Xia Xiaolan couldn’t help but laugh.

She had felt something inexplicably strange about Faan.

So this was why!

Faan hadn’t followed Zhang Jiadong’s instructions and had secretly brought Cui Yiru and Tina here…

Cui Yiru could barely stand steady. As soon as she entered, she fixed her gaze on Xu Zhongyi.

She had heard enough outside to learn about Xu Zhongyi’s identity.

Xu Zhongyi stared back at her.

After many years apart, too much had happened between this couple – their reunion now felt like meeting strangers.

“Yiru—”

Xu Zhongyi tried to step forward, but his feet felt glued to the ground.

Zhang Jiadong quickly moved forward to support Cui Yiru, but she avoided his touch.

“Tell me, did you do it? Throwing us, mother and son, into the sea, then pretending to be our savior… Are these false accusations against you?”

Zhang Jiadong shook his head, “I didn’t want you to come here not because I feel guilty, but because I didn’t want you to suffer over past events. Yiru, haven’t we been happy all these years?”

Cui Yiru couldn’t refute this.

She had indeed been happy these years.

But this happiness was tainted with something else.

Sharing a bed, no matter how well concealed, it was impossible not to notice anything. Cui Yiru had simply resisted digging deeper, knowing that beneath the surface of happiness lay a truth riddled with wounds.

The happiness was false, built on an unstable foundation – this garden in the sky could collapse at any moment.

The truth was cruel…

Cui Yiru’s face was filled with pain: “Everything was my fault. I made the wrong choices and ruined our entire family. I didn’t remain—”

“Yiru!”

Xu Zhongyi raised his voice:

“Stop! Let the past be the past! Once I eliminate Zhang Jiadong, our family can live happily together again. We can return to Yunan, or if you’re used to life in America, we can settle there with my mother.”

The Du father and son stared at Xu Zhongyi.

Given their values, they found it hard to believe there could be such a man – his wife had been married to another man for so many years, yet Xu Zhongyi could disregard everything, seeking only reconciliation.

Du Zhaohui couldn’t help but secretly glance at Xia Xiaolan.

Xia Xiaolan was holding hands with Zhou Cheng.

A thought suddenly struck Du Zhaohui – perhaps it was too early to mock Xu Zhongyi. If he had such an opportunity, he wouldn’t mind either.

Getting her back would be good enough.

Winning her back would prove his capability.

Loving a woman meant wanting to live with her, right? Just seeing her daily would bring joy, brightening even an unlit room.

Bah! He was being influenced by Xu Zhongyi’s thinking!

Xia Xiaolan held Zhou Cheng’s hand, not thinking Xu Zhongyi was magnanimous.

There was nothing magnanimous about such matters. Everyone experiences jealousy and possessiveness – as long as Xu Zhongyi could accept it, others’ opinions were irrelevant!

Xia Xiaolan felt that Xu Zhongyi’s emotions seemed off.

His excitement was mixed with pain.

She squeezed Zhou Cheng’s hand, and he shared similar thoughts – Xu Zhongyi’s hurried interruption of Cui Yiru suggested there might be more to this story.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jiadong’s face darkened for the first time that evening. Ignoring Xu Zhongyi’s words, he addressed Cui Yiru:

“Yiru, think about Faan and Tina. Our family can’t fall apart like this. Listen, you can take Tina to another room to rest. Once I handle things here, we can go home… Xu Zhongyi is being extreme, but I won’t hold it against him. We’ll still return to Yunan together.”

Zhang Jiadong’s words failed to calm Cui Yiru.

Her emotions grew more intense:

“Return to Shangdu? I can’t face going back… How could I face Grandmother Langle? I’m the one who tore a family apart! It was me! All my fault!”

Unexpectedly, as she spoke, Cui Yiru pulled out a handgun and pointed it at her head.

With her other hand, she pushed the still-dazed Tina toward her son.

“Langle, promise me you’ll take care of your sister!”

“Mommy—”

“Yiru!!”

“Mom, don’t do anything foolish, Tina is already my sister—”

Before Faan could finish, Zhang Jiadong lunged forward, grabbing Cui Yiru’s wrist and knocking away the gun. For the first time, anger colored his face: “What madness is this! Just for Xu Zhongyi – a coward who only knows how to hide, letting you live in anxiety all these years! Let me tell you, I did everything! Since you became involved with me, you could only be Zhang Jiadong’s woman. You wouldn’t divorce Xu Zhongyi, so he had to die!”

Zhang Jiadong confessed!

It was Cui Yiru’s extreme action that enraged Zhang Jiadong, tearing away his mask.

Xu Zhongyi was overwhelmed with pain.

While recovering in the basement, he had repeatedly pondered the details, growing more anguished with each consideration.

He couldn’t believe Cui Yiru would betray him to the gang.

But examining the subtle signs carefully, Xu Zhongyi concluded: that before the incident, his wife had grown distant from him and their son, often hesitating to speak, troubled by something.

Cui Yiru hadn’t betrayed him to the gang.

She simply didn’t know her extramarital partner was part of the San Francisco gang. Zhang Jiadong, clever as he was, never committed crimes directly, serving only as an advisor.

Yes, Zhang Jiadong was young then, not yet the leader of San Francisco’s Chinese gang, but he could influence their actions.

Zhang Jiadong’s unmasking brought Xu Zhongyi no joy.

Even if they dealt with Zhang Jiadong, this would remain an unhealable wound for the family, the facade of respectability now stripped away!

…

“How complicated!”

Pan Bohua muttered.

After hearing so much, the truth was mostly clear.

Cui Yiru had gone to America with Xu Zhongyi years ago, settling in San Francisco. Somehow, she began an affair with Zhang Jiadong. Judging by her behavior, she didn’t seem to have conspired with Zhang Jiadong to harm her husband.

She probably didn’t know how influential her lover was, and despite having an affair, hadn’t planned to abandon her family.

As her lover, Zhang Jiadong couldn’t tolerate this, deciding to eliminate Xu Zhongyi.

Zhang Jiadong might not have targeted the antiques Xu Zhongyi brought to America, but he wouldn’t refuse an unexpected windfall while eliminating his rival.

This calculating man, to ensure Cui Yiru would live contentedly with him, even kept her in the dark.

While brutally eliminating Xu Zhongyi and stealing some property, he played the role of savior.

All these years, he maintained the persona of a perfect husband and father… Pan Bohua marveled at Zhang Jiadong’s psychological fortitude and acting skills.

Xia Xiaolan held Zhou Cheng’s hand, feeling deep sympathy for Xu Zhongyi.

His years of suffering, all stemming from his wife’s affair?

Xia Xiaolan’s gaze fell on Tina – perhaps tonight, the one whose life would truly be shattered was this young girl who still hadn’t grasped what was happening—