The ugly and hypocritical face of the cruel stepmother was exposed, and she happened to run into Su Zhan who had just found his child and had his heart full of the child.
Su Zhan was furious and wanted to settle accounts with her on the spot.
The mother pretended she was a virtuous wife and loving mother could no longer pretend. Li Lilian simply didn't pretend anymore.
She shamelessly and arrogantly asked Su Zhan for living expenses, housing fees, school fees, food money, clothing money for these years, and even every sip of water Qiao Ying drank, plus her labor costs.
"I didn't treat her as well as the other two children, but after all, my family saved her life and worked hard to raise her to adulthood."
"I don't want much from you. Five million yuan in one go. Give me the money and you can take her away immediately." Li Lilian quoted an outrageous price.
She even felt that 50 million was too little. Originally there were 500 million.
"You..." Su Zhan had never seen such an unreasonable low-class shrew and was speechless with anger.
"You still want money? You abused the child like this. I will call the police to arrest you and make you sit in prison until your sentence is served!" Su Zhan was furious beyond control.
At first, seeing Qiao Ying raised so well and dressed so nicely, Su Zhan thought the foster parents' family was well-off. But that was not the case. He then believed that the foster parents truly loved the child and raised her so well despite the dire conditions, which was even more precious.
So in the heat of the moment, his mind ran hot and he wanted to repay them, also thinking it would be easier for him to bring his daughter back to the Su family if they took the money.
He never could have imagined this.
"Don't try to scare me. My family raised her for 18 years. No matter who we talk to, you owe my family."
Li Lilian used her best trick--yelling in a sharp voice, pestering and stirring up trouble with absurd logic and sophistry.
Seeing her ugly appearance, even the well-mannered Su Zhan was provoked to the point of clenching his fists.
Just then,
Qiao’s father, who was squatting at the doorstep, erupted, "Enough!"
Qiao Shengquan stood up fully and said to Su Zhan, "I picked up the child, and I raised her all these years. I don't want your repayment." He then said to Li Lilian, "She did receive your care, but she also called you mother for over ten years. Yet you still mistreated her."
Having said that, he turned around and went into the room by himself.
He took out his work pen and strode to the desk,
On the divorce agreement Qiao Ying had brought back, he messily signed his name.
He had never been so straightforward.
He slammed the pen heavily on the desk and said to Li Lilian, "I don't want this house anymore either. I will move out tonight."
Then he turned to Su Zhan and said, "I don't want your money. If the child is willing to go back with you, take her.
"But your family has to treat her well. If you dare to bully her, I, Qiao Shengquan, will never agree to it, not in a million years!" Qiao’s father said hoarsely with red eyes and his neck stretched out, as if by speaking louder, he would be more impressive.
Qiao Shengquan had worked on construction sites for half of his life. He had been publicly yelled at and verbally abused by site managers and contractors younger than him, yet he never made a sound.
This time, for the sake of this adopted daughter, facing the wealthy and powerful Su Zhan, he straightened his back for the first time to stand up for his daughter.
Li Lilian was furious on the spot: "Aren't you capable, Qiao Shengquan! You've been useless for half of your life, making me suffer with you for half of my life. Now that we’re getting divorced, you suddenly became tough!"
"On what grounds do you refuse his money? I also raised her. What right do you have to refuse it just because you said no? Oh I see, you want to divorce me and keep all the money for yourself, right?"
Seeing her behavior, Su Zhan and his assistant were greatly astonished--this really opened their eyes.
Judging from the situation, Li Lilian would probably make trouble and cry for a few more days and nights.
Qiao Ying took out her cell phone directly.
"It looks like you won't sign this for a while. Never mind, being locked up or divorced won't make much difference."
Seeing Qiao Ying was going to call the police to arrest them, Li Lilian and her daughter panicked.
"Mom, just sign it. I don't want to go to jail." Qiao Lingling was afraid and pulled on her mother's arm to make her sign.
Li Lilian didn't believe at first that Qiao Ying would really do that. Later, when she saw that she had indeed called the police, Li Lilian panicked.
