Old Madam Shen heard her son and daughter-in-law’s voices and came running out, wailing loudly.
“You’re finally back! This wretched girl, this little bitch—I don’t know where she crawled out from, but she actually claims she’s the child you had with that short-lived Shen Xi.
“She made me eat some bitter thing—I don’t even know what it was—and said it was poison. Then she held a knife to my throat! Look, it even drew blood!
“Get someone here and beat this little—”
Whoosh!
The knife in Yuetao’s hand flew out. Its sharp edge cut through the air with a cold gust, skimming past Shen Wansong’s ear before embedding itself in the wooden paneling by the entryway behind him.
Yuetao turned and clamped a hand around the old woman’s throat. “You still dare insult my dead mother? Do you want to die along with your son?”
The sensation of suffocation left Old Madam Shen unable to speak. Her face turned red as she choked.
“Ugh…”
She struggled desperately, her eyes already beginning to roll back.
“Mom! Mom… Stop! Stop right now! You’re going to strangle Old Madam to death! Do you want to go to prison?”
Fang Xuelian’s shout jolted Shen Wansong, who had been stunned by the knife, back to his senses. He hurried forward to pry Yuetao’s hand away.
“Let’s talk this out. Don’t go crazy.”
Yuetao had no intention of letting them die so easily.
That would be far too good for them.
She flung Old Madam Shen aside just as the woman was about to suffocate, then fixed a cold stare on Fang Xuelian at the doorway.
“Prison? The day I want to go to prison will be the day all of you disappear from this world.”
Fang Xuelian sneered. What an audacious claim.
“Xuelian, take Mom back to her room to rest.”
Soon, only the father and daughter were left in the living room.
“Shen… Yuetao?”
Yuetao raised an eyebrow.
“Nanny Wang, go get the document folder from my luggage.”
Nanny Wang looked to the master of the house.
Shen Wansong nodded, and Nanny Wang hurried off to fetch it.
Five of the most authoritative paternity test reports in the country were laid out on the coffee table.
With every report Shen Wansong read, his heart sank a little further.
He had never imagined this child could be so tenacious.
“According to the results of these paternity tests, you are indeed my daughter. But there are still many questions about this matter. Baozhu is my only daughter, and she is my daughter. My former wife, Ms. Shen Xi, and I had five children in all. There isn’t another daughter. I’m certain of that. So I need to verify your real identity.”
Yuetao curled her lips into a smile. This man really did… love clinging to life.
“Fine! While you’re at it, notify your sons too. I want to see them tonight, and we can all talk this over together.”
There was no need for her to say the same things again and again. Better to call everyone together and explain it once.
She could also see how her four older brothers would react.
If they annoyed her, she’d beat them all at once. That would save her the trouble of hunting them down one by one.
After speaking, Yuetao got up and headed upstairs to rest.
Fang Xuelian came out of the room.
“Miss, what did you just make our Old Madam eat? Was it really poison? How could you be so vicious to a defenseless old woman?”
Yuetao looked at Fang Xuelian’s saintly act and gave a short, mocking laugh.
“Yes. Say one more word, and I’ll show you something even more vicious.”
“Xuelian, let Yuetao rest for now. Come with me.”
Clutching the paternity test reports, the couple hurried past Yuetao and went straight up to the third floor, heading for the study.
Yuetao made her way slowly up to the second floor. She glanced at Datuanzi, who had recovered by now, and went over to rub her big head.
“Datuan~ Go check on Goudan in a bit, and make a note of his dad’s route. If I have time tonight, I’ll go meet him.”
If he wasn’t married, she planned to leave the children with him for the time being, so she could focus on Shen Laodeng, his mistress, and that vicious woman.
Oh, and the illegitimate daughter who had enjoyed the happy life that should have been hers for more than twenty years.
“Ah…”
A scream rang out. Yuetao, Datuan, and Xiaotuan shot up to the third floor together.
On the big bed in the third-floor master bedroom, a cute little girl with rosy cheeks rubbed her eyes and sat up.
“Taotao, are you being angwy again? Why?”
Hearing the scream, the little girl had sleepily thought Mama was throwing another tantrum, but this voice didn’t sound right.
“Taotao, why does your voice sound so bad? It’s like it came out after someone stepped on a chicken mama’s neck, huh?”
The little girl finished rubbing her eyes and lowered her hands. Then she saw a face that wasn’t young, and was terribly contorted.
“Did you have a nightmare? There seems to be something scawy here!”
“Whose child are you? Why are you in my bed? Get down this instant!”
Hearing the child, Fang Xuelian was so furious she could have hit someone. She pointed angrily at Niannian on the bed and scolded her sharply.
“Mm… Taotao?”
The little girl jumped at the sound, then suddenly saw Mama run in.
She called out, and watched as her fairy-like mama grabbed the scary old woman by the collar and yanked her over, then slapped her across the face.
Niannian saw powder drift down in little puffs from the woman’s face, fluttering in the sunlight.
“Powder is falling off the old lady’s face~”
The slap left Fang Xuelian stunned. At the child’s words, she finally reacted in fury and instinctively tried to hit back.
“You bitch! How dare you hit—ah!”
Smack!
Yuetao slapped her again, backhanded.
“Try saying something nasty one more time!”
“Ah…”
“You’re so noisy. Shut up! Don’t make me beat you to death.”
“Shen Yuetao! Don’t go too far!”
Shen Wansong hurriedly pulled Fang Xuelian behind him and rebuked Yuetao angrily.
Yuetao dusted off her hands as if something filthy had gotten on them.
She gave a cold laugh and warned them, “She scared my daughter. I only slapped her once because my daughter was here; I held back so I wouldn’t frighten her. You may not know who I am, but I’m the stuff of legends in Moon Valley. Anyone who dares insult me won’t get away without at least being crippled.”
“Who do you think you are? This is intentional assault. You’ll be held legally responsible!”
Fang Xuelian was so furious she was beside herself. She yelled, her eyes nearly bulging out.
“Then go call the police and make me face the consequences! Go on!”
That was the last thing Yuetao feared now.
“Enough, stop arguing. How do you have a daughter? How old are you, anyway? Where’s the child’s father?”
Seeing the little bundle on the bed, Shen Wansong immediately thought of a way forward. Perhaps he could make use of the girl’s in-laws.
Best of all, he could pay them to take her away and make sure she disappeared for good.
He’d make her pay for those two slaps she’d given Xuelian, too. How could anyone who wanted to accomplish great things do so without knowing how to endure?