This was utterly ridiculous and improper.
But Xie Yushu said again, “No matter what others say, it’s better for you to see it with your own eyes. Just think of it as taking a walk to digest food. No one will see us.”
Meng Min’s heart raced wildly.
She knew this wasn’t something someone of her status should do, but she desperately wanted an answer.
Just past noon, the sky darkened as if about to rain.
A humble old carriage slowly entered Wuyi Lane, stopping in front of a modest noodle shop.
A well-dressed nanny stepped out to buy fried cakes — it was Zhen Nanny.
She stood by the noodle shop’s door waiting, casually glancing toward the nut shop behind it.
Behind the nut shop was a narrow alley leading to a private residence.
No carriage was parked in the alley, only a three- or four-year-old girl and her nanny playing marbles at the gate.
Zhen Nanny looked carefully at the girl.
She wore the finest silk, with a long-life lock of red gold and precious stones hanging around her neck.
The marbles in her hand were agate and jade.
Zhen Nanny shook her head at the people in the carriage.
The master’s carriage wasn’t here.
But just as she turned back to receive the fried cakes, she heard the sound of a carriage approaching.
A carriage quietly passed close by theirs.
Inside the carriage, Meng Min lifted the curtain and looked out.
She saw the carriage stop right in front of the private residence.
The driver was none other than Moonlight.
Moonlight jumped down and helped another man off the carriage.
“Father!”
Meng Min heard the joyful voice of the little girl playing marbles and saw Xie Zhi’an in a deep purple robe bending down to lift the girl in his arms…
Dizzy and disoriented, Meng Min heard Xie Zhi’an’s voice.
He said, “Jiayan, have you been good today? Have you made your mother angry?”
Meng Min felt the blood drain from her face.
Her hands and feet went numb, and she wanted to rush out to confront Xie Zhi’an, but a hand tightly grabbed her.
“Madam, don’t be impulsive,” Xie Yushu’s low voice whispered in her ear.
Holding her hand, she pulled the curtain down softly and said, “If you rush out now, you’ll only tear apart your relationship with your father. He won’t pretend anymore…”
“Do you think I’m afraid of breaking with him?”
Meng Min shook with rage, nearly mad, her words choking on sobs, “Does he still have any face to break with me? He deceived me this badly! The robe he’s wearing today is the one I prepared for him. How can he betray me like this…”
She broke down, unable to continue, crying bitterly.
Her face was pale and lifeless, as if she might faint at any moment.
Xie Yushu held her trembling body, helpless and regretful.
He doesn’t think he’s betraying his wife.
He’ll only say you forced him to sneak around.
To him, having three or four wives is perfectly normal.
“Madam, have you thought about what happens after you break with him?”
Xie Yushu stroked her trembling back, noticing the sweat on her.
“Would he really force Widow Ye to abort? No. He’ll blame you for having no heir and make you accept Widow Ye’s child. What will you do then?”
Meng Min looked at her tear-filled face in shock.
Yes, if Xie Zhi’an forced her to accept Widow Ye’s child, what could she do?
Could she force Widow Ye to abort?
If it was a boy, she’d be scolded as a jealous woman by the Xie family and all of Bianjing!
But it was Xie Zhi’an who betrayed his promise to her…
All her grievances and despair poured out: “I have a child. My Jia Ning is just lost, not dead…How can he think of having children with other women after Jia Ning went missing…”
Her heart felt like it was ripped out.
She sobbed loudly in Xie Yushu’s arms.
Xie Yushu’s heart almost broke too.
Why was every woman in this world so miserable?
She wished she could record this moment and play it for the heroine when she returned.
The ones to blame were their fathers, those despicable men!
Xie Yushu gently stroked Meng Min’s back and spoke softly but with certainty, “Your daughter will definitely be found. I’m always right, aren’t I?”
Meng Min froze for a moment, then clung to her and cried harder.
“Host, you’ve gained 1 point of Heartthrob Value from Meng Min,” the system voice quietly appeared.
“The female supporting role’s main mission has also updated,” the system added.
“Main mission completion: 8%.”
Xie Yushu’s heart broke even more.
Did the original supporting role Yushu not want to see Meng Min like this?
She had taken care of the seriously ill Meng Min out of true sincerity, wanting to genuinely integrate into this “family,” right?
But all her genuine efforts were ridiculed as vanity and scheming, just because of her lowly birth.
It didn’t matter.
Then she would raise Xie Yushu’s status.
The rain grew heavier.
When Xie Yushu returned Meng Min to the manor, the sky was as dark as night.
Meng Min, already weak, collapsed again after such an emotional storm.
Zhen Nanny hurriedly brewed medicine and helped her drink it.
After a long while, Meng Min finally recovered.
Xie Yushu stayed by her side, holding her hand.
The emotionally shattered Meng Min kept calling Jia Ning’s name.
But this time, Xie Yushu did not respond like Xie Jia Ning from the original script.
She just sat quietly by the bedside, waiting for Meng Min to calm down before withdrawing her hand and softly saying, “Madam, I am Yushu.”
Meng Min lay on her side, slowly opening her tightly shut eyes and turning to look at her.
