Chapter 166: Five Minutes Was Not Enough
The main hall remained unnaturally quiet after Master Xie’s words.
Xie An’an stood frozen, her face pale as she stared at the man who had always been one of the people willing to shield her from trouble.
"Father..." Her voice trembled. "This one really didn’t mean to hurt the sister-in-law."
Master Xie did not immediately answer. His gaze shifted toward Wang Gege, who was still unconscious in Xie Rong’s arms, the blood along her neck making his expression turn increasingly grim.
Then he looked back at his daughter. "Whether you meant to or not, she was injured."
Xie An’an bit her lower lip, "But she suddenly rushed in front of Yun’er. This one was only trying to stop that servant from lying about this one!"
"This servant didn’t lie!" Yun’er suddenly shouted, her fear seemingly overwhelmed by the need to defend herself. "I saw with my own eyes! Young Miss Xie strangled Madam Liu to death!"
Once again, the main hall fell into deadly silence. The shocking statement left everyone frozen.
"Strangled...?" Master Xie’s expression changed.
Old Madam Xie’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Even Xie Rong’s head slowly turned toward Yun’er.
"Liar!" Xie An’an could no longer contain herself. "What proof do you have?!"
Her eyes widened with anger and fury as she pointed at Yun’er. "You are merely a servant! How dare you make such a vicious accusation against this Young Miss?!"
Yun’er flinched but did not retreat this time. "This servant saw it!"
"You saw nothing...!" Xie An’an screamed like a lunatic.
"I did!" Yun’er’s voice trembled, but she forced herself to continue. "This servant was hiding in the bushes. Madam Liu was confronting Young Miss Xie, and this servant saw Young Miss Xie use some kind of thin rope to strangle Madam Liu from behind!"
Yun’er’s lips trembled as she continued.
"This servant was too frightened to go out and help. This servant hid cautiously behind the bushes, afraid that if Young Miss discovered this servant was there, this servant would be the next one..."
Her tears fell unconsciously, her voice becoming increasingly shaky.
"This servant could only watch Madam Liu struggle... until she stopped moving."
The main hall remained dead silent.
Yun’er wiped her tears with trembling fingers.
"This servant wanted to run away immediately, but this servant was too afraid. This servant stayed hidden until Young Miss left..."
She lowered her head, her voice trembling even more.
"Young Miss also ordered her maid to bring Madam Liu’s body back and hang it in her chamber, making it appear as though she had taken her own life..."
The entire hall seemed to grow colder.
Yun’er took a shaky breath.
"She did not kill herself!" Her voice suddenly rose, desperation overpowering her fear. "Young Miss killed her, and then tried to make everyone believe Madam Liu had taken her own life!"
Xie An’an’s face turned deathly pale, and her legs suddenly weakened beneath her, causing her to collapse onto the floor.
Yun’er continued, tears falling freely now.
"How could Madam Liu have taken her own life when she happily told this servant the day before that she had finally found the proof to prove that she was innocent!"
Xie An’an’s entire body began to tremble, not from fear, but from fury and anger. She gritted her teeth as she glared at Yun’er. "How dare... you lowly servant!"
"Enough!" Xie Rong’s voice once again roared through the main hall.
By that moment, he was already on his feet, Wang Gege still securely held in his arms.
His expression was frighteningly cold. "Yun’er is giving her testimony. You have no right to silence her simply because you dislike what she is saying."
Xie An’an’s furious gaze immediately shifted toward him. "Brother, she is lying!"
"Then prove that she is lying." Xie Rong’s voice remained cold. "Do not shout at her simply because you cannot answer her accusations."
Xie An’an’s lips trembled. "But—"
"No more." He tightened his hold around Wang Gege, his gaze briefly dropping toward her unconscious face before returning to Xie An’an.
"Mo Yan, lock her in her chamber. Do not let her leave until my wife wakes up!" His voice thundered through the hall as he turned toward the entrance. "Qing’er, prepare the chamber and bring the physician there!"
"Yes, Young Master!" Qing’er rushed out immediately.
"But—" Xie An’an shook as she turned around, desperately looking for help. "Father! Grandmother!"
Neither of them answered.
Master Xie remained silent, his expression grim, while Old Madam Xie lowered her gaze, seemingly unable to face her granddaughter after everything that had just been revealed.
Mo Yan approached Xie An’an with another guard following behind him, and the two immediately secured her arms.
"Please cooperate, Young Miss..." Mo Yan said firmly. "Do not make this more difficult than it already is."
"Let go of me!" Xie An’an struggled against their grip, her face flushed with anger and disbelief. "Father! Grandmother! You cannot let them do this to me! You promised my mother to take great care of me!"
Still, neither answered.
Xie Rong did not even turn around. He simply carried Wang Gege out of the main hall, his steps quickening as he headed toward their chamber.
For the first time, Xie An’an was left standing alone in the middle of the household that had once protected her from everything.
The moment Xie Rong stepped into the entrance of their courtyard, something suddenly clicked in his mind.
’Gemi... the Time Points!’
[The stored Time Points can only allow the Host to return five minutes into the past.]
Xie Rong’s steps halted. He knew... Of course he knew.
Five minutes. That was all he had. But Wang Gege had already been injured more than five minutes ago.
Even if he used all five minutes now, he would only return to a point after she had already been attacked.
It was useless.
His fingers tightened around Wang Gege’s body. For a brief moment, his mind desperately tried to find another way.
’Then... what if I use it anyway?’
[Host, the stored Time Points are insufficient to return to a point before the incident.]
Xie Rong’s jaw tightened. He already knew the answer but he stubbornly did not want to accept it.
He had finally found Wang Gege again.
He had finally been given a chance to change what he had done to her.
Yet when he finally obtained the power to turn back time... even five minutes was not enough to save her.