"I didn't do it, believe me!" Li Caiyi repeated the same sentence for the nth time, but the facial expression of people in front of her didn't change even a bit.

She stood on one side, while her family and in-laws were on the opposite side. Sprawled on the floor was Li Chunhua, who had just vomited blood from her mouth a few minutes ago. The blood stained the carpet and her white dress, making the scene even more horrendous.

Meng Renshu, her legal husband, crouched on the floor, cradling the unconscious and pale-looking Li Chunhua with so much grief on his face. Beside him was her brother, Li Junjie, who was busy checking on her condition.

"Xiaoyi! You heartless woman! How could you hurt your sister like this?! And in a family celebration like this, no less!" Li Jirong's thunderous roar was full of rage. Beside him was the sobbing Su Suyin, who didn't even bother to look at her.

"Father, it's not me! There is no way I will do anything to harm Xiaohua!"

"Lies!" Meng Shuchun, who was gloating on her misery until a moment ago, pointed her finger at her. "I saw you giving that glass to your sister. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who saw it, isn't that right, Brother?"

Li Caiyi's whole body stiffened. She shifted her gaze to Meng Renshu, and her heart felt like it was torn from the inside.

Meng Renshu looked up at her with hostility and accusation in his eyes. He seemed like he was on the verge of crying. His voice shook as he uttered, "Why? To think you will go this far. I have misjudged you all this time. How could you..?"

Li Caiyi felt like crying. Her heart aches so much, having her most beloved person acting like this to her.

"Right! I have told you that she is not as innocent as she appears. She is a very sinister and scheming woman. I bet if we didn't barge into the room, she would leave her sister half-dying here, and no one would suspect her of anything." Meng Shuchun added excitedly, pouring oil into the raging fire.

Li Jirong's face burned red in shame and anger. "Devil! I have raised a devil like a precious flower all this time. Xiaoyi, don't think you will get away with this just because we are family!"

"No! Please listen to me! I didn't do anything!"

But her scream fell on deaf ears. The more she forced herself to explain herself, the deeper the hole she sank into.

Li Caiyi was acutely aware of how biased her family was toward Li Chunhua, so she knew her family wouldn't buy anything she said. However, her mother-in-law and father-in-law probably could judge more objectively.

She was still Meng Renshu's wife, surely they would defend her a bit?

Li Caiyi turned to Qing Xiangjun and Meng Yaoshu, who hadn't said anything since earlier, with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

However, that little hope shattered when Qing Xiangjun averted her eyes from her in disgust. At the same time, Meng Yaoshu only looked at her with indifference and a bored look, like he wanted nothing to do with this.

"Where are you looking? Don't even hope that the Meng family would back you up in this. We are a respectable part of society; no matter why we won't side with a criminal!" Meng Shuchun howled.

The reality slowly sank in on her. After spending a lot of time and effort, she had to painfully admit that there was no place for her in the first place. Looking at how they crowded around Li Chunhua, worrying and praying for her, she felt incredibly cold, lonely, and sad.

Li Caiyi clenched her hand, trying hard not to let her tears spill. First, she had to calm down.

Maybe everyone was still in shock. After some investigation, the truth would come out. She knew better than anyone about her innocence. She just had to be patient, and everything would return to how it was supposed to be.

The one who was most confused and shocked by this incident was her!historical

"B-Big Brother, how is Xiaohua?" Li Caiyi asked while taking a step toward her sister.

"Don't come near her!"

Li Caiyi shrieked in pain when Li Jirong suddenly pushed her to the ground. The pain in her body was incomparable to the pain in her heart then. Her mind drew blank as she stared dazedly at her father's shoes.

"What are you planning right now? Are you going to kill your sister in front of everyone now that you are caught red-handed and cornered?! You evil woman!"

"Father.."

"You are a blemish to our good family. Not only that, but you even dragged the Meng family's reputation into the mud with your unreasonable jealousy toward your sister. They have been very understanding and accepting of someone useless like you, but this is how you repay them? I can't even raise my head because I'm so ashamed; how can you be so shameless?!"

