CHAPTER 280: CHAPTER 280 A FATHER AND SON CARVED FROM THE SAME MOLD

"That’s correct. If I can’t have him, I’ll destroy him. Back then, I was so in love with him. I humbled myself, trod lightly, set aside my status as the eldest daughter of the Lin Family, and followed him around all day, trying to win his affection.

"But he went and had an illicit affair with my head maid! The two of them carried on in secret. Those two shameless creatures even dared to come before me, asking me to give them my blessing!"

At this, Lin couldn’t help but laugh loudly.

"HAHAHA! I, Lin Shuang’Er, have never been able to swallow this insult! Since they disregarded me so, I vowed to become their lifelong nightmare.

"So, I married Xie Wulang’s older clan cousin, the future head of the Xie Family. After marrying him, I took charge of managing the household finances and demoted Luo to the position of the lowest-ranking drudge maid, making her my personal commode maid!"

"I thought that by humiliating Luo, that little wretch, Wulang would despise her and refuse to even look at her. Unexpectedly, even then, Wulang still wanted to marry that little wretch!"

Ji Youzhi looked at the now-deranged Lin and continued his questioning.

"Was it because of this that you used the Gu Insect on father and son?"

Luo’s eyes began to fill with tears. These were the shames of her past. She knew it wasn’t her fault, yet this was her life.

Lin nodded frantically, pointing a finger at Luo, whose face was now streaked with tears.

"Exactly! Do you know what Wulang did to marry this wretched woman?"

"What did he do?" Ji Youzhi asked.

"HAHAHA! What did he do? Ask him yourself! That despicable man actually used my son’s Full Moon Banquet to set a trap, forcing me to agree to let that little wretch Luo marry him!"

Ji Youzhi was not surprised by this answer. He had investigated many cases over the years; they were usually motivated by either money or love.

He pressed on, eventually uncovering the rather heart-wrenching love story between Xie Wulang and Luo.

Years ago, Xie Wulang and Luo were in love. Xie Wulang had repeatedly approached Lin to request permission to marry Luo, but Lin adamantly refused. By then, Xie Wulang was an orphan, and the assets of the fifth branch of the family were managed by the main branch. He appealed to Lady Xie.

Lady Xie verbally agreed to speak to Lin on his behalf, but she kept delaying, allowing Luo to suffer continuously at Lin’s hands.

So, Xie Wulang resorted to a ruse. At Xie Yinghui’s Full Moon Banquet, he deliberately arranged for the Old Madam of the Duke’s Mansion and Lady Xie to simultaneously discover him and Luo in a clandestine meeting.

Lady Xie had no choice. To preserve the Xie Family’s reputation, she claimed the two had long been betrothed and were to be married in a few days.

The Old Madam of the Duke’s Mansion was someone who valued propriety. She casually remarked that she would come to offer congratulations and have a wedding cup at the appointed time, and so the matter between Luo and Xie Wulang was settled.

"Lin, your words are self-contradictory. You claim you used the Gu Insect on the father and son simply because you liked Xie Wulang.

"As you said, when you used the Gu Insect on Xie Si, he was almost a year old. If you truly hated Luo so intensely and loved Xie Wulang so deeply, why did you only act then?"

At Ji Youzhi’s question, Lin fell silent, not speaking for a long moment.

"Speak!" Lady Xie slammed the table again. She wasn’t trying to pressure Lin, but the Xie Family absolutely could not bear the charge of treason and collaborating with the enemy!

Lin let out a series of HAHAHAs, then turned her head to look at Xie Si.

"Look at him. Isn’t he strikingly similar to Wulang? Don’t they look as if they were carved from the same mold?"

Upon hearing this, everyone carefully scrutinized Xie Si, comparing him to his father. Indeed, the father and son looked as if they were cast from the same mold.

"What does that have to do with you using the Gu Insect on them?" Lady Xie demanded, her face flushed with anger.