Chapter 59: The Truth of the Past (Part 2)

Tan Li was indeed his first love, but back then, Tan Li had constantly pestered him, leading him to make a careless mistake. Could it be that Shen Yi had known everything right from that time? Was that the reason she had suddenly grown so distant?

The ironic part was that, in his youthful pride, he had felt his ego bruised by her attitude, and ultimately, driven by resentment and disillusionment, he had entered into a clandestine affair with Tan Li.

All of this was entirely his own fault!

Xia Rui fought the trembling of his limbs, his hands gripping Tan Xue’s arms with a force that caused her genuine pain.

Yet Tan Xue obediently remained completely still, uttering not a single sound despite the hurt. Instead, a cunning gleam flashed in the depths of her eyes, and she spoke with a voice slightly choked with tears, "I know my actions right now are no different from my sister's, so I want nothing—not even the child. I only beg of you, please don't leave me, okay?"

Xia Rui gave her no answer, for his mind could hold no other thoughts, utterly consumed and trapped in a whirlpool of shock. Only after a long while did he ask with a trembling voice, "Did Shen Yi say anything else?"

Initially, Tan Xue had been unsure whether she should drive her own sister to utter ruin, but at the thought of Tan Li’s triumphant and smug expression, jealousy burned fiercely within her chest. Deciding to cast all caution to the wind, she said, "In the middle of that diary, there is a very long section with no written entries at all, only the results of every prenatal checkup and photographs of the fetus pasted inside. There is a little more near the end, written when she was eight months pregnant. My sister arranged to meet her once, and after that, there is nothing more."

By this point, Xia Rui’s expression had grown eerily calm, yet the throbbing pain in Tan Xue’s arms conveyed just how deeply Xia Rui was feeling consumed by resentment, regret... and a grief akin to dying a thousand deaths!

She was entirely aware of everything Tan Li had subjected Shen Yi to back then. When Shen Yi was eight months pregnant, Tan Li—sporting a five-month pregnant belly of her own—had gone to flaunt herself before Shen Yi in a deliberate provocation, shocking Shen Yi into going into premature labor that very night. Furthermore, Tan Li had known from a very early stage that Shen Yi had a breech presentation, meaning premature labor would likely lead to severe hemorrhaging!

Although Xia Rui had been completely oblivious to those events at the time, played for a fool and twirled around by Tan Li's finger, having it laid out plainly through her words now, even a fool could piece together the entire truth of what had happened!

"Tan Li! It was her all along! She deceived me for all these years! And she murdered Xiaoyi!"

Trembling all over with rage, Xia Rui retraced the events of the past as the truth slowly surfaced.

Even though he was at fault initially, it was Tan Li who had covertly sabotaged the relationship between him and Shen Yi, driving Shen Yi to utter despair. Taking advantage of his profound disillusionment, Tan Li had wormed her way in, cementing his guilt of infidelity, and finally provoked Shen Yi into premature labor, causing her to die on the way to the hospital!

Not only that, but to cover up her crimes, Tan Li had even lied, claiming that the diary contained records of past corporate tax evasion, malicious mergers, and acquisitions—that it was incriminating evidence against him, Xia Rui. Incredibly, he had believed her lies, letting Tan Li dispose of all of Shen Yi’s remaining belongings and burying the truth of the past for eighteen whole years!

Eighteen years!

Tan Li had deceived him so bitterly!

The tragedy between him and Shen Yi had been brought about entirely by his own hands and Tan Li's!

Quickly putting on his clothes, Xia Rui had no desire for any further intimacy with Tan Xue. Tan Xue was equally compliant, dressing quietly and climbing into the car without a word. Before driving off, Xia Rui made a call to his personal lawyer, and then drove calmly back to the Xia residence.

Tan Xue vaguely sensed that this was the calm before the storm. She eagerly anticipated how Xia Rui would handle this matter: would he throw a furious scene with Tan Li and part on bitter terms, or would he give her the cold shoulder?

As it turned out, Xia Rui was far more capable of restraint than Tan Xue had imagined. The moment he stepped into the house, he acted as though nothing had happened. Entering Xia Rusheng’s room, he placed a stack of small jewelry boxes before his daughter and smiled, saying, "Your little aunt said these looked nice, so Dad bought them all. Well, do you like them?"

