THD Chapter 34

Ye Xueli and Qin Nian still got married, because some things have to be experienced firsthand.

When she typed, "Sorry, I went to bed early yesterday and didn't see your message. Is it really okay? I'm so happy!" she truly meant every word. The dream she had cherished throughout her youth had finally become reality. Even if it was not exactly as she had imagined, how could she not feel overjoyed?

So she happily took the hand extended to her by Second Young Master Qin and, on a bright, sunny day beneath soaring white doves, stepped into the sacred hall of marriage.

Six years later, she realized she had made the biggest mistake of her life.

"You've gone back to your parents' house to complain again. It seems our Qin family has treated you terribly."

Ye Xueli heard the sarcastic remark the moment she walked through the door.

Without even looking over, she removed her scarf, hung it neatly on the coat rack, and replied tiredly, "It's just my mother's birthday. I'm going home to see her. Mom, you're overthinking things."

Mother Qin let out a mocking laugh.

"You call each other 'Mom' so affectionately. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was your real mother."

Ye Xueli fell silent.

Once upon a time, Mother Qin had been gentle and kind. She had warmly held Ye Xueli's hand and said that whether she was the Ye family's biological daughter or not, she had watched her grow up and would always treat her the same.

Now, however, she constantly reminded Ye Xueli that she was only an adopted daughter, as though she did not deserve to marry into the Qin family.

Not wanting to argue, Ye Xueli headed upstairs.

Only moments after entering her bedroom, she stormed back down with fury written all over her face.

"Qin Zheng! What have you done?!"

Her wardrobe doors, clothes, and handbag had all been smeared with lipstick. It was obvious the culprit had targeted only her. Qin Nian's belongings had been neatly placed to one side, completely untouched.

She did not know whether the prank itself or the blatant favoritism angered her more, but her temper exploded instantly.

Five-year-old Qin Zheng was playing with his toy train nearby and was completely unafraid. Seeing her furious expression, he stuck out his tongue and made a silly face.

"Hee hee!"

Ye Xueli nearly lost control.

She wanted nothing more than to drag him over and slap him.

Before she could move, however, Mother Qin had already scooped Qin Zheng into her arms. She cuddled her precious grandson affectionately before turning toward Ye Xueli with an icy expression.

"What are you trying to do? Xiao Zheng is only five years old. What could he possibly understand? Isn't it perfectly normal for children to be a little naughty?"

"Besides, you're his mother, yet you're always out running around instead of taking care of your family. You're completely irresponsible. No wonder Xiao Zheng won't be close to you when he grows up."

Ye Xueli's chest rose and fell violently.

Irresponsible?

She had entered the Qin family with nothing but hope, only to receive the harshest blow on her wedding night.

Qin Nian had married her simply to soothe the wounds left behind by someone else. Because of that, there had been no tenderness between them.

She knew she did not want to become pregnant so soon after marriage.

But what did her wishes matter to Qin Nian?

He ignored her objections almost entirely, leaving her confused and overwhelmed.

Everything was completely different from the marriage she had imagined.

The first time she returned to her parents' home after the wedding, she burst into tears the moment she saw Ji Yuxiu.

Ji Yuxiu held her helplessly and asked what had happened.

Hadn't she married the man she had loved all these years?

Ye Xueli did not know what was wrong with herself either. She could only wipe away tears that refused to stop falling.

She had so many grievances, yet she could not voice a single one.

Even when an enraged Ji Yuxiu wanted to march into the Qin family and demand justice for her daughter, Ye Xueli stopped her, insisting that she had not been wronged.

Because, technically speaking, she really had not.

She swallowed her pain and forced herself to endure.

Countless people entered marriage full of joy. Surely marriage had to bring happiness eventually.

She searched desperately for that happiness.

Instead, pregnancy came first.

The feeling terrified her.

She had barely left her own mother's embrace, yet suddenly another tiny life was clinging to hers.

She stared blankly at the pregnancy report in her hands, unable to understand what was happening, while everyone around her rushed forward to congratulate her.

Mother Qin, who had gradually become impatient with her, softened.

Even Qin Nian, who had never treated her kindly, finally looked at her with something resembling affection.

So...

This really was supposed to be good news, wasn't it?

Yet regardless of everyone else's changing attitudes, one fact remained.

Pregnancy meant she had to leave the ballet stage.

"I'll come back after I give birth," she promised.

