Chapter 368 - Qiao An's Scheme
Chapter 368: Qiao An’s Scheme
Mrs. Lu’s attitude towards Lu Mo was no longer as attentive as before. She used to plan everything for her and was sensitive to her emotions. This sudden change was difficult for Lu Mo to accept.
Her eyes were red as she cried, “Mom, are you not going to care about me anymore?”
Mrs. Lu’s expression was desolate. It was the despair of having nothing to live for.
“Momo.” She looked at her daughter. Although her voice was as gentle as ever, she knew she couldn’t love her anymore.
“When you came to the prison and saw me, you didn’t even ask how I was. Look, you complained to me the moment you arrived. You wanted Mom to help you plan. But you forgot that Mom is also a woman in trouble. I didn’t raise you well enough. I taught you to be so selfish.”
Lu Mo was stunned as she looked at her mother in disbelief.
“Mom, don’t you love me anymore?”
Mrs. Lu said, “In prison these days, without the temptation of fame and fortune, I’ve become calm. I’ve finally figured out many things. Momo, you’re quite selfish.”
“You know what Mom and Dad gave up for you. But you never gave us back a little love. Before Dad died, you refused to see him. When I went to jail, you were probably afraid I’d rat you out, so you’d rather I stayed imprisoned. Am I atoning for your sins?”
“It’s not like that, Mom.” Lu Mo sobbed sadly. “I thought about helping you. I begged Dad and Huo Xiaoran but no one was willing to help me. You know, they all hate us.”
Mrs. Lu looked at her daughter’s performance and shook her head pitifully.
“After you left the court, you did look for Huo Xiaoran. But you didn’t beg him to help me. You only begged him to pity you again and love you. Right?”
“You also returned to the Lu family. But you never mentioned saving me to your father.”
Lu Mo’s eyes widened as she looked at Mrs. Lu in horror. “Who told you these things?”
“Qiao An was here,” Mrs. Lu said leisurely.
Lu Mo’s gaze instantly turned vicious.
“Mom, she’s deliberately driving a wedge between us. Don’t fall for it.” Lu Mo was anxious.
Mrs. Lu said, “I know. But her words… are also right.”
Lu Mo cried bitterly. “Mom, don’t believe her. Believe me, I really thought of a way to save you. It was Huo Xiaoran who didn’t want to see me. Later on, I used suicide to force him to appear, but when he heard that I was going to die, he didn’t have any sympathy. Later on, the hospital called Qiao An over. Huo Xiaoran was worried that Qiao An would be bullied by me, so he rushed over.”
“But he won’t listen to me. It’s like he’s a different person. He won’t listen to me. Mom, I didn’t have a chance to say it. You believe me.”
Mrs. Lu looked at Lu Mo and said calmly, “Let it be. You don’t have to visit me in the future. I probably won’t be able to drag out my illness until the day I get out of prison. So, just treat me as dead. Momo, take care of yourself for the rest of the journey.”
Mrs. Lu hung up the receiver, slowly stood up, and left sadly.
Lu Mo looked at her mother’s determined figure and wailed. Abandoned by everyone, she didn’t know what to do.
When she staggered out of the prison door, she saw Qiao An leaning against the entrance. Her face was bright and charming but she had a gloating smile.
Lu Mo walked closer to her and said sinisterly, “Qiao An, what are you doing here?”
Qiao An said, “I’m taking you to my friend’s restaurant.”
Then, she said enthusiastically, “I went to the Lu family early in the morning. Your father told me that you set off long ago. But I called my friend and he said that you didn’t reach the restaurant. I guessed that you were here to visit your mother.”
Lu Mo looked at the passionate Qiao An. She looked so holy and flawless, like a lily.
“Qiao An, stop pretending. Isn’t it enough for you to drive a wedge between us?” Lu Mo felt that Qiao An was especially sinister and cunning.
Qiao An touched the bridge of her nose sheepishly and smiled. “I just told your mother that you were actually doing well outside to reassure her. Is that wrong?”
Lu Mo’s eyes bloomed with a vicious glint. “Do you know that it’s because of your arrogance that my mother doesn’t believe that I love her at all?”
The more exasperated she was, the more Qiao An smiled.
In the end, she giggled. “Lu Mo, how does it feel to be schemed against?”
Lu Mo looked at Qiao An, who was smiling innocently, in horror. A chill invaded her limbs. “So you did it on purpose?”
Qiao An said, “Back then, you drove a wedge between me and the person who loves me the most in the world. Now, I’ll give you a taste of your own medicine. I’ll drive a wedge between you and the person who loves you the most. I’ll let you have a taste of what I felt back then. How about it? Lu Mo, it doesn’t feel good, right?”
Qiao An’s smile suddenly turned cold.
“Lu Mo, your biggest mistake is thinking that others are sillier than you, so they deserve to be schemed against by you. Actually, it’s not that others are sillier than you, but they’re not as ruthless as you. With your IQ, I advise you to be obedient in the future. If you want to hit on Brother Xiaoran again, I don’t mind fighting you. We’ll see who’s more ruthless?”
With that, Qiao An turned and stalked away.
Qiao An’s words pierced her pride and confidence and Lu Mo felt a surge of fury.
Qiao An’s car was parked not far ahead. Qiao An opened the door and got into the passenger seat. Huo Xiaoran considerately buckled her seatbelt.
Qiao An patted her stiff and tense face, then turned to look at Huo Xiaoran. “Isn’t it terrifying to be so scheming?”
Huo Xiaoran patted her head. “Nonsense. You should have been so domineering long ago. Then we wouldn’t have had such a miserable life a few years ago. To think I was separated from my wife and children.”
Then, he tried her best to encourage Qiao An. “The next time you meet the women who want to ruin our family, you should show your dominance. Understand?”
Qiao An was speechless.
Lu Mo looked at Huo Xiaoran’s back in the car and suddenly laughed sadly.
She felt pitiful and sad. She didn’t know what kind of mentality she had back then to actually think that she could replace Qiao An in Huo Xiaoran’s heart.
Qiao An had schemed until her mother-daughter relationship broke up, but Huo Xiaoran didn’t blame her. On the other hand, she had schemed against Qiao An and been ruined by Huo Xiaoran.