Chapter 88: Cause and Effect
Lan Chen’s once handsome face now had a twisted scar like a worm crawling across her forehead. The hair near the scar was thin and yellowish. The pink, turned-out flesh showed how painful that wound had once been. With her vicious look, half of Xia Lingying’s heart turned cold. She stared at Lan Chen’s face in disbelief and stepped back without knowing it.
“You—how could you...”
Lan Chen gave a cold laugh and squinted at Xia Lingying.
“I worked hard for Xia Ran, even gave up my peaceful life in Japan. I did so many heartless and evil things just to repay him. But in the end, he still didn’t trust me. When I found out the secret he hid for more than twenty years, he waved his hand and slashed me. Xiaxia, tell me, should I thank him for that?”
Lan Chen’s face was full of bitterness. Xia Lingying’s eyes were no longer cold; panic and fear filled them instead. She stared fixedly at the wound on Lan Chen’s forehead, her hands and feet turning cold.
She didn’t believe it. She didn’t believe that her father, who had always loved her, could be so cruel and violent... she didn’t believe it...
“He protected Xiao Nian, how could that be... He and Xiao Nian were mortal enemies, how could he turn around and help him?”
Xia Lingying murmured the words again, staring blankly at Lan Chen. She knew very well what kind of place Lan Chen held in the Xia family. Back then, when her father went abroad, lost contact with her, and could not trust anyone, it was Lan Chen who brought the family heirloom jade to find her. She went through countless hardships, even risked having both her hands cut off by Xiao Moyan, all to help her father return to the country. Lan Chen’s loyalty to him...
Putting on her hat slowly, Lan Chen lowered her head out of habit. It was something she always did after her face was ruined. She, who was once at the center of the entertainment world, chased by everyone, had now become a stray dog with nowhere to hide. How could she swallow this pain and humiliation? Her old beauty was gone. If not for the hatred in her heart, she would almost have no reason to live. The hatred in her eyes grew stronger. Lan Chen gritted her teeth. Xia Ran, you were heartless, so don’t blame me for being unkind!
“Xiaxia, haven’t you always wanted to know what kind of grudge existed between the previous generation? Why you lost your happiness and had to live under someone else’s roof? Why Madam was forgiven by Xia Ran even after betraying him, but there was always an invisible wall between them? And why Xiao Nian has missed her for more than ten years?”
Lan Chen’s tone turned fierce, her eyes bloodshot, fists clenched tight, as she forced Xia Lingying step by step into a corner. Xia Lingying lowered her head, her mind in chaos.
Yes, she did want to know what really happened between them. But now, with Xiao Moyan by her side, she only wanted to forget all hatred and live a peaceful life together... Yet, if she did not understand the truth, how could she ease the hatred in Xiao Moyan’s heart... and her mother’s...
This time, Lan Chen gave Xia Lingying no room to escape. Her voice rose sharply, pressing like a blade.
“Do you really think Xia Ran forgave Madam because he truly loved her? Xia Lingying, I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you right now—Madam was sent to Xiao Nian’s bed by your own father! All for that shameful deal!”
"You're talking nonsense!"
Xia Lingying shouted back, lifting her head angrily to glare at Lan Chen, her breath turning sharp and fast.
“I’m talking nonsense?”
Lan Chen sneered.
“I’m talking nonsense? Fine, Xiaxia, let me ask you, do you still remember? Back then, besides Xiao Nian, who else was helping Xia Ran build Tianhuang? Who quietly cleared all obstacles for him, loyal and devoted, guarding him?”
“You mean Uncle Tao?” Xia Lingying nodded. Of course she remembered. When she was little, Uncle Tao treated her with great care, even better than his own daughter. But later on...
Lan Chen nodded, her voice slowly turning low and heavy.
“More than twenty years ago, the two of them started from nothing. With their courage and sharp minds, they showed their edge in the business world. But they were too young and hot-headed. They met countless troubles from both the underworld and the upper circles. It was Tao Shao, for the sake of brotherhood, who gave up his huge family business and brought his fortune to help them. The three worked together and fought side by side. In just eight years, Tianhuang rose to the top of the entertainment world. No one could rival them.
But just when everything had settled, when everyone was praising the bond between the three brothers, Tao Shao died in an ‘accident’ while on a business trip abroad. A year later, Xia Ran and Xiao Nian suddenly turned against each other, openly and secretly fighting for years. In the end, Xiao Nian took Tianhuang, and Xia Ran had to flee to America in a hurry. All this, I think, I don’t need to tell you. You already know.”
Xia Lingying nodded, her heart in chaos.
Lan Chen slipped her hands into her pockets and took a deep breath, her face fierce.
