The words “leaking information” rang out like a sudden clap of thunder.
Qin Lin froze.
Guan Yiling was stunned at first, then tears welled up in her eyes in an instant. “…W-What are you even talking about?! What information did I leak? Just because I offended you earlier, you’re going to slander me like this?”
She leaned into Qin Lin’s chest, sobbing softly.
Jiang Fuyue toyed with the phone in her hand. “I didn’t say anything. I just said the words ‘leaking information,’ and yet Auntie, you immediately started crying injustice, claiming I’m falsely accusing you. Isn’t that… a bit of an overreaction?”
Guan Yiling stiffened, then lifted her head, eyes misty with tears. “It was obvious from the tone it wasn’t something good… Can I have my phone back now?”
“Why is Auntie Guan so nervous? Is there some secret hidden in your phone?”
“You’re getting more and more outrageous. What secret could I possibly have?”
“Really? Then why don’t we call that number and find out?”
Guan Yiling’s gaze flickered. “A clear conscience fears no ghost. Go ahead and call. But if it turns out to be nothing—if this was all just a misunderstanding—then you must apologize to me, and promise not to interfere in the old master’s matters again. As his son and daughter-in-law, we’ll handle it ourselves!”
Their exchange had drawn attention. The old madam, Han Yunru, and Jiang Da all came over.
“What’s going on here?”
“Yueyue?” Han Yunru looked to her daughter immediately.
Qin Lin explained the situation briefly.
When he mentioned the words “leaking information,” the old lady visibly froze.
Han Yunru and Jiang Da also looked to Guan Yiling, suspicion in their eyes.
Clearly, they instinctively chose to trust Jiang Fuyue. Especially Han Yunru and Jiang Da—no one knew their daughter better than they did. If Yueyue dared say this much, she must have discovered something. She would never make baseless accusations.
“…I know, to Sister Han and her family, I’m an outsider,” Guan Yiling lowered her gaze, her voice somber. “Between your own daughter and an outsider, it’s only natural to trust the former. I understand.”
“But Auntie and Ah Lin, after all these years, you know me. You should know what kind of person I am—good or bad, kind or malicious—you must have your own judgment.”
She took a deep breath, slowly raised her eyes. “I never wanted this to escalate. More than anyone, I want to clear my name. Only then can I dispel your doubts about me…”
Her words painted her as a pitiable victim, forced into a corner, while the rest of them looked like a gang of persecutors.
Clap, clap, clap—
Jiang Fuyue raised her hands and applauded.
“Auntie Guan, with eloquence like that, it’s a shame you’re not on a debate team.”
“Yueyue…” Qin Lin frowned, “she’s still your elder.”
Jiang Fuyue sneered, “Of course I know. If I didn’t treat her like one, she wouldn’t still be standing here right now.”
Qin Lin’s brow tightened.
Guan Yiling cried out in righteous indignation, “I’ve tolerated you for the old madam’s sake. But you’re going too far! You said I leaked information? Fine. The phone’s in your hand. Go ahead, call that number. Let’s see what’s really going on!”
“Sure,” Jiang Fuyue smiled faintly.
Guan Yiling met her eyes, steady and without guilt.
Just as Jiang Fuyue made a show of pressing the call button and Guan Yiling’s confidence blazed hotter—
She suddenly withdrew her hand and didn’t call after all.
Guan Yiling’s heart, which had leapt to her throat, got stuck. She couldn’t breathe, her cheeks flushed red.
The old lady looked confused. “Yueyue, why didn’t you call?”
Han Yunru and Jiang Da were also bewildered.
Guan Yiling’s temple throbbed violently. She suddenly realized—she’d been played!
She was baited on purpose! Teased like a fish that opened its mouth, only to have the hook yanked away just in time.
“You—!” Her eyes bulged. If the setting were different, she might’ve lunged to scratch up Jiang Fuyue’s face.
“What do you mean by this?!”
Jiang Fuyue: “We will call. Just not now.”
