Hearing the blunt demand for a confrontation, Shi Qingyin visibly panicked. Her composure shattered, she hastily changed the subject, turning to Shi Guoqiang. “Uncle, my sister and brother-in-law had a quarrel at the Dihua Club yesterday. My sister was left alone in the box by my brother-in-law.”
Shi Guoqiang, easily diverted, instantly shifted his worried gaze to Shi Ning. “Did you quarrel with Qin Heye? Why? Did he bully you?”
From beside him, Butler Zhao leaned in, speaking in a voice that was neither quite loud nor quite soft, yet perfectly audible. “The eldest lady practically pounced on Master Qin. Are you sure the eldest lady was bullied, or was it the kind of ‘bullying’ couples have for fun?”
Shi Ning blinked, a silent expletive forming in her mind. Is this a whisper? He practically needs a microphone!
The experienced Shi Guoqiang nodded sagely. “Yes, my wife used to ‘bully’ me regardless of time or place. Ningning is just like her mother.”
A sigh of relief escaped Shi Qingyin. The topic had been successfully changed.
Just then, Jiang Huaijing, summoning his courage, turned to Shi Ning. “Why have you hated me all these years?”
Shi Qingyin’s heart leaped back into her throat. “Uncle, they quarreled because my sister was a little… excessive…”
Bang!
A sharp, stinging slap landed squarely on Shi Qingyin’s face.
Shi Guoqiang, still muttering fondly about his wife’s “bullying,” snapped silent, his head whipping around in shock. Tao Bichun stood stunned for a moment before rushing forward to shield Shi Qingyin, her voice rising to a furious shriek. “Yinyin was just caring about you! Why did you hit her for no reason?” She then whirled on Shi Guoqiang. “Brother, look at Xiaoning hitting Yinyin! You should do something!”
Shi Guoqiang opened his mouth, but Butler Zhao was quicker, grabbing his arm. “In a while, the eldest lady will call you ‘Mr. Shi’ again. Your daughter won’t want you anymore.”
The threat was potent, a direct hit to Shi Guoqiang’s most cherished desire. Instantly alert, he decided to play the role of the “bear parent” – a parent who, rather than discipline, protects their child fiercely. “Ningning wouldn’t hit someone without a reason. You yelled at her and scolded her without even asking what happened. It’s clear you don’t take me, your big brother, seriously.”
Tao Bichun gaped, shocked and furious.
Shi Ning, shaking the slight ache from her hand, fixed Shi Qingyin with a cold gaze. “I want to confront you. Why do you feel so guilty you have to interrupt once, twice?”
“Sister…” Shi Qingyin whimpered, her voice laced with aggrieved tears.
Shi Ning simply raised her delicate hand, a silent warning. “If you change the subject again, I will beat you again until you are ready to address the matter at hand.” Her gaze flickered to Tao Bichun. “And that includes Second Aunt too!”
She was, after all, the “vicious female supporting role.” Scolding and beating people were practically her job description. Why bother trying to whitewash herself now? In fact, she would lean into it, make it worse. Shi Ning’s arrogance and domineering aura made it clear that she truly meant every word.
Shi Qingyin and Tao Bichun could only look to Shi Guoqiang, silently pleading for him to intervene, hoping he would teach Shi Ning a lesson and send their father-daughter relationship plummeting back to freezing point.
But Shi Guoqiang, reveling in the precious moments his daughter called him “daddy,” pretended not to see their desperate pleas. He even pulled Butler Zhao closer, earnestly examining the hospital bedsheet. “What brand is this? It’s so comfortable. Should we buy one for home?”
Silence descended, neither Shi Qingyin nor Tao Bichun daring to speak.
Shi Ning looked up at Jiang Huaijing. “I hated big brother because you molested me seven years ago…”
“F***! You’ll be killed by my kick!”
Shi Guoqiang, who had been feigning intense interest in the bedsheet, suddenly whirled around. His long leg shot out, aiming squarely for Jiang Huaijing’s groin. Butler Zhao, quick as lightning, grabbed him, pinning him to the bed like a struggling pig. “Calm down! Calm down! Miss hasn’t finished yet!”
