Chapter 19
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As Zhou Juan walked into the community, she noticed that people were looking at her very strangely. It made her feel uncomfortable.
She hurriedly gave herself a once-over. She was wearing a black cotton jacket and black leggings. Although they were old and worn, they weren’t dirty or out of place.
Zhou Juan felt that it was very strange.
If it was just one person looking at her funny, she wouldn’t have minded. However, everyone was giving her strange looks. Zhou Juan couldn’t help but overthink.
“Zhou Juan.” A silver-haired grandmother with a stroller greeted her.
“Hi.” Zhou Juan gave her a nod.
“You had better hurry home.” The grandmother subtly hinted at her. Her eyes concealed a bit of curiosity.
Hurry home?
Was Yin Qiang causing trouble again?
Or was Yin Qiang fighting with Yin Mingzheng again?
“Did something happen at home again?” Zhou Juan asked.
The grandmother said, “Yes, Yin Qiang and Yin Mingzheng started fighting.”
Zhou Juan breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that it had nothing to do with her. She assured the grandmother she would hurry back and quickened her pace.
As she was walking, she started getting confused again. Their family got into fights all the time, and the people in the community had long since gotten used to it. However, they seemed especially interested in their family situation today. Did something unusual happen?
“I had no idea that she was that kind of a person. Apparently, she engages with other men…”
“Yeah, I really didn’t think she had it in her!”
The sound of chatter between the grandmother and others piped up from behind her. The contempt in their voices was clear as day.
Zhou Juan was startled and couldn’t help turning her head to look at the grandmother. When the grandmother noticed that she was looking at her, she quickly shut her mouth and walked away.
Zhou Juan was getting more and more flustered. Who were those words aimed at?
Was it aimed at her?
What was this about other men?
She didn’t engage with anyone!
Did they misunderstand something?
She quickly rushed into Building 3 and took the elevator to the fourth floor. While she was waiting for the elevator, several neighbors saw her. They greeted her, giving her weird looks again.
Zhou Juan became more and more frightened. She kept her head low and shrank into a corner of the elevator. Once she reached the fourth floor, she bolted out of there.
When she arrived at Apartment 404, the door was wide open. No one had closed it.
After entering, she closed the door behind her. She felt much more at ease once inside.
The living room was a mess. There were glass shards everywhere, the chairs were overturned, and the coffee table was thrown to the side. There was all sorts of stuff scattered across the floor.
Their usual battlefield seemed particularly intense today.
As expected, Yin Qiang and Yin Mingzheng got into a fight.
In the past, they had tried to take care not to damage too much furniture. However, today, they seemed to have completely let themselves go. There didn’t seem to be a single thing left intact.
Yin Mingzheng was sitting on a chair. The back of the chair was facing the door, and he had his chin resting on the back of the chair. There were wounds on his face, yet he was all smiles, seemingly very happy. Yin Qiang lay feebly on the sofa. His eyes were fixed on Zhou Juan. The look in his eyes was terrifying.
“What happened? W-why are you guys fighting again?” Zhou Juan asked Yin Mingzheng in a low voice. She didn’t dare ask Yin Qiang.
Yin Mingzheng cheerfully called out to her, “Mom.”
Zhou Juan asked, “Mingzheng, did you make Dad angry again?”
Yin Mingzheng grinned and said, “I guess you could say that.”
He had a happy expression on his face.
Zhou Juan was taken aback. She turned her head to look at Yin Qiang and was met with Yin Qiang’s vicious stare. His eyes were like those of a hungry wolf. He looked like he wanted to pounce on her and tear her apart.
Zhou Juan was startled and asked quietly, “Yin Qiang, what did Mingzheng do to make you angry?”
Tlc Hljcu revvfcis rtba eq ogbw atf rboj ilxf j gjyyla. Lf gertfv eq ab Itbe Aejc’r rlvf lc pera j mbeqif bo qjmfr. Ktfc, tf ugjyyfv tfg tjlg jcv rajgafv ab rijq tfg jmgbrr tfg ojmf. “Tbe ylamt! @#￥#!”
“Cttt!” Itbe Aejc rmgfjwfv, rageuuilcu vfrqfgjafis.
Tlc Zlcuhtfcu pewqfv eq ogbw atf mtjlg jcv rafqqfv obgkjgv ab rabq Tlc Hljcu. “Ulrr boo! Gbc’a tla ws wbw!”
The two started brawling. Zhou Juan hid to the side in fear. Her hair was a mess, and the corners of her mouth were bleeding.
“Bitch! How dare you fucking cheat on me! You bitch!” Yin Qiang broke free from Yin Mingzheng’s grasp and rushed towards Zhou Juan. He grabbed her head and slammed it against the wall.
He had used a lot of force. There was a muffled thump. Then, Zhou Juan’s scalp started to bleed.
Yin Qiang’s eyes were wide-open, and his temples were bulging. The veins in his neck were bursting out. He was extremely angry.
“Ahhh!” Zhou Juan started to struggle.
“Bitch! This is what you get for cheating! This is what you get!” Yin Qiang grabbed her and continued to slam her against the wall. He looked as if he had completely lost his mind. He was without a single shred of reason.
“I didn’t! I didn’t!” Zhou Juan cried.
“Mom!” Yin Mingzheng rushed over and pushed Yin Qiang away, forcing Yin Qiang to stumble into the door.
Yin Mingzheng helped Zhou Juan up. Alarmed, he asked her, “Mom, are you alright?”
Zhou Juan’s head was bleeding nonstop, so she was a little out of it.
“Mom!”
“Zhou Juan, tell me right now! Who’s child is Yin Mingzheng?”
Yin Qiang staggered to his feet and angrily started interrogating her. He shoved a paternity test certificate in front of Zhou Juan’s face.
Zhou Juan’s eyes widened. She wiped the blood from her face and reached out to grab the certificate in Yin Qiang’s hand. When she read the words written on the certificate, her whole body began to tremble.
“No…it’s not like that…” She panicked and shook her head desperately.
“No?”
