Chapter Eighty

“About your mother, I actually only began pursuing your father after she fell ill and passed away,” Pei Xiang spoke softly. “When I met your father, it was clear to me how deeply he loved your mother. After she became sick, he never left her side, caring for her constantly. At that time, your father's business was just starting out and he owed a significant amount in loans. I was a minor celebrity with some savings. Watching your father scramble to raise money for your mother's treatment, I gave him all the savings I had. Later, an unscrupulous reporter exaggerated the story, and soon there were headlines about a ‘rising actress seducing a married man.’ My agency allowed these baseless reports to spread unchecked, hoping to boost my notoriety. After your mother passed away, half a year later, I started pursuing your father. When we began a relationship, another wave of scandalous stories broke out. Even now, if you search for information about me online, that ‘scandal’ still comes up. Some reporters even twisted your mother’s death into their narratives, dumping all the filth onto me. I suppose you’ve relied on these stories to conclude that I was a home-wrecker who forced your mother to her death. Eventually, your father married me, and I withdrew from the entertainment industry; only then did the storm begin to settle. But your relatives in the Yi family, no matter how I explained, believed those reports wholeheartedly. They blamed me for your mother’s death, deliberately distanced themselves, isolated me, leaving only your father as my support in this household.” By the end, tears slipped down Pei Xiang’s cheeks. “If I didn’t truly love your father, I don’t think I could have endured it.”

Yi Xiaoyu's face was expressionless. He remembered hearing some of this as a child, but back then hatred clouded his vision; he couldn’t see anything ‘good’ in Pei Xiang, only wished to blacken her name in his heart forever.

He stared quietly at the floor for a long time before speaking. “Do you have any proof that would make me believe you?”

Pei Xiang seemed to lose all strength, unable to reply.

As he escorted Pei Xiang out, Yi Xiaoyu suddenly said, “When you get back, tell my father I’ll be home next Saturday, and I’ll bring my partner. Tell him… to prepare a good table and fine wine.”

Pei Xiang nodded, almost choking on her tears. “Alright, alright.”

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When You returned from walking the dog, he saw Xiao Zhou standing outside Chu You’s apartment door from a distance.

Back when Chu You returned to V City, Xiao Zhou hadn’t followed; it was Yi Xiaoyu’s suggestion—he said Chu You was teetering on the edge, and anyone trying to get close should wait at least two days.

So Xiao Zhou forced himself to wait, using the two days to mostly resolve matters on his mother’s side.

“Why aren’t you knocking?” Boss You held the leash in one hand, his other hand in his pocket, a snow-white Tangyuan resting on his shoulder. He looked refreshed and lively. “Are you scared? If you are, I’ll knock for you.”

Before Xiao Zhou could stop him, Boss You’s hand was already rapping on the door, then pressing the doorbell several times. “Xiao You, open up, someone’s here to see you.”