Marked by My Stepbrother

Wen Mian didn't know how she had listlessly made her way home. After closing the door, she felt lightheaded and weak.

Her phone suddenly rang—it was a video call from her best friend, Mo Xiaoqi.

Upon answering, Wen Mian's overly pale face appeared on the screen.

Mo Xiaoqi was startled at the other end of the call.

"Mianmian? What happened to you? How come you look so terrible just after coming back to the country?!"

Wen Mian rubbed her sore brows.

"Last night… I ran into Pei Zhiyao…"

After a pause, she still decided to tell Mo Xiaoqi everything that had happened.

Having heard it all, Mo Xiaoqi was gritting her teeth in anger on the screen, rolling up her sleeves as if ready for a fight.

"Those damn Pei Family! 'Killing doesn't demand more than a head's height,' and five years ago, it was clearly Pei Zhiyao who was lust-driven and forced you! They blamed you without knowing right from wrong and though driving you away for five years wasn't enough, they continue to bother you now that you've come back? It's simply outrageous!"

"And then there's Pei Qingqing, she really has some nerve! It was well known to everyone that Zhao Moxuan was chasing after you, you were moments away from becoming an item, and it was she who, like a bitch in heat, orbited around Zhao Moxuan every day, causing him to transfer his love and affection, and they still have the face to meet you? Did they invite you just to have you witness their affair?"

Watching Mo Xiaoqi firing accusations rapidly in defense of her, a warmth flowed through Wen Mian's heart.

"Xiaoqi, I must go."

"Why?!"

"Pei Zhiyao said, the incident with my parents, is related to the Pei Family."

Mo Xiaoqi fell silent all of a sudden.

After a long moment, she finally sighed.

"Mianmian, I know the tragedy with your parents hit you hard. But it's been so long, and with the Pei Family's power in Chen City so great, if they really were behind it, would they leave any loose ends? What you're doing is like trying to crack a rock with an egg."

Wen Mian's eyes reddened slightly.

She knew that Mo Xiaoqi truly cared about her.

Eight years ago, her mother was found hanged at the factory where she worked.

Everyone said it was because she attempted to seduce the factory owner and, failing that, took her own life out of shame.

But her mother was always dignified and gentle, and shared a harmonious relationship with her father—how could she have an affair?

Under the onslaught of these rumors, her distraught father stormed into the factory with a knife, stabbing the owner to death before killing himself.

The once happy and harmonious Wen Family was torn apart by this scandal filled with doubt, leading to ruin and death.

How could she possibly remain indifferent?

That's why even if the Pei Family's home was as perilous as a dragon's den or a tiger's cave, filled with fierce beasts that devoured people whole, she wouldn't back down!

"Xiaoqi, I have to go…"

Wen Mian murmured again, repeating herself.

Seeing that her words fell on deaf ears, Mo Xiaoqi knew she couldn't dissuade Wen Mian.

Her best friend was known for her stubbornness, and once she set her mind on something, not even ten bulls could pull her back.

"Alright, since you've made up your mind, I support you! No matter the outcome, I am with you! If there's anything I can help with, just ask!"

Mo Xiaoqi flashed a brilliant smile, baring her teeth.

Wen Mian looked up, feeling even more warmth in her heart.

"Thank you, Xiaoqi."

"Besides the Pei Family, do you have any other leads right now?" Mo Xiaoqi inquired further.

After pondering for a moment, Wen Mian replied, "I found out that the granddaughter of the factory owner my dad killed is taking piano lessons at a high-end class in Chen City, with annual tuition fees costing at least several hundred thousand."

Mo Xiaoqi let out a surprised sound.

"Several hundred thousand? Even if the factory owner's death was treated as a workplace accident and they were compensated, that little money would be nothing more than a drop in the bucket. How could it possibly be enough to support such extravagance from his third generation?"