Author's POV:
Song Bo watched in annoyance as Chen Xinyi lay there, looking like she had fainted dramatically. He sighed heavily. "Get her some water, she'll be fine."
"Dad, how can you be so cold towards Mom after so many years of marriage?" Song Yangyao cried out incredulously.
Song Yanyan scoffed. "A marriage built on lies, more like."
Song Yangyao whirled on her sister, eyes blazing. "Shut up Yanyan, this is all your fault!"
Zhao Yujie shook her head. "Calm down Yangyao. She's fine, just putting on a show as usual."
"How can you say she's putting on a show? Look at her, she's fainted! She needs medical attention!" Yangyao insisted shrilly.
Song Dong scoffed loudly. "Yeah right, you're the only one who can't see she's just acting."
Ignoring his niece and nephew's bickering, Song Bo called over a butler. "Get some cold water and smelling salts. If she doesn't rouse from that, then drop her in a cold bath."
Song Yangyao's mouth fell open in shock at the cruel bluntness of her father's instructions regarding her mother's condition. The butler bowed and hurried off to follow the orders.
A tense silence fell over the room, only broken by Chen Xinyi's somewhat theatrical groaning from the floor. Huang Jiang regarded the whole scene with ill-disguised disdain, while Wu Haoyu sat with his legs crossed, seemingly paying no attention to the pandemonium. His eyes were fixed squarely on Song Yanyan, who sat nonplussed, watching the attempted revival of her unconscious "mother" with a look of faint amusement.
Song Yangyao rounded on the butler who had just returned with a glass of water and small towel. "Well? What are you waiting for, don't just stand there! My mother needs to be taken to the hospital at once, not doused with cold water like some...some sideshow the leper!"
The butler shot an uncertain look at Song Bo, who simply gave a subtle nod for him to follow the original instructions. Swallowing nervously, the butler knelt and began lightly slapping Chen Xinyi's cheeks, attempting to rouse her.
"Don't be so useless!" Yangyao snarled, shoving the butler aside and grabbing her mother's shoulders. "Mother, Mother wake up! Don't leave me, please!"
Chen Xinyi's only response was a sort of guttural moan, her head lolling bonelessly. Yangyao looked up at Song Bo beseechingly.
"Father, can't you see she needs proper medical care? What if...what if she doesn't wake up?"
Song Bo's expression remained glacially calm. "Then she'll have only herself to blame for going to such overblown theatrics in the first place."
"How can you be so monstrous?" Yangyao cried, tears streaking her cheeks now. "Have you no love in your heart for your own wife after everything you've been through together?"
"I have ample love in my heart, Yangyao," Song Bo replied evenly. "But perhaps not for those who have betrayed that love time and again through treacherous deceptions."
The words hung heavy in the air. Yangyao opened and closed her mouth wordlessly, stunned by her father's frank admission. Huang Jiang watched the proceedings like a hawk, while Wu Haoyu remained utterly immovable, his piercing gaze still fixed on Yanyan.
Jaw trembling, Yangyao rose unsteadily to her feet, hands balling into fists as her face contorted with rage.
"So that's it then?" She choked out in a thick voice. "You're going to forsake my mother like...like garbage, just like that? Over some lies spun by that wretched mutt over there?"
She jabbed an accusing finger at Yanyan, who merely arched an eyebrow coolly in response. Song Hao made a calming gesture towards his daughter.
"Yangyao, please, let's not make a bigger scene than -"
"Don't you dare try to placate me with your words, Uncle!" Yangyao spat, whirling to face Hao with undisguised loathing. "My own flesh and blood has abandoned my poor mother thanks to that troublemaking little bitch filling their heads with lies! And now you want me to just sit idly by while she's left to potentially die on the floor like...like a street urchin?"
Song Bo's eyes flashed with a sudden warning, but before he could interject, the butler spoke up timidly.
"P-perhaps if I fetch the smelling salts now, Miss Song? They may help revive your mother."
"Don't bother with those useless things!" Yangyao shrieked, chest heaving with emotion as she trembled from head to toe. "Just call a damn ambulance already, you incompetent fool!"
Her voice rose to a fever pitch, and Chen Xinyi suddenly drew in a ragged gasp, eyelids fluttering. Yangyao gasped and fell to her knees beside her mother.
"Thank the heavens you're okay! Just hold on, Mother, the ambulance is coming to take you away from these...these heartless monsters!"
Chen Xinyi's eyes cracked open blearily, confusion washing over her features before the memory of recent events seemed to come flooding back. She sat bolt upright with a start, looking around wildly at the assembled group. When her gaze landed on Song Bo, her face contorted with desperation.
"Bo, h-honey, please say it isn't true! Tell me you don't believe this obvious extortion attempt by these...vultures!"
Song Bo regarded her impassively as Chen Xinyi scrambled to her feet, steadying herself before appealing to him once more.
"These people have no proof, no evidence except for...f-for hearsay and slander! You can't possibly take their lies over the word of your own loving wife, the mother of your child!"
Her eyes swiveled to Yanyan, narrowing to slits of purest loathing.
"Because that's all this is, right? More trouble-stirring by this little piece of street trash who's lied and caused problems since the day we generously took her in. That's what this is about, isn't it?"
"I'd watch my mouth if I were you," Huang Jiang cut in with deceptive mildness, "unless you fancy seeing exactly what legal repercussions are in store for you both."
Chen Xinyi flinched, opening her mouth to retort, only to falter as Wu Haoyu spoke up for the first time since entering the Song villa.
"You seem awfully brazen for someone whose deception has just been laid bare in front of the entire family," he stated in a deceptively mild tone, never taking his eyes off Yanyan. "I'd have thought a more prudent approach would be to simply confess to your sins and attempt to mitigate the fallout - not double down so ham-fistedly."
Chen Xinyi flushed an ugly mottled red, her mouth working soundlessly as she struggled to formulate a response. Around her, the members of the Song family watched the spectacle in varying degrees of shock and disbelief.
Only Song Yanyan seemed utterly unfazed, meeting Wu Haoyu's pointed look with an inscrutable expression of her own. Finally finding her voice again, Chen Xinyi turned once more to Song Bo with wild desperation.
"You...you can't honestly be believing all this, can you Bo? After everything we've been through together? After doing all those...awful things to me?"
Song Bo's brows arched slightly at the clear attempt at redirection and misdirection. Chen Xinyi saw the slight shift and hastened to press her advantage.
"That's right, I'm talking about those nights where you'd get drinks with the boys and stumble home late, reeking of alcohol and perfume I know damned well wasn't mine! Or the endless scrutiny over every penny I tried to spend - how you'd berate me for frivolous expenditures to maintain my looks for you while you were off galavanting around behind my back!"
A stunned silence fell over the group, with Huang Jiang and Wu Haoyu exchanging a loaded look at this latest clearly unhinged gambit to distract and deflect from the original line of questioning.
"You miserable hag..."
The words were spoken barely above a whisper, yet resonated through the stillness of the room with surprising force.