Ren Ran went forward and gently patted her back to help calm her down.
She didn't make a sound but waited quietly for her mother to settle down. There were some things that only she could go through herself.
She believed her mother would get through this.
Half an hour later, the two sat in a corner of a cafe. Ren Suya's face was pale and the brightness had gone from her eyes.
Seeing her mother like this pained Ren Ran.
"Mom, are you okay?"
Ren Suya looked at her daughter before her, seeing the concern in her eyes. Suddenly she smiled, and the smile brought tears to the corners of her eyes. The smile was bitter. "Ran Ran, your mom is useless. I've let you down and made you suffer."
Ren Ran took her hand. "Mom, I'm not suffering."
Facing her understanding daughter brought waves of pain to Ren Suya's heart.
"When did you find out?"
"Two months ago."
Since she had been reborn.
"Why didn't you..."
The words "tell me" stuck in her throat as she thought back to the things her daughter was always whispering in her ear. At the time she hadn't thought anything of it, but looking back now, her daughter had been warning her every time. She had just been too foolish, believing in that man too much.
"Were those traces of lipstick in your dad's car and those women's marks on his clothes your doing?"
Since Kong Liji had taken his mistress and illegitimate child out of town to shop in other provinces, it was clear he was being cautious.
Someone so cautious wouldn't have left such obvious traces on himself.
"Yes."
"Do your grandparents know too?" Ren Suya glanced outside at Gao Ying.
Ren Ran nodded.
Ren Suya gave a bitter laugh. She was useless as a daughter, needing her parents and daughter to worry about her.
Back then her parents had told her he wasn't the right one for her, but she hadn't listened, insisting on marrying him.
Thinking back now, she understood her parents had keen judgement.
If it hadn't been for her unexpected pregnancy with Ren Ran, her father wouldn't have given in so quickly.
Noticing her daughter's actions, Ren Suya said, "Just tell me everything. Don't worry, I can handle it. Your mom isn't as fragile as you think."
In her previous life, her grandparents' sudden passing and her father's affairs had left her exhausted. Heartbroken, it had driven her to the extreme.
But in this life, her grandparents were still healthy, and she had her own warnings ahead of time. Her mother wouldn't go down the same path again.
With that thought, Ren Ran took out the information from her bag and placed it on the table. "Here is some of the information about Ruan Fengru and Dad. There's more we haven't fully investigated yet."
Ren Suya took it and started flipping through, her expression growing colder and paler.
The information recorded the love story her mother had believed was real.
These documents were obtained by Gao Ying from Ren Ran's grandparents.
After Ren Ran had warned her grandfather, he had started investigating her father. After finding out who his mistress was, sly Grandfather Ren had investigated Ruan Fengru as well. One destination of the money had caught Grandfather Ren's attention.
Starting the second year after her mother married her father, Ruan Fengru would transfer money to an account every year. The amounts ranged from small sums of tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand.
To someone of her grandfather's stature, these amounts were negligible.
But her grandfather was very shrewd and began investigating the account holder, easily finding the person behind it.
People they could buy off with money naturally crumbled before wealth.
From this person, they learned that the damsel in distress story when her parents first met had been a scam, a trap to catch her mother.
Kong Liji and Ruan Fengru had sent the petty crook to harass her mother on purpose. Then her father appeared to play the hero and save the beauty.
After beating off the crook, her father had been injured.
To repay his kindness, her mother often visited her father in the hospital and they grew acquainted.
Ruan Fengru and her mother were classmates, so she got close to her mother on purpose to learn her preferences. She then told them to her father. Her father crafted the perfect gentleman to match her mother's ideal type.
Over time, her mother discovered her father's principles and way of life were highly compatible with her own. He made her feel utterly comfortable.
The innocent, untouched girl fell right into their intricately woven trap.
Her mother became convinced her father was her soulmate.
At the time, her grandfather had also investigated Kong Liji, but he hadn't crossed paths with the crooks yet so nothing came up. If he had found it, they absolutely wouldn't have let her mother marry her father.
If it hadn't been for her mother's unexpected pregnancy with her, her grandfather wouldn't have given in so quickly.