"Mom, sign it quickly."
Under her daughter's urging, Li Lilian was forced to sign.
After signing, she plopped down on the ground crying and wailing, saying she was pitiful, and her husband was heartless to raise another woman's daughter for over ten years.
Qiao Ying felt they were just a nuisance to look at.
She left a business card of a lawyer for Qiao’s father and indifferently said, "If she dares pester you again, call this lawyer."
When she was about to leave, Su Zhan wanted to call out to her.
But Qiao Ying coldly threw him a line: "Don't disturb my life." Then she left.
Qiao’s father looked at Qiao Ying’s departing figure. His footsteps subconsciously followed her for two steps seeing her off out of the door. Qiao’s father suddenly looked a decade older.
Qiao Ying took a taxi. She called Mayor Feng and asked Feng Teng to arrange a place on site for Qiao’s father to live.
Su Zhan also left Qiao’s house afterwards. He originally wanted to give some money to Qiao’s father, but obviously Qiao’s father would not accept it. Even if he did accept it, the money would probably end up in Li Lilian’s pocket eventually. So Su Zhan could only postpone it and repay Qiao’s father after doing the paternity test with Qiao Ying and confirming their relationship.
Qiao Ying soon returned to the capital by plane.
After 8 pm,
The doorbell of the villa was urgently pressed.
"I'll go open the door." Qin Hanyue stood up from the sofa and went to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, he saw Qiao Yi panting heavily, drenched in sweat.
"Why were you running so hurriedly?" Qin Hanyue asked caringly, then told Qiao Ying who followed behind, "It's Yi."
Qiao Yi walked briskly into the villa. His eyes collided with Qiao Ying who was walking over.
Qiao Ying spoke nonchalantly as if nothing had happened, "Took a leave of absence?" It was a critical time for a high school senior. He specially ran over just for such a trivial matter and couldn’t he have just called to ask?
Seeing Qiao Yi silent, Qiao Ying said directly, "You know already?"
Seeing something was off between the siblings but not knowing what they were talking about, Qin Hanyue was perplexed.
No, it seemed only Qiao Yi was acting strange.
Qiao Yi stared at her tightly. After a long pause, he moved his lips and asked hoarsely, "...Did you go with them for a paternity test?"
Paternity test?
Qin Hanyue looked at Qiao Ying – what paternity test did she do and with whom?
Qiao Ying said, "No, sit down to talk about it." She then went to pour a glass of water for Qiao Yi and brought it to him.
Qiao Yi didn’t take it and didn’t sit down either.
"Then you..."
Then would you do the paternity test? Would you go back to the Su family?
Before Qiao Yi could ask, Qiao Ying directly said, "No."
Seeing that Qin Hanyue couldn’t understand and didn’t know when to chime in, Qiao Ying reluctantly opened her lips. She briefly summed up the whole story in three sentences.
"So you are Su Yu's daughter?" Qin Hanyue said in slight astonishment.
After that he didn't say anything again, not knowing what he was thinking.
Qiao Ying took some paper towels, wiped away Qiao Yi’s sweat and stuffed the paper in his hand, and said, "Don't act like you just...lost your parents."
It didn’t feel right to say “like your parents just died”.
"I don't even have feelings for the Qiao family I lived with for over ten years, let alone for the Su family that just popped up out of nowhere."
"That biological dad and mom of mine were killed by that old lady. What's the point of me going back there? To me, they are just extra burdens."
Qin Hanyue strongly agreed with her latter statement in particular. Then he felt envy--he envied that the Su family actually had such an outstanding daughter lost outside.
"The only possibility of me returning to the Su family is to settle accounts with that old lady and avenge my biological parents."
So she thought about claiming her ancestry? How delusional.
Let alone that she wasn’t the real Qiao Ying and had no emotional connection with the Su family. Even if the real Qiao Ying knew that it was the old lady of the Su family who killed her own parents, she wouldn’t recognize these relatives if she had any self-respect at all.
