The woman held the child tighter in her arms. This child was her foundation for securing a place in the wealthy family; she had to protect him at all costs.
Xue Xuejia wasn't an impulsive person. She wouldn't directly accuse anyone just because Shi Li said the little brat wasn't the old man's biological son, even though everything Shi Li had ever said turned out to be true upon verification.
Just look at how Gu Yuqing, who used to treat Shi Li coldly, suddenly started wagging his tail like an obedient dog. It was clear who had provided the information that helped the Gu family find their little daughter.
Still, Xue Xuejia decided to wait a bit longer, until the DNA results of the little brat and her father came out, before making any accusations.
However, it seemed that the woman was feeling guilty, as she was particularly wary of Xue Xuejia and wouldn't let her get close.
As the child's elder sister, Xue Xuejia's excuse of wanting to bond with her brother was quite convincing.
Xue's Father hoped his daughters would accept this brother. Seeing the Concubine guard against his daughter as if she were a thief, he was quite displeased, thinking the young woman was uncouth. His son would inherit the family business in the future, so naturally, he couldn't let the Concubine, the boy's birth mother, raise him. It had to be his wife who would do that.
Xue's Mother came from a prestigious family. Although she was only from a minor branch, she was well-educated and had raised their daughters well.
Gu Yuqing: Xue Xuejia, well-mannered? You must be blind. No wonder you could raise someone else's child as your own. If you had better eyesight, you wouldn't have done such a thing.
Although the daughters were somewhat willful, they knew propriety and how to conduct themselves. The Second Daughter, who initially had a poor attitude towards her brother before starting school, had now come around and was willing to get along with her brother and stepmother.
The Concubine, after being lectured by Xue's Father, felt very upset. She felt that as a father who had never experienced the pain of pregnancy, he couldn't understand her feelings as a mother.
But she needed to rely on Xue's Father to establish her position in this family. She could only listen to him and allow Xue Xuejia to approach her precious son.
Xue Xuejia only needed to obtain some samples from the child to conduct a DNA test.
She arranged for the DNA test herself, which took relatively longer. It took three days to get the results, but once she had them, she instantly felt more confident.
In the past, Xue's Father rarely came home for dinner, but since the Concubine and his precious son moved in, he returned home every evening to eat.
Xue's Father sat at the head of the table, with Xue's Mother to his left. The seat to his right used to belong to the Xue family's eldest daughter, who was in college, but after learning that her father had brought home his illegitimate son, she had thrown a fit and stormed out. Now, that seat belonged to the Concubine.
Xue Xuejia sat next to her mother, with her Third Younger Sister, who was in kindergarten, on her other side. It was during this youngest daughter's birth that Xue's Mother had nearly lost her life.
Sitting across from the Xue family's third daughter was Xue's Father's Illegitimate Daughter, who was currently in middle school. When the Concubine officially entered the household, she brought this daughter along.
Since this illegitimate child was a girl, Xue's Father didn't pay much attention to her. She ate her meals somewhat timidly.
Xue's Father's precious little one was still at the age of nursing and was being tended to by a nanny, not yet able to join them at the table.
When the Xue family women ate together, the atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
Xue's Father's presence disrupted this warmth, making the atmosphere more serious, while the presence of the Concubine and her daughter made things awkward.
The Xue family's third daughter, though still in kindergarten, could already eat independently. She struggled a bit to reach the dishes with her small bowl.
Xue Xuejia, being the elder sister, would help her when she wanted something she couldn't reach.
She hadn't planned to bring up the matter during dinner, not wanting to spoil everyone's meal.
The Concubine only took two bites before putting down her chopsticks. "None of this food is suitable for a new mother like me. If I don't eat well, it will affect my baby's milk. Madam, do you find me an eyesore? Are you deliberately making things difficult for me?"
"I know you all don't like us, mother and child, but Yaozu is the Master's own flesh and blood. It doesn't matter if you mistreat me, but Yaozu is just a child."
Xue's Mother's expression soured. Having her husband's mistress and illegitimate son living in their home was a constant humiliation for her.
But she had to consider her three daughters. If she were to fall out with her husband now, wouldn't it just benefit the mistress and that bastard child?
So, Xue's Mother endured it outwardly while secretly contacting lawyers to fight for her best interests.
