Chapter 8: Chapter 7 Sophistry
Before Lu Jiaguang suspected that his sister’s disappearance was caused by Ding Jing’s mischief, but he hadn’t considered that it involved Fan Yinuo: “Xinxin, what exactly happened? Tell us.”
Lu Jiaxin called them over to talk about this matter, after preparing what she was going to say, she spoke: “Two days before the college entrance exams, I went to the restroom and heard Zhao Siyi sweetly calling ‘Brother Yinuo’ on the phone. Then she went outside, and anxious, I followed her. In the alley outside, as soon as Zhao Siyi saw Fan Yinuo she threw herself at him, hugging and nibbling at him…”
Liao Xiangmei said nothing, but her distant attitude toward Lu Jiaxin told her the secret was out.
Lu Jiaguang’s face was as dark as water.
Lu Jiajie was furious, not expecting Zhao Siyi and Fan Yinuo to be behind this. But after Xinxin disappeared, they both seemed so eager to help look for her. Now it all seemed like an act.
The more he thought about it, the more disgusted he felt, he couldn’t help but confront Lu Hongjun: “Third Uncle, how could you have not noticed something this big? What kind of father are you?”
When Mrs. Lu was alive, she got along well with relatives in her hometown, helping out whenever she could, especially taking good care of him. But after Ding Jing came into the family, she was two-faced, looking down on the hometown relatives. Despite his dislike for the mother and daughter, in keeping with Mrs. Lu’s dying wish, he still visited several times a month.
Lu Hongjun felt wronged, his daughter had never mentioned this to him.
Lu Jiaguang, truly a leader, immediately zeroed in on the issue: “Xinxin, you sprained your ankle two days before the exams and said you didn’t see the road clearly. Tell me honestly, what really happened to your foot?”
Lu Jiaxin repeated what she had told Aunt Xue: “I was so angry, I wanted to hit Zhao Siyi, but instead, she pushed me and I sprained my ankle.”
Lu Hongjun looked incredulous. Not seeing the road and spraining an ankle was completely different from being pushed down by Zhao Siyi and getting injured.
Lu Jiaguang asked, “Xinxin, why didn’t you speak up about this at the time?”
Lu Jiaxin hung her head and said, “Brother Yino begged me not to talk about it, saying that if Uncle Fan and Aunt Liao found out, they’d kill him, and my heart softened so I agreed.”
Lu Jiaguang pursued further: “Xinxin, you just said that you became suspicious when you heard Zhao Siyi calling out ‘Brother Yino’ on the phone while you were in the restroom. Was her voice very loud at the time?”
Lu Jiaxin inwardly remarked, deserving of his background in military intelligence, he caught onto the key point immediately. She nodded and then repeated the words she had previously told the other residents of the family compound.
Liao Xiangmei’s face turned pale. She only knew that Jiaxin’s discovery of her son with Zhao Siyi had delayed Jiaxin’s exams, but she had no idea that Jiaxin’s foot injury was caused by Zhao Siyi. Moreover, it was her son who begged Jiaxin not to reveal it.
Lu Jiajie ran over and pounded on the door forcefully, and when Ding Jing opened it, he demanded, “Where is Zhao Siyi now?”
Seeing his ready-to-devour look, Ding Jing pitifully said, “Siyi thought Jiaxin wasn’t home at the time, so she spoke louder than usual. She didn’t mean it.”
Lu Jiaxin sneered, “Didn’t you just say you didn’t know they were dating?”
Lu Jiaguang looked piercingly as he spoke, “Seducing one’s stepsister’s fiancé, and doing it in secret, there’s simply no time to shout the other person’s name at home. Zhao Siyi must have been jealous of Xinxin’s results and didn’t want her to get into university. She must have resorted to such a despicable method to ruin her.”
Lu Jiaxin really wanted to give him a thumbs up.