Her red eyes filled with tears again as if recalling the past. In a hoarse voice, she said, “Yes…you are Yushu, not Jia Ning…Before, when I was ill, you would answer me…Sometimes when I was delirious, I truly thought my Jia Ning had come back to accompany me…”
“Before, I pitied Madam and Old Madam and wanted to do my best to ease your pain,” Xie Yushu said calmly and kindly.
“But later I realized my kindness was misunderstood as vanity, as if I wanted to replace Jia Ning, and I felt it wasn’t worth it.”
Meng Min smiled resignedly but couldn’t stop the trembling tears.
She recalled many past moments—after Jia Ning had been missing for half a year, she had truly been unable to go on living, her cherished daughter’s fate unknown, while she dragged her ailing body to care for the bedridden Old Madam.
Even though she disliked Xie Yushu, she had to admit that after Xie Yushu was brought to the manor, she had taken good care of Old Madam, relieving her burden.
During the time she was bedridden, Xie Yushu would come to care for her after tending Old Madam, bringing tea, washing her body, and massaging her…
Many times, when she woke from nightmares calling Jia Ning’s name, she would hear Xie Yushu imitating Jia Ning’s voice calling her “Mother,” constantly comforting her: “Mother, don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’ve always been by your side…”
Looking back now, even if Xie Yushu had been acting, what harm was there?
They were just trying to bring her back to the manor to ease their longing for Jia Ning.
It was Xie Zhi’an’s betrayal that led to Qiao Bao’er’s pregnancy and birth of Xie Yushu.
She wasn’t Jia Ning by choice but was always Xie Zhi’an’s daughter.
He was no good.
Whether it was Widow Ye, brothel singers, or any other woman—he indulged in all kinds.
“Madam, please don’t cry anymore,” Xie Yushu sighed.
“You must take care of your health first if you want to plan for the future. If you fall ill now, aren’t you just giving others the chance to take your place? When Jia Ning returns, the manor might no longer have room for her.”
Zhen Nanny quickly wiped Meng Min’s tears.
“Miss Yushu is right. You can’t fall ill now. What would Ning Jie’er do when she comes back? You have to stay strong and guard Yong’an Marquis Manor for her.”
Jia Ning was her reason to keep going.
“Yes, I can’t fall ill,” Meng Min gripped Zhen Nanny’s hand, swallowing her tears and forcing herself to be strong.
“If I fall ill, Xie Zhi’an probably won’t send anyone to look for Jia Ning anymore. He’ll only rush to bring that widow into the manor! I have to stay strong and protect everything here until my Jia Ning comes back.”
“You’re finally understanding,” Xie Yushu wiped the sweat from her face and spoke gently, “Your top priority is to recover your health and pretend you know nothing.”
Meng Min looked at her in confusion.
“Pretend I know nothing? But what if Widow Ye gives birth to a son? Father will definitely force me to accept that bastard.”
“It’s not ‘what if,’ it’s certain,” Xie Yushu said.
“If it’s a son, father will definitely bring him back.”
Meng Min was even more confused. Xie Yushu continued, “But what can you do now? Go and abort Widow Ye’s child? Besides being scolded as a jealous woman, father would just go looking for more women to continue the line. How many children do you think you can abort?”
Meng Min’s heart turned icy.
She could abort Widow Ye’s child, but how could she stop Xie Zhi’an from finding other women?
If it really came to breaking apart, the Xie family and Bianjing would blame her for having no heir and force her to take concubines.
“What else can I do?” she said despairingly, her words venomous, “I—I can’t just castrate Xie…”
“Madam, you can’t say that,” Zhen Nanny quickly covered her mouth, shocked and heartbroken.
“There’s a way. Miss Yushu is so smart; she’ll definitely help you.”
She now could only put her hopes on Xie Yushu, pleading, “Miss Yushu, I apologize on behalf of Madam for the past. Please have mercy and help her.”
Meng Min gripped Xie Yushu’s hand again.
Her face was pale and lips trembling as she choked out, “Yushu, I’m sorry to you and your mother…this shouldn’t be your fault…”
It was a simple sentence, but one spoken after being desperate.
Xie Yushu heard the system announce, “Congratulations, Host, female supporting role main mission completion: 10%.”
What Xie Yushu wanted was just an apology—a sincere one, not to be wronged again, someone to fight for her justice.
She lowered her eyes, looking at Meng Min’s hand, and said, “I can help, but Madam must trust me and know I will never harm you.”
Meng Min nodded through her tears.
Xie Yushu patted her hand gently, “For now, wipe away your tears and drink the ginseng soup.”
Her tone was like coaxing a child.
Meng Min looked at her, heart aching.
How long had it been since anyone comforted her like this?
Before, Xie Zhi’an would pretend and sweet-talk her, but in recent years, she was always ill, and Xie Zhi’an no longer even bothered to pretend.
“Host, you’ve gained 1 more point of Heartthrob Value from Meng Min,” the system appeared again.
Xie Yushu smiled, lifting the ginseng soup to feed her.
Meng Min simply wasn’t bold enough.
Why couldn’t she just castrate Xie Zhi’an?
There were plenty of ways to make him sterile.