I Married My Heartless Ex-Wife’s Black Lotus Sister - Chapter 33

But shouldn’t Song Yanqing and Zheng Yili have been like this from the beginning?

It was her mother, Shen Yun, who forcibly snatched away the marriage between Song Yanqing and Zheng Yili, imposing it upon herself—this was something Song Qi’an had known since long, long ago.

Yet everyone had presumptuously kept it from her, believing she had never heard even a whisper of it. Just as everyone assumed she didn’t know that she wasn’t the esteemed Second Young Miss of the Song family, but rather the child of a homewrecker who had intruded upon another’s relationship and family.

Not just the child of a mistress, but the child of a murderer.

Her mother had driven Song Yanqing’s mother to her death, which was why Song Yanqing had been motherless from birth, forced to survive by acknowledging Shen Yun—the very woman who had killed his mother—as his own.

Song Qi’an couldn’t remember when she had first learned these things. It seemed that from the moment she became aware, they had already been deeply etched into her mind.

She had once felt resentment, once felt ashamed, once found herself unable to face Song Yanqing—or Zheng Yili, the woman who should have been her sister-in-law.

A deep, twisted sense of discomfort and self-loathing had seeped into her bones over time, growing with her age until it fused completely with her being, turning her into someone who writhed and struggled in the shadows.

Zheng Yili was good. Song Yanqing was good, too. Faced with two such admirable people, Song Qi’an felt utterly at a loss from the bottom of her heart.

Their radiance was too dazzling, so blinding that she couldn’t bear to look directly at them. And so, cowardly, she allowed herself to escape, to hide, as if doing so would somehow unravel the knots of guilt and turmoil that plagued her.

At least, that was what Song Qi’an had once believed.

But that was in the past.

Now, as Song Qi’an watched Zheng Yili rush toward Song Yanqing with unrestrained joy, pressing her palm intimately against his, her heart ached with a bitterness so intense it felt unbearable.

Had their relationship already reached such an unguarded level of closeness?

Song Yanqing’s gaze remained gentle as it lingered on Zheng Yili, who belatedly realized her own enthusiasm and quickly withdrew her hand, slightly embarrassed. “Sorry, I got too excited.”

Her cheeks, still flawlessly made up, were tinged with a faint blush—soft and pink, more beautiful than any rouge in the world.

In that moment, the young woman was unbearably adorable, reminiscent of her former lively, fearless self.

Back then, Lin Xiaoxiao hadn’t yet appeared, and Zheng Yili and Song Qi’an had been close. Zheng Yili’s heart and eyes had been full of Song Qi’an, and every day, she had been brimming with determination, thinking of countless ways to make Song Qi’an laugh—so sweet it was enviable.

A blink of her lashes, and the lovely memory vanished. Before Song Yanqing’s eyes surfaced another image of Zheng Yili—one of weariness and decline, like a withered, dying rose.

Under the relentless blows of misfortune and the torment of illness, she had deteriorated beyond recovery, leaving even the finest doctors helpless.

Song Yanqing had secretly sought out countless specialists for Zheng Yili—domestic, international, anyone who could be called “top-tier”—sparing no expense to bring them in through a mix of coercion and persuasion, clinging to a final sliver of hope as he forced them to treat her.

Yet it had all been in vain…

Song Yanqing snapped out of her thoughts, her gaze lingering greedily on the girl’s rosy, delicate face. A sudden impulse surged within her—an overwhelming desire to pull the other into a tight embrace.

Zheng Yili sensed a hint of danger and quickly made an excuse to leave. “Sister, I should go rest now.”

Without giving Song Yanqing a chance to respond, she turned and hurried away. Her graceful figure, draped in a shimmering evening gown that glowed under the moonlight, seemed almost bewitching as she vanished behind the flower-laden wall.

Song Qi’an slowly stepped forward, her dark, unreadable eyes fixed unblinkingly on Song Yanqing, as if unwilling to miss even the slightest shift in her expression. “Sister, what did she come to see you for?”

Song Yanqing replied casually, “To thank me.”

“Thank you?” Her voice carried skepticism.

“She really liked the birthday gift I gave her, so she came to express her gratitude.” Song Yanqing lifted her eyelids with a faint, mocking smile. “What about you? After giving her a gift during the day, did she go out of her way to thank you?”

She was deliberately hitting a sore spot. Song Qi’an’s expression stiffened, a bitter taste rising in her mouth.

Given their current relationship, Zheng Yili wouldn’t have bothered to thank her personally. The fact that she had even kept the gift at all was something Song Qi’an considered fortunate.

Song Qi’an fell silent, offering no further response.

Song Yanqing didn’t let her off the hook. “You brought this on yourself. If you knew it would come to this, why did you get entangled with Lin Xiaoxiao in the first place, playing those ambiguous adult games?”