Xue Xuejia calmly picked up some vegetables for her little sister. "Dad's own son? That's not necessarily true. He came out of your belly, which only proves he's your son. Whether he's my dad's offspring, well, that's uncertain."
The Concubine's face changed instantly. "Second young miss, what do you mean by that?"
She knew best what she had done.
Whether the child was truly Xue's Father's, even she couldn't say for certain.
She knew that only by giving birth to a son could she gain more from Xue's Father.
Every time she got pregnant, she would check the gender, but invariably, they were all girls.
She had even suspected it might be Xue's Father's issue, causing her to only bear girls, especially since his legal wife could only produce daughters as well.
So, while still with Xue's Father, she had attempted to "borrow seed" from some younger men.
Therefore, she wasn't entirely sure who the child's father was, but she knew the chances of it being Xue's Father were slim.
She cried pitifully, tears streaming down her face like rain on pear blossoms.
But no one at the table showed her any sympathy.
Xue Xuejia hadn't informed her mother beforehand. Hearing her daughter speak this way, Xue's Mother now looked at the Concubine with scrutiny.
Xue Xuejia sneered, "Dad, I don't mean anything else. I just worry that you might be wearing a green hat without knowing it."
Xue's Father slammed his palm on the table, creating a loud bang. "Nonsense! Yaozu is your own brother. How dare you speak such rubbish!"
Xue Xuejia smiled at her father, "You're so certain he's my brother. Have you done a paternity test?"
Xue's Father faltered. Of course, he hadn't done a paternity test.
He didn't have a cuckold fetish, so why would he suspect his woman of cheating on him?
Xue's Father was the type of man who had great confidence in himself. Therefore, he had never suspected that the woman he kept would cheat on him, let alone imagine that the child might not be his.
But prompted by his second daughter's words, he realized that his action of bringing the son home had been somewhat hasty.
As the stern patriarch, Xue's Father absolutely couldn't admit he had been careless. He scolded Xue Xuejia, "Don't talk nonsense. Yaozu is your brother." However, he thought to himself that since this was the son who would inherit the family business, it would indeed be appropriate to do a paternity test.
Hearing Xue's Father defend her, the Concubine instantly felt more confident. She rolled her eyes in Xue Xuejia's direction.
As his own daughter, Xue Xuejia understood her father quite well.
She knew that after her reminder, he couldn't help but have doubts. As long as suspicion arose, he would investigate.
And the results of that investigation were precisely what Xue Xuejia was most confident about.
Xue's Father and Xue's Mother, true to their partnership, made the same decision at the same moment.
Xue's Mother didn't know Xue Xuejia had concrete evidence proving the child wasn't Xue's Father's offspring, so at this point she still needed to reprimand Xue Xuejia to maintain her husband's dignity as the head of the family.
"Alright, you meant well by reminding your father, but it's not good to speak carelessly about such matters."
Xue Xuejia's gaze swept across the faces of the three adults at the table. She smiled sardonically, "I understand, Mother."
After the meal, Xue Xuejia deliberately went to Xue's Father's study to "apologize" to him.
"Dad, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just worried you might be raising someone else's child. Yaozu doesn't look much like our family's children. You should really investigate it thoroughly. Of course, I hope to have a brother who can support us sisters in the future."
"But as I said before, our family's bloodline can't be tainted."
Xue Xuejia knew what her father valued most - that morbid obsession with passing on the bloodline. So she persuaded him from this angle.
As his daughter, Xue Xuejia understood Xue's Father well. He was a man of strong ability but poor character, vindictive and a typical underhanded villain.
He absolutely could not tolerate being deceived.
Her dear stepmother might fool him once, but she would never be able to trick him a second time.
After returning to her room, Xue Xuejia dialed the class monitor's number.
The two didn't have much interaction at school, so the class monitor was quite surprised by Xue Xuejia's call.
"Hello... do you need help with something?"
Xue Xuejia got straight to the point, "Could you please ask Uncle Lin when he thinks he'll contact Mr. Hei from Purple Legend, based on his reasoning?"
"Oh... alright."
"Thank you for your trouble."
The busy tone sounded in his ear as the call ended, and the class monitor put down his phone, still a bit stunned.
He had only one thought: Xue Xuejia is ruthless!
