Chapter Seven

Dong Zhenghao stopped after seeing off his sister-in-law at the elevator. Jiang Li, unusually, went all the way downstairs with her younger sister.

It wasn't until they'd left the hospital building that Jiang Li reluctantly thanked Jiang Jia. "Just now... I owe you one."

Jiang Jia shot her a scornful look and said bluntly, "You're only tough on your own family. You let some brat walk all over you."

Jiang Li wanted to argue. She'd simply been caught off guard.

"Come on, you've got plenty of time ahead of you. You're a grown woman—are you really afraid you can't handle her?"

Jiang Li said, "She's Old Dong's biological daughter, after all. I can't go too far."

Jiang Jia glared at her. "Do you really need me to teach you how to handle this? You had plenty of tricks for dealing with all those little temptresses around your brother-in-law."

Jiang Li wasn't truly at a loss for what to do. She was just complaining.

She didn't want to keep talking about it, so she changed the subject. "Didn't your Old Zhan used to never celebrate his birthday? Why's he suddenly throwing a birthday party?"

Jiang Jia gave a scornful laugh. "What do you think? His former wife died two months ago, and his daughter from back home came to stay with him. He's planning to officially acknowledge the girl."

Jiang Li looked surprised. "How old is she?"

"Twenty."

"What a coincidence. She's the same age as ours." Jiang Li sighed, half-seriously and half-jokingly. "It's one thing when they're young, but once they're older, you can't really raise them to be your own."

Jiang Jia glared at her. "So if she were younger, you'd actually want to raise her?"

Her sister was such a hypocrite. She talked a good game, but who knew what she really thought?

When she married Old Zhan, he already had a son. Her sister had made no secret of mocking her for marrying a man with baggage. Now they were both in the same boat, so neither had any right to criticize the other.

The sisters chatted for a while, but soon found they had nothing in common to say. They went their separate ways.

Jiang Jia's whirlwind visit had lifted Jiang Li's spirits considerably.

When she returned to the hospital room and saw Liu Mumu, she didn't feel as irritated as before.

It would make her look petty to hold a grudge against a brat. The best way to deal with an inexperienced girl like that was to broaden her horizons and make her understand just how out of her depth she was.

Dong Qi stayed in the hospital for only two days before going home, his leg in a cast. He had only a minor fracture and didn't need surgery, so he just had to rest at home.

With her son out of danger, Jiang Li relaxed. She wasn't as irritable as before, either. When Dong Zhenghao saw that she was finally back to normal and no longer at odds with Liu Mumu, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Women were such a hassle. And with his household so dominated by women, it was no wonder he'd had so much bad luck lately.

A little after ten that night, Dong Zhenghao came home reeking of alcohol. Jiang Li went to meet him, gave him a sharp once-over, then took his briefcase and keys.

"Why have you been coming home so late lately?" Jiang Li asked casually.

Dong Zhenghao changed into his slippers and headed for the living room. "Make me a bowl of noodles first. I've been drinking all night and barely ate anything."

Jiang Li called upstairs, "Dong Yue, come down and make your father something to eat."

A moment later, Dong Yue's bedroom door opened, and she came downstairs with Liu Mumu.

Seeing her daughter with Liu Mumu, Jiang Li frowned. In the end, she pretended not to notice and said nothing.

Dong Zhenghao was sprawled on the sofa. After a long moment, he sighed. "Old Qin's gone just like that. We hadn't even signed the contract we'd negotiated, and all our previous cooperation has come to a halt."

Jiang Li knew nothing about business, and Dong Zhenghao never let her get involved. All she could do was comfort him. "Madam Qin won't be able to think about the company until she's finished handling Old Qin's funeral."

"What do you know?" Dong Zhenghao scoffed. "That bastard Zhan Hongye has poached almost everyone from Old Qin's company. He's snatched up every order he could, too. He sure moved fast. By the time Madam Qin thinks about the company, it'll be too late."

Then he added another curse. "What a piece of garbage!"

Jiang Li's brow twitched. The bastard Dong Zhenghao was talking about was her brother-in-law.

"Then... are we still going to Zhan Hongye's birthday party tomorrow?"

"Of course we are."

Dong Zhenghao had never thought much of Zhan Hongye. Back when he and Qin Kai were making money together, Zhan Hongye had been a nobody. Somehow, he'd climbed the ladder in just a few years. Now that Old Qin was gone, Zhan Hongye had finally come into his own.

People always said the wheel of fortune turned, but how had such a wide river failed to drown him?

As they talked, Liu Mumu brought out a bowl of noodles, set it on the coffee table, and handed Dong Zhenghao a pair of chopsticks.

Dong Zhenghao picked up the bowl and bent over his meal. Liu Mumu took the opportunity to sit beside him and watch him eat.

Jiang Li had been hoping to talk with Dong Zhenghao, but seeing Liu Mumu sitting there put her off.

She glanced at Liu Mumu and asked, "Mumu, do you have anything suitable to wear to the birthday party tomorrow?"

Liu Mumu blinked. "...Probably not."

She really didn't have any experience with this sort of thing.

"There's no time to have a dress made now. Why don't you pick something from Xiao Yue's closet? You're about the same size, so her clothes should fit you."

Liu Mumu glanced at Dong Yue in the kitchen. They weren't even remotely the same size. Aunt Jiang must be forcing that comparison with her eyes shut.

Dong Zhenghao was slurping his noodles and hadn't listened to a word they'd said.

Liu Mumu simply turned to him and asked, "Dad, could you lend me a few hundred? I'll go buy a dress tomorrow."

"Hm? Didn't your Aunt Jiang buy you one?" Dong Zhenghao looked up.

Jiang Li gritted her teeth and cursed the little tattletale inwardly. "There wasn't enough time to have one made. I thought Mumu could wear Xiao Yue's clothes. There's no need for sisters to make such a distinