Chapter 38: Apologizing for What the Yu Family Has Done

His daughter?

From the day Yu Qingqing was born until now, whenever Yu Boyao spoke of his daughter, he was always referring to Yu Wanqing.

Yu Qingqing turned away, her expression resolute.

Soon after, the Yu family issued a public statement severing all ties, prompting idle netizens to dig into their family affairs until nothing remained hidden.

It turned out that, on the night Yu Boyao became engaged to Yu Wanqing’s mother, he was tricked into entering the wrong room and ended up with a maid from the household.

Yu Qingqing’s mother, seeing her own child born and raised healthy, believed that with her son, she could secure a place in the Yu family, especially after witnessing Yu Boyao’s partiality toward Yu Wanqing.

But the truth was, Yu Boyao only cared for the child of the woman he loved.

He extended his affection to Yu Wanqing by association.

If not for the elders of the Yu family, who were concerned about appearances, Yu Boyao would never have brought Yu Qingqing home at all.

Once the origins were laid bare, some furiously condemned Yu Boyao for his lack of self-restraint and heartlessness toward his own flesh and blood.

Others argued his actions were justified, saving the family from being manipulated.

Soon, details of all the injustices Yu Qingqing suffered over the years were posted online, igniting another round of heated discussion.

Everything is a double-edged sword.

With the reach of the internet, even trivial matters can be magnified beyond recognition.

Though the Yu family had no ties to the entertainment industry, exposure still subjected them to public criticism.

Some went so far as to unearth photos of Yu Wanqing, but Ye Yao, with a flurry of keystrokes, swiftly scrubbed all images of Yu Wanqing from the web.

She didn’t intervene on Yu Qingqing’s behalf.

Netizens began to pick apart Yu Qingqing’s appearance.

“This Yu Qingqing is passable-looking, but her features give off an unpleasant vibe.”

“Agreed. I always get the feeling she’s plotting something.”

“Tsk, makes me wonder if her dealings with Ji Yanxi are just a replay of her mother’s schemes?”

When it came to Yu Qingqing and Ji Yanxi, the ever-curious “enthusiastic netizens” dug deeper.

What they found was astonishing.

Apparently, Ji Yanxi had been promised to Yu Wanqing by Yu Boyao, but Yu Qingqing swooped in first.

Some even claimed to have seen them together while hiking, noting Ji Yanxi’s obvious attentiveness to Yu Wanqing—a clear sign of interest.

And so, Yu Wanqing was dragged into the swirling vortex of public opinion.

In this matter, statements from the two women held little persuasive power.

Yu Wanqing decided to ignore it, letting events take their course.

Yet, something unexpected happened.

Ji Yanxi—the key figure—spoke out.

He declared that he and Yu Qingqing were mutually in love, and that Yu Wanqing was nothing more than an ordinary friend; during the previous hike, it was she who had clung to him!

Reading this, Yu Wanqing laughed.

“Yao, has Ji Yanxi lost his mind?”

Ye Yao patted her. “Don’t rush to conclusions, maybe Ji Yanxi’s been threatened.”

The Ji family was such a powerful clan; these rumors should mean nothing to them.

For Yu Wanqing, it was of little consequence; whether she responded or not hardly mattered.

But for Yu Qingqing, who’d been cast out of the Yu family, this was crucial.

She had to climb higher by leveraging this, or she’d be trampled underfoot forever.

Yu Qingqing’s mother had endured endless humiliation just to remain in the Yu family; it was clear that status meant everything to her.

To marry into the Ji family, Yu Qingqing needed to give her all.

But to Ji Yanxi, Yu Qingqing was nothing more than a passerby.

So, what was binding Ji Yanxi to Yu Qingqing?

Sure enough, once Ji Yanxi’s statement was released, everyone turned on Yu Wanqing, dragging the Yu family’s stock price down with the tide of public outrage.

Yu Boyao tried to take action, but the opposing force was far greater.

And that force was clearly the Ji family.

Watching Yu Boyao, so anxious he could barely eat, Yu Wanqing felt deeply guilty.

“Father, I’m sorry.”

“Silly girl, what are you saying? It’s my fault for not being able to protect you.”

He felt nothing but remorse toward Yu Wanqing. He drew her into his embrace. “My little princess should live a happy life. How could I let you suffer like this?”

“Dad, it’s my problem.”

These were external troubles, and Yu Wanqing had already been considering solutions.

Yu Qingqing had made such a commotion just to force her to apologize.

It was only a matter of opening her mouth—she could accept that.

Yu Wanqing had no wish to see her father, at his age, so worried over this.

“It’s all right, Dad can handle it.”

“Dad, let me go apologize to her.”

“No. This isn’t your fault, so why should you apologize?” Yu Boyao refused without hesitation. “Wanqing, I don’t need you to endure humiliation for my sake.”

“This public uproar is temporary. It’ll pass soon enough.”

“Dad, I can—”

“That’s enough. This conversation ends here. There’s nothing to discuss.” Yu Boyao pushed her gently toward the door. “Go on now, I have things to handle.”

Yu Wanqing left the study.

They were no match for the Ji family.

Yu Wanqing didn’t want to implicate Ye Yao, either.

This was something she had to resolve herself.

She had already contacted Yu Qingqing in advance and now made her way to the appointed place.

Since leaving the Yu family, Yu Qingqing was even more radiant, dressed head to toe in haute couture.

Yu Wanqing glanced over her. “So, you’ve moved into the Ji household?”

Yu Qingqing paused, then smiled smugly. “Why? Are you jealous?”

“What is there about you that I should envy?” Yu Wanqing retorted reflexively, then remembered she had come with a purpose and cleared her throat.

“Yu Wanqing, it’s true, I have nothing for you to envy. Even though we share the same blood, you’ve always had far more of our father’s affection than I ever did.”

Their blood was not the same.

They were half-sisters, after all.

Yu Wanqing bit her tongue, letting Yu Qingqing enjoy her moment of triumph.

“So what? Aren’t you the one bowing your head to me now? Groveling for the Yu family shares, wagging your tail and begging?”

With that, Yu Qingqing tossed a sheet of paper to the ground, lifting her chin. “Pick it up and hand it to me.”

Yu Wanqing hesitated, but in the end, bent down, picked it up, and handed it to Yu Qingqing with one hand.

“Both hands. Present it properly.”

Yu Qingqing arched a brow. “Yu Wanqing, when you beg, at least show the proper attitude. Didn’t the Yu family teach you that?”

Swallowing her pride, Yu Wanqing presented the menu with both hands. “Is this enough?”

Seeing this, Yu Qingqing made a show of brushing it off again, sending the menu fluttering to the floor.

“Oh dear, it fell again…”

Yu Wanqing nearly lost her temper, but managed to hold it in.

Again and again, Yu Qingqing repeated herself before finally relenting.

“Imagine if Yu Boyao saw his beloved daughter humiliated like this—how much would his heart ache?”

“Yu Qingqing, haven’t you had enough? Can you deal with the online rumors or not?” Yu Wanqing pressed her.

“In such a hurry? Yu Wanqing, I survived so many years in the Yu family precisely because I wasn’t as impatient as you. Otherwise, I’d have been thrown out long ago.”

Yu Qingqing’s gaze turned cold. “Kneel. Apologize for all the ways the Yu family has wronged me over the years.”

“And, you’ll post this video online. Let everyone see how the precious daughter of a noble house is brought low by an illegitimate child like me.”

She had endured humiliation for years, waiting for this very moment.