But after childbirth, hormonal changes and postpartum injuries robbed her body of the movements that had once come so naturally.

Only then did she finally understand the pity in her troupe director's eyes.

For more than twenty years, ballet had been the one thing that defined Ye Xueli.

Now she could no longer dance.

She cried even harder than she had after her wedding.

But with the child already born, nothing could be changed.

Mother Qin and Qin Nian quickly lost interest in comforting her.

It was as though every sacrifice she had made belonged to her alone.

After that, Ye Xueli cried less.

She devoted herself entirely to raising her son.

Even with a nanny in the house, she insisted on doing everything herself.

She had sacrificed everything for this child.

If she lost him too, what would she have left?

She loved him with all her heart.

Yet as soon as he was old enough to run around, he happily threw himself into his grandmother's and father's arms, making funny faces at her.

She had sacrificed so much.

Why did the child she gave everything for grow up helping others hurt her?

Ye Xueli did not know why she was so angry.

The words escaped before she could stop them.

"Go to hell."

Mother Qin, who had been happily comforting her grandson while watching Ye Xueli's helpless fury, froze.

"What did you just say?"

Ye Xueli looked directly into her eyes.

"I said, go to hell."

"You suffered exactly what I'm suffering now, yet instead of ending that cycle, you've chosen to repeat it."

"What is the point of living like that?"

"I wish you had died already."

Mother Qin stared at her in disbelief.

"Ye Xueli! Have you gone insane?"

Ye Xueli ignored her.

If she was insane, then so be it.

She looked at Qin Zheng, who was still making smug little faces.

"You're very good at reading the room, aren't you?"

"You've noticed that everyone in this family sides with your father, so you think it's perfectly fine to bully your mother too."

"Then let me tell you something."

"You and your useless father are both wrong."

"This family supports him not because he's capable, but because this is his parents' home. Even if he's completely worthless, his parents will still stand beside him and bully your mother together."

"If that's the side you've chosen, you've made a terrible mistake."

"Your mother is far more capable than your father."

"You judged the wrong person."

Qin Zheng stared blankly at this unfamiliar version of his mother before bursting into loud sobs.

"Waaah! Mommy's mean! Grandma, hit her! Grandma, hit her!"

Ye Xueli laughed.

After saying everything she had bottled up for years, she no longer cared.

Turning toward the nanny, she said calmly,

"Clean my room."

The nanny hesitated, glancing nervously between Mother Qin and the members of the Qin family, unsure whether she should obey.

Ye Xueli looked at her expressionlessly.

"Perhaps you're someone who also likes to judge which way the wind is blowing."

"But let me tell you something."

"After today..."

"The Qin family is finished."

...

Qin Nian rushed home after listening to his mother's tearful complaints over the phone.

The moment he entered, he slammed the front door so hard the entire house shook.

"Have you lost your mind? Do you know how busy I am? You're doing nothing but causing trouble at home!"

"Busy with what?" Ye Xueli replied coldly. "Running a pharmaceutical company that's being bled dry by the Qin family while losing money every day? What exactly are you busy doing?"

"What did you say?"

"What? Am I not allowed to say it? You lose money every single day, yet you still have the nerve to call yourself busy. If you spent less time pretending to work, your parents might at least have enough money saved for their funeral."

Qin Nian froze.

When his mother had claimed Ye Xueli had gone crazy, he thought it was just another argument between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Now he realized she truly had changed.

"What exactly do you want? Do you not want this marriage anymore?"

"Otherwise, do you think I'm trying to have a heartfelt conversation with you?"

"You were the one who insisted on marrying me! Now you can't even tolerate a little hardship?"

"You were the one who proposed."

"I still have your marriage proposal message saved on my phone."

"Are you becoming forgetful with age?"

"Do you know why I married you?"

"I'd just been hurt by Ye Xiqing."

"I wanted to marry her younger sister to soothe my wounded pride."

"But pride can be replaced."

"Power can't."

"What did you just say?"

Qin Nian had never struck a woman before.

But Ye Xueli had completely pushed him past his limit.

He strode toward her, intending to seize her.

She had been watching him quietly the entire time.

The instant he came within reach, she stood and swung what she was holding.

A horrifying scream echoed through the room.

Blood poured down Qin Nian's face.

After getting married, Ye Xueli had always worn impossibly sharp high heels that seemed capable of piercing the floor itself.

This time, instead of wearing them, she had driven one directly into Qin Nian's face.

