Chapter 5: The Vicious Mother

"Chunhua, instead of framing Ranran, you should have insisted that it was that boy He Hongwen who did it."

The father, Ye, did not have the nerve to say the final part of that sentence aloud: that this was the only way to force He Hongwen to marry Yueyue. He had always prided himself on being a man of integrity and honor; how could he possibly utter such shameless words? He frowned as he looked at his wife, feeling a deep sense of contempt for her stupidity, yet he remained somewhat fond of this foolish woman. She was entirely devoted to him, never defying him, and would even go so far as to harm her own biological daughter just to please him. Although she lacked the intelligence and beauty of his ex-wife, that former wife had been a selfish and calculating woman.

Father Ye was certain that today’s incident was the work of his own daughter, Ye Ruyue, who had inherited his cunning and her mother’s snobbish nature. She was obsessed with climbing the social ladder and marrying into the He family, but He Yongchang was only interested in repaying the debt of gratitude he owed to Ranran’s father for saving his life. He would never yield and allow his son to break off the engagement to marry Yueyue. That was why Yueyue had taken such a desperate risk, hoping to create a situation that could not be undone.

Unfortunately, Yueyue was still too young. Even if they had crossed that line, it would be of no use. Given the current status of that man, He Yongchang, Yueyue would likely find it even harder to marry into the He family now. Unless Ye Siran voluntarily renounced the engagement, Yueyue would have no chance. With her mother’s blatant favoritism, perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope.

Just as Father Ye was contemplating how to steer his wife, he heard Song Chunhua ask anxiously, "Dear, why did you let Hongwen leave earlier?"

"What else could I do but let him go! You shouldn't have slandered Ranran. Who would believe it if you claimed Ranran set them up?" Father Ye frowned, his expression one of disappointment and exasperation, which made Ye Siran sneer inwardly. If she hadn’t lived through a previous life, she would have been moved to tears by her stepfather’s performance, believing he was truly looking out for her. Because her stepfather and stepsister were so cunning and her mother so foolish, they had easily manipulated her emotions in the past. Now, Ye Siran merely watched them coldly, remaining silent.

"I’m sorry, dear! Everyone was saying it was Yueyue’s own doing, so I panicked and blurted out that it was Ranran," Mother Ye said, her voice dropping lower. She knew she wasn't very bright; if only she had thought to blame Hongwen at the time!

"The He boy cannot make his own decisions regarding his marriage. Since you didn't insist it was his doing, there was no point in keeping him here."

"If we had kept him, we could have at least forced him to promise to marry Yueyue. As long as he agreed, Director He wouldn't make things difficult for our Yueyue."

"Sigh! You know as well as I do that Director He is determined to repay the debt he owes to Ranran’s father. If we force them without a legitimate excuse, it will only backfire."

Mother Ye couldn't grasp her husband's underlying meaning, but Ye Ruyue could. She tugged at her mother’s hand and whined, "Mom, it’s all because you missed the opportunity. The only way now is for my sister to voluntarily break off the engagement; only then will Uncle He agree to let me into the family."

Ye Ruyue’s original plan in framing Ye Siran had only been to get her hands on the university admission letter. Now, however, she wanted more—she wanted to marry into the He family and secure the letter as well.

"That's right! If Ranran takes the initiative to call off the engagement, the He family will surely marry you. Yueyue, you are so clever," Mother Ye praised happily, patting Ye Ruyue’s hand. She turned to Ye Siran and said, "Siran, you saw it yourself—Hongwen and your sister have already crossed that line. Go to the He family now and make it clear to Uncle He that you don't want to marry Hongwen."

Ye Siran lowered her head and said softly, "Mom, as long as Brother Hongwen is willing to marry me, I don't mind what happened with my sister..."

"Siran, you’ve disappointed me so much! You don't mind? How can you be so shameless? Do you have no sense of dignity at all?"

"Mom, how am I the one without dignity? I’ve been engaged to Brother Hongwen since I was a child; how is that shameless? Or is it considered 'honorable' to scheme against Brother Hongwen the way my sister did?"

Mother Ye was stunned by the retort; she hadn't expected the daughter who had always been submissive to talk back to her. She threw herself onto the floor and wailed, "Oh, heavens! What kind of sin have I committed? My own daughter, whom I raised with such difficulty, is talking back to me... I can’t go on living like this!"

Meeting her biological mother’s venomous gaze, Ye Siran felt a sharp pang of pain. At this moment, her mother wasn't looking at her like a daughter, but like an enemy. In her past life, Ye Siran had always believed her mother was only mistreating her to please her stepfather, out of necessity. It wasn't until many years later, when she met an aunt named Lu Ran, that she realized her mother truly hated her. It was simply because her father had named her Ye Siran, while his childhood sweetheart was named Lu Ran—meaning he was still longing for that woman. Why should she be the one to pay for their tangled emotions? What had she done wrong? Besides, her mother had snatched her father through underhanded means; what right did she have to hate her daughter and her husband?

Thinking of this, Ye Siran’s gaze toward her mother turned icy. "Your threats of death are useless. I will never go to the He family to break off the engagement."

"Ye Siran, what right do you have to refuse? Look in a mirror—are you even worthy of Brother Hongwen?" Ye Ruyue demanded viciously.

"Whether I am worthy or not is not for me to decide, nor is it for you," Ye Siran said calmly. Although she had no intention of marrying He Hongwen in this life, she was more than happy to say a few words to make Ye Ruyue miserable.

"Ruyue, how are you talking to your sister? Father has always taught you to be loving toward your siblings." Seeing the two sisters about to clash, Father Ye immediately stepped in to reprimand his daughter.

Seeing her husband scold Ye Ruyue, Mother Ye glared at Ye Siran. "Siran, when did you become so unreasonable? How can you speak to your sister like that? Yueyue isn't wrong. Among all the girls in the compound who like Hongwen, which one isn't better than you?"

"So what if they are better than me? Uncle He designated me as his daughter-in-law," Ye Siran replied, holding her head high.

"Oh, woe is me! What sin have I committed? My own daughter won't listen to me; what is the point of living?"

Ye Siran watched her mother throwing a tantrum on the floor with cold eyes and said, feigning pity, "Dad, I only spoke the truth, and Mom is already acting like she's going to die. If she really does, will you send me to prison?"

"How could Dad ever let you go to prison, Ranran? Dear, get up quickly. What kind of scene are you making?"

"Siran, if you don't promise to go to the He family and break off the engagement, I’m not getting up."

Ye Siran wanted to say that she could stay there forever for all she cared, but seeing that Father Ye was merely trying to smooth things over without any real anger, she turned to her mother. "Mom, why won't you even listen to Dad? If you keep defying him like this, he’s going to get very angry."

Hearing this, Mother Ye looked timidly at Father Ye, unsure of what to do. Ye Ruyue crouched beside her, sobbing, "Wuu... Mom, I can’t go on living either. If my sister won't go to the He family, I’ll just knock my head against the wall and die right in front of her."