Rebirth: I Became Mr.President's Beloved-Chapter 15 - : You Are Your Own People, I am Not

Upon hearing that, Tang Li's lips curled into an indifferent, light smile.

Old Madam Lai, seeing her like this, asked indignantly, "What's so funny that an old woman like me said to make you so happy?"

Tang Li put down her glass and took a napkin to meticulously wipe her mouth.

Then, she looked up at Old Madam Lai.

In contrast, Tang Li's facial expression was eerily calm.

She placed the napkin next to her plate: "It's just a little bit of envy, jealousy, and hatred."

After speaking, Tang Li's pretty deer-like eyes gazed at Lai Yuaner, her face bearing a shallow smile: "Sometimes I wonder, if my mother hadn't been deceived in body and heart all those years ago, would I also have a grandmother who blindly takes my side without regard for right or wrong?"

In an instant, even the air fell silent.

Lai Wenyan's complexion turned particularly ugly.

His thin lips tightened, and a deep look in his eyes locked onto Tang Li as he asked accusingly, "Did you hit your sister last night?"

"If I say I didn't, would anyone believe me?" Tang Li said as she stood up from the dining table: "Catch a thief with his loot; this principle doesn't seem to apply in the Lai Family, especially for an outsider like me who has no relatives here. Being wronged a few times is nothing, right?"

"Ah Li," Ouyang Qian spoke up.

After Tang Li made those remarks, she could no longer sit by and watch.

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Ouyang Qian stepped forward, took Tang Li's hand, and explained softly, "Yuanyuan said those things out of anger, don't take it to heart. Your father, grandmother, and I, none of us said you hit anyone. And as for the things Yuanyuan lost, it's just a dress; there's no need to create such a rift within the family over this.

You are also your grandmother's granddaughter, how could she not love you?

Otherwise, just now your grandmother wouldn't have mentioned both her granddaughters. The old lady is of age, always hoping for family unity and prosperity. So, listen to your aunt, don't let some misunderstandings hurt the feelings of your own family."

Previously, Ouyang Qian had always acted as a buffer between her and the other members of the Lai Family.

So over those years, she was grateful for Ouyang Qian's kindness.

No matter where she encountered Ouyang Qian, she would always greet her politely, "Aunt Qian."

Until much later—

When she was confined at home by Han Jifeng, during countless sleepless nights alone, she saw through many people and things, and gradually understood that there's a tactic known as "retreating in order to advance."

The more Ouyang Qian defended her, the less she could become a true member of the Lai Family.

In her previous life, on the night she was sent away by Lai Wenyan.

She wanted to explain to her father one more time. She hadn't stolen anything, nor did she care for jewelry or dresses; maybe a servant took Ouyang Qian's words wrong and mistakenly gave her those things.

When she abandoned her halfway packed luggage and ran to the main bedroom to find Lai Wenyan, she arrived at the door only to hear Lai Wenyan's low voice of comfort: "You have been wronged these past few years."

She paused with her hand raised to knock on the door, hanging in the air.

Ouyang Qian's voice came through the crack in the door: "It's not really a grievance, Ah Li is your child, and since her mother is no longer here, it's natural that I should take care of her."

"Just let her live in the East Suburb," Lai Wenyan said: "Having you and the two daughters here is enough for this family. I'm not used to having one more person."

Looking at Ouyang Qian's beautiful face, memories weaved into the fabric of Tang Li's mind.

Her mouth curved slightly, she watched Ouyang Qian's eyes, and slowly withdrew her own hand: "You are your own family, I am not."

"Actually, Yuanyuan is not wrong," Tang Li continued: "At best, I'm just Aunt Qian's stepdaughter. In everyone's eyes, my background is something to be ashamed of. Aunt Qian continually defending me, harsh towards her own daughters, indeed, it can chill the hearts of her own children."