Chapter 124: The Secret of the Bian Family

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Qimingzhou saw his brother-in-law at a loss for words and knew he had been caught. Suppressing a smile, he offered him a way out. "Brother-in-law, I think you’re just a bit clumsy. Isn’t it just an apology? You’ve been through thick and thin; apologizing should be a breeze for you."

Bian Cheng kicked him hard under the table. "Who are you calling clumsy? Cut it out!"

Qimingzhou ignored the pain and leaned in quietly. "Brother-in-law, the little girl is looking at you with those big, sparkling eyes full of hope. Would you really hurt her innocent heart? That would diminish your merit. If it were me, I wouldn’t have the heart."

Tang Yu sipped her juice quietly. Her lowered eyelashes cast a soft shadow in the light. She looked so well-behaved, it was hard to be stern with her.

“It’s just an apology. I’m a man of my word; if I’m wrong, I apologize.”

It wouldn’t do to leave a bad impression on a daughter-in-law not yet officially part of the family.

Tang Yu’s eyes suddenly brightened. “I knew Uncle Bian was a good person!”

Bian Cheng smiled wryly. “You little girl really…”

He was both annoyed and amused. “Fine, but this is for your sake, not that kid’s!”

Tang Yu’s sweet smile was soft and gentle. The more Bian Cheng looked at her, the more affectionate his gaze became.

He had always wanted a daughter, but then Bian Yang was born, shattering that dream...

“Thank you, Uncle Bian,” Tang Yu smiled. “But there’s something I want to talk to Uncle Qi about privately. Could you please step aside for a bit?”

Bian Cheng blinked in surprise. “Step aside? Did I hear that right?”

Tang Yu smiled sweetly again. It was a little heartbreaking.

Shouldn’t Qimingzhou be the one to step aside? After all, he was Bian Yang’s biological father.

Qimingzhou was also surprised but curious about what the little girl wanted. He handed the car keys to Bian Cheng and said, “Brother-in-law, I brought two bottles of good wine from abroad and left them in the car. Why don’t you go check them out?”

Bian Cheng scoffed, stood up, didn’t take the keys, and left straight away.

Who cared to listen?

After Bian Cheng left, Qimingzhou looked at the girl. “You want to ask me about your Uncle Bian, don’t you?”

If it were about Bian Yang, there’d be no need to avoid Uncle Bian.

“Yeah.” Tang Yu nodded frankly.

She was still young and straightforward, wanting to know what she wanted to know without beating around the bush.

“Bian Yang told me he didn’t get along with Uncle Bian because Uncle Bian had an affair while Aunt Qi was sick...” Her voice faltered slightly.

“But I noticed that although Uncle Bian has a bad temper, he doesn’t seem like that kind of person…”

If Bian Cheng had really cheated, Qimingzhou, as his wife’s brother, wouldn’t have such a good relationship with him.

If Bian Cheng’s character were questionable, he wouldn’t have asked her about "living together" so discreetly the next day.

More importantly, Bian Cheng’s eyes were clear.

That was Tang Yu’s conclusion from observing him.

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So what she wanted to ask was, "Uncle Qi, did Uncle Bian really have an affair?"

Meeting the girl’s probing gaze, Qimingzhou smiled. “You ask directly.”

He seemed to realize something. “So all that you said earlier wasn’t just to provoke Uncle Bian into apologizing to Yang, but to test his character.”

Tang Yu blinked. “You noticed?”

Qimingzhou laughed. “At first, we both thought you were an innocent little girl. Your Uncle Bian got so angry because he was worried Yang would bully you. But now it seems we overthought it.”

Honest yet clever, worldly yet unpolished.

From the start, this little girl’s thoughts were lively.

How could such a girl be bullied easily?

Tang Yu lowered her voice. “Bian Yang says he doesn’t care, but I know his feelings for Uncle Bian are very deep, so…”

“So you want to ease the relationship between Yang and his father?”

Tang Yu nodded. “On the condition that Uncle Bian didn’t have an affair.”

Qimingzhou lowered his gaze, tapping his fingers lightly on the coffee cup as if pondering.

After a moment, he said quietly, “What I can tell you is that Bian Yang’s parents had a good relationship. Your Uncle Bian never cheated; his eyes only ever held my sister.”

Hearing this, Tang Yu breathed a huge sigh of relief. She was right.

But then Qimingzhou’s words shattered her hopes again. “But Yang’s real problem isn’t this.”

Tang Yu felt Qimingzhou seemed to know a lot. “What is it?”

“Back then, your Uncle Bian cleared the affair rumors through the media, and the evidence was clear. It’s not that Yang didn’t believe it — he didn’t want to believe it,” Qimingzhou said softly. “Yang’s real pain comes from his mother’s death. She was gravely ill, and the affair rumors happened during her illness. Yang blames Uncle Bian for not taking good care of her.”

