Wen Yan glanced at Second Uncle He.
Second Uncle He stared at her with a sinister gaze, his face turning ashen with rage.
(Ah, look at that look in his eyes. He’s definitely cursing me out in his head.)
(At least three alpacas' worth of insults, I bet.)
The members of the Si family waiting outside the conference room had just been moved by the scene of Madam He and Qi Hong reuniting. Now, hearing Wen Yan’s inner monologue, they couldn't help but want to laugh.
Wen Yan tried her best to ignore Second Uncle He. She cleared her throat and said in a slow, deliberate tone, "Back then, He Ting'an was kidnapped because Second Uncle He lost a lot of money in the stock market. He embezzled public funds, and to cover his tracks, he hired someone to kidnap He Ting'an. The ransom money ended up right in his pockets."
"Bullshit! You’re talking absolute bullshit!" Second Uncle He roared in a fit of humiliated rage.
Watching Second Uncle He spray saliva as he grew more agitated, Wen Yan silently took a few steps back.
(Ugh, such foul spit. Even a man made of iron would be wounded by that.)
Madam He and He Qingyuan turned their sharp gazes toward Second Uncle He. "You were the mastermind behind the kidnapping?"
Second Uncle He denied it desperately. "I wasn't! Big Brother, Sister-in-law, don't believe her lies!"
He had no idea how Wen Yan had uncovered the truth, but he had long since destroyed the evidence. The thugs who kidnapped He Ting'an had also been sent out of the country by him years ago.
He Qingyuan frowned, finding it hard to believe that his own brother could be such a subhuman scumbag. He looked at Wen Yan. "Miss Wen, do you have any evidence?"
"I do. One of the thugs from that kidnapping slipped back into the country recently. The police have already arrested him and are interrogating him as we speak. He should be snitching on Second Uncle He any moment now!"
Hearing Wen Yan's words, Second Uncle He’s legs suddenly went weak.
A few days ago, he had indeed received a message from an unknown number asking for another transfer of money. He hadn't paid it any mind at the time.
Could it really have been one of the thugs involved in the kidnapping?
No, he didn't believe it!
Madam He’s eyes turned bloodshot with resentment as she glared at Second Uncle He. "You’re not even human!"
"Sister-in-law, don't believe her one-sided story. I never did such a thing."
Wen Yan gave a nonchalant smile. "People who do such atrocious things never admit to them. It’s just like a man having an affair—unless he's caught in the act in bed, he’ll never admit he cheated."
"The kidnapping is one thing, but the key point is that He Ting'an being trafficked was also orchestrated by his second uncle and second aunt."
Madam He and He Qingyuan’s pupils dilated in shock.
The shareholders and executives eavesdropping in the conference room were also collectively stunned. For a moment, the air was so still you could hear a pin drop.
"You little slut! What nonsense are you spouting?" Second Aunt He shrieked. Her obese body lurched forward as she tried to pounce on Wen Yan.
But Si Mochen and Si Jingyi, who were outside, were faster. Before she could get near Wen Yan, the two of them had her pinned down.
"Let go of me! This is He family territory! All you outsiders, get the hell out!"
Slap!
Madam He walked up to Second Aunt He and swung her hand, delivering a forceful slap.
"Shut your mouth!"
Madam He felt as if her heart was splitting open from the series of revelations. Her eyes were red as she looked at Wen Yan, her lips trembling. "Miss Wen, I believe you."
If not for Wen Yan, she likely would never have seen her Ting'an again in this lifetime!
"Sister-in-law, have you gone mad? You’re actually believing an outsider? I didn't do it! You can't frame me!"
Wen Yan looked at the agitated Second Uncle He, who looked like he wanted to cut her into a thousand pieces. She curled her lips into a cold smirk. "You really are a piece of work. Su Yu'er has already ratted you out. Her father, Jiang Dahai, left behind evidence of his contact with you before he died. Su Yu'er has been keeping that evidence all this time. Did you really think all your plans were foolproof?"
Second Uncle He’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
Even at this point, he refused to believe it. "Su Yu'er wouldn't talk. She wouldn't betray me."
"You think she actually fell for you during those years you kept her as a mistress abroad? Did she like that you're old? Did she like that you don't wash? Did she like your 'old man' smell? She was just after the money in your wallet."
"Though, I have to say, I admire Second Aunt He the most. After Su Yu'er was kept by your husband for years, she came back to have an ambiguous relationship with your son. You’ve really done a service to humanity there."
"Oh, and by the way, why did Su Yu'er snitch on Second Uncle He? Because I found evidence that the person who truly arranged for Jiang Dahai to be beaten to death in prison was Second Uncle He!"
As Wen Yan finished speaking, Second Uncle He’s legs gave out, and he collapsed uncontrollably onto the floor.
Why did this woman know all of his secrets?
"Ah—!" He wanted to kill her!
Just as Second Uncle He was about to lung at Wen Yan, a large, obese body beat him to it.
Second Aunt He, consumed by uncontrollable rage, pounced on Second Uncle He and straddled him. Her fingernails tore into his face. "You were keeping a woman behind my back?! You bastard! Can’t you keep it in your pants? Do I need to use superglue to shut it? Do I need to seal it with cement? How dare you betray me! Go to hell!"
Slap! Slap! Slap!
She delivered several loud slaps.
Second Uncle He was furious. He grabbed Second Aunt He’s hands, shoved her to the ground, and slapped her back several times.
"You damn woman, you dare hit me? If your family hadn't messed up back then and needed a sum of money to cover their tracks, why would I have sold my own nephew to human traffickers?"
