Mu Zhixing stood stiffly there, like a child who had done something wrong, coaxing her younger sister: "Don't cry."
Hearing her sister's sobs, their mother rushed in from the kitchen. Upon seeing the sisters, she slapped the elder one without saying a word.
Mu Zhixing cried from the slap. She was only a year older than her sister.
At that moment, she was just a 6-year-old baby.
Little did she know that her mother would embrace the younger sister, gently comforting her. Turning to Mu Zhixing, she said, "The sight of you disgusts me."
...
At this point, Shen Wei found Mu Zhixing's biological father. She said, "Can you take the child back?"
Her biological father was unwilling.
After all, he had remarried and had a new pair of children. His ex-wife's daughter naturally didn't matter to him.
Moreover, over the years, he had not paid any child support.
Previously, the court ruled that he had to pay 500 yuan per month.
With interest, it would amount to over 50,000 yuan.
He had been in hiding all these years and didn't want to give the other party a chance to fleece him.
Shen Wei felt a chill in her heart.
She knew this child wouldn't have an easy time. She didn't expect it to manifest in front of her, and it made her feel pity.
The parents had divorced, and both parties disliked their former child.
But at the moment, the child's biological father had to step up to claim custody.
Shen Wei said, "You don't need to raise her. I'll help you raise her. The main thing is that the child is too pitiful."
The other party couldn't refuse Shen Wei. He thought about taking the child back, which would also annoy his ex-wife.
Their divorce had been a messy affair, treating their once intimate partner like an enemy.
Now, this matter could trouble her, so he was naturally willing.
Shen Wei didn't expect that what moved Mu Zhixing's biological father was not the child's plight, but rather the chance to annoy her biological mother. She didn't know what to say about him.
Regardless, agreeing was a good thing.
The two of them went to Mu Zhixing's biological mother's home and knocked on the door. They heard an impatient voice from inside: "Who is it?"
The door opened, and Mu Zhixing's biological mother's delicate eyebrows immediately furrowed: "It's you, why are you here?"
"I've come to see my daughter."
"Oh, so you remember you have a daughter now? All these years, you haven't come to see her or paid any child support, and now you acknowledge her as your daughter? Sure, you can see her, but give me money first."
"Money, money, money, all you know is money, woman. As her father, it's only natural for me to see my daughter. If you dare stop me, I'll tell your neighbors that you're not letting me see my daughter!"
"I won't let you see her today, what can you do about it?"
The two quickly started arguing.
Shen Wei suppressed her anger and said, "Hello, I'm the lawyer hired by Mu Zhixing's father. We can discuss any issues with me."
The biological mother was taken aback. To the child's biological father, she said, "Have you gone mad? Why hire a lawyer for such a trivial matter?"
"Why? So I can see if you've been abusing my daughter!" With that, he barged in.
"You can't just barge in!" The woman tried to stop him, but how could a woman's strength stop a man?
Shen Wei took the opportunity to enter as well. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Mu Zhixing curled up, crying pitifully.
She looked abnormally thin and frail.
In stark contrast to other children her age.
Even if Mu Zhixing's biological father had no emotional connection with the child, seeing this would enrage him.
He wasn't angry that his child was being bullied, but rather felt that he had been slapped in the face: "You're a mother too, is this how you take care of a child?"
Hearing this blatant accusation, the child's biological mother exploded.
"I've done a good job taking care of her, have you contributed a single cent all these years? I'm a woman raising a child all by myself. You haven't contributed anything, and now you're running over here to criticize me? Shameless!"
The child's father said, "If that's how it is, then give me custody of the child!"
"On what grounds? When the child was difficult to raise, I took care of her. Now that she's obedient and sensible, able to earn her keep, you want her back? How convenient for you, eh? I won't give you the child."
Shen Wei watched clearly from the side. These two weren't fighting over the child, but rather their own grievances.
Shen Wei went over to check on Mu Zhixing. The child was trembling all over.
While her parents argued on the side.
Shen Wei whispered to the little one, "Hello, I'm Shen Wei. What's your name?"
"Mu Zhixing," the child said softly.
Shen Wei said, "Today, I've come to take you away from here. Auntie has a kindergarten at home with lots of little brothers and sisters for you to play with. There are also pretty little dresses."
Mu Zhixing said, "But mom won't let me leave."
Shen Wei said, "Don't worry, big sister will find a way."
Mu Zhixing secretly glanced at Shen Wei, then stealthily extended a little finger.
Shen Wei understood and said, "Then let's pinky swear!"
The little girl hesitated for a moment, then hooked her finger. She was too young to know how to deal with this complex family situation.
Her biological mother's favoritism, her stepfather's peculiarity – it all made her want to escape this place.
Children are the best at sensing kindness. Although she had just met Shen Wei, she really liked this beautiful big sister.
Shen Wei had only exchanged a few words with Mu Zhixing.
But suddenly, Mu Zhixing's biological mother noticed and flew into a rage: "You get out of here right now! This is my home. If you keep this up, I'll call the police for trespassing."
"You don't want to raise the child, so why won't you let me raise her? You're being unreasonable," the biological father continued arguing.
Neighbors from the left and right opened their doors to see what was happening.
Mu Zhixing's biological mother felt that there was no point in continuing like this and said, "If you don't leave, I'll call my husband right now."
Mu Zhixing's biological father was also a coward. Hearing this, he said, "Hmph, I'll come back another time." With that half-hearted remark, he turned and left without saying a word to his daughter.
After the biological father left, the sliver of hope in Mu Zhixing's eyes was once again extinguished.
Her biological mother sat on the side, a bit angry. Then, she pulled Mu Zhixing up and asked, "What did that woman say to you earlier?"
Mu Zhixing shook her head: "Nothing!"
Her biological mother grabbed a broom and started beating the child.
The child cried in pain.
But her biological mother still seemed unsatisfied and beat her particularly viciously this time.
By the time Mu Zhixing's stepfather returned home, the child had cried until she was hiccuping.
The stepfather immediately dissuaded the birth mother, saying, "What's the matter? Getting so worked up!" He then picked up Mu Zhixing by his side. Mu Zhixing dodged, clearly refusing his embrace.
The birth mother had not paid attention to such details before, but now that she saw it, she let out a cold snort, "Little slut, she deserves a beating."
The stepfather said, "Don't say that. The child is still young, and if there's anything she doesn't understand, we should teach her properly."
The birth mother snorted coldly from the side, "You think she's young, but she knows a lot. Originally, it's not easy being a stepfather. If you're good to the child, the child might even suspect you of harboring ill intentions."
The stepfather was taken aback, then looked at the child with a hint of darkness in his expression. But he concealed it quickly.
The birth mother embellished what Mu Zhixing had previously accused the stepfather of, adding oil to the fire, and ended with, "A child that young, to think of such things, she must be a natural-born slut."
The stepfather smiled and said, "After all, she's just a child. It's normal for her not to understand. Today, I feel like eating braised fish."
The birth mother said from the side, "Picking such a troublesome dish, if you want to eat fish, I'll have to go buy it!"
The stepfather smiled gently, "Good wife, go and buy me one, I want to eat some fish to nourish myself."
This stepfather had a mild and well-mannered appearance, completely different from the loud quarreling with the ex-husband earlier.
It was evident that the child's mother preferred Mu Zhixing's stepfather, "Alright, I'll go buy it for you now."
After she left.
The stepfather grabbed Mu Zhixing and went back to the room.
He threw the child onto the bed.
There was some annoyance in the stepfather's eyes, "Didn't I warn you before not to say those things out loud? Do you think your mother will side with you?"
