"Let's go inside and talk in detail," the venerable Doctor Ji said, his attitude neither overbearing nor humble. It seemed that he didn't fear Liu Zhihui, a person of high status at all.
Liu Zhihui was a bit dissatisfied. After all, she was used to being fawned upon wherever she went. Facing someone like Doctor Ji, it felt like punching a wet sponge. But since Doctor Ji hadn't said anything offensive, Liu Zhihui didn't want to be too rude. She just nodded.
"Fine, let's go inside."
She turned around and waved to the young man following her, signaling him to go in with her.
"Wait," Yun Que'er suddenly stepped forward. "Auntie, if I may be so bold, this is a family matter. Maybe we shouldn't let outsiders in."
Liu Zhihui looked at Yun Que'er, her eyes full of puzzlement. How old was this girl? She was quite daring.
"He's my subordinate. I've always regarded him as my younger brother. He's part of the family. Can't he go in?"
Brother? This man looked only about two years older than Yun Fujin, while Liu Zhihui looked at least fifty this year. In this era, people got married early. Maybe some people would become grandparents by the age of forty. With Liu Zhihui's age, calling this man her younger brother sounded a bit ridiculous.
But seeing this man always following Liu Zhihui, Yun Que'er involuntarily thought of the term "kept man." She thought for a while and suddenly smiled.
"Since you think he's family, I won't say more. Please go ahead."
Liu Zhihui looked at Yun Que'er with a deep sense of inquiry. This girl was quite interesting. Although she was young, perhaps not even in school yet, she spoke in an orderly manner, not at all like an innocent young girl.
"You," Liu Zhihui walked towards Yun Que'er and suddenly reached out to hold her shoulder. "You're very interesting."
Then Liu Zhihui straightened up.
"Alright, let's go in."
Watching their backs disappear at the door, Ji Chengxuan quietly walked to Yun Que'er's side.
"I can tell that you were afraid that man would cause trouble, so you tried to stop him from going in. Why did you agree in the end?"
Yun Que'er winked mysteriously at Ji Chengxuan.
"I know boys are a bit slower than girls, but you can't be this slow, can you?"
Ji Chengxuan watched Yun Que'er making faces and suddenly understood something.
"Do you mean that Liu Zhihui and that man have an improper relationship?"
Yun Que'er gave a vague smile. "What do you think?"
"So you mean..."
"Tell Xu Rongda about it. No matter how humble a man is, he doesn't want to be a cuckold, right?"
A cold smile played on Yun Que'er's lips. Since Xu Rongda had muddied the waters of the Ji family, they would use the same method against him and let him taste the same bitterness!
"Thank you," Ji Chengxuan said. "I can tell that it was you who gave my mother the courage to face the past. If it weren't for you, she might not have figured it out so quickly."
"Actually, it all depends on herself. I didn't really help much," Yun Que'er said with a gentle smile. She had just given Zheng Ying a starting point, allowing her to finally have a chance to change the situation. But the one who could really save her was Zheng Ying herself.
"Wait," Ji Chengxuan whispered. "This time, there's going to be chaos inside."
The two sat side by side under the big locust tree at the door, quietly paying attention to the commotion inside. Suddenly, there was a loud slap from inside. Yun Que'er, who was already a bit drowsy, instantly woke up. She nudged Ji Chengxuan beside her.
"Here it comes!"
The two pricked up their ears. Sure enough, Liu Zhihui inside started to scold shrilly.
"Xu Rongda, I've been so good to you, but you've been lying to me from the very beginning!"
"I didn't!" Xu Rongda's voice sounded extremely panicked. At this moment, he was cowering in the corner, dodging the things Liu Zhihui was throwing at him.
"Xiaohui, I really didn't lie to you! I chased after you back then because I really liked you. You're the first and only woman in my life!"
Liu Zhihui sneered and pointed at Zheng Ying.
"Then what about her? Didn't you say you've never been in a relationship? Where did she come from? I wondered why you insisted on coming to Yuhe Village. It turns out you were here to meet your old lover! You're so shameless. She's already married and has a son, and you still..."
Xu Rongda waved his hands randomly. "There's nothing between us. We never dated!"
"Yes, we never dated," Zheng Ying stepped forward. "But it's true that he chased after me when he was young. When he failed, he spread rumors about me everywhere, saying that I..."
Zheng Ying gritted her teeth. Although she didn't finish the sentence, the meaning was obvious. Zheng Ying took a furious step forward.
"First, he ruined me. I lost my lead dancer position and was bullied and looked down upon in the troupe. And you, you immediately hooked up with Dean Liu and deceived her to gain benefits for yourself. You climbed to a high position and were respected by everyone, while I was trapped in that shadow forever!"
After all, these were real things that had happened. Even though she had told herself thousands of times in her heart, when she really said it out loud, Zheng Ying still felt extremely heart - broken. It was like an old wound that hurt all the time. She thought she had gotten used to it, but when the wound was suddenly torn open again, the pain was bone - deep.
Doctor Ji stepped forward in time and tightly held Zheng Ying's hand. He didn't say a word, but was silently supporting Zheng Ying in this silent way. Zheng Ying's eyes were filled with tears. She turned to look at Doctor Ji.
"Thank goodness I met him," Zheng Ying said, the burning love for Doctor Ji in her eyes becoming more intense. "He has always accompanied me silently and helped me out of the abyss. I thought everything was over and I could finally say goodbye to the past. But as soon as I left the troupe and returned home, before I could start a good life, he came after me again!"
Zheng Ying glared at Xu Rongda viciously, wishing to tear him to pieces.
"It's been so many years. Why can't you let me go?"
"No! There's no such thing!"
Xu Rongda strongly denied it. "Wife, you have to believe me!"
Liu Zhihui looked at the tear - streaked Zheng Ying and then at Xu Rongda. She was silent for a long time. Of course, she didn't pity Zheng Ying, the victim. But to some extent, Liu Zhihui was really affected. Because she suddenly found that the man who had once whispered "I love you" and "I'll never leave you" in her ear had lied to her!
Was this a big deal? Maybe from an outsider's perspective, it wasn't. But in love, any little thing could be an unforgivable mistake.