Chapter 145: They were never true family

On the large screen in the living room, surveillance footage from a hospital corridor appeared.

In the distance, at the end of the corridor, a girl in a hospital gown was seen in a passionate embrace with a man wrapped entirely in black.

Although the image quality was low, it could be vaguely identified that the girl was none other than Shi Xi!

The time in the bottom right corner of the screen was from a few days ago, the day she was hospitalized due to her injuries.

"Heh, it seems your beloved daughter already has a boyfriend."

Qin Haobei curled the corner of his mouth.

Shi Zhenyuan's pupils dilated suddenly, his teeth clenched so tightly it seemed he wanted to shatter them!

"Qin, you forged this video. My daughter would absolutely never do such a thing!"

"Would never do such a thing? Then take a look at these photos."

Following that, *swish, swish, swish*—

Dozens of photos were displayed on the large screen, all showing Shi Xi holding hands with that man in black.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, these were all found using your Shi Group's big data. I have to say, your products are truly excellent—of course, you have to activate a VIP membership."

Shi Heng's face was darker than the bottom of a pot at this moment. He clenched his fists and said:

"Even if these photos are real, they could be Shi Xi's ex-boyfriend. They must have broken up by now!"

"I don't know if they broke up or not, but... haven't you recognized who this person is?"

Qin Haobei pressed a button, and the large screen showed the footage of the hijacking at the entrance of the auction house from a few days ago.

He zoomed in on the kidnapper's upper right arm, where a butterfly tattoo could be vaguely seen.

Immediately after, he switched back to the hospital corridor footage, aimed at the man's upper right arm, and zoomed in again—and again—

An identical tattoo appeared there, clear as day!

"See it clearly now? The kidnapper is your daughter's boyfriend. In other words..."

Qin Haobei's voice turned stern, his eyes shooting out a blade-like light:

"It was your daughter, Shi Xi, who staged a kidnapping drama with her boyfriend! Not only was all of this fake, but it also terrified my mother! Shi, I haven't even asked you for compensation for emotional distress, yet you come here trying to leverage a favor? Do you really think our Qin family is easy to bully?!"

"Keep your daughter in check and don't let her appear before me again!"

"As for this videotape... heh, the police are collecting clues everywhere. As a good citizen, I have already handed it over to them. The rest of the work will be completed by the police."

Shi Zhenyuan's face turned pale, inch by inch.

His teeth ground together with a creaking sound, his fists trembled, but he couldn't say a single word.

"Dad, let's go back first."

Shi Heng pulled Shi Zhenyuan's arm and said helplessly in a low voice.

Now, with ironclad facts before him, he had to accept the truth.

Actually, he had felt something was suspicious from the very beginning, but Shi Xi was his sister after all; deep down, Shi Heng still held a bias toward her.

He never imagined she would do something like this!

"Qin, Hao, Bei! You just wait!"

Shi Zhenyuan spat out a harsh sentence and, following his son Shi Heng, walked out of the Qin Residence, helpless and unwilling.

The night deepened, and the neon lights on the street lit up one by one.

Shi Yi pushed open the door to the coffee shop.

For the entire day, Shi Yi had been sitting in the corner of the coffee shop, quietly watching the sky outside.

She hadn't eaten, nor did she want to; she had only drunk one cup of coffee all day.

Since becoming "Shen Xingyao," this was the first time she had tasted that bone-deep loneliness again, as if the whole world had abandoned her once more.

For three years, she had been gently cared for by Qin Haobei.

She had been cherished by Father Qin and Madam Qin as if she were their own daughter.

And Xiao Shiliu's reliance on her made her feel the sensation of being needed once again.

But, thinking of the Qin family and the Shi family sitting harmoniously in one living room, discussing the marriage between Shi Xi and Brother Hao Bei...

She felt her heart ache with every beat.

Yes, they were never her true family.

From beginning to end, she was merely an outsider.

She was the daughter abandoned by the Shi family, the person who should have disappeared from this world; what did she have to compete with Shi Xi for...

Moreover, Shi Xi had saved the lives of her brother and her godmother twice; that was an indisputable fact.

Her brother's heart was not made of stone; he was a human, a man of flesh and blood! How could he not be moved?!

From childhood to adulthood, in every competition with Shi Xi, from as small as a toy to as large as their parents' affection...

She had never won.

This time, how could she possibly win?

Shi Yi smiled bitterly in her heart, walking on the street like a puppet that had lost its soul. Just then, her phone began to vibrate with a "buzz, buzz, buzz."

It was a call from Qin Haobei.

"Xing'er, where are you? I'll come find you!"

His voice carried a hint of anxiety.

Shi Yi managed a forced smile:

"No need, I'll come over in a bit to pick up Xiao Shiliu."

Qin Haobei thought for a moment and finally nodded.

"Mm, take a taxi over. I'll wait for you at the entrance."

"Why so late? Where did you go?!"

The hour hand pointed to 9:00 PM when a thin figure finally appeared in front of the Qin Family Villa.

Qin Haobei ran over quickly, his eyes full of worry.

"Xing'er, did something happen? Why is your face so pale?"

Shi Yi curled the corner of her mouth with some difficulty.

"Brother, I'm fine, just a bit tired. Where is Xiao Shiliu? I'm here to take him home."

"Did you find out about Shi Zhenyuan coming to propose?"

"That is your privacy, Brother. I don't know, and I don't want to know," Shi Yi said coldly.

Seeing Shi Yi's demeanor, Qin Haobei knew she had found out something and hurriedly explained:

"Xing'er, listen to me, I didn't agree to her. I cannot marry Shi Xi!"

"I said, this is your privacy, I don't want to know!"

Shi Yi was becoming impatient.

She didn't care if Qin Haobei had really agreed to Shi Xi.

Heh, what did all this have to do with her? She was merely Qin Haobei's sister; she didn't even have the qualifications to be jealous.

"Did you drink coffee today?"

Qin Haobei smelled the faint scent of coffee on Shi Yi and couldn't help but feel a surge of anger; her body could not consume any caffeinated beverages.

"Whether I drink it or not is my freedom, and it has nothing to do with you." Shi Yi was in the middle of a fit of anger.

"Xing'er! Why are you angry with me? I already said I didn't agree to the Shi family's proposal at all!"

Qin Haobei was also becoming agitated.

"I know I've neglected you these past few days, but I've been investigating the kidnapper, and I haven't closed my eyes for days. Xing'er, why won't you believe me?"

"Does it matter whether I believe you or not? Anyway, Shi Xi saved you and saved Godmother; that is an ironclad fact!"

Qin Haobei was rendered speechless by Shi Yi's retort.

He didn't know why Shi Yi had become so unreasonable. Hadn't he done all this to investigate the truth and protect her?!

Shi Xi's ultimate goal was clearly Xing'er.

She had only approached him to take revenge on Xing'er.

He didn't believe for a second that that woman truly liked him.

"Xing'er, don't you understand your sister? How did she treat you? And what kind of vicious person is she? Do you really think she would disregard her own life and willingly be kidnapped by kidnappers for my sake? That kidnapper is actually—"

However, before Qin Haobei could finish his sentence, he was interrupted mercilessly by Shi Yi.

"I wouldn't be surprised by any sacrifice she makes for you. Brother, don't you know what kind of man you are?!"

Shi Yi's tone carried a hint of resentment, as well as... jealousy.

She admitted that, at this moment, she was a little jealous of Shi Xi.

Yet Qin Haobei only felt it was inexplicable. He wanted to open his mouth to say something more, but in the next second, he heard Shi Yi say coldly:

"Bring Xiao Shiliu out. I'm going back." ===== CHAPTER 146 =====