"You heartless wretch, you shameless wolf! How dare you come back? Do you have the audacity to return after what you've done to your sister? Look at what you've done to her and still have the face to show up here!"
Upon seeing Qiao Ying, Li Lilian became instantly agitated and rushed towards her like a madwoman, ready to strike.
Qiao Ying grabbed her hand and forcefully pushed her away.
Defeated, Li Lilian sat back on the ground, pounding her chest and wailing loudly, "Is there no justice left in this world? Everyone, come and witness this. Come and pass judgment. How could I have given birth to such a heartless, debt-collecting demon? My life is truly unfortunate. I worked hard, scrimped and saved to raise all of you, and not once have I enjoyed any blessings from you. And now, this is how you treat me? If I had known this would be the outcome, I should have drowned you all in a urine bucket when you were born. What a calamity I have brought upon myself. Why is my life so bitter..."
The neighbors crowded at the door, pointing and gossiping.
They all said there are no bad parents, and they condemned the Qiao family's children.
Qiao Ying remained indifferent and said to Qiao Yi, "You haven't done anything wrong in this matter. It's their own doing that led to Qiao Lingling's fate. If you choose to associate yourself with them..."
Qiao Ying pointed at Li Lilian's repulsive face and continued, "She will become like them in the future. So, you don't need to carry any guilt."
Qiao Ying patted Qiao Yi's back and said, "Pack your things. We're going to the capital."
"...The capital?" Qiao Yi looked at Qiao Ying with teary eyes, then glanced at his "pitiful" mother on the ground and his father standing at the door with a submissive expression.
Qiao Ying replied, "You're just going to the capital a year early to study. It doesn't mean you have to cut ties with them. Given their current state, do you think you'll have a good learning environment?"
Qiao Lingling returned from dropping out of school, not knowing what trouble awaited her.
Before Qiao Yi could respond,
Li Lilian loudly objected, "You heartless person! You've caused such harm to your sister, and now you want to take away my son too. You haven't done enough to ruin your sister, and you want to corrupt your brother. You're condemned by the heavens! How did I give birth to such a creature? Qiao Yi, if you dare to leave with her today, then don't consider me your mother anymore."
Qiao Ying remained expressionless, "I've already shown mercy by not bringing the police along. Today, it's either Qiao Yi goes with me to the capital, or you and Qiao Lingling go to the police station."
Li Lilian wasn't afraid, "Stop trying to scare me. I wasn't raised to be easily intimidated."
Qiao Ying said, "Stealing others' achievements for personal gain, deceiving for housing, money, and preferential treatment in school admissions, illegally detaining and restricting others' freedom. With just these few offenses, you'll spend several years in prison."
Qiao Ying glanced at Qiao's father and Li Lilian, gritting her teeth inwardly, "Forcing your own son to break the law and commit taboos, you two really make great parents!"
Li Lilian panicked upon hearing this, "You... you heartless person! I'm your mother. If you dare to do this, you'll be cursed for the rest of your life, struck by lightning from the heavens!"
Qiao's father didn't expect things to be so serious and quickly stepped forward to persuade, "Xiaoying, your mother and sister were wrong in what they did, but it's too extreme to report to the police and make such a big fuss. Your sister was wrong, but ultimately it stems from the issue of taking your test together. She is already being punished for it. We are family, how can we escalate it to the point of involving the police?"
Qiao Ying looked at her father and said, "I used to think that you, Father, were just a bit simple-minded but at least a decent person. Now it seems you can't distinguish right from wrong."
Qiao Ying pitied her original father more than anything else. He lived at the bottom of society, leading a miserable life, enduring the mistreatment from his wife and brother.
Considering that he had shown some concern and support for the original host, Qiao Ying wouldn't make things too difficult for him.
Qiao's father felt a pang in his heart and said, "Xiaoying..."
"I'll consider the money spent on renovating the courtyard as repayment for raising me," Qiao Ying interrupted, then looked at Li Lilian and said, "From now on, I won't have any gratitude for you as my birth mother."
Li Lilian was about to cause a scene again when Qiao Ying preempted her, saying, "If you don't want to end up in jail, keep your mouth shut."
She then asked Qiao Yi to pack his things again.
"No, Xiaoyi is my son, my life. Nobody can take him away, otherwise, I'll die right here today," Li Lilian cried and refused to let Qiao Ying take Qiao Yi away.
Qiao Ying frowned impatiently.
At that moment, a commotion could be heard at the door, and a man's voice gradually approached, saying, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Qin Hanyue strode in, dressed in a suit, with an upright posture and a strong presence.
The onlookers at the door were startled and instinctively lowered their voices upon seeing Qin Hanyue. They couldn't help but stare at him.
They whispered that he must be the boss of some big company and looked so dignified and impressive.
