"So you know," Keung scratched his chin, "The decision to officially open all our hotels for the LGBT community was not just because of the competition. I knew it would raise a hell of a storm in the media, and you would take advantage of this. You fell for it. It's not just me, but the haters cursed the whole Han family too. You tried to drag sister-in-law in this by bribing that mob. We knew you would do something like this. Did you think cousin Zhiyuan wasn't there when the crowd cornered her?"
He sneered. "He was so angry he almost toppled the ice cream parlor. The people you bribed are gonna pay a hell of a punishment now, especially the one who threw the stone at her."
Zhiyuan's eyes flashed with a dangerous glint.
Liao Yuan was stunned beyond belief. All this time, he thought he was the one hunting the Han family. But he became the prey instead.
The siren rang from a distance, and two police cars stopped. Yunru stepped out and nodded at Zhiyuan. He faced Liao Yuan, his gaze icy and furious. Xinyi was his sister, after all and hurting her was crossing his limits.
"I don't need to spell out why I am here, right?"
Liao Yuan said nothing.
"Also, don't expect any help from your father. He is under arrest for a lot of charges himself."
"What!?" He exclaimed in shock. "Dad?"
"Of course. What else do you expect after doing so many illegal activities and keeping Mrs. An Yueqin by his side for all these years without her consent?"
He widened his eyes. "Without consent? Of course, Dad didn't force her!"
Yunru raised his brow in amusement. "You don't know about Mr. Liao Yun's infatuation for her?"
He squinted his eyes and paused. "I know he loves her. He married my mother because of Grandpa's pressure, but he treated her nicely. When she died after giving me birth, that's when he brought her back because he felt lonely, and she was his first love anyway. Naturally, I love my mother and don't treat that woman as my mom. But if that's what Dad wished for, then I didn't interfere."
Xing was stupefied. "Is that what you truly believe? He has fed you with lies! Of course, it wasn't her choice. He faked her accident, kidnapped her and forced her to no escape by threatening her family."
"That's not true! Dad won't so something like this!"
Zhiyuan smirked. "If that is so then why didn't he ever formally introduce her to Grandpa Junjie? Or married her? Why did he hide her identity for all these years if he loved her? It's because firstly, Grandpa Junjie wouldn't have accepted her, and secondly his remarriage would have obviously got known in the society. Which means Uncle An would have learned about it sooner or later. Do you think he would have kept quiet seeing the man who kidnapped his wife and illegally marry her?"
Liao Yuan pounced upon Zhiyuan in a moment of rage. But Yunru quickly pulled him back and twisted his arm. He locked the handcuffs on his wrists and coldy warned him.
"Enough. You don't want more charges against you than you already have."
His nostrils flared. "You are lying! Dad only hid her because Grandpa wouldn't have allowed it. He liked my mother a lot and didn't want anybody to replace her as his daughter-in-law. There's nothing more to it! I know he loved another woman, but he always treated my mother with respect!"
Yunru pulled out his phone and played a recording.
'So mad…So mad that I was happy when she died after giving birth to Yuan."
"I mean finally Luoyang left me. She was so irritating. If she hadn't died, I am afraid I would have killed her myself.'
Liao Yuan froze. He clearly recognized his father's voice.
"Will you still defend him after listening to this? Your mother must have led a horrible life if he was so crazy that he would have killed her. But it never came out perhaps because she wanted to protect the family's reputation."
"Impossible…Dad isn't like this!"
He heard the rest of the recording and finally learned how he had indeed forced her to stay by his side. But Liao Yun painted a picture as if she was by her own will.
Keung shrugged. "Why are you so shocked anyway? You were doing the same thing all along. Sister-in-law never loved you, but you kept chasing her just like your father chased Aunt. You both were chasing after someone who could never become yours because they already loved someone else. I don't understand why it's coming as such a shock to you."
"Shut up!"
Xinyi pursed her lips. "Uncle Liao warped the reality and fooled Yuan all this time. You thought if it's right that he can have his first love back, then why cannot you?"
He froze. Her words hit the mark.
"The reason you never gave up on me was because Uncle Liao never gave up on Aunt Yueqin. His love was twisted, but you didn't realize it. Honestly, this isn't love at all if you have to snatch someone's freedom to have them. You protect the things that are important to the person you love, not throw them away."
Liao Yuan felt suffocated. He grew up without his mother's love, but even if he had never seen her or talked to her, he knew she was a kind woman. Liao Junjie often reminisced her with a warm and loving gaze just like how a father loved his daughter. From her pictures they had, she was a beautiful woman who held gentleness in her eyes. Her smile was That's why he always loved his eyes because he inherited it from her.
But hearing Liao Yuan speak so disrespectfully about her and wishing she was dead broke his heart. He couldn't imagine how Liao Luoyang might have felt if she had ever heard such cruel words.