Wang Shi Xen’s face imdiately twisted in a mask of pure rage. Yu Qi knew exactly which buttons to press. She clearly understood which topic could touch Wang Shi Xen’s most sensitive and volatile spot.
"If it were not because of you, my Fu Ya would never have ended up like that!" Wang Shi Xen shouted angrily with trembling voices.
"Because of ? What exactly did I do to get her involved in a gang?" Yu Qi asked in return with a cool and steady voice compared to the older woman’s hysteria.
The surrounding crowd, having watched the drama unfold, began to chi in with their own opinions.
"That’s right. Yu Qi never did anything wrong to that girl. She never forced that girl to get involved with the gang."
"It was your own daughter’s choice to go down that path. You can’t bla others for her mistakes."
One after another, the villagers spoke up to Wang Shi Xen, firmly defending Yu Qi.
Wang Shi Xen looked around at the sea of faces, her blood boiling as she realised they were all taking the girl’s side.
"Anyway, she is nothing but an ungrateful wench! I raised her until she was sixteen years old. You all cannot deny that fact. Since she is successful and wealthy now, she should take care of our family as repaynt!" Wang Shi Xen shouted at the top of her lungs, temporarily silencing the crowd with her audacity.
A few people who had only recently moved into the village and did not know the history of the family thought her demand sounded sowhat reasonable. However, most of the villagers knew very well how the Wang family had treated Yu Qi in the past.
"You raised her? No... I don’t think so." One elder remarked.
"That’s right. Shi Xen, I have been your neighbour for years. I saw how you ’raised’ her. She started cooking and doing heavy household chores when she was only four years old. Once she grew up a bit, she was constantly seen trekking to the mountains to gather wild vegetables just to eat. Then, when she started school, she had to take multiple part-ti jobs just to pay for her own tuition."
"I rember that clearly. I let her help work at my store a couple of tis. When I asked Yu Qi why she was doing all this, she told that you did not have enough money to pay for her schooling. Strangely enough, you always seed to have enough money to spoil your other children. I did not want to say anything back then because you were still family at that ti, and I did not know that she was not your biological daughter. After the truth ca out, I finally understood... You simply did not want to spend money on an adopted daughter."
Grandpa Mu, who stood by listening to these heartbreaking stories of Yu Qi’s childhood, could not help but feel a deep, aching sadness. This was his biological granddaughter. By all rights, she should have grown up in luxury, happy and protected.
"Even so, I took her out of that orphanage! She should be eternally grateful to . Otherwise, who knows how she would have turned out?" Wang Shi Xen argued, refusing to give up her pursuit of money.
"Wang Shi Xen..." Yu Qi called out, her voice dropping to a dangerous, low tone.
Hearing Yu Qi say her na like that, Wang Shi Xen felt a sudden burst of cold sweat break out on her back. She subconsciously looked at Yu Qi with a flicker of genuine fear in her eyes.
"Have you forgotten about the legal contract you signed before?" Yu Qi asked.
"Contract? What contract..." Wang Shi Xen started to protest, but the words died in her throat as a mory surfaced, the mory of signing a docunt in front of a stern old man.
"You signed that contract and received a significant sum of money in exchange. The amount you were paid far exceeded the total expenses you ever spent on during my ti living with your family." Yu Qi said, successfully jogging Wang Shi Xen’s mory.
"That... I don’t..." Wang Shi Xen tried to find a way to deny it, but Yu Qi cut her off sharply.
"Don’t tell you don’t rember. I still have the original copy of that docunt, as well as video evidence of you signing it. A lawyer was present to witness the entire transaction. If you want to try and demand more money from because you ’raised’ , then let’s take this to court. If by so miracle you win, I will give you the bare minimum the law requires. Do you dare to try?" Yu Qi said, raising her chin high and looking down at Wang Shi Xen with utter contempt.
"That... That..." Wang Shi Xen stamred, her face turning pale.
Of course, she did not dare. She did not have the money for a lawyer, let alone the funds to lose a lawsuit. Her husband, after being released from prison, had found it nearly impossible to find work in the village. No one was willing to hire an ex-convict. He eventually had to find work outside the village as a heavy construction labourer, the only job that didn’t care about his criminal record.
"I am Yu Qi’s biological grandfather, Mu Guang Qi." The old man finally spoke up. "I am from the Fanghai Nation. You probably wonder how I found her. Her face is the absolute image of my late wife. When she visited Fanghai Nation previously, we happened to et. From that eting, we conducted a DNA paternity test, and it was scientifically proven that we are related by blood. My son went missing years ago and likely ended up in this country. That is why Yu Qi was born and eventually found here."
***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that ans it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shaless author, ZerahNeko***
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