Chapter 166: Past

By the time the servants reacted from their stupor and wanted to go rescue someone, the bathroom door had already been locked from the outside; all that could be heard were Ms. Song's various shrill screams coming from inside.

She shouted, then gulped.

She shouted, and immediately gulped.

Shu Shu pressed the flush button expressionlessly: "If your mouth isn't clean, you need to wash it often."

Outside, the servants were trying to break down the door.

Shu Shu acted as if she hadn't heard, continuing her action.

Ms. Song not only failed to break free, but she also swallowed several mouthfuls of water; her hair was a mess, her expensive fur soaked and ruined, and she was in a sorry state.

There was not a trace of a noblewoman's grace and dignity left.

"You little wretch! How dare you treat me like this! Do you know who I am? My maiden family is—"

"Second Young Lady of the Song family from Sea City, Song Yunqiu?"

Shu Shu pulled her up, to Ms. Song's surprise, calmly announcing her household.

"Before coming here, I had already thought of you."

…

His wife Shuyun's suffering was the thing Xie Yingting held onto most grievously in his life.

Xie Yingting did not subscribe to the notion that grudges between generations fade away.

Even if he had personally punished those people, he still believed that the idea that injuries could be smoothed over by time was merely another form of violence by the perpetrator against the victim.

When his daughter Shuyin grew older and became sensible, Xie Yingting frankly told her all of this.

While protecting his daughter, he also taught her to see the dark side of the world.

Among the families that initially sought to ally with the Xie clan through marriage, the Song family was the most eager and proactive.

The Song family's eldest young lady had suffered from a heart condition since birth, never able to leave the house, so the burden of this marriage alliance fell to the second young lady.

But the Song family had only one daughter.

Shu Shu lowered her gaze slightly, eyes full of mockery: "You're the daughter of a concubine brought in from a side branch; others call you merely 'Second Young Lady Song,' yet you actually think you are the Second Young Lady Song?"

But it's something that cannot be shown on the table.

Ms. Song stared wide‑eyed in disbelief, her face flushing: "You… how could you know these things!"

These past events had always been what Ms. Song found hardest to speak of, and most wanted to erase forever from the world.

Shu Shu: "Guess."

The Song family, seeking quick profit, raised their daughters from childhood to become virtuous wives and good mothers.

Song Yunqiu's nature had been spoiled by her birth mother; even after being adopted and re‑educated, she could not shake the vulgarity of a market trader deep in her bones.

From the moment she stepped through the gates of wealth, she was brainwashed into believing she would marry into the Xie family, and specifically wed the handsome Second Young Master of the Xie clan, Xie Yingting.

Song Yunqiu once took the opportunity to dance before Xie Yingting, only to be ruthlessly humiliated, causing a great scandal.

Having nowhere to vent her anger, she blamed Shuyun for this, and thus bore a grudge against Shuyun.

In the incidents where Shuyun was harmed back then, Song Yunqiu also had a hand.

"Are you proud of your status, and do you enjoy bullying others?"

Shu Shu placed her hand on the lock.

Realizing Shu Shu was about to open the door, Ms. Song shrieked in panic: "Don't open it! You must not open it!"

Her current appearance was a disgraceful sight.

But it was too late.

Shu Shu pulled open the bathroom door, stepped aside, and the Ms. Song who had fallen sitting beside the toilet directly locked eyes with the servants outside.

One glance was enough to know what had just happened inside.

The lady had been pressed into the toilet.

The air stood still for three seconds.

Ms. Song broke down: "Get out! Get out! Don't look! Don't look!"

But it seemed to have no effect.

Probably because they were used to seeing the lady high and mighty, giving orders, this extreme state of disgrace before them was too stark a contrast.

Even if they obeyed and turned away, the servants' peripheral vision still couldn't help but glance back.

Ms. Song had lost all face, feeling like she could roar and kill; after waiting helplessly for half a day, she shouted at the servants: "Come help me up!"

The helped‑up Ms. Song glared at Shu Shu with eyes that could spit fire, her fingers trembling: "You… you… you all deserve to die—catch them—"

Before she could finish speaking.

A servant hurried in, whose duty was to guard the main gate.

"Madam, the young master has arrived."

The words fell.

A tall, slender figure appeared in the hallway.

Pei Du's expression turned cold; his gaze swept past the servants, quickly located Shu Shu, and he strode toward her.

First he checked Shu Shu, confirming she was unharmed, then scanned the surroundings, noticing the water splashed around the toilet and Ms. Song's hair completely soaked.

The scene was plainly ugly.

In the span of a breath, Pei Du withdrew his gaze, then walked to the faucet, turned it on, adjusted the water to warm, and took Shu Shu's hands.

Ms. Song's fur clung to her body, still being supported by the servants, and all the servants in the manor remained gathered here.

