Chapter 210: Drowning

Bai Ruoxi was silent for a moment.

Her gaze never left Wang Gege, as though she were trying to read something from the young woman’s expression. Then, she slowly lowered her eyes and spoke.

"If the two of you did not agree to this marriage, I would not do it."

Her voice was soft, yet firm enough to make the room fall silent again.

Wang Gege blinked, still unable to take her eyes away from Bai Ruoxi’s face.

The same face, yet somehow carrying a completely different aura.

Xie Rong frowned slightly. "Then why return now?"

Bai Ruoxi pursed her lips, her gaze remaining on Wang Gege for a moment before she finally answered.

"Simply because of my daughter..." Her eyes met Wang Gege’s again, and there was a faint sadness hidden within them. "I need to see her."

"After eighteen years?" Xie Rong asked sarcastically.

Bai Ruoxi pursed her lips before giving a faint nod.

"Hmm... after eighteen years, I finally managed to meet her again."

Xie Rong’s expression remained cold.

"Funny..." He let out a quiet scoff. "This son still finds it hard to believe that all of this madness suddenly happened simply because you wanted to meet your daughter."

His gaze sharpened.

"After all these eighteen years... what did you do?"

Bai Ruoxi fell silent.

Xie Rong did not give her a chance to avoid the question.

"You left An’an behind and disappeared for eighteen years. No one knew where you went, what you were doing, or why you never returned."

His fingers slowly tightened beneath his sleeve.

"And now, just when An’an is facing punishment for her crimes, you suddenly appear and agree to marry my father." 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

He tilted his head slightly.

"Do you really expect this son to believe there is nothing more behind it?"

Master Xie finally stepped in, his voice firm as he interrupted before Bai Ruoxi could answer.

"It was this father who brought her here."

Xie Rong’s gaze immediately shifted toward him.

"When this father finally found her again, I was the one who asked her to return with me," Master Xie continued. "And the marriage was also this father’s suggestion. Ruoxi did not come here with some hidden plan to force herself into the Xie family."

His expression softened as he glanced toward Bai Ruoxi. "This father has waited eighteen years for her. After finally meeting her again, is it so strange that I would want to marry her?"

Xie Rong remained silent for a moment. Then, he suddenly let out a quiet laugh.

"Ah, yes..." His lips curved into a faint, mocking smile. "She is your white moonlight after all..."

Master Xie’s expression stiffened.

Xie Rong’s smile faded as quickly as it appeared.

"After eighteen years, you finally found the woman you have been waiting for. Of course this son has no right to stand in the way."

He glanced toward Bai Ruoxi before looking back at his father.

"If the two of you truly want to get married, then go ahead."

His voice was calm, but the coldness beneath it was unmistakable.

"But don’t expect this marriage to change what happens to An’an."

Xie Rong’s gaze softened slightly when it fell on Wang Gege beside him.

"Either way, this son has nothing else to say."

He reached for her hand and held it firmly, his expression already turning impatient.

"If Father has decided to marry Madam Bai, then go ahead. This son will not stop you."

Master Xie frowned slightly at his tone. "Rong’er..."

"But there is no reason to keep Furen here any longer." Xie Rong’s voice hardened as he looked directly at his father.

"She has only just awakened after fainting yesterday. If Father truly cares about her well-being, then stop wasting her time with matters that have nothing to do with her."

Master Xie’s expression darkened.

Xie Rong, however, did not back down.

"As for An’an, I have already made myself clear. No matter who her mother is, no matter who Father chooses to marry, this son will still make sure she receives the punishment she deserves."

He tightened his hold around Wang Gege’s hand.

"So if there is nothing else, Father, this son and his wife are leaving."

Without waiting for permission, Xie Rong turned and began leading Wang Gege away.

"Come, Furen. This husband has had enough of this nonsense for today."

He turned to leave, but before they could take another step, Bai Ruoxi’s voice came from behind them.

"Wait."

Xie Rong stopped.

Wang Gege turned around as well, her brows slightly furrowed.

Bai Ruoxi stood beside the table, her gaze fixed on Wang Gege. For some reason, there was a hesitation in her eyes, as though she had been debating whether to ask this question from the moment she arrived.

Then, she finally spoke. "Tao tao..."

Wang Gege blinked.

"Do you remember... falling into a lake when you were very young?"

Her entire body froze.

The faint smile on Xie Rong’s face disappeared.

Wang Gege stared at Bai Ruoxi, her mind suddenly going blank.

"Falling into the lake?" she repeated, blinking a few times as she looked straight at Bai Ruoxi.

A few moments of silence settled between them before Wang Gege suddenly recalled a memory that had surfaced in her mind on the first day she arrived at the Xie Residence.

The feeling of sinking deeper and deeper.

She remembered struggling desperately beneath the surface, unable to breathe, unable to hear anything except the muffled sound of water surrounding her.

And then...

A few young women...

Wang Gege frowned, trying hard to remember that brief fragment of memory that had appeared only once.

Maybe they were young girls?

And there had been a young Qing’er crying beside her...

She had never understood why the memory felt so vivid, nor why it had suddenly surfaced after she arrived in this world.

Bai Ruoxi’s fingers slowly tightened around her sleeve.

"You almost drowned that day, didn’t you?"

Wang Gege’s lips parted, but no words came out.

How could she know?

Xie Rong slowly looked at Bai Ruoxi, his expression turning serious.

"Why are you asking her that?"

Bai Ruoxi did not answer him. Her eyes remained fixed on Wan

g Gege.

"Because..." she whispered, "I was the one who pulled you out of the water."