Chapter 67: Would You Say That Again?

He truly could not bear the thought of sending his wife into a pit of fire for the sake of money.

His fondness for Liu Bingbing stemmed entirely from the fact that she was his cousin—nothing more.

Was she very kind?

On the side, Hua Qinci watched the two of them arguing with great vigor, their words clashing like swords. She had no desire to add her voice to the quarrel; she wished nothing more than for both of them to let her go, which would suit her heart’s desire perfectly.

Yet Qin Youtian claimed she was kind? Hua Qinci thought back carefully—indeed, the original persona was relatively kind, or at least, as for herself, she was simply too lazy to spar with irrelevant people.

As far as those unrelated to her, she could at least abide by the principle: if people do not trouble me, I will not trouble them; but if they do, I will surely retaliate.

“Qin Youtian!” Qin Mingyue, flustered with anger, slammed her hand on the table once more. What heartless nonsense was Qin Youtian spouting? Was he insinuating that she, his mother, was malicious?

To see him rebuke her for the sake of a woman—she was so furious she could barely breathe. Wasn’t all this for his sake?

Her gaze fell on the idle Hua Qinci nearby. What was with that expression? Watching her mother-in-law and husband quarrel, yet not offering a single word of persuasion, as if she had nothing at all to do with it?

Qin Mingyue truly could not understand. She raised her hand, pointing at Hua Qinci as she called out, “Hua Qinci, you tell me yourself—did I ever force you? Make it clear! Was it not you who said you’d repay the debt yourself? I was only trying to make things easier for you, to keep you from harming yourself or others, or sinning needlessly. What was wrong with what I did?”

Hearing this, the muscles in Hua Qinci’s cheeks twitched; her lips curled in reluctant amusement. At last, the focus had turned to her again!

But Qin Mingyue did have a point—Hua Qinci truly wanted to leave, and had never considered staying here, much less expecting them to settle her debts.

Her ambitions were far greater than this.

As for Qin Youtian, with his half-crippled state, who would really covet him?

Hua Qinci folded her arms and surveyed the scene before her, snorting with clear disdain.

“Hua Qinci, say something! Aren’t you usually so outspoken? Why are you silent now?”

“I’ll leave—since I said I would, I will. I have no intention of dragging the Qin family down with me,” Hua Qinci declared resolutely. If only that brute would let her go, she’d vanish in a heartbeat.

“The divorce letter, hurry up—so I can go find another family,” Hua Qinci demanded, her chin held high, utterly unabashed, hand extended toward Qin Youtian for the document—she was doing it on purpose.

“You see? You see? She’s said it herself. Youtian, you must believe your mother—I am not the kind of person you think I am.” Seeing Hua Qinci yield so easily, Qin Mingyue turned at once to persuade Qin Youtian.

“Mother, please return to your room. I have something to discuss with Qinci,” Qin Youtian said, eyes narrowed, fixing Hua Qinci with a long, intense gaze.

“Very well. You’ve grown up now; you can make your own choices. Handle this matter yourself. But let me remind you—our family has no money left.” Qin Mingyue deliberately glanced at Hua Qinci, thinking that sending her to serve Master Qian would bring shame to them all.

After some thought, she decided that young people should settle their own affairs, and so she went back inside.

“What did you just say? Say it again!” After Qin Mingyue left, Qin Youtian forced Hua Qinci back against the still-intact peach tree, leaving her nowhere to retreat.

Hua Qinci had no affection for Qin Youtian. Though he’d been kind to her, gratitude was not the same as love—especially towards someone so unattractive. If she could leave, she would be overjoyed.

With that thought, she steeled herself, boldly lifted her face, and reached out her small hand.

Smack!