Qiao Pengyu was also completely losing it.
He asked incredulously, "Dad, is what Yunyun said true?"
"Nonsense! That's not true at all."
"Don't try to hide it from me anymore. I finally understand why Mom had to live in Suzhou with my sister for over a year back then—you were afraid the truth would come out, weren't you?
Dad, why? Why, when my sister went missing, didn't you search for her immediately?" Qiao Pengyu demanded.
"Mom, why didn't you look for me?" Qiao Shiyue was utterly shattered.
She never imagined that all the suffering she endured was entirely caused by her own parents.
Ask any parent in the world—if they lost their child, would they give up searching for their own flesh and blood and instead adopt another from an orphanage?
Even if you lost a dog, you'd put up a reward poster, wouldn't you?
But her parents chose to adopt another girl to replace her.
Guo Yuhua's head was splitting with pain, yet she still had to endure it to soothe Qiao Shiyue.
"Shiyue, don't listen to her. She's just trying to drive a wedge between us. None of what she said is true."
"Wah wah wah... You don't love me at all, you never loved me. Any random girl can take my place, wah wah wah..." Qiao Shiyue sobbed bitterly.
Qiao Pengxing and Qiao Pengjian still hadn't figured out what was going on.
Hadn't their sister been swapped at the hospital?
How did it become that their parents lost her and then brought back a substitute from an orphanage?
"Mom, Dad, how could you do this? When you lost your own child, why didn't you go look for her?" Qiao Pengjian demanded harshly.
"Shut your mouth!" Qiao Zhenguo snapped at his son, then glanced at the nosy onlookers, his face flushing bright red.
"Everyone, stop arguing!" Guo Yuhua's headache worsened, her temples throbbing violently as if about to explode.
Qiao Shiyue was still lost in her own sorrow, crying repeatedly that her parents didn't love her.
Guo Yuhua's head felt like it was about to burst, and she slapped Qiao Shiyue across the face.
Qiao Shiyue stopped crying.
The scene fell silent.
"Wah wah wah..." The next second, Qiao Shiyue covered her face and ran outside.
"Yuhua, what are you doing?" Qiao Zhenguo scolded Guo Yuhua.
After hitting Qiao Shiyue, Guo Yuhua's headache subsided, and she calmed down.
The three Qiao brothers immediately chased after Qiao Shiyue.
As they passed Shen Yunyun, who was enjoying the spectacle, Qiao Pengyu warned, "I'll deal with you later."
"Strange things happen every year, but this year takes the cake. Your parents lost their own child, didn't search for her, didn't call the police, and instead adopted one from an orphanage—and you want to settle scores with me?
I was doing fine in the orphanage, waiting for my biological parents to come claim me, but you took me away. I haven't even settled accounts with you yet, and you want to settle with me?"
The surrounding onlookers couldn't help but laugh. Though the girl's words were a bit unreasonable, they made a point.
Who loses their child and doesn't immediately search for them?
Who loses their child, can't find them, and doesn't call the police?
Instead, they adopt another one—you wouldn't even treat a dog that way, would you?
"You, you rebellious daughter, rebellious daughter!" Qiao Zhenguo clutched his chest, clearly furious.
Shen Yunyun rolled her eyes. "You don't have a heart condition, so who are you pretending to be sick for? Be careful—fake it enough, and it might become real."
Qiao Zhenguo's face turned pale, and a sharp, stabbing pain spread across his chest.
"You..."
Guo Yuhua rushed up to Shen Yunyun and snapped, "Are you trying to tear our family apart? What have we ever done to wrong you?"