The Family Chat Group

Just as Royce was about to return, Malika left.

Malika went out to call Lily.

Hearing that Lily was responsible, her first reaction was happiness because she finally had a reason to deal with Lily. Nearly causing the loss of her grandchild was something she couldn't forgive Lily for.

When Lily received Malika's call, she was sitting in a dessert shop next to her studio, eating a chestnut croissant.

The chef had just launched a new product, and the first piece was sent to her. The faint aroma of chestnuts and the excellent texture made her very happy.

When her phone rang, she answered it casually.

Just as she was about to ask who it was, she was hit with a sharp accusation and a personal attack from the other end of the line.

"Lily! You're too vicious. You can't have children yourself, so you want to harm Royce's child? Royce was right not to want you back then!"

"You better pray that nothing happens to the child in Nadia's womb, or I won't let you off. You're harming my grandchild, an innocent life.

Not even Edmond can protect you this time!"

"..."

A torrent of accusations came at her like firecrackers, leaving Lily no chance to speak.

After a moment of shock, she took a sip of water to clear her throat and prepared to retort, but the call abruptly ended.

 She vaguely heard Royce shouting, "Mom!" before it cut off. When she tried calling back, there was no answer at first, and then the phone was turned off.

Wow, cursing and then running away?

How shameless! Had it been so long since she visited the old house that they thought she was weak? Oh, she was angry now!

Lily finished her chestnut croissant and prepared to go back to the old house to confront them. Before leaving, she thought better of it—if the argument got intense, she might end up fighting Malika, and if there was blood, it would be a big deal.

Since it was a big deal, she decided to inform Edmond first.

So, she called Edmond and told him about Malika's accusations. After a moment of silence, Edmond told her not to act rashly and to wait for his news.

Lily waited from noon till afternoon when Octavian sent her a video—it was surveillance footage of the car accident showing Nadia rear-ending her. After watching the video, Lily was about to exit WeChat and call Edmond when she noticed that Franklin had added her to a group chat.

The group was named [Loving Family]. Lily messaged Franklin,

[???] Franklin replied instantly, [Uncle Edmond asked me to create a new family chat group and add all the main and branch members of the Zhou family... I don't know what's going on either.]

Franklin was just as shocked when he received the instructions to create the group.

He didn't have that many contacts in his WeChat, so he added everyone he could and asked the members to add others. Within half a day, the group had grown to over a hundred people and was still increasing.

With the family group and the video in mind, Lily's thoughts were interrupted by a message from Edmond.

Edmond: [If you fight, you'll get hurt. If you get hurt, it will hurt me. The audience is ready. Post the video in the group and say whatever you want, no matter how harsh. I'll back you up.]

Lily stared at the phrase "if you get hurt, it will hurt me" for a long time, her heart fluttering and racing.

With the stage set for her by Edmond, Lily didn't hold back. When the group had grown to 299 members, she posted the video.

Everyone who had seen her that night at the old house was in the group. Lily wrote:

[First of all, I want to criticize Nadia. My niece-in-law, your driving speed is so fast that even people rushing to a funeral aren't as fast as you. And you're pregnant! People might think you don't want this baby.]

[Second, Royce, my dear nephew, this is the wife you begged for by cheating. Now that you have her, you don't cherish her? How can you let your pregnant wife drive?]

[Third, Malika, dear sister-in-law, please open your eyes. It was your daughter-in-law who crashed into me. I didn't even hold her accountable, yet you called to scold me for half an hour. I'm generous. If you apologize to me here, I'll forgive you.]

The group members were stunned: "..."

Awesome!

After sending the messages, Franklin sent Lily a private message.

Franklin: [So Uncle Edmond had me create this group to help you vent your anger???]

Lily didn't reply because, in the group, right after her messages, Edmond also sent two messages.

Edmond: [Apologize. @Malika @Royce @Nadia]

Edmond: [Brother, you need to take control. @Nelson]

When Malika saw the group messages, she nearly fainted with rage. Her impulsive reaction was due to being misled.

"If it weren't for Lily, I wouldn't be lying here."

Nadia's words made her think the rear-end collision was Lily's fault. She finally had a justified reason to deal with Lily and acted on impulse. She felt satisfied while cursing, but Royce had taken the phone before she could finish.

"Mom, the rear-end collision had nothing to do with Lily. She was stopped at a red light, and Nadia didn't see and crashed into her. It's partly my fault because I was angry at Nadia for work-related issues, and she panicked."

When Royce returned to the ward after his call, he overheard his mother's conversation and took the phone away. He wanted to explain to Lily, but Malika had grabbed the phone, so he had to hang up. When Lily called back, he refused the call and then turned off the phone. His intention was to explain things to his mother first and then to Lily.

But he was too late.

After Malika calmed down, she realized she might have made a mistake. Lily wasn't one to swallow her anger. If she had been wronged, she would definitely cause a scene. That girl was like a viper—you provoke her, and she'll bite you to death.

Malika rushed back into the ward and slapped Nadia. If it weren't for Nadia's misleading words, she wouldn't have acted impulsively.

Royce pulled her away and handed back her phone, telling her to call Lily and apologize. She turned the phone on but couldn't bring herself to make the call. Apologize to Lily? What about her dignity? Royce tried to persuade her for a long time. Meanwhile, Franklin added her to a group chat, saying it was created by Edmond, and she sensed something was wrong.

Sure enough, she thought, why would Edmond create a family group for no reason? Lily's few "criticisms" in the group had already cost her face, and now Edmond was tagging her to apologize. Especially with that last message tagging Nelson, involving him in the matter, she had lost both face and dignity.

Malika threw her phone down in anger and slapped Nadia again.

"You jinx! Ever since you married into our family, we haven't had a single good day. Royce's work was taken by Franklin because of you. I can't hold my head high in front of other wealthy ladies because of you. Now, even Royce's father is embarrassed because of you!"

Today's utter humiliation was all because of Nadia. Thinking of her husband's disappointed face made Malika's chest tight with anger, her rage boiling over.

"You're just here to bring bad luck! You wretched woman!"

Malika, her face twisted with rage, lunged at Nadia.

Nadia, lying on the hospital bed, couldn't move and took several more slaps. She felt wronged—she hadn't lied. Although she was at fault for the accident, if Lily's car hadn't been there, she wouldn't have rear-ended it. No rear-end collision would mean she wouldn't be in this situation, logically sound. It was Malika who misunderstood and blamed her.

"Royce!"

Fearing Malika might harm her unborn child in her frenzy, Nadia shielded her stomach and called out for Royce in pain.

Royce was seething with anger. Cheating... Lily didn't even give him any face! Especially seeing the group members surpassing 300, now at 316, Royce was on the verge of exploding.

He called Franklin directly.

"Where the hell did so many people come from in the Zhou family? Crawling out of the woodwork?"

Franklin, confident and composed, replied,

"Why wouldn't there be? Your mom's second aunt, third cousin, fourth uncle, your big uncle... there are tons of them. Uncle Edmond is in the group. Who wouldn't want to join and use this opportunity to make connections?"

Franklin paid no mind to his outburst, speaking with increasing excitement.