“I didn’t—”

“Then go kneel in the ancestral hall and swear before the Song family ancestors,” Song Yanqing cut her off.

Song Qi’an’s face twisted slightly, irritation flashing in her eyes. “Sister, I think you just enjoy tormenting me. You know how much I hate that place.”

As a child, Song Qi’an had been locked in there countless times by Shen Yun. Over time, she developed an instinctive fear of it, always needing Song Yanqing to secretly accompany her.

Song Yanqing smirked. “You understand that perfectly well. So, knowing Yili as well as you do, how could you not realize she has zero tolerance for even the slightest impurity?”

Song Qi’an choked up again.

She strongly suspected her sister had come today specifically to avenge Zheng Yili. Otherwise, why would she abandon her usual gentle, indifferent demeanor and repeatedly lash out with such aggression?

A suffocating weight pressed against Song Qi’an’s chest. She stared at Song Yanqing, wanting to ask why—but afraid of the answer she might hear. In the end, she swallowed the question and continued pretending ignorance.

Sometimes, not digging too deep was a way to protect oneself.

The two stood in tense silence until Song Yanqing finally spoke again. “Alright, it’s getting late. You should go home.”

“Can’t you let me stay the night?” Song Qi’an put on a pitiful look.

“No.” Song Yanqing refused without hesitation, then asked, “Why don’t you want to go back?”

“I just don’t.”

“She nags too much,” Song Qi’an said bluntly. “Every time we meet, she either drags me into one thing or another, trying to impose her own desires on me. I don’t want any of it.”

“Sister, I’m frustrated.”

Perhaps sensing a slight softening in Song Yanqing’s attitude, Song Qi’an strode forward, took the hand that Zheng Yili had touched earlier, and—uncharacteristically for her usual demeanor—acted coquettishly: “Sis, please be kind and make an exception just this once.”

“Sister~”

Song Yanqing ultimately agreed to this unreasonable request, but her stance remained firm: “Yili doesn’t like you, so you’ll have to leave my place bright and early tomorrow morning before she wakes up.”

“?” Song Qi’an was stunned.

She couldn’t help raising her voice in protest: “Song Yanqing, you’re so cruel—kicking me out that early! Tell me, am I your sister, or is she?!”

“It used to be you, but Yili’s not bad either.”

Song Yanqing smiled: “After all, she’s younger than me too.”

Song Qi’an was at a loss for words. “Sis, you’ve changed. I don’t know how your 37-degree lips can utter such icy, heartless, cruel words…”

As Song Qi’an continued to grumble, she was finally silenced by Song Yanqing’s ultimatum: “Keep yapping and you can leave right now.”

She immediately shut her mouth, bringing peace to the world.

When Zheng Yili fled home in a panic, she happened to run into Ji Wushuang. Ji Wushuang eyed the enormous pink rabbit with suspicion. “Who gave you this? They even remembered your childhood preference.”

“Song Yanqing,” Zheng Yili replied.

Ji Wushuang suddenly understood. “No wonder.” As if recalling something from the past, she smiled faintly. “If it’s her, then it makes perfect sense.”

“How so?” Zheng Yili asked curiously.

“Do you remember how you and Yanqing met?” Ji Wushuang didn’t answer directly but instead posed a question. When Zheng Yili shook her head, Ji Wushuang sighed helplessly. “Back then, on a whim, I insisted you join me for standing meditation. You refused, threw a tantrum, and ran off crying.”

Ji Wushuang continued, “It was just dawn, pouring rain, and freezing cold. It must’ve been your first time running away from home, and you were probably scared—so you took your beloved bunny plushie with you.”

“You didn’t even grab an umbrella. Your tiny figure darted out and vanished in the blink of an eye.”

Zheng Yili felt a bit embarrassed hearing this. She knew she’d been mischievous as a child but never realized she’d been so temperamental.

“I searched for you all day but couldn’t find you. In the end, you came back on your own that evening—with Yanqing. She was holding your bunny, and both of you were drenched from head to toe, soaked through.”

“You were fine—always strong and healthy—so you just came down with a mild fever. But Yanqing was different. She was already frail, and after being out in the rain for so long, she’d developed hypothermia. She barely managed to follow you home. The moment you stepped inside, she collapsed and had to be rushed to the ER. She was in critical care for a full day and night, then spent over half a month in the ICU before regaining consciousness.”

“Who knows what you said to her—even when she passed out, she clung to that bunny for dear life…”

Zheng Yili’s thoughts drifted. She truly didn’t remember any of this.

Even if Ji Wushuang spoke with the utmost sincerity now, Zheng Yili had no recollection of it whatsoever. She couldn’t even recall the slightest memory of ever sharing hardships with Song Yanqing in the rain, clinging to each other for warmth.

She listened calmly and indifferently, like an uninvolved bystander.