"You got the benefits and now you're playing the victim? You didn't take care of yourself after marriage and ate until you looked like a pig—did you really think I'd keep my heart on you? You dare hit me? I'll beat you to death!"
Second Aunt He’s face twisted into a mask of malice. "What do you mean I got the benefits and I'm playing the victim? My family used some of that money, but didn't the lion's share go to your investments? You have no head for business, but you refuse to be ordinary. You’re the one who came up with the idea to sell He Ting'an to traffickers so our Xiuyuan could take his place! You’re the one who played this long game so Xiuyuan could take power and the He family would belong to the second branch!"
In their mutual fury, neither of them stopped to think about why their long-hidden plan had suddenly been exposed after all these years. They were both so enraged they only wanted to beat each other to death.
They fought until they were both bruised, battered, and exhausted.
"Madam He, the surveillance cameras should have recorded everything Second Uncle He and Second Aunt He said. If they didn't, I’ve recorded a video for you. They just admitted with their own mouths that He Ting'an was sold to traffickers!"
Second Uncle He, his face swollen and his appearance pathetic, froze.
He stared at Wen Yan with bulging eyes. "Su Yu'er... she didn't actually have any evidence, did she?"
Wen Yan smiled slightly. "That’s right. Jiang Dahai didn't leave any evidence. But you just admitted it yourself. Now, it really is ironclad proof!"
Second Uncle He’s chest heaved violently, and a metallic taste of blood rose in his throat. "You bitch, I’ll kill you!"
The moment the words left his mouth, He Qingyuan stepped forward and kicked him hard in the chest.
"Just what have I done to wrong you? You caused me and my wife to be separated from Ting'an for over twenty years, you made your own nephew suffer so much—you are the unforgivable wretch!"
"Big brother, I was wrong, give me another chance—"
Before Second Uncle He could finish, He Qingyuan called the police.
"Let the law deal with you. If Old Madame He dares to plead for you, I'll cut ties with her too, and I won't support her in her old age anymore!"
He Xiuyuan quietly sent a message to Old Madame He. With such a major incident, perhaps only Old Madame He's intervention could calm things down.
After all, Old Madame He usually doted the most on the second branch of the family.
When Old Madame He arrived, she was indeed ready to make a scene, but just as she reached the conference room door, she heard He Qingyuan's beast-like roar.
Old Madame He was frightened.
This was the first time she had ever heard He Qingyuan utter such harsh words, even saying he wouldn't support her anymore.
She understood He Qingyuan's temperament. He usually seemed easy-going, but when he truly dug his heels in, not even ten oxen could pull him back!
Old Madame He knew the second branch's time was up. She didn't enter the conference room but silently turned and left, leaning on her cane.
Not long after, the police arrived and took Second Uncle He and Second Aunt He away.
"Big brother, sister-in-law, I truly know I was wrong... Xiuyuan, you're our son, you must save your mom and dad..."
He Xiuyuan closed his bloodshot eyes.
He never imagined that in such a short time, he would become the son of criminals.
He Ting'an was back. Mrs. He would certainly no longer acknowledge him as her son.
A deep sense of dread and crisis rose in He Xiuyuan's chest.
No, he couldn't lose his status as the heir.
Perhaps now, his only chance lay with Wan Yu.
Mrs. He had liked Wan Yu since she was a child. As long as Wan Yu got back together with him, maybe Mrs. He would still forgive him.
He Xiuyuan walked up to Wan Yu, his eyes bloodshot. "Yu Yu, I only have you now. Give me a chance to make it up to you, okay? I'll love you properly from now on. You loved me for so many years, you must still have feelings for me in your heart..."
Wan Yu, "Gě wū ēn—Get lost!"
Wen Yan, "Pfft, hahaha!"
He Xiuyuan's face turned a mottled purple and green. "Yu Yu, have you forgotten about the earthquake that year?"
Wan Yu pressed her lips together tightly. After a moment of silence, she said, "Later, I saved you once too. We're even now."
Wen Yan glanced at He Xiuyuan. "Tsk, it's my first time seeing such a shameless male bitch. After you married Sister Wan Yu, you couldn't even be bothered to boil water. A selfish, self-centered person like you would bite your own finger to feed her your blood?"
He Xiuyuan gritted his teeth. "Are you only satisfied when you've broken me and Wan Yu apart?"
"What do you mean, 'only satisfied when I've broken you apart'? When Sister Wan Yu loved you wholeheartedly, you were flirting with Su Yu'er. You emotionally cheated, you kissed Mistress Su, you groped her. Even if you held the last line, you did everything else. Instead of reflecting on your own faults, you blame me for breaking you up?"
"Sister Wan Yu was hospitalized after a miscarriage, and you were in the bathroom flirting with Mistress Su. She bit your Adam's apple, you grabbed her slender waist. Your disgusting behavior makes people want to puke. Communicating with a presumptuous, mediocre man like you is a downgrade for me. Playing with the woman your father already finished with—you're both cheap and dirty. You'd better keep rolling in your own filth. Sister Wan Yu isn't a garbage collector; she has zero interest in stinking dog shit!"
He Xiuyuan was shaken to his core by Wen Yan's scolding, his face alternating between green and purple.
Wan Yu gave Wen Yan a thumbs up. "Well said! A true role model for our generation!"
"And also, during that earthquake back then, the one who bit his finger to feed Sister Wan Yu his blood wasn't you at all. It was Qi Hong."
Wan Yu looked at Wen Yan in disbelief. "Yan Yan, is that true?"
Wen Yan nodded. "Mr. Qi is here. You can ask him yourself."
Wan Yu looked at Qi Hong, her pupils contracting slightly. "Mr. Qi, was it you?"
