What gives you the right to be so selfish?
Jiang Shen’s refusal caught Qiu Baiyu by surprise.
She never expected Jiang Shen to refuse.
It’s hard to understand; he clearly doesn’t love this child, so why is he competing with her for custody?
Jiang Zimin was also stunned.
Is Dad not letting her go with Auntie?
But why…
For a moment, Qiu Baiyu had a thousand words on the tip of her tongue, but before speaking, she glanced at Jiang Zimin.
“Xiaomin.”
Jiang Zimin heard a familiar voice calling her, snapped back to reality, looked up, and saw Qiu Baiyu gently patting her shoulder.
“You go back to your room and wait for a while; Auntie and Dad need to talk.”
Jiang Zimin turned her head to look at Jiang Shen.
However, Jiang Shen turned his face away, not making eye contact with her.
She looked back at Qiu Baiyu, tightly gripping one of her fingers: “Auntie, you must come quickly to find me…”
She was afraid.
Afraid that everything would return to how it was before.
Qiu Baiyu squeezed her hand in return, promising her with a reassuring voice: “Don’t worry, Auntie will come find you after talking with Dad, it won’t take long.
“You go back to your room first, go on.”
With her assurance, Jiang Zimin finally agreed to leave, looking back every few steps as she went out.
The study room door closed again, locked tightly.
Qiu Baiyu turned around, her expression solemn and serious: “Jiang Shen, what are you trying to do again? You simply don’t care about this child, so why are you fighting for her custody?”
Jiang Shen calmly organized the documents on the desk: “You have no right to question my affairs.”
“Then who has the right to question?” Qiu Baiyu hit the nail on the head, “Yi Wanyue?”
Jiang Shen’s organizing paused.
Jiang Shen calmly organized the documents on the desk: “My affairs are none of your business.”
“Then who has the right to ask?” Qiu Baiyu asked pointedly, “Yi Wanyue?”
Jiang Shen’s organizing actions came to a halt.
Qiu Baiyu observed his reaction, knowing she had struck a chord with him, and a sudden fury ignited within her, almost consuming her rationality.
Again, it was about pursuing the female lead.
Again, it was about his own selfish desires.
Why are these fathers all so willful, not caring at all about the child’s well-being?
“So you really want Xiaomin’s custody because of Wanyue…”
“Qiu Baiyu, don’t overstep your boundaries.”
Qiu Baiyu was right; he indeed wanted Xiaomin’s custody for Yi Wanyue.
In the past, he indeed did not care about this child, and in his heart, he did not acknowledge her as his daughter.
But when he discovered that this child got along well with Yi Wanyue and could allow Yi Wanyue to come to the house to teach her piano, giving him more opportunities to see Yi Wanyue, everything changed.
If he could keep Yi Wanyue, then having this child stay by his side was no issue.
How things were before is how they would continue to be; clothing, food, shelter, and transportation, he wouldn’t let this child lack anything.
Moreover, he could provide her with better, the best of everything, so what’s wrong with her growing up by his side?
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“But what right do you have?”
Qiu Baiyu’s voice reached his ears, cold and unyielding.
He looked up, seeing Qiu Baiyu’s eyes like ice, gazing at him as if he were the most hated enemy of her life.
“Because Wanyue likes Xiaomin, because they get along, so to keep Wanyue, you simply keep Xiaomin by your side as your tool?
“What right do you have to treat Xiaomin like this? What right do you have to treat Wanyue like this?”
“Born without receiving her father’s acknowledgment, her father wouldn’t even glance at her, and now she is being used by her own father as a tool to pursue a stepmother. How do you expect this child to view herself?
“Because liking one child indirectly leads to this child staying with a father who doesn’t love her, how do you expect Wanyue to feel?
“Jiang Shen, have you asked them? What gives you the right to be so selfish?”
Qiu Baiyu grew angrier as she spoke, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
What right does he have to do as he pleases, just because he is the male lead of this world?
What gives the male lead the right to treat his own child so carelessly? What gives him the right to ignore others’ wishes while thinking he is deeply in love?!
“Jiang Shen, Xiaomin is your child, whether you acknowledge it or not, she is your child. She is a living person, a vibrant life, not your tool. You have no right to use her to pave the way for your love!
“Oh, I understand now, you lack confidence in pursuing someone on your own, is that it? You actually know you lack any charm, don’t you?”
“Qiu Baiyu, have you said enough!”
Jiang Shen’s face darkened, and his tone was filled with intense anger.
Qiu Baiyu was not afraid at all, her voice instantly overpowering his: “Can’t bear to hear this now?!
“Then why did you sleep with her mother and have her in the first place? Surely, you didn’t believe such a brainless lie as drunken misconduct, did you?!”
“Qiu Baiyu!”
“People like you are not fit to be a father!”
“Qiu Baiyu!!”
“Nor are you worthy of Wanyue! You should die alone!!”
“— Get out!!!”
The heated argument made the atmosphere in the room unbearably oppressive.
This was the first time they had such an intense confrontation since they had known each other.
They looked at each other as if they were the most detestable thing in the world, any affection or love long gone.