“Uncle Qi, could you tell me what illness Aunt Qi had?”

Qimingzhou sipped his coffee, the bitterness lingering on his lips. “Sorry, I can’t say.”

“It’s not because it’s hard to talk about, but because it was my sister’s dying wish. I promised her I wouldn’t tell anyone, so…”

Qimingzhou did not say more.

Tang Yu pressed her lips tightly.

“Thank you, Uncle Qi. I understand.”

She didn’t want to bring up his sorrow. “I’m sorry for your pain.”

After leaving the café, Wang Qing came over, worried she might get into trouble.

Only after Bian Cheng and Qimingzhou left did she ask, “What’s going on? Who were those two? They’re handsome guys.”

Tang Yu said, “They’re Bian Yang’s family.”

“Wow — you officially started dating yesterday, and today you met the parents?”

Tang Yu was lost in thought and didn’t hear her babbling.

Obviously, Bian Yang’s mother’s illness had nothing to do with Bian Cheng, so why was Qimingzhou so tight-lipped?

He said he promised Bian Yang’s mother not to tell anyone, not even Bian Yang...

There seemed to be some unspeakable secret.

Tang Yu felt discouraged, unable to figure it out.

Wang Qing nudged her. “Xiaoyu, did they trouble you?”

“No, they’re all very good people,” Tang Yu shook her head.

Wang Qing said, “Then why did they ask you…”

Tang Yu interrupted, “It’s nothing. Let’s keep shopping.”

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After shopping with Wang Qing, Tang Yu went to the hospital to buy medicine for her grandparents and visited Xu Xinyan.

Xu Xinyan was much better than last time, her face flushed with color. She even asked Tang Yu to check her answers.

“I think I’ll get into the normal university this time. Tang Yu, your notes are amazing, so many question types appeared on the test. I was thrilled doing them! Especially the math—formulas and techniques for the last few big problems were all in your notes. I just finished reviewing them days before the exam!”

The two sat in the garden downstairs; on Tang Yu’s left was Xu Xinyan in a wheelchair, and on her right were the medicines.

A breeze tousled some stray hair as she rested her hands on the chair.

“I’m glad they were useful,” Tang Yu said.

“Did you check your answers? How did you find them?” Xu Xinyan asked.

“No problems. The questions were relatively easy this year.”

Xu Xinyan twitched her lips. “Easy?”

She used her water cup as a mock microphone and said, “Excuse me, Tang Yu, where exactly were these easy questions?”

Tang Yu thought seriously. “The biology was all textbook content; the last fruit fly genetics problem was much simpler than last year; the isomer structures in chemistry appeared in past papers; the big physics problem was a variant of a contest question; and the English listening was slower than usual…”

“Stop, stop!” Xu Xinyan couldn’t take it.

She wasn’t bragging, just stating facts, which was even more painful!

“I’m not worried about you failing anymore. I should be worried you’ll do too well and crush us all…”

Xu Xinyan rolled her eyes.

Tang Yu shook her head. “Not entirely. The Chinese essay was quite hard, something I’d never written before.”

It asked about fathers.

If it weren’t for the points, she would have left every space blank.

Xu Xinyan smiled. “It’s just one essay. It won’t affect the overall results. I believe you’ll do well.”

Tang Yu was silent for a moment. “If you had a chance to publicly reveal your experience, would you take it?”

Xu Xinyan’s smile faded. “Tang Yu, are you planning something...?”

“Yes. After the college entrance exams, the top three in the province will be interviewed. I’m confident I’ll be in the top three.”

Xu Xinyan smiled bitterly. “I thought about using public opinion to expose Meng Shirui’s deeds online to get more help... but personal power is too small. The video never spread because the Meng family blocked it and threatened us: if we dared to post again, our family wouldn’t be able to survive in Liang City.”

Later, the Meng family forced Xu Xinyan’s family to sign a confidentiality agreement and silenced them with half a million yuan.

“School bullying isn’t like celebrity gossip, which many compete to report. Countless bullying cases happen every year, but only those leading to lawsuits get attention. The rest are forgotten... If you want to take this route, you need to find bigger media platforms to speak out, bypass the Meng family’s control, and stir widespread social concern.”

“Yes, you told me that,” Tang Yu whispered.

So she had been waiting, waiting for this opportunity.

Xu Xinyan looked at Tang Yu. “But I believe you can do it.”

She had fought and suffered defeat, but Tang Yu was different—she had the ability to make the top three in the province.

Tang Yu said, “I will reveal my experience then. If you want, I can mention you.”

The cicadas still sang, joined by unknown insect sounds.

Xu Xinyan looked down at her legs covered by a blanket, her hands tightly clasped over her knees.

Finally, she shook her head, “I appreciate your kindness, but I already took their fifty thousand yuan. If I go public, I’d have to return it... Our family has no money left.”

Tang Yu softly said, “I understand.”