Of course, Xiao Wu trusted Mu Jingzhe. Thanks to Mu Jingzhe’s comfort, he finally calmed down and leaned against her affectionately. “I believe you, Mommy.”

  That’s right. He was raised by Mommy. Even if he was evil in his bones, he was raised by Mommy. He only had to learn from her.

  Mu Jingzhe’s words finally lessened the despair in Xiao Wu’s heart.

  After being traumatized, running, thinking, and crying so much, Xiao Wu fell asleep very quickly now that he had relaxed. Mu Jingzhe didn’t dare move. When he fell asleep, she gritted her teeth and carried Xiao Wu out of the haystack. She didn’t even care about removing the straw that covered her head as she limped home with Xiao Wu in her arms.

  Mu Teng had dug this hole for Xiao Wu, so it was actually very small. Mu Jingzhe had to kneel down to get in before. When she’d lain down, her legs had been exposed and she had instantly felt numb.

  But that was Xiao Wu’s safe space. He had to be inside.

  As Mu Jingzhe carried Xiao Wu back, she happened to meet the frantically searching Shao Qihai on the way. He only heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Xiao Wu.

  “Lower your voice. He just fell asleep. Let him sleep for a while.”

  Shao Qihai nodded vigorously, frustration and regret flashing across his eyes. However, when he saw the straw on Mu Jingzhe’s head, he couldn’t help but reach out to remove it. Mu Jingzhe turned around and Shao Qihai showed it to her.

  “I’ll remove it when we get back.”

  Shao Qihai wanted to take over and pick up Xiao Wu, but Mu Jingzhe shook her head and refused. “I’ll carry him. Come back with me. I have something to ask you.”

  Seeing Mu Jingzhe’s expression, Shao Qihai guessed that she had already found out.

  When they returned home, Mu Jingzhe carefully placed Xiao Wu down and casually shook the straw off her body. She then called Shao Qihai over. “Come here.”

  She told the kids warmly, “Little Dong, you guys guard Xiao Wu. Call my name when he wakes up.”

  Shao Dong nodded. “Alright.” He could sense that something had happened.

  \r \r \r

  Mu Jingzhe sat in front of Shao Qihai. “Tell me what happened. Why is Xiao Wu Shao Qiyun’s son?”

  What the heck was going on! Just now, she’d had to calm down and comfort Xiao Wu. But now that Mu Jingzhe had said this, it was as if there were a few chickens in her heart, screaming with all their might, unable to accept this fact. Just what the f*ck was going on?

  Of all people, he had to be Shao Qiyun’s child? It’d be better if Xiao Wu had been simply randomly picked up somewhere.

  What right did Shao Qiyun have to give birth to an outstanding child like Xiao Wu? Was she even worthy? She would rather find out that Xiao Wu had popped out of a crack in a rock than that he’d been birthed by Shao Qiyun.

  Mu Jingzhe clenched her fists, wishing she could crush Shao Qiyun.

  Who was Xiao Wu? Who the hell was she to make Xiao Wu feel so terrible? This was so goddamn unlucky, like stepping on dog sh*t that couldn’t be wiped away.

  Shao Qiyun wasn’t in front of her, but Shao Qihai was. Mu Jingzhe stared at Shao Qihai, looking as if she would go up to him and crush him to death if he dared to say yes.

  Seeing Mu Jingzhe’s expression, Shao Qihai felt very helpless. He didn’t want to admit it either, but this was the truth.

  He exhaled. “Xiao Wu told you? Yes, Xiao Wu is indeed…”

  With a loud bang, Mu Jingzhe slammed her hand on the table. The table trembled as if it was about to break.

  Caught off guard, Shao Qihai trembled along with the table. Then, he finished his sentence. “He is indeed Shao Qiyun’s son.”

  When Mu Jingzhe heard this conclusive sentence, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Then why is she still alive? Didn’t you say that Xiao Wu’s biological mother was dead? Since she’s dead, you should just make her die for good!”

  If he dared to say it, why didn’t he dare do it? Why didn’t she just die?

