Chapter 7: Excuses
Chapter 7: Excuses
Previously, Lu Jiaguang suspected that his younger sister's disappearance was due to Ding Jing's scheming, but he never imagined that Fan Yinuo was involved. "Xinxin, what really happened? Tell us the truth," he demanded.
Lu Jiaxin had called them together specifically to discuss this matter, and after a moment's hesitation, she began her story. "Two days before the college entrance exam, I went to the bathroom and overheard Zhao Siyi cooing 'Brother Yinuo' into the phone. Then she left, and feeling uneasy, I followed her. In the alley outside, Zhao Siyi saw Fan Yinuo and threw herself at him, hugging and kissing him..."
Liao Xiangmei remained silent, knowing that the truth could no longer be hidden after seeing Lu Jiaxin's distant attitude towards her.
Lu Jiaguang's face turned grim.
Lu Jiajie was furious. He never expected that Zhao Siyi and Fan Yinuo were the cause of all this. And to think that the two of them had actively helped search for Jiaxin after her disappearance. Now it seemed that it was all an act.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he turned to Lu Hongjun, his voice filled with accusation. "Uncle San, how could you be unaware of something so important? What kind of father are you?"
When Mother Lu was still alive, she maintained a good relationship with their relatives back home and would always lend a helping hand when needed. She had been especially fond of Lu Hongjun. However, Ding Jing, his stepmother, put on a pretentious act. While she appeared polite on the surface, she looked down on him and his relatives from the old house. Nonetheless, out of respect for Mother Lu's dying wish, Lu Hongjun still visited them a few times a month, despite his dislike for the stepmother and her daughter.
Lu Hongjun felt wronged. He had no idea about any of this; his daughter had never confided in him.
Lu Jiaguang, a leader in his profession, immediately cut to the heart of the matter. "Xinxin, you sprained your ankle two days before the exam, claiming that you hadn't paid attention to your path. Now, tell me honestly, how did you really injure your foot?"
Lu Jiaxin repeated what she had told Madame Xue: "I was so angry that I wanted to confront Zhao Siyi, but she pushed me, and I twisted my ankle."
Lu Hongjun's face betrayed his disbelief. Spraining one's ankle due to a lack of attention was entirely different from twisting it after being pushed by Zhao Siyi.
"Xinxin, why didn't you tell us about this earlier?" Lu Jiaguang inquired.
Lowering her head, Lu Jiaxin replied, "Brother Yinuo begged me not to tell anyone. He said that Uncle Fan and Aunt Liao would beat him to death if they found out, and in a moment of softness, I agreed to keep it a secret."
Lu Jiaguang continued his interrogation. "Xinxin, you just mentioned that you suspected something was amiss when you overheard Zhao Siyi calling out to Brother Yinuo on the phone. Was she speaking loudly?"
Lu Jiaxin marveled inwardly at her brother's sharp instincts; he had immediately honed in on the critical detail. She nodded and then recounted the story she had previously shared with the residents of the compound.
Liao Xiangmei's face turned pale. She had only known that Jiaxin had stumbled upon her son's relationship with Zhao Siyi, which had then delayed Jiaxin's exam. She never imagined that Zhao Siyi was responsible for Jiaxin's injury, and that her son had begged Jiaxin to keep it a secret.
Lu Jiajie stormed over to the door and began pounding on it furiously. When Ding Jing opened the door, he demanded, "Where is Zhao Siyi now?"
Seeing his agitated state, Ding Jing replied pitifully, "Siyi thought that Xinxin wasn't home, so she spoke a little louder. She didn't mean any harm."
Lu Jiaxin scoffed, "You just said you didn't know they were dating."
Lu Jiaguang's eyes narrowed as he spoke sharply. "Having an affair with your stepsister's fiance is despicable enough. They must have been desperate to keep it a secret, yet you claim that Zhao Siyi shouted his name in the house? It's clear that Zhao Siyi is jealous of Xinxin's academic achievements and doesn't want her to get into college. That's why she resorted to such underhanded tactics to ruin her."
