"How could it be them?"
I stood frozen in place, staring blankly at Grandma.
"Weren't they always the ones who cherished Lin Jiaojiao the most?"
"Once this gets exposed, even if Lin Jiaojiao doesn't die, the Song family won't let her off easily."
Grandma sighed and shook her head.
"No one knows why."
"In her panic, Lin Jiaojiao actually stabbed Chuan'er."
"Even Shen Yuzhou's hand got cut."
"Ránrán, do you want to see them?"
I stood there for a long time before shaking my head.
"No need."
"Aside from you, Grandma, I don't want to see any of them."
I thought this matter was finally over.
When I woke up, I found myself tied to a chair.
The surroundings were dilapidated, clearly an abandoned warehouse.
Looking up, sure enough, it was Lin Jiaojiao.
But she no longer had the arrogance and smugness from before. Instead, her eyes were filled with nothing but hatred.
"Su Xiran, why won't you just die?"
"How did you manage to survive those five years in prison?"
The rough rope chafed against my wrists, stinging painfully, but I endured it without making a sound.
"Why?"
"Lin Jiaojiao, I have never done anything to wrong you."
"Why do you keep targeting me?"
"You already have everything you wanted—the title of the Lin family's eldest daughter, the engagement to the heir of the Shen family."
"Why do you still insist on getting rid of me?"
Hearing those words, Lin Jiaojiao tilted her head back and let out a mocking laugh.
"Why?"
"Because you never truly left my life!"
"I was supposed to be the real eldest daughter of the Lin family."
"Yet Mom and Dad still decided to adopt you, treating you just as they did before."
"With you around, how could anyone ever notice me?"
"And my brother and Shen Yuzhou were even worse."
"Do you know why they made you take the fall for me?"
"Because I told them that if you did, I would accept you as a Lin family daughter, just like me. I would even give you the engagement."
"If I hadn't said that, they wouldn't have agreed to make you take the blame."
"But why should I have to?"
Lin Jiaojiao stared at me with resentment, her eyes filled with malice.
"You owe me this!"
"I thought that after five years, they would have forgotten about you."
"But one by one, they all kept thinking about bringing you back."
"They even wanted me to fulfill my promise."
"Su Xiran, you blame me for bringing in Yu Wei to ruin you."
"But if they hadn't forced me, why would I have had to go to such extremes?"
"If you want to blame someone, blame them!"
I never expected this to be the truth. My hands clenched unconsciously.
"So what are you planning to do now?"
"What am I going to do?"
Lin Jiaojiao chuckled and pressed a dagger against my cheek, speaking softly.
"Naturally, I'll use you as a hostage and get some money to disappear."
"Mom, Dad, my brother, and even A'zhou refused to help me get out of this."
"Three hundred million—I'm not asking for much, am I?"
From the side, Song Hengyi stepped forward, impatiently urging her.
"Why waste your breath on her?"
"If they don't pay, we'll just kill her. I refuse to believe they'd sit back and watch her die."
I glanced around before letting out a cold laugh.
"They were able to stand by and watch as I was sent to prison."
"Why would they be willing to pay three hundred million to save me now?"
"At worst, we can all just die together."
"If I'm not mistaken, Song Hengyi, you're just an illegitimate child, aren't you?"
"Madam Song was kind enough to acknowledge you, yet you repay her with betrayal."
"In prison, I doubt you'll live any better than I did."
"Shut up!"
Song Hengyi kicked me over, my arm landing on shattered glass, instantly staining it with bright red blood.
"You bitch, what did you just say?"
"Song Yuci is a son of the Song family—so what? Does that mean I'm not?"
"Why should he inherit, and I can't?"
"Just wait, I'll kill that Song Yuci sooner or later!"
Lin Jiaojiao, clearly frightened, snapped at him.
"Are you insane?"
"If you kill her, how are we supposed to get the money?"
Song Hengyi remained unfazed, glancing at his phone.
"What's the rush?"
"Seeing her like this will only make them more anxious."
"Look, isn't someone already on their way?"