As the woman’s voice sounded, a middle-aged woman walked in through the door—none other than Song Anhe’s wife, Liao Jiali.
Liao Jiali immediately grabbed You Xiaoxia’s hand and looked her up and down: “So this is the girl, right? She looks so much like Sister-in-law when she was young!”
Mo Pingxin snapped back to reality, recalling her daughter’s inner thoughts from earlier. Could it be that the person who swapped her daughter back then was actually Song Anhe?! Did Liao Jiali know about it? Did she come today to gather information or to gloat?!
A sudden chill ran down Mo Pingxin’s spine. She wondered what kind of mindset Song Anhe had all these years while watching her dote on Song Linlang! He must have been quite proud of his handiwork, right?!
Seeing this, Song Ankang quickly wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulder and patted her reassuringly, signaling that they could discuss things later.
However, at this moment, Mo Pingxin didn’t even want to look at Song Ankang. Song Anhe was Song Ankang’s younger brother. Even though the two brothers had never gotten along since childhood, shouldn’t he give her an explanation for his brother’s malicious actions?!
She stepped forward, shaking off Song Ankang’s hand, pushed Liao Jiali aside, and coldly demanded, “What are you doing here so early in the morning?”
Liao Jiali was clearly taken aback. Mo Pingxin, as the elder sister-in-law, had always been good-natured and had never lost her temper with her before. What was going on today? Why was she so angry first thing in the morning?!
After being pushed away, Song Ankang coughed awkwardly and signaled for Song Linlang to step forward.
Song Linlang quickly placed her hands on Mo Pingxin’s shoulders and whispered in her ear, “Mom, don’t get worked up. Let’s hear what this is all about first!” Then she forced a smile at Liao Jiali, “My mom had a little argument with Dad this morning. Please don’t take it personally, Auntie.”
Liao Jiali rolled her eyes and turned to sit on the sofa.
Mo Pingxin took a deep breath and, pulling You Xiaoxia along, sat down as well.
Seeing Mo Pingxin take the initiative to sit nearby, Liao Jiali’s expression softened slightly. She chided, “Sister-in-law, really! I came with good intentions to bring a welcome gift for our little niece, and you give me the cold shoulder. And you, Brother, why are you arguing with Sister-in-law first thing in the morning?!”
Song Ankang gave an embarrassed smile.
Liao Jiali was sharp-tongued and loved to gossip. She often acted like a know-it-all, offering unsolicited advice left and right. Now that she had stumbled upon Mo Pingxin and her husband’s quarrel, she was bound to have plenty to say!
Mo Pingxin had no patience for her rambling and cut her off directly, “Why did you come alone? Why didn’t Song Anhe come with you?”
Liao Jiali paused, pulling a small box from her bag. “Anhe is busy. He has classes this morning and couldn’t make it. After hearing that you’d brought your little niece home, he specifically asked me to come and visit!”
Mo Pingxin didn’t take the box. Instead, she pricked up her ears and, sure enough, heard You Xiaoxia’s inner thoughts.
[“Busy, my foot! It’s all an excuse. He’s just too guilty to show his face! Back then, he was jealous that his older brother was better than him in every way—better-looking, more capable. He even had to compare their wives, and when he couldn’t measure up, he threw a fit! He and the Old Matriarch took advantage of my mom’s postpartum weakness while she was asleep, sent the nanny away, and swapped the babies with someone else’s. Now that he’s heard I’ve been found, of course he’s too guilty to come!”]
Both Mo Pingxin and Liao Jiali shot up from the sofa at the same time—Mo Pingxin out of anger, and Liao Jiali out of sheer terror!
She looked around in panic. Who? Who’s speaking beside my ear? No, who’s talking inside my head?! And saying such treasonous things to slander my husband! My husband is a university lecturer with immense popularity online, refined and gentle, deeply loved by his students. He would never do such things!
Seeing Liao Jiali so agitated, the Song family understood immediately—she could also hear You Xiaoxia’s inner thoughts!
Mo Pingxin suppressed her anger and pressed Liao Jiali back onto the sofa.
Meanwhile, You Xiaoxia’s inner monologue continued: 【What’s wrong with my mom and this lady? Why did she suddenly stand up? Huh? She sat back down! Whatever, let’s focus on the gossip!】
【This doesn’t make sense, Lao Liu. Even if Song Anhe is jealous of his older brother, what about the Old Matriarch? How could she become Song Anhe’s accomplice?!】
The System directly pulled up the original text for You Xiaoxia to see.
【Oh, I see! So Song Anhe and my dad aren’t from the same mother! The Old Matriarch is my dad’s stepmother! Oh my god, and she was actually the other woman who stole the position?!】
Song Ankang was shocked, clenching his fists tightly. He knew she wasn’t his biological mother—he was already three years old when Song Anhe’s mother entered the household, so he could remember some things. But he never knew Song Anhe’s mother had been his father’s mistress!