Learning of her father and Ruan Fengru's scheming, Ren Ran couldn't help but suspect her mother's drunken encounter that led to her own conception had likely been staged as well.
Ren Suya's face turned ghastly pale.
"Mom," Ren Ran said worriedly, going over to hug her. "You still have me, Grandfather and Grandmother. We all love you."
She gently patted her mother's back over and over to calm her.
Half an hour later, her mother's emotions finally settled down, though her complexion still didn't look well.
"Ran Ran, they're all liars."
"Yes, all liars."
They were more than just liars. Downright sinister.
After returning from Hangzhou, Ren Suya drifted along in a daze, unable to move past the blow for the time being.
As the car neared home, Ren Suya, who had sat motionless the whole time, suddenly spoke up.
"I don't want to go back. I don't want to see him."
"Okay, we won't go back. Let's go to the villa in the hills," Ren Ran agreed readily.
The car changed direction toward the hillside villa.
As soon as Ren Suya saw her aged parents, she couldn't hold back her tears.
On the drive back, Ren Ran had already told her grandparents everything.
Grandma went up and embraced her daughter, gently patting her back. "Don't be scared. You still have us and Ran Ran."
No matter how old she was, in her grandparents' eyes, she would always be their little princess.
"He deceived me. He made me suffer so much."
"Mom, I hate him."
"I shouldn't have disobeyed you."
"I was wrong, so incredibly wrong. Why did they do this to me?"
Grandma dabbed at her tears as well.
Grandfather Ren wanted to go up to them but didn't know how to cut in. He stood to the side with Ren Ran, watching the mother and daughter weep in each other's arms.
After an hour, the crying finally stopped and they both calmed down a lot. But everyone's faces still looked poor.
"You've never suffered much in this life. Now you're enduring some losses which will teach you a lesson," Ren Hongru said solemnly.
Ren Suya didn't refute him, acquiescing.
Ren Hongru looked at Ren Ran, a probing look in his eyes, seeming to want to say something but holding back.
"Just ask what you want to ask, Grandfather." Ren Ran guessed what her grandfather wanted to ask.
Ren Ran went forward and gently patted her back to help calm her down.
She didn't make a sound but waited quietly for her mother to settle down. There were some things that only she could go through herself.
She believed her mother would get through this.
Half an hour later, the two sat in a corner of a cafe. Ren Suya's face was pale and the brightness had gone from her eyes.
Seeing her mother like this pained Ren Ran.
"Mom, are you okay?"
Ren Suya looked at her daughter before her, seeing the concern in her eyes. Suddenly she smiled, and the smile brought tears to the corners of her eyes. The smile was bitter. "Ran Ran, your mom is useless. I've let you down and made you suffer."
Ren Ran took her hand. "Mom, I'm not suffering."
Facing her understanding daughter brought waves of pain to Ren Suya's heart.
"When did you find out?"
"Two months ago."
Since she had been reborn.
"Why didn't you..."
The words "tell me" stuck in her throat as she thought back to the things her daughter was always whispering in her ear. At the time she hadn't thought anything of it, but looking back now, her daughter had been warning her every time. She had just been too foolish, believing in that man too much.
"Were those traces of lipstick in your dad's car and those women's marks on his clothes your doing?"
Since Kong Liji had taken his mistress and illegitimate child out of town to shop in other provinces, it was clear he was being cautious.
Someone so cautious wouldn't have left such obvious traces on himself.
"Yes."
"Do your grandparents know too?" Ren Suya glanced outside at Gao Ying.
Ren Ran nodded.
Ren Suya gave a bitter laugh. She was useless as a daughter, needing her parents and daughter to worry about her.
Back then her parents had told her he wasn't the right one for her, but she hadn't listened, insisting on marrying him.
Thinking back now, she understood her parents had keen judgement.
If it hadn't been for her unexpected pregnancy with Ren Ran, her father wouldn't have given in so quickly.
Noticing her daughter's actions, Ren Suya said, "Just tell me everything. Don't worry, I can handle it. Your mom isn't as fragile as you think."
In her previous life, her grandparents' sudden passing and her father's affairs had left her exhausted. Heartbroken, it had driven her to the extreme.
