Everyone was dressed in their finest attire. Upon seeing the woman behaving like a madwoman, people tried to avoid her, and no one bothered to answer her questions.
Some, unable to tolerate it any longer, even pushed the woman.
Shen Qingqing frowned slightly and took a step forward. Before she could speak, her hand brushed against a photograph, and she froze.
As she was about to leave, two security guards rushed in and grabbed the woman tightly. She struggled and screamed frantically before being gagged and taken away.
Shen Qingqing did not follow. The Ye family had instructed the security guards to take the woman away.
The person in the photograph held by the woman looked familiar. It was as if… it was Xing Yao.
The woman's appearance had upset many. Young Master Ye's father, Ye Lin, promptly stepped forward to de-escalate the situation. "My apologies for startling everyone today. It's truly my fault."
"Who was that woman? How did she get into the Ye family residence?"
Ye Lin sighed. "It's a long story, and it's quite an embarrassment to our family. That was my second sister-in-law. She lost her daughter and has been unable to find her. She's heartbroken, so…"
Upon hearing this, the crowd expressed their sympathy.
"So she's Second Madam Lin Wanxin. How pitiful."
"Look at how thin she's become; no wonder no one recognized her. I remember Lin Wanxin was quite a beautiful girl back then."
"Yes, she seemed consumed with finding her daughter just now. I'm afraid she's lost her mind."
However, Shen Qingqing felt something was amiss. If she was indeed the second master Ye's wife, why would the security guards treat her so roughly? She didn't look like the mistress of the house, not even like a servant.
"What are you thinking about?"
Fu Jingshu's voice broke through her thoughts. Shen Qingqing snapped back to attention and shook her head. "Nothing, I just feel… she's quite pitiful."
She could understand the pain of a mother who had lost her child. If it hadn't been for Xixi, she didn't know if she could have endured the grief of losing Chenchen.
Lin Wanxin's appearance was merely a brief interruption, and the banquet continued.
Seizing an opportunity, Shen Qingqing said to Fu Jingshu, "I'm going to the restroom."
"Mm."
Fu Jingshu had no reason to suspect her.
Unbeknownst to him, Shen Qingqing entered the restroom, and when no one was looking, she quietly slipped out. She had noticed earlier that the security guards had taken Lin Wanxin to the left.
She also headed left, still able to find traces of the three of them along the way.
The manor was vast. After walking for nearly ten minutes, she saw a small hut ahead, resembling a storeroom. Through the open window, she could see it was filled with miscellaneous clutter.
There was no one guarding the door, and it wasn't locked. She wondered if she had lost their trail.
If they were truly keeping her confined here, why was it so lax? Weren't they afraid she would escape?
She looked around. This was a garden, and this was the only room. She hesitantly pushed the door open, and it creaked.
In a manor like this, such a dilapidated room was strange. It didn't fit with the lavish grandeur of the estate.
Inside, it was surprisingly clean, with no dust. She examined it carefully. Besides the clutter, there was nothing else. There was no one inside.
She took two steps forward when she suddenly heard a faint sound beneath her feet.
She stomped her foot. Her high heel made a hollow sound on the floor, different from when it landed on solid ground.
She crouched down and observed closely. Soon, she noticed that the gaps around a section of the wooden floor were larger than the other floorboards. She took off her black hairpin and slowly inserted it into the gap.
Applying a little force, she heard a "click," and that section of the floor was pried open.
A dark passage, just large enough for one person to pass through, led to a basement.
She slowly crawled in. The passage was quite long, and she had no idea where it led. It was very quiet, with only the sound of her high heels on the ground.
"Kacha kacha kacha."
At first listen, it was quite eerie.
Shen Qingqing's expression remained unchanged. Perhaps it was due to her exceptional skills and boldness, but she felt no fear. In fact, she was curiously observing the passage.
Without realizing it, she reached the end.
The door was open. Before her was a large basement. There was a bed, a table and chairs, a wardrobe, and a light.
Lin Wanxin was asleep on the bed, her emaciated body curled up. She clutched the photograph tightly to her chest.
Just as Shen Qingqing was about to step forward, she heard footsteps from the passage behind her. They were the sounds of leather shoes on the ground, heavy and slow.
She immediately made a decision in her heart: she could not be discovered.
With her skills, she had no doubt she could escape. However, given the Ye family's attitude, Lin Wanxin would surely suffer.
The footsteps grew closer. The person soon reached the end of the passage and, upon entering, instinctively scanned the surroundings before looking at the sleeping Lin Wanxin on the bed.
"The sedative shouldn't have been too much. Why is she still asleep?"
He muttered and stepped forward to shake Lin Wanxin awake.
When Lin Wanxin opened her eyes, she was initially dazed, then became frantic. "I want to find my daughter! Let me out! I want to find my daughter!"
The man scoffed. "What daughter are you looking for? You haven't found her in all these years, and you won't find her now. She's long dead."
Lin Wanxin seemed not to hear him, hugging the photograph tightly.
"Stop pretending to be crazy," the man said dismissively, looking at her filthy appearance. "I'm not a fool. Since you remember to look for your daughter, it means you haven't completely lost your mind. I'm warning you, you'd better behave."
Lin Wanxin remained unmoved, only murmuring, "I want to find my daughter… I want to find my daughter…"
Her voice was very soft, barely audible unless one listened carefully. In the empty basement, it sounded like a mournful cry. It carried a hint of the eerie and terrifying.
The man's back felt cold. He couldn't help but take a step back and threatened fiercely, "You'd better keep what happened back then buried deep. If you dare to say anything, I won't spare you!"
Lin Wanxin finally looked up at him. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were vacant.
The man felt a chill run down his spine. "Why are you looking at me?"
She murmured, "I want to find my daughter…"
The man's face contorted with disgust. "I think you're truly beyond saving. Daughter, daughter all day long. Have you even looked at yourself? It's utterly nauseating!"
He suppressed his disgust and stepped forward to grab Lin Wanxin's arm.
She was very thin; one hand could grip her wrist with room to spare.
"You'd better listen obediently, or your fate will be the same as Xiao Qing's!"
He pulled Lin Wanxin and turned to walk out. She stumbled along, even bumping into the corner of the table. The man paid no attention, and she seemed not to feel any pain.
She only protected the photograph in her arms with all her might.
After they left, the wardrobe door was pushed open. Shen Qingqing emerged, her expression grim and her mind in turmoil. Xiao Qing was her mother.
Could it be that her mother's death was also related to the Ye family?
Or, were they aware of what happened?
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. She decided to suppress these thoughts for now. Her gaze was fixed on the passage entrance. The man had closed the door behind him when he left.
Shen Qingqing took out her phone but found it had no signal. Her thought of seeking Fu Jingshu's help was in vain. She did have a portable network communicator on her.
But if she used it, Fu Jingshu would surely become suspicious.