Those words struck Xie Jin'an like a bolt of lightning!
Xu Rourou struggled into a sitting position. Ignoring the swelling and pain all over her body, she wrapped her hands, smeared with blood, tears, and black soot, around Xie Huaishan and covered his mouth.
"Huai Shan... you're only a year old... what nonsense are you saying!"
"But, Mother, he hit you... I don't wanna..."
"I don't wanna call someone... who hits you... Father..."
Xie Huaishan's voice was low and hoarse. The tiny boy looked unusually calm, his dark eyes beneath swollen lids filled with impatience.
So it was just a child's angry outburst!
Xie Jin'an grew frantic. For some reason, fear gripped his heart.
His eyes reddened as he cursed in a low, raspy voice, "You unfilial brat! Do you know what your mother did!"
"Come here! Come here!"
He lay on the ground with both hands clenched into fists, nearly dying of rage.
Xie Jinzhao went over to pull Xie Huaishan away. "Be good, Huai Shan. Go to your father."
Xie Huaishan struggled desperately. "I want my mother... I want Mother..."
In the end, he fell to the ground, then crawled back to Xu Rourou's side and began to cry.
Xie Jin'an spat out another mouthful of blood and fainted from rage.
Xu Rourou lay on the ground, laughing as she wiped away her bloody tears.
If she hadn't still needed the Marquis's Residence to protect her, how could she have endured Xie Jin'an treating her like this?
Her heart was utterly dead.
But for Huai Shan's sake, she couldn't give up on this place yet.
Huai Shan would become the marquis someday!
And she had to find an opportunity soon to become the mistress of the marquis's household.
Otherwise, the Eldest Princess would surely kill her!
She had