Xiang Wai sat there frozen, her mind reeling as Song Daiyu's words settled like venom in her veins. It felt as though the floor had shifted beneath her, and for a brief moment, she couldn't breathe, her lungs refusing to cooperate. Her grandmother did what? Aren't grandmother usually very protective of their grandchildren? She was not unfamiliar with her grandma's eccentric and mean personality. It could be said that she had no good expectation of her too.
But even then, right now, her brain struggled to process the weight of what she had just heard. The air around them felt charged with a suffocating tension, her breathing growing shallow as rage started to simmer beneath her skin.
The old lady who was always partial betrayed them. Xiang Wai didn't expect love from her or that she'd protect them, but betrayal like this? How could this old witch actually betray an innocent baby, by helping the very people who had stolen her away? This was a betrayal far beyond what she could have ever imagined.
A cold fury began to rise within her, surging like a tidal wave threatening to consume everything in its path. Her vision blurred at the edges as the intensity of her anger grew, red-hot and unrelenting.
Song Daiyu took in all of her reactions and tried to minimize her own presence. She wanted to actually turn into a small person so she could slip away from here. But the hardest part was already done, she couldn't be a coward now and run away.
"They..." Her voice came out low, barely more than a whisper, yet it was filled with so much venom that Song Daiyu involuntarily leaned back in her chair almost toppling it back. "They helped the people who kidnapped Raelle?"
Song Daiyu nodded, her face pale, eyes wide with the gravity of what she'd just revealed. "I overheard them talking. Our grandma... she said it with no regret. I don't why she did it. For money, maybe. I—I'm not sure. But I swear it's true."
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Xiang Wai's heart pounded in her chest, each beat reverberating through her like a war drum. Her body trembled with the sheer force of her rage, a storm brewing inside her that she couldn't contain. The fact that Song Daiyu's voice was shaking didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore except for the overwhelming need for justice... For vengeance. Her anger was no longer just a flicker but a roaring inferno that consumed her entire being.
"Those hypocrites," she spat out, her voice ice-cold, venom lacing every word. "They dared to decide for Raelle's life? They dared to think they knew what was best when they were the ones destroying everything?!" Her voice cracked slightly, not with weakness but with the sheer force of her fury.
Song Daiyu watched her, unsure whether to fear for the grandparents or feel the thrill of Xiang Wai's righteous anger. Xiang Wai was like a tempest, uncontainable, and right now, that storm had found a purpose.
She hesitated before asking, "Are you gonna tell Auntie about this?"
Xiang Wai pursed her lips and didn't answer as she hadn't decided yet. She didn't know if she should tell her mother about this and break all her wishful fantasies or... Well, it seemed it was impossible to keep those fantasies because after she made a move, the Song family would be trembling and begging for mercy. The noise could be loud enough for her mother to hear, right?
She looked at Song Daiyu and said, "What are you gonna do now?"
"Huh?"
"You are not expecting that I'll let the whole Song family go after this, are you?"
Song Daiyu shook her head, "No, I am pretty sure you have so such intention."
"Exactly. I don't. So, if you don't want to be affected, leave. Either move to another city or move abroad. Wherever you can go, just leave and stay away from the mess of the Song family. I can give you my word that the Xiang family won't implicate you in anything."
Song Daiyu pursed her lips and looked hesitant.
"What?" inquired Xiang Wai. "Do you want me to let your parents go too?"
Song Daiyu shook her head, "I know you won't do anything illegal. Since you are gonna use law, then that means if my parents have lived a clean life, they will obviously be able to recover from the storm and if their hands aren't clean then... Sigh. I can't do anything about it. They chose their own paths but I can't let them choose my path for me. So, I'll take my chances."