Chapter 4

Dong Zhenghao had spent three whole days dealing with the funeral. He'd lost three or four pounds and looked exhausted and haggard.

On the morning of the fourth day, he asked Liu Mumu to meet him. The father and daughter met at a restaurant, where a huge revolving table occupied a private room. They sat across from each other, making it feel very much like a negotiation.

Seeing his eldest daughter again this time left Dong Zhenghao feeling more conflicted than ever.

The things Liu Mumu had said to him on the day his mother passed away had replayed in his mind over and over these past few days. To be honest, he hadn't been surprised at all.

His mother had always favored boys over girls. When Little Mumu was born, she'd been very unhappy, but Dong Zhenghao hadn't expected her to sell the child and then tell him she'd been kidnapped.

What his mother had done was wrong, but no matter what, she was still his mother, and she was already gone.

"I asked you to meet me today because I want to talk about what's happened these past few days." Dong Zhenghao spoke stiffly, sounding more like he was talking to an employee.

Whatever trace of affection he'd felt for Liu Mumu had vanished completely when the two of them fell out at the hospital.

Liu Mumu sat quietly in her chair, looking at Dong Zhenghao with her almond-shaped eyes as she waited for him to continue.

"I know you must still resent us, but your grandmother is gone now. When someone dies, it's all over. You're still young. There's no need to keep holding on to this."

"Dad, you've misunderstood me. I really only came to see Grandma off on her final journey. If I were still holding on to this, why would I have waited until now to come?"

It sounded nice, but Dong Zhenghao didn't dare believe her.

His daughter looked so innocent and harmless that even he'd been fooled. But in the end, she'd struck hard. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

When he saw she was sticking to her story, he knew there was no point carrying on. After a moment's silence, Dong Zhenghao took out a stack of documents and a pen he'd prepared in advance, set them on the table, and slid them over to Liu Mumu.

"This is a compensation agreement. It includes an apartment in the city center and a storefront, worth over three million yuan at market price. Once you sign, they'll both be yours."

Liu Mumu picked up the stack of documents and flipped through them. She looked surprised. "Two properties for free? I didn't know there were deals like this."

Dong Zhenghao kept his expression unchanged and waited for her to read on.

She turned another page, then tilted her head and peeked out from behind the document. "I'm not allowed to tell anyone we're father and daughter?"

"It's not appropriate for outsiders to know about our relationship."

"So you don't intend to acknowledge me as your daughter?" Liu Mumu got straight to the point.

Dong Zhenghao wasn't used to people speaking so bluntly. He gave a slight cough and phrased it more tactfully. "We just don't need to keep in touch day to day. If you need anything in the future, you can come to me."

"Oh..."

Seeing her look thoughtful, Dong Zhenghao's expression relaxed a little.

Just as he thought Liu Mumu was going to sign, she smacked her lips. "It's tempting, but I can't sign."

"Do you think it's not enough? If you have other demands, you can make them."

The amount in the agreement was only the minimum Dong Zhenghao had been prepared to offer. He'd left himself room to negotiate. To get rid of this daughter, he didn't mind paying a little more.

Of course, she was his daughter, after all. He wouldn't use the sort of tricks he might use against other people, and he wouldn't take back anything he gave her. But this was all he was willing to offer.

"No. If I sign this, I won't be able to live with Dad."

Dong Zhenghao frowned. "What do you mean?"

Liu Mumu put down the agreement and flashed him a bright smile. "I'm planning to move into your house and live with you."

Seeing that she didn't seem to be joking, Dong Zhenghao's expression turned cold. "Even if you don't sign, you still can't live at my house."

After his mother had been "angered to death," there was no way Dong Zhenghao would take Liu Mumu home.

Liu Mumu sighed, propped her chin on one hand, and said regretfully, "Then I'll have to tell everyone that Dad didn't want me, so he told Grandma to sell me."

Dong Zhenghao let out an angry laugh. "The police won't believe that, and you have no proof."

"Whether the police can find the truth doesn't matter. There'll definitely be plenty of media outlets online willing to report it: 'Chengqing tycoon surnamed Dong favors boys over girls, conspires with his mother to sell his own daughter to human traffickers; twenty years later, his daughter returns to claim her father.'" Liu Mumu's lips curled into a smile. "Doesn't that sound juicy?"

Seeing Dong Zhenghao's face turn livid, Liu Mumu continued, "You don't have to acknowledge me, but the police can prove we're father and daughter. Guess whose story people will believe then—mine or yours?"

Liu Mumu heard Dong Zhenghao grinding his teeth.

She even tried to console him. "Look on the bright side. It's just one more daughter to support. Daughters are sweet and caring. That's still better than having people point at you and call you a monster. Think it over. Isn't raising a daughter more cost-effective?"

Dong Zhenghao exhaled heavily. "...Fine. You can come live with me, but I won't give you anything from now on."

With that, he reached out to turn the table, hoping to take back the agreement.