Lu Jiaxin felt like giving her brother a thumbs-up.
Lu Jiajie turned his anger on Lu Hongjun. "Uncle San, we've been warning you about this mother-daughter pair and their malicious intentions towards Xinxin, but you refused to believe us.
Lu Jiaxin laughed bitterly, "You mean I'm slandering Zhao Siyi? I often wondered, am I really your biological daughter, or is Zhao Siyi?"
With the memories of her original self, she knew that every time there was a conflict, Lu Hongjun would try to smooth things over. But now that she had experienced it herself, she realized how suffocating it felt. Having no emotional attachment to Lu Hongjun, she still felt this way; she could only imagine how much more painful it must have been for her original self!
Lu Hongjun tried to explain, "Jiaxin, that's not what I meant. Siyi has always treated you as a dear sister; how could she not want you to get into university? She probably thought you weren't home and didn't mean for you to overhear."
Lu Jiaxin countered, "Fan Yinuo is my fiance; Zhao Siyi is well aware of that, yet she still pursued him. Going by their behavior, I'd say they've even slept together. Dad, do you think this is all a misunderstanding too?"
Lu Hongjun was shocked and furious, "Jiaxin! How can you, a young lady, say such things?"
Lu Jiaxin retorted, "If she has the face to do it, why can't I speak of it?"
Seeing that the father and daughter were about to argue again, Lu Jiaguang interjected, "Jiaxin, did someone tell you something that made you suddenly decide to return to our hometown alone?"
Zhao Siyi had used Fan Yinuo to provoke Jiaxin into failing her college entrance exam; she could just as easily have manipulated her into returning home alone. Lu Jiaguang had known from the first meeting that this mother-daughter pair was not to be trusted, but unfortunately, his uncle hadn't believed him.
Ding Jing's heart skipped a beat.
Lu Jiaxin sigthed, regretting that her original self hadn't confided in Lu Jiaguang about this matter. If she had, perhaps she wouldn't have lost her life. She explained, "Zhao Siyi bragged to me that Dad had promised to host a celebration for her when her college acceptance letter arrived. I was very upset, and coincidentally, Uncle called to comfort me, saying that victory and defeat are common in life and that if I didn't get in, I could always retake the exam. I didn't want to see them, so I bought a ticket and decided to come back to our hometown for a while."
Lu Jiaguang was so angry he was at a loss for words. His own daughter had been wronged by his stepdaughter, and as a father, he hadn't even realized it. Instead, he had wanted to host a celebration for his stepdaughter's college acceptance. How could anyone bear such a thing?
Lu Jiajie turned to Lu Hongjun and asked, "Uncle San, after all the heartache Jiaxin has suffered because of that venomous girl, you were still going to host a celebration for her? Uncle San, which one is your daughter?"
Lu Hongjun denied this, "Your Aunt Ding wanted to host a celebration for Zhao Siyi, but I refused. However, Zhao's family found out and insisted on hosting a few tables, but I didn't stop them."
Having calmed down, Lu Jiaguang continued his inquiry, "I found out that you were taken away by an old woman, and the police analyzed that she was likely a human trafficker. Jiaxin, was that old woman really a trafficker?"
Ding Jing's heart skipped a beat as she heard this, and she almost shouted in protest. What did this imply, that she had hired someone to traffic Lu Jiaxin?
Lu Jiaxin affirmed that the woman was indeed a trafficker, "She spoke in the dialect of our hometown and even addressed Uncle and Aunt by their names. So, I believed her and followed her off the train. But when we reached the train station, I wanted to go to a hotel, and she tried to stop me. When I struggled, I hit her chin, and as she loosened her grip, I escaped..."
Hearing that Jiaxin had briefly held her breath to escape, Ding Jing's heart filled with curses. If only Jiaxin had lost consciousness or been sold by the trafficker to some remote mountain village; then, none of this would be happening now.
(End of Chapter)
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