After the Fake Heiress Died, She Was Filled with Regret - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: I Can Not Hate Her, Pity Her, But I Won’t…

The doorbell rang twice more, but the door remained unopened. Xie Wan’s expression was utterly displeased, her eyes chillingly cold.

“Madam, perhaps Miss isn’t here…” Assistant Li said cautiously.

“Didn’t you tell me you saw Xia Shinan on the surveillance?” Xie Wan glared at him, “She disappeared for days and you couldn’t find her. Now that she’s here, you’re telling me Miss isn’t here?”

Assistant Li quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, “I’ll go check immediately…”

Before he could finish, the door opened.

A girl in soft, long-sleeved pajamas appeared, her eyes still hazy from sleep, “Mom, why are you here?”

Xie Wan looked up at her daughter, a trace of disbelief flashing in her eyes, “Were you just sleeping?”

“Mhm… I was a little sleepy after lunch, so I decided to nap for a while. I didn’t expect to sleep until now,” Xia Shinan answered word by word, “Mom, do you want to come in? But the room is… a bit messy.”

Xie Wan didn’t answer, but she walked in. After a few steps, she saw the state of the room. It wasn’t just a little messy; it was… too messy.

The pillows and blankets on the sofa were on the floor. The coffee table had opened snacks and cola, and an empty drink bottle rolled right at Xie Wan’s feet.

Xie Wan took a deep breath, “Xia Shinan, is this how you live alone? No wonder you keep turning off the surveillance. Do you still look like a rich young lady at all!”

Xia Shinan silently admired the excuse Tang Yin had just come up with. She had said this was a good way to brush off the surveillance issue.

She continued hesitantly, “I just didn’t have time to clean up these past two days. I was afraid you’d be angry if you saw it.”

Xie Wan was so angry she laughed. Assistant Li quickly cleaned up the sofa, and she slowly sat down.

“I always thought that even though you weren’t smart and had a soft nature, at least you were obedient and well-behaved. I never thought you were just pretending for my benefit.”

“I worked so hard to raise you, only to end up with an ungrateful wretch.”

Xia Shinan stood in front of her. Hearing Xie Wan’s words was painful. The word “ungrateful wretch” to describe her was truly too much. She swallowed her grievances and apologized sincerely.

“Mom, I’m not an ungrateful wretch. It was wrong of me to sneak out. I’m sorry.”

“But I’ve said it many times. I don’t want to marry Lin Yu, I don’t want to go to the Lin family, and I certainly don’t like flattering Mrs. Lin… Mom, can you respect my choice?”

Xie Wan looked at her daughter and smiled, “Of course I can respect you.”

A light flickered in Xia Shinan’s eyes, “Really?”

Xie Wan slowly said, “After you marry Lin Yu, you will be the daughter-in-law of the Lin family. I will respect whatever you want to do then.”

The light in Xia Shinan’s eyes dimmed again. She tightly clenched her fists and said seriously, “Why does it have to be Lin Yu? I don’t understand! Even if I die, I won’t marry him!”

Xie Wan hadn’t expected her daughter to be so stubborn. After a moment of thought, her tone softened, “Shinan, do you know what big things have been happening at home recently?”

Xia Shinan nodded, “I… heard about it.”

A hint of sadness entered Xie Wan’s eyes: “Shinan, your father’s philandering is not a one or two time thing. I endured it before because of you. I wanted you to continue being the Xia family’s eldest daughter, living a life of comfort. If I divorce him and your father kicks us both out, what will you do?”

“But now he wants to divorce me for that woman outside! Everyone is laughing at me, but I’m most worried about you…”

“Fortunately, the Lin family likes you and won’t gossip because of your father’s affairs… If you don’t marry into the Lin family, what kind of life can you live later? Mom won’t harm you. Marrying into the Lin family is a good future.”

Xia Shinan nearly burst into tears hearing these words. She walked forward and knelt in front of Xie Wan, saying seriously, “Mom, I’m not afraid of hardship. You do what you want to do. Even if we divorce and I live an ordinary life, it doesn’t matter! At least I’ll be happy.”

“Silly child, what do you know about happiness!”

Xia Shinan thought for a moment and decided to go all in: “And Lin Yu is not a good person. He even tried to take advantage of me!”

“He took advantage of you?” Xie Wan looked at her daughter and paused, “Did he touch you?”

Xia Shinan avoided her gaze, “No. Little Yu Mao was there, and he didn’t succeed.”

Xie Wan forced a smile, “You’re already engaged. Even if he wanted to do something with you, how is that taking advantage?”

Xia Shinan was stunned, unable to believe such words came from Xie Wan’s mouth.

“It would be a good thing if he had touched you,” Xie Wan shook off her hand, “Then I wouldn’t have to worry about the Lin family canceling the engagement.”

“Mom, what are you saying?” Xia Shinan was pushed to the ground by Xie Wan, unable to believe what she had just heard. “At a time like this, are you still making me marry Lin Yu for a ‘good future’?”

She recalled Lin Yu saying that the Lin family had given the Xia and Xie families a lot of support.

“Actually, you want to use me to gain the Lin family’s support so that Dad won’t divorce you.”

Xie Wan curved her lips into a smile, “I’m surprised you figured that out. I underestimated you.”

“But I’m your daughter!” Xia Shinan said tearfully.