Yin Qiang was still wearing the blue down jacket that Shu Ning bought for Yin Mingzheng. He pointed at her and spat, “Then, do you have the balls to get another paternity test?”
“No, no!” Zhou Juan quickly rushed forward and grabbed his leg. “Yin Qiang, I didn’t betray you! I really didn’t! Please believe me!”
“Fuck off!” Yin Qiang kicked her to the ground. “How dare you go behind my back and cheat on me with another guy! I always thought that Yin Mingzheng wasn’t my son! Now everyone knows! I was the only one who didn’t know! Damn it! If you don’t want to admit it, we can go do another paternity test!”
Yin Qiang cursed furiously.
Yin Mingzheng looked too pretty. From his body to his facial features, not a single thing looked like him. His excessively good looks made Yin Qiang occasionally suspect that Yin Mingzheng wasn’t his son. However, he felt that there was no way Zhou Juan would do such a thing, so he never brought it up.
Now, it turned out that he was wrong! Wrong beyond belief!
Zhou Juan burst into tears.
Yin Mingzheng stretched a hand out in front of her to protect her from Yin Qiang. He said with a solemn expression, “Yin Qiang, if you hit my mom one more time, I won’t go easy on you!”
“A bastard from who knows where wants to threaten me?” Yin Qiang pointed a finger to his nose, a vicious look on his face. “Come on! Don’t go easy on me then! What are you gonna do, huh?! You bastard!”
Yin Mingzheng glared at him coldly. Now that there weren’t any blood ties linking him to this man, he no longer had anything holding him back. In his eyes, Yin Qiang was just an ugly son of a bitch who should have died long ago!
He almost couldn’t believe that such a good thing had happened to him. This piece of shit wasn’t his father!
This was the best news he’d heard in over a decade!
Yin Qiang laughed, “Come on! Lost your nerve? You bastard!”
He reached out and grabbed Zhou Juan’s hair again. “Bitch! I’m gonna strip you naked and drag you through the fucking street! Let everyone see just what kind of a whore you are!”
As he was speaking, he started pulling at Zhou Juan’s clothes.
“Yin Qiang, I didn’t! I didn’t betray you! Listen to me!” Zhou Juan struggled.
However, Yin Qiang was overcome with rage. It was as if he couldn’t hear her at all.
Yin Mingzheng tried protecting Zhou Juan, but Yin Qiang grabbed him by his collar, pressed down his head, and slammed him into the wall.
He hit the surface with a bang. The sound of the impact echoed in the remains of their living room.
Yin Mingzheng’s head started buzzing. He felt as if something inside his head was shaken up and started to swell.
The impact this time was different from before. He had injured his head before, but it had never been anything like this.
He had completely lost all strength in his body. His head was dizzy and his eyes were dimmed as he stumbled to the ground.
Yin Qiang’s target was Zhou Juan. He reached out to grab her again.
Seeing that Yin Qiang was about to beat Zhou Juan again, Yin Mingzheng shook his head and crawled up from the floor. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife, swinging it in Yin Qiang’s direction.
“Get out of the way!” Zhou Juan quickly pushed Yin Qiang.
Yin Qiang had also been scared shitless. He pathetically got back onto his feet and roared, “Are you crazy!?”
Yin Mingzheng grinned and raised the gleaming kitchen knife. His eyes were frigid. “Yin Qiang, the only reason I didn’t kill you was because you were my dad. You tell me, do you think I’ll have the guts to get rid of you now?”
Yin Qiang was really frightened.
Yin Mingzheng pointed the knife at him. “If you touch even a single finger on my mom’s hand, I’ll kill you!”
Yin Qiang staggered backwards. He had lost his nerve.
Yin Mingzheng helped Zhou Juan up from the ground. “Come on, Mom. I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Zhou Juan suddenly pushed him away and shouted, “Fuck off! You bastard! Get lost!”
Yin Mingzheng was completely stunned.
Zhou Juan glared at him fiercely and shrieked, “Go away!”
Yin Mingzheng was completely at a loss.
He wasn’t afraid of evil bastards like his dad. He wasn’t afraid of fighting with Yin Qiang. He wasn’t afraid of being ridiculed and marginalized. So long as he had his mom, it was enough.
Mom had always been very good to him. She had never beaten him, never cursed at him.
She often misunderstood him, denounced him, left him without any self-esteem, ran away in the face of danger…but she was his mother. She worked hard to send him to school, bought new shoes for him, bought milk and bread for him, gave him money…
So long as he had his mother, that was enough.
But now his mother told him to get lost. She called him a bastard.
Zhou Juan had a splitting headache. She knew that if she didn’t clear things up, she may very well end up dying today. She quickly got to her feet and pushed Yin Mingzheng.
Yin Mingzheng was caught off guard and dropped the kitchen knife, which nearly ended up cutting his feet.
“Mom…”
Zhou Juan pushed him with all her might. “Get out! Just get out!”
After pushing Yin Mingzheng out of the apartment, she shut the door, gasping for air.
Yin Qiang had also been dumbfounded by this turn of events.
Zhou Juan wiped the blood off her face. She quickly walked up to Yin Qiang and pulled him into the kitchen. “Yin Qiang, you listen to me. You can’t tell anyone else what I’m about to say to you.”
Yin Qiang didn’t bother hiding the hatred on his face. “Talk. I’ll decide after seeing what you have to say.”
Zhou Juan felt that people outside probably couldn’t hear them talking, so she said, “Yin Mingzheng isn’t your kid, and he’s not my kid either.”
Yin Qiang was stunned. “What?”
Juan Zhou said, “He’s the Wei family’s child.”
“Wei family?” Yin Qiang was even more confused. “What Wei family?”
Zhou Juan’s face was covered in blood, her eyes were pitch black, and her hair was a disheveled mess. No matter how you looked at her, she looked like an evil spirit. Yin Qiang felt shivers go up his arm.
“When I gave birth that year, I secretly switched the children.”
“Switched…the kids?” Yin Qiang’s jaw dropped.
“Back then, the woman in the bed next to mine was from the Wei family. Wei family, you know Wei Corporation? It’s that Wei family.”
