What Xia Ziyu said was both out of anger and truth.

She desperately wanted Liu Keying to pay with her life for her unborn child, but was that possible?

Liu Keying had been with Du Chengrong for over a decade, bearing him multiple children. Though currently out of favor, she remained the Du family’s Fourth Madam. One day of marriage meant a hundred days of affection – Liu Keying had once been Du Chengrong’s beloved…

Xia Ziyu thought for a moment, then laughed:

“None of the Du family women like me; they’re jealous of me, I understand! Because I took you from them, it’s natural for Liu Keying to harm me. But she harmed me and tried to pin it on the Eldest Young Master – is she afraid I won’t become enemies with him?”

Having said what needed to be said, Xia Ziyu left it for Du Chengrong to ponder.

Wrapping her robe tightly around herself, Xia Ziyu returned to her room.

Du Chengrong lit a cigar, smoking alone on the sofa.

Keying was indeed behind this.

He knew her reasons too.

He had always acted as he pleased, never being subtle about which woman he favored. Liu Keying had enjoyed his favor for over a decade and couldn’t bear the fall from grace. She had long wanted to eliminate the Fifth Concubine.

This stemmed from feminine jealousy.

But not just jealousy.

She aimed to kill two birds with one stone, driving a wedge between him and Zhaohui.

Dealing with the Fifth Concubine was secondary; Zhaohui was the main target.

Liu Keying had become frightened after Zhaohui won that 5% shareholding and performed well in the company. Both Liu Keying and Liu Tianquan feared Zhaohui’s rise to power and subsequent revenge, given their previous attempts against him – Du Chengrong knew every detail of the family’s conflicts. He understood perfectly who was honest, who was cunning, and who was ruthless.

He hadn’t intervened because no lives had been lost yet.

Of course, if any son were killed, Du Chengrong would certainly conduct a major purge.

This wasn’t fatherly love, but rather because someone had crossed a line. If he didn’t act when one life was taken – if the first death of a son went unpunished – the next time they might turn their guns on him.

Such boundaries couldn’t be crossed!

But if someone died carelessly, while Du Chengrong would openly punish the killer, he would privately blame the deceased for their incompetence.

So as long as no lives were lost, he usually turned a blind eye.

This very leniency had made Liu Keying and Liu Tianquan increasingly bold. This time, however, he couldn’t ignore it – both to appease Xia Ziyu and to ease Zhaohui’s hatred. He hadn’t told Xia Ziyu, but while Zhaohui wasn’t behind this incident, he had certainly helped fan the flames.

Zhaohui wanted both Xia Ziyu dead and Liu Keying to suffer…

Du Chengrong stood up, extinguished his cigar, and walked out, instructing the Filipino maid that he wouldn’t be home for dinner.

He needed to visit the Du family mansion.

…

After transferring to Japan, they landed at Kennedy International Airport.

Though only gone from America for three months, Xia Xiaolan felt somewhat unfamiliar.

After collecting their luggage, they saw Professor Wen and his wife waiting.

Professor Wen and Mao Kangshan hadn’t met for many years. The expected tearful reunion between old friends didn’t materialize. Mao Kangshan stared for a while, then hesitantly said:

“How did you get so old?”

“…!”

Professor Wen’s expression was indescribable.

Decades had passed in the blink of an eye; everyone had aged. Wasn’t Mao Kangshan being hypocritical? Professor Wen thought Mao Kangshan had even more wrinkles.

“Aunt Hu, long time no see, I’ve missed you all so much!”

Xia Xiaolan embraced them warmly, making Professor Wen smile. Then he felt jealous – how could someone like Mao Kangshan get such a good disciple? Heaven truly was blind.

Hu Ying’s warmth extended not only to Xia Xiaolan but also to Grandmother Song.

She had never met Grandmother Song before.

One lived in China, the other in America. Grandmother Song had done well just learning to read with Mao Kangshan’s help; busy with housework, she had no time to learn foreign languages, leaving her completely lost in America.

Fortunately, everyone was very considerate, and Professor Wen and his wife spoke Chinese.

Hu Ying didn’t forget to welcome Tina, though she didn’t know her at all. Seeing Tina alone, how could they ignore her?

Grandmother Song had also been gentle with Tina throughout the journey.

Truly, every elderly lady they met while traveling was kind – that was normal.

Only her ‘grandmother’ was abnormal!

Facing Hu Ying’s invitation, Tina politely declined: “I need to return to school, there’s something I must do.”

As Tina prepared to leave, Xia Xiaolan called out:

“Hey, can you manage by yourself?”

After all, she had come as a witness.

Though this girl might be a bit slow and delicate, she wasn’t bad.

Xia Xiaolan knew Long Le Xu would have people watching Tina, but showing some concern was different – the two shouldn’t be confused.

Tina waved, giving an “OK” sign.

Today only Professor Wen and his wife came to meet them. Wen Manni had resumed work as a law firm partner, and Klaus had surgery scheduled. Shortly after Xia Xiaolan’s group reached the hotel, a reporter from “Domus” magazine arrived.

They hoped to interview Xia Xiaolan about her lawsuit with Lisa, though it wasn’t clear who had chosen this angle.

Before the trial, the “Domus” reporter wanted a brief interview. Eric rushed over and directly blocked the reporter:

“Sorry, my client won’t accept any interviews before the trial.”

Eric didn’t care about “Domus'” industry status, firmly rejecting the reporter.

Once only their people remained, Eric explained:

“Xia, you can’t accept interviews, regardless of the media. They all want sensational news. They’ll lead you to give ambiguous answers, they’ll report your responses out of context. In short, after we win the case, you can give a hundred interviews if you want, but absolutely none before the trial!”

Xia Xiaolan understood this.

But Eric’s serious attitude suggested something more.

“Eric, has something happened? Is there something I don’t know about?”

“As your friend, I’ll tell you everything’s under control; just rest well and prepare for court! But as your lawyer, I must inform you of developments… you should watch this videotape first.”

Eric took out a videotape from his briefcase.

It was a New York talk show featuring guests Lisa and Cynthia Wilson.

“These two are something else.”

No wonder Eric prevented her from giving interviews – on this show, Lisa had already said everything. Using workplace discrimination against women as her angle, she discussed various opportunities she’d lost over her years in the profession, explaining how this led to her silence when GMP tried to submit her work under someone else’s name for awards. This silence, she claimed, had hurt her terribly, making her the defendant.

“If given another chance, I would speak up loudly. If we don’t dare to fight against all unfairness, we must bear the unfair harm!”

As she listened, Xia Xiaolan found it familiar.

She turned with suspicion:

“…Did she steal my lines?!”