Jiang Pinzhen held the knife in her hand, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably. She swore to herself that she would never let Ye Yanxi get hurt. If someone had to die, it would be He Man.
Sixteen years ago, it was she who had brought He Man back home, taking good care of her and showering her with love and affection all these years. But little did she know that He Man had secretly done so many heinous things. Since it was she who had brought He Man into the family, then it was her responsibility to end all this now.
So when Jiang Pinzhen turned around and stabbed the knife at He Man, there was no hesitation in her expression. Her heart was as cold as iron, and the force in her hand was filled with determination. After this stab, everything would finally come to an end.
When the knife pierced He Man's chest, the anxiety that had been weighing on Jiang Pinzhen's heart finally dissipated. For a moment, she felt an unprecedented sense of calm. However, she didn't dare to look into He Man's eyes.
Jiang Pinzhen had never experienced such a thing in her life. She had always been kind - hearted and would often go to the temple to pray. This sudden surge of killing intent was the first time for her. Although her heart trembled violently, she didn't regret it. Only by killing He Man could she save Ye Yanxi. Otherwise, He Man would only harm more people in the future. She had been blinded by hatred. If she wasn't eliminated, there would never be peace. She could only beg for Buddha's forgiveness, for she had no other choice.
When Jiang Pinzhen was about to pull back her hand and turn to tell Ye Yanxi that everything was over, something unexpected happened. The knife that should have been stuck in He Man's heart fell to the ground right before her eyes, making Jiang Pinzhen stare in shock.
She remembered that she had used some strength, and the knife had indeed pierced He Man's chest. So how could He Man be completely unharmed? Moreover, there wasn't a single drop of blood, and He Man's expression showed that she had expected this.
He Man was sitting calmly in the wheelchair, a sneer on her lips.
Ye Yanxi instantly understood He Man's intention. He Man had deliberately thrown the knife to Jiang Pinzhen just to test her.
Since He Man was fine, the knife must have been tampered with.
Jiang Pinzhen stood there in a daze, unable to believe what had happened. Her face was filled with panic.
He Man looked at her and smiled faintly, feeling extremely pleased. Then she pointed at her chest with her fingertips. "What's wrong? Surprised? Your knife couldn't hurt me. You... did you think you could kill me with one stab, right?"
"Why?" Jiang Pinzhen murmured.
"You ask why?" He Man snorted. "I've called you mom for sixteen years in vain. For a daughter you've never raised, you actually had the intention to kill me. This stab of yours has made me clearly realize my position in your heart. I can never compare to Ye Yanxi, right?"
Seeing Jiang Pinzhen looking confused and helpless.
He Man let out a soft laugh. She picked up the knife and played with it in her hand. Suddenly, in front of Jiang Pinzhen, she forcefully stabbed the tip of the knife into her own palm. At that moment, the blade suddenly retracted, showing no sign of danger.
"This knife..." Jiang Pinzhen finally saw clearly and reacted. "You tampered with this knife."
He Man just gave her a contemptuous look, her eyes cold.
"If I hadn't made preparations in advance, I might be on my way to the underworld by now. Before, I was just testing you. I didn't expect you to do this for Ye Yanxi. Between me and her, you chose to get rid of me." There was no trace of sadness on He Man's face. She laughed at herself. "This stab of yours has completely ended our mother - daughter relationship of sixteen years."
After saying that, He Man's eyes suddenly turned red. She turned her head and stared at Ye Yanxi, the hatred in her eyes uncontrollable. "Ye Yanxi, why are you so lucky? You have a mother who is willing to sacrifice her life for you. Do you know that I've envied you since I was a child? I've always wanted to take everything that belongs to you."
Seeing He Man's face contorted and getting more and more excited, Jiang Pinzhen rushed towards Ye Yanxi without thinking about her own safety. She forgot that the rope on her feet hadn't been untied, so she tripped and fell to the ground. Her knees hit the floor hard.
After struggling to get up, Jiang Pinzhen ignored the pain in her body and firmly stood in front of Ye Yanxi.
"I was the one who tried to kill you just now. Don't take it out on Ye Yanxi. If you want to kill or torture someone, come at me."
