Qin Guan hadn't expected Qi Min's stunned denial: "Me? Hit Xu Ruyi? That's absurd! I never touched her!" She stood tall, righteous indignation radiating from her.
But her brazenness only fanned Qin Guan's fury—he'd seen Xu Ruyi's battered face himself! He grabbed her arm. "Still lying? Then explain these!"
Purpling bruises marred Qi Min's porcelain skin. Redness encircled her right thumb webbing. Claw marks streaked below her ear. All fresh battle scars.
"No! No! No!" She wrenched free, resentment boiling over. "I didn't touch her! Believe what you want!"
Collapsing onto the bed, she rubbed her wrist, voice cracking. "I thought… when you came so early…" Tears threatened as bitterness overflowed. This man she'd devoted herself to cared nothing for her suffering.
"Just leave. Since you're so worried about your precious wife's mosquito bites—"
"Mosquito bites?!" His fist slammed the mattress, making her jolt. "You and your mother beat her half to death!"
"Me? And Mom?!" Qi Min shot up, eyes blazing. "They ganged up on me!" She jabbed at her injuries. "These are Mom's gifts!"
Her tears fell freely now. "Yesterday afternoon… Mom kept calling me stupid. Said I wasted two years on you…" She hugged herself, the burgundy silk clinging to trembling curves. "She wanted me to expose your affairs online… reveal your work secrets… ruin you unless you paid three million…"
A choked sob. "But how could I? I loved you from our first dinner…" Her bare shoulders quivered like two innocent white rabbits. "Mom threatened suicide when I refused… then she…"
Qin Guan stood silent as her performance unfolded. Every word had been rehearsed since their park confrontation. The truth? Zeng Demei had indeed berated her. The scratches were real. But Qi Min was no fool—she'd calculated every move since Qin Guan failed to report her extortion.
"When Mom hit me… Xu Ruyi knocked," she continued, doe eyes glistening. "I don't know how she found this dump. Maybe Mom told her…"
"Get to the point!" Qin Guan barked.
"Xu Ruyi… she didn't yell. Just talked about your childhood." Qi Min feigned confusion. "Said you were naughty… your dad beat you into studying… why tell me this?"
Qin Guan's face drained of color.