Liu Mumu held on to the table and looked at him pleadingly. "Could I at least keep one property? You really won't give me anything at all?"

"Dream on!" After the two of them wrestled with the table for a while, Dong Zhenghao managed to snatch the agreement back. He suddenly felt a little thrill at having won.

At last, her mother-in-law's funeral was over. Jiang Li had been in a particularly good mood since early that morning, humming as she walked down from the second floor.

In the living room on the first floor, her daughter, Dong Yue, was watching TV, while her son lay on the sofa playing a game with the volume turned way up.

Jiang Li glanced around, didn't see Dong Zhenghao, and asked casually, "Dong Yue, where's your dad?"

"Dad went out to meet my big sister after breakfast."

As soon as she'd said it, Dong Qi, who was lying down, kicked her hard in the waist. "What's wrong with you? Why are you making up relatives for no reason? What sister?"

Jiang Li pretended not to notice her son's action. She walked behind the sofa, patted his head, and glared at her daughter. "Xiao Qi is right. Watch what you say from now on."

Dong Yue lowered her eyes and rubbed the spot where she'd been kicked, without saying a word.

Jiang Li's good mood lasted until Dong Zhenghao brought Liu Mumu home.

She thought she knew her husband. She never would have dreamed that, after what had happened at the hospital, he would still bring Liu Mumu home!

Dong Zhenghao offered no explanation. He just said coldly to Jiang Li, "She'll be living with us from now on. Get a room ready for her."

Once Dong Zhenghao had made a decision about the household, he never allowed anyone to question it. Even though Jiang Li was furious, she could only swallow her anger and smile as she agreed.

She sized up Liu Mumu, who was carrying a suitcase, and really wanted to know what trick she'd used to win Dong Zhenghao over.

"There's a spare room upstairs. Let's go take a look." As she turned, Jiang Li's lips curled into a cold smile.

Fine. Since Liu Mumu wanted to move in, she could stay. She'd better not regret it later.

Dong Zhenghao gave a casual "Mm," then glanced around and said to his son, who was lying on the sofa, "Dong Qi, help your sister carry her suitcase upstairs."

Dong Qi sat up and glanced at his father, then got off the sofa and walked over. He picked up Liu Mumu's not-too-large suitcase.

Dong Qi was sixteen that year and already five foot nine. He was also stoutly built, and carried the suitcase with ease as he followed Jiang Li upstairs.

"Go take a look at your room. If you want to change anything, tell Aunt Jiang," Dong Zhenghao said.

Liu Mumu followed them.

They were just a few steps from the second floor when Dong Qi suddenly turned around. A nasty grin spread across his face as he swung the suitcase in his hand at Liu Mumu.

As if she'd seen it coming, Liu Mumu shifted to the side. The suitcase brushed past her and tumbled down the stairs. The already flimsy case split in half, spilling its clothes and books all over the floor.

Jiang Li, at the head of the group, stood on the second floor and looked down at the scene. She merely chided Dong Qi offhandedly. "How could you be so careless?"

Dong Zhenghao saw it too, but said nothing.

Dong Qi looked a little disappointed. "Sorry. It slipped."

Liu Mumu smiled at him. "It's okay."

Nobody offered to help pick up her things, so Liu Mumu had to walk back down and gather everything scattered across the floor herself.

Dong Qi was about to continue upstairs when he heard Liu Mumu speak as she picked up her things. "Your face looks a little blue, little brother. You've clearly lost some karma. You'd better lead with your left foot when you walk from now on, or you might break a leg."

"Fuck, are you asking to die?" Dong Qi glared at her and turned to go downstairs and teach her a lesson. But his foot slipped, and he tumbled down.

It would have been bad enough if he'd simply fallen, but the stairs in his house curved. His right foot caught against the railing, and there was a crack, followed by Dong Qi's scream.

Liu Mumu looked up at Dong Qi on the stairs and smiled. "Oh no, you broke your leg."

Everything happened so fast that the two adults in the house hadn't even realized what was going on.

"Mom, Mom, my leg hurts—" Dong Qi was in so much pain that tears spurted from his eyes. His screams echoed through the villa in full surround sound.

"Old Dong, Old Dong, hurry!" Jiang Li was about to rush down, but seemed to remember something. She took careful steps down the stairs instead.

Dong Zhenghao hurried over. As he went upstairs, he unconsciously adjusted his steps and led with his left foot.

Before the ambulance took Dong Qi away, he kept wailing and pointing at Liu Mumu as he shouted to his father, "Dad, kick her out! She's the one who broke my leg!"

Hearing Dong Qi, the medical staff who'd arrived with the ambulance glanced at Liu Mumu and asked Dong Zhenghao, "Was the patient's leg injury not an accident? Would you like us to call the police?"

Dong Zhenghao's face darkened. "It was an accident. He fell on his own."

He and Jiang Li had watched their son twist his own leg and break it, less than five seconds after Liu Mumu had said he'd break his leg.