She looked up at General Xia and Madam Xia, tears in her eyes.
"Yes, I did hire someone to scare Gu Jin. But my people never even touched her. She was taken by someone else. I don’t know who it was. What if... she hired that person herself? Just to make herself look like a victim?"
"That way, you’d all feel guilty. You’d welcome her back with open arms. Maybe... that was her plan from the start."
General Xia’s hands tightened into fists.
Xia Lan looked like she had been slapped.
Gu Jin’s plan... could it really be this deep?
But before anyone could say more, Xia Lan turned to Xia Wei, her voice sharp and cold.
"You... are truly disgusting."
Xia Wei’s mouth fell open.
"To frame Gu Jin, you dragged out her past. You brought this man here, her old lover, just to shame her. How far will you go?"
Xia Wei shook her head quickly. "No! I’m not framing her! I just wanted everyone to know the truth!"
Xia Wei stood frozen as Xia Lan’s cold words echoed in the room.
But she didn’t give up. She walked quickly to General Xia, trying to soften her voice.
"Father," she said, "you of all people should understand what it feels like to be helpless. To be used and thrown away."
General Xia turned his eyes to her, unsure of what she meant.
Xia Wei continued, "Wasn’t there a time when you were powerless too? When someone you loved walked away from you?"
The entire room went quiet.
General Xia’s face darkened. He clearly remembered something.
A long time ago, before he rose to power, he had loved someone deeply. She had been made the goddaughter of a powerful elder, and after that, she looked down on him.
She wore the Xia family’s clothes proudly and said she didn’t need someone like him—someone weak and useless.
When he finally became someone important, she had come back to see him.
But not out of love. She laughed at him. She said he still looked like that same foolish boy who once had dreams above his level.
That memory still hurt.
General Xia clenched his fists. He slowly turned to look at Chen Wen, who was now standing there with a hopeful look in his eyes—just like he once had.
Gu Jin finally came down the stairs, calm and composed.
General Xia took a breath and asked, "Lian Rou... do you know this man?"
Gu Jin looked at Chen Wen for a moment. Then she raised an eyebrow, her face unreadable.
"Yes," she said. "He was my boyfriend... before my adoptive parents died."
Chen Wen’s eyes lit up. He took a step forward, smiling brightly.
"See? She remembers!" he shouted and moved as if to grab her hand.
But Gu Jin stepped back and pushed him away with no hesitation.
She turned to General Xia and said, "He left me right after my parents died. No warning, no goodbye. I was grieving, and he disappeared."
Chen Wen’s smile vanished. He shouted, "That’s not true! You’re the one who left me! You even gave me hush money!"
Gu Jin let out a cold laugh.
"Hush money?" she repeated. "Why would I even give you that?"
Chen Wen pointed at her. "Because you knew who you were! You knew the Xia family would take you back one day. You wanted to hide your past with me so you paid me to stay quiet!"
Everyone in the room looked stunned. Their eyes moved from Chen Wen to Gu Jin and back.
Gu Jin, however, didn’t look shaken.
"Really?" she said slowly. "But weren’t you the one who said I owed you money?"
Chen Wen opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Gu Jin stepped forward. "You said you spent money on me. You even said I should pay it all back if we broke up. That’s why I gave you the money."
The Xia family looked at each other, unsure what to believe. Chen Wen’s story sounded logical.
After all, why would a girl give money back to an ex-boyfriend unless she had something to hide?
Gu Jin saw their hesitation and sighed.
"I can prove it," she said.
Everyone turned to look at her in surprise.
"How... how can you prove it?" he asked, his voice shaky now.
Gu Jin smiled, calm and steady.
"Did you really think I wouldn’t keep proof after what you did to me?"
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small device. A memory chip.
She handed it to a servant and said, "Play the folder named Truth."
Soon, a screen was set up, and messages began to appear.
Dozens of chat screenshots.
In them, it was clear: Chen Wen wasn’t loving or kind. He was cold. Distant. He constantly asked for money. When Gu Jin tried to ask about their relationship, he ignored her. But when she refused to send money, he became angry.
"If you don’t return what I spent on you, don’t contact me again."
"It’s your fault your parents died. Don’t expect me to carry your burden."
Gasps filled the room.
The final message was the worst.
"I was never serious about you. I just wanted someone to take care of my needs."
Chen Wen’s face turned pale.
And then came the photo proof: records of Gu Jin selling her house. Bank statements showing money transfers to Chen Wen.
Madam Xia covered her mouth in shock.
General Xia stood still, his eyes burning with rage.
"This... this is what my daughter went through?" he whispered.
She didn’t cry. She didn’t ask for pity.
She just stood there.
Xia Lan turned to Chen Wen and shouted, "Get out! You disgusting snake! You lied to all of us!"
Chen Wen stood firm in the middle of the living room, his face red with embarrassment and pride.
"I’m not leaving!" he shouted, his voice rising. "Even if I wasn’t the best boyfriend, I deserve something for what I went through!"
Everyone looked at him in disbelief.
"What kind of compensation do you want?" asked Xia Pei, who had been silent until now. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were sharp.
Chen Wen raised his head high. "I want to marry her."
The room fell into complete silence.
People stared at him like he had grown two heads.
"Lian Rou was my girlfriend," he said. "It’s only natural that we get married in the end! I admit I broke up with her by mistake. But I still love her."
He stepped forward, his voice full of fake confidence. "If Lian Rou agrees, we can even get married today. I remember how obsessed she was with me. She’ll definitely say yes."
Gu Jin stared at him coldly. She didn’t blink. She didn’t even flinch.
But deep inside, she was conflicted.
She wasn’t the real Lian Rou. She didn’t have the right to decide something like marriage on her behalf. What if the real Lian Rou still loved this man?
Gu Jin took a deep breath and said quietly, "I’ll think about it."
Then, without waiting for anyone to speak, she turned around and walked toward the stairs.
Everyone was stunned.
As Gu Jin reached the top of the stairs, Xia Lan and Xia Fei hurried after her.
"Wait!" Xia Lan said, grabbing her arm gently. "Are you really thinking about marrying him?"
Gu Jin looked at them and gave a bitter laugh.
"It’s because of you that I’m considering it," she replied.
Xia Fei frowned. "What do you mean?"
Before Gu Jin could answer, General Xia and Madam Xia also arrived.
"Lian Rou," General Xia said softly, "what do you mean by that?"
Gu Jin looked at the four of them, her face calm but distant.
"You never once believed I was innocent," she said.
The four of them fell silent.
"You said you wanted to accept me as your daughter," Gu Jin continued. "But the moment someone threw dirt on my name, you all turned to me and asked for proof."
She looked at each of them, her eyes shining with cold light.
"That means deep down, you still doubt me. You still think I might have a dark past. So tell me—have you really accepted me at all?"
Madam Xia opened her mouth, her voice shaking. "That’s not what we meant—"
"I don’t want to hear it," Gu Jin interrupted. "I was even thinking about marrying a man like Chen Wen. Do you know why?"
"Because even if he’s greedy and selfish, at least he’s honest about it. He’s clear with what he wants—your money, your power. But you... you say you trust me, and then doubt me the very next second."
She took a deep breath.
"I don’t believe any of you."
Then she turned, walked into her room, and locked the door.
The sound of the lock was soft, but it echoed in their hearts.
The Xia family stood there, speechless and helpless.