Shi Qingzhi: “Why not?”
“If there really is something going on, calling now would only alert the enemy.”
Guan Yiling’s eyes flickered. She bit down hard. “So what do you want? First you said you’d call, now you won’t. You want to have it all your way—good, bad, everything is on your terms. Are you trying to force me to death?!”
She covered her face with her hands, tears leaking through her fingers.
Even the old madam looked a little moved.
Qin Lin pressed his lips together silently, placing a comforting hand on his wife’s shoulder.
He muttered, “Yueyue, enough is enough.”
Jiang Fuyue acted as if she didn’t hear. She stared directly at Guan Yiling. “Since you still won’t admit it and are trying to separate yourself from the matter, let everyone see what you’ve done. Chenxing—”
“Coming, sis!” Little Jiang came running down the stairs, one hand carrying a laptop, the other holding a mirrorless camera.
Under everyone’s confused gaze, he placed the laptop and camera on the coffee table, pulled out a cable, connected them, and after a few clicks, a video appeared on screen.
It showed Guan Yiling going to the restroom twice. Once she shut the door behind her, the video cut to black—but the audio continued clearly.
“It’s me.”
“You’re hiding in Shapu?”
“…How would I know?! Idiot! Of course it’s because you’ve been found!”
“No, they haven’t called the police yet. They’re trying to investigate themselves, don’t know where they got the intel.”
“…Anyway, you’re not safe anymore. Move, now… What do you mean you can’t leave the Shapu district?!”
“Fine. Even if you don’t have time, you must leave that place immediately!”
“One last reminder: unless I call you, do not call me. And if you get a call from my alternate number, it means things have changed—watch what you say!”
Flush. The sound of a toilet.
But the woman’s voice was clear, word for word.
Then the door opened. Guan Yiling came out and rejoined everyone in the living room.
Another clip played. The timestamp showed it was from 40 minutes earlier, her second trip to the restroom.
As before, video cut out once she was inside, but audio continued.
A snapping sound—something being broken—followed by a flush.
Five seconds later, she came back out and asked Qin Lin to call her “college friend.”
End of video.
The room went deathly silent.
Suddenly, Qin Lin shoved the woman in his arms away. His voice trembled with fury: “Explain. This.”
Guan Yiling stared, dumbfounded. How did they get this footage?! How is this possible?!
“Ah Lin, listen to me—these are fake! Edited! Someone’s trying to frame me!”
“Who? Han Yunru? Yueyue? The old madam? Or me?”
“Don’t be like this… I didn’t do it! You have to believe me—”
“Fine,” Qin Lin’s eyes were ice cold, “Just answer me one thing: are those words in the video yours or not?!”
“…That’s malicious editing! Think about it—who puts a camera by the bathroom door? Or a microphone inside? If it wasn’t deliberate, how could they just happen to capture all this, and at this exact time?! Doesn’t it seem way too convenient?”
Little Jiang raised his hand cheerfully. “I can explain~ The camera was set up across from the bathroom, in the media room. It’s used for filming me. Uncle Wu forgot to turn it off, and since the bathroom door was open, it caught the footage.”
“As for the audio recorder—we left it in there a week ago while recording some sound. Then we got busy editing and forgot to remove it. No one usually uses the guest bathroom, so we figured it’d be fine to leave it. Plus, setting it up is complicated, and we planned to use it again soon.”
So… it really was that coincidental.
“Lies!” Guan Yiling panicked. “You’re all trying to smear me! Just two clips of unknown origin and you want to accuse me of a crime?”
“Ah Lin, we’ve been married for decades! Don’t you know what kind of person I am? You’d believe a few words from others over me?!”
“Yes,” Qin Lin said coldly, brushing off her hand. “And now I’m realizing—just how deeply you’ve been hiding yourself. I never even saw it coming.”
“What are you saying?” Guan Yiling’s whole body trembled. “You mean… you don’t believe me either?”
