Confronting the Poison Lotus Chapter 07

Lan Yu felt even more wronged and resentful after being blocked by her, but she bit her lip, holding back her tears.

Lixia sighed helplessly. A woman in her forties or fifties still acting like a teenager, it's really giving people goosebumps, isn't it?

Fu Xinren was furious, pointing his finger at Lixia. "How dare you talk to your aunt like that? You made a mistake and yet you're so arrogant and domineering, just like your mother! You're hopeless!"

Lixia's pupils contracted, her fists clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palms, but the most painful thing was her heart. There truly are men so shameless and lacking in morals.

Phoenix men, they were the epitome of Fu Xinren's ugly face right now. On one hand, he complained that his wife wasn't gentle or caring enough, and on the other hand, he shamelessly used marriage and women to climb higher.

Si Lan, Yi Lan, every time Lixia heard these two names, she felt disgusted to the core. The father-daughter affection they once had had been worn away completely.

He, too, was Lixia's target! But for now, he was just a pawn, not the first step in her plan.

After Fu Xinren finished venting his anger, Lixia didn't immediately respond, but instead looked at him quietly for a while, her dark eyes devoid of emotion.

Seeing her suddenly silent, Fu Xinren didn't know what to say next.

Lixia smiled faintly. "Dad, throughout her life, Mom never cuckolded you, mistreated your parents, neglected your children, or tarnished your reputation. What did she do wrong? Even when you had another family outside, she accommodated you. Where did she go wrong?"

Although Fu Xinren was annoyed by her words, he couldn't refute them.

He hated how perfect Li Yiren was, how she never made any mistakes. In the first few years after their divorce, he even regretted not having an affair with Lan Yu to provoke Li Yiren, so the public opinion wouldn't be so one-sided against him.

Yes, Li Yiren was capable and beautiful.

Back when he was pursuing her, he was indeed captivated by her charm. But she had never been weak; she was nothing like Lan Yu. Only in front of her did he feel like a real man.

But he was wrong. A man's dominance comes from his own efforts, not from being supported by a woman.

Lixia's words chilled him. "Moreover, even if you think poorly of Mom, she's already dead. What's the point of degrading her further?"

She originally wanted to say that his current prosperity and status were all thanks to Mom, but she held back. Some things had to be taken slowly.

Fu Xinren flushed with anger but couldn't argue back. "And look at what you've done! You come home on the first day and create chaos in the house!"

Lixia was puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

At this point, Fu Yi Lan stepped forward, grabbing Fu Xinren's hand, crying softly. "Dad, forget it, Third Sister didn't do it on purpose. Maybe she's lost too much and feels unbalanced. That's why we need to give her more love."

Looking at Lixia, her eyes watery, she continued, "Third Sister, I don't know why you've never liked me since we were young. We're sisters, why do we have to be like this?"

Fu Xinren sighed even more at Yi Lan's understanding and thoughtfulness, but he couldn't help feeling more resentful towards Lixia.

Lixia continued to be puzzled. "What's going on?"

Fu Xinren saw her confusion and knew she was straightforward and not pretending, so he handed her the phone again. "Take a look!"

Lixia took the phone and calmly looked up. "Dad suspects it was me?"

Fu Xinren's face turned cold. "The people attending the banquet today are all Si Lan's classmates. Why would they do such a thing?"

Although Lixia remained calm, she couldn't help but be provoked by his words and laughed. "Why would it only be me doing such a thing?"

Fu Xinren was furious. "Because you sent this video to Yi Lan!"

Lixia remained unmoved. "I didn't. If someone sent a video in my name, then it's definitely a setup. If you don't believe me, check the phone records."

Lixia took out her phone and slammed it on the table with a loud noise, startling everyone. "Call the police to investigate. If there are any records of communication with Yi Lan on my phone, I'll leave this house immediately. If not, all of you owe me an apology!"

Fu Yi Lan was stunned; she had made a mistake. She could think of using a spare phone, so why wouldn't Lixia?

Seeing the daughter who had softened a bit moments ago suddenly become fierce and aggressive, Fu Xinren lost his resolve again.

To be honest, he was a bully. Although he was smooth-talking in the business world and the head of the household at home, the dominance Li Yiren had instilled in him still lingered in his heart.

Lixia's momentary ruthlessness completely matched her mother's, making Fu Xinren inexplicably cold all over.

One sentence from her caused such a big backlash; did it seem like she was being framed?

At this point, Yi Lan couldn't continue to hold onto her stubbornness and quickly signaled to her aunt.

Lan Xin was like a poisonous mushroom, flamboyant on the outside but wicked on the inside. She immediately joined in, speaking in a strange tone, "Who knows how many phones you have?"

Fu Xinren's face changed again.

Lixia was waiting for this. She sneered, "I thought you all just misunderstood me before. But now it seems like someone intentionally framed me." 

Lan Xin raised her eyebrows, her eyes like a certain cunning animal. "Do you have any evidence to prove it wasn't you?"

"Even in a criminal case, gathering evidence is the responsibility of the authorities, right? Fortunately, Auntie isn't a law enforcement officer, or there would have been casualties." 

Lixia disdainfully looked at her, picked up her phone, opened the forum page, and pushed it in front of Fu Xinren. 