Lu Jiajie directly bombarded Lu Hongjun, “Third Uncle, we’ve said long ago that this mother and daughter harbor ill intentions towards Xinxin, but you just wouldn’t believe it. Now look, Xinxin was supposed to be a sure college student, but she didn’t even get into a junior college.”
Lu Hongjun also felt sad about his daughter’s failure to get admitted, but he thought his brothers were too hasty, “This issue hasn’t been thoroughly investigated; we can’t jump to conclusions prematurely.”
Hearing this, Ding Jing felt considerably relieved.
Lu Jiaxin laughed and said, “Are you suggesting that I slandered Siyi? I’ve often thought, am I really your biological daughter, or is it Siyi?”
She retained the original host’s memories and knew that whenever there was a conflict, Lu Hongjun would always try to smooth things over. But having experienced it firsthand, she understood how frustrating it was. She felt this way despite having no emotional attachment to Lu Hongjun, how much more painful it must have been for the original host!
Lu Hongjun explained, “Jiaxin, I didn’t mean that. Siyi has always treated you as her own sister, how could she not want you to be admitted to university? She must have thought you weren’t at home at the time and didn’t mean for you to overhear.”
Lu Jiaxin retorted, “Fan Yinuo is my fiancé, she was well aware of that, yet she still got together with him, and it looks like they’re probably even sleeping together. Dad, do you really think that’s also a misunderstanding?”
Lu Hongjun was both shocked and angry, “Xinxin, is that something a young lady should be saying?”
Lu Jiaxin countered, “If she has the audacity to do it, why can’t I speak of it?”
Lu Jiaguang, seeing that the father and daughter were about to argue again, interjected, “Jiaxin, did someone tell you something that made you suddenly decide to return to your hometown alone?”
Zhao Siyi could use Fan Yinuo to upset Jiaxin enough to fail her university entrance exams, she could just as well have lured her to run back to her hometown alone. He had known from the first meeting that this mother and daughter were bad news, but sadly, Third Uncle didn’t believe him.
Ding Jing’s heart quivered.
Lu Jiaxin felt regretful; had the original host told Lu Jiaguang about this, she would not have lost her life. She said, “Siyi bragged to me that Dad had agreed to hold a celebration for her once the admission notice arrived. I was very upset at the time. Just then, Big Uncle called to console me, saying that failure was a common occurrence in war and that if I didn’t get in, I could retake the exam. I didn’t want to see them at that moment, so I bought a ticket and decided to stay in my old home for a while.”
Lu Jiaguang was so angry he was speechless. His own daughter failed to get into university due to his stepdaughter, and not only did he fail to notice, but he was also planning to throw the stepdaughter a celebration party, which was unbearable for anyone.
Lu Jiajie questioned Lu Hongjun, “Third Uncle, after suffering such a grievous injustice, are you really going to hold a celebration for that vile girl? Third Uncle, who is really your daughter?”
Lu Hongjun denied it, “Your Aunt Ding wanted to hold a celebration for Siyi, but I refused. However, the Zhao family got wind of it and said they would set up a few tables; I didn’t interfere.”
Lu Jiaguang calmed down and continued to question, “I found out that you were taken away by an old lady, and the police suspect she was a human trafficker. Jiaxin, was that old woman really a human trafficker?”
Ding Jing almost cursed out loud. What did this mean, suspecting her of arranging to have Lu Jiaxin kidnapped?
Lu Jiaxin confirmed that the person was a human trafficker, “She spoke in our local dialect and even accurately called out Big Uncle and Big Aunt’s names. So I believed her and followed her off the train. But once we got out of the train station and I saw the hostel she was planning to take me to, she became reluctant to stay and pulled me away. When I tried to call for help, she covered my mouth. I managed to hit her chin during the struggle, and when she let go, I escaped…”
Hearing that she managed to escape by holding her breath for a moment, Ding Jing cursed ceaselessly inside. If she had died or been sold off to a remote village by the traffickers, none of these issues would have arisen now.