The harsh admonish was nothing for Li Caiyi. She had received the same treatment many times. But this was the first time her in-laws saw how low her standing was in her own family.

Li Jirong gave her no face. She was utterly humiliated and couldn't raise her head.

"Father, leave her. Xiaohua is in critical condition. We can't wait for the ambulance to arrive." Li Junjie's words were the only thing that broke the silence after that.

Meng Renshu didn't waste any more time. He quickly carried Li Chunhua in a princess-carry before briskly treading out of the room. His face was full of concern and fear for Li Chunhua. Not even once did he glance at his wife, who was left behind.

"Xiaohua, my little darling. Please hang in there. You must not give up!" Su Suyin cried out while following behind Meng Renshu, followed by Li Jirong closely.

Only Li Junjie stopped for a moment to look at her. Li Caiyi noticed how he was peering at the scrape wound on her elbow, but that was it. He didn't even help her stand up and hastily walked out.

"Dear, let us depart to the hospital as well. Renshu seems to be very agitated," Meng Yaoshu said mildly to his wife. His voice echoed in the silent room.

"Yes. I'm worried about him. He must feel devastated right now," Qing Xiangjun replied before casting a chilling stare at her daughter-in-law. "Go home first and pray nothing happens to your sister. You'd better behave yourself. That's your only saving straw. Little Chun, do you want to come with us?"

"Ah, I will stay behind with my sister-in-law, Mom. You know, to keep an eye on her." Meng Shuchun chirped lightly.

"As you wish."

After spitting those words, the Meng couple also went out of the room, leaving Li Caiyi with Meng Shuchun, who hummed happily.

"A~ah, even my brother left. He didn't even look at his wife and only focused on his ex-lover. It seems he really loves her very much. Unlike certain someone."

Li Caiyi didn't answer her and only kept her head down. A giggle escaped Meng Shuchun's mouth as she took in her pitiful state.

"How fast the temporary queen has fallen. Though I must say, it was to be expected. No matter how much you put jewelry or brand into a thing, a fake is still a fake in the end. Especially when the fake product was actually harmful to the real one."

Her words were like a sharp knife slicing through her ears and heart.

Li Caiyi wasn't stupid. Even she could tell that she had completely lost everything. Whatever little trust, affection, and bond she had with her husband and family were utterly destroyed.

However, she refused to give up. Li Caiyi had endured so much up until now. She believed she could sail through this storm as well.

"Shuchun, as of now, I'm still the suspect. It hasn't been decided that I'm the culprit yet. Once the police investigate the case, everything will be revealed for everyone to see."

"Ha. You are really something else. The extent you will go through just to satisfy your greed is baffling. Just how low will you stoop just to keep your empty status? Poor brother."

Li Caiyi ignored her insult. "I have nothing to be ashamed of because I'm innocent."

"Keep telling yourself that. I want to know just how long you can stay arrogant like that. Do you think your brother will protect you after you hurt the love of his life?"

Li Caiyi bit her lips. She was right. The chance of Meng Renshu helping her out of this situation was slimmer than none. The distrust in his face earlier was sufficient proof for that.

'Don't cry. It will only make you look more suspicious. Hold it in. Everything will be fine.'

Those were the hardest times of her life. The police interrogated her many times, and some even threatened her to admit her crime, but Li Caiyi stood her ground. She believed in her innocence and that all would be revealed in time.

However, time passed, but her position became more precarious. She didn't understand how everything turned bad for her so fast like it had been predetermined from the beginning.

The more she endured, the more painful it became. Her mind, body, and heart were in tatters.

'What's the point of doing this? Why am I still persistently holding one? For what? For who? It's not like there is anything left of me.'

Li Caiyi wanted everything to stop, so she decided to stop thinking altogether.

'Yeah. Let's just give them what they want. I just want this to end.'

That was the beginning of her end.