310 A Threat

“What are you arguing about in the middle of the night?” The third madam walked over from the next room.

Qiao Li and his wife, Qiao Xin and Qiao Ying lived on the same floor, so the third madam could hear everything that happened here.

“My precious, what’s the fuss about so late at night?” The third madam walked up to Qiao Xin and stroked her head.

Qiao Ying stood by the wall, hands covering her injured ribs, but the third madam didn’t even look at her.

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Qiao Ying felt heartbroken.

“I don’t know who it is, but they instigated my dropout. I don’t know who sent this anonymous email.”

Qiao Xin handed her phone to the third madam.

Reading comments about Qiao Xin’s dropout, the third madam’s expression gradually turned ugly.

“It must be Qiao Yue.” The third madam handed the phone back to Qiao Xin. “But I also find it strange. How did Qiao Yue know that you bullied Hong Ning?”

Qiao Xin felt a little guilty and didn’t tell the third madam that she had brought the Li brothers to the red-light district to buy Hong Ning.

The third madam’s suspicious eyes looked Qiao Ying up and down.

“Were you with Qiao Ying when you and the others bullied that girl?”

Qiao Ying and Qiao Xin were in the same class. Because Qiao Xin felt that she was better than Qiao Ying in every way, she made her sister follow her everywhere as her foil.

When the bullying happened, Qiao Ying was standing in a corner, not daring to speak or protest.

Qiao Xin would sometimes bully Qiao Ying too with her friends.

“It must be you, right? Didn’t you follow me the last time?” Qiao Xin closed in on Qiao Ying and grabbed Qiao Ying’s hair, pulling it even harder than the previous times.

Qiao Ying felt a sharp pain in her scalp, as if her entire scalp was being pulled off.

Qiao Ying curled up and covered her head; she didn’t dare to look at Qiao Xin or call for help.

It had been like this countless times before. If the other people in the family found out that Qiao Xin was bullying her, she would be bullied even more.

“Alright, Qiao Xin, don’t be in a hurry to hit Qiao Ying. What are these?”

The third madam noticed the account books scattered all over the floor.

She saw a few accounts that they had previously tampered with.

If Qiao Yue found out that she and the first madam had tampered with the household accounts, they would be finished.

Qiao Yue would definitely tell the old master, who hated nothing more than people who did dirty things at home. When the time came, they would probably have to beg for forgiveness together.

Moreover, Tao Xi’s involvement had always been hidden from Qiao Ren.

If Tao Xi’s tampering with the accounts was found out, Qiao Ren would have a good reason to divorce her.

The third madam placed the account books in front of Qiao Ying. “You’re now in charge of the accounts?”

Qiao Ying nodded, crying.

“Qiao Ying, we’re a family, you understand? If you do something with the accounts and let Qiao Yue find out about us, our family will be kicked out.”

Qiao Ying shuddered as she looked at the third madam who had suddenly become very gentle.

Although this person was her mother, Qiao Ying had always lived in the shadow that this family had cast over her.

She didn’t know why her parents doted on Qiao Xin but not her, even though they were both their daughters. They even bullied and insulted her sometimes.

“These account books would decide if we can continue to stay in the Qiao family, do you understand?” The third madam walked closer to Qiao Ying and stroked her head. “It’s your sister’s fault just now. She shouldn’t have hit you. But Mom hopes that you won’t do anything stupid with these account books.”

Qiao Ying raised her head slowly when she heard this.

The third madam looked at her tenderly and spoke to her in a gentle voice that she had never heard before.

Qiao Ying’s tears rolled down her face.

“You know that your fifth brother is an outsider no matter what. You should stand together with your family, yeah?”

Qiao Ying suddenly felt sick in her stomach. She hurriedly stood up, rushed to the bathroom, and vomited.

Qiao Xin and the third madam stood outside with disgusted expressions. They listened to Qiao Ying’s painful cries, but neither of them moved.

Although Qiao Xin didn’t understand accounting, she could tell from her mother’s tone that it was something very important.

“Mom, we can’t let Qiao Ying hang out with fifth brother anymore.” Qiao Xin clenched her fists.