Chapter 3001: The Past in the Manor
"The man takes charge outside, the woman takes charge inside. I run the company, so what's wrong with her staying home to take care of the husband and raise the children?" Wang Chengren said matter-of-factly.
Xu Huo stared at him. "If you want to live, don't lie. Your dignity is worthless here."
Wang Chengren glanced at him, then said, "She didn't want to go. I don't know why... I really don't know. She said she was too tired from working at the company, and since she was already the boss, there was no need to work every day."
"It seems that for Ms. Yao, Xiao Hui's parents were more important than other things," Xu Huo mused, following Ms. Yao outside while signaling the Painting Woman to bring Wang Chengren along.
"How was Ms. Yao's relationship with her own family?"
"Her parents treated her badly before. When she got married, they demanded a huge bride price. Back then, they didn't know I was this rich, so they thought they could make a one-time killing," Wang Chengren said with a hint of smugness. "They thought they were so clever, but I used a little trick, and they walked away happily with a small sum of money."
"Before the wedding, they treated Nan Nan poorly. But when they saw the Wang family's grand display at the wedding, how could they dare to give Nan Nan a hard time? They could only beg her."
"How often did you see the Yao family?" Xu Huo asked again. "What was Yao Nan's attitude toward them?"
After asking this question, he paused and added, "Could you tell?"
Feeling underestimated, Wang Chengren quickly said, "Nan Nan was capable at work, but they were still her parents and brothers. She was brainwashed since childhood. Even if she hated them, she couldn't bear to let them go. When they pestered her too much, I was the one who stepped in to handle it!"
He suddenly stopped talking because Ms. Yao, who had been moving through the manor, stopped on a small bridge with an open view to answer a phone call.
Whatever was said on the other end, she replied calmly, "I told you before. If you want money, I'll give it to you, but at least a third of it has to be spent on medical treatment. If you feel sorry for your son, don't ask for money. If you want money, trade your son for it. A broken leg—just rest for ten days or half a month, and it'll heal."
"It's up to you whether you want the money or care more about your son."
There was no doubt that the call was from Ms. Yao's parents, but the content of the conversation opened Wang Chengren's eyes wide. "She, she, she..."
"No wonder her family members are always in the hospital. Every time they're hospitalized, they come asking for money. I thought they were just making excuses... Was Nan Nan the one who did this?"
Wang Chengren was shocked, but he quickly reconciled with it. "It's better to bully others than to be bullied. Besides, her family bullied her since she was a child. Breaking an arm or leg is nothing. They'll heal after some rest."
No one present found his words problematic.
After hanging up, Yao Nan stood by the water for a while, then turned to look at Wan Yajun in a distant small building and waved at her.
Wan Yajun, Xiao Hui's mother, smiled back at her.
The Painting Woman darted between the two women who were looking at each other and asked Xu Huo curiously, "What are they smiling about?"
"Probably mutual recognition," Xu Huo said.
Wang Chengren grew tense, his voice rising. "Are you saying Nan Nan wasn't secretly in love with Wang Can? She likes women?"
"Humans are social animals. They spend their lives searching for their own kind. Ms. Yao simply found a companion through you," Xu Huo said.
Wang Can and Wan Yajun died too early, and their investigation into them was not thorough, but the two were clearly not kind-hearted people. Their attitude toward Yao Nan hovered ambiguously between reliance and cultivation.
Given her past experiences, Yao Nan likely had an aversion to men. Her closeness to Wan Yajun might not have been romantic love but rather a more comfortable and relaxed relationship with a woman who could also guide and take care of her.
Since Yao Nan could use her influence to deal with her family right after marriage, it showed she was far from the capable but soft-hearted person Wang Chengren thought. On the contrary, she was more decisive than ordinary people and knew exactly what she wanted. Family ties and blood relations couldn't bind her. Instead of finding a permanent solution to her family, she chose to torment them in a psychologically devastating way, which made her even more ruthless than most.
"Did the Yao family have anything to do with Wang Xiao Hui's parents' deaths?" Xu Huo jumped to another question.
Wang Chengren's eyes widened. Having his limits pushed again and again made him wonder if he had been living in a dream. Why hadn't he noticed any of this?
"I really don't know..." he stammered. "If there was a connection, Nan Nan would have found out. Besides, the Yao family survived until the evolution started, didn't they?"
Yao Nan's younger brother had gone missing at the beginning of the evolution. Logically, compared to her two sons, the Yao family had even less contact with Wang Xiao Hui. Yet her two sons' fates were relatively normal—failing evolution and being crippled by others were common in the game. But her family, aside from her brother, all her nephews and nieces who weren't players ended up disabled.
