Chapter 42: Paternity Test
Under Ling Anxun’s cold gaze, he finally forced himself to speak.
"Her? She’s just the child of a distant relative! She was fostered in the countryside since she was little and was only recently sent to the city. It’s not strange for relatives to look alike, is it? Besides, can you really believe the words of a child? She’s so young, she could have easily been coached by someone!"
It was the same tired old story. Even his excuse was identical to the last one.
The onlookers had long since grown tired of hearing it and began to curl their lips in sneers.
"He’s said that a thousand times. I’m sick of hearing it."
"Who would believe that? Giving away his own daughter and then claiming she’s just a relative? If he has a clear conscience, why is he hiding and refusing to face anyone?"
Liu Yingzi came over, intending to mediate and ease the tension.
She knew everything and was disgusted by it herself.
But now, the two of them were in the same boat, so she had no choice but to brace herself and take his side.
"My Daqiang is right! I asked him very clearly before we got married—other than our Jiajia, he has no other children! Look at this girl, she’s about the same age as Jiajia. How could she have possibly been born before he was married? The logic just doesn’t add up!"
Liu Yingzi took a step forward, shielding Cao Daqiang behind her.
"Besides, what does this have to do with you, Mr. Ling? Are family members no longer allowed to manage their own private affairs?"
"Heh."
Ling Anxun let out a cold laugh.
"Shanshan is such a little girl. I couldn’t bear to see her suffer, so I decided to help. Is that a crime?"
But after Liu Yingzi’s outburst, some people in the crowd actually started nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, it’s their family business. Why should an outsider get involved?"
"Besides, a little girl just shows up out of nowhere claiming him as her father. Who’s going to believe that?"
"This Mr. Ling... I heard he used to be in the military. Why is he so idle now that he’s meddling in other people’s family matters?"
Suddenly, the tide of opinion quietly turned, and Ling Anxun was now seen as the "meddling" outsider.
Shanshan stood beside him the whole time, her head lowered, not making a sound.
Seeing the situation turn against them, she quietly glanced at Cao Jiajia, who had followed them over.
The girl was smugly holding her chin high.
An idea struck her. She stood on her tiptoes, leaned close to Cao Jiajia’s ear, and whispered something.
"Uncle Ling is so powerful, everyone has to listen to him. If he tells you to leave, then Daddy will belong only to me. If you keep making a scene, he’ll only dote on me and won’t even spare you a glance."
Cao Jiajia’s eyes widened in an instant, and the color drained from her face.
"No! Daddy has always been mine! Even if you really are his daughter from before, it’s useless! He doesn’t like you! And he won’t want you!"
"Jiajia! What nonsense are you spouting!"
Liu Yingzi was furious and slapped her daughter squarely on the back.
"She’s just a child, she doesn’t know any better! She’s just talking nonsense! Don’t take her seriously!"
She tried to use her daughter’s age as an excuse, pretending the girl had spoken without thinking.
But who there wasn’t sharp enough to see through it?
The moment they heard that, they immediately understood the hidden implications.
Ling Anxun’s brow furrowed, his fists clenching silently at his sides.
He looked at Shanshan’s thin little face, and his heart ached as if it were being squeezed.
This child had done nothing wrong; she didn’t deserve any of this.
He lifted his head, his voice steady.
"A paternity test. I’ll pay for it. Until the results are out, no one is running from this."
"What?"
Liu Yingzi was completely stunned.
"Ha!"
When she recovered, she scoffed.
"Mr. Ling must have more money than he knows what to do with, right? Do you think money can solve everything? Or do you really see yourself as some kind of savior?"
She knew they had reached the point of no return.
She quickly grabbed Cao Jiajia’s hand, supported Cao Daqiang with her other, and turned to leave.
Cao Daqiang lay paralyzed on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
’If they really prove Shanshan is my biological daughter... how could I ever show my face in the military again? And what terrifies me even more is, if this gets out, how could I face my wife, my daughter, and all my comrades? The consequences... I don’t even dare to imagine them.’
To avoid the test, he actually snuck out onto the balcony one night, put a rope around his neck, and faked a suicide by hanging.
When the news spread, the entire residential compound flew into a panic.
An ambulance came screaming, followed by emergency treatment, a stomach pump, psychological counseling...
The whole process played out like a tragic drama.
But Shanshan didn’t feel particularly sad.
She had known for a long time that the man felt no affection for her.
What was strange, however, was the odd numbness and coldness that would occasionally wash over this body.
Curled up in Ling Anxun’s small room, she hugged her knees, her voice soft.
"Uncle, Shanshan doesn’t want her bad daddy anymore. I won’t ever want him. Can you just leave him alone, okay?"
"But didn’t you say..."
Ling Anxun opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
Seeing his troubled expression, Shanshan reached out her chubby little hand and gently patted him.
"Uncle, Auntie once told me that a melon forced from the vine isn’t sweet."
"Since my bad daddy doesn’t want me, then I don’t want him either."
"Besides, I’m so cute, lots of people like me!"
She declared this proudly, her hands on her hips.
"Uncle, Auntie, Uncle Ling, Uncle Xiao Zhou, Grandma Ding, Grandpa Ling, Uncle Zhiyu..."
She said, seriously counting them off on her fingers.
"Yes, Shanshan is very likable."
Ling Anxun crouched down to her eye level.
"Besides him, there are lots and lots of people who like you. You’re everyone’s little sun, and no one can bear to see you sad."
Seeing that Shanshan truly wasn’t sad at all, he let go of his lingering worries.
He knew this child was stronger than he had imagined.
But what about Cao Daqiang?
His life was still utterly miserable.
Yang Dapeng swaggered around in front of him every day, looking full of himself.
The more Cao Daqiang saw it, the more he felt Yang Dapeng was doing it just to spite him.
On top of that, his old ankle injury hadn’t healed. After forcing himself to work for a few days, his whole body felt like it was falling apart.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.
He simply submitted a leave request, hid at home, and spent his days drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
Every day he’d get drunk as a skunk, passing out on the sofa.
Shoes and socks were thrown everywhere, and cigarette butts littered the floor.
Liu Yingzi had just put their child to sleep, so tired her eyelids were drooping.
But she still had to force herself to sweep, mop, and bend over to pick up the scattered liquor bottles.
"Cao Daqiang! How long are you going to keep this up?"
She finally exploded.
"Are you just going to throw everything away? Jiajia and I are depending on you to make a life! Can’t you pull yourself together? Just once!"
"Pull myself together? Ha!"
Cao Daqiang chugged a large mouthful of alcohol, his eyes full of scorn.
"That coward Yang Dapeng is walking all over me, and you’re telling me to pull myself together? You want me to hold my head up and look at his smug face? I’d rather rot here!"
He gripped the bottle so tightly it looked like he might shatter the glass.
Liu Yingzi rushed forward to snatch it away but was roughly thrown aside.
Just as the two of them were tangled in a relentless struggle...
"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!"
The pounding on the door, which hadn’t been closed properly, echoed loudly.
They both whipped their heads around.
Standing in the doorway was a man in a military uniform.
It was Yang Dapeng.
"What are you doing here? Get out! Out!"
Cao Daqiang grabbed the liquor bottle and charged toward the door.
Yang Dapeng sidestepped, nimbly dodging his lunge.