Chapter 56

“Pfft…” Watching the scene in the mirror, Yu Ling’er couldn’t help but laugh.

“How about it?” At this moment, Elder Qingxue spoke up: “Do you think, back then, I fell in love with Ye Xuan?”

Hearing Elder Qingxue’s words, Yu Ling’er was momentarily stunned. Just now, she had seen a genuinely happy smile on Elder Qingxue’s face. It was a real smile, not one forced out by Ye Xuan.

Clearly, Elder Qingxue had started to like Ye Xuan back then. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so joyfully amused by him. For most people, this might seem incredible. How could one possibly fall in love with their enemy?

To Elder Qingxue at that time, Ye Xuan must have been someone she despised. He had taken her by force and coerced her into marrying him. But she had also witnessed Ye Xuan’s treatment of Mo Qingxue during that time.

Ye Xuan was good to Mo Qingxue, providing her family with money, a house, and land when needed.

Essentially, thanks to Mo Qingxue, her entire family had started living a better life. The hatred between Ye Xuan and Mo Qingxue was indeed hard to dissolve. But now, Mo Qingxue was already Ye Xuan’s wife…

Yu Ling’er spoke to Elder Qingxue, “I guess, at that time, Elder Qingxue must have already started liking that Ye Xuan.”

Elder Qingxue’s expression turned cold as she said, “Then tell me, to me, was Ye Xuan a good person or a bad person?”

“Uh…” Only then did Yu Ling’er truly understand what Elder Qingxue meant by saying she would fall in love with Ye Xuan. Undeniably, Ye Xuan had been a great villain to her before. But after all these events, without bias…

Even if she knew Ye Xuan was a bad person, Elder Qingxue might still find herself unable to help falling for him. Because even as an onlooker, she inexplicably felt that Elder Qingxue should reconcile with Ye Xuan.

Even though Mo Qingxue, at that time, still saw Ye Xuan as a great villain, watching their daily interactions made Yu Ling’er inexplicably feel like not forgiving Ye Xuan was Mo Qingxue’s fault. It was strange; how could she think that way? Mo Qingxue was the victim, after all–!!!

“He’s a bad person.” As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Yu Ling’er reluctantly found that in Mo Qingxue’s eyes, Ye Xuan was indeed a bad person.

But she had already fallen in love with him. Sometimes, falling in love with someone really doesn’t depend on whether they are good or bad.

Did she fall for Ye Xuan just because he was nice to her? She never really considered whether Ye Xuan was good or bad.

Then… what if Ye Xuan really was a bad person? What should she do? At that moment, Yu Ling’er felt panicked. She had said she would rather betray the world than betray Ye Xuan. But that didn’t include the possibility of Ye Xuan being a bad person…

What if Ye Xuan was indeed bad but still treated her the same? What should she do then?!! Luckily, she didn’t have to worry about that.

Hehe, Brother Ye Xuan couldn’t possibly be a bad person.

Thinking about this, Yu Ling’er let out a sigh of relief.

Elder Qingxue spoke up, “At that time, I had actually begun to no longer hate Ye Xuan. In fact, I genuinely wanted to be his wife. If possible, I wished to be with him for a lifetime, but… all of this was a lie.”

“It turns out, his willingness to marry me was just to play with my emotions! To him, I was just a plaything that could be discarded at any time. His wife through a proper marriage? Haha, what a ridiculous lie!”

Yu Ling’er was shocked, “Elder Qingxue, you’re saying all this was false?”

“Exactly, all of it was just a boring game played by that beast, Ye Xuan!” Elder Qingxue’s eyes showed deep-seated hatred as she glared at Ye Xuan, looking as if she might kill him at any moment.

Yu Ling’er became anxious and quickly looked back at the screen. She couldn’t believe that Ye Xuan, who was so good to Elder Qingxue, was just playing a game.