  “If you have the ability to lie, then lie for the rest of your life. If you can, then keep it from him and continue lying for the rest of your life. If there’s really no other way, you can make the lie come true. Since you said you wouldn’t tell anyone for the rest of your life, why didn’t you lie for the rest of your life?”

  Compared to knowing this fact, she would rather have been in the dark forever. Xiao Wu had to feel the same way. This revelation was too disgusting.

  Mu Jingzhe slammed the table and fired at him question after question. “You’ve kept it a secret for so long and refused to tell no matter what. Why does Xiao Wu know now?! How do you make decisions?”

  Shao Qihai was still sitting, but his aura was getting smaller and smaller. He was almost about to be eaten by Mu Jingzhe.

  In the end, Shao Qihai could only lower his head and mutter, “I’m sorry…”

  “Why would we need the police if saying sorry was of any use?! Why are you apologizing to me? You should apologize to Xiao Wu. Do you know how much damage this has done to him? It wasn’t easy for him to become more cheerful, but now he’s crying his eyes out and he’s closed himself off!

  “He doesn’t believe in himself anymore. He even said he’s going to commit suicide if all else fails. How old is he? Look at what he’s been forced into. To him, it seems like the sky is falling!”

  Mu Jingzhe really wanted to rip Shao Qiyun apart and make her disappear from this world.

  When Shao Qihai heard the word ‘suicide’, his heart was stabbed ruthlessly. “I’m the one who let Xiao Wu down. I should’ve been more careful. I was wrong.”

  “What’s the point of saying sorry now? Can I go and kill her?”

  Mu Jingzhe waved a hand. “Forget it. Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

  Mu Jingzhe was still fuming, but when she saw Shao Qihai’s expression, the words that were about to come out of her mouth were stuck.

  Shao Qihai had definitely never wished for things to turn out like this either. It didn’t seem right for her to shout at him. Mu Jingzhe thought about it and changed the topic. “Why did he become Xiao Wu? Tell me all the details.”

  If she could, she’d really make her ears get reborn and return to the state they had been in before they had ever heard this and been corrupted. Alternately, she would make time start over and stop all of this in the cradle.

  But neither of these options was feasible. They could only face reality.

  Shao Qihai awkwardly explained the situation. “I didn’t expect him to follow us and hear…”

  As for the fact that Shao Qiyun was Xiao Wu’s mother, the story went back a few years.

  Shao Qiyun was the youngest child and had been beautiful since she was young. Zhao Lan had doted on her only daughter very much, and her three older brothers had also given in to Shao Qiyun most of the time. Shao Qiyun had been spoiled as a result.

  After hearing about the beautiful people who wanted to marry rich people from the city, Shao Qiyun had made that her goal too. She wasn’t a good student, but she was unwilling to return home. Later on, she’d even thought of ways to ask for money to study at a technical school in the city and learn how to give injections.

  Alas, instead of gaining any knowledge, she had been mesmerized by the prosperity of the city. All she knew was to ask for money and buy dresses, saying that she would definitely use this opportunity to marry a rich person.

  She hadn’t even hesitated to scheme to achieve her goal. Unfortunately, in the end, she hadn’t met a rich person and had ended up losing her innocence and getting pregnant.

  Zhao Lan didn’t know how to teach Shao Qiyun. She hadn’t taught her what she ought to but she had taught her some things she shouldn’t have. At first, Shao Qiyun hadn’t even known she was pregnant. Later on, she’d only found out when her stomach had started getting bigger each day.

  Shao Qiyun hadn’t dared tell anyone, nor had she been certain. She had only hoped that wasn’t the case. To outsiders, she had said that she had gained weight. This was also the same thing she had told herself. Since it was winter and she wrapped her belly tightly and put on thick clothing, no one had been able to tell indeed.

  During the day, she would wrap her belly, but at night, she would have to unwrap it when she slept. When she unwrapped her belly, fetal movements occurred, and Shao Qiyun had no choice but to admit that she was pregnant. She was filled with hatred, but her thought process was simple. She thought that everything would be alright after she gave birth.