Under everyone's gaze.

Pei Du, as if no one else existed, lowered his eyes and carefully washed Shu Shu's hands.

He then dried Shu Shu's hands, took her hand and left; throughout, his eyes saw no one else.

Everybody just watched the two leave.

Pei Du drove Shu Shu back to the Zhubei District villa.

Da Fu held a toy in its mouth, waiting by the door, wagging its tail at the two to seek interaction.

It didn't realize this wasn't a good time.

Shu Shu reluctantly patted the dog's head, then let go and stepped inside first, silent.

Pei Du called from behind: "Yinyin."

Shu Shu then turned her head and looked at him.

Pei Du's eyes held guilt: "Sorry."

He didn't know exactly what had happened between Madam Song and Shu Shu, but he had a rough idea.

It was Madam Song picking a fight.

Shu Shu wasn't surprised by Pei Du's sudden appearance, since she had sent him her location; she paused: "... You don't need to apologize."

Pei Du was about to speak again when Shu Shu interrupted: "Um, Pei Du, I'm a bit tired; I want to sleep."

She clearly knew in advance what he wanted to ask, but she still didn't want to bring it up.

……Okay." Pei Du said: "What do you want to eat tonight? I'll go to the supermarket."

Shu Shu froze for a moment: "Aren't you busy?"

I'm quite free.

Oh, I can have anything; you decide.

After saying that, Shu Shu went back to her room.

……

Pei Du stood outside the door for a long time.

Normally, when he asked that question, girls would always light up, point to what they wanted to eat, and then go to the supermarket with him.

…

Pei Du went to the supermarket alone, and after returning he didn't leave again.

He didn't disturb Shu Shu; he just sat on the sofa outside, looking toward the bedroom, his emotions unfathomable.

Until dinner was ready.

Dogs' senses are usually sharp; Da Fu only felt that tonight the household atmosphere wasn't great, it glanced at the male owner on the left of the dining table, then at the female owner on the right.

It smelled it; the male owner had made shrimp again, and usually the female owner would pick up a piece of shrimp the male owner had peeled for her to coax it into performing a bow.

But today there was none.

After finishing dinner.

Pei Du brought over the dog food box, handed it to Shu Shu, and said: "Da Fu's automatic feeder is broken; Yinyin, feed it."

Okay.

Pei Du watched Shu Shu squatting on the ground, scooping dog food with a spoon, his voice gentle: "Yinyin, I'm going out for a bit."

Mm.

After a moment, Pei Du withdrew his gaze, opened the main door, and left.

…

Night fell.

Inside the Jing Shi residence, it was still a mess.

Although the water in the toilet on standby is relatively clean, it's still nauseating.

Madam Song had just finished washing her stomach and returned from the hospital.

All along she had been in an extremely irritable state, ready to explode at the slightest provocation.

After becoming the second daughter of the Song family and marrying into the Pei Family of Jing Shi as the Pei Family lady, she had never suffered such humiliation, and yet this humiliation came from Shu Shu's daughter.

How could she not hate it!

Madam Song now closed her eyes, her mind filled with the image of Shu Shu pressing her into the toilet.

It really made her furious!

But as soon as her emotions flared, that nauseous feeling surged up from her throat, making her feel even worse.

Madam Song "weakly" leaned against the bed, lashing out at the family doctor.

Just then.

The servant reported, head lowered: "Madam, the young master has come again."

Madam Song's scolding voice stopped abruptly; she turned her head and met the cold, chiseled black eyes of Pei Du as he stepped through the door.

……Pei Du, you, why are you here?

Madam Song was asking this knowingly.

She had already anticipated this scene when she decided to look for Shu Shu.

Although Madam Song is Pei Du's mother, she hadn't raised him for even a few days, so naturally she and this son have no closeness at all.

Aside from the title, they are no different from strangers.

Madam Song feigned calm, put on a motherly air, and questioned: "What, you came to stand up for Xie Shuyin, to accuse me, this mother, of wrongdoing?"

Xie, Shuyin?

Pei Du caught a certain word, the young man half-lowered his eyelids, coldly staring at Madam Song, and opened his lips: "What did you say to her."

Pei Du is not an idiot.

Ms. Song seeking out Shu Shu was nothing more than that set of tricks to force a breakup.

Pei Du understood Shu Shu; such tricks would never catch her eye, nor would they draw any of her attention—she would simply turn and walk away, ignoring them.

Therefore, Ms. Song must have said or done something else to Shu Shu besides that.

…

A servant downstairs came out of the kitchen holding a bowl of steaming hot yam porridge for the mistress.

Just as he was about to go upstairs, he heard an incredibly frightened woman's voice ring out.

It sounded very familiar.

