Chapter 16 - Apologies

Qin Lan was rendered speechless by Ye Qiao's relentless comeback. She did her best to maintain her composure even though she was infuriated. Ye Zhenzhen, too, became crimson with anger.

"Zhenzhen, your sister is right. You must apologize to her now," Ye Shengxun said in seriousness.

Qin Lan could barely hold back her frustration, but she had to. After all, she had a reputation to uphold in front of her husband.

In the end, Ye Zhenzhen turned to Ye Qiao and reluctantly said, "I'm sorry."

Even their father was showing favor to Ye Qiao now!

The combination of events convinced Ye Zhenzhen that Ye Qiao was truly a sly fox. Her ability to influence others was undeniably effective.

"Zhenzhen, it is all right. You are the most beloved girl in our family, so you must not disrespectfully speak to others." Ye Qiao continued to show kindness towards her.

The mother and daughter took all of her words in their stride. They could not express their resentment in front of Ye Shengxun.

Deep down, Ye Qiao was pleased to have made progress in this conversation. She had suffered a lot from them in the past.

…

Halfway through dinner, Ye Zhenzhen started to feel a little unwell, so her mother brought her home, leaving Ye Qiao and her father alone in the dining room.

People always say that a man in his forties is a flower in bloom. This statement certainly applied to Ye Shengxun. Even in his forties, he was still a very handsome man, with his well-toned body accentuated his strikingly fine appearance. He was enjoying a drink or two on his own while glancing at Ye Qiao.

"Qiao Qiao, I didn't have a choice back then. I didn't even know that your mother was pregnant. It's all my fault. I should have gone back to her." Guiltily, Ye Shengxun spoke with a slight slur. It seemed that the man was drunk.

No amount of excuses could change the fact that he cheated.

Ye Qiao did not respond to any of his babbling and kept eating the delicious food on the table. She had not had a fulfilling meal throughout her seven years in prison.

"Your stepmother is not very fond of you. I have to pretend that I do not care about you to keep you out of trouble," Ye Shengxun continued. Ye Qiao finally put down her chopsticks after hearing what her father had said.

She could not help but feel a sense of pity for the man in front of her. He was a man of great status in society but was never respected by her.

Her father and mother's love story was a tragedy of the olden times. Their love for each other was true, but he could not fulfill his promise back then. There must have been tremendous pressure from his family as well to block it.

Her mother's family was of a different socioeconomic class. Surely his father's family would not let their son, who was born and raised in a noble family, marry a girl of such family background.

During those uneasy times, love was really just a luxury that very few people could afford.

"Governor Ye, your situations are totally understandable. I'm also aware of Madam Qin's lack of favor for me. However, these debts of gratitude and revenge are from your generation. Why should I be the one who suffers? I'm not responsible for any of it, am I?" She had never once addressed him as her father in the past. In fact, she would rather keep it that way.

Ye Shengxun could only nod in agreement.

"Please talk to Madam Qin. She can dislike me, but please do not treat me disrespectfully. It will not do her any good," Ye Qiao added. She then took her belongings and left the room.

…

She returned to the neighborhood alone by bus. As soon as she approached the basketball court, she heard someone calling her name.

It was a voice that she could never forget.

It was Li Yun!

The voice belonged to her ex-best friend in her past life, the one who lied to her and framed her.

She still remembered how hopeful she was as she waited for Li Yun and Shen Xichuan to get her out of prison. However, what she tragically encountered, in the end, was their betrayal. They were called to court to testify against her and pin all the charges solely on her.

It was only until she was in prison that she found out about their secrets. They had been keeping in touch privately and even had a son and a daughter together.

What baffled her the most was how she missed all the signs. Lu Beixiao had even shown her pictures of the duo together, and yet she never believed him, which led to her eventual misery. There was no one to blame other than herself for being delusional.

"Qiao Qiao! You really are Qiao Qiao! Why are you dressed up like this? Shen Xichuan will definitely not like to see you this way!" The streetlight was dim, so Li Yun could not see Ye Qiao's entire appearance.. Nonetheless, Li Yun was dumbstruck when she was finally able to see Ye Qiao clearly.