Hua Jing stared at Xia Lin, surprised by her reaction.
Xia Lin's face was etched with worry, her hands fidgeting nervously as she avoided Hua Jing's gaze.
"Why are you reacting like this?" Hua Jing asked, her tone light but curious.
Xia Lin hesitated, her lips pressing into a thin line before she spoke.
"They treated you so badly," she said softly. "Why do you want to see them again?"
She was the witness to everything that those vile people had done to Hua Jing so how could she let her go back to that awful place?
Hua Jing's brow arched slightly at the question.
Xia Lin glanced up, her expression a mix of concern and confusion.
"Now that you're with the prince," Xia Lin continued, "you're free. You don't have to go back to them anymore. There's no reason to."
They had even spent the night together so there was no way the prince would treat her badly so why was she so hell bent on going back there!
Hua Jing tilted her head, studying Xia Lin carefully.
"I can't avoid them forever," she said after a moment, her voice calm and measured.
"But why?" Xia Lin pressed. "Why would you want to see people who treated you so cruelly? Isn't it better to stay away and live peacefully here?"
Hua Jing smiled faintly, a glimmer of determination in her eyes.
"Because I'm not the same Hua Jing anymore," she said simply.
Xia Lin blinked, her confusion deepening.
"Not the same?" she repeated.
Her young lady had said this millions of times now yet she still didn't understand what she meant!
"What do you mean?"
Hua Jing leaned back slightly, her fingers playing with the edge of the blanket.
"You see me as weak," she began, her tone soft but firm.
"A little girl who has been through a lot."
Xia Lin nodded hesitantly, unsure where this was going.
"But I've changed," Hua Jing said, her voice stronger now.
"I'm not the same person who let them trample all over me. I've decided that it's time to face them."
Xia Lin's brows furrowed.
"You've changed?" she asked, still skeptical. "But… how?"
Hua Jing met Xia Lin's gaze, her expression unreadable.
"It doesn't matter how," she said lightly.
"What matters is that I won't let them treat me the same way anymore!"
Xia Lin frowned, still unconvinced.
"But what if they…"
"They won't," Hua Jing interrupted firmly.
Her voice carried a weight of certainty that made Xia Lin pause.
"Besides," Hua Jing added, her tone softening, "there's something I need to find out."
Xia Lin tilted her head, curiosity flashing in her eyes.
"Find out?"
Hua Jing nodded.
"I have reason to believe that Hua Ling might have had something to do with my accident," she said carefully.
Xia Lin's eyes widened in shock.
"Hua Ling?" she gasped.
Hua Jing nodded slowly, her expression unreadable.
Xia Lin's face darkened, her hands curling into fists.
"That witch," Xia Lin muttered, her voice low and venomous.
Hua Jing blinked, taken aback by the sudden shift in Xia Lin's demeanor.
"She's the worst person I've ever met," Xia Lin continued, her voice rising with anger.
"She's cruel, manipulative, and completely heartless!"
Hua Jing stared at her, a mixture of surprise and intrigue flickering in her eyes.
Xia Lin was usually so composed, but the mere mention of Hua Ling had set her off.
"You think she had something to do with it?" Hua Jing asked carefully.
"I don't just think it," Xia Lin replied, her tone firm.
"Now that you've said it, I'm sure of it! She must have done something to your carriage!"
Hua Jing raised an eyebrow.
"What makes you so sure?"
Xia Lin exhaled sharply, her hands gesturing animatedly as she spoke.
"Hua Ling hates you to the core," she said, her voice trembling with frustration.
"She's always seen you as a threat, like you were here to take her place in the family."
Hua Jing's lips twitched into a small smile.
"Her place?" she repeated, her tone amused.
Xia Lin nodded fiercely.
"Yes! She's always been jealous of you, even when there was no reason to be. She hates that you exist, Hua Jing!"
Her voice softened slightly as she added, "She's always been so cruel to you… even when you didn't deserve it."
Hua Jing leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand as she studied Xia Lin.
"So, you think she's capable of sabotaging the carriage?" Hua Jing asked.
"I don't just think it," Xia Lin said firmly.
"I know she is! She has the blackest heart I've ever seen in any human being. If anyone could do something so despicable, it's her."
Hua Jing's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Her suspicion about Hua Ling had been strong before, but Xia Lin's passionate words only solidified her resolve.
"I need to find proof," Hua Jing said quietly, almost to herself.
Xia Lin's expression softened as she looked at Hua Jing.
"You want to confront her?" Xia Lin asked hesitantly.
"Not yet," Hua Jing replied, her tone measured.
"First, I need evidence. Solid evidence that she was behind the accident."
"And then?" Xia Lin pressed.
Hua Jing's lips curled into a cold smile.
"And then she'll pay for what she did," she said softly.
Xia Lin shivered at the tone in Hua Jing's voice.
This wasn't the timid girl she had known.
There was something sharp and unyielding about Hua Jing now—something Xia Lin couldn't quite understand but found herself admiring.
"I'll help you," Xia Lin said suddenly, her voice steady.
Hua Jing raised an eyebrow, surprised by her servant's determination.
"You will?"
Xia Lin nodded firmly.
"Yes. If Hua Ling was behind the accident, then she doesn't deserve to get away with it."
Hua Jing chuckled softly, her expression softening.
"Thank you, Xia Lin," she said sincerely.
Xia Lin nodded again, her worry fading slightly as she looked at Hua Jing.
"But promise me you'll be careful," Xia Lin added.
Hua Jing smiled faintly.
"I promise."
She then thought about something, "I really need to go there soon, is there no other way to speed up this honeymoon?"
Xia Lin thought for some time before her eyes widened.
"There is a way!"
Hua Jing blinked, "Tell me!"