Meanwhile, at Sun Estate…
Sun Ruying barged into the study where her older sister was working overtime due to the scandal and problems Sun Qiyan brought to the Sun Corp. The Sun Corp had suffered a huge loss since the Starlight’s event, and the drop in shares continued to dip.
“Ming Jie, tell me the truth! Was it you who introduced Qiyan to Xi Yunchuan?” she asked as soon as she stepped inside the room and saw her sister burying her head in the stack of doc.u.ments she needed to work on.
“Ruying, I’m busy right now. I don’t have time for your nonsense. Leave me for now.” The older sister ignored her question and continued working. Just when she just got the position she’d always wanted, Sun Qiyan gave her a huge problem that crippled the operations of Sun Corp. She surely had no time to waste on her sister’s complaints at the moment.
“Nonsense?! You call this nonsense?!” Sun Ruying cried out. “Don’t you dare ignore me now, Ming Jie. I knew you were the one who told Qiyan to make business deals with Xi Yunchuan.”
Sun Qiyan wouldn’t dare to do such a bold move if no one convinced her to do so. Her daughter might have done crazy things before, but none to the extent that she would harm her sister until now.
Hearing her sister’s accusation, Sun Mingai slammed the papers back on her desk and glared back at Sun Ruying.
“So it’s my fault now, huh? You’re her mother. So how come you don’t know what’s happening between your two daughters? Are you going to wash your hands, too, and claim your innocence again?” She was really annoyed by how stupid this mother and daughter tandem was.
Sun Ruying clenched her fists on her side. They both came from the same parents, but how could Sun Mingai do this to her? Wasn’t it ironic then, that her eldest daughter also led her other child to death?
“You’re truly a despicable one, Ming Jie. I regret it now.” She laughed with tears in her eyes. “If I helped Meixiu that day, none of these will happen. Lu Xinyi wouldn’t scheme against us, and none of my daughters would be harmed.”
There was a deafening silence between them as neither wanted to back down. One was filled with remorse, and the other one with irritation.
“Ruying, don’t push all the blame on me. You had a choice back then; it wasn’t my fault that you were so weak and greedy that you left Meixiu to die. How is it my fault now?” Sun Mingai laughed grimly.
Sun Ruying’s body shook. Her face turned ashen. It was admittedly true that if she had a choice to save her younger sister, she would have done so.
“And don’t think I don’t know that you went to see Lu Xinyi and asked for her help. Indeed, she’d help you find Qiushan. How does it feel then? To be played and given hope by our own niece, only to find out that Qiushan has been dead for a long time?”
Every word that came out from her mouth felt like a stab on Sun Ruying’s heart. On the surface, she pretended that she wasn’t affected by what happened to Meixiu. However, it had been years, and the memory of that night still haunted her until now.
Nonetheless, she refused to be subdued by her sister again!
“Everyone knew that you were jealous of Meixiu and how much people preferred her over you. Why do you delude yourself that Shen Jinxiu really cared for you, huh? We both know that he was a great guy, and he’d fallen for Meixiu before. If Lu Sibai didn’t meet Meixiu—today, the Madam Shen of the family would be her and not Lu Xinyi!”
A resounding slap echoed within the room, disturbing its peace. The night had gradually darkened, and the winter breeze kept the thin sleet of ice stuck on the gla.s.s of the windows. The northern wind seemed to freeze everyone down to their bones, refusing to give them a peaceful night.
Sun Ruying hadn’t expected the slap she received from her sister. Sun Mingai rarely lost her composure, and she only acted this way when someone mentioned their deceased sister and the previous young master of the Shens.
“You know nothing about him! Don’t you dare slander his name!” Sun Mingai glared at her before lowering her head to cover the hatred and grief in her eyes. She would give up everything just for him, and yet, this cruel fate hadn’t let her attain happiness in this lifetime.
She sat and clasped her hands on her desk, her eyes refusing to meet her sister’s gaze.
“You are no different from me, Ruying,” she said in a low voice. “You and I aren’t innocent. This is your retribution. As for me…” A cynical smile appeared on her face. “This isn’t the end for me yet.”
Sun Ruying left her sister, confused as to what she meant, but she couldn’t help but feel fear not only for herself but for Qiyan’s life. Now that she was out of her sister’s presence, she remembered that smile… that was the same smile her Ming Jie had when she told her to leave Meixiu alone.
She didn’t know the reason why, but the disgusting look Lu Xinyi gave her was better than that cynical smile her sister had.
Once she left, a man stepped out from the dark corner of Sun Mingai’s study to reveal himself.
“Mother, what do you want to do with your sister?” he asked, expecting to hear an order from her.
Sun Mingai poured herself a brandy and added ice cubes on her gla.s.s.
“I shouldn’t have let Qiyan deal with Xi Yunchuan. If the Xi family finds out that we embezzled money from them, they wouldn’t let us off easily.” She stared down at her gla.s.s thoughtfully.
Zhou Yin kept his silence.
“Dispose of Qiyan and her mother. We have no use of them anymore. I’m pretty sure by now my sister will do something outrageous to ruin my name. I cannot allow that. As for my other nieces…”
“Sun Feiyan moved out of the estate with her a.s.sistant. Lu Xinyi visited Sun Qiyan at the prison, but I have no information for her motive yet.” Zhou Yin informed her.
Sun Mingai hummed and stared at the huge family portrait in front of her. Their father was sitting at the center with Sun Meixiu, her mother, and Sun Weijun standing next to him. This old man… in his eyes, they were never part of his family.
“Feiyan is smart. She knew she cannot stay for too long now that the company is facing a problem. She stepped aside to avoid this tragedy, but Lu Xinyi…”
Upon mentioning Lu Xinyi’s name, Zhou Yin stiffened. Since his eyes landed to the feisty third miss of the Suns who’s more than a face, his l.u.s.t to obtain and possess her grew inside him.
Sun Mingai could decipher the meaning behind his look and smirked.
“You want her, do you?” she chuckled lowly.
“Yes,” Zhou Yin admitted with a gruff voice.
“You wouldn’t be able to have her easily.” She pointed out.
“That only gives me more reason to chase her,” he argued.