Chương 36: Chapter 36

Song Yanyan's POV:

I scanned the room, taking in the shocked looks on the Song family's faces. My dumbass uncle Song Hao repeated foolishly, "So you're trying to tell us that Yanyan is not my brother's daughter and she's not even related to anyone in this household?"

I rolled my eyes at his redundant statement of the obvious. Gramps kept his piercing gaze locked on Chen Xinyi, the woman I could no longer even think of as my mother. Her face glistened with sweat despite the AC running full blast.

I had to strain myself from blurting out some smart-ass remark about her perspiring guilt. Finally, Chen Xinyi mumbled, "I...I need some water."

Zhao Yujie eyed her with disdain. "Come on, Chen Xinyi. Now you're suddenly thirsty? Out with the truth."

Song Dong chimed in unhelpfully, "Aunt Xinyi, the truth will set you free."

"Shut up, Dong!" Song Yangyao snapped. "Can't you see my mother is not okay?"

I rolled my eyes so hard they almost stuck that way. "That's because all her shady scheming has come to light, genius."

Song Yangyao whirled on me with fury in her eyes. "How can you believe these strangers over our own mother, Yanyan?"

"Uh, I think you have it all wrong here," I replied coolly. "She's not my mother."

Song Bo finally found his voice, clearing his throat heavily. "Yanyan...how long have you known about this?"

I met his pained gaze steadily. "Just a few days."

"And...how do you feel?" He asked hesitantly, as if dreading the answer.

I shrugged. "A bit relieved she's not actually my mother, to be honest."

Chen Xinyi sputtered in outrage. "You ungrateful brat! Your real mother abandoned you. I gave you a home, a life of luxury. Who knows where you would have ended up?"

"Probably in an orphanage. Duh," I shot back blandly.

Song Bo turned back to his wife, a muscle twitching in his jaw. "So you admit it then? You bought a child for me to raise as my own...lied about being pregnant this entire time?"

Chen Xinyi's eyes darted around frantically before settling on her husband with a sickly attempt at a placating smile.

"Hubby, I did it for us," she simpered in a saccharine tone. "I knew your father would never have allowed you to marry someone like me. I come from such a poor background, and you rich people always look at status before committing to marriage."

I let out a bark of laughter at her audacity. "Oh, so it's the evil patriarchy's fault you're a lying, child-trafficking criminal? Got it."

"If you hadn't told me about that other girl your father wanted you to marry, none of this would have happened!" Chen Xinyi doubled down desperately.

I chuckled darkly at her pathetic attempt to gaslight and shift blame. Such a garbage human being.

Gramps' expression hardened to stone. "I don't care about your justifications," he stated with an air of finality. "And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't grateful, in a sense, that you gave my granddaughter a home and a life of luxury. I know she most likely would have ended up in some shady orphanage or foster home otherwise."

Chen Xinyi looked almost relieved until Gramps continued in an icy tone.

"But what absolutely infuriates me is that you bought a child to raise, yet still failed miserably at being a nurturing mother-figure. Instead, you mistreated the poor girl and even allowed your own daughter here to do the same freely."

Chen Xinyi's face contorted with undisguised loathing as she turned her venom on me.

"I never abused this brat!" She spat. "She's always been a rebellious troublemaker, constantly finding trouble. Look at her now - she can't even take care of her own weight and looks like a pig!"

In a heartbeat, Gramps' eyes turned arctic cold in a way that made me shudder despite myself. This was a man who was not to be trifled with, no matter how much jovial banter he engaged in.

"If you insult my grandbaby one more time," he stated in a tone of terrifying calm, "I will make damn sure you regret the day you decided to purchase her like some disposable object."

A tense silence fell over the room as Chen Xinyi seemed to weigh the very real threat in Gramps' words. I couldn't resist shooting her a mocking grin, greatly enjoying seeing the wretched woman squirm at last.

But of course, Song Yangyao was constitutionally incapable of keeping her stupid mouth shut.

"How dare you threaten my mother, you creepy old man!" She screeched, seemingly more offended by that than the fact her mom was an actual criminal mastermind.

Chen Xinyi quickly latched onto her daughter's indignant support like a life raft.

"Yes, this is an outrage!" She cried in a reedy voice. "I'm the victim being slandered here by absolute lies! My own husband should be defending my honor!"

In a flash, all eyes turned to Song Bo, who had remained unnervingly silent and still throughout the explosive confrontation so far. His face was inscrutable as his gaze flicked from Chen Xinyi, to me, to Huang Jiang and back again.

For a long moment, the tension thickened until it was almost palpable. Then Song Bo seemed to reach some silent decision within himself. Exhaling a slow breath, he turned to his wife with an look of bone-deep weariness and...was that revulsion?

"I don't think there's any honor left to defend, Xinyi," he said quietly. "The evidence before me...your own refusal to simply deny these allegations outright...it's damning, to say the least."

Chen Xinyi's eyes went wide with panic and outrage as gasps echoed around the room. Song Hao shook his head slowly, shock and disgust written across his features aimed at his reviled sister-in-law.

Even the useless cousins Song Fangfang and Song Dong seemed temporarily struck dumb by Song Bo's words. As for Chen Xinyi, her mouth opened and closed repeatedly in impotent fury, but no coherent defense seemed to be forthcoming for once.

"Bo, you...y-you can't honestly be believing these ridiculous lies over your own wife!" She finally choked out, a wheedling desperation tingeing her voice.

But Song Bo simply regarded her with an impassive stare that spoke volumes for how little sway her usual manipulations seemed to hold now.

Seizing on a flicker of momentum, I couldn't resist piling on with a caustic smirk.

"Aw, what's the matter, Mother Dearest?" I taunted in syrupy tones. "Cat finally got your bitch tongue or what?"

Chen Xinyi rounded on me with eyes bulging, but Gramps quickly intervened.

"That's quite enough of your repulsive braying for today, madam," he stated with an air of finality. "I suggest reserving what paltry dregs of energy remain for preparing your legal defenses against prosecution. Because make no mistake - this criminal conspiracy ends today, one way or another."

Chen Xinyi sputtered helplessly for a few seconds before Song Yangyao chimed in, seemingly finding her voice again.

"You shut your wrinkly mouth, old man!" She spat, face crimson with rage as she whirled to face me. "This is all your fault, you fat, pimply-faced little bitch! We were a respectable, wealthy family until you came along stirring up trouble as usual!"

Gramps made to interject, but I waved him off with a sardonic chuckle. Riling up the spoiled princess was just too deliciously easy...

"Careful there, Yangy Pangy," I taunted, using the childish nickname I knew she hated. "That ugly vein throbbing in your forehead makes your Botox look even shoddier than usual."

"Why you little -!"

With a squawk of outrage, Yangyao made to lunge at me. But quicker than I would have thought possible in his advanced age, Gramps smoothly inserted himself between us, fixing my deranged sister with a look of thinly veiled threat.

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