A trace of madness flashed in Xie Wan’s eyes, “Precisely because you are my daughter, you should help me, shouldn’t you? Otherwise, why did I raise you!”

The air fell into silence. After a long while, she slowly stood up and gently stroked Xia Shinan’s hair, “Don’t disappoint your mother, or else… I can only give up on you.”

“I’ve been busy with family matters recently and don’t have time to watch over you. You should think carefully too.”

Tang Yin heard the sound of the door closing and waited for a while before walking out of the bedroom.

The bedroom and the living room were separated by only one wall, but she had heard everything.

Tang Yin couldn’t express the complex emotions in her heart.

At this moment, was she more eager to meet her biological mother, or was she more heartbroken for Xia Shinan?

But when she walked out and saw Xia Shinan sitting on the floor, her eyes hollow, tears streaming down her face, she was certain: the heartbreak was greater.

It turned out that the rich young lady she had always envied wasn’t living a good life either.

Tang Yin walked over gently, knelt in front of her, and pulled Xia Shinan into her embrace.

Xia Shinan suddenly seemed to come back to life, tightly hugging Tang Yin and crying uncontrollably.

“What does she mean by ‘giving up on me’? Does she not want to acknowledge me as her daughter anymore?” Xia Shinan sobbed, “Why does she force me to make a choice? Is there no other option besides marriage?”

Tang Yin gently stroked her long hair, not knowing how to answer Xia Shinan’s question.

She had always thought Xia Shinan received the motherly love she never had, but it wasn’t like that at all.

She had always thought Xia Shinan lived a carefree and free life, but that wasn’t true either.

Xia Shinan, like her, seemed to have never received her mother’s affection. Xia Shinan was even more pitiful than her, not even having the right to choose who she loved.

“Even if she doesn’t want you, I will,” After a long time, Tang Yin gently wiped her tears, “I’ll take you away.”

“What?!” Ming Jing looked at Tang Yin in front of her. Her chopsticks even slipped and fell, so she quickly motioned for the waiter to bring another pair, smiled awkwardly at Xia Shinan, and glared at Tang Yin.

Tang Yin said she asked her out for dinner together, but she didn’t say it would be for such a huge matter!

Xia Shinan’s eyes curved into a smile, then she heard Tang Yin say, “Don’t mind her. Her reaction is always this dramatic.”

Xia Shinan nodded, “It’s our fault for scaring you.”

“No, no,” Ming Jing said awkwardly, “I just didn’t expect you two to move in together, haha… The speed is quite fast, isn’t it!”

Xia Shinan couldn’t elaborate on her family situation, but she felt Ming Jing misunderstood and quickly explained, “It’s not exactly living together! It’s not what you think!”

“Then what is it?” Ming Jing chuckled mischievously, “We’re all adults. I understand. But your relationship is progressing quickly. That’s good too.”

Xia Shinan found it even harder to explain and looked anxiously at Tang Yin, urging her to clarify.

Tang Yin smiled and shook her head, “Her mouth is just foul. Don’t listen to her. How about this, I just bought some milk tea. Why don’t you go next door and grab it? I’ll talk to her properly.”

Xia Shinan nodded, blushed, and quickly got up and left.

Ming Jing rested her chin on her hand, looking at Tang Yin, completely confused: “What exactly do you mean?”

Tang Yin used her chopsticks to pick up some cooked meat and placed it in Xia Shinan’s bowl to cool. She briefly explained what happened to Ming Jing, “In short, she can’t stay there anymore. If her mother decides to have someone take her away one day, we will be very passive.”

Ming Jing was puzzled: “Strange. Why didn’t her mother take her away today?”

Tang Yin had considered this too but hadn’t figured it out, “Perhaps because Xia Shinan being home is inconvenient for her mother?”

Ming Jing smiled, “Tang Yin, haven’t you noticed? Your term for that woman has changed to ‘her mother.’ Before, you called her ‘Ms. Xie’.”

“‘Ms. Xie was so good to Xia Shinan. Ms. Xie loved Xia Shinan very much…'”

Tang Yin lowered her eyes, looking at the simmering hotpot, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me either.”

“I used to think very simply. Xia Shinan was living the life that should have been mine, so I hated her.”

“But now… when Xia Shinan cries, I feel quite awful too. Hearing Ms. Xie pressure Xia Shinan lights a fire in my heart. I even think, how wonderful it would be if I could take her away from A City, away from all the unhappiness here,” She then shook her head, “Ming Jing, do you think I’m sick?”

Ming Jing looked deeply at her: “Tang Yin, you’re not sick. You’re probably… falling for Xia Shinan.”

Falling for her… Tang Yin subconsciously touched the area over her heart, just like Xia Shinan had done before.

She shook her head: “I can like anyone, but I will never like the person who took my identity. I can not hate her, pity her, but I won’t like her.”

Ming Jing sighed, “Then why do you want to take her away? To play the hero who saves the girl? Or is it compensation because your conscience is bothering you for deceiving her feelings?”

Tang Yin pursed her lips, and after a long while, she spoke faintly.

“She quarreled with her friend and hasn’t made up, and there’s a rift with her family.”

Ming Jing: “Mhm, so?”

Tang Yin looked up: “So she only has me. I’m just pitying her.”

Ming Jing glanced at Xia Shinan, who was coming back through the door carrying milk tea, and angrily slammed the table: “Eat!”

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