Was it really all Wang Xiao Hui's doing?
Unfortunately, the game panel was temporarily unavailable, so he couldn't check Yao Nan's current situation.
"Xiao Hui!" Wang Chengren pointed at a shadowy figure appearing at the corner of the stairs and exclaimed.
Xu Huo told him to shut up and followed.
As soon as the three stepped onto the stairs, the manor changed again. The warm and cozy atmosphere instantly turned cold, and the weather grew chilly.
In the small dining room, Ms. Yao sat at the table eating, but her eyes were critical as she looked at Wang Xiao Hui across from her. She didn't allow anyone to help Xiao Hui with her meals, forcing her to come and go in her wheelchair.
The kitchen counter wasn't designed for children or disabled people. Soon, the sound of a plate shattering came from the kitchen. Ms. Yao slammed her chopsticks on the table and shouted angrily, "Are you dissatisfied with me? You can't even carry a bowl steadily. If you're this useless, why are you still alive?"
Wang Xiao Hui's suppressed sobs came from the kitchen. Ms. Yao's face grew colder. She ordered the manor staff to shut down the elevator to Xiao Hui's room, forbade anyone from helping her up or down, and even took away all the snacks and fruits.
The manor staff felt sorry for Xiao Hui and secretly gave her some food, but Ms. Yao soon found out. In front of Xiao Hui, she fired that staff member, falsely accused them of stealing valuables, forcibly searched them, and unpacked their luggage, humiliating both of them.
Seeing Xiao Hui cry, Ms. Yao said coldly, "If you can't bear to live, go die. Jump off a building or into the lake—either works."
At just over ten years old, Wang Xiao Hui was already rebellious. She screamed angrily, "If anyone should die, it's you!"
Ms. Yao wasn't provoked. "Can't take a few harsh words? A cripple who can't walk—once you step out that door, plenty of people will curse you, hit you, molest you, rape you, traffic you. Countless hardships are waiting for you!"
Wang Xiao Hui glared at her with hatred, but Ms. Yao suddenly smiled. "You look so much like your father. I can't see a trace of your mother in you. Your mother was so gentle, like a little bird that couldn't fly, clinging to your father's side. So when your father died, she had no choice but to die too."
"If only your personality were more like your mother's."
These last words were filled with infinite sarcasm. Wang Xiao Hui's face and neck turned red with rage, but Ms. Yao had already turned and walked away.
Ms. Yao's intimidation worked. Everyone in the manor avoided Wang Xiao Hui.
People came and went in the manor, and soon Wang Xiao Hui was fourteen or fifteen.
A new person arrived—a young man who did the weeding. He secretly struck up conversations with Xiao Hui and would even sneak to her building during work breaks to call out to her.
After spending a few days in the manor, anyone could understand the situation. The young man knew no one paid attention to Xiao Hui, so after a while, he tentatively offered to check her legs, suggesting he might ask someone for help to treat her.
Wang Xiao Hui agreed. But when she saw her deformed legs, a mix of emotions flickered in the young man's eyes. Watching him closely, Xiao Hui's expression changed slightly, and she never spoke to him again.
As his work was about to end, the young man sneaked into Xiao Hui's room, claiming he could rescue her from this hell. Xiao Hui no longer trusted him and said she would think about it, but he wouldn't let go easily. He covered her mouth and tried to carry her away by force.
Xiao Hui struggled, causing both of them to fall. The fruit plate and cup by the bed shattered on the floor.
Startled, the young man quickly covered her mouth and looked around. When he saw no movement outside, he lowered his voice and said with barely concealed smugness, "Who else cares about you besides me?"
Behind him, the door silently opened a crack.
Wang Xiao Hui saw Ms. Yao standing at the door. She didn't intend to come in, but her eyes shifted to the side.
"Xiao Hui, we're both willing..." The young man's hand reached for the buttons on Xiao Hui's clothes, but the next second, a fruit knife stabbed into his shoulder.
He cried out in pain and stepped back. Enraged, he slapped her across the face. "A cripple—I'm willing to take you, and you should be thanking your lucky stars..."
Before he could finish his filthy words, the knife still stuck in his shoulder was pulled out and thrust into his neck.
Blood spurted out, and the young man's voice died in his throat. His eyes wide, he watched as Ms. Yao walked around from behind and stood beside Wang Xiao Hui. The two women, cold and merciless, watched him bleed out until he died.