“Qiu Baiyu, you are becoming crazier!” Jiang Shen said through clenched teeth.
Qiu Baiyu’s voice returned to calm, her eyes cold as frost, showing unprecedented determination: “Then let this crazy woman tell you: I will not give up Xiaomin’s custody. I will definitely take her away from this place, away from you.”
With that, she slammed the door and left.
Jiang Zimin sat anxiously in her room, holding her piggy bank, her eyes fixed on the door, afraid of missing even the smallest sound.
The surroundings were very quiet, so quiet that she seemed to hear her own heartbeat.
Thump thump, thump thump… beating very fast, very loudly, as if trying to escape her world.
The surroundings were quiet, as if returning to the past.
No friends, no care, and no love, endlessly waiting every day for her dad to come back, hoping he would give her a little attention, a little love, just like before.
She clutched the piggy bank tightly, her feet curled up, maintaining this posture, hoping for Qiu Baiyu just as she used to hope for her father.
At first, when she heard Qiu Baiyu and Jiang Shen talking about divorce, her heart trembled, and fear arose spontaneously.
But after speaking with Qiu Baiyu, she realized that compared to her parents’ divorce, she feared losing Qiu Baiyu even more.
She was terrified of returning to the past.
Her dad didn’t love her, her Auntie did, and she loved Auntie. She should live with Auntie; only then would she be happy.
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So Auntie must quickly come to find her; Auntie must take her away, then everything will be alright…
“Bang!”
A sudden loud sound came from outside, as if a gust of wind had forcefully pushed the door.
Her body shook, and she was startled.
A few seconds passed.
“Knock knock—”
“Xiaomin, it’s Auntie.”
Qiu Baiyu had arrived.
Jiang Zimin’s eyes lit up instantly.
She hurriedly ran off the chair to open the door: “Auntie!”
“Did Dad agree for me to go with you?”
Her eyes were full of hope.
But Auntie did not nod.
Auntie reached out to touch her head and said: “Don’t worry, Auntie will definitely take you away.”
The answer was obvious.
Jiang Zimin’s lips slowly curved downward.
Why doesn’t Dad let her go with Auntie?
Doesn’t Dad want her to be happy?
Qiu Baiyu couldn’t bear to see her like this.
Such a good child, unfortunately stuck with such an irresponsible father and a system that doesn’t think of her well-being.
Just like her, unfortunately burdened with irresponsible parents who gave birth to her and then neglected her. If it weren’t for Grandma, she would have died long ago.
Qiu Baiyu squatted down to be at eye level with Jiang Zimin, gently hooking her pinky finger, making a “pinky promise” with her: “I promise you, I will definitely be able to take you away.”
Then she took out her phone: “Now Auntie needs to make a call, find a way to persuade your dad, so you stay here by yourself for a while, okay?”
Jiang Zimin obediently nodded.
Qiu Baiyu patted her head, hugged her, gently patted her shoulder, and whispered in her ear: “Don’t worry, Auntie’s here.”
Then she got up and left her room, starting to scroll through the phone book.
She couldn’t reason with this crazy person, but there was someone who could communicate with him!
It just so happened that she knew someone who could talk to him and make him listen.
Qiu Baiyu found the person’s number and, without hesitation for Jiang Zimin, dialed it.
The call was answered quickly, and a familiar voice came through the receiver, with a hint of confusion: “Why are you calling me now?”
On the other end of the phone, Yi Wanyue was deeply puzzled.
She was about to go to the Jiang family soon, what could be so urgent that it couldn’t wait?
“Is it urgent?”
“Yes,” Qiu Baiyu replied directly, “Jiang Shen wants to divorce me.”
Yi Wanyue had a “congratulations” on the tip of her tongue, but then heard Qiu Baiyu continue: “But he wants custody of Xiaomin.”
“To be honest,” Qiu Baiyu stated frankly, “it’s for you.”
Yi Wanyue: “…?”
For her?
Jiang Zimin stood at the door of the room, watching Qiu Baiyu return to her own room, then turned her head to look towards the study.
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Recalling the heavy door slam from earlier, she could imagine how unpleasant the conversation between Auntie and Dad was, and it could be said they were very angry.
Auntie had never been this angry before when leaving Dad’s study.
Jiang Zimin stood silently in place.
After a moment, she placed the piggy bank she was holding back on the table and turned to run to the study.
Standing before the study door, she mustered her courage, raised her arm, and gently knocked on the door.
“Who!”
An unpleasant voice came from inside.
Jiang Zimin was startled and took a step back.
Though Jiang Shen never cared for her much before, his tone had never been so fierce, indicating he was quite angry.
She patted her chest, gathered her courage again, turned the doorknob, and cautiously leaned half her body in: “Dad, it’s me…”
Jiang Shen thought it was Qiu Baiyu, and his anger was ready to burst, but it froze the moment he saw the young child: “…”
He sat in the chair, turned his face away coldly: “What is it?”
He heard the faint sound of the door closing gently, followed by the child’s innocent voice: “Dad, I also have something I want to say to you… Can you listen to me?”
LP: Nooo, Xiaomin!!! Don’t make a deal with the devil!!!
