Chapter 176: The Promise
Xie An’an began to panic.
She turned around instantly, her eyes already filled with tears as she looked toward Master Xie and Old Madam Xie.
"Father, Grandmother... this daughter has made a terrible mistake. This daughter promises it will never happen again. Please, forgive this daughter."
Master Xie stared at her blankly, while Old Madam Xie could only lower her eyes, unable to meet her granddaughter’s pleading gaze.
"Father..." Xie An’an rushed toward Master Xie and grasped his hand before abruptly dropping to her knees.
"This daughter was wrong, but Father would not abandon this daughter, right?" Her fingers tightened around his hand. "Father promised my Mother that you would take good care of this daughter... please..."
Her voice broke as tears streamed down her face. "This daughter promises. This will never happen again. This daughter will never make such a mistake again."
Master Xie looked down at the daughter who was kneeling before him, his expression becoming increasingly complicated.
For years, he had treated her as his own. He had protected her, indulged her, and remembered the promise he had made to the woman who had entrusted her daughter to him.
But now...
The person kneeling before him was no longer the frightened little girl he had once promised to protect.
She had taken a life.
She had tried to take another.
And even after being exposed, her first instinct was still to find someone to shield her from the consequences.
"An’an..." His voice was heavy. "Your mistake cannot simply be erased with a promise that you will not do it again. You took a life..."
Xie An’an’s tears continued to fall. "Father, this daughter knows she was wrong..."
Master Xie looked at her for a long moment before continuing.
"Madam Liu is dead because of you. Your sister-in-law nearly died because of you. Even after that, you still sent your servant to finish what you had started."
He slowly shook his head. "An’an, this is no longer something this father can cover up with a few words."
Xie An’an’s fingers trembled. "But Father promised my mother..."
"I remember." His answer came quietly. "I have never forgotten what I promised your mother."
He looked down at her. "But your mother’s wish was for me to protect you, not to protect you from the consequences of your own actions."
Xie An’an’s face turned pale. "Father..."
"I can no longer pretend that you are merely a frightened child who made a foolish mistake." His voice hardened. "You knew what you were doing."
Xie An’an shook her head desperately. "No... this daughter was only afraid of losing everything..."
"And because you were afraid of losing something," Master Xie said quietly, "you decided that other people’s lives were something you could simply take away."
The chamber fell silent.
Even Old Madam Xie closed her eyes, unable to bear listening any further.
Master Xie looked toward Xie Rong.
"Rong’er..." His voice carried a trace of weariness. "This matter... your father will not interfere with the justice you seek."
"No—no! No!"
Xie An’an frantically rushed toward Old Madam Xie, dropping to her knees before her and grabbing onto her hand.
"Grandmother, Grandmother, please help this granddaughter..."
Old Madam Xie’s fingers trembled in her grasp.
"This granddaughter knows she was wrong. This granddaughter will never do it again, I swear!" Her tears fell uncontrollably as she clung to the old woman’s hand. "Grandmother, you have always loved this granddaughter the most. You cannot just watch them take this granddaughter away..."
Old Madam Xie looked down at her, her expression filled with pain. "An’an..."
"Grandmother, please!" Xie An’an shook her head desperately.
"You promised Mother you would look after this granddaughter too. You cannot abandon this granddaughter now." Her voice broke as she pressed her forehead against Old Madam Xie’s hand. "This granddaughter has no one left..."
Old Madam Xie closed her eyes. For a long moment, she did not speak. Then she slowly withdrew her hand.
"An’an..." Her voice was quiet. "Grandmother has protected you for many years."
Xie An’an looked up at her hopefully.
"But perhaps Grandmother protected you too much."
Old Madam Xie looked toward Xie Rong and then toward Wang Gege, her eyes filled with exhaustion.
"Your mistakes can no longer be hidden beneath the protection of this household."
"Grandmother... no..." Xie An’an shook her head, refusing to accept her words.
"This time, you must face what you have done."
Xie An’an’s tears fell harder. She immediately turned toward Xie Rong.
"Brother..." Her voice was filled with desperation as she hurried toward him, seemingly forgetting that Wang Gege was still sitting beside him.
"Please... this sister knows she was wrong. You can punish this sister, you can scold this sister, but please don’t abandon me..."
She reached out, intending to embrace him.
Xie Rong immediately raised one hand between them, stopping her before she could get any closer.
"Stay there." His voice was neither loud nor harsh, but the firmness in it made Xie An’an freeze.
She stared at his outstretched hand, her tears still hanging from her lashes. "Brother..."
"Keep your distance." Xie Rong’s voice was calm but firm.
Xie An’an’s lips trembled. "But..."
"You have already harmed my Furen once." His expression remained cold. "I will not allow you to come close to her again."
The words made Xie An’an’s face turn completely pale. She slowly lowered her gaze toward Wang Gege.
Wang Gege was watching the entire scene from the bed, her lips pressed together as though she were trying very hard not to laugh.
Xie An’an noticed that expression. Her eyes immediately reddened further. "Sister-in-law..."
Wang Gege raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
"Please..." Xie An’an whispered. "You are alive now. You have already proven that this sister was wrong. Can’t you... forgive this sister just this once?"
Wang Gege stared at her. Then she glanced at Xie Rong’s hand, still held firmly between them.
"You know..." A faint smile appeared on her lips. "I think my husband has already given you his answer."
Xie An’an stood stiffly where she was, her eyes slowly shifting toward Wang Gege, the desperation in them disappearing and being replaced by something cold and unreadable.
"Then..." she murmured. Her voice suddenly became strangely calm. "This sister supposes there is nothing more this sister can do."
She lowered her gaze. "This sister will accept whatever punishment awaits..."
Something about those words sent a sudden chill across Wang Gege’s skin.
Her instincts screamed.
’Something is wrong.’
’Host, misfortu—’
Mini’s warning inside her mind was cut short.
Xie An’an suddenly bowed politely. Then, in the same motion, her hand shot toward her hair.
A sharp hairpin flashed beneath the light and before anyone could react, she pulled it free and suddenly swung it toward Xie Rong.
Wang Gege’s eyes widened.
"Husband!"
Several drops of blood fell onto the floor. For several heartbeats, the entire bedchamber fell into stunned silence.
Then when everyone finally registered the situation, they begin to panic.
"Rong’er!"