But in this life, her grandparents were still healthy, and she had her own warnings ahead of time. Her mother wouldn't go down the same path again.
With that thought, Ren Ran took out the information from her bag and placed it on the table. "Here is some of the information about Ruan Fengru and Dad. There's more we haven't fully investigated yet."
Ren Suya took it and started flipping through, her expression growing colder and paler.
The information recorded the love story her mother had believed was real.
These documents were obtained by Gao Ying from Ren Ran's grandparents.
After Ren Ran had warned her grandfather, he had started investigating her father. After finding out who his mistress was, sly Grandfather Ren had investigated Ruan Fengru as well. One destination of the money had caught Grandfather Ren's attention.
Starting the second year after her mother married her father, Ruan Fengru would transfer money to an account every year. The amounts ranged from small sums of tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand.
To someone of her grandfather's stature, these amounts were negligible.
But her grandfather was very shrewd and began investigating the account holder, easily finding the person behind it.
People they could buy off with money naturally crumbled before wealth.
From this person, they learned that the damsel in distress story when her parents first met had been a scam, a trap to catch her mother.
Kong Liji and Ruan Fengru had sent the petty crook to harass her mother on purpose. Then her father appeared to play the hero and save the beauty.
After beating off the crook, her father had been injured.
To repay his kindness, her mother often visited her father in the hospital and they grew acquainted.
Ruan Fengru and her mother were classmates, so she got close to her mother on purpose to learn her preferences. She then told them to her father. Her father crafted the perfect gentleman to match her mother's ideal type.
Over time, her mother discovered her father's principles and way of life were highly compatible with her own. He made her feel utterly comfortable.
The innocent, untouched girl fell right into their intricately woven trap.
Her mother became convinced her father was her soulmate.
At the time, her grandfather had also investigated Kong Liji, but he hadn't crossed paths with the crooks yet so nothing came up. If he had found it, they absolutely wouldn't have let her mother marry her father.
If it hadn't been for her mother's unexpected pregnancy with her, her grandfather wouldn't have given in so quickly.
Learning of her father and Ruan Fengru's scheming, Ren Ran couldn't help but suspect her mother's drunken encounter that led to her own conception had likely been staged as well.
Ren Suya's face turned ghastly pale.
"Mom," Ren Ran said worriedly, going over to hug her. "You still have me, Grandfather and Grandmother. We all love you."
She gently patted her mother's back over and over to calm her.
Half an hour later, her mother's emotions finally settled down, though her complexion still didn't look well.
"Ran Ran, they're all liars."
"Yes, all liars."
They were more than just liars. Downright sinister.
After returning from Hangzhou, Ren Suya drifted along in a daze, unable to move past the blow for the time being.
As the car neared home, Ren Suya, who had sat motionless the whole time, suddenly spoke up.
"I don't want to go back. I don't want to see him."
"Okay, we won't go back. Let's go to the villa in the hills," Ren Ran agreed readily.
The car changed direction toward the hillside villa.
As soon as Ren Suya saw her aged parents, she couldn't hold back her tears.
On the drive back, Ren Ran had already told her grandparents everything.
Grandma went up and embraced her daughter, gently patting her back. "Don't be scared. You still have us and Ran Ran."
No matter how old she was, in her grandparents' eyes, she would always be their little princess.
"He deceived me. He made me suffer so much."
"Mom, I hate him."
"I shouldn't have disobeyed you."
"I was wrong, so incredibly wrong. Why did they do this to me?"
Grandma dabbed at her tears as well.
Grandfather Ren wanted to go up to them but didn't know how to cut in. He stood to the side with Ren Ran, watching the mother and daughter weep in each other's arms.
After an hour, the crying finally stopped and they both calmed down a lot. But everyone's faces still looked poor.
"You've never suffered much in this life. Now you're enduring some losses which will teach you a lesson," Ren Hongru said solemnly.
Ren Suya didn't refute him, acquiescing.
Ren Hongru looked at Ren Ran, a probing look in his eyes, seeming to want to say something but holding back.
"Just ask what you want to ask, Grandfather." Ren Ran guessed what her grandfather wanted to ask.
