A scumbag man trying to climb the social ladder? She turns around and marries a celibate military of

Mu Daniu glanced at Mu Xiaowan, then pulled Liu Guilan, "Get up right now, what kind of behavior is it to kneel before a child? Isn't this shortening the child's lifespan?"

"I won't get up. If she doesn't agree, I'll kneel here until I die." Liu Guilan's eyes were no longer filled with the pitiful look she had just given in pleading; they were now filled with ruthlessness.

This isn't asking, it's forcing.

"Didn't we agree to come here and ask the child what exactly happened?"

"Shut up!" Liu Guilan thought to herself, if she hadn't said that, would you have come? If the old man hadn't come, how could Mu Xiaowan, with her heart of stone, have agreed?

"Xiao Wan!" Jiang Yinglan saw Mu Xiao Wan standing at the door, staring at her parents, her eyes filled with resentment and disappointment.

"What exactly happened to Xiao Wan?" Chu Huai asked.

Mu Xiaowan sneered and said, "It's just a family scandal!"

She was too ashamed to tell her in-laws and family, but unexpectedly, her own family members exposed her shortcomings first.

Liu Guilan was afraid that no one would know that her daughter had warped values, had become someone's mistress, and had been beaten up. No matter how hard she tried to cover it up, she couldn't hide it.

Grandpa Chu disapproved of Liu Guilan's actions. He said, "No matter the reason, you shouldn't do this. What kind of behavior is it to kneel before your daughter? You're both getting on in years. Why can't you talk things out instead of forcing the child?"

Mu Xiaowan stood at the doorway, her body trembling slightly, as if a gust of wind could knock her over. Her gaze darted back and forth between Liu Guilan and Mu Daniu, a mixture of bitterness and anger churning within her, almost suffocating her. She opened her mouth, but found herself unable to utter a sound, as if something was blocking her throat.

Seeing this, Jiang Yinglan quickly walked to her side, gently put her hand on her shoulder, and whispered, "Xiao Wan, don't rush, speak slowly."

Mu Xiaowan took a deep breath and finally found her voice. She looked at Liu Guilan, her voice hoarse but firm: "Mom, you asked me to let Mu Xiao'e go, but have you ever thought about why she threw sulfuric acid on her own sister? Have you ever asked her why she did it?"

Liu Guilan was taken aback, then her face turned ugly, and her voice became sharp: "She's your sister! She's young and doesn't know any better. Can't you, as her older sister, be more accommodating to her? Besides, you're fine, aren't you? Why are you making such a fuss?"

"Nothing happened?" Mu Xiaowan sneered, a hint of pain flashing in her eyes. "Mom, do you think that as long as I'm not dead or disfigured, this can be treated as if it never happened? Do you think that Mu Xiao'e's mistakes can always be excused by saying 'she's still young'?"

Liu Guilan was speechless for a moment after being questioned, but she quickly hardened her tone again: "So what exactly do you want? Are you only satisfied when she goes to jail? Do you know that if she goes to jail, her life will be ruined!"

"Ruined?" Mu Xiaowan's voice suddenly rose, her eyes filled with sorrow. "Mom, have you ever thought that if that sulfuric acid had really been splashed on my face, it would have ruined my whole life! Have you ever thought that I was the one who was almost ruined!"

Liu Guilan was stunned by her imposing manner and was speechless for a moment.

Seeing this, Mu Daniu sighed, walked up to Mu Xiaowan, and said in a low and tired voice, "Xiaowan, you did nothing wrong. Xiao'e did something wrong, and she should admit it."

Looking at her father's aged face, Mu Xiaowan felt a pang of sorrow. She knew her father loved her, but his love was always so silent, so powerless. She bit her lip and whispered, "Dad, it's not that I don't want to forgive her, but this matter... I can't just let it go. She must take responsibility for her actions, otherwise she will never understand what is right and what is wrong."

Mu Daniu remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

Looking into her father's cloudy yet powerless eyes, Mu Xiaowan felt a sharp pain in her heart.

Perhaps her father also hoped that she would let Mu Xiao'e go, after all, Mu Xiao'e was also his daughter.

Mu Xiao'e had bullied her countless times since childhood, each time escalating the abuse. This time, she couldn't be soft-hearted. Otherwise, her tolerance would only ruin her.

Mu Xiaowan shook her head, her voice firm: "Dad, I'm sorry, this time I won't let personal feelings interfere. I will abide by the law, and I will accept whatever the law decrees."

Upon hearing this, Liu Guilan became enraged, jumped up from the ground, pointed at Mu Xiaowan's nose, and cursed, "You heartless wretch! I've wasted my time raising you! If anything happens to your sister, I'll never forgive you!"

