Fang Zhili was stunned and immediately blew her top. “What do you mean by that? Are you saying that my daughter colluded with someone to frame you?”
“Nian Nian, she’s your mother!” Li Haoran hollered.
“Uh huh, a stepmother is also a mother.” Li Beinian turned around and said lightly.
With that statement, everyone understood at once.
So this woman was Li Beinian’s stepmother!
But how could Li Xueqing be her elder sister?
Almost everyone in the room was an actor, many of whom had a number of television shows under their belt.
They were all very familiar with scripts containing extremely melodramatic scenes.
In just a few sentences, Li Beinian had made a close guess as to what had gone on.
Li Haoran’s face turned sullen and Li Xueqing shrieked. “Nian Nian, you’ve caused me to be in this plight and tried to frame me. You b*tch! Now you’re even trying to frame my mother. You’re downright evil!”
“Whether I’m out to frame you,” Li Beinian interrupted her and shouted icily, firmly making her point, “or whom started an attack, you have more clarity than anyone else.” As she spoke, she took a step forward and continued steadily, “I know it wasn’t your mother.”
Li Beinian could tell from Fang Zhili’s shocked expression.
If Fang Zhili knew what was going on, Li Xueqing wouldn’t have left such a gaping loophole, or even done such a stupid thing.
Fang Zhili would protect her, but not the other person.
Besides Li Xueqing and Fang Zhili, there was another person who had the motive to frame her.
If she was collaborating with Li Xueqing, then everything would make sense.
Lin Kerou only cared about the outcome. She would have nothing to do with the rest of the process or Li Xueqing’s ending.
All that Lin Kerou wanted was to keep herself out of it and to frame Li Beinian. If this met with success, she would have achieved her goal.
In a flash, Li Beinian figured out the whole story.
Even if the truth of the situation differed, it was probably not by much.
Sure enough, Li Xueqing looked at Li Beinian with a horrified expression. A thought struck her and toyed wildly with her imagination—could it be that Lin Kerou had already sold her out?
No, it was impossible!
Before this incident, Lin Kerou had warned her not to be tricked by Li Beinian.
Lin Kerou wouldn’t betray her!
But how did Li Beinian know then?
Wild guess!
Yes, it must have been a wild guess!
Li Xueqing thought through everything, but before she could speak, she heard Li Beinian say, “As for the specifics, wouldn’t we know once we find out from the people that this person had contacted?”
Fang Zhili’s face darkened. “Nian Nian, I know you’re smarter than Xueqing, but your intelligence will definitely be useful in the right way. Xueqing has always been good to you. Don’t you think it’s inappropriate for you to do this now!”
“Is it inappropriate?” Li Beinian turned to looked at her. “What do you think is appropriate then, Stepmother? Would it be more appropriate, if I had been the one who got pushed into that pit and raped by human traffickers, while Li Xueqing stayed safe and sound?”
“Hush your sharp-tongued! How dare you speak to your elders like that!” Li Haoran hollered.
Fang Zhili turned pale and said, “How could you say that…”
“What should I say, then?” Li Beinian was ultimately cold and indifferent. “Your daughter is human and I’m human too. She had always deliberately targeted me and time after time, I’ve accepted it. This time round, she wanted me dead. If I hadn’t rushed back in time to get help for her, do you think she’d have returned?”
Fang Zhili immediately retorted, “It’s only right for you to report and seek help. How can you claim credit for this?”
“What if I didn’t mention it?”
“It proves that you’re evil and vicious!” Fang Zhili yelled.
“You’ve said it.” Li Beinian smiled faintly. “Some people have a vicious nature. If I had been the one in the pit… Your daughter plotted to make me fall into it, and even colluded with the human traffickers to abduct me. Do you think she would go back to inform them, to seek help for me?”
Fang Zhili was furious. “Stop saying nonsense. Do you think you can twist the story in whatever ways you want? I know my daughter. Your father knows what kind of person she is!”
“We’ll know if it’s nonsense once we ask those human traffickers, wouldn’t we?” As she spoke, he turned to look at Mu Xichen and said, “Leader Mu, may I ask, how are the human traffickers caught this afternoon being dealt with?”
Mu Xichen had not spoken a word. If it weren’t for Li Beinian’s reminder, everyone would have forgotten about his presence.
It was as if he had tried his best to make himself inconspicuous from the moment he entered, leaving the entire matter to Li Beinian to deal with.
Now that Li Beinian had said this, Mu Xichen responded calmly, “The police station. If all were to go smoothly, it should be a death sentence.”
“For what you’ve done, you’re considered an accessory criminal.” Li Beinian smiled faintly and leaned over, looking at Li Xueqing steadily. Her tone was calm and she was straightforward in her speech. “An accomplice of a criminal on the death penalty, how do you think… you might be sentenced?”
