"Oh? You have a friend?"
Tang Yin raised an eyebrow. A classic "asking for a friend" opening.
"Mm. My friend is the only daughter of a great noble. Her father died early, her grandfather doesn't manage the family affairs, and her mother currently controls all the family's businesses."
At this, a shadow passed through Xue Qinghe's eyes. "But for some reason, her mother hates her deeply, while treating the adopted daughter with endless affection."
"That's unusual. Is your friend really her biological child?" Tang Yin asked curiously, keeping the conversation going.
"Of course. There's no doubt about that!"
Xue Qinghe's expression shifted, but then he remembered that Lan Yin didn't know the truth, so he could only force down his displeasure.
"Then is your friend completely useless, so her mother doesn't like her?"
"My friend is very talented." Xue Qinghe added without hesitation, "You could say she's the most outstanding person the family has ever had!"
"Uh..." Tang Yin's mouth twitched. He fought back a laugh and put on a serious, analytical expression.
"Then does your friend's mother have a bad relationship with her father?"
"Her father?" Xue Qinghe's brow furrowed at the question. He recalled the moments when his father and mother had been together, and his expression turned rather grim.
"It probably wasn't very good."
In his memories, the two had rarely appeared together in front of him. On the few occasions they had, his father had arrived just in time to stop Bibi Dong from beating and scolding him.
"So your friend's parents had no feelings for each other!"
"But even if they didn't, the child was still her biological daughter. Why would she hate her so much?" As he spoke, Xue Qinghe clenched his fists.
That had always been his question.
"Who knows?" Tang Yin pursed