Another thunderbolt struck out of the blue.
Xu Jianguo’s face burned with shame as he stared at Zhao Jingyu, his lips trembling uncontrollably. “You… how could you do such a thing…”
He felt like a complete fool.
Just moments ago, he had righteously rejected Zhao Jingyu, only to be silenced by his claim that the child was his.
At this moment, he wished he could beat that wretched girl to death. She hadn’t told him anything, making him lose face in front of Zhao Jingyu.
“Uncle Xu, you should ask Tang Wenya about this. She knows best.” Zhao Jingyu shot a sidelong glance at Tang Wenya, his expression cold. “Miss Tang, it’s a shame you didn’t become a director for TV dramas. I went with good intentions to celebrate Xiao Tingshen’s birthday, had a few too many drinks, and ended up being used and manipulated by you. It seems your feelings for Xiao Tingshen aren’t all that genuine.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? I don’t know anything.” Tang Wenya, named again, felt a pang of guilt. “Who can remember something that happened over a month ago so clearly…”
“We checked the guesthouse registration records from that night. The front desk said you crossed out Xu Qingning’s check-in record and claimed she had already gone home,” one of the young men stepped forward as a witness. “But someone saw her rushing out of our boss’s room in a panic late at night. After she left, you came out of Xiao Tingshen’s room next door and quietly left the guesthouse.”
“Tang Wenya, even if Xu Qingning liked Xiao Tingshen, you shouldn’t have sent her into my room and ruined her innocence.” Zhao Jingyu glanced at Xu Jianguo before continuing to address Tang Wenya. “I admit my fault, but the mastermind behind this is you—or perhaps you and Xiao Tingshen conspired together.”
In the bedroom, Xu Qingning silently gave Zhao Jingyu a thumbs-up.
As expected of her child’s father—he should confront her directly like this, then cut ties and never speak to her again.
Liang Yufeng grew angrier the more she listened. She sprang to her feet, wanting to go out and give Tang Wenya a piece of her mind, but Xu Qingning firmly held her back. “Aunt, he’s enough on his own.”
This wasn’t a gang fight.
Zhao Jingyu was a troublemaker himself—one person could handle ten.
Xu Jianguo looked at Tang Wenya with confusion. Jiang Yumei, noticing this, immediately jumped in. “Zhao Jingyu, are you here today to deliver the betrothal gifts or to pick a fight? How dare you shift the blame for your disgraceful actions onto our Yaya?”
“Exactly, what does your mess have to do with me?” Tang Wenya stubbornly refused to admit anything. After all, it had been over a month—no matter what anyone claimed to have seen, she simply wouldn’t acknowledge it.
System: “Do not admit it, and do not try to prove yourself. What you did was to defend your love. You are not wrong.”
“Tang Wenya, do you dare say in front of Xiao Tingshen that this has nothing to do with you?” Zhao Jingyu sneered. “Whether you admit it or not, from now on, you and Xiao Tingshen go your way, and we go ours. There’s no need for further contact.”
“Who wants anything to do with you?” Bolstered by the System’s support, Tang Wenya spoke with confidence. This world wasn’t simply black and white—it was just a matter of perspective.
She was the Female Lead, not a saint.
Anyone who dared set their sights on Xiao Tingshen would face her unwavering opposition.
Just as Xu Jianguo was about to say something, the door opened, and Xiao Tingshen walked in with his mother, Liu Yuzhen, both beaming with smiles.
To show off the betrothal gifts, Jiang Yumei hadn’t even bothered to close the door.
Xiao Tingshen carried a pig leg in his hand, while Liu Yuzhen held a gift money box. The mother and son were somewhat surprised to see Zhao Jingyu there as well. Xiao Tingshen greeted Xu Jianguo and Jiang Yumei politely, “Hello, Uncle and Auntie. Sorry to have kept you waiting.”
Xiao Tingshen wore a brand-new navy blue Zhongshan suit. Tall and handsome, his every move was courteous, giving off an air of uprightness and integrity.
He had always been the “child from someone else’s family” that people loved to talk about, and even more so, the ideal son-in-law in the eyes of many mothers-in-law.
Curious neighbors peeked in from behind the mother and son. Just as they were about to disperse, they saw the two carrying the pig leg upstairs and followed along to watch.
Well, now the truth was out.
The one who had just delivered a whole pig and a whole sheep in a large truck was Zhao Jingyu, while the one pushing a bicycle and carrying a pig leg was Xiao Tingshen. Tsk tsk, what a difference!
Jiang Yumei was naturally extremely satisfied with Xiao Tingshen. A smile instantly appeared on her face as she hurried forward to take the pig leg from his hands. “You’re here, please have a seat.”
She and Liu Yuzhen had been middle school classmates.
Their relationship back then wasn’t particularly good, but it wasn’t bad either. Liu Yuzhen came from a well-off family and had always looked down on all the female classmates in the class, including Jiang Yumei.
When Liu Yuzhen learned that Xiao Tingshen and Tang Wenya were dating, she initially disapproved and spent a long time trying to persuade him otherwise. However, unable to sway her son, she reluctantly agreed.
“Welcome, welcome. Come, have some tea,” Xu Jianguo said briskly as he cleared the dining table. Tang Wenya immediately went to wash the teacups. Xiao Tingshen glanced at her affectionately before turning to Zhao Jingyu. “Jing Yu, why are you here too?”
“Same as you, to deliver the betrothal gifts,” Zhao Jingyu replied calmly.
Before Xiao Tingshen could respond, Liu Yuzhen exclaimed in surprise, “Betrothal gifts?”
She then turned to Jiang Yumei with a puzzled look on her face. “How many families are you promising your daughter to?”
When they arrived, she had noticed the whole pig and sheep in the hallway but assumed they belonged to another family and paid no mind.
Could it be that Zhao Jingyu had brought them?
At this thought, her expression darkened instantly.
Xu Jianguo and Jiang Yumei clearly knew that their betrothal gift was a pig leg and sixty yuan. Yet, they deliberately left Zhao Jingyu’s whole pig and sheep in the hallway. Wasn’t this an obvious slap in the face to their Xiao family?
“Dear in-laws, our family doesn’t have just one daughter…” Jiang Yumei suddenly remembered Xu Qingning. That wretched girl had hidden in the bedroom as soon as she entered the house—clearly, she was deliberately staying out of sight to watch the commotion…
“Yes, yes, he, he is… he is with Qingning…” Xu Jianguo stammered incoherently. The shame of Xu Qingning’s pregnancy before marriage was too embarrassing for him to mention.
“Wenya, why didn’t I know about this?” Xiao Tingshen had also seen the whole pig and sheep in the hallway. His gaze at Tang Wenya held a hint of disappointment. If he had known Zhao Jingyu was coming today, he wouldn’t have come.
No wonder the hallway had been crowded earlier. He had thought they were there to see him because they knew he was delivering the betrothal gifts.
Who would have thought that Zhao Jingyu had beaten him to it and even brought more lavish gifts than his family?
What a mess…
“I… I didn’t know he would come today either,” Tang Wenya, who understood Xiao Tingshen best, lowered her head and said pitifully, “Qingning didn’t tell me beforehand, and my parents didn’t know either…”
“That’s right, we didn’t know,” Xu Jianguo and Jiang Yumei explained in unison.
Liang Yufeng could bear it no longer. She kicked open the bedroom door, strode out, and shouted at Xu Jianguo and Jiang Yumei, “You don’t know because you don’t care! Your eyes are only on your precious Tang Wenya—how would you ever bother with Qingning’s life or death!”