Chapter 017: She Is the Daughter of My Enemy

After spending time with her grandparents, Shi Runrun felt a bit tired and went upstairs to wash up in the bathroom. Meanwhile, Xiao Xuezheng stood in the courtyard, smoking a cigarette, still pondering over what Xiao Shujing had just said to him.

He couldn't make sense of it, but he knew his aunt would never dislike someone without reason. There must be something behind this. Perhaps he should send someone to investigate...

Inside, only the two elders of the Xiao family and Xiao Shujing remained.

Grandmother Xiao glanced at the second floor. Seeing the bedroom door that Shi Runrun had just entered tightly closed, she lowered her voice, turned to Xiao Shujing, and reproached her, "Shujing, what's the matter with you? Why were you so cold to Runrun? She called you several times and you didn't even respond."

Grandfather Xiao, sharp as ever, had also sensed something amiss and chimed in, "That's right! What did Runrun ever do to offend you? She tried to serve you food at the table, but you wouldn't take it, and you barely looked at her! Let me tell you, right now she's carrying the heir to our Xiao family. That's the most important thing for us! Treating her like that just isn't right!"

Xiao Shujing hadn't intended to say anything. She had planned to keep what she knew to herself until they separated, sparing everyone pain and torment. But since the elders had asked, she suddenly felt it was necessary to share what she had found.

She pressed her red lips together, sighed, and looked at her parents with a grave expression. "Dad, Mom, Shi Runrun isn't right for Xuezheng. They shouldn't be together. Once she has the baby, let them divorce."

The air froze in an instant. The two elders stared at each other in disbelief. Grandfather Xiao, his temper flaring, almost shot to his feet. "What are you saying?! You unfilial girl! You know how hard it's been for our family to have descendants. Runrun has finally given Xuezheng a child—she's done a great service for us! How can you just drive her away after she gives birth?!"

Grandmother Xiao frowned and joined in, "Exactly! Our Xiao family has some standing in the capital! If we just cast her aside like that, what would people say?"

Xiao Shujing had long considered the consequences. But...

She took a deep breath and finally revealed the secret she had kept hidden, "Dad, Mom, Shi Runrun is the daughter of Ji Yunfeng and Ji Yashu."

"What?!"

The elders' breath caught; they stared at her, stunned, exchanging looks of utter disbelief.

"Ji Yunfeng and Ji Yashu's daughter... How can that be?!"

Those two names were seared into the elders' memories, never to be forgotten.

"Do you remember, when Xuezheng was eighteen, that terrible car accident? The couple who caused it, and that girl, Zaozao, who died so that Xuezheng might live—surely you haven't forgotten."

"I've investigated. That couple, the drivers responsible, were high on drugs and drunk when they hit Xuezheng and the girl. At the last moment, Zaozao pushed Xuezheng out of the way and was killed herself. That tragedy became Xuezheng's lifelong pain. The couple—Ji Yunfeng and Ji Yashu—were sentenced to death. But they left behind a young daughter. That girl is Shi Runrun. It's such a cruel twist..."

With that, Xiao Shujing covered her eyes in anguish.

Grandfather and Grandmother Xiao could hardly believe what they were hearing and hurriedly pressed, "Are you sure you haven't made a mistake? Isn't Runrun the Shi family's daughter? She was taken in by the Shi family, met Xuezheng by chance, and only came to live with us after the Shi family cast her out!"

Xiao Shujing shut her eyes briefly and took another deep breath. "I've checked that as well. After Ji Yunfeng and Ji Yashu were imprisoned, their daughter Ji Runrun was fostered in the countryside. Later, the Shi family claimed her as their biological daughter. In truth, they only did this because Runrun's blood type matched that of Shi Weilu, the head of the Shi family, who was suffering from a blood disorder and needed transfusions. So they brought her back from the countryside under the pretense she was their own and changed her name to Shi Runrun."

"No wonder they treated her so terribly..."

Xiao Shujing looked defeated, wiping her reddened eyes, and sighed again. "Dad, Mom, before things get out of hand, let them divorce as soon as possible. Otherwise, if Xuezheng finds out that Runrun is the daughter of the people who killed his first love, what do you think he'll do?!"

Her words hung in the silent air.

"You both saw how Xuezheng lost his mind after Zaozao's death. It took everything we had to bring him back. If he learns he married the daughter of his enemies..."

Xiao Shujing trailed off, unable to finish, unable even to imagine the consequences.

But at that moment, Grandfather Xiao suddenly struck his cane hard against the floor and barked, "Then let this secret rot in our stomachs! Never speak of it again!"

"Runrun is carrying Xuezheng's child—my precious great-grandchild, the tenth-generation heir of the Xiao family. That's a fact. In my lifetime, I will only ever recognize her as my granddaughter-in-law! We cannot be so heartless as to cast her aside after she gives birth. Would that not make her nothing more than a tool for childbirth?"

"Father..."

Xiao Shujing tried to argue, but Grandfather Xiao silenced her with a word, "Enough! My mind is made up! Only the three of us will ever know. No one else! Shujing, you know how hard it was for Xuezheng to have a child and someone by his side. We can't destroy his happiness. Besides, I've noticed lately that he's starting to care for Runrun."

"That's what worries me even more..."

An uneasiness gnawed at Xiao Shujing's heart. Xuezheng didn't realize that, little by little, he was falling for Shi Runrun. If he ever discovered that the woman he loved, cherished, and protected was the daughter of those who killed his first love, would he lose his mind again, as he did before?

...

Upstairs, Shi Runrun enjoyed a long, soothing bath. She had been so tense at dinner that she barely ate and now felt a bit hungry. Maybe it was just her imagination, or maybe it was the pregnancy, but she had been hungrier than usual these past couple of days.

Thinking of this, she dug into her pocket and found the chocolate Cen Huan had secretly given her that afternoon. She unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth.

It was wonderfully sweet.

Just then, Xiao Xuezheng came in.

He saw her chewing and frowned slightly. "What are you sneaking?"

"Chocolate," she replied.

"I want some too!"

"There's none left. That was the last piece."

He eyed her chocolate-stained lips and grinned wickedly. "Isn’t there still some in your mouth?"

Shi Runrun: "..."