Yin Qiang took a step back and sucked in a breath.
Zhou Juan spoke slowly, “She had fallen asleep after giving birth. You were causing a ruckus after having too much to drink. I took advantage of the ruckus you caused to secretly switch the kids.”
“You…how could you?” Yin Qiang pointed at Zhou Juan, incredulous.
Juan Zhou said, “Because you were always hitting me.”
Zhou Juan suddenly exploded with momentum. She pressed forward and actually managed to force Yin Qiang back again and again, pointing at her head. “Do you see how I’m bleeding right now? Can you see? I was afraid the child wouldn’t be able to survive. I wanted to save my child, so I switched the kids.”
“Then, our kid…” Yin Qiang was dazed and confused.
“He’s with the Wei family. He’s living well!”
Zhou Juan trembled as she pulled out her phone and opened up her camera roll. “I saved all the photos I could find online. See, doesn’t he look like you?”
Yin Qiang grabbed the phone. He frantically went through the photos, his breathing becoming more and more hurried.
Within the phone screen, the first photograph showed a little boy riding a horse in a riding uniform. The boy was probably about five or six years old. The second photo showed the boy skiing. He was wearing red ski gear and was probably about seven or eight years old. The third photo was one of him receiving an award. In this photo, he was already thirteen or fourteen years old.
The boy looked handsome, pampered, and well-dressed. His temperament also seemed to be very good. You could tell with a single glance that he had grown up in a wealthy family. However, his face was five or six points similar to Yin Qiang.
There wasn’t any need to perform a paternity test. You could tell that they were father and son from their appearances alone.
Once Yin Qiang saw the photos, he slowly came to accept the truth of the matter. Immediately, he thought of something and his eyes gleamed. He turned his head to Zhou Juan and laughed, “I never expected that a stupid woman like you would also be able to do something smart for once.”
Zhou Juan went back to donning her usual submissive appearance.
Yin Qiang said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re not smart so long as you’re smart when it matters.”
He even lovingly stroked Zhou Juan’s hair. “Sigh, why didn’t you tell me about this earlier? Look at you. Does it hurt?”
Zhou Juan felt a little shy, as well as a little out of sorts. “I was afraid that you would reveal something if I told you.”
“Come on, let’s head to the capital and reconnect with our son,” Yin Qiang said. As soon as the words left his mouth, he slapped his thigh and changed his mind. “Ah, wait! We have to wait for our son to inherit the property first!”
Zhou Juan nodded. “Let’s wait a bit more.”
The two of them gave each other a look. They had reached a consensus.
Outside the apartment door, Yin Mingzheng was squatting in front of the entrance. He hung his head like a small abandoned animal.
He was happy to find out that he wasn’t Yin Qiang’s kid. His first reaction was to leave this awful place with Mom, but Mom chose Dad over him and pushed him away.
He didn’t understand. He was also very hurt.
The surroundings were deathly quiet. He didn’t know where to go, and the door behind him was still shut.
It was as if the entire world had abandoned him.
What was he supposed to do now?
His injuries were sending waves of pain through his body. Yin Mingzheng staggered to his feet, headed towards the elevator, and went to the ground floor. Under the neighbors’ strange gazes, he headed out of the apartment building.
He started walking aimlessly.
Once he got tired, he sat down on a bench, hanging his head. His head was throbbing in pain, over and over.
Once Yin Qiang realized that he wasn’t his son, he stopped pulling his punches. Yin Mingzheng wasn’t sure if he had any broken bones or not. His ears were ringing wildly. His chest and abdomen ached.
But none of that could compare to the pain of what Zhou Juan said to him. “Bastard, get lost.”
Hot tears started rolling down his face. They landed on the back of his hands, which were resting on his knees.
Yin Mingzheng quickly raised a hand to wipe them away, but the more he wiped, the more tears fell.
A scarf draped over his head, covering his face.
Yin Mingzheng looked up and saw the blond boy standing beside him, his face full of worry. “Yin Mingzheng, are you okay?”
Yin Mingzheng hastily wiped away tears and stood up. He kept his head down and started to leave.
“Mingzheng!”
Shu Ning followed behind him.
Yin Mingzheng started walking even faster. The splitting pain in his head was getting more and more intense. Suddenly, his vision went black and everything faded away.
The only thing he heard before losing consciousness was a frightened voice calling out his name.
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As Zhou Juan walked into the community, she noticed that people were looking at her very strangely. It made her feel uncomfortable.
She hurriedly gave herself a once-over. She was wearing a black cotton jacket and black leggings. Although they were old and worn, they weren’t dirty or out of place.
Zhou Juan felt that it was very strange.
If it was just one person looking at her funny, she wouldn’t have minded. However, everyone was giving her strange looks. Zhou Juan couldn’t help but overthink.
“Zhou Juan.” A silver-haired grandmother with a stroller greeted her.
“Hi.” Zhou Juan gave her a nod.
“You had better hurry home.” The grandmother subtly hinted at her. Her eyes concealed a bit of curiosity.
Hurry home?
Was Yin Qiang causing trouble again?
Or was Yin Qiang fighting with Yin Mingzheng again?
“Did something happen at home again?” Zhou Juan asked.
The grandmother said, “Yes, Yin Qiang and Yin Mingzheng started fighting.”
Zhou Juan breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that it had nothing to do with her. She assured the grandmother she would hurry back and quickened her pace.
As she was walking, she started getting confused again. Their family got into fights all the time, and the people in the community had long since gotten used to it. However, they seemed especially interested in their family situation today. Did something unusual happen?
“I had no idea that she was that kind of a person. Apparently, she engages with other men…”
“Yeah, I really didn’t think she had it in her!”
The sound of chatter between the grandmother and others piped up from behind her. The contempt in their voices was clear as day.
Zhou Juan was startled and couldn’t help turning her head to look at the grandmother. When the grandmother noticed that she was looking at her, she quickly shut her mouth and walked away.
Zhou Juan was getting more and more flustered. Who were those words aimed at?
Was it aimed at her?
