Plunder-Chapter 276: She is Actually Innocent

"Who?"

Zhou Jin’an blurted out.

Old Master An hesitated, wondering if he should continue, "Your stepmother."

As his words fell, Zhou Jin’an’s expression turned very ugly.

He knew who Yao Chuman was, and his memory wasn’t mistaken.

Ever since that woman had entered the Zhou family, his good days had come to an end.

That wasn’t the most important part.

What mattered most was that Yao Chuman got involved with Zhou Zhendong and framed Mrs. Zhou, causing a rift between the couple and thus usurping their place.

Therefore, he had never had a good impression of that woman.

Now, to hear Old Master An claim Yao Chuman was innocent, he simply couldn’t believe it.

"Jin’an, I know you won’t believe it when I say it, but your stepmother is truly innocent. If you don’t believe it, you can ask her. She definitely knows the truth of the matter."

"The truth I know is that she got involved with my dad and then framed my mom,"

Zhou Jin’an said indignantly.

Old Master An shook his head, his tone somewhat heavy, "You have to look beyond the surface when considering issues, Jin’an. No one is one-sided. Your stepmother, well, she did go a bit too far with you, but think about it, how did you treat her?"

Zhou Jin’an did not wish to think about it.

Those sealed memories had long fermented in his heart. Whenever he thought of them, various flavors of bubbles would pop up.

"Thank you, Uncle An,"

Zhou Jin’an left Old Master An’s sickroom.

However, after stepping out of the sickroom, his heart did not find peace for a single moment.

All his life, Zhou Jin’an had regarded Yao Chuman as a villain.

Nobody had ever suggested to him that she might not be entirely evil.

But the words of Old Master An had planted a seed in his heart.

That night, when he returned to Chu Garden, Zhou Jin’an did not go to his study but went to bed early instead.

With a heavy heart, he leaned against the headboard. Qiao En paced back and forth several times, but he did not initiate conversation, so she pretended not to notice.

Qiao En understood Zhou Jin’an’s temperament well; unless he wanted to talk, questioning him was futile.

After finishing her nightly routines, Qiao En did some yoga.

When she finally settled under the covers to lie down, Zhou Jin’an could no longer hold back.

He couldn’t match Qiao En’s patience.

He wanted to talk, hesitating several times to start, but he didn’t know how to express his thoughts.

Qiao En wasn’t in a hurry, she patiently waited.

Finally, Zhou Jin’an couldn’t hold back any longer.

"En’en, tell me, have I been misunderstanding Yao Chuman all along?"

He had no one else to discuss this with. If Cheng Lu were here, of course, he could exchange a few words with him, and even though talking to Cheng Lu would be pointless, when a person is distressed, they don’t need understanding, but rather, someone to listen.

"What misunderstanding?"

Qiao En countered.

"It’s just..."

Zhou Jin’an was about to speak but paused.

If she couldn’t be considered a complete villain, then perhaps there were no true villains in this world?

"I mean, is it possible that she isn’t the main culprit who framed my mother?"

"Why would you think that?"

Qiao En questioned.

Zhou Jin’an sighed deeply, recounting everything Old Master An had told him to Qiao En.

"Why don’t you ask Yao Chuman yourself? Since you want to clear the lady’s name, and she’s in the know, it would be good to ask her."

Qiao En suggested.

But Zhou Jin’an shook his head decisively, "I won’t ask."

He had his reasons for not wanting to ask.

Yao Chuman was domineering by nature, and after Zhou Zhendong’s death, she had turned completely into a shrew.

Remembering the last uproar she caused at Chu Garden, Zhou Jin’an couldn’t bear the thought of contacting her.

"Then I’ll ask."

Qiao En offered.

"Don’t go asking either."

Zhou Jin’an deterred her.

Given the vile words Yao Chuman used to insult Qiao En previously, he absolutely couldn’t let Qiao En suffer any more indignities.

