Chapter 1: A Whole Family of Blind Trust

"For the past fifteen years while you were missing, it was Mi Xue who filially served your parents and cared for your husband and children. How can you suspect her so vilely!" Wang Fang grabbed Tong Hua's hair and slapped her again.

Tong Hua felt a searing pain on her scalp, and the corner of her mouth bled from the slap.

But instead of flinching, she clung to Wang Fang's leg, trembling all over as she pleaded her,

"Mom, she admitted herself that she and someone else sold me to Mo Mountain..."

"Despicable woman! Running away with someone else and then accusing Xue'er of selling you, an ingrate!"

Wang Fang trembled with anger, and slapped her again, her face distorted with resentment.

It was as if she wasn't striking her own daughter, but her enemy.

Tong Hua, knocked to the ground, closed her eyes, tears flowing out in pain.

Looking up again, she directed her gaze towards her husband, Gu JinYue, her tear-filled eyes filled with plea,

"JinYue, do you also not believe me?"

Gu JinYue stood aloof and disappointed from a distance.

It was as if the woman on the floor wasn't his wife of many years, but a stranger with no relations to him,

"I did believe you originally, but you shouldn't have defiled Mi Xue by accusing her.

She is a very kind woman.

"For all these years, without her helping you take care of us, this family would have fallen apart long ago."

His words pierced Tong Hua's heart like a dagger, a sting that kept on gnawing.

Every breath she took felt like a gush of bleeding agony. Who could still trust her?

Tong Hua looked longingly at the children whom she had borne for nine months and brought into this world with every bit of her strength, hoping to earn a shred of their trust,

"I didn't lie..."

But to her dismay, Gu Tai and Gu Meimei fought to break away from her hold. Disgust filled Gu Tai's voice as he said,

"You're not my mother. My mother is Kong Mixue! Please don't harm her, or I won't hold back!"

Gu Meimei was even more distant, "I also request that you stop disturbing our family's life."

Tong Hua's eyes turned bloodshot, biting her lip to withstand the pain, trying to find a hint of remorse or affection in their faces, all in vain.

The tight tension that had always strung her finally snapped, all the sorrow, despair, and anger erupted in that moment.

Seeing all their faces, a wave of nausea hit her hard. She could not stop heaving as if she was trying to throw up all that was within her. Coughing violently, tears streamed down her face.

She should have never nurtured any illusions, thinking that after all the hardship she endured to come back, they would sympathize with her and help her take revenge on Kong Mixue.

Kong Mixue, despite being in her forties, still bore a youthful, gentle beauty. She asked, worried and anxious at seeing Tong Hua in such a state,

"Mom, could Tong Hua be... Could she be pregnant?"

Wang Fang's face turned ashen. "What a shameless wretch! Why didn't she just die outside!"

Seeing Tong Hua not utter a word, Wang Fang thought she was still reluctant to get rid of the illegitimate child in her belly, and in anger, kicked her numerous times.

Not long after, the morning quietness returned.

Frowning, Wang Fang looked down full of disgust at the person hunched on the ground. "She passed out?"

Tong Chun Shu quickly fetched a bucket of cold water and walked towards Tong Hua:

"Mother, stand back. Let's make her wake up properly!"

All because of her, their family had become a laughing stock, and sister Mi Xue had suffered so much humiliation.

The cold water woke Tong Hua up from her lethargy, and an uncontrollable chill numbed her limbs.

"Tong Hua, you must abort the bastard in your belly!

And don't you dare ruin the life of Mi Xue's family, or you won’t even think about stepping half a foot into the Tong family again!"

Gu Jin Yue and the twins remained silent, their silence is their choice and answer.

Tong Hua’s expression was icy cold, a mocking smile pulling at the corner of her mouth, which appeared to be scornful of everyone present.

Such parents, such a husband, such children... if Kong Mi Xue wants them, take them!

She doesn’t want them anymore!

Tong Hua staggered to her feet, her drenched clothes still trickling with water.

She did not look at anyone, and with a resolute expression, she walked out.

Wang Fang was livid at her dismissive attitude,

"Stop, you still have to apologize to Mi Xue, or else I no longer recognize you as my heartless and ungrateful daughter!"

Tong Hua did not stop, nor did she give her a glance, leaving her and her insults behind.

Upon leaving the classy villa, the cold wind blew harshly onto Tong Hua's damp body.

The deep chilling coldness bizarrely brought about a soberness that came after numbness.

From this moment on, Tong Hua had no relatives, and she would not return to see any of them.

Kong Mi Xue came running after her with a jacket in hand, her feeble voice echoed,

"Hua Hua, don’t leave, come back with me..."

Tong Hua turned a deaf ear to her pleas, but unexpectedly, Kong Mi Xue grabbed her hand and the feeble expression in her eyes vanished, tearing open to reveal vicious malice.

"Why are you running? I’m not done playing with you yet!"

Tong Hua shook off her hand, expressing her disdain, "What do you still want to do!"

Kong Mi Xue scoffed, "I want to see you scroll in despair, I want to see you kneel and beg me like a dog!

To see you forever dirty and lowly, unable to flip your pathetic situation!"

Tong Hua looked at her with a mocking smile and cursed without hiding her ill intentions, "Evil cannot go unpunished, you will get your comeuppance!"

A strange smirk surfaced on Kong Mi Xue's face as she sarcastically retorted,

"Retribution? Do you know why Jin Yue was absent from the wedding feast?

It's because he was with me. The thug who deflowered you that day, I hired him.

And aren't you curious why your mother has always been nicer to me since we were young?

Because Wang Fang is my biological mother, and Kong Lin Lang is your biological mother, our identities got switched at birth!"

Tong Hua clenched her fists tightly, her shocked face turned deathly pale. She felt like the world was playing a huge joke on her.

Seeing Tong Hua in such agony, Kong Mi Xue felt an immense sense of joy. With more malice surfacing in her eyes, she stared at Tong Hua with contempt, her expression twisted:

"You are nothing but a bastard child from your mother's affair!

If it weren't for your mom's seductive looks, managing to seduce my father,

My mother wouldn't have drunk so much out of anger while she was pregnant!

As a result, I was born with a congenital heart disease and can't even have a child for the rest of my life!

Even the man I have was used by you!"

Kong Mi Xue heard some people coming out of the villa to look for her. A strange smile curled up at the corner of her mouth, and her face contorted with murderous intent, looking like a hideous ghost.

"Tong Hua! It's all because of you and your mother's debt to me!"

Having said that, she forcefully pushed Tong Hua off the curb.

Go to hell, Tong Hua!

Tong Hua was astoundingly pushed out, despite her life's failures, she still didn't want to die, especially not at the hands of Kong Mi Xue!

But she had lost control of her body, flung into mid-air by the speeding truck that hit her and ruthlessly smashed onto the ground!

She was in so much pain... Every bone in her body seemed to have shattered, with bright red blood spreading beneath her like a stream slowly trickling out.

In her dizzy vision, she saw all the people from the Gu's villa emerging. She saw Kong Mi Xue being held in Gu Jin Yue's arms.

"Don't be scared, I saw everything, it's not your fault. She bullied you first.

You accidentally pushed her out. You didn't know a car would hit her at this time."

Wang Fang only glanced in Tong Hua's direction before angrily declaring:

"We all saw it. She wanted to harm you, so you pushed her out by accident. She had it coming; her death is no great loss!"

...

Tong Hua also saw the child she had given birth to, huddling around Kong Mi Xue, showing her concern.

She saw the maliciously triumphant smile Kong Mi Xue had when she looked over.

Tears of blood streamed down Tong Hua's face...