Li Xueqing’s face turned ashen and she was shocked.
Li Beinian straightened up and looked at everyone icily.
At this point, everyone had their guesses based on Li Xueqing’s reaction.
She looked at Li Xueqing with condemnation and hopelessness in her eyes.
Li Xueqing burst into tears and said, “I didn’t, it wasn’t me! You were the one who orchestrated it all. You wanted to frame me, and now you’re threatening me! It’s just a human trafficking case, how could it be a death sentence!”
“Just human trafficking?” Li Beinian chortled. “It includes rape, murder, robbery, illegal human trafficking, illegal organ trafficking, and illegal transportation. Besides, you’re a victim yourself. Human trafficking… only?”
Li Xueqing stopped crying and suddenly realized what was wrong.
However, it was too late.
Even Li Haoran’s expression changed.
Noticing this, Li Beinian pursed her lips and said calmly, “Mr. Li, you’ve seen and heard it too. You’ll slowly find out what kind of trash your daughter is.”
As she spoke, she took Mu Xichen’s hand and said, “Let’s go.”
Mu Xichen looked down at her pale and tender hand, and instead, drew her into his embrace.
Li Haoran’s face was ashen as he looked at Li Beinian holding Mu Xichen’s hand. He frowned as if he had made some huge discovery.
He hadn’t thought much of it just now. He had only thought that Mu Xichen was in charge of Swift Eagle, so it was nothing out of ordinary that he had sent Li Beinian over.
But now… this daughter of his was holding the man’s hand, and he… had his arms around her!
Li Haoran seemed to have caught onto something and immediately said, “Hang on!”
Li Beinian halted and turned to look at him. “Is there anything else?”
Mu Xichen glanced at him quietly.
Suspecting there was more than what was apparent, he asked, “You and Leader Mu…”
Li Beinian sneered, “We’re husband and wife.”
Her words caused an immediate uproar in the ward!
“What? Husband and wife?” Wang Shao almost passed out as she held her own face and exclaimed.
“That’s impossible. Didn’t she only just say they were dating?”
“This… married? Wait, the wedding ring on Leader Mu’s finger…”
Mu Xichen tightened his grip slightly on Li Beinian’s hand as his dark eyes seemed to light up.
HIs strong arm gradually tightened around her waist as well.
Their bodies were so close that they could clearly feel each other’s warmth.
Li Beinian looked up at him. His eyes caught the light and were glowing brightly, making them look particularly attractive.
Her gloomy mood was at once alleviated and she was overwhelmed by a sweet sensation.
Holding Mu Xichen’s hand, she reached out for his other hand before all these people, and walked out of the room.
Among all the people present, none was more stunned than Li Haoran and Fang Zhili!
The latter stood rooted to the ground in shock, while Li Haoran was silent for a moment before he quickly chased after the couple, shouting, “Nian Nian!”
He briskly walked towards Li Beinian and said, with an expression of disbelief, “Tell me clearly, are you married to him? When did this happen!”
“What has it got to do with you?” Li Beinian pursed her lips and looked rather hostile. “Please get out of the way.”
Li Haoran felt a little embarrassed, but he quickly suppressed it and said, “I’m your father!”
“You have the audacity to call yourself her father,” Mu Xichen said. His voice was faint, but his seemingly calm eyes were dark and sharp as those of a bird of prey. “Mr. Li, you already have another excellent daughter. Let this one go.”
Li Haoran turned pale upon hearing Mu Xichen’s words.
This was different from Li Beinian’s usual frosty replies. He was used to his own daughter.
However, it was embarrassing to hear Mu Xichen say this. He hurriedly explained, “This is a misunderstanding. It’s fine as long as you explain it clearly. Xichen, there are no grudges held between father and daughter. Nian Nian and I are used to this.”
Li Beinian also noticed at once, that Li Haoran’s was now addressing Mu Xichen by his name rather than calling him Leader Mu Xichen!
Hearing this in particular, from Li Haoran, Li Beinian burst into derisive laughter and said, “I’m sorry, I’ve never treated you like a father.”
Li Haoran’s face stiffened as he lost his composure.
Right behind, more than ten people were watching them, including Mu Xichen. Although Li Haoran had dealt in the business world for many years, he couldn’t help feeling ridiculed.
His face started to burn at once.
“Nian Nian…”
Li Haoran wanted to say something else, but by now, even that fake smile was gone from Li Beinian’s face.
She turned icy and said impatiently, “Excuse me.”
Li Haoran did not move. Li Beinian hugged Mu Xichen tightly as they squeezed past him.
Just like… running into a plague.
Li Haoran didn’t want to use such an adjective on himself, but at this point, it was how he felt.
He stood rooted to the ground for the longest time, feeling extremely desolate.