NOVEL NEXT Chapter 34: Expel You or Expel Me
Chapter 34: Expel You or Expel Me
Qiao Nian didn’t know when it started, but hearing Lin Ye’s voice had become extremely irritating to her.
She turned to look at him and saw him push away the servant supporting him, limping quickly towards her. “Apologize to mother!”
Qiao Nian looked him over. Perhaps due to the wound on his back, Lin Ye wasn’t standing straight, and his forehead was even covered in cold sweat, clearly in pain from his quick approach.
Yet despite this, he could still disregard everything and come to reprimand her!
Thinking carefully, Lin Ye had always been like this since childhood. But back then, Lin Ye’s reckless charging forward was to protect her. After Lin Yuan’s return, he began to recklessly target and wrongly accuse her.
Qiao Nian felt a chill in her heart, but said, “Young Master, yesterday you told me to apologize and then got beaten. Today, what punishment are you prepared to receive?”
Mentioning yesterday’s events, Lin Ye couldn’t help but take a deep breath, but he still stubbornly believed it was all Qiao Nian’s fault.
He frowned and questioned, “You’re not still holding a grudge because I hit you, and that’s why you’re lashing out at mother today, are you?”
“Which eye of yours saw me lashing out?” Qiao Nian retorted. She admitted her tone when questioning Madam Lin was too sarcastic, but it was because she really couldn’t hold back. It could hardly be called lashing out, could it?
On the contrary, it was Lin Ye himself who seemed to be constantly angry in front of her.
Seeing Lin Ye and Qiao Nian arguing again, Madam Lin hurried forward to mediate, “Alright, alright, it’s nothing important. Ye’er, your wounds haven’t healed, why aren’t you resting in your room? Why did you come out?”
As she spoke, Madam Lin’s gaze caught sight of the white bandage on Lin Ye’s finger, and she was startled again, “What happened to your hand?”
“Mother, I’m fine.” Lin Ye softened his tone to reassure Madam Lin, but thinking about how he had injured his finger while carving a hairpin for Qiao Nian, only for her to bully his mother and sister here, he couldn’t suppress his anger.
He glared at Qiao Nian hatefully, “It’s all because of certain jinxes!”
Qiao Nian was certain that Lin Ye’s ‘jinx’ was directed at her.
If it had been before yesterday, these three words would have hurt Qiao Nian deeply, but now, she felt nothing, not the slightest bit affected.
Compared to being beaten in front of hundreds of people, these three words were truly insignificant.
Moreover, she knew she wasn’t one.
This entire Marquis’s mansion was able to stand here only by exploiting and bullying her, how could she possibly be a jinx?
Madam Lin lightly patted Lin Ye, “How can you speak to your sister like that!”
Qiao Nian chuckled softly and gently added, “Yes, how can Young Master speak to Miss Lin like that.”
This caused Lin Yuan, who was standing nearby, to suddenly widen her eyes and look at Lin Ye, tears falling one after another.
Lin Ye felt his breath catch, afraid Lin Yuan would misunderstand. He immediately said to Qiao Nian, “I was talking about you!”
But this angry shout only elicited a mocking smile from Qiao Nian.
Remembering what she had said before the Buddha statue yesterday, Lin Ye felt a heaviness in his chest. He pointed at Qiao Nian and questioned harshly, “You don’t acknowledge me as your brother, I don’t blame you, but what about mother? She cared for you day and night when you were sick as a child, don’t you even recognize her anymore?”
Lin Ye probably wanted to use these words to appeal to Qiao Nian’s ‘conscience’.
But Qiao Nian’s heart had long since died in the laundry bureau.
She smiled slightly, looking at Lin Ye with a trace of contempt in her eyes, “Young Master hits people first and then says he doesn’t blame them, truly giving the impression of doing something wrong and then trying to appear righteous.”
The wounds on her back were still hurting!
Although Lin Ye had been beaten unconscious yesterday, none of the brooms that hit him had broken, and Lin Ye didn’t even have severe wounds on his back, which was why he could get out of bed today.
But what about her?
Just a few strikes had broken the brooms, the force so great that the broken ends had deeply scratched her back.
It was clear that Lin Ye had truly intended to take her life yesterday!
Although Qiao Nian hadn’t spoken too plainly, Lin Ye fully received this insult.
He immediately raised his fist towards Qiao Nian, “I think you haven’t been beaten enough, that’s why you’re so stubborn!”
Madam Lin quickly embraced Lin Ye, “Ye’er! Don’t be rash!”
Unexpectedly, Qiao Nian took a step towards Lin Ye, “Young Master still wants to hit someone? Where do you want to hit today? Left cheek or right cheek? Should I bring my face closer for you?”
Seeing her so arrogant, Lin Ye’s anger intensified, and he almost broke free from Madam Lin’s grasp.
However, Ning Shuang suddenly rushed in front of Qiao Nian, shouting at Lin Ye, “The Emperor’s marriage decree has just been issued, and Young Master already wants to hit our Miss. Isn’t this disregarding the Emperor too much?”
Lin Ye was stunned, then frowned at Ning Shuang, “Even you, a mere maid, dare to pressure me?”
“Can’t I?” Qiao Nian pushed Ning Shuang aside and smiled at Lin Ye, “If not, why do you think your mother is holding you so tightly right now?”
Was she worried Lin Ye would hurt her?
Hah, she didn’t believe it.
Previously, when she had been repeatedly hurt and slandered, this so-called ‘mother’ Madam Lin had never once stood up for her.
So now, Madam Lin was only worried that Lin Ye’s impulsiveness would offend the imperial authority and bring trouble!
Lin Ye was truly furious.
But Madam Lin was now crying while holding him, so he couldn’t struggle anymore. He just shouted angrily at Qiao Nian, “I shouldn’t have brought you back. How long have you been back, and you’ve already caused chaos in the entire family!”
“Indeed, Young Master shouldn’t have brought me back,” Qiao Nian lowered her eyes, the mockery in her smile deepening. “But, the Marquis’s mansion needs me.”
Truly, her ability to leave the laundry bureau was thanks to her grandmother’s efforts, but Marquis Lin and Madam Lin clearly had other intentions as well.
Without her, who would marry Prince Ming? Who would ensure the Marquis’s mansion’s temporary peace?
Lin Yuan?
How could they bear to let their precious daughter marry a cripple and spend the rest of her life as a living widow?
If Madam Liu hadn’t told her the whole truth, she might still think she was living on others’ charity even today!
It was laughable how she had previously debased herself just to prove she couldn’t eat fish.
But Lin Ye seemed not to understand what Qiao Nian was saying. He laughed coldly, “Need you? You think too highly of yourself! I’ve told you before, if you don’t want to stay here, you’re free to leave. No one in the Marquis’s mansion will stop you!”
Previously, Lin Ye had felt these words were too harsh.
But now, he only regretted not driving Qiao Nian away earlier!
“Ye’er! Stop talking! Please stop!” Madam Lin was weeping profusely.
Lin Yuan also cried as she came forward to embrace Madam Lin and Lin Ye, her sobs nearly melting Lin Ye’s heart.
They were the real family.
Qiao Nian coldly watched them, a flash of disgust in her eyes. She asked Lin Ye directly, “Do you have the authority to make decisions in this Marquis’s mansion? Why don’t you go ask Marquis Lin, if someone has to be expelled from the mansion, would it be you or me?”