Looking at Jiang Pinzhen's fearless expression, He Man's distorted expression returned to calm. "Why have I never seen you protect me like this? Do you think that by saying this, I won't dare to do anything to you?"
"If you want to vent your anger, come at me!" Jiang Pinzhen said word by word.
"I'm really almost touched by you. However, I think it's too easy on you to just kill you. Don't worry, I'll torture you severely and play with you well." He Man waved her hand, her eyes filled with malice. "Tie them up properly. Take good care of Mrs. He first."
A man walked out from behind and said to He Man, "Miss He, this Mrs. He is not in our agreement. Moreover, she is the wife of the president of the He Group. She is still useful to us. We can't kill her yet."
He Man got angry. "All you want is money, right? I'll double the original price. Now, you must follow my orders."
The man exchanged a look with the others behind him and finally walked towards Jiang Pinzhen.
In fact, at this moment, Jiang Pinzhen was also extremely nervous. She didn't know what these people would do to her.
Her trembling hands betrayed her fear. Jiang Pinzhen instinctively held Ye Yanxi's hand and whispered to comfort her, "Xiaoxi, don't be afraid. It'll be okay."
Ye Yanxi didn't pull her hand away. Even when Jiang Pinzhen was grabbed by the man, she held Jiang Pinzhen's hand tightly, not wanting to let go. But her hands were tied, and she had no strength at all. It was all in vain.
Finally, she could only watch helplessly as Jiang Pinzhen was dragged up. Then the tall man pushed Jiang Pinzhen to the other side and threw her hard to the ground.
Jiang Pinzhen, who had been living a privileged life since childhood, had never suffered such physical pain. The moment her body hit the ground, she couldn't help but cry out in pain.
However, this was just the beginning.
Then the man kicked Jiang Pinzhen hard in the stomach, and then rudely kicked her again. After a series of punches and kicks, only weak cries of pain could escape from Jiang Pinzhen's throat.
Seeing this scene, Ye Yanxi felt that Jiang Pinzhen lying on the ground looked extremely thin. Her curled - up body was so vulnerable that it seemed that if the beating continued, she would be on the verge of death. Ye Yanxi's heart ached, but she still kept calm on her face.
At this moment, the more panicked she was, the more likely she would be taken advantage of. Especially He Man, who had been blinded by hatred, would probably enjoy seeing them cry in despair. But Ye Yanxi would never let her wish come true. She had experienced so many things over the years. The more weak she appeared, the more aggressive the opponent would be.
After Jiang Pinzhen on the ground was roughly kicked several times, there were obviously wounds all over her body. There was also a trace of blood flowing from the corner of her mouth. He Man motioned for the people beside her to tear off the tape from Ye Yanxi's mouth.
"Ye Yanxi, your biological mother has been beaten like this. I wonder how you feel now?" He Man looked at Ye Yanxi with a smile, only to see that her face was still cold.
"Do you really want to know?" Ye Yanxi replied calmly.
He Man raised her eyebrows, unable to hide her pride in her eyes. "Speak."
"Maybe you don't know that I've never called her mom, and I've never recognized her as my mother. So..." Ye Yanxi glanced at Jiang Pinzhen indifferently and said coldly, "Even if you let someone beat her to death right now, I probably won't feel anything."
"You're really heartless."
He Man snorted and then ordered the man who was punching and kicking Jiang Pinzhen, "That's enough. Stop for now."
Hearing this, the man stepped aside. Jiang Pinzhen on the ground was on the verge of death at this moment. Her curled - up body looked even thinner. Although the wounds couldn't be seen, she felt a sweet taste of blood in her throat and gasped heavily.
He Man looked at Jiang Pinzhen coldly and said sarcastically, "Well, Mrs. He, you've heard what your biological daughter said, right? It's really a waste of your kindness and protection for her. However, this is how she treats you. She doesn't appreciate your kindness at all. I think you're really a failure as a mother."
Jiang Pinzhen took a long time to catch her breath. She struggled to get up. Even the slightest movement caused a sharp pain in her internal organs. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve. Jiang Pinzhen had no regrets at all. "No matter what she says, she'll always be my biological daughter. Even if she doesn't recognize me, I'll do anything for her."
