415: Severing ties

Severing ties

Xia Ling gazed at her daughter, "Qing Qing, baby, why didn't you tell us? Why did you bear it all alone?"  1

Xia Ling cried hard imagining about what her daughter had gone through. Seeing her mother cry, Qiao Qing also could not stop sobbing. 

Jia Yuze's heart broke seeing his beloved cry so badly. He turned his attention towards the old madam, "Now do you see clearly how great your favorite granddaughter is? For her, you were blaming my Qing Qing and humiliated her so much."

"No, no," Sun Qinglian screamed hysterically, "This is all false. Everything is fake. Mom, Grandma, please believe me. These photos are fake, they are photoshopped. Jia Yuze is just throwing me under the bus to save Qiao Qing. Everything is a lie."

Seeing that Sun Qinglian was still defending herself, Jia Yuze laughed, "Yes, everything is fake. Your dad has just started a new company, right? I'll have all these photos posted on the internet. Then the netizens themselves will figure out if these photos are real or fake. Everyone will see when the daughter of Sun Zhengwen lives a compromised life or not."

"No, Mr. Jia, please don't do this," Xia Meng kneeled down in front of Jia Yuze. She knew that her daughter had truly angered this man today. She had also seen this man's ruthless methods today. Jia Yuze would not hesitate even a bit to release the photos. And if the pictures were released, no matter if they are real or fake, along with Sun Qinglian, the Sun family would not be able to survive in the city then. So, Xia Meng had no choice but to beg Jia Yuze for forgiveness.

She held Jia Yuze's legs, "Mr. Jia, please forgive my daughter. I beg you. This is the last time she has bothered you and Qiao Qing. I promise I will not let her show her face in front of you for the rest of the life. Just let her go."

Sun Qinglian's eyes flashed with hatred seeing her mother kneeling in front of Jia Yuze. She strutted forward, "Mom, why are you begging him?" With that Sun Qinglian attempted to pull Xia Meng up. 

"Shut up!" Xia Meng shirked Sun Qinglian's hand abruptly, "Have you not done enough? Stay away now."

She then started begging Jia Yuze again.

Xia Ling stared at her sister kneeling down but did not feel any sympathy for her. Maybe the hatred she had for Sun Qinglian was transferred a little to Xia Meng as well.

She just glanced at the Old Madam and said, "Mother, even though you had been led by Sun Qinglian, you still went overboard in cursing my daughter. As an elder, you are supposed to know to distinguish right and wrong. But because of your biasedness against my family, you chose to believe Sun Qinglian right away. With a clear conscience, I can declare that I have never done anything I should feel sorry about to you. I did everything I could do for you. However, Qing Qing is off limits. I can let bygones be bygones in regards to other matters, but if it concerns Qing Qing, no way!

"I might as well say it more bluntly. Since you don't like me or my family, then from today itself, I will no longer acknowledge you as my mother."

Without waiting for anyone to respond, Xia Ling turned to Jia Yuze and Qiao Qing, "Let's leave."

With that, the three of them left Old Madam Xia's residence.

*

As Qiao Qing, Xia Ling, and Jia Yuze sat together in the car, the atmosphere was heavy with tension and emotions. 

As they got seated, Jia Yuze took Qiao Qing's hand in his, offering her a reassuring squeeze. Qiao Qing managed a faint smile, appreciating the comfort he brought during this difficult time. She was extremely grateful to him for trusting her unconditionally and taking her stand in front of everyone. Xia Ling sat beside them, her expression a mix of concern, regret and anger.

Qiao Qing's eyes still bear traces of tears, but she was determined not to let the situation consume her. Jia Yuze sat close to her, offering unwavering support.

"Qing Qing, are you okay?" Jia Yuze asked, his voice gentle and full of concern.

Qiao Qing took a deep breath, finding solace in his presence, "I'll be alright, Brother Yuze. I don't know how to thank you."

Xia Ling took a deep breath before placing a comforting hand on Qiao Qing's shoulder, "Qing Qing, I'm really sorry you had to go through all of that. I wish I could shield you from the hurtful words. It is all mom's fault. Even though I knew that Old Madam Xia did not like you, I still took you to her house."

Qiao Qing shook her head, "Mom, it's not your fault. You were just being filial. And I know that you always have my best interests at heart."

Jia Yuze chimed in, his tone unwaveringly supportive, "Qing Qing, remember that we're in this together. No matter what challenges we face, we'll overcome them as a team."

His words offered a sense of strength to Qiao Qing, and she felt the warmth of his love enveloping her heart, "I love you, Brother Yuze," she said softly, her eyes locked onto his.

"And I love you too, Qing Qing," he replied, squeezing her hand affectionately.

Xia Ling smiled at the display of love between her daughter and Jia Yuze. Whatever doubts she had about Jia Yuze were now all cleared. The man who stood by her daughter even at such a time, Xia Ling was sure that he would always keep her daughter happy. Moreover, now even the question of Jia Yuze's parents' opinion about her daughter also did not bother Xia Ling. She was now sure that a man who loved her daughter so much, would definitely be able to convince his parents too.

Xia Ling felt that this incident was a blessing in disguise. She got rid of her blood sucking relatives and even got relieved of her worries regarding her daughter and her future son-in-law.

It was not that she was happy after severing ties with her own mother, but she felt relieved. After all, after so many years of biasedness, anyone's heart would turn cold. And why would Xia Ling continue to face the hatred of her mother when she had the love of her family!

Realizing all this, Xia Ling looked at the young couple sitting beside her and smiled, "Yuze, I am very thankful to you for protecting my daughter. Also, Qing Qing, I am proud of you that you faced the situation so well."

Qiao Qing smiled faintly while Jia Yuze replied, "It was my duty."

*

As the car pulled up to the Qiao villa, Jia Yuze decided that it was best to give the Qiao family some space to discuss the aftermath of the situation. He knew that this was a sensitive family matter, and he wanted to respect their privacy while they handled it.

Jia Yuze turned to Qiao Qing, his eyes filled with concern, "I think it's better if I leave for now. Your family needs to talk things through without me being around."

Qiao Qing gave him a small smile, understanding his decision, "Thank you for understanding, Brother Yuze. I'll talk to you later."

He nodded, stepping out of the car, "Take care, Qing Qing. Let me know if you need anything."

Qiao Qing watched as Jia Yuze drove away, feeling a mix of emotions but also grateful for his consideration. 

As they entered the villa, Qiao Qing and Xia Ling were not surprised to see that Father Qiao and Qiao Chen were already home from the office. Both men were sitting in the living room, waiting with concerned expressions on their faces.

Seeing Qiao Qing and Xia Ling return, both men stood up immediately. They already knew from the housekeeper that the two women were called by Old Madam Xia to her house. Both of them were also aware that the old lady did not favour their family and would berate them every time they visited her.

However, since the old lady was Xia Ling's mom, other than not showing any interest in visiting her, nobody said anything. 

Father Qiao's gaze fell on Qiao Qing's eyes which had turned puffy from crying earlier. He immediately turned to his wife to ask what had happened but then he saw that his wife appeared to have cried too. His anxiety increased, "What happened? Why do you both appear like you cried? Did mother-in-law say anything?"

"She is no longer your mother-in-law," Xia Ling sniffled and took a seat on the couch.

"What? What do you mean?" Father Qiao did not understand his wife's words.

After having a glass of water brought by the housekeeper, Mother Qiao recounted everything to Father Qiao and Qiao Chen.

Qiao Chen's anger bubbled just beneath the surface as he listened to the troubling events that unfolded with his sister. His face reddened, and his jaw tightened, displaying his heightened frustration.

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