Jiang Huaijing, utterly innocent of the accusation, was frantic. His face flushed scarlet, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “I didn’t! I’ve always treated you as my own sister. I would never do such a thing!” His voice cracked with desperation. “If I truly did such a thing to my sister, I would be a beast! I’ll die right now! I’ll be reincarnated as a pig for eight lifetimes, I…” He swore, defended, and trembled, desperate to dispel the awful misunderstanding.
Seeing his extreme distress, Shi Ning quickly interjected. “I know now that the person wasn’t you, big brother.”
Jiang Huaijing’s rigid posture instantly relaxed. He slowly removed his glasses, using them to wipe the fine sweat from his brow and the unshed tears from the corners of his eyes. “Thank you.” He had genuinely prepared to die to prove his innocence if they hadn’t believed him.
Shi Ning’s cold gaze swept back to Shi Qingyin. “The person who tried to molest me was you, Shi Qingyin!”
Another thunderclap. Shi Guoqiang gasped, his gaze snapping to Shi Qingyin, shock etched on his face. Tao Bichun immediately shrieked in protest. “Shi Ning, don’t talk nonsense! Yinyin is a girl! She likes boys! How could she do that to you?”
Shi Qingyin bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes as she attempted a denial. “Why would my sister slander me like this? We’re both girls!”
But Shi Ning, armed with the information from the barrages, calmly recounted the precise date and details of the incident. “Seven years ago, on the afternoon of June 5th, I was taking a nap. You lifted my nightgown and almost took off my underwear.” She continued, her voice unwavering. “I woke up, and you were scared away. I chased you out and saw Jiang Huaijing, who was blushing and flustered, so I suspected it was him.” Shi Ning paused, her eyes piercing. “And later you told me that you saw him sneaking out of my room, so I was even more sure that he molested me.”
Jiang Huaijing began to explain, “I blushed because…”
But Shi Qingyin cut him off, her voice thick with tears, pleading softly. “Brother Jiang! Don’t say it!” She desperately hoped he would keep silent about what truly happened that day, fearing it would ruin her reputation, her carefully constructed image of innocence. She believed Jiang Huaijing, who had always been gentle and obedient towards her, would listen.
The hidden comments began to dispute furiously.
[“Jiang Huaijing is the affectionate male second, Shi Qingyin’s number one licking dog, who is reluctant to hurt her, and will definitely help the heroine conceal it and stand on the side of the heroine unconditionally.”]
[“During these seven years, Jiang Huaijing, because he had seen the heroine naked and loved Shi Ning, gave her double the love. He obeyed her in everything and was a super sister control!”]
[“As long as Jiang Huaijing said no, this confrontation would not go on, and her statement would not be established, right? Baby Yinyin would be fine.”]
[“The heroine is also a girl. Because of the incident seven years ago, she felt guilty about the vicious female supporting role. She tolerated her traps again and again. She was kind enough. What else do you want from her?”]
[“Isn’t the indecency of a girl harmful? Besides, whether it was seven years ago or now, Shi Ning has never hurt the heroine. Isn’t she still a vicious female supporting role!”]
[“Before Jiang Huaijing became the affectionate male second, he was the godson cultivated by Shi Guoqiang. He was the former child husband who always took Shi Ning as the main person! Of course, Shi Ning was chosen.”]
[“Do you understand the character setting of the affectionate male second? Except for the heroine, he doesn’t even want his life! Not to mention that Shi Ning is a vicious female supporting role!”]
The barrages raged, a silent war of opinions. Shi Ning, too, looked at Jiang Huaijing with a flicker of worry.
Jiang Huaijing met Shi Qingyin’s tear-filled, pleading eyes. He took a deep, shaky breath, then spoke. “I blushed and felt guilty because I saw Shi Qingyin coming out of Ningning’s room naked.” He added, firmly, “At that time, I had just returned from interest class!”
Shi Qingyin’s face went ashen. A fresh torrent of tears erupted as she wailed, “Brother Jiang! I won’t live anymore! Woo woo!” She covered her face and tried to flee, desperate to escape the inevitable next wave of confrontation.
But Shi Ning was faster. She grabbed Shi Qingyin by the collar, pulling her back forcefully. Then, she picked up a fruit knife from the nearby table and thrust it directly into Shi Qingyin’s hand. “If you don’t want to live, just use the knife to cut the aorta. The one in the neck will have a better effect!”