“Maybe she resented all of you for refusing to give my brother’s military academy training slot to Chen Xingyu, so she deliberately helped that man take revenge on our family!”

Lin Zhixia was stunned.

She had guessed correctly. In the original storyline, things had indeed happened exactly as Xie Qingshu described.

However, this matter truly had nothing to do with either her or the original owner of the body. Chen Xingyu had secretly hidden the banned book inside the pastry box without the original owner’s knowledge.

And she certainly had no hobby of taking the blame for someone else!

Seeing Xie’s mother fall silent, Lin Zhixia quickly explained,

“Mom, I didn’t do it. I really didn’t know there was a banned book inside.”

“If I had known, I definitely wouldn’t have brought it home.”

“I’m part of the Xie family too. If the Xie family is sent down to the countryside, I won’t be able to escape it either.”

“You know me. I’m not someone who can endure hardship and labor. Why would I do something that harms myself just to benefit someone else and end up suffering in the countryside?”

After thinking about it carefully, Xie’s mother realized that Lin Zhixia’s words made sense. The suspicion in her eyes gradually faded.

But Xie Qingshu remained unconvinced.

“Hmph! Once you’re divorced, you won’t be part of the Xie family anymore! Then you won’t have to go to the countryside with us. Who knows if that’s your plan all along?”

“Qingshu! Stop talking nonsense like that!”

“Mom, I—”

Xie’s mother interrupted sharply.

“Are you not even going to listen to your mother anymore? Have your wings grown strong enough that I can’t control you now?”

“I…”

Feeling both angry and wronged, Xie Qingshu’s eyes immediately turned red.

She stormed out of the room and happened to run into Xie Jingheng, who had just returned.

The moment she saw him, tears began streaming down her face.

“Big Brother, our family is being sent down to the countryside.”

As she spoke, she viciously pointed at Lin Zhixia.

“It’s all because of her!”

“She helped Chen Xingyu bring pastries containing a hidden banned book into our home!”

“Dad has been dismissed from his position! We have to move out today… Sob…”

Lin Zhixia felt even more wronged than Dou E.

She opened her mouth, wanting to defend herself.

But Xie Jingheng didn’t give her the chance.

“It wasn’t her,” he said calmly.

The moment he spoke, all three women in the room froze.

Lin Zhixia looked up at him in surprise.

He actually believed her?

Though she couldn’t understand why, warmth filled her heart.

Being falsely accused felt terrible.

Then, the next second—

“She isn’t smart enough to come up with something like that.”

Lin Zhixia: …

That part was completely unnecessary!

Though, to be fair, the original owner really was a beautiful fool.

Xie Qingshu stared at him in shock.

She could understand her mother being deceived, but how had even her brother been fooled?

Unable to hold back, she said,

“Big Brother, how could you be tricked by her too? You—”

“Qingshu!”

Xie’s mother forcefully grabbed her arm, preventing her from continuing.

Then she scolded,

“Apologize to your sister-in-law right now!”

This time, Xie Qingshu was genuinely heartbroken.

Lin Zhixia had clearly done something wrong, yet everyone was defending her and criticizing her instead.

With tears streaming down her face, Xie Qingshu shouted,

“I will never apologize to this vicious woman!”

After yelling, she burst into tears and ran away.

“Qingshu!”

Xie’s mother was deeply worried.

She quickly tried to smooth things over.

“Xiaoheng, Zhixia, don’t take Qingshu’s words to heart. She’s just having trouble accepting everything that’s happened. She’s upset, so her emotions are unstable.”

After saying that, she hurried after her daughter.

Soon, only Lin Zhixia and Xie Jingheng remained in the room.

In the original book, Lin Zhixia had only skimmed through the details and didn’t know the specifics of what happened after the Xie family was sent away.

Thinking about what Xie Qingshu had just said, she walked up to Xie Jingheng and asked worriedly,

“Are we moving out today? Can’t we take anything with us?”

“What about money, ration coupons, and clothes?”

Instead of answering, Xie Jingheng closed the door behind him and scrutinized her.

The word “divorce” kept echoing in his mind.

She had done all this because she wanted to divorce him and take his child to live happily with another man.

His gaze darkened.

In an icy voice, he said,

“Don’t even think about it, Lin Zhixia.”

“What?”

“Stop pretending.”

Xie Jingheng let out a cold laugh.

“You deliberately told me there were banned books in the study just to divert attention from the banned books hidden inside the pastry box.”

“You think that once the Xie family is sent away, I’ll grant your wish and agree to a divorce so you can take my child and live happily with another man?”

“Keep dreaming!”

The smile on Lin Zhixia’s face froze.

Soon she understood.

Xie Jingheng didn’t believe her either. The reason he had defended her in front of his mother and sister was simply because he didn’t want them to be hurt by the truth.

Feeling helpless, she held her stomach and stepped closer.

“Then let me ask you something: Why would I go through all that trouble?”

“The banned books in the study wouldn’t have been discovered if I hadn’t told you about them, right?”

“And besides, do you really think divorcing you would allow me to escape being sent away?”

“Don’t forget that I’m the daughter of a capitalist family. Without the Xie family’s protection, I’d be sent to the harshest labor farms in the northwest for reeducation.”

“I’m not stupid. Why would I give up a comfortable life just to send myself to the countryside to suffer?”

Lin Zhixia spoke calmly, her reasoning clear and logical.

When she saw his expression soften slightly, she huffed and said,

“Now can you believe me?”

The tension in Xie Jingheng’s heart eased.

But his words remained as blunt as ever.

“It’d better be true.”

Seeing Lin Zhixia pouting while holding her stomach, he awkwardly touched his nose before answering her earlier question.

“Grandma left Dad an old house. We’ll move there first.”

“We can bring clothes, but not money or ration coupons.”

“Also, your jade jewelry, gold jewelry, and your car can’t be taken with us.”

After speaking, Xie Jingheng looked down at her.

He was already prepared for her to throw a tantrum.

Lin Zhixia had always been vain and concerned about appearances.

A life without a car to chauffeur her around and expensive jewelry to wear should have been completely unacceptable to her.

To his surprise, after thinking for a moment, Lin Zhixia pointed at the washbasin near the door and asked,

“We can’t take the washbasin?”

“What about soap, quilts, towels, a thermos, mirrors…?”

One by one, she pointed out ordinary, inexpensive household items.

Xie Jingheng was stunned.

After a long pause, he nodded.

“All of those can be taken.”

“That’s good.”

Lin Zhixia visibly relaxed.

In this era, buying anything required ration coupons, and now they no longer had any.

Without those daily necessities, life would be extremely inconvenient.

Watching her relax as though she hadn’t even heard him mention the jewelry and car, Xie Jingheng became even more confused about what was going on in her head.

Unable to resist, he cautiously asked…