As Ji Wushuang continued, she suddenly sighed. “Alright, that child Yanqing has had a hard life. You should stop being so cold to her from now on.”

“Whatever issues you have with Song Qi’an, don’t drag her into it. After all, she’s been nothing but good to you all these years.”

Ji Wushuang’s expression turned regretful. “If not for worrying about you, I’d have loved to take her in as my goddaughter. Then she wouldn’t be without a mother’s protection.”

Zheng Yili’s eyelid twitched. “What does that have to do with me?”

“How could it not?” Ji Wushuang widened her eyes. “You’re already an adult with memories. If I suddenly took in an ‘older sister’ to raise, would you agree to that?”

“…She’s not related to us by bl00d. She can’t be called a ‘real sister,'” Zheng Yili retorted weakly.

Ji Wushuang countered, “Who says? If I’m determined to acknowledge her, then she’s my real daughter—your sister from another father and mother.”

Zheng Yili was left speechless by her mother’s twisted logic and could only reply perfunctorily, “Mom, as long as you’re happy.”

“What a shame,” Ji Wushuang sighed again. “Yanqing refused. She even said something completely incomprehensible.”

Ji Wushuang might not have understood, but Zheng Yili did. Her brow twitched as she could almost guess the ambition and covetousness hidden beneath Song Yanqing’s calm tone.

Her heart pounded violently a few times, and Zheng Yili turned away guiltily. “Mom, I’m going to wash up.”

Afraid Ji Wushuang might notice something, she hurriedly ran off.

Ji Wushuang watched her in confusion, raising her voice. “Hey! Are you just going to leave this rabbit in the living room? It clashes terribly with my decor!”

“I’ll move it,” Zheng Yili called back. “Tomorrow, I’ll take it to my study.”

“That’s more like it.” Ji Wushuang smiled in satisfaction. “Don’t forget tomorrow.”

Song Yanqing had suffered enough. If her daughter could grow closer to her, perhaps even take care of her, then Yanqing’s future wouldn’t be so painful.

After all, Ji Wushuang’s hands were tied—this was all she could do for her old friend. In a few decades, when she passed on, only her daughter could continue helping Yanqing in her stead.

As she pondered this, Ji Wushuang remained baffled—why on earth wouldn’t that child agree to be her goddaughter?

Once Zheng Yili had run far enough, her racing heart gradually calmed. Glancing back at Ji Wushuang’s thoughtful expression, she quickly averted her gaze, not daring to look any longer.

Song Yanqing was really—Zheng Yili pressed her lips together—getting bolder by the day.

She had no doubt that if not for Song Qi’an standing between them, Yanqing’s methods would become even more direct and aggressive. Yet even restrained as she was now, Zheng Yili was already struggling to handle her.

Standing before the mirror, she looked at her slightly flushed face, her emotions inexplicably complicated.

After successfully staying overnight next door, Song Qi’an didn’t sit in front of her computer working overtime as usual. She went to bed early, staring blankly at the ceiling while wondering: What exactly were Song Yanqing’s thoughts about Zheng Yili?

After all, it had been Zheng Yili who actively approached Song Yanqing earlier – Song Yanqing herself hadn’t done anything.

Yet Song Yanqing’s implicit defense of Zheng Yili in her words couldn’t be fake, making it hard not to speculate.

Song Qi’an turned over, carefully recalling Song Yanqing’s expression at the time – completely normal, showing no signs of anything unusual… Hugging her blanket, she eventually drifted off to sleep without reaching any definite conclusion.

Early the next morning, Zheng Yili had someone move the rabbit to the study.

Her recent birthday celebrations had taken up much of her time, so after quickly finishing the breakfast prepared by Mrs. Ji, she immediately drove to the company.

After the routine morning meeting, Zheng Yili methodically assigned tasks. Meng Sulan and Lin Xiaoxiao’s dating show had completed editing and post-production, entering the official review phase. It would likely air online by the end of the month at the earliest, or next month at the latest.

Several short dramas from the company had also wrapped up filming and editing, awaiting Zheng Yili’s decision on release dates.

Zheng Yili wasn’t in a hurry to release all the projects. She waited patiently until the dating show was officially scheduled before arranging subsequent work.

Meng Sulan, who had been working hard on filming for over half a month, finally got her vacation. Upon returning to the company, she rushed straight to Zheng Yili’s office. “Boss Zheng, I’ve finally seen you again!”

“A day apart feels like three years. During our separation, I missed you so much I couldn’t eat or sleep, counting the days until we could reunite.”

Meng Sulan’s voice arrived before she did.

Amused, Zheng Yili looked up at Meng Sulan bustling through the door and raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes!” Meng Sulan lied without batting an eye, putting on an utterly convincing act. “Boss Zheng, my longing and admiration for you are as clear as heaven and earth!”

