Lin Xiangxiu felt rage surging straight to the crown of her head, her entire body trembling with fury.
How could Lin Shuping say such things? He knew better than anyone that Xiuxiu was his child—she had never slept with anyone else in her life besides him!
Besides, back in their hometown, her mother-in-law had watched her like a hawk nearly twenty-four hours a day. When would she have had the chance to be with anyone else?
Lin Shuping’s words were not just an insult to her but also to Lin Xiao.
The more Lin Xiangxiu thought about it, the angrier she became. She swung her arm wide and slapped Lin Shuping hard across the face again, pointing at him and saying, “If you dare say such things again, I’ll make sure your life is ruined! Don’t even think about your new wife or your job—we’ll go down together!”
The Qingguo Noodles cooled slowly; even after some time had passed, they were still steaming hot. The broth dripped from his hair into his collar, scalding his scalp.
Lin Shuping’s temper flared as well. While taking off his clothes, he roared, “What’s wrong with you? I was just saying it offhand! Why are you throwing a fit? Or is it true—do you really have something going on with someone else? Is Lin Xiao even mine?”
As he spoke, he glared darkly at Lin Xiangxiu, the pent-up anger in him boiling over. He clenched his fist, ready to strike.
But before he could get close to Lin Xiangxiu, a nimble little figure came darting over, kicked the door open, leaped up, and bit him hard on the arm.
With a sharp cry of pain, Lin Shuping felt as if a chunk of his arm had been bitten off!
“Don’t you dare bully my mom!” Lin Xiao snarled through gritted teeth, refusing to let go as she growled fiercely.
The sight of this child only irritated Lin Shuping. There was no trace of fatherly concern—he raised his large hand, ready to strike her.
Just as his palm was about to land on Lin Xiao’s bottom, Lin Xiangxiu rushed forward and kicked out.
Things had escalated to this point—there was no dignity left to preserve. She couldn’t stand him hitting the child, so she charged in and delivered a kick.
Her foot connected squarely with Lin Shuping’s crotch. He let out an agonized scream, his face turning as pale as paper as he clutched the area between his legs and collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.
When he finally caught his breath, he glared at the mother and daughter huddled together not far away, his eyes murderous. “Lin Xiangxiu, I’ll kill you!” he roared.
He was so enraged he could kill. Shaking, he struggled to his feet and charged toward the pair.
“Come at me if you dare!” Lin Xiangxiu retorted sharply, delivering another kick before grabbing Lin Xiao’s hand and darting toward the door.
The kitchen erupted into chaos with crashing and banging. Hearing the commotion, Hong Jie, who had been at the front desk, rushed over. She gasped in horror at the scene. “What are you all doing? Why are you fighting like this?”
Seeing the terrifying expression on Lin Shuping’s face sent a chill down Hong Jie’s spine. They were in the kitchen, where there were knives—what if he went mad and started slashing at people?
Stamping her foot in urgency, she quickly pulled Lin Xiangxiu and her daughter out of the kitchen and went to fetch her husband.
Lin Xiangxiu grabbed Hong Jie’s arm. “Sis, please help me call a Public Security Officer. I want to report this—I want a divorce!”
Hong Jie opened her mouth to speak but ultimately just stamped her foot and hurried off. Before long, she returned with her husband, a burly northerner who stood blocking the kitchen door, preventing Lin Shuping from getting out.
“Brother, calm down. She’s your daughter. Can’t we talk this through properly?” Hong Jie’s husband went in and put an arm around Lin Shuping’s shoulder, speaking in a placating tone.
Lin Shuping wrinkled his brow in disgust, regained his composure, and said nothing.
Lin Xiangxiu stood at the doorway, holding Lin Xiao, staring coldly at him with a gaze that made one’s heart tremble.
“Mom, is that Dad?” Lin Xiao finally showed some awareness and asked quietly.
“He won’t be for much longer.” Lin Xiangxiu stroked her fluffy hair and took a deep breath.
Lin Xiao pouted, clearly unhappy. “How soon is soon?”
Lin Xiangxiu kissed her forehead and smoothed her fluffy bangs. “Today.”
That’s right, very soon.
Hong Jie asked a neighbor to watch the inn for her, then rode her bicycle to the police station. Before long, she returned with several Public Security Officers.
As soon as the officers arrived, Lin Shuping’s face changed color. He hadn’t expected Lin Xiangxiu to actually dare to call the police. What if this got out and reached his new wife’s ears?
Lin Shuping gritted his teeth in anger and quickly approached the officers. “It’s just a minor issue, a family dispute. We can resolve it privately. There’s no need for you to get involved.”
An officer glanced at him and opened his notebook. “Who filed the report?”
“I did!” Lin Xiangxiu stepped forward.
She had made up her mind—she would go all out to expose this matter.
The scene from her dream felt too real, especially the image of her daughter lying on the ground with blood gushing from her head. Even now, the memory made her shiver all over.
Since she couldn’t return to her hometown and Lin Shuping had been so heartless to her and their child, why shouldn’t she make a scene?
She would make a scene. She would force Lin Shuping to give her money. With the money, she could settle down first and then slowly look for a job.
With her own hands and feet, how could she starve to death?
It felt as if a lock in her heart had been undone. Lin Xiangxiu straightened her back and, under Lin Shuping’s murderous glare, declared loudly, “I want to report Lin Shuping for abandoning his wife and daughter!”
The officer coughed. “Explain in detail.”
Lin Xiangxiu’s shout was loud, and people from several nearby shops came out, craning their necks to see what was happening. Those who enjoyed watching drama even came over specifically.
She wasn’t afraid of the crowd—the more people, the better. The bigger the scene, the better.
Facing the curious gazes of the onlookers, Lin Xiangxiu cleared her throat and said, “I was picked up by my mother-in-law as a child and raised as Lin Shuping’s child bride. A few years ago, she forced me to marry Lin Shuping, but we never registered the marriage or held a wedding banquet. After we married, I gave birth to a daughter. Lin Shuping tested into a university in Shencheng from the northeast and has stayed here ever since for school and work. Now, I can’t make a living back home and came to find him, but he refuses to acknowledge our marriage. I just want to ask the officers, what exactly is our relationship?”
From the moment Lin Xiangxiu began speaking, Lin Shuping’s face turned as if he were constipated, alternating between green and pale. He tried several times to stop her, but Lin Xiangxiu dodged him each time.
The people nearby, hearing this, looked at Lin Shuping with disdain. Someone even spat in disgust.
Lin Shuping’s face immediately turned from green to black. He remained silent, his expression dark.
But it wasn’t over yet. Lin Xiangxiu covered her daughter’s ears and continued, “If he doesn’t want to take responsibility for us, fine. But just now he even suggested I become a nanny for his newly pregnant wife, or else he’d deny that my daughter is his.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the entire inn fell silent. All eyes were fixed on Lin Shuping’s face, as if trying to see right through him.
Several seconds passed before someone finally blurted out.
“What a bastard!”
“He’s downright rotten!”
Lin Xiangxiu didn’t understand the dialect, but Lin Shuping did—everyone was calling him scum.
Lin Shuping felt utterly humiliated, his face burning as if on fire. He wished he could turn and flee right then.
But now that the Public Security Officer had arrived, he couldn’t just brush this aside!
He glared at Lin Xiangxiu and asked through gritted teeth, “Then what do you actually want?”
Lin Xiangxiu shot back an even fiercer glare. “What can I want? A divorce! And child support!”
Lin Shuping’s eyes widened wider than a bull’s.