“If I hadn’t accidentally found Tao Shao’s letter in Xiao Nian’s villa, I’d have been like you, believing Xia Ran’s words about being ‘betrayed and deceived.’ But heaven has its own will. Xia Ran thought he could hide everything, thought he could keep Tao Shao’s death a secret forever. He didn’t know Tao Shao had already seen through him and recorded everything before he died.”
Xia Lingying bit her lower lip hard, her face turning pale.
“At first, Xia Ran, Xiao Nian, and Tao Shao did support each other. But people are greedy. Brotherhood becomes weak before temptation. They could share hardship, but not wealth. Xia Ran saw that Tao Shao’s position in the Tianhuang board would one day surpass his, so he struck first. He sent Tao Shao to Japan under the excuse of a business trip, but tampered with his private jet. During the flight, there was an ‘accident.’ The plane crashed into a cliff and exploded. Tao Shao’s body was never found.”
As she spoke, Lan Chen lifted her head and gave a faint smile.
“The funniest part was when the bad news came. At that time, Xia Ran was being interviewed by reporters. He was always known as a strong man, yet in front of the camera, he cried his heart out. That look of pain, that tone of grief, tsk, tsk, really made people admire the so-called brotherly love stronger than blood.”
Xia Lingying’s face turned pale. Her injured right leg suddenly lost all feeling.
Lan Chen looked at her face and gave her no time to recover, continuing coldly,
“Just when everyone was touched by Xia Ran’s act of grief, Xiao Nian showed up with Tao Shao’s letter. As expected, the two had a huge fight. You know how ruthless Xia Ran is. He wanted to use the same trick again, to deal with Xiao Nian the same way. But Xiao Nian was ready. He warned him that if anything happened to him, not only Tao Shao’s letter, but all the evidence he held against Xia Ran would be made public. Xia Ran knew what that meant. All his years of effort would turn into nothing. To keep Xiao Nian quiet, he didn’t hesitate to sell out his own wife.
He already knew about the hidden affection between Xiao Nian and Qiu Muying. To deal with someone as vicious as Xiao Nian, he used an even dirtier method. He pretended to know nothing, but secretly set up chances for the two to meet. After everything happened, he used Qiu Muying to control Xiao Nian. Ha, ha, but too bad, he thought it would be that easy~”
Lan Chen laughed lightly. But Xia Lingying was already cold all over. Her legs could no longer hold her weight, and she leaned weakly against the car door.
“Xiao Nian already saw through him. He used Xia Ran’s own way against him, using the evidence Xia Ran cared about most to drag him down. But instead of threatening him directly, he took the risk and provoked one powerful rival after another, offending Tianhuang’s biggest board members. All the blame soon pointed at him. To protect the evidence in Xiao Nian’s hands, Xia Ran had to fight those people with all his strength.
The board was already suspicious of Xiao Nian’s sudden change of attitude. Naturally, they believed he was acting under Xia Ran’s orders. Things started to go just as Xiao Nian planned. He reaped the rewards while they tore each other apart. When both sides were finally worn out, he took Tianhuang in one move. He hadn’t planned to let anyone live, but it was Madam who knelt before him, begging for Xia Ran’s life. Xiaxia, tell me, does such a man deserve to be that loving father in your heart, the one who endured everything for love?”
Slowly closing her eyes, tears rolled down Xia Lingying’s cheeks one by one, yet her voice stayed calm.
“Lan Chen, why are you telling me all this?”
Lan Chen looked at her, at the tears on her face. Suddenly, she threw her head back and laughed, laughing so hard her body shook, her voice breaking.
“Why? Xia Lingying, Xia Ran once saved my life. I never cared about what kind of past he had, who he killed, or what he did. But he left me no way to live. If it weren’t for that strike meant to take my life, if it weren’t for the people he sent to kill my unarmed sister, how could I have become like this?”
She punched the concrete pillar behind her. Her laughter was bitter and full of pain. Xia Lingying only closed her eyes and refused to look. After a moment, Lan Chen took a deep breath, turned around, and pulled out an old videotape from her pocket. She looked straight at Xia Lingying.
“Xiaxia, all the evil deeds Xia Ran has done are on this tape. If it gets out, I believe he’ll never be able to keep that fake kind image of his. He’ll have no place to live in this world. And Madam—”
Xia Lingying weakly opened her eyes, staring at Lan Chen without blinking. The mist in her eyes was filled with exhaustion and sorrow.
“Lan Chen, what do you want me to do?”
Her direct question caught Lan Chen off guard. She had expected fear and panic, not this calmness. For a moment, she froze. Xia Lingying simply looked at her quietly, her face blank. Even the eyes that had just shed tears no longer showed sadness, only a steady gaze that went straight into Lan Chen’s heart.
Author’s Note:
Nobody believes Yezi, ╭(╯^╰)╮.
First day of daily updates.
(PS: BL... You all have such wild imagination. Yezi is thinking of adding a thunderous Xiao Nian and Xia Ran BL after the ending to satisfy your pure little hearts...)