“……”

Zheng Yili wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but after filming two melodramatic short dramas, Meng Sulan seemed to be developing… increasingly perverted tendencies.

“Enough,” Zheng Yili interrupted, afraid of what outrageous nonsense might come out of Meng Sulan’s mouth next. “What do you want?”

Sitting on the sofa, Meng Sulan suddenly became bashful. “I heard the dating show is about to air.”

“Boss Zheng, do you think Lin Xiaoxiao’s fans will come after me when it airs?”

Although Meng Sulan was already enduring the wrath of Lin Xiaoxiao’s fans, after the show aired, with Lin Xiaoxiao’s delicate, non-threatening appearance, many fence-sitting viewers might side with her.

Meng Sulan could handle just Lin Xiaoxiao’s fans, but if a large number of neutral viewers joined in, she wasn’t sure her heart could take it.

“What are you afraid of?” Zheng Yili looked at her with an amused smile. “Didn’t you already get surveillance footage from Song Lin that proves your innocence?”

“How did you know, President Zheng—”

Meng Sulan exclaimed in surprise before suddenly realizing. Her cheeks flushed as she avoided Zheng Yili’s piercing gaze that seemed to see right through her, focusing instead on her toes. “I lack confidence in myself.”

Even though she was innocent in that incident with her former employer, many gullible netizens had joined the smear campaign against her, eager to trample her into the dirt as if only that could prove their own righteousness and purity.

Once bitten, twice shy. And now Lin Xiaoxiao had cunningly latched onto Song Qi’an… Although Zheng Yili was formidable too, Meng Sulan still felt uneasy deep down.

She feared her career, which had just begun to flourish, might suffer another devastating blow.

Most importantly, if Officer Song were influenced by the online rumors and formed a negative impression of her, Meng Sulan would have nowhere to cry.

Thus, she looked at Zheng Yili pitifully: “President Zheng, you must help me take down Lin Xiaoxiao!”

“As long as it humiliates Lin Xiaoxiao, I’ll do anything you say. I’ll follow your lead without question—if you say east, I won’t go west.”

Seeing Meng Sulan was about to continue, Zheng Yili interrupted her helplessly, “Don’t worry. My Xing Yue Entertainment isn’t so small that we can’t even protect one artist.”

With this assurance, Meng Sulan immediately brightened up and then mentioned, “By the way, President Zheng, Officer Song asked me to check when you might be free?”

“She said she promised to cook you spicy crayfish.”

Zheng Yili recalled this and pondered briefly, “In a couple of days.”

Meng Sulan nodded without pressing for specifics. Zheng Yili had her own schedule, and with the dating show and short drama filming overlapping, she was undoubtedly swamped these days.

Now that her goal was achieved, Meng Sulan didn’t want to disturb Zheng Yili’s work further. “If there’s nothing else, President Zheng, I’ll take my leave.”

Zheng Yili nodded, watching Meng Sulan exit the office before immersing herself back into work.

Time flew by, and soon the dating show officially premiered.

As Meng Sulan had anticipated, after the first episode aired, Lin Xiaoxiao quickly became a hot topic online due to her innocent and pure appearance. Her fans seized the opportunity to promote her everywhere, successfully gaining her a million new followers.

In contrast, Meng Sulan, still burdened by the unclarified “homewrecker” label and rumors of being the murderer who allegedly pushed Lin Xiaoxiao from a height, was viciously attacked by Lin Xiaoxiao’s fans and sympathetic viewers.

Zheng Yili didn’t instruct the manager to disable Meng Sulan’s comment section or filter any fan comments, silently allowing the netizens to vent their anger.

Even when some accused them of cowardice for not responding, Zheng Yili paid no heed.

Like a skilled hunter, she remained patient and quiet, biding her time for the perfect moment to deliver the fatal blow.

When Lin Xiaoxiao personally stepped into the fray, the online uproar reached its peak. Her seemingly defensive words for Meng Sulan actually cemented the latter’s guilt, leaving no room for explanation.

As the discussion grew increasingly heated, the pressure gradually shifted onto Song Qi’an.

Within Ding Rui Media, senior executives who were on good terms with Lin Xiaoxiao had begun pressuring Song Qi’an to make a choice: “Lin Xiaoxiao is our company’s artist. No matter what, we can’t let her suffer this injustice for nothing.”

“Qi’an, let’s just sue Zheng Yili from Xing Yue directly.”

During the earlier heated arguments among the executives, Song Qi’an had remained silent, keeping her thoughts to herself and staying out of the fray.

But now, upon hearing those words, she slowly lifted her eyelids, her expression revealing a faint chill and a frost-like coldness. “Tell me, what does Zheng Yili have to do with this matter?”

Song Qi’an straightened her posture, and the atmosphere around her grew dangerously intense: “Hmm?”