Chapter 28: Is she really your biological daughter?
Following her gaze, Madam Xie turned her head in surprise and saw Shen Qinglu standing obediently behind her. "Ali, what brings you here?"
"I saw Grandma go out, and I was afraid something might have happened to her..." Shen Qinglu replied softly, like a child who had done something wrong and was afraid that her elders would blame her.
"Grandmother!" Yu Liuzhu exclaimed urgently, "Auntie just said it was her, could it be that Sister Ali pushed Auntie into the water?"
"Tang'er, what nonsense are you talking about? How could your sister Ali push your aunt into the water?" Shen Linlang's words preceded Xie Shi's. She strode over and comforted Shen Qinglu, "Ali, don't be afraid, I know you're a good child..."
"Mother, look at her, she's all wet and covered in mud. No matter how much you pity and sympathize with her, you can't protect her like this!" Yu Liuzhu was filled with hatred, her gaze filled with resentment.
This is the person who keeps saying they love me the most!
Shen Qinglu pouted, looking pitiful, "I didn't push her, they're framing me."
The more Yu Liuzhu looked at her like this, the more unbearable it became.
Firstly, for myself; secondly, for Yu Qingxue.
"Little sister Ali, you can't just do whatever you want because you're a child. If we don't teach you a lesson today, who knows what kind of trouble you'll cause in the future!"
"I don't want you to teach me!" she said, more like a child throwing a tantrum, pointing at Yu Qingxue, "You're in cahoots with her."
Upon hearing this, Xie's heart nearly leaped out of her throat, and she swayed.
Upon seeing this, Yu Zhiheng looked at Shen Qinglu with some displeasure and said, "Mother, in my opinion, this is a matter between Qingxue and her daughter Ali. Others should not interfere. Let them go back and resolve it themselves. What do you think?"
A harmonious family brings prosperity; he was clearly trying to smooth things over.
What a pity!
How could Shen Qinglu do as he wished?
"I didn't push her." She had somehow appeared beside Shen Linlang, timidly tugging at the other's sleeve. "Why are they saying that about me?"
Those dark, jade-like eyes were filled with trust and reliance, making one feel an overwhelming sense of pity. For a moment, Shen Linlang's heart felt like it was soaking in acidic water, both sour and swollen.
"I believe in you, you're a good kid."
She was never a good kid!
It was true in my past life, and it is true in this life too.
"Then why don't they like me?"
She looked around at the others, pitiful and timid, but her eyes were full of coldness.
When she moved close to Shen Linlang, her intimate gesture pierced Yu Liuzhu's eyes and heart.
"Mother, you can't listen to her completely. She's not mentally sound; she might not even remember what she's done."
Before she could finish speaking, Xia Chan rushed in, "Miss, you're walking too fast, I can't keep up with you."
She was panting as she explained to Madam Xie, “Madam, the young lady was woken up and saw you leave the courtyard. She was really worried about you and afraid that something might have happened to you, so she rushed over in a hurry and even tripped and fell on the way.”
Upon hearing this, an odd silence fell over the room.
Yu Liuzhu's face instantly turned a variety of colors, from red to white to green. Finally, she raised her chin, forcing herself to remain calm, and asked, "Xia Chan, was your young lady asleep before you left?"
She looked puzzled and nodded, "The girl practices calligraphy late into the night and sleeps very well. I've been watching over her the whole time."
Madam Xie had no doubt about her words, after all, she was a trusted person by her side, and she could trust her character and temperament.
If she is trustworthy, then who is not?
"Qingxue, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Yu Qingxue was surprised and somewhat uncertain.
Like Xie, she had no doubts about Xia Chan, but when she saw those eyes gleaming with a dark, ghostly light while she was struggling in the water...
Could it be that she's seeing things?
"I...I felt like I was possessed, like someone was pushing me. Perhaps it was because I was in danger and had something on my mind, and I thought I saw Ali."
“Aunt, you can’t protect her anymore. If she dares to push you into the water today, she’ll dare to do something even worse tomorrow.” Yu Liuzhu thought that she was suffering because she had to protect her daughter in front of others, and her tone was full of heartache for her.
"Tang'er, don't say anymore, your aunt knows what's going on." Madam Xie loosened her clenched hand, her heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled down. She let out a long sigh of relief, wanting to let the matter drop, and said, "Fortunately, it was just a fright, and you're alright. Falling into the water on such a cold day is no joke. You should go back and take a hot bath, drink some hot ginger soup, and get some sleep. Don't catch a cold."
Just as the farce was about to end, Shen Qinglu seemed to mutter to herself, "They wronged me, don't they need to apologize?"
As she said this, she stared intently at Yu Liuzhu.
Yu Liuzhu was already unwilling to accept the situation, and she had only tried to appease her out of necessity. Upon hearing this, she felt that Yu Liuzhu was pushing her luck, and she glared at her with sharp eyes. Yu Liuzhu neither dodged nor avoided her gaze, which was as dark as ink and gave people an inexplicable sense of danger, as if some man-eating monster was hidden in that ink.
Neither of them would back down; one was determined, the other was feigning ignorance.
Yu Qingxue was furious, "Ali, how can you be so insensible!"
He then said to Shen Linlang, "Sister-in-law, don't be angry. It's my fault for not teaching her well."
Everyone assumed that once she said that, Shen Linlang would definitely take the opportunity to back down, including Yu Liuzhu.
No one saw the fleeting look of gloom in Shen Linlang's eyes.
"It's not pleasant to be wronged, and it's only right that Ali takes it seriously."
The wind blew in through the half-lifted curtain, carrying the dampness of the rain and the moisture from the bottom of the pool. It was cold and sticky, hitting my face and wetting my heart, eroding my spirit.
The resentment and hatred from her past life filled Yu Liuzhu's heart at this moment, and her resentment towards Shen Linlang reached its peak. What made her even more uncomfortable was Shen Qinglu's gaze, which seemed both mocking and provocative.
Filled with grief and anger, she blurted out, "Fine, I'll go into the water and apologize to her, is that enough?"
After saying that, she rushed out.
"thump"
"Tang'er!"
The sound of her falling into the water rang out at the same time as Yu Qingxue's exclamation, followed by another splash as Yu Qingxue jumped in as well.
When they were rescued by the servants, Yu Qingxue hugged her tightly, "Tang'er, how could you be so foolish... How could you take what that wretched boy said seriously..."
Shen Qinglu arrived unnoticed, stubbornly insisting she hadn't done anything wrong, "I'm not wrong, I'm not a sinner..."
"Smack!"
Yu Qingxue used almost all her strength in that slap.
This slap seemed to confirm Shen Linlang's test. She caught Shen Qinglu, who was almost knocked over, her eyes dark and full of cracks, "What are you doing?"
Two pairs of mothers and daughters stood facing each other.
The rain enveloped them tightly, seemingly out of place, yet also as if they had returned to their proper place, as if an invisible hand had turned everything back on track.
"Why does she only like Sister Tang'er and not me?" Shen Qinglu asked weakly, like the drizzling rain.
Shen Linlang's heart was being torn apart, shattering into pieces.
She glared at Yu Qingxue, each word sharp and clear, "You can't tolerate her at all. Is she really your biological daughter?"
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