"What do you mean by that?" Old Mrs. Xi furrowed her brows.
Tianxin found her chance to step in. She questioned immediately, "Xinghe, what are you trying to say here? Are you blaming Auntie? Do you mean to say it is Auntie's fault that you haven't been to visit Lin Lin for the past three years?"
Of course, Old Mrs. Xi, who hadn't been given a scolding her entire life, was pricked by Tianxin's careful twisting of Xinghe's words.
She stood up, pointed her finger directly at Xinghe and said, "Xia Xinghe, you'd better make yourself clear. What exactly did you mean?"
"Mrs. Xi really wants me to lay it out?" Xinghe said softly in return. Simultaneously, she heard someone's footsteps from the door behind her.
The footsteps were soft but she knew it was Mubai's.
For some reason, so many years later, she could still pick out the sound of his footsteps instantly.
She knew it was him the moment she heard them.
However, Old Mrs. Xi and Tianxin were too far away from the door to hear him. Furthermore, they were too focused on Xinghe.
"Speak, lay it all out in the open! You are not going anywhere if you don't explain yourself clearly!" Old Mrs. Xi's voice went up several octaves, a complete reversal of her usual elegant self.
Mubai who was at the door heard her voice and stopped in his tracks. He frowned.
Xinghe snuck a glance at the door and noticed the shadow under it. She continued in a clear voice, "If Mrs. Xi wants me to state it clearly then I hope Mrs. Xi will forgive my offense. I'm going to be direct since there're only the three of us here. Mrs. Xi, both of us know why I chose the divorce so many years ago. That was your plan since the beginning, wasn't it? To force me out of the family so that you could cut my ties to the family and to my son cleanly. Am I right?"
Old Mrs. Xi's face fell. She didn't expect Xinghe to really heed her advice and lay everything out so directly.
It was like the girl was openly provoking her!
However, everything she said was the truth so Old Mrs. Xi had a hard time refuting her.
Thankfully, Tianxin came to her rescue. She quickly reproached Xinghe, "Xinghe, how can you even say something like that? How in the world Auntie could have forced you into the divorce and tore you away from your son? Auntie is not such a person so you can't dirty Auntie's name like that!"
"I'm impressed that you can lie so well without batting an eye." Xinghe stared coldly at Tianxin. "You played a major role in my divorce too or have you forgotten about that?"
"What are you talking about?" Tianxin exclaimed like she was accusing of murder, her eyes were red instantly, "Xinghe, you told those lies about Auntie and now you're coming for me? How can you be so malicious?"
"I'm malicious?" Xinghe said incredulously, she sharpened her gaze and retorted, "Is it not the truth it was the both of you who forced me into the divorce‽ Mrs. Xi, you hated me the moment I entered the Xi Family. In fact, I remember during our many private conversations, you told me personally you will never admit I'm Xi Family's daughter-in-law. You even ordered me to send myself packing, to ask for the divorce because Tianxin is your preferred daughter-in-law and that I'm nothing compared to her. Other than the hurtful words, have you forgotten what the two of you conspired to do, or are we going to pretend that didn't happen?"
Tianxin and Old Mrs. Xi's faces cracked.
They didn't think Xinghe would go so far as to bring that up.
Xinghe was done being courteous. No more Miss Nice Girl. She was going for the grand expose!