What was this about other men?
She didn’t engage with anyone!
Did they misunderstand something?
She quickly rushed into Building 3 and took the elevator to the fourth floor. While she was waiting for the elevator, several neighbors saw her. They greeted her, giving her weird looks again.
Zhou Juan became more and more frightened. She kept her head low and shrank into a corner of the elevator. Once she reached the fourth floor, she bolted out of there.
When she arrived at Apartment 404, the door was wide open. No one had closed it.
After entering, she closed the door behind her. She felt much more at ease once inside.
The living room was a mess. There were glass shards everywhere, the chairs were overturned, and the coffee table was thrown to the side. There was all sorts of stuff scattered across the floor.
Their usual battlefield seemed particularly intense today.
As expected, Yin Qiang and Yin Mingzheng got into a fight.
In the past, they had tried to take care not to damage too much furniture. However, today, they seemed to have completely let themselves go. There didn’t seem to be a single thing left intact.
Yin Mingzheng was sitting on a chair. The back of the chair was facing the door, and he had his chin resting on the back of the chair. There were wounds on his face, yet he was all smiles, seemingly very happy. Yin Qiang lay feebly on the sofa. His eyes were fixed on Zhou Juan. The look in his eyes was terrifying.
“What happened? W-why are you guys fighting again?” Zhou Juan asked Yin Mingzheng in a low voice. She didn’t dare ask Yin Qiang.
Yin Mingzheng cheerfully called out to her, “Mom.”
Zhou Juan asked, “Mingzheng, did you make Dad angry again?”
Yin Mingzheng grinned and said, “I guess you could say that.”
He had a happy expression on his face.
Zhou Juan was taken aback. She turned her head to look at Yin Qiang and was met with Yin Qiang’s vicious stare. His eyes were like those of a hungry wolf. He looked like he wanted to pounce on her and tear her apart.
Zhou Juan was startled and asked quietly, “Yin Qiang, what did Mingzheng do to make you angry?”
Tlc Hljcu revvfcis rtba eq ogbw atf rboj ilxf j gjyyla. Lf gertfv eq ab Itbe Aejc’r rlvf lc pera j mbeqif bo qjmfr. Ktfc, tf ugjyyfv tfg tjlg jcv rajgafv ab rijq tfg jmgbrr tfg ojmf. “Tbe ylamt! @#￥#!”
“Cttt!” Itbe Aejc rmgfjwfv, rageuuilcu vfrqfgjafis.
Tlc Zlcuhtfcu pewqfv eq ogbw atf mtjlg jcv rafqqfv obgkjgv ab rabq Tlc Hljcu. “Ulrr boo! Gbc’a tla ws wbw!”
The two started brawling. Zhou Juan hid to the side in fear. Her hair was a mess, and the corners of her mouth were bleeding.
“Bitch! How dare you fucking cheat on me! You bitch!” Yin Qiang broke free from Yin Mingzheng’s grasp and rushed towards Zhou Juan. He grabbed her head and slammed it against the wall.
He had used a lot of force. There was a muffled thump. Then, Zhou Juan’s scalp started to bleed.
Yin Qiang’s eyes were wide-open, and his temples were bulging. The veins in his neck were bursting out. He was extremely angry.
“Ahhh!” Zhou Juan started to struggle.
“Bitch! This is what you get for cheating! This is what you get!” Yin Qiang grabbed her and continued to slam her against the wall. He looked as if he had completely lost his mind. He was without a single shred of reason.
“I didn’t! I didn’t!” Zhou Juan cried.
“Mom!” Yin Mingzheng rushed over and pushed Yin Qiang away, forcing Yin Qiang to stumble into the door.
Yin Mingzheng helped Zhou Juan up. Alarmed, he asked her, “Mom, are you alright?”
Zhou Juan’s head was bleeding nonstop, so she was a little out of it.
“Mom!”
“Zhou Juan, tell me right now! Who’s child is Yin Mingzheng?”
Yin Qiang staggered to his feet and angrily started interrogating her. He shoved a paternity test certificate in front of Zhou Juan’s face.
Zhou Juan’s eyes widened. She wiped the blood from her face and reached out to grab the certificate in Yin Qiang’s hand. When she read the words written on the certificate, her whole body began to tremble.
“No…it’s not like that…” She panicked and shook her head desperately.
“No?”
Yin Qiang was still wearing the blue down jacket that Shu Ning bought for Yin Mingzheng. He pointed at her and spat, “Then, do you have the balls to get another paternity test?”
“No, no!” Zhou Juan quickly rushed forward and grabbed his leg. “Yin Qiang, I didn’t betray you! I really didn’t! Please believe me!”
“Fuck off!” Yin Qiang kicked her to the ground. “How dare you go behind my back and cheat on me with another guy! I always thought that Yin Mingzheng wasn’t my son! Now everyone knows! I was the only one who didn’t know! Damn it! If you don’t want to admit it, we can go do another paternity test!”
Yin Qiang cursed furiously.
Yin Mingzheng looked too pretty. From his body to his facial features, not a single thing looked like him. His excessively good looks made Yin Qiang occasionally suspect that Yin Mingzheng wasn’t his son. However, he felt that there was no way Zhou Juan would do such a thing, so he never brought it up.
Now, it turned out that he was wrong! Wrong beyond belief!
Zhou Juan burst into tears.
Yin Mingzheng stretched a hand out in front of her to protect her from Yin Qiang. He said with a solemn expression, “Yin Qiang, if you hit my mom one more time, I won’t go easy on you!”
“A bastard from who knows where wants to threaten me?” Yin Qiang pointed a finger to his nose, a vicious look on his face. “Come on! Don’t go easy on me then! What are you gonna do, huh?! You bastard!”
Yin Mingzheng glared at him coldly. Now that there weren’t any blood ties linking him to this man, he no longer had anything holding him back. In his eyes, Yin Qiang was just an ugly son of a bitch who should have died long ago!
He almost couldn’t believe that such a good thing had happened to him. This piece of shit wasn’t his father!
This was the best news he’d heard in over a decade!