"This motherly love is really selfless."
"All this is because of me." Jiang Pinzhen gasped with difficulty and said word by word, "It was I who had you locked up in the Chu family back then, which made you like this. If you have to take revenge, just let me bear it alone."
"Why should I listen to you?" He Man's disgusted gaze swept across Jiang Pinzhen's face, and then she looked at Ye Yanxi. "Do you think I'll let you go after I've finally caught you? Don't even think about it. It's you two who have ruined my life. I'll take back everything I've lost from you!"
Ye Yanxi lowered her eyes. "Xiaoman, don't you think you're also responsible for how things have turned out today?"
"Me?" He Man looked at her hatefully and stretched out her scar - covered palm. "I'm the victim. You've ruined my life. What responsibility should I take? Look at my legs and my hands. Who on earth has turned me into this? It's all your fault."
"You've brought this upon yourself. It's all your own doing!" Ye Yanxi just glanced at her indifferently.
"Ye Yanxi, you're really capable of distorting the truth. No wonder so many people are willing to sacrifice themselves for you. You really have a tongue that can twist facts."
Hearing this, Ye Yanxi remained calm and said slowly, "Sixteen years ago, if you hadn't been greedy and wanted to replace me in the He family, would things have ended up like this?"
He Man sneered. "No, it's all because of you!"
"Was it also my fault that you pretended to be me back then?" Ye Yanxi thought that He Man in front of her was becoming more and more paranoid and ridiculous. Her ability to tell lies with open eyes was simply perfect.
"Yes, it's all your fault!" He Man's eyes were red. "If you weren't the daughter of the He family but just an orphan like me, if I hadn't heard their conversation back then, I wouldn't have done all these things. It's all because you're the eldest daughter of the He family that all these things have happened."
"You're just too greedy and vain. In the end, you want to push all the blame on me?"
"Yes, and her, and He Zhenhua." He Man pointed at Jiang Pinzhen. "If you hadn't held my hand and asked me if I wanted to go back with you back then, how could I have found an opportunity to act?"
He Man's words were completely illogical. She was completely living in her own world.
"You mean that everyone has done something wrong. They shouldn't have let you hear this news back then, which made you have evil intentions. And they should have just let things go wrong without anyone discovering your conspiracy."
"Yes, it's all because of you and you." He Man pointed at Jiang Pinzhen, looking a bit crazy. She just repeated one sentence, "It's all your fault. If it weren't for you, none of these things would have happened. I've done nothing wrong."
At this moment, He Man had long lost her mind. She was like a crazy person, stubbornly insisting on her own ideas and pushing all the blame on others. Facing such a He Man, Ye Yanxi felt that it was all in vain to say anything.
If she said a few more words, He Man would probably become even more crazy.
So Ye Yanxi stopped talking and just lowered her head and sneered.
Her laughter suddenly aroused He Man's anger. "What are you laughing at?"
"Laughing at you."
"Why are you laughing at me?" He Man asked angrily.
"I'm laughing at how pitiful and sad you are. You're completely living in your own world. I have nothing more to say to you."
"You've taken everything that belongs to me. You're the most hateful person. From the very beginning, after you got together with Xiao Yu, Chu Beize still couldn't forget you. After he married me, he ignored me. Mrs. He also likes you. Everyone is willing to be deceived by you, while I have nothing."
Ye Yanxi reminded her with a smile, "Don't forget, it's you who took away what should have belonged to me."
"No, it's you who took away mine. I was living well in the He family. Everything changed since you showed up."
Ye Yanxi ignored He Man. She thought it was a waste of time to reason with a crazy person. It would only make her feel more pathetic.
The doctor had also said that during pregnancy, one should stay calm and avoid getting emotional, otherwise it would affect the baby in the womb. She wasn't alone now. She had to think about the baby in her belly.
Seeing Ye Yanxi lowering her head and not saying a word, He Man continued relentlessly, "Chu Beize has always liked you, right? Don't worry. I'll let him come and see you before you die. I've already informed him. None of these people can escape."
Ye Yanxi frowned. It seemed that He Man was really crazy. She was hopelessly ill and out of her mind.
But Xiao Yu, do you know that we've disappeared?
Where are you now?