Chapter 41: I’m Not Afraid of Him
That day, Liu Yingzi came back from the market, carrying a basket of groceries.
The whole way home, she felt countless eyes on her back.
Back home, she slammed the door shut with a BANG.
She grabbed Cao Jiajia by the wrist and yanked her forward.
The girl’s wrist was squeezed bright red, with several fingerprints already welling up on her skin, stinging painfully.
But she just bit her lip, kept her head down, and didn’t dare make a sound.
Once she had been dragged inside, Liu Yingzi stomped her foot fiercely.
The grocery basket in her hand crashed to the floor with a THUD.
"Cao Daqiang! Where are you hiding now? Are you just going to lie around in here playing dead all day? What do you think this is? A retirement home? A place that feeds you, houses you, and lets you live a life of leisure?"
"Are we even going to keep living like this? How long are you going to keep freeloading?"
She immediately spotted Cao Daqiang lolling in a wicker chair, holding an enamel mug and leisurely blowing on his tea.
But this particular scene was an eyesore, and a nameless rage flared up inside Liu Yingzi.
’They’re fighting again...’
Cao Jiajia shrank into a corner, her fingers digging into her sleeves.
She didn’t dare make a sound.
She could only wait until the two of them were red in the face from arguing to quietly slip out the door.
But her mother’s words from just now still hammered into her ears.
’Mom’s right. It’s that girl’s fault. If it weren’t for her, Mom and Dad wouldn’t fight every day, and the house wouldn’t be such a mess. It’s all because of her.’
Those words echoed in her head, and the more she thought about it, the more right they seemed.
’As long as we get rid of her, Mom and Dad will make up, and this family can go back to how it was before...’
She wiped away her tears, smearing the dirt on her face.
Then she turned and ran.
She wanted to go find someone to talk to, hoping it might make her feel a little better.
But just as she reached the Yang Family’s gate, she saw Shanshan come skipping out of the small courtyard.
Cao Jiajia’s suppressed emotions instantly ignited.
In a fit of rage, she rushed forward and pointed at Shanshan’s nose, roaring.
"Get back to your own home! This isn’t a place you can just come to whenever you want! Who said you could hang around here every day?"
Shanshan jumped, stopping in her tracks and staring at her with wide eyes.
"Not my home?"
She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes.
"Then is it your home? Your family is so poor you can’t even afford to eat, and you have the nerve to tell me to leave? What a joke!"
With that, she turned to leave, not wanting to waste another breath on her.
But Cao Jiajia wasn’t about to let her go just like that.
She strode forward and grabbed Shanshan’s wrist fiercely.
"What did you say? You shouldn’t be here! You shouldn’t have shown up! It’s all because of you that my mom and dad are fighting!"
"Let go!"
Shanshan jerked violently, pulling her hand free.
"I’m telling you again, if you dare touch me one more time, I’ll really bite you!"
As she spoke, she opened her mouth slightly, revealing her two sharp little canine teeth.
Paired with her furrowed brows and wide, glaring eyes, she looked both fierce and a little cute.
But in Cao Jiajia’s eyes, it was as if a demon had revealed its true form.
"WAAH!"
She was scared out of her wits and turned to bolt, running for her life.
Shanshan stood her ground and dusted off her hands.
Then she put her hands on her hips, tilted her little head up, and watched her flee with a smug look on her face.
"Hmph, who’s afraid of you? You psycho!"
But her triumphant expression didn’t even last two seconds before the steady sound of rolling wheels came from behind her.
Her ears twitched, and she quickly wiped the fierce look from her eyes.
She blinked, put on a well-behaved expression, and looked back.
Ling Anxun was in his wheelchair, pushing the wheels and slowly approaching.
His brows were slightly furrowed, his tone laced with concern.
"What happened? Why was she chasing you just now? What’s going on?"
Shanshan pouted, her little face scrunching up.
"That bad dad doesn’t even like her! He’s always fighting with that woman, and afterward, nobody pays any attention to her. But both of them think their family is like this because I showed up."
She tilted her head, looking at Ling Anxun with a lost expression.
"Uncle, do you think... I’m the one who’s wrong? Is it because I came here that they’re unhappy?"
"Of course not."
Ling Anxun’s reply was crisp and decisive.
He looked up at the little girl, his gaze firm.
"The fault isn’t yours. It has never been yours."
"Hehe!"
The moment Shanshan heard this, she broke into a wide grin.
Looking at her innocent expression, Ling Anxun couldn’t help but pinch her chubby cheek.
"Uncle, that bad dad didn’t want me, but I’m not sad. Because I couldn’t care less about him."
"The day I first arrived, I was shivering from the cold, and I was hungry and thirsty. I kept thinking that my dad would surely give me food and water. After all, I’m his own daughter. He wouldn’t just stand by and watch me suffer, would he?"
"But what about him? He gave me nothing. He didn’t even give me a proper look. Not only that, but he yelled at me, called me a burden, and even said to my face that my mother was a shameless liar."
Shanshan looked down at the palm of her hand.
When she was pushed to the ground back then, her palm had hit the concrete. The black and blue bruises still hadn’t completely faded.
"He threw me out like a worn-out shoe, slamming the door with a BANG. The moment the door closed, I slammed into the frame, and the back of my head hit the corner of the wall. The pain made my head ring."
"I squatted on the ground, hugging my knees. I didn’t even dare to cry out loud; I could only bite my lip and let the tears fall silently."
"Sweetheart, it’s not your fault. You’re a good girl—well-behaved, sensible, and obedient. It’s your father... he doesn’t deserve to be one."
Ling Anxun’s heart ached, and he pulled the little girl into a tight embrace.
"If you don’t believe me, I’ll call him over right now. We’ll ask him clearly in front of everyone. Why doesn’t he want you? Why did he leave you outside all alone? On what grounds?"
"Mhm!"
Shanshan nodded firmly, but her eyes were red.
"We have to get a clear answer! He has to give me an explanation, an explanation to everyone! I’m not some unwanted child! I have a mother, and I have you, Uncle! I’m not afraid of him!"
Xiao Zhou pushed Ling Anxun to a corner to shelter from the wind.
He whispered a few words to him, then turned and hurried off to get someone.
Before long, Xiao Zhou led a limping Cao Daqiang over.
Seeing Shanshan standing beside Ling Anxun from a distance, he faltered, instinctively wanting to turn and flee.
But with Xiao Zhou standing right behind him, he could only brace himself and shuffle forward.
"Isn’t that Captain Cao? Did the sun rise in the west today? You actually dared to come outside?"
An older woman nearby spoke up, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Lately, he had become the laughingstock of the family residential area, and anyone who saw him couldn’t resist a couple of sarcastic jabs.
Cao Daqiang’s face twitched, and he could barely keep his composure.
He lowered his head, his hands clenched into fists, but he didn’t dare lash out.
Because he could clearly see Ling Anxun staring at him with an icy gaze.
Ling Anxun paid no mind to the gossip.
Once Cao Daqiang was standing before him, he got straight to the point.
"Cao Daqiang, I only have one question for you. Is Shanshan your biological daughter?"
Cao Daqiang had assumed they were here to settle old scores.
He expected nothing more than a few curses, an argument, and at worst, losing a bit of face.
But upon hearing the question, his mind went blank, and a buzzing filled his ears.