With that, he even gently stroked Xia Rusheng’s hair.

Xia Rusheng cast a peculiar look at Xia Rui. She had a persistent feeling that something was amiss with him, because the gaze he currently directed at her was brimming with deep affection and guilt. The suppressed paternal love that he had previously only leaked out inadvertently seemed to have erupted all at once.

Was this supposed to be compensation?

Without overthinking it, Xia Rusheng smiled and said, "All seven bracelets are gorgeous. Dad must have spent a pretty penny on these, right?"

Xia Rui gazed deeply at his daughter once more, speaking with indulgent doting, "As long as my Xiaxia is happy, no amount of money is too much for Dad."

In the past, he had stubbornly believed that Shen Yi did not love him, so whenever he looked at this daughter, it invariably reminded him of the period when his pride had been severely wounded. But now that he knew the truth, he realized just how much he owed Shen Yi, and how deeply he had failed this daughter!

He had previously mistaken fish eyes for pearls; starting today, he would redouble his efforts to compensate the flesh and blood he shared with Shen Yi!

"Then I'll gladly accept them all without standing on ceremony." Xia Rusheng pretended to hoard treasures, clasping the bracelets to her chest. Despite her words, she generously picked out two of them and handed them to Tan Xue.

Tan Xue initially intended to refuse, but since Xia Rui urged her to keep them, she accepted.

Right at that moment, Xia Yu materialized from somewhere. Catching sight of the items in Xia Rusheng’s arms, she immediately lunged forward to snatch them, whining coquettishly to Xia Rui, "Dad, you're playing favorites! You bought gifts for Elder Sister only and not for me!"

"Those belong to your elder sister! Put them down!"

Xia Rui suddenly barked, freezing Xia Yu in her tracks with shock. Meanwhile, Xia Rusheng arched an eyebrow: Xia Rui’s reaction today was entirely out of character!

She could not help casting a suspicious glance toward Tan Xue, suddenly recalling the "secret" Tan Xue had mentioned earlier. Could Xia Rui’s transformation genuinely be tied to that so-called secret?

"Dad, you actually yelled at me! You didn't buy me a gift, and on top of that, you yelled at me—I hate you!" Recovering from her shock, Xia Yu burst into aggrieved tears, spun around, and raced downstairs to complain to Tan Li.

Xia Rui instructed Xia Rusheng to rest well and then stepped out of the room.

"Miss Tan, would you mind explaining what's going on here?" Xia Rusheng asked after sending Nanny Chen away.

Having no intention of hiding anything from Xia Rusheng, Tan Xue recounted the whole story from start to finish. Throughout the entire narration, Xia Rusheng remained completely calm. Once Tan Xue finished, she suddenly asked, "According to what you're saying, the only reason my father ignored me all these years was because he believed my mother didn't love him?"

Tan Xue nodded. Although Xia Rui hadn't stated it outright, his reactions today made it abundantly clear. Her original intent had been to deliver a stealthy blow to Tan Li, but she hadn't anticipated that Xia Rui's feelings for Shen Yi were buried so deeply. Because of this, the young lady before her would undoubtedly hold an even more extraordinary position in Xia Rui's heart from now on.

Listening to this, Xia Rusheng felt a whirlwind of complex emotions. Tan Li had likely done far more than what Tan Xue had mentioned; otherwise, how could Shen Yi have mistakenly believed that Xia Rui loved Tan Li? There were simply too many twists, turns, and misunderstandings, all of which must have been orchestrated by Tan Li.

However...

What role had Old Madam Xia played in all of this?

Judging by the entries in Shen Yi’s diary, Old Madam Xia was hardly as "innocent" as she seemed.

"How much does my grandmother know about this?" Xia Rusheng asked.

"That I wouldn't know. But right after my sister fell pregnant, Old Madam Xia sought her out and even gave us a sum of money so my sister could take good care of the pregnancy." Tan Xue did not yet fully understand Old Madam Xia, but she was certain of one thing: the only reason Old Madam Xia had condoned Tan Li's presence back then was because of the child in her womb.

Hearing this, Xia Rusheng formed her own conclusions. Xia Rui’s behavior was utterly unforgivable, and Old Madam Xia was an absolute, through-and-through egoist. Such people were even less worthy of forgiveness!