Yin Qiang laughed, “Come on! Lost your nerve? You bastard!”
He reached out and grabbed Zhou Juan’s hair again. “Bitch! I’m gonna strip you naked and drag you through the fucking street! Let everyone see just what kind of a whore you are!”
As he was speaking, he started pulling at Zhou Juan’s clothes.
“Yin Qiang, I didn’t! I didn’t betray you! Listen to me!” Zhou Juan struggled.
However, Yin Qiang was overcome with rage. It was as if he couldn’t hear her at all.
Yin Mingzheng tried protecting Zhou Juan, but Yin Qiang grabbed him by his collar, pressed down his head, and slammed him into the wall.
He hit the surface with a bang. The sound of the impact echoed in the remains of their living room.
Yin Mingzheng’s head started buzzing. He felt as if something inside his head was shaken up and started to swell.
The impact this time was different from before. He had injured his head before, but it had never been anything like this.
He had completely lost all strength in his body. His head was dizzy and his eyes were dimmed as he stumbled to the ground.
Yin Qiang’s target was Zhou Juan. He reached out to grab her again.
Seeing that Yin Qiang was about to beat Zhou Juan again, Yin Mingzheng shook his head and crawled up from the floor. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife, swinging it in Yin Qiang’s direction.
“Get out of the way!” Zhou Juan quickly pushed Yin Qiang.
Yin Qiang had also been scared shitless. He pathetically got back onto his feet and roared, “Are you crazy!?”
Yin Mingzheng grinned and raised the gleaming kitchen knife. His eyes were frigid. “Yin Qiang, the only reason I didn’t kill you was because you were my dad. You tell me, do you think I’ll have the guts to get rid of you now?”
Yin Qiang was really frightened.
Yin Mingzheng pointed the knife at him. “If you touch even a single finger on my mom’s hand, I’ll kill you!”
Yin Qiang staggered backwards. He had lost his nerve.
Yin Mingzheng helped Zhou Juan up from the ground. “Come on, Mom. I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Zhou Juan suddenly pushed him away and shouted, “Fuck off! You bastard! Get lost!”
Yin Mingzheng was completely stunned.
Zhou Juan glared at him fiercely and shrieked, “Go away!”
Yin Mingzheng was completely at a loss.
He wasn’t afraid of evil bastards like his dad. He wasn’t afraid of fighting with Yin Qiang. He wasn’t afraid of being ridiculed and marginalized. So long as he had his mom, it was enough.
Mom had always been very good to him. She had never beaten him, never cursed at him.
She often misunderstood him, denounced him, left him without any self-esteem, ran away in the face of danger…but she was his mother. She worked hard to send him to school, bought new shoes for him, bought milk and bread for him, gave him money…
So long as he had his mother, that was enough.
But now his mother told him to get lost. She called him a bastard.
Zhou Juan had a splitting headache. She knew that if she didn’t clear things up, she may very well end up dying today. She quickly got to her feet and pushed Yin Mingzheng.
Yin Mingzheng was caught off guard and dropped the kitchen knife, which nearly ended up cutting his feet.
“Mom…”
Zhou Juan pushed him with all her might. “Get out! Just get out!”
After pushing Yin Mingzheng out of the apartment, she shut the door, gasping for air.
Yin Qiang had also been dumbfounded by this turn of events.
Zhou Juan wiped the blood off her face. She quickly walked up to Yin Qiang and pulled him into the kitchen. “Yin Qiang, you listen to me. You can’t tell anyone else what I’m about to say to you.”
Yin Qiang didn’t bother hiding the hatred on his face. “Talk. I’ll decide after seeing what you have to say.”
Zhou Juan felt that people outside probably couldn’t hear them talking, so she said, “Yin Mingzheng isn’t your kid, and he’s not my kid either.”
Yin Qiang was stunned. “What?”
Juan Zhou said, “He’s the Wei family’s child.”
“Wei family?” Yin Qiang was even more confused. “What Wei family?”
Zhou Juan’s face was covered in blood, her eyes were pitch black, and her hair was a disheveled mess. No matter how you looked at her, she looked like an evil spirit. Yin Qiang felt shivers go up his arm.
“When I gave birth that year, I secretly switched the children.”
“Switched…the kids?” Yin Qiang’s jaw dropped.
“Back then, the woman in the bed next to mine was from the Wei family. Wei family, you know Wei Corporation? It’s that Wei family.”
Yin Qiang took a step back and sucked in a breath.
Zhou Juan spoke slowly, “She had fallen asleep after giving birth. You were causing a ruckus after having too much to drink. I took advantage of the ruckus you caused to secretly switch the kids.”
“You…how could you?” Yin Qiang pointed at Zhou Juan, incredulous.
Juan Zhou said, “Because you were always hitting me.”
Zhou Juan suddenly exploded with momentum. She pressed forward and actually managed to force Yin Qiang back again and again, pointing at her head. “Do you see how I’m bleeding right now? Can you see? I was afraid the child wouldn’t be able to survive. I wanted to save my child, so I switched the kids.”
“Then, our kid…” Yin Qiang was dazed and confused.
“He’s with the Wei family. He’s living well!”
Zhou Juan trembled as she pulled out her phone and opened up her camera roll. “I saved all the photos I could find online. See, doesn’t he look like you?”
Yin Qiang grabbed the phone. He frantically went through the photos, his breathing becoming more and more hurried.
Within the phone screen, the first photograph showed a little boy riding a horse in a riding uniform. The boy was probably about five or six years old. The second photo showed the boy skiing. He was wearing red ski gear and was probably about seven or eight years old. The third photo was one of him receiving an award. In this photo, he was already thirteen or fourteen years old.
The boy looked handsome, pampered, and well-dressed. His temperament also seemed to be very good. You could tell with a single glance that he had grown up in a wealthy family. However, his face was five or six points similar to Yin Qiang.
There wasn’t any need to perform a paternity test. You could tell that they were father and son from their appearances alone.
