Duanmu Aotian had raised her himself. How was his heart not in pain? But, when he thought about what she did to ruin his honor, he kicked her away in anger. “Don’t call me grandfather because I don’t have a granddaughter like you. From today onward, this isn’t your home anymore!”
When she got kicked away, she felt a pain in her chest and fell in despair. If she loses the protection of the Duanmu Family, she would just be an ordinary woman with nothing left. She did not realize that one wrong move could land her in that dire situation. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Duanmu Zhe who was standing at the side. Then, she threw herself at him and hugged onto his leg.
“Zhe,” she called out, “Zhe, please help me beg Grandfather for mercy. I’m your little sister, Xue!” She sobbed. “We grew up together and you loved me the most. I know that what I did was wrong. I won’t ever do it again.”
Duanmu Zhe did not kick her away when she hugged his leg but instead just stared at her with a dim expression.
She was sobbing profusely and her eyes were swollen. The side of her face that was slapped earlier had also swollen up and there was still fresh blood on the corner of her lips. She looked like a complete mess.
He stared at her for less than half a minute before it became fairly hard to bear. He closed his eyes briefly. Alas, he let out a breath and said, “Let go.”
“Zhe? Zhe? Don’t you love me anymore?”
He went on, “Just let go first.”
Duanmu Xue stubbornly shook her head and hugged his leg even tighter. He was her last hope. If she let go, she might get kicked out of the Duanmu Family. She was not willing to let go. Left without a choice, Duanmu Zhe turned to look at Duanmu Aotian. “Grandfather.”
Duanmu Aotian snorted harshly and said in a hostile voice, “Zhe, don’t bother if you want to plead on her behalf. I’ve already decided that I don’t have a granddaughter like her!”
“But, Grandfather—”
“If you say another word, then you can leave with her. I’ll live as though I’ve never had you two as my grandchildren. Even when I die, you don’t have to come and send me off!” With that, he turned around and headed upstairs. The appearance of his back as he walked away showed that he was completely serious.
“Grandfather!” she screamed at the top of her lungs in agony. However, that old man did not stop to give her another glance. When he was out of sight, she started wailing.
After some time, she heard Duanmu Zhe’s voice in the living room. “Stop crying now. Grandfather is still angry so you shouldn’t live here for the time being.”
A look of disbelief flashed across her face. She looked up at him in astonishment. “Is Grandfather abandoning me, Zhe? What should I do now? Can you help me beg for mercy, please?”
“You saw for yourself too. Begging for mercy now is like asking for death,” he said.
“So I shouldn’t beg then? Do I really have to leave this family?” she cried out in panic.
“What did I tell you before? What’s the use in regretting it now?”
After pondering, he called someone over. “You should stay outside and wait it out for the time being. When Grandfather’s anger subsides, I will beg him for mercy again.”
At that point, the only thing Duanmu Xue could do was agree.
…
Han Muzi had not gone to work for a few consecutive days. Everyday, she spent her time at home eating and sleeping. After Song An found out where Han Muzi was living, she visited her every day to check on the condition of her body. She was only able to let out a sigh of relief once she made sure that the child inside Han Muzi’s belly was okay.
Han Muzi also came to know about the situation with Duanmu Xue from Song An. She heard that the Duanmu Family found out about the drugging incident. After they brought her home, her grandfather immediately cut ties with her and kicked her out of the house. Although Duanmu Xue did leave the house in the end, everyone understood that they were still family, after all. It was a decision made in the heat of the moment. Once the storm passed, things would return to normal again.
However, Song An was still unable to accept what Duanmu Xue had done. “How can a girl have such foul thoughts? Resorting to evil because her love didn’t work out. I don’t dare to believe this was how the great family brought up their daughter.” She clenched her fists. “I keep thinking that I should have just dealt with her then. Why did I inform her family? In the end, they’ll still protect her.”
Looking at Song An getting worked up, Han Muzi could not resist a little laugh. “Aunty, don’t be angry now. The Duanmu Family was humiliated by this incident. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten so angry to the extent of kicking her out.”
Song An stared at her. “Aren’t you angry?”
Han Muzi smiled. “Of course I’m angry.”
“Who would believe you? You look so happy.”
Han Muzi looked down and cradled her small belly gently in the palm of her hand. “It’s almost the end of the first trimester. I’m a mother now. If I get angry over these things, it would affect my baby too.” She had indeed felt frustrated earlier. If Ye Moxuan’s willpower was not strong enough and he did not come home quickly, wouldn’t that just make things more convenient for Duanmu Xue? But as she thought about it, she figured that he was not someone who fell into traps easily, let alone get stuck there. Therefore, she just had to trust him. Since she was pregnant now, she had to control her temper and not let herself get angry all the time. After the ordeal Duanmu Xue went through this time, she will probably lay low for some time. If she decides to act up again at some point, I will take it straight to court and stop her for good.
Suddenly, she asked, “Can we keep the evidence from this drugging incident?”
Song An was stunned for a moment before she understood what she meant and nodded. “Of course. But I’m guessing that Moxuan is already one step ahead of you. On the day of the incident, I thought his mind would’ve been foggy from being drugged. To my surprise, though, he had already dealt with everything.”
She sighed. “You don’t need to be angry. It’s not worth it to take to heart such lowly schemes by a woman like her. But about you and Moxuan…” Upon hesitating for a moment, she asked, “He honestly believes I’m your aunt now. He can’t remember me at all. Did he see a doctor about his memory loss?”
“I’ve never thought of that. I’m not too sure, either.”
“Then what do you plan to do now? Are you just going to keep things as they are now?” Song An asked again.
Han Muzi fell silent and looked at her fingers as she pondered. In truth, she did not have any great plans in mind either. Should I just drag him to the hospital and get him checked for his memory loss? Or should I just tell him that Song An is his aunt, not mine? The longer some things are concealed, the harder it becomes to reveal them in time. But other people would not understand my pain and suffering. They would only know how to criticize you for not saying anything.
