The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

"Sigh, if you ask me, the most pitiful one is Zhou Liguang." An older woman sighed, her eyes full of regret. "What a fine young man he was! He was a company commander who had earned a second-class merit in the army! If it weren't for his leg injury during a mission, his future would have been limitless. In the end, he was ruined like this by that shameless little vixen from the Qiao family..."

Upon hearing this, everyone sighed. They felt sorry for Zhou Liguang, cursing the Qiao family's ancestors for eighteen generations, and feeling sorry for Zhou's good son who was injured in the line of duty.

Although the Zhou family didn't cause a scene at the Qiao family's house after this incident, their dignified and generous demeanor won them widespread praise from the entire compound and surrounding streets. With the Qiao family, a bunch of scoundrels, as a contrast, everyone's sympathy naturally leaned towards the victimized Zhou family.

……

Meanwhile, in the Qiao Family Compound, which was at the center of the public opinion storm, the atmosphere was as oppressive as a tomb.

At seven o'clock in the morning, Qin Fangfang, with dark circles under her eyes, got out of bed grumbling.

She worked until late last night, and her whole body ached. As usual, she went to the kitchen to make breakfast. She grabbed a handful of rice from the rice container and cooked a pot of thin porridge. She also put the leftover cold steamed buns from yesterday into an aluminum pot to heat them up. Looking at the untouched leftovers on the cutting board, she quickly stirred them to reheat them, then went to the stairwell and shouted for everyone to eat.

The thought of working herself to the bone while her home was a complete mess made Qin Fangfang's anger rise.

"That lazy brat, where has she been? She doesn't even come down to lend a hand. Let her be lazy to death! Whose young lady sleeps until the sun is high in the sky, needing me to serve her breakfast!"

The "brat" Qin Fangfang was referring to was naturally Qiao Xinxin.

As for Qiao Mingzhu? She wouldn't even dare to scold a single hair on her head.

Although yesterday's events left her feeling uneasy, the bias she had developed over the past twenty years was already ingrained in her bones.

Before long, Qiao Shouguo, Qiao Lijun, and Qiao Mingzhu came downstairs one after another and sat around the dining table with a missing corner.

The three men looked increasingly grim, their faces radiating dejection.

Qin Fangfang placed the bowl of porridge on the table, slammed it down with a thud, and glanced subconsciously at the stairwell.

"Where's Xin Xin? What time is it? Why isn't she up yet?" she asked with a long face.

Qiao Lijun took a big bite of the hot steamed bun, chewing noisily without even lifting his eyelids, and said indistinctly, "I don't know, I didn't hear any noise upstairs."

"What time is it? Still sleeping? Does she really think she's some kind of pampered princess?" Qin Fangfang frowned in disgust. "The house was such a mess last night, and she ran off somewhere to relax, not helping at all. And now she's sleeping in! She's such a country bumpkin, has no manners at all, and is getting more and more outrageous!"

Qiao Mingzhu, who was drinking porridge with her head down, paused slightly in the hand holding the bowl.

She gently blew on the steam rising from the bowl, her eyes darting around before she looked up and hesitantly spoke in her usual soft, weak voice, "Mom... my sister wouldn't have stayed out all night, would she? I woke up once last night and didn't seem to hear her open the door or come in."

Qiao Mingzhu's words were very insightful.

She did it on purpose.

She knew very well what it meant for an unmarried girl to stay out all night in this conservative era.

She wanted her parents to think that Qiao Xinxin was shameless. Only when Qiao Xinxin was completely hated and trampled into the mud could Qiao Mingzhu become the obedient daughter who was cherished by the whole family again!

Sure enough, Qin Fangfang's spoon, which was scooping porridge, suddenly stopped, and her face instantly turned extremely ugly.

"No way? A young, unmarried woman like her, daring to stay out all night?!"

Sitting in the main seat, Qiao Shouguo slammed his chopsticks on the table with a "bang," his brows instantly furrowing into a deep frown, his stern face contorted with rage: "What kind of behavior is this! If she really dares to spend the night outside, break her legs!"

Qiao Mingzhu was secretly overjoyed, and she could hardly contain her smile, but she immediately put on an anxious and worried expression.

"Dad, Mom, please don't be angry." She put down her porridge bowl and stood up obediently. "How about I go upstairs to check on Sister Xin Xin? If she really hasn't come back, that would be terrible. It's all messed up outside. I hope something has happened."

"Come on! I'll go upstairs with you and take a look!" Qin Fangfang ripped off her apron and threw it on the chair, then strode upstairs with him.

Her footsteps pounded as she went upstairs, but if you looked closely, you could tell that her mood had strangely improved.

It would be best if Qiao Xinxin really was out fooling around late at night and hadn't come home! As long as we catch this shameless brat in the act, Mom and Dad will only think of her as a worthless slut!

When Qin Fangfang reached Qiao Xinxin's door, she didn't even knock. She just turned the doorknob and pushed the door open forcefully.

"You brat, it's so late and you're still sleeping..."

Before the words of scolding could be finished, they were abruptly stuck in Qin Fangfang's throat.

She stood frozen at the doorway, staring intently at the scene inside.

The room, which was only about ten square meters, was completely empty. Not only were there no people there, but even the bedding, pillows, and sheets on the bed had been rolled up clean! On the bare wooden bed, only a white envelope stood out starkly.

Qiao Mingzhu, who was following behind, changed her expression instantly upon seeing this scene.

She rushed to the bedside, grabbed the letter, roughly tore open the envelope, took out the letter, and quickly scanned it.

Just three seconds later, Qiao Mingzhu's originally rosy face instantly turned completely bloodless, as white as a sheet of paper.

A sudden, ominous premonition rose in Qin Fangfang's heart, and her voice trembled slightly: "Mingzhu, what...what does it say on it? Let me see..."

She snatched the letter and quickly scanned the sharp, neat handwriting on it.

The moment Qin Fangfang saw the contents, her mind went completely blank.

"This...this brat...she actually..." Qin Fangfang's lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Qiao Mingzhu, standing to the side, no longer cared about playing the obedient daughter in front of Qin Fangfang.

She was so angry that her whole body was trembling violently, and her teeth were grinding together.

Qiao Xinxin is gone!

The letter made it perfectly clear that she actually found the Qiao family disgusting and went directly to the army to join Bai Zhengyuan!

She actually ran away!!!

Qiao Mingzhu dug her nails into her palms, leaving deep bloody marks. The pain was excruciating, but she seemed oblivious to it, her mind filled with only one thought.

That bitch, she just dusted herself off and ran away so easily! Leaving behind a mess, leaving Qiao Mingzhu all alone to face her parents' cold faces in this mess?!

After yesterday's scandal, if Qiao Xinxin were at home, her parents could still vent their anger on her.

Now that this scapegoat has run away, who will her parents and outsiders vent their anger on? Won't they all come after her, Qiao Mingzhu?!

No! Absolutely not! We must bring back that scapegoat, Qiao Xinxin!

Qiao Mingzhu snatched the letter from Qin Fangfang's hand and turned around, rushing down the stairs like a madwoman.

"Dad! Big brother! Something terrible has happened! Sister Xin Xin has run away!"

Her voice was urgent and shrill, tinged with a perfect sob, echoing in the empty stairwell.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Shouguo and Qiao Lijun downstairs suddenly stood up.