Li Lilian, who had been rolling on the ground, quieted down when she saw Qin Hanyue and then began to size him up.
Li Lilian had initially thought that Feng Teng, as the mayor, exuded an imposing aura, but now, seeing the young man in front of her, she suddenly felt that Mayor Feng was nothing compared to him.
This man clearly belonged to the upper class of a big city.
Qin Hanyue sat in his car and listened attentively to the situation in Qiao's courtyard. He understood Qiao Ying's remark in the car, "It's better to feed them to the dogs."
Now that he entered the house, Qin Hanyue didn't intend to show much politeness or manners to such parents. He didn't even bother with the basic greetings.
Looking at Li Lilian, who had just been hurling all sorts of insults on the ground, Qin Hanyue couldn't help but think, "With parents like these, how could they have raised a daughter like Qiao Ying?"
It could only be explained as a genetic mutation in Qiao Ying's case.
Any family would cherish a girl as outstanding as Qiao Ying and dote on her.
These parents really didn't know what they were thinking, especially the mother.
Qin Hanyue turned his head and instructed Qin Yan, "Go help Miss Qiao's younger brother pack his things."
Qiao Yi clenched his fists and, after a moment, he no longer looked at his parents. He turned around and went into his own room.
Li Lilian, who had just refused to let anyone go, remained silent now. She got up from the ground, straightened her clothes, wiped away the tears and mucus from her face, and took a couple of steps forward.
Qiao Ying smiled at Li Lilian, pretending to be hypocritical. "...Xiaoying, Mom was just momentarily overwhelmed with anger. As parents, how can we not think of our children? You are Mom's daughter, and Lingling is Mom's daughter too. Mom has to protect you, right?"
Although she was speaking to Qiao Ying, her eyes occasionally glanced at Qin Hanyue.
In her heart, she wondered: Could this be the wealthy second-generation student that Lingling mentioned?
But it seems like the age doesn't match.
Could it be that she has climbed up not only with wealthy classmates but also with others?
That seems right.
The young man in front of her clearly came from a prominent family. He could be the boss of some big company or group, with a net worth of several billion.
Lingling's future is ruined, and she can no longer rely on it. She has to hold on to this capable elder daughter.
To think that he even followed them home. It seems like this big boss is really concerned about this girl. He must have spent a lot of money on her.
Li Lilian began to feel that she had lost her mind earlier.
If only she had directly admitted her mistake to this girl and said a few kind words.
Li Lilian's sudden change of attitude was evident to anyone with eyes.
Qin Hanyue couldn't help but frown, unable to bear watching any longer.
He had wanted to say something for Qiao Ying, but considering the inappropriate circumstances and the fact that these were her parents after all, he had to give up.
Deep down, he shook his head at Qiao Ying for having a mother like this.
"Mom said some harsh words in the heat of the moment, but after all, a tiger wouldn't devour its cubs. Which parent in this world doesn't love their own child? Don't hold a grudge against Mom. If the situation were reversed and it was Lingling doing this, Mom would protect you in the same way."
Qiao Ying warned her with a glance, "Stop pretending with that face of yours."
Li Lilian smiled again, but this time it seemed forced. "You, my child, were brought into this world by Mom's desperate efforts. How could Mom really..."
Qiao Ying interrupted, "That's enough from me!"
Li Lilian finally fell silent.
Qiao Yi quickly packed up her things, a few sets of clothes, some books and stationery, a large bag of Chinese medicine, and her laptop in her backpack.
Qin Yan helped carry them to the trunk twice.
Finally, Qiao Ying said to Li Lilian, "I'm taking Qiao Yi to study, not kidnapping your son. However Qiao Yi wants to treat you, I won't interfere. But if you try to interfere with him, disturbing his studies by coming to the capital for no reason, even once, I will definitely send you and Qiao Lingling to jail."
After saying that, Qiao Ying left with Qiao Yi.
Qin Hanyue followed behind the siblings.
"Xiaoying..." Qiao's father chased after them a few steps but couldn't continue. In the end, he could only squat on the ground, hating his own uselessness.
Qiao Yi sat in the passenger seat, quietly looking out the car window at the home she had lived in for over ten years, not saying a word.
"As children, we should be filial, but we shouldn't be blindly filial. If it's just moral corruption, it can be overlooked. But when it reaches the point where children are pushed to commit illegal acts, unable to distinguish right from wrong, or even traded for personal gain, then it's already a failure as parents. You don't need to blame yourself too much or be heartbroken about it," Qin Hanyue said at that moment.
Qiao Yi slightly tilted her head backward upon hearing that, but she didn't say anything.
Qiao Ying raised an eyebrow. It's different when someone who talks a lot of empty words in the business world tries to console others.
Leaning her elbow on the edge of the car window, she propped her head up and asked, "How do you find the bustling scene, Mr. Qin?"
