The vicious female supporting role is posted in the opposite direction by the cub

She was agitated, leaning forward, her voice low and seductive: "Xiao Li, do you remember? In Canglong Village, Auntie noticed you long ago! You're so smart, so sensible... Auntie wanted to pick you up herself, but Yan Yueqing beat me to it! She stole the kindness that should have been Auntie's, and even slandered me! Xiao Li, you have to believe Auntie, Auntie is the one who truly cares for you! When Auntie gets out, I'll definitely..."

“Aunt Qin!” Ji Li suddenly interrupted her, her voice trembling without her even realizing it, “You…you mean you noticed me a long time ago? In Canglong Village?”

Qin Youran was taken aback, then nodded vigorously: "Yes! Auntie has been keeping an eye on you! You and your grandma..."

“But Canglong Village is in the southwestern border region, thousands of kilometers away from the capital.” Ji Li’s voice was soft, but every word was clear. “How…did you ‘pay attention’ to me? Have you been to Canglong Village? Have you met my grandmother? Do you know…what kind of flowers my grandmother likes to plant at the gate of the yard?”

Qin Youran's expression froze instantly.

She opened her mouth, her eyes darting around: "I...I heard it from Director Tang...your grandma...she likes to grow...roses?"

Ji Li's heart sank little by little. Her grandmother never planted flowers; there was only a clump of wild, nameless blue grass by the gate of the yard.

Director Tang? Director Tang has never mentioned any details about Hidden Dragon Village to Qin Youran!

These are all contents of a "dream," fragments of memories from another world where Qin Youran "helped" him.

But Qin Youran in front of me got even the most basic details wrong.

He recalled Yan Yueqing's chilling question: "Gambling your time, energy, and enormous resources on the uncertain future of your eight-year-old child? Do you think that's a smart move? Does it fit the logic of a businessman like you?!"

At the time, he scoffed at it, convinced that it was Yan Yueqing's sophistry.

At this moment, Qin Youran's flawed "concern" stands in stark contrast to Yan Yueqing's genuine efforts in arranging a school for him, a nursing home for his grandmother, and even respecting his wishes regarding his skipping grades.

“Aunt Qin,” Ji Li raised her head, her eyes filled with confusion and pain, yet also with a glimmer of clarity, “You said Aunt Yan Yueqing stole your good deed… but as far as I know, it was Aunt Yan who found me and my grandmother first. She took my grandmother to get medical treatment, sent me to school… these things really happened. And you… apart from in my ‘dreams’ and in old newspaper photos, what help have you ever given me?”

Qin Youran's face turned deathly pale as she forced a defense, "That...that's because Yan Yueqing acted quickly! She...she's very cunning! Xiao Li, you can't be fooled by appearances! Auntie is the one..."

“Auntie,” Ji Li interrupted her, her voice eerily calm, “What was the thing you regretted most before you went to prison?” Qin Youran was taken aback, and subconsciously answered, “Regret…regret for not exposing Yan Yueqing’s true colors sooner! Let her harm so many people!”

"Does that include me?" Ji Li pressed.

"Of course, that includes you! She's using you!" Qin Youran said urgently.

Ji Li remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook her head...

No, that's not how it works...

The Aunt Qin in his heart was gentle and considerate, and she had frowned when she encountered trouble, but she would never be like this now... hysterically looking for other people's problems!

Ji Li remembers that Aunt Qin once encountered a big problem, and she was really, really anxious.

But she kept solving the problem... logically, emotionally, finding the key, and tackling it one by one...

Is this the kind of power Aunt Qin displayed in front of him? Or perhaps? Composure?

In short, it's not the one in front of you...

This hysterical person, who's only focused on finding fault with others...

Ji Li felt like the sky was falling...

A person's personality may change due to some dramatic changes, but will a person's fundamental nature change?

Like her grandmother, who lost her husband early, her son in middle age, and was left all alone in her old age, she had endured so many hardships, yet she had never become as unfamiliar and frightening as Qin Youran before her. (End of Chapter)