Although Qi Xi was very calm and even appeared very ruthless during her negotiation with Qi Ruiming, to the point of giving Qi Ruiming the impression of being vicious, it was only when she forced herself to walk away from the café and onto the sun-drenched street that Qi Xi felt a complete collapse from exhaustion.
The hurt caused by her father's affair, the resentment from her father's preference for sons over daughters, and the pain from her father's betrayal of the family—none of these would be diminished just because Qi Xi had successfully confronted Qi Ruiming. The emotional aftereffects were inevitable. In fact, because she had been so focused on gathering evidence, negotiating with Qi Ruiming, and finding a point to shift her attention, now that this matter was completed, the remaining issues were beyond Qi Xi's control. The surging emotions within Qi Xi came rushing back, like a tsunami after an earthquake, leaving her no time to breathe before being swept into the fierce and turbulent waves.
Grievance, anger, resentment, unwillingness, and guilt formed a net, from which Qi Xi could not escape.