At the back of the Qu's Mansion, Xiotan and Jinxin crouched behind the trimmed hedges, glancing around cautiously as they searched for a discreet way to sneak back inside.
"Quick, before someone sees us," Xiotan whispered, brushing leaves from her tangled hair. "If anyone finds out I wasn't in my room all day, I'm finished."
Jinxin peeked around the corner. "The kitchen door's open. Let's go through there—quietly."
Meanwhile, inside the mansion's grand hall, Fie paced impatiently, his robes brushing the marble floor. His voice cut through the silence like a blade.
"Where is Xiotan?" he demanded, turning to Lifie as she approached from the corridor.
"I don't know. I was just heading to check on her," Lifie replied calmly, though her heart pounded. "She said this morning she wasn't feeling well."
"She better recover quickly," Fie muttered. "Her wedding is in three days."
Lifie halted, eyes widening in disbelief. "What! Three days? That's too soon. What is wrong with you, Fie?" Her tone rose, trembling with rage. "Do you hate your own daughter that much? You didn't even give her time to think, let alone choose. She's unwell, and all you care about is some forced marriage?"
Fie scoffed, waving her words away. "Don't start with your emotional outbursts. The groom is from the Mo family. That's all that matters."
"You don't even know who he is!" Lifie snapped, stepping closer. "You don't know what kind of man he is, what he does, or what he'll do to her. But you're pushing her into this like she's some pawn on your chessboard. You should be ashamed!"
Fie's face darkened. "Enough with your lectures. I told you long ago—I never wanted that girl. I warned you to get rid of her while you were still pregnant, but you refused. Now, you should be grateful I'm even arranging a marriage for her. No one wants a concubine's daughter—not even a blind beggar on the street. She's a mistake I regret every day."
The words cut deeper than any blade. Lifie's hand flew before she could think—SLAP!—a resounding smack echoed through the hall.
Tears blurred her vision as her voice trembled with fury. "A mistake? A mistake? Were you blind when you crept into my room night after night? Have you forgotten that girl once saved your life? You'd be dead without her!"
Fie held his stinging cheek, silent.
"You disgust me," Lifie spat. "I never knew you were capable of this level of cruelty. Let this be your last warning—if you ever call my daughter a mistake again, you'll regret the day you were born. I swear it."
With fire in her eyes, Lifie turned on her heel, wiping away her tears as she stormed up the stairs toward Xiotan's room—her heart aching with both fury and fear.