The purpose might be to sow discord between her and the Fu family, or it might be to cover up her own actions.
Qiao Wanyin took a deep breath and said in a calm tone, "Mom, last time I went to your house with Maidong, I really didn't see the jade ruyi you mentioned."
When she said this, her eyes were open and her tone was sincere, without the slightest hint of evasion.
She knew she hadn't done anything wrong, so she shouldn't feel guilty, even when facing an elder.
She hoped that Song Yazhi could calm down and listen to her finish speaking, instead of just blaming her.
“I wasn’t the only outsider who came into the study those days; Fang Wanyu came too, right?”
She tried to remind her mother-in-law that things were not as simple as they seemed.
There are multiple possibilities at the scene, and she shouldn't be the only suspect just because she's a new bride.
She was simply stating the facts; she was neither aggressive nor emotional.
Song Yazhi seemed to have been waiting for her to say this, and was not surprised at all. She sneered, "Wanyu grew up in our family since she was a child. She's like our own child."
Her voice was as cold as ice, every word radiating contempt and disdain.
In her eyes, Fang Wanyu was a member of the Fu family and was trustworthy, while Qiao Wanyin was always an outsider.
Even after she married Fu Li'an, she was not truly accepted.
"If she really wanted to take it, she would have taken it years ago. Why wait until today?"
Song Yazhi's tone was full of certainty, as if Fang Wanyu could never have done such a thing.
She treated Fang Wanyu like a daughter, doting on her since she was a child and trusting her to an almost blind degree.
In her view, Qiao Wanyin was the outsider who suddenly barged into the family with unclear motives.
Qiao Wanyin was speechless for a moment.
She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word.
She knew that any explanation she gave at this moment would be taken as a sophistry.
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