Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed

Chapter 576 - 209 Empress Dowager Xia Furious: I Gave Birth to a Bastard_2

Listening to Xia Qin’s excited introduction, for some reason, Li Zixia felt a little unhappy. In her heart, she felt closest to Xia Zhijin, who had spent the most time with her, tutored her with her homework, cooked her delicious, spicy Sichuan food, and was incredibly gentle.

My playboy brother, Zhijin is so wonderful, so why don’t you bring her home to meet Mom? Li Zixia thought, feeling a pang of pity for Xia Zhijin. However, she was only his younger sister and had no say in Li Yuan’s decisions.

Just then, Li Zixia’s phone suddenly chimed with a text message alert. She picked up her phone and read the message from her scumbag brother. Her expression changed drastically, shifting from worry to joy, though she still looked somewhat conflicted.

"Zixia, Zhijin and I just finished dinner and will be home soon. You should give Mom a heads-up. Ahem, just briefly introduce your... sisters-in-law and explain the situation. Oh, and make sure you keep Mom calm. Zhijin is a little nervous..."

Seeing the message from Li Yuan, Li Zixia pouted, her expression quite a sight. A smirk touched the corners of her lips. So my scumbag brother is scared now, is he? Afraid Mom will lose her temper when she finds out the truth? And now he knows to ask his dear little sister to run cover for him? Still, at least her scumbag brother had some conscience. The one he was bringing home tonight was Zhijin.

Li Zixia pondered how she could possibly introduce her brother’s philandering ways to their mother without causing an explosion. After a moment of thought, she decided it was best to just tell the truth.

"Mom, I have something I want to tell you."

Xia Qin was still reveling in the memory of meeting Zhong Tingyue at noon. Hearing her daughter call out, she walked over with a smile and asked, "Zixia, what do you want to talk about?"

Li Zixia stammered, finding it difficult to speak, but remembering Li Yuan’s instructions, she gritted her teeth and said, "Um, Mom, the girlfriend my brother is bringing home later isn’t Zhong Tingyue. Her name is Xia Zhijin. Make sure you don’t call her by the wrong name!"

Xia Qin froze, her brows furrowing. She didn’t quite understand and asked in confusion, "Zixia, isn’t your brother’s girlfriend named Zhong Tingyue? She told me herself at noon."

"I may be getting on in years, but I’m not deaf," she added.

Li Zixia carefully explained, "Mom, is it possible... that my brother has more than one girlfriend?"

Xia Qin was momentarily stunned, but then her expression turned to one of fury. She shot to her feet. This time, she understood.

Looking at her precious daughter with a grave expression, she asked in a trembling voice, "Zixia, are you saying that besides Tingyue, your brother has other girlfriends?"

"Yes!" Seeing the severe look on her mother’s face, Li Zixia jumped in fright, her own expression growing tense and worried.

Xia Qin became enraged, shouting, "That bastard! Dating two girls at the same time! Has he forgotten what happened to your eldest cousin?"

Seeing her mother’s lion-like rage, Li Zixia suddenly recalled something she had almost forgotten.

About six or seven years ago, her older cousin on her mother’s side had started dating someone while working at a factory out of town. The family was very satisfied with him at first, but when talk turned to marriage, they discovered that the boyfriend was already a married man. He had been married for just over a year, and his wife was pregnant.

Unable to bear the blow, her cousin had thrown herself into a river and committed suicide.

The incident caused a huge stir at the time and even ended up in court. Li Zixia had been too young back then to know how it all concluded.

Her mother had watched that niece grow up and was as close to her as if she were her own daughter. The blow was devastating. Xia Qin had fallen into a deep depression for a long time and nearly had a mental breakdown.

That was why her mother utterly despised two-timing scumbags who toyed with people’s hearts.

Xia Qin cursed again. Her body trembled so violently that she nearly fell, but Li Zixia was quick enough to catch and support her.

"Mom, please calm down first. Sit down so we can talk this through."

Xia Qin steadied herself, her emotions still blazing as she continued to curse, "That little brat! He’s only been in college a few days, earned a little money, and already he’s picked up these disgusting habits! Just wait until he gets home, I’ll beat him to death!"

"He has a girl as beautiful and sensible as Zhong Tingyue, and he’s still not satisfied? He’s so young and already such a philanderer, rotten to the core! How is he worthy of either of them?"

"Your bastard of a brother! What if something happens to one of those girls? What if a life is lost over this? He could go to jail!"

Xia Qin cursed frantically for a few more moments, seeming completely at a loss. The image of her niece being pulled from the river flashed in her mind. She felt dizzy, and her body began to shake violently.

She was a simple woman from the countryside, after all. She wasn’t highly educated or worldly, but she had heard plenty of similar stories from the surrounding villages. Moreover, she had personally experienced her own niece’s suicide over a love affair—the root cause of which was a two-timing man. How could she not be worried sick?

When Li Zixia heard her mother talk about "a life being lost" and "going to jail," she, too, was frightened into a panic.

After all, she was only a first-year in high school and knew nothing about such things. She had never imagined it could be this serious.

With a trembling voice, Li Zixia asked, "Mom, it couldn’t be... Is it really that serious?"

Xia Qin was extremely agitated, her heart filled with worry and fear. Her voice carried a hint of a sob, and her expression was exceptionally grave.