"Mom, what... what happened to you?" I wanted to rush over to help her.
My wrist was tightly clutched by a force from behind.
I hurriedly turned back and said to Longting, "Let go, didn't you see my mom fall down?"
"Wanwan, she won't appreciate it," Longting said, locking eyes with me stubbornly before he released his grip.
She could clearly have gone over to help my mom, who was just half a meter away from me.
But for some reason, I stood there paralyzed, watching my mom lean against the door frame, shaking as she tried to stand, "..."
Just then, an elderly figure appeared at the doorway.
Lin Huan bent down and lifted my mom up.
My mom looked up at him, "Father, Wanwan is being unreasonable. I apologize to you on her behalf."
"You don't need to apologize, you've raised Wanwan well," Lin Huan sighed, patting the back of my mom's hand.
I simply couldn't understand Lin Huan, wondering what he was thinking, "If you think my mom did a good job raising me, why then do you punish her with a whip? Isn't that contradictory?"
"Your grandfather was heartbroken for you; that's why he hit me." When my mom looked at me again, her eyes were bloodshot, filled with sadness.
I suddenly recalled when Lin Huan had hit my mom, the words 'beloved granddaughter' he muttered...
My mom bit her lip, her expression turning guilty and complex, "From the first time Longting laid hands on you, I should have fulfilled my duty to protect you, but... I didn't..."
These trembling words, sentence by sentence, struck my heart like blows.
So that was why my grandfather had hit my mom.
But my mom was just a frail woman. What protection could she offer me?
"But Longting... he is good to me," I said after hesitating for a long while, struggling to speak.
Lin Huan, with a stern face, began to speak, "Just because he is good to you, does that change the fact that he is a Snake Lord? Su Wan, have you forgotten? You ended up with him because he bullied you!"
"Then let's take a step back and ask, why doesn't my mom, a member of the Lin family, know any Exorcism Technique?"
My gaze was sharp, unyielding and firm as I confronted Lin Huan, "Back then, not a single person from the Lin family stood up to protect my mother and me. Out of desperation, my mom had to turn to my uncle Su Chongshun for help."
My fingernails dug deeply into my palm, numbing the pain in my chest with this action.
The things Lin Huan and my mom were discussing, I didn't want Longting to hear a single word.
Even if all of it were true, what difference would it make?
I am naturally protective. Once I commit to someone, I stick by them.
Even if his faults came first, if he was completely at fault, I would still stand by him to the end.
"That's because your mother made mistakes in the past, and was thus expelled from the Lin family," Lin Huan stated stubbornly, his face set hard.
A hint of sarcasm flashed in my eyes, "I'm curious, with my mom's compliant and gentle nature, what grave mistakes did she make to deserve being thrown out of the Lin family"
"Snake Lord, we, the people of the Lin family, need to discuss our family affairs behind closed doors, so please leave for a bit," Lin Huan unceremoniously asked Longting to leave.
Knowing Longting as I do, his mood must really suck right now.
If it hadn't been for Lin Huan who made a risky move to save him, where would he find the energy to ostracize and discriminate against Longting here?
"You old man reek, and if it weren't for my wife here, do you think I'd want to come?" Longting retorted unmercifully, showcasing his talent for infuriating others, as he gave Lin Huan a sidelong glance.
I saw Lin Huan's face turn a shade of dark purple, truly on the verge of being pissed off by Longting, and such contradictions might likely become irreconcilable.
"Longting, let me talk to them for a few moments. I'll walk you to the door, my dear~" I led Longting outside.
Longting raised an eyebrow, gripping my wrist tightly, his eyes unable to hide his anxiety, "You're my wife, you're sending me away to talk to them? Am I... that easily dismissed??"