Everyone in the living room stared at You Xiaoxia, waiting for her to continue.
You Xiaoxia was busy digging through the gossip and didn’t notice everyone’s gaze: 【So the Old Master was quite the playboy in his youth. While his first wife—my grandmother—was still sick and not yet dead, he already had his next partner lined up. Strictly speaking, Song Anhe is actually a love child. But the couple, hypocritical and afraid of being judged, moved Song Anhe’s birthdate back by a few months to deceive everyone!】
Song Ankang lowered his head, his expression unreadable. He had been too young when his mother passed away. Now recalling it, it seemed his stepmother had given birth to a brother not long after marrying his father, though his memory was fuzzy. Only now did he realize this was the truth!
【Tsk tsk!】 You Xiaoxia shook her head: 【The Old Matriarch is quite the expert. Though she’s a stepmother, she’s seen as the perfect one in everyone’s eyes—treating my dad even better than her own son. She’d scold and beat her own son for discipline, but for my dad it was always ‘yes, yes, yes’ and ‘okay, okay, okay.’ Little did anyone know this was actually setting him up for failure! Luckily, my dad has good character and didn’t turn out spoiled!】
As You Xiaoxia’s thoughts flowed, Song Ankang recalled everything from his childhood.
When he made mistakes, his mother would say it was fine. When his brother made mistakes, she’d grab a cane. When he didn’t want to do homework, she’d join him in complaining about the teacher assigning too much and even went to school to confront the teacher. After that incident, the teacher grew to dislike him, and his classmates avoided him!
But if Song Anhe dared skip homework, his mother would slap him immediately!
As a child, he foolishly felt proud of this. Hah, Song Ankang laughed self-mockingly. To be this old and still not see through it all!
Now thinking back, many signs were there. As he grew up, went to university, worked, and started businesses, his life kept improving, yet his mother never showed him a pleased expression! Probably because he didn’t turn out worthless, his mother and brother couldn’t hold back and swapped his child!
[Sigh, Song Anhe is a university professor, someone who should lead by example. Who would have thought that behind closed doors, he’s such a sanctimonious hypocrite—preaching morality while being the most immoral of all! He didn’t even spare an innocent child!]
Liao Jiali’s face darkened. By now, she had figured out whose inner voice this was. After all, aside from herself, there were only three other women present. She was familiar with the voices of Mo Pingxin and Song Linlang, leaving only one person she didn’t know well… She glanced at You Xiaoxia.
You Xiaoxia innocently looked back at her, and Liao Jiali immediately lowered her head, not daring to meet her gaze.
A moment later, while You Xiaoxia was talking to Song Linlang, Liao Jiali whispered to Mo Pingxin, “Sister-in-law, this can’t be true! You know Anhe—he’s not that kind of person!”
Mo Pingxin’s expression was grim. “Whether it’s true or not, we’ll find out with a little investigation. The hospital I stayed in back then had just opened and didn’t have many patients. The nurses probably still remember me, and so does the nanny who took care of me. I’ll verify everything one by one! If he really did this, I’ll make sure he pays the price!”
Liao Jiali grew anxious. Deep down, she already believed You Xiaoxia’s inner thoughts. After all, the situation was so bizarre—why would You Xiaoxia lie in her mind?
And as for Song Anhe, she distinctly remembered the hidden malice in her husband’s eyes whenever he mentioned his older brother. Even now, the memory sent chills down her spine. But she had never imagined her husband would harm an innocent child!
“Sister-in-law, please be magnanimous and forgive him! Besides, it’s been so long, and the child has been found. Can’t we just live harmoniously as a family?”
In recent years, Song Ankang’s business had grown immensely, and Mo Pingxin’s family background was no ordinary matter either. Song Anhe, after all, was just a teacher—respectable in name, but the gap in power and influence between the two brothers had widened significantly. If a conflict broke out, her family would surely be the one to suffer!
Thinking of this, Liao Jiali pleaded with Mo Pingxin in a tearful whisper, “When I get back, I’ll make sure Anhe comes in person to apologize to you and Big Brother.”
“You!” Mo Pingxin was furious. How could a mere apology from Song Anhe make up for all the years she had been separated from her own flesh and blood? It wasn’t that simple!
Just then, everyone suddenly heard You Xiaoxia ask again: [Lao Liu, someone as two-faced as Song Anhe must have plenty of juicy gossip, right? Hurry up and let me take a bite—no, a billion bites!]
[Sure thing, Host!] the System replied. [There’s a fresh piece of gossip ready to go. Song Anhe is attending a class reunion this afternoon, but this isn’t just any ordinary gathering—he’s planning to meet his lover there!]