He might not have truly loved Mo Qingxue, but at least he treated her sincerely. He genuinely wanted to compensate her and make her happy. But now Elder Qingxue was telling her that it was all a lie, a game? If so, that would be horrifying!

Ye Xuan guiltily averted his gaze, worried that Elder Qingxue might come over to slap him again.

———

The scene continued. This period was undoubtedly the happiest time in Mo Qingxue’s life. The night she was forced by Ye Xuan and had to comply, she thought her life was over.

She hated Ye Xuan immensely, even cursing him with the most vicious curses she could think of. But unexpectedly, in the following days, she married Ye Xuan and truly fell in love with him.

During the day, Ye Xuan taught her to read and write, and at night… Well, it was sheer happiness.

After learning to write, Ye Xuan taught her music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. These were things she had never imagined she would have the opportunity to learn in her lifetime.

One day, Mo Qingxue suddenly said to Ye Xuan, “Husband… there’s something I want to ask of you.”

“Sure,” Ye Xuan said, hugging her, “Whatever it is, my wife, just say it, and your husband will agree to it.”

“I want to visit my parents’ home,” said Mo Qingxue. “I haven’t been back since I got married, and I don’t know how things are there.”

She was a bit nervous, fearing Ye Xuan might not agree. After all, a married daughter is like water splashed out of a bucket, and whether she could visit her parents’ home depended on Ye Xuan’s permission. However, Ye Xuan had been busy with business…

“Of course,” Ye Xuan agreed readily, “You don’t need to be so formal about it.”

“Husband… thank you, you’re so kind.” Mo Qingxue said shyly.

———

Inside the mirror of the past, Elder Qingxue spoke, “This day marks the beginning of Ye Xuan revealing his true nature. Yu Ling’er, watch closely, I hope you won’t be too shocked.”

Yu Ling’er swallowed nervously, anticipating what might unfold.

———

In Wuyuan Town, Mo Qingxue, led by Ye Xuan, arrived at her family’s new residence. The red lacquered and black-tiled house, with its brick walls and round columns, was a stark contrast to the dilapidated home of her past. It was all thanks to Ye Xuan.

“Thank you, husband. You’ve spent too much on me,” Mo Qingxue said, moved to tears as she turned to Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan laughed, “It’s nothing compared to how much you hated me before. You wanted to eat me out of house and home. And now, just a little spending and you’re this moved?”

(TL: This idiom means someone who eats a lot or is very costly to support, to the point of straining the household’s resources.)

“Stop it, husband… Let’s not talk about the past,” Mo Qingxue said, blushing at the memory of her naive thoughts to bankrupt Ye Xuan with chicken soup.

Just then, Mo Qingxue’s sister-in-law came out to greet them with warmth and joy. A heartwarming scene of family reunion unfolded. Mo Dazhuang, Mo Qingxue’s brother, started a small business with Ye Xuan’s help, stabilizing the family’s finances.

He was overjoyed with Ye Xuan’s visit, insisting on drinking with him. Mo Qingxue, meanwhile, caught up with her mother and sister-in-law, who teasingly inquired about Ye Xuan’s physical stamina, leaving Mo Qingxue both embarrassed and annoyed.

———

Through the mirror, Elder Qingxue watched these scenes, feeling moved yet pained. These were her happiest moments but also marked the end of such happiness.

If possible, she would have preferred to die then, to not face the cruel future. But she didn’t die and became who she is now. It’s time for Ye Xuan to pay for what he did.

“Ling’er, I know you hold great hope for Ye Xuan, believing he must be a good person. But brace yourself for what’s coming next,” Elder Qingxue warned Yu Ling’er.

“You haven’t seen the worst of human nature. Even if someone seems nice to you, they could just be treating you as a joke.”

Yu Ling’er felt silently exasperated. Who said she hadn’t witnessed the evil of humanity? She was curious to see what outrageous actions Ye Xuan would take next, according to Elder Qingxue’s forewarning.