Chapter 117: Your Cousin, Han Xingye Han Yizhou

"It's good that you're alright, really good. But why didn't you tell your aunt you were coming back? I could have come to pick you up." Song Qinglan took Lin Jingyue's hand, signaled one of the men with her eyes to handle the situation in the alley, and led Lin Jingyue away.

"Come on, let's go home."

Lin Jingyue followed her, crossing two streets, and then... arrived at the government compound.

!?

Inside, it was a three-bedroom apartment with its own courtyard—a house that spoke volumes about their status.

Song Qinglan's husband was from the Han family in the capital, Han Jianmin, now a leader in the An City Economic Department.

"Jingyue, this is your cousin Han Yizhou. The man from earlier is Yizhou's cousin, Han Xingye..."

"Auntie, I heard you mention me the moment I walked in," Han Xingye interrupted before Song Qinglan could finish.

He'd already dragged Lin's father off to the public restroom, not bothering with a hospital—he wasn't about to die anyway.

Han Xingye had a pair of alluring eyes, the kind that could make anyone feel as though he was deeply affectionate. He and Xie Yunzhen had a similar charm—one with a hint of roguishness, the other more debonair.

Song Qinglan's own son, Han Yizhou, had the look of fresh-faced sunshine.

"Hello, Jingyue. Just call me big brother..." Han Yizhou began.

"Move over," Han Xingye pushed him aside. "I'm the eldest brother. You're the second."

There was no daughter in the Han family, and as children, they had envied those who had a soft, sweet little sister.

"Auntie, now we'll finally have a sister in the family, right?" Han Xingye, raised by Song Qinglan, treated her as his mother.

"Yes, yes, now you'll have a sister. But if you two ever bully Jingyue, I'll break your legs," Song Qinglan warned sharply.

"A sister is a girl, don't even think of dragging her into your wild games."

Later, Song Qinglan would regret not having eyes in the back of her head.

"We know, a little sister is meant to be cherished!" the two replied in unison.

Lin Jingyue watched this scene, unsure what she felt, but she didn't dislike it.

Han Xingye and Han Yizhou were both talkative, and before long, they were chatting animatedly with Lin Jingyue.

Seeing how well they were getting along, Song Qinglan smiled and headed to the kitchen to cook.

"Jingyue, is the northeast really cold?" Han Xingye asked, watching her. "Why not stay here? Uncle has already found you a job..."

"Big brother Han, I'm here to support rural development. If I suddenly don't return, what would that look like?" Lin Jingyue replied, half amused, half exasperated.

Mainly, she wondered, what was she supposed to do here now?

"But it's cold up there, and the conditions aren't good," Han Yizhou frowned.

"It's alright, I'm not some delicate flower."

But their expressions betrayed disbelief—she was just a soft, gentle girl in their eyes.

They had already conveniently forgotten the earlier incident in the alley.

"Enough talking, come eat—Jingyue must be hungry," Song Qinglan called, seeing them still deep in conversation.

"Wow, we have braised pork today—it's all thanks to our sister," Han Xingye exclaimed dramatically.

"Do I ever let you go hungry? Stop the act—Jingyue can see right through it," Song Qinglan retorted with a roll of her eyes.

Han Xingye and Han Yizhou exchanged glances, shrugged, and sat down.

At the table, Song Qinglan kept piling food onto Lin Jingyue's plate with the communal chopsticks, urging her to eat more.

Lin Jingyue didn't stand on ceremony, and the meal went smoothly.

Afterward, Song Qinglan took Lin Jingyue to the study.

"Sit down, Jingyue." Song Qinglan returned after brewing a pot of tea, seeing Lin Jingyue still standing.

She poured two cups, setting one before Lin Jingyue. "You must have a lot to ask me. As it happens, I have things I need to tell you too."

Steam curled from the tea, blurring their features. Lin Jingyue listened quietly.

"You're a clever child..." Song Qinglan sighed. "If you hadn't come to An City, I would never have let you know about this."

Heaven knew how conflicted she had felt when the driver told her he'd seen Lin Jingyue on the street.

"Mm." Lin Jingyue nodded.

She'd figured it out herself—if she hadn't come, Song Qinglan would have kept her in the dark. Maybe she'd tell her later, maybe never.

"The reason I came to An City is your mother's death. I have no evidence yet, so I can't touch that woman, but the others—I want them all to pay..."

Just as Lin Jingyue had suspected, her mother's death was linked to that woman in the capital.

Back then, she had joined forces with the Wu family and Lin Jian'an to set up Wu Huixian.

Even when Wu Huixian didn't want to return to the capital, she hadn't let her go. That woman was a lunatic.

Yet Old Master Song seemed blind to it all, seeing nothing.

When Song Qinglan returned to the capital, she discovered Song Shiyun's father was having a hard time in the Song family, crushed by his two younger brothers, with Old Master Song turning a blind eye.

She realized then that, in this family, children of the first wife would never receive attention or respect.

So, she did not grow close to her own brother, but instead, she constantly tried to get close to and please that woman.

At home or outside, she always showed her utmost respect and affection for her. Many people were fooled, even Old Master Song thought she was genuine.

But what frustrated Song Qinglan was that the woman never truly trusted her.

She even used the opportunity to have the old man send her and her husband off to the northwest, and then made her move against Huixian.

"Didn't Old Master Song know my mother was his daughter?" Lin Jingyue asked, lips pressed together.

Song Qinglan's expression shifted. "I don't know."

She truly didn't know if he did or not.

Lin Jingyue understood—"don't know" was just an excuse. She couldn't comprehend having a father like that.

"I hadn't planned on telling you any of this—you’re still a child. I will avenge your mother. But even after you went to the countryside, they didn't leave you alone, so I..."

She had gone to the countryside to find Lin Jingyue, in part to warn her.

Jingyue was only in her teens; she might not be on guard against her mother's family.

If she fell victim to them, it would be too late. So, when she heard that Old Mrs. Wu was sending Wu Zhenhua to the northeast, she couldn't hold back and used a business trip as an excuse to go too.

"So after you returned, you killed Old Mrs. Wu," Lin Jingyue said bluntly.

"Yes!" Song Qinglan, having decided to lay everything bare, did not hold back.

She gritted her teeth. "That woman wanted the Wu family to marry you off into the mountains to eliminate any future threat. Hmph, wishful thinking. I had Old Mrs. Wu killed first—it’s just a little interest on your mother’s behalf."

That woman was too clean in her dealings; there was no evidence to find. But Song Qinglan would take her own revenge.

"And you're not afraid...?"

"I'm not." Song Qinglan cut her off. "For revenge, I'm willing to do anything."

Besides, it was Wu Zhenhua who did the deed—what did it have to do with her?