"Hehehe... As expected, Shao Yiping was quite right." Zhou Yuan laughed at herself, "You never really considered me your mother, did you? Maybe you call me by my name in your heart and behind my back?"
Hai Lan instinctively took a step back, and her action precisely confirmed Zhou Yuanâs suspicion.
"What do you mean when you said Dad and Uncle wonât save us? I still carry the Hai name. Theyâre so concerned about their reputation; they canât possibly abandon me."
"You exposed the affair I had with Hai Shuangjie. Do you think they would still save you? You harmed your foster mother and foster father. No matter what Iâve done wrong, it doesnât cover up your selfishness. Despite how unreasonable this is, you still think they will save you."
Hai Lan collapsed to the ground in despair. She... she was only trying to protect herself. Did she really do something wrong?
Zhou Yuan felt a profound sense of satisfaction as she looked at Hai Lan, "Do you know which head of the families is the most powerful?"
"Su Jiang?" This question made Hai Lan think she had grasped her last straw of hope, "It must be Su Jiang, right?"
"Wrong, itâs Hai Yunfeng!" Zhou Yuanâs smile twisted, "Just wait! Neither of us will have a good end. You were just a little beggar, and you will go back to being a little beggar; that fits your identity."
"No, no, Iâm the Hai familyâs daughter; it canât be."
"Youâre just a little beggar I adopted. It was because of me that you had the Hai familyâs identity. Now that youâve destroyed me, youâve destroyed yourself as well. Donât you understand that? Idiot!"
Hai Lan crawled to Zhou Yuanâs feet, clutching her pant leg tightly. "Mom, I was wrong. Please save me! I was wrong, I will kowtow to you, I donât want to be a little beggar."
Hai Lan lay on the floor, relentlessly kowtowing and begging desperately.
Zhou Yuan looked down at her with eyes as cold as poison, "Hai Lan, stop begging. Even if I were stupid, Iâm not stupid enough to be beyond saving. The first regret of my life was adopting you, and the second was marrying into the Hai Family. My past life, and my future life."
Hai Lan stared at her blankly, not understanding what she meant by past life and future life.
Zhou Yuan didnât leave her wondering for long. She shakily stood up, her gaze wild and crazed. "I could have had children, but it was all because of Han Xiaoqiu. If it werenât for her insidious schemes, how could I have miscarried over and over, eventually unable to have children and adopting you? If it werenât for the Hai familyâs biased favoritism, how would I have grown more and more distant from them in despair? Hahaha..."
Zhou Yuan laughed heartily, releasing the resentment buried in her heart for years, "It was Han Xiaoqiu. Her and Dong Shuhuaâs betrayal ruined my life, and doomed Shen Xinwen."
"What did Han Xiaoqiu do?"
Zhou Yuan suddenly turned around, "How are you any different from Han Xiaoqiu, Hai Lan? She ruined my past life, and you ruined my future life?"
"I didnât, I really didnât. I didnât do it on purpose. Mom, I was wrong, please donât do this, okay? Can we think of something together? We can get out of here!"
"Get out and do what? Face ruin and public condemnation? Like Bai Tianâe? Or like Shen Yu?" Zhou Yuan stood straight, her gaze fixed on the detention room wall, blankly saying, "Iâve been proud all my life. Iâd rather die than live in shame, suffer in poverty, and die in misery."