"Dad, I just heard people gossiping about this video outside. I happened to think Yi Lan's dance was beautiful, so I recorded it with my phone. I saw someone deliberately cutting the video and causing trouble, so I posted the complete footage. There's also everyone dancing to the music afterwards. Although the previous gossip couldn't be avoided, at least the storm has now subsided."

Standing in front of everyone, amidst their astonished, shocked, resentful, and incredulous gazes, Lixia mocked, "I treat myself as part of your family, so when I saw Yi Lan's video, I tried my best to minimize her harm. But what about you? As soon as something happens, you push it onto me. Dad, I'm your daughter too. Aren't you afraid of hurting my feelings?"

Fu Xinren couldn't say a word, his anger completely dissipated, replaced by a hint of shame.

Lixia's words were well-founded; he had only listened to Yi Lan's side of the story and had been too hasty in his judgment. But Yi Lan's concerns were also valid. Besides Lixia, he didn't know who else could have sent that video.

Seeing his obvious change of expression, Lixia pulled her lips into a wry smile. "Dad, I've lost my mom and sister. You, grandma, and Qiao Qiao are the only family I have left. I want to come home, but you're not accepting me." 

Fu Xinren didn't particularly like Lixia in his heart, but being confronted by her like this, he couldn't just let it slide. He frowned, "Dad, why wouldn't I welcome you home? This is just a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Lixia sneered, "With the way you all are acting, it's clear you're all targeting me. Attacking me without any evidence, it seems like someone wants to frame me and kick me out of the house, right?"

This series of attacks caught Fu Yi Lan off guard. The reason she dared to release that short video to harass everyone was because she had a complete backup to clear her name. She had planned to kick Lixia out first and then handle the situation, but she didn't expect Lixia to preempt her, resulting in her being exposed.

Fu Yi Lan knew that Lixia wasn't being kind-hearted; the only explanation was that she had calculated that Fu Yi Lan would release the video herself to frame her. Now, she had not only failed to harm Lixia but also found herself in trouble.

She was about to say something when Lixia's cold gaze fell on her. "Are you really willing to self-destruct like this? Do you really want to kick me out?"

Fu Yi Lan knew that she couldn't continue to discredit Lixia at this point. She burst into tears. "I didn't do it. Dad, how could I harm myself? The things those people said online were so vulgar and dirty, how could I willingly post something to embarrass myself?"

Fu Xinren comforted her for a few words before looking at Lixia with a less than pleasant expression. "Xia Xia, your words don't make sense."

Almost simultaneously, Lixia retorted, "Now it's my fault? When all of you were interrogating me and even smashing my phone, and all of you were so sure that it was me behind it, did it make sense?"

Fu Xinren's face flushed. Although this girl was sharp-tongued, he did feel ashamed. Acting without evidence didn't fit the image of the head of the family.

"Xia Xia is really something," Lan Xin smiled faintly. "Whether you did this or not is still up for debate, but with just these words, you've slapped each of us in the face. Your mouth is really sharp. Truly your mother's daughter."

Lixia's face turned cold. "Do you have any right to speak when I'm talking to my dad?" She paused, her tone becoming more assertive. "If you have anything to say, it's Aunt Lan Yu who has the right to speak."

Lan Xin saw that Lixia showed no emotion and clearly didn't regard her highly. Moreover, these words were once again trying to stir up their sisterly relationship. She couldn't help but get angry, but before she could speak, Lan Yu sighed softly.

Fu Xinren, seeing this, was about to reprimand Lixia, but she spoke first. "Aunt, crying and looking sad all the time, it really makes people doubt, are you mourning or cursing my dad? Aren't you worried that by acting like this, outsiders might think the Fu family is mistreating you?"

This statement surprised Fu Xinren, and Lan Yu was stunned.

"Dad, you really need to manage Aunt properly. After all, you're a respected businessman. I don't know how you've wronged her, but she's sad all the time. Do you think people won't suspect that you mistreat her or have an affair?" Lixia looked at the pale-faced Lan Yu.

"Aunt, if you can't support my dad in business, at least stop dragging him down with that sad face of yours. Is this what a virtuous wife should do? A man is busy outside, already tired, and when he comes home, he has to comfort you like a princess. Is that appropriate?"

Fu Xinren frowned. "Mistreated by the mother-in-law" and "husband having an affair", one was his beloved mother, and the other was his cherished reputation. He had always felt that Lan Yu needed to be protected, which made him feel proud. But after being reminded by Lixia, he suddenly realized that such a woman would also tarnish his image outside.

Fu Yi Lan was shocked. In just a short while, Lixia had stirred up all the relationships in the house.

This time, Lan Xin didn't retort but carefully observed Lixia.

Her face was extremely pale, her lips and eyebrows were very light in color, but her eyes were exceptionally dark. She bore some resemblance to her sister, but because of her short hair, she looked wild and difficult to control.

Lan Yu stopped crying and accused in grief, "Lixia, how could you slander me like this? How can you be so heartless?"

"Ask your beloved daughter that question first," Lixia replied, then looked at Fu Xinren. "Dad, as I said before, my only family in this world is Grandma Qiao Qiao and you. I wanted to get along well with you, but clearly, your family doesn't want to! In that case, let's part ways."

Lixia narrowed her eyes slightly and said sternly, "This house belongs to our Li family, so all of you, get out now."

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