CHAPTER 502: 483: FACE (THE THIRD UPDATE)

Bai Xue was crying at the gate of the courtyard, with a little security guard there trying to console her, and passersby giving her sideways glances. When Ye Ling came over with her big belly, Bai Xue’s cries grew even louder.

When she got closer, Ye Ling held her belly with one hand and her waist with the other, "Stop crying like you’ve been terribly wronged. Aren’t you here because of Ye Qian? You don’t need to say what Ye Qian told you. I can’t handle Ye Qian’s affairs, and if you as her mother can’t either, how can I as her sister manage it?"

Ye Ling was shouting for everyone to hear, making it impossible for those around them not to listen. Bai Xue was dumbfounded by Ye Ling’s posture, obviously intending for everyone to hear.

"Ye Ling, let’s go inside to talk." Bai Xue said anxiously.

"Why go inside? You’ve been crying out here for so long, everyone thinks I’ve bullied you as your daughter. My parents-in-law are not home for the next few days. If my mother-in-law were here, with her temperament, she’d have thrown you out already. You came to cry about your younger daughter’s issues early in the morning. What do you want me to do? Help you drag Liu Zhiyuan back? Liu Zhiyuan didn’t even say he was divorcing Ye Qian yesterday. It was Ye Qian herself who insisted on a divorce. This is something you as a mother should handle. I’ve never heard of a mother not taking care of things and forcing the older daughter to step up. Liu Zhiyuan brought a woman home to sleep, yet Ye Qian didn’t make a fuss. Do you want me to go to the Liu Family and make a scene?" Ye Ling kept talking without giving her mother a chance to speak, "Ye Qian didn’t make a fuss about Liu Zhiyuan bringing a woman home to sleep, yet you want me to confront the Liu Family?"

"I’m not here for that...."

"If you’re not here for this, then why are you crying outside the gate so early in the morning? Did you ever care for me growing up? You never spent a penny on me. I worked my way through high school myself. Now that you have food and drink, you see I’m doing well and want to cause trouble for me? Do you want to ruin my child so that you can feel at ease?" Bai Xue was so flustered by these words that she didn’t dare to speak the truth, and the lies she came up with were even less convincing.

"To see me? To see me is to stand at the courtyard gate and cry? To make everyone laugh at me?" Ye Ling mocked with a smile, "Mom, am I your biological daughter? Even if I’m adopted, please let me go. Let me have a few good days. Otherwise, should I just die here now and return my life to you?"

"You...." Bai Xue was dumbfounded, overwhelmed by the pointed glances around her, and turned away frantically, disappearing from sight in a flash.

Ye Ling wiped her eyes and forced a smile, "Sorry everyone, for letting you witness this scene."

"It’s been hard on you, dealing with a mother like that."

"Everyone living in the courtyard knows your situation."

"Yes, and with that big belly, don’t overthink things. Go back and rest."

The crowd chimed in with various comments, and after Ye Ling thanked them, she headed home. Once inside her house, she smiled. With today’s commotion, she believed there wouldn’t be such incidents again. Even if her mother was truly shameless, the security and other people in the courtyard would just ignore her as if she wasn’t there.

In good spirits, Ye Ling started making dumplings with the housemaid. But before they finished, Shen Bin came back sweating profusely, "Are you okay?"

Hearing him say that, Ye Ling realized he had returned after hearing about what happened in the courtyard. Seeing the sweat on his forehead, she asked, "How did you get back?"

"I don’t have a high enough rank for a special car like Dad, so I ran back," Shen Bin wiped his sweat, regaining his usual composure, "As long as you’re fine, I have to return this afternoon."

He removed his hat to wash his hands and then returned to the kitchen to help make dumplings.

The housemaid winked at Ye Ling.

The two were having a cold war while living under the same roof; how could the family not notice?

Shen Bin’s actions warmed Ye Ling’s heart, but she pretended not to notice the maid’s gaze, focusing on making dumplings. After eating the dumplings, when Shen Bin was about to leave, Ye Ling took out the big black scarf she had knitted for him.

"Take your time on the way," Ye Ling said, still with a sour face.

Shen Bin, like a child who had received candy, broke into a smile. His usually stern face was not suited for smiling, and after a glare from Ye Ling, he left smiling.

After Bai Xue returned home, she saw her younger daughter with red, swollen eyes and felt guilty, "It’s all because your mother is useless. I couldn’t even get into the courtyard over there, let alone handle your issues."

Apparently, at the Liu Family yesterday, Ye Qian, although having threatened to fight Liu Zhiyuan to the bitter end, realized after a night of thinking that she couldn’t win against the Liu Family. Her best option was a divorce, but Liu Zhiyuan clearly wouldn’t divorce, leaving Ye Ling to step in as perhaps the only hope.

After feeling the hints from Ye Qian’s complaints last night, Bai Xue knew what to do and went to the courtyard early in the morning. When the little guard blocked her, she stood there crying, knowing Ye Ling would let her in for the sake of appearances. Once at the Li Family, she believed she wouldn’t leave unless she was granted her wish.

But Ye Ling was even more ruthless, exposing everything at the gate of the courtyard. Bai Xue didn’t care about how others viewed her, but she couldn’t handle the comments and returned in a panic.

After hearing the whole story, Ye Qian listened in a daze without responding. Bai Xue wanted to say a few more words but then saw her distressed niece arrive.

"Why aren’t you at work?" Bai Xue was quite surprised.

"Auntie, I can’t bear to face my single desk job anymore. I’m practically being drowned by gossip," Bai Lianhua said, tears streaming down her face.

"Not a single one of you gives me peace of mind," Bai Xue lamented, staring at the one she had always thought was the worst, who seemed to be living the best now, "Come on, tell me what’s happened?"

"I don’t know if Lin Tao did it, but everyone at work knows about me, even my boyfriend, and now he’s broken up with me. At work, nobody even talks to me now; they find me disgusting," Bai Lianhua couldn’t believe things had gotten this bad.

With the Li Family involved, how could Lin Tao dare to do this?

Bai Xue was dumbfounded as well but quickly turned to anger, angrily pointing fingers, trying to dissociate herself, "Serves you right, all your shameless actions have led to this. Why are you crying to me now? You were brave enough to crash into the Li Family before, weren’t you? Now go crash into them again and have them get you another job."