Earlier that day, when that girl had pressed the mistress's head into the toilet, she had shouted like that once.

What the hell is happening now?!

Many servants rushed over, looked up, and in the next second almost had their legs go weak from fright at the sight before them.

All they could see was the third floor.

Ms. Song had been pushed to the windowsill, just half a step away from falling hard onto the concrete ground below.

Her collar was gripped by a hand with distinct, bony knuckles.

"Young Master!"

"Young Master! Please calm down!"

The servants and family doctor inside the room were breaking out in cold sweat all over.

Yet the owner of the hand remained indifferent, not caring at all whether Ms. Song lived or died.

Pei Du: "I'll ask again—what exactly did you say to her?"

…

When Ms. Song was thrown onto the floor, her whole person hovered on the brink of collapse—lips trembling, face deathly pale, her strong survival instinct making her shrink back; for the first time, terror appeared in her eyes as she looked at her son.

A lunatic……

A complete lunatic.

Just like Xie Shuyin, they're both lunatics!

Having gotten the answer, Pei Du turned and left, walking downstairs.

"Pei Du."

A man's voice carrying an innate sense of authority called out to him.

Pei Qian

The head of the Pei Family sat calmly in the living room; although he knew full well about the "commotion" upstairs, he remained unfazed, only asking in a calm voice: "You missed the shareholders' meeting this afternoon."

Pei Du turned a deaf ear and walked toward the gate.

"I don't approve of you being with that girl," Pei Qian's voice came from behind, as if speaking of something trivial: "Besides, even if you still wanted to be with her now, she probably wouldn't want to be with you either."

"……"

Pei Du's steps halted, and he instantly turned around.

…

Pei Du emerged from the Pei Family manor, his whole body wrapped in a chill.

He got into the car, didn't start it right away, pulled out his phone, and opened a search engine.

Not knowing what keyword he had entered, the phone interface instantly popped up several news items.

That was a major social news report from a few years ago about Seacity——

【Well-known company Xie Construction was accused of a major mistake in the Anrun Building project; the "tofu-dregs" project caused five deaths and about seventeen injuries among construction site workers, and currently the person in charge of the company has been completely taken under control and investigation by the relevant authorities……】

Next article:

【Xie Yingting, chairman of Xie Group, his elder brother Xie Yingheng exposed a scandal of using his lawyer's position to wx the party involved; according to reports, the party involved is under seventeen years old; currently, Xie Yingheng has been criminally detained by police……】

Next article: 【During bail, Xie Yingting, chairman of Xie Group, took his wife to visit his critically ill elder brother Xie Yingheng in prison; on the way they collided with a truck, and the couple died on the spot despite rescue efforts! One week later, Xie Yingheng died of illness in prison……】

Next article after that.

【One year later! The father of former Xie Construction chairman Xie Yingting, Xie Wangzhou, submitted a secret list to "the top", alleging that the Xie side in the Anrun Building project had been deliberately framed! The entire Xie clan is innocent! Moreover, the party who had accused lawyer Xie Yingheng publicly recanted, clearly stating that lawyer Xie Yingheng never did wx to them!】

Last article:

【In the month after the vindication of the two sons' grievances, Xie Wangzhou committed suicide by taking medication at home; that same year, his late wife Ms. Lin unfortunately passed away from illness……】

"……"

The atmosphere inside the car was silent to the point of deathly stillness.

Pei Du's breathing trembled uncontrollably.

Skimming a few articles, pages of text and sentences only revealed a few bloody words—family destroyed, people dead.

He almost instantly recalled that night the girl's repressed sob.

Her heart ailment actually hurt this much.

Pei Du pressed the ignition button.

In a moment.

The sedan left the Pei Family manor, speeding onto the road to Bamboo North District like a sword cutting through the night.

Pei Du didn't know how he had managed to return to the villa in Bamboo North District.

His whole body stiff, he stood outside the door, his arms feeling as if weighed down by a thousand jin, unable to lift them to input the password and open the door.

"She must value her family a lot, right? Since your mother and her mother have such a grudge, from now on whenever she sees you she'll recall the past—do you think she can still stay single-mindedly with you?"

"A Du, do you still dare to see her?"

Before leaving the manor, Pei Qian asked Pei Du this.

…

Meanwhile, inside the villa.

Only one lamp was lit in the living room.

Shu Shu held the big blessing, looking through the floor-to-ceiling window at the night outside, her gaze vacant.

She had indeed thought about it, many times.

She thought, of being with Pei Du all the time.

…

"Sister, sister...?"

Shu Shu heard someone calling her, she opened her eyes and saw her daughter's worried face.

"Sister, what's wrong?"

Pei Muyin leaned by the bedside, gently wiping Shu Shu's face, and said, "Did you have a nightmare? You were crying."