Once Yin Qiang saw the photos, he slowly came to accept the truth of the matter. Immediately, he thought of something and his eyes gleamed. He turned his head to Zhou Juan and laughed, “I never expected that a stupid woman like you would also be able to do something smart for once.”
Zhou Juan went back to donning her usual submissive appearance.
Yin Qiang said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re not smart so long as you’re smart when it matters.”
He even lovingly stroked Zhou Juan’s hair. “Sigh, why didn’t you tell me about this earlier? Look at you. Does it hurt?”
Zhou Juan felt a little shy, as well as a little out of sorts. “I was afraid that you would reveal something if I told you.”
“Come on, let’s head to the capital and reconnect with our son,” Yin Qiang said. As soon as the words left his mouth, he slapped his thigh and changed his mind. “Ah, wait! We have to wait for our son to inherit the property first!”
Zhou Juan nodded. “Let’s wait a bit more.”
The two of them gave each other a look. They had reached a consensus.
Outside the apartment door, Yin Mingzheng was squatting in front of the entrance. He hung his head like a small abandoned animal.
He was happy to find out that he wasn’t Yin Qiang’s kid. His first reaction was to leave this awful place with Mom, but Mom chose Dad over him and pushed him away.
He didn’t understand. He was also very hurt.
The surroundings were deathly quiet. He didn’t know where to go, and the door behind him was still shut.
It was as if the entire world had abandoned him.
What was he supposed to do now?
His injuries were sending waves of pain through his body. Yin Mingzheng staggered to his feet, headed towards the elevator, and went to the ground floor. Under the neighbors’ strange gazes, he headed out of the apartment building.
He started walking aimlessly.
Once he got tired, he sat down on a bench, hanging his head. His head was throbbing in pain, over and over.
Once Yin Qiang realized that he wasn’t his son, he stopped pulling his punches. Yin Mingzheng wasn’t sure if he had any broken bones or not. His ears were ringing wildly. His chest and abdomen ached.
But none of that could compare to the pain of what Zhou Juan said to him. “Bastard, get lost.”
Hot tears started rolling down his face. They landed on the back of his hands, which were resting on his knees.
Yin Mingzheng quickly raised a hand to wipe them away, but the more he wiped, the more tears fell.
A scarf draped over his head, covering his face.
Yin Mingzheng looked up and saw the blond boy standing beside him, his face full of worry. “Yin Mingzheng, are you okay?”
Yin Mingzheng hastily wiped away tears and stood up. He kept his head down and started to leave.
“Mingzheng!”
Shu Ning followed behind him.
Yin Mingzheng started walking even faster. The splitting pain in his head was getting more and more intense. Suddenly, his vision went black and everything faded away.
The only thing he heard before losing consciousness was a frightened voice calling out his name.
As Zhou Juan walked into the community, she noticed that people were looking at her very strangely. It made her feel uncomfortable.She hurriedly gave herself a once-over. She was wearing a black cotton jacket and black leggings. Although they were old and worn, they weren't dirty or out of place.Zhou Juan felt that it was very strange.If it was just one person looking at her funny, she wouldn't have minded. However, everyone was giving her strange looks. Zhou Juan couldn't help but overthink.Zhou Juan. A silver-haired grandmother with a stroller greeted her.Hi. Zhou Juan gave her a nod.You had better hurry home. The grandmother subtly hinted at her. Her eyes concealed a bit of curiosity.Hurry home?Was Yin Qiang causing trouble again?Or was Yin Qiang fighting with Yin Mingzheng again?Did something happen at home again? Zhou Juan asked.The grandmother said, Yes, Yin Qiang and Yin Mingzheng started fighting.Zhou Juan breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that it had nothing to do with her. She assured the grandmother she would hurry back and quickened her pace.As she was walking, she started getting confused again. Their family got into fights all the time, and the people in the community had long since gotten used to it. However, they seemed especially interested in their family situation today. Did something unusual happen?I had no idea that she was that kind of a person. Apparently, she engages with other menYeah, I really didn't think she had it in her!The sound of chatter between the grandmother and others piped up from behind her. The contempt in their voices was clear as day.Zhou Juan was startled and couldn't help turning her head to look at the grandmother. When the grandmother noticed that she was looking at her, she quickly shut her mouth and walked away.Zhou Juan was getting more and more flustered. Who were those words aimed at?Was it aimed at her?What was this about other men?She didn't engage with anyone!Did they misunderstand something?She quickly rushed into Building 3 and took the elevator to the fourth floor. While she was waiting for the elevator, several neighbors saw her. They greeted her, giving her weird looks again.Zhou Juan became more and more frightened. She kept her head low and shrank into a corner of the elevator. Once she reached the fourth floor, she bolted out of there.When she arrived at Apartment 404, the door was wide open. No one had closed it.After entering, she closed the door behind her. She felt much more at ease once inside.The living room was a mess. There were glass shards everywhere, the chairs were overturned, and the coffee table was thrown to the side. There was all sorts of stuff scattered across the floor.Their usual battlefield seemed particularly intense today.As expected, Yin Qiang and Yin Mingzheng got into a fight.In the past, they had tried to take care not to damage too much furniture. However, today, they seemed to have completely let themselves go. There didn't seem to be a single thing left intact.Yin Mingzheng was sitting on a chair. The back of the chair was facing the door, and he had his chin resting on the back of the chair. There were wounds on his face, yet he was all smiles, seemingly very happy. Yin Qiang lay feebly on the sofa. His eyes were fixed on Zhou Juan. The look in his eyes was terrifying.What happened? W-why are you guys fighting again? Zhou Juan asked Yin Mingzheng in a low voice. She didn't dare ask Yin Qiang.Yin Mingzheng cheerfully called out to her, Mom.Zhou Juan asked, Mingzheng, did