"Alright, I understand. It’s getting late, let’s rest early."

Qiao En cast a deep look at Zhou Jin’an, she didn’t defy his wish but agreed instead.

The bedside lamp was turned off, and Qiao En quickly fell into slumber.

However, Zhou Jin’an tossed and turned, but he never managed to fall asleep.

He remembered the first time he met Yao Chuman—she was dressed flamboyantly, leading Zhou Ziyan towards the old mansion.

He picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at Zhou Ziyan.

Yao Chuman noticed and stepped aside to shield him from the dirty stones.

As a result, her newly bought woolen coat was ruined by those dirty stones.

Also, she had once tried to ingratiate herself with him.

The first day they had a meal in the old mansion, Yao Chuman filled his plate with delicious dishes, but Zhou Jin’an didn’t appreciate it; he simply pushed the bowl off the table.

Thus, the feud between him and Yao Chuman began.

He hated that woman.

Yao Chuman detested his presence as well.

Their confrontations had continued for over twenty years.

Now, for Zhou Jin’an to believe that Yao Chuman had ever been kind was impossible for him.

This night was destined for insomnia.

Only when the sky was about to brighten did Zhou Jin’an finally close his eyes and sleep for a little while.

This sleep lasted until ten in the morning.

When he woke up, Qiao En had gone out.

"Where has the Young Madam gone?"

Zhou Jin’an made several calls to Qiao En, but she did not answer.

"The Young Madam said she wanted to go to the supermarket to buy some things; she insisted on going herself, and I couldn’t stop her,"

Sister Rong said.

"Which supermarket does she usually go to?"

Zhou Jin’an continued to dial Qiao En’s number; she was seven months pregnant, and what if something happened? Without someone reliable by her side, what would they do?

Actually, his worries were somewhat superfluous.

Qiao En was accompanied by four bodyguards.

Using the pretext of going to the supermarket, she had gone straight to the old mansion.

On the way, she had contacted Zhou Chucheng.

When Qiao En arrived at the old mansion, it was just past seven o’clock.

She rang the doorbell at the gate for a while, but the butler, Uncle Zhong, did not come to open it.

"Our madam is still sleeping, what is all this noise? Wait at the gate; when the madam wakes up, I will let her know,"

Uncle Zhong said indifferently.

"It’s no trouble, I’ll wait here."

Qiao En, neither humble nor arrogant, without another word, quietly waited at the gate.

Uncle Zhong rolled his eyes; although Qiao En was now the wife of Zhou Jin’an and carried the Zhou family’s heir, he inherently looked down on Qiao En.

A woman who climbed the ranks by sleeping her way up was truly shameful.

Qiao En waited outside the gate for about twenty minutes, and then Zhou Chucheng’s car drove over.

"Sister-in-law, why don’t you come in? What are you doing standing out here?"

Zhou Chucheng looked shocked.

"Waiting for you,"

Qiao En said with a smile.

Her words were succinct, but the meaning she intended to convey was rich.

"Uncle Zhong, open the gate."

Zhou Chucheng made a phone call, and Uncle Zhong immediately came over to open the gate.

"Sister-in-law, please come in with me,"

Zhou Chucheng said in front of Uncle Zhong, leading Qiao En inside.

Uncle Zhong wanted to stop them, but he really couldn’t find a proper reason.

The house became noisy with the presence of more people.

"Young master, you can’t bring this woman in here,"

Uncle Zhong weakly tried to persuade.

Zhou Chucheng immediately reverted to his spoiled rich heir demeanor, "Uncle Zhong, why can’t I bring her? This is my house; I can bring back whoever I want to bring back. Where’s my mom?"

"Your mom... Madam, the young master is back,"

Uncle Zhong initially hesitated, then seemed to deliberately pass the message like an informant.

Zhou Chucheng, as if he had realized something, no longer concerned about Qiao En, strode inside.

The moment he pushed open the bedroom door, he suddenly understood everything.