Chapter 6: My Daughter Is My Last Line

The call connected quickly.

A woman’s voice came through, tinged with laughter.

“Chu Chi?”

“This is Ha An Thu,” I said.

There was a two-second silence.

Then she laughed.

“So you finally found out.”

I put her on speaker and set the phone on the table.

Du Mei’s expression changed.

Qin Yiran said calmly, “An Thu, Chu Chi stopped loving you a long time ago. Be sensible and give up the house and the child. The Chu family needs a son. It doesn’t need you or that daughter of yours.”

I looked at Chu Chi.

There wasn’t a trace of color in his face.

I asked Qin Yiran, “Do you dare come meet me?”

She laughed. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Tomorrow at ten. The Chu family’s old house.”

“Fine.”

The call ended.

Du Mei stamped her foot anxiously.

“Why did you invite her here?”

I looked at her.

“Isn’t it a grandson you want?”

“Tomorrow, I’ll make sure the whole family sees exactly what kind of person you’re all hoping for.”

The next morning, the Chu family’s old house was packed.

Du Mei hadn’t wanted to invite the relatives, afraid of losing face.

I was the one who called them.

Chu Chi’s eldest uncle, his aunts, and several cousins were all there.

They usually loved meddling in everyone else’s business.

Today, they could watch to their hearts’ content.

When I led Doa Doa inside, the chatter in the room quieted.

Someone saw Doa Doa’s face and frowned.

“What happened to the child?”

Du Mei immediately said, “The kids were just playing. It’s nothing.”

I looked at her.

She shut her mouth at once.

Chu Yao sat in a corner, his face still marked by my handprint.

When he saw me, his eyes turned vicious.

I ignored him.

At exactly ten, Qin Yiran arrived.

She wore a loose dress, one hand resting on her lower abdomen.

As soon as she walked in, she smiled at Du Mei.

“Auntie.”

Du Mei’s eyes lit up, and she hurried over to help her.

“Slowly, slowly. Be careful not to bump into anything.”

The relatives stared, stunned.

The eldest aunt spoke first.

“Who is this?”

Du Mei stammered.

Chu Chi looked utterly miserable.

But Qin Yiran was perfectly at ease.

“I’m Chu Chi’s girlfriend.”

The room erupted.

I sat in my chair without moving.

The eldest aunt looked at Chu Chi.

“Your wife is still sitting right here!”

Qin Yiran smiled.

“Not for much longer.”

She gave me a challenging look.

“An Thu, you should stop pretending to hold your ground. Chu Chi told me that for years you’ve only stayed home to raise a child. You don’t have a job or any ability. Leave the house to him and keep the child. At least you’ll save some face.”

I gently stroked Doa Doa’s head.

“Did you hear that?”

Doa Doa said softly, “She’s lying. Mommy has a job.”

I nodded.

“That’s right.”

I took my employee ID out of my bag and put it on the table.

My company department-head ID.

A certificate of my annual salary.

My appointment as the person in charge of a project.

The relatives’ expressions changed.

The eldest aunt picked them up and looked through them.

“An Thu, you’ve done so well for yourself?”

I looked at Qin Yiran.

“Chu Chi didn’t tell you?”

Her smile faded.

I took out another folder.

“Did he also forget to tell you that I paid the down payment on this house and have been paying the mortgage?”

“And he certainly didn’t tell you that most of the money he spends on you each month comes from the savings he’s made because I cover the household expenses.”

Qin Yiran’s expression changed. She turned to look at Chu Chi.

He lowered his head and said nothing.

Du Mei panicked.

“Why are you bringing all that up? Yiran is carrying a grandson of the Chu family!”

I laughed.

“Are you sure?”

Du Mei froze.

Qin Yiran’s expression stiffened, too.

I took out a medical report.

It wasn’t the one she’d shown Chu Chi.

It was the report she’d once posted on her social media, forgetting to block a mutual friend.

The date was more than a month earlier.

At the time, Chu Chi was on a business trip elsewhere. He hadn’t even been in the city.

The room went completely silent.

I slid the report into the middle of the table.

“Miss Qin, you know best how many weeks along you are.”

Qin Yiran jumped to her feet.

“Did you investigate me?”

I looked at her.

“You posted it yourself. Who else can you blame?”

Chu Chi snatched the medical report and stared at the date.

His hands started to shake.

“What’s going on?”

Qin Yiran panicked.

“Chu Chi, listen to me…”

The eldest aunt gave a cold laugh.

“We don’t even know whether that grandson has the Chu family name.”

The joy vanished from Du Mei’s face.

She grabbed Qin Yiran tightly.

“Explain yourself!”

Qin Yiran shoved her hand away.

“How much money does the Chu family even have? If Chu Chi hadn’t told me he was about to get the house, do you think I’d bother seeing him?”

Her words struck Chu Chi like a slap.

The relatives looked at him differently.

I stood and took Doa Doa’s hand.

“The show’s over.”

Du Mei suddenly lunged over and grabbed me.

“An Thu, I was wrong! Don’t go. Let’s live together as a family!”