you make Dad angry again?Yin Mingzheng grinned and said, I guess you could say that.He had a happy expression on his face.Zhou Juan was taken aback. She turned her head to look at Yin Qiang and was met with Yin Qiang's vicious stare. His eyes were like those of a hungry wolf. He looked like he wanted to pounce on her and tear her apart.Zhou Juan was startled and asked quietly, Yin Qiang, what did Mingzheng do to make you angry?Tlc Hljcu revvfcis rtba eq ogbw atf rboj ilxf j gjyyla. Lf gertfv eq ab Itbe Aejc'r rlvf lc pera j mbeqif bo qjmfr. Ktfc, tf ugjyyfv tfg tjlg jcv rajgafv ab rijq tfg jmgbrr tfg ojmf. Tbe ylamt! @##!Cttt! Itbe Aejc rmgfjwfv, rageuuilcu vfrqfgjafis.Tlc Zlcuhtfcu pewqfv eq ogbw atf mtjlg jcv rafqqfv obgkjgv ab rabq Tlc Hljcu. Ulrr boo! Gbc'a tla ws wbw!The two started brawling. Zhou Juan hid to the side in fear. Her hair was a mess, and the corners of her mouth were bleeding.Bitch! How dare you fucking cheat on me! You bitch! Yin Qiang broke free from Yin Mingzheng's grasp and rushed towards Zhou Juan. He grabbed her head and slammed it against the wall.He had used a lot of force. There was a muffled thump. Then, Zhou Juan's scalp started to bleed.Yin Qiang's eyes were wide-open, and his temples were bulging. The veins in his neck were bursting out. He was extremely angry.Ahhh! Zhou Juan started to struggle.Bitch! This is what you get for cheating! This is what you get! Yin Qiang grabbed her and continued to slam her against the wall. He looked as if he had completely lost his mind. He was without a single shred of reason.I didn't! I didn't! Zhou Juan cried.Mom! Yin Mingzheng rushed over and pushed Yin Qiang away, forcing Yin Qiang to stumble into the door.Yin Mingzheng helped Zhou Juan up. Alarmed, he asked her, Mom, are you alright?Zhou Juan's head was bleeding nonstop, so she was a little out of it.Mom!Zhou Juan, tell me right now! Who's child is Yin Mingzheng?Yin Qiang staggered to his feet and angrily started interrogating her. He shoved a paternity test certificate in front of Zhou Juan's face.Zhou Juan's eyes widened. She wiped the blood from her face and reached out to grab the certificate in Yin Qiang's hand. When she read the words written on the certificate, her whole body began to tremble.Noit's not like that She panicked and shook her head desperately.No?Yin Qiang was still wearing the blue down jacket that Shu Ning bought for Yin Mingzheng. He pointed at her and spat, Then, do you have the balls to get another paternity test?No, no! Zhou Juan quickly rushed forward and grabbed his leg. Yin Qiang, I didn't betray you! I really didn't! Please believe me!Fuck off! Yin Qiang kicked her to the ground. How dare you go behind my back and cheat on me with another guy! I always thought that Yin Mingzheng wasn't my son! Now everyone knows! I was the only one who didn't know! Damn it! If you don't want to admit it, we can go do another paternity test!Yin Qiang cursed furiously.Yin Mingzheng looked too pretty. From his body to his facial features, not a single thing looked like him. His excessively good looks made Yin Qiang occasionally suspect that Yin Mingzheng wasn't his son. However, he felt that there was no way Zhou Juan would do such a thing, so he never brought it up.Now, it turned out that he was wrong! Wrong beyond belief!Zhou Juan burst into tears.Yin Mingzheng stretched a hand out in front of her to protect her from Yin Qiang. He said with a solemn expression, Yin Qiang, if you hit my mom one more time, I won't go easy on you!A bastard from who knows where wants to threaten me? Yin Qiang pointed a finger to his nose, a vicious look on his face. Come on! Don't go easy on me then! What are you gonna do, huh?! You bastard!Yin Mingzheng glared at him coldly. Now that there weren't any blood ties linking him to this man, he no longer had anything holding him back. In his eyes, Yin Qiang was just an ugly son of a bitch who should have died long ago!He almost couldn't believe that such a good thing had happened to him. This piece of shit wasn't his father!This was the best news he'd heard in over a decade!Yin Qiang laughed, Come on! Lost your nerve? You bastard!He reached out and grabbed Zhou Juan's hair again. Bitch! I'm gonna strip you naked and drag you through the fucking street! Let everyone see just what kind of a whore you are!As he was speaking, he started pulling at Zhou Juan's clothes.Yin Qiang, I didn't! I didn't betray you! Listen to me! Zhou Juan struggled.However, Yin Qiang was overcome with rage. It was as if he couldn't hear her at all.Yin Mingzheng tried protecting Zhou Juan, but Yin Qiang grabbed him by his collar, pressed down his head, and slammed him into the wall.He hit the surface with a bang. The sound of the impact echoed in the remains of their living room.Yin Mingzheng's head started buzzing. He felt as if something inside his head was shaken up and started to swell.The impact this time was different from before. He had injured his head before, but it had never been anything like this.He had completely lost all strength in his body. His head was dizzy and his eyes were dimmed as he stumbled to the ground.Yin Qiang's target was Zhou Juan. He reached out to grab her again.Seeing that Yin Qiang was about to beat Zhou Juan again, Yin Mingzheng shook his head and crawled up from the floor. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife, swinging it in Yin Qiang's direction.Get out of the way! Zhou Juan quickly pushed Yin Qiang.Yin Qiang had also been scared shitless. He pathetically got back onto his feet and roared, Are you crazy!?Yin Mingzheng grinned and raised the gleaming kitchen knife. His eyes were frigid. Yin Qiang, the only reason I didn't kill you was because you were my dad. You tell me, do you think I'll have the guts to get rid of you now?Yin Qiang was really frightened.Yin Mingzheng pointed the knife at him. If you touch even a single finger on my mom's hand, I'll kill you!Yin Qiang staggered backwards. He had lost his nerve.Yin Mingzheng helped Zhou Juan up from the ground. Come on, Mom. I'll take you to the hospital.Zhou Juan suddenly pushed him away and shouted, Fuck off! You bastard! Get lost!Yin Mingzheng was completely stunned.Zhou Juan glared at him fiercely and shrieked, Go away!Yin Mingzheng was completely at a loss.He wasn't afraid of evil bastards like his dad. He wasn't afraid of fighting with Yin Qiang. He wasn't afraid of being ridiculed and marginalized. So long as he had his mom, it was enough.Mom had always been very good to him. She had never beaten him, never cursed