"Bai Xiao, how... how did you figure it out?"

Liu Hong was at a loss; what she thought was well-hidden had long been seen through. Her face turned pale, then flushed red.

It was shameful.

Her deepest secrets had been exposed.

Completely laid bare, beneath her glamorous façade was such a wretched family.

Liu Hong hugged her head and cried bitterly.

The dignity she desired was completely gone, and she cried hysterically.

The grievances and resentment over the years, along with life's unfairness, her self-blame and guilt, all erupted in this moment.

Bai Xiao parked the car on the tree-lined road; it was quiet here and no one would see.

There was no consolation! No comfort at all, except for handing her tissues, Bai Xiao did not do anything.

Let her cry!

Let her have a good cry.

Not knowing how long these grievances had been bottled up inside, just seeing Liu Hong like this made her heart ache.

No matter what, Liu Hong had once been a friend who accompanied her through a journey in life, truly a friend, and seeing her like this now, Bai Xiao felt both sad and reflective.

Life is truly full of unpredictabilities.

Back then, Bai Xiao and He Weng had wanted to matchmake them.

But Liu Hong couldn't get past that emotional hurdle in her heart.

In the end, Liu Hong chose to return home and marry according to her parents' arrangements, while He Weng left there to start anew.

He Weng, though still unmarried, was living well, yet Liu Hong was leading an unsatisfactory life.

It's really fate playing cruel tricks.

After crying enough, Liu Hong finally looked at Bai Xiao with red eyes, "Bai Xiao, go ahead and laugh at me. I know you all look down on me; it was my own blindness in choosing people, taking the wrong path, and now reaping what I sowed. I deserve this, I'm to blame."

"Liu Hong, why say that? People make mistakes, you made yours! But isn't that in the past now? If you look down on yourself, how can you expect others to look up to you? Maybe it's this mindset of yours that has resulted in the current situation.

If you don't love yourself, who will love you?"

Bai Xiao felt a sense of frustration as she watched Liu Hong.

Liu Hong belittled herself too much.

"But, a mistake is a mistake, I can't go back. Now Li Shuanzhu despises me for having had a child with someone else back then, and he's often used it against me. I've always tolerated it, since I was at fault first, but Li Shuanzhu keeps going too far, his siblings treating me the same way!

What breaks my heart the most is that my own child also looks down on me, just like their biological father, thinking I'm a promiscuous woman, thinking I'm not self-respecting, thinking I deserve this."

Liu Hong completely let go, anyway, Bai Xiao had already figured it out! Could it get any worse?

"What about your company?"

Bai Xiao felt that Liu Hong had given up too much, otherwise, even if Li Shuanzhu had thoughts, he wouldn't dare to insult a person so flagrantly.

"We had just gotten married when Li Shuanzhu said I worked too hard for a woman, so he joined me. Later, when I had a child, he said the child needed a mother's care and he couldn't bear to see me suffer, so I stayed home to take care of the child while he went to the company for business.

One managing the home, the other working outside, we should live our lives well.

At first, it was fine, but then came the second child, followed by the third. For the children's sake, I had to stay home. Later, I didn't want to go to the company anymore; I didn't understand things there, and you see, I've become so fat, I didn't want to see anyone.

As a result, from the time of the second child, Li Shuanzhu became indifferent, eventually turning to physical violence. I then realized something was wrong, that's when I discovered he had someone else, a salesgirl at the company. I pleaded, I made a scene, but he was dead set on not breaking up with that vixen).

The whole family ganged up to curse at me, saying it was because I was unclean, promiscuous, that Li Shuanzhu wanted to take revenge on me and that's why he was with someone else. Amazingly, all the problems were my fault.

Even my own child said it's because of me their father doesn't come home. I really want to die right now, you can see it yourself.

Today, that woman came to the door to curse at me, telling me to get lost and make way for her, saying I'm hogging a position without doing anything and I'm an unwanted old woman. I hit that woman, Li Shuanzhu hit me, and even told me he wants a divorce, saying I can forget about the family property and the children, as they're all his.

Bai Xiao, I hate it, I don't know how I ended up living like this."

Liu Hong slapped herself hard twice.

The loud slapping sound made Bai Xiao both furious and heartbroken.

The once lively and straightforward Liu Hong had been worn down by life, by Li Shuanzhu's family, into this.

Not even an inkling left to fight for herself.

Li Shuanzhu probably had ulterior motives long ago, such a man had been biding his time.

"Don't hit yourself, if you have the guts, be the Liu Hong I once knew, go find Li Shuanzhu and hit back. The one at fault is that bastard of a man, what's it got to do with you? Even if you were innocent, would Li Shuanzhu not cheat?

That's just an excuse. Since he looks down on you! What did he do when you just got married? Didn't he care about whether you were a good woman then? After using your money and supporting his siblings, he starts to despise you. Who does he think he is, what right does he have to despise?

A man living off someone else's money, and you still blame yourself, do you have a screw loose or what?"

Bai Xiao was angered by her lack of fight, Li Shuanzhu must have been using this tactic to brainwash Liu Hong for years.

To the point where Liu Hong didn't even resist.

Liu Hong stared blankly at Bai Xiao, unable to respond, then sat there motionless.

"Yes, the company is mine! I'm still the legal representative, the money to start the company was also mine, the shop front and house were all mine, even the car at home is in my name, why should I get lost and walk away with nothing?

My father had great foresight, he insisted everything at home was in my name, and we even signed a prenuptial agreement back then. Li Shuanzhu said it wasn't because of my money, that he genuinely liked me, but his family was dirt poor back then.

Without me, could his siblings have gone to college? Could they each have the houses and cars they have now? Weren't they all my money? And now, I'm the one who's told to get lost.

Why?"

Liu Hong suddenly became clear-headed.

Perhaps it wasn't a lack of clarity, but after long-time indoctrination, Liu Hong hadn't realized, and this just woke her up.

"Alright! How do you want me to help you? You see it too, this man probably won't continue living with you, where there's a first time, there will be a second. If he can despise you now, wouldn't he despise you in the future? And the children, you need to think carefully about what you want."

Bai Xiao could only remind her.

Liu Hong's divorce case would probably not be easy.

Children, property, these were things Liu Hong couldn't easily give up.

It was ultimately up to her.

After all, she was still just an outsider.

She could help for a while, but not a lifetime.