Mu Xiaowan looked at her, her eyes filled with disappointment and exhaustion: "Mom, you're always like this. No matter what Mu Xiao'e does wrong, you always make excuses for her and defend her. But have you ever thought that I'm also your daughter? Have you ever thought that I also feel pain and sadness?"

Liu Guilan was stung by her gaze and was momentarily speechless, but quickly hardened again: "I don't care! If you dare to send your sister to jail, I'll pretend I don't have a daughter like you!"

Mu Xiaowan gave a bitter smile, a resolute glint in her eyes: "Mom, since you put it that way, then I have nothing more to say. From now on, just pretend you don't have a daughter like me."

Seeing this, Old Master Chu sighed, walked up to Mu Daniu, and patted him on the shoulder: "Old Mu, you really did wrong in this matter. Xiao Wan is your daughter, you can't be so biased."

Grandpa Chu shook his head and said nothing more. He knew that some things were beyond the comprehension of outsiders; they could only be understood by the people themselves.

Chu Junbai strode into the house and immediately saw Mu Xiaowan standing in the center of the living room, her face pale, her eyes filled with exhaustion and disappointment. Her fists were clenched tightly, her knuckles white, as if she was trying her best to suppress her inner emotions.

Her parents, Liu Guilan and Mu Daniu, stood there, one with an angry expression and the other with his head bowed in silence, creating an atmosphere so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Chu Junbai's gaze swept across the group, and he immediately understood most of what was going on. His brows furrowed, and he quickly walked to Mu Xiaowan's side, gently putting his arm around her shoulder and asking in a low voice, "Xiaowan, what's wrong?"

Mu Xiaowan looked up and almost burst into tears when she saw Chu Junbai. She took a deep breath, stopped her trembling voice, and gently shook her head. "I'm fine. Find them a hotel and let them stay there."

If it weren't for the fact that her marriage to Chu Junbai was a contract marriage, this whole mess would have happened. How would she ever get along with her in-laws again? But her parents, unaware of the truth, did just that because they hadn't considered her future at all.

Seeing that Mu Xiaowan was still concerned about their lodgings, Liu Guilan realized that Mu Xiaowan still cared about their lives and was probably afraid they would lose face. Since that was the case, she decided not to leave; she refused to believe that the brat wouldn't agree.

"I'm not leaving. If you don't give me a clear explanation today, I will never leave this place."

Chu Junbai finally understood. His eyes instantly turned cold. He turned to look at Liu Guilan and Mu Daniu, his voice low but carrying an undeniable authority: "I was originally thinking of letting Mu Xiao'e off the hook. As long as we didn't investigate further, it wouldn't be that serious. But seeing how you two are acting now, I think I need to reconsider."

Liu Guilan was stunned by Chu Junbai's imposing manner and felt a little guilty for a moment, but she quickly straightened her back and said in a firm tone: "This is our family matter, and you, an outsider, should not interfere! Xiao Wan is ignorant and insists on making her sister go to jail. As parents, we can't just watch her ruin Xiao E's future, can we?"

"Outsiders?" Chu Junbai sneered, his eyes sharp as knives. "I am Xiaowan's husband. Her grievances are my grievances. You keep saying that Xiaowan is immature, but have you ever thought that she is the victim? Where were you when Mu Xiao'e threw sulfuric acid at her? Now that things have blown up, you suddenly want to protect her?"

Liu Guilan was speechless at Chu Junbai's words, her face turning pale and then red, but she still retorted unwillingly: "But Xiao'e is her sister after all! How can family members hold a grudge overnight? Xiao Wan... she's fine, isn't she? Why keep bringing it up?"

"Nothing happened?" Chu Junbai's voice suddenly rose, his eyes filled with anger. "Mother-in-law, do you think that as long as Xiaowan is alive, this matter can be treated as if it never happened?"

Liu Guilan was rendered speechless by Chu Junbai's imposing manner. Seeing this, Mu Daniu quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Junbai, don't be angry. Xiaowan's mother... she was just anxious. We're all family, can't we discuss things properly?"

Chu Junbai glanced coldly at Mu Daniu, his voice low but firm: "I know you feel sorry for Xiao'e, but you can't ignore Xiao Wan's feelings just because you're biased. She's also your daughter, and she's the one who was almost ruined! If you're here today to force her to let Mu Xiao'e go, then I'm sorry, I won't agree."

Mu Daniu was speechless after Chu Junbai's words, and lowered his head, remaining silent. Liu Guilan, however, was still unwilling to give up, pointing her finger at Chu Junbai's nose and cursing, "You...you don't think you can bully us just because you're from the Chu family! Xiaowan is my daughter, and I can discipline her however I want. It's none of your business to tell her what to do!"