at him.She often misunderstood him, denounced him, left him without any self-esteem, ran away in the face of dangerbut she was his mother. She worked hard to send him to school, bought new shoes for him, bought milk and bread for him, gave him moneySo long as he had his mother, that was enough.But now his mother told him to get lost. She called him a bastard.Zhou Juan had a splitting headache. She knew that if she didn't clear things up, she may very well end up dying today. She quickly got to her feet and pushed Yin Mingzheng.Yin Mingzheng was caught off guard and dropped the kitchen knife, which nearly ended up cutting his feet.MomZhou Juan pushed him with all her might. Get out! Just get out!After pushing Yin Mingzheng out of the apartment, she shut the door, gasping for air.Yin Qiang had also been dumbfounded by this turn of events.Zhou Juan wiped the blood off her face. She quickly walked up to Yin Qiang and pulled him into the kitchen. Yin Qiang, you listen to me. You can't tell anyone else what I'm about to say to you.Yin Qiang didn't bother hiding the hatred on his face. Talk. I'll decide after seeing what you have to say.Zhou Juan felt that people outside probably couldn't hear them talking, so she said, Yin Mingzheng isn't your kid, and he's not my kid either.Yin Qiang was stunned. What?Juan Zhou said, He's the Wei family's child.Wei family? Yin Qiang was even more confused. What Wei family?Zhou Juan's face was covered in blood, her eyes were pitch black, and her hair was a disheveled mess. No matter how you looked at her, she looked like an evil spirit. Yin Qiang felt shivers go up his arm.When I gave birth that year, I secretly switched the children.Switchedthe kids? Yin Qiang's jaw dropped.Back then, the woman in the bed next to mine was from the Wei family. Wei family, you know Wei Corporation? It's that Wei family.Yin Qiang took a step back and sucked in a breath.Zhou Juan spoke slowly, She had fallen asleep after giving birth. You were causing a ruckus after having too much to drink. I took advantage of the ruckus you caused to secretly switch the kids.Youhow could you? Yin Qiang pointed at Zhou Juan, incredulous.Juan Zhou said, Because you were always hitting me.Zhou Juan suddenly exploded with momentum. She pressed forward and actually managed to force Yin Qiang back again and again, pointing at her head. Do you see how I'm bleeding right now? Can you see? I was afraid the child wouldn't be able to survive. I wanted to save my child, so I switched the kids.Then, our kid Yin Qiang was dazed and confused.He's with the Wei family. He's living well!Zhou Juan trembled as she pulled out her phone and opened up her camera roll. I saved all the photos I could find online. See, doesn't he look like you?Yin Qiang grabbed the phone. He frantically went through the photos, his breathing becoming more and more hurried.Within the phone screen, the first photograph showed a little boy riding a horse in a riding uniform. The boy was probably about five or six years old. The second photo showed the boy skiing. He was wearing red ski gear and was probably about seven or eight years old. The third photo was one of him receiving an award. In this photo, he was already thirteen or fourteen years old.The boy looked handsome, pampered, and well-dressed. His temperament also seemed to be very good. You could tell with a single glance that he had grown up in a wealthy family. However, his face was five or six points similar to Yin Qiang.There wasn't any need to perform a paternity test. You could tell that they were father and son from their appearances alone.Once Yin Qiang saw the photos, he slowly came to accept the truth of the matter. Immediately, he thought of something and his eyes gleamed. He turned his head to Zhou Juan and laughed, I never expected that a stupid woman like you would also be able to do something smart for once.Zhou Juan went back to donning her usual submissive appearance.Yin Qiang said, It doesn't matter if you're not smart so long as you're smart when it matters.He even lovingly stroked Zhou Juan's hair. Sigh, why didn't you tell me about this earlier? Look at you. Does it hurt?Zhou Juan felt a little shy, as well as a little out of sorts. I was afraid that you would reveal something if I told you.Come on, let's head to the capital and reconnect with our son, Yin Qiang said. As soon as the words left his mouth, he slapped his thigh and changed his mind. Ah, wait! We have to wait for our son to inherit the property first!Zhou Juan nodded. Let's wait a bit more.The two of them gave each other a look. They had reached a consensus.Outside the apartment door, Yin Mingzheng was squatting in front of the entrance. He hung his head like a small abandoned animal.He was happy to find out that he wasn't Yin Qiang's kid. His first reaction was to leave this awful place with Mom, but Mom chose Dad over him and pushed him away.He didn't understand. He was also very hurt.The surroundings were deathly quiet. He didn't know where to go, and the door behind him was still shut.It was as if the entire world had abandoned him.What was he supposed to do now?His injuries were sending waves of pain through his body. Yin Mingzheng staggered to his feet, headed towards the elevator, and went to the ground floor. Under the neighbors' strange gazes, he headed out of the apartment building.He started walking aimlessly.Once he got tired, he sat down on a bench, hanging his head. His head was throbbing in pain, over and over.Once Yin Qiang realized that he wasn't his son, he stopped pulling his punches. Yin Mingzheng wasn't sure if he had any broken bones or not. His ears were ringing wildly. His chest and abdomen ached.But none of that could compare to the pain of what Zhou Juan said to him. Bastard, get lost.Hot tears started rolling down his face. They landed on the back of his hands, which were resting on his knees.Yin Mingzheng quickly raised a hand to wipe them away, but the more he wiped, the more tears fell.A scarf draped over his head, covering his face.Yin Mingzheng looked up and saw the blond boy standing beside him, his face full of worry. Yin Mingzheng, are you okay?Yin Mingzheng hastily wiped away tears and stood up. He kept his head down and started to leave.Mingzheng!Shu Ning followed behind him.Yin Mingzheng started walking even faster. The splitting pain in his head was getting more and more intense. Suddenly, his vision went black and everything faded away.The only thing he heard before losing consciousness was a frightened voice calling out his name.