Before he returned home, she had tried desperately to suppress her anger.

She couldn't.

She hated him.

The silent blood she had shed over six years demanded real blood in return.

Qin Nian clutched his face as blood seeped between his fingers.

The pain finally brought him back to reality.

The others rushed over in horror, surrounding him while staring fearfully at Ye Xueli.

The woman they had ignored for years now possessed a terrifying presence.

Mother Qin's face turned pale.

"You madwoman! If anything happens to my son, I'll make you pay!"

"That won't be possible."

The calm voice did not belong to Ye Xueli.

Everyone turned.

Eldest Young Master Ye... no.

Standing in the Qin family courtyard was Ye Xiqing.

No one dared stop her.

She walked in gracefully, smiling as she spoke.

"No matter what a daughter of the Ye family has done, no one in the Qin family has the right to punish her."

Mother Qin's face stiffened.

Everything had changed.

Over the past few years, the Qin family had nearly been dragged into ruin by Qin Nian's failed pharmaceutical company.

Meanwhile, under Ye Xiqing's leadership, the Ye family had flourished in every direction.

The Ye family had become one of the most influential families in X City.

Mother Qin might dare humiliate Ye Xueli in private.

She would never dare challenge Ye Xiqing openly.

Trying to remain composed, she said, "Miss Ye, surely you saw what your sister did to my son."

Ye Xiqing walked over, casually pinched Qin Nian's chin to examine the wound, then smiled.

"It's only a little blood."

"There aren't any vital organs on his face."

"What's the big deal?"

"I'm much more concerned about the current condition of the Qin family's company."

The entire Qin family fell silent.

The air was suffocating.

Ye Xiqing simply led the murderous-looking Ye Xueli away.

Only then did everyone finally understand what Ye Xueli had meant when she said they had backed the wrong person.

...

Inside the car, Ye Xueli sat quietly with her head lowered.

For once, she looked unusually obedient.

Ye Xiqing sat beside her with her arms folded.

"Why didn't you aim for his temple?"

"That would have killed him. If I really killed someone, would you clean up the mess for me?"

"So you do know that violence isn't the answer in a civilized society."

"I'm sorry."

"I just couldn't stop myself."

What was the point of apologizing now?

The damage had already been done.

Ever since Ye Xueli insisted on marrying Qin Nian, Ye Xiqing had stopped involving herself in her sister's affairs.

Ye Xueli had also deliberately kept her distance.

Neither of them expected their next meeting to happen under these circumstances.

After a long silence, Ye Xiqing asked,

"So."

"What are you planning to do now?"

"I want a divorce."

"And the child?"

"I don't want him."

"Why not?"

"I've always believed a child becomes the mother's greatest asset from the moment they're born."

"Giving him up so easily disappoints me."

"If you want custody, I'll fight for it."

"Forget it."

"A child even his own mother doesn't want is a worthless investment."

"I may regret your original investment, but sunk costs should never determine future decisions."

Ye Xueli finally broke down.

She cried harder than she ever had before.

Only now did she understand the source of all her anger.

She was furious over the years she could never get back.

She was furious that after sacrificing everything, someone else could so easily take it all away and reduce her efforts to nothing.

Quietly, Ye Xiqing handed her a tissue.

"There are many six-year periods in life."

"Wasting one isn't the end."

"Your postpartum injuries are quite typical."

"Qingqing Technology has a research team dedicated to studying postpartum recovery."

"They've made encouraging progress."

"You might even be able to return to the stage."

"No."

Ye Xueli blew her nose hard.

"I don't want the stage anymore."

"I just want to ask you one thing."

"If you focus entirely on Qingqing Technology, will you still have time to manage the Ye family?"

Hearing that, Ye Xiqing immediately pulled the tissue back.

"Even if I don't have the time, I still won't hand it over to you."

"What's mine is mine."

"Don't even think about it."

"I can help!"

"I'm both a daughter of the Ye family and not a daughter of the Ye family."

"No one is more suitable than me."

Ye Xiqing considered it for a moment before handing the tissue back.

"...That isn't a bad idea."

Ye Xueli stared at her.

"So even when I'm this miserable, you're still arguing over a few tissues?"

Qingqing replied calmly,

"Your misery is your business."

"But every single tissue belongs to me."

---

Author's Note

Getting into a physical fight is dangerous. Losing could cost you your life, and winning could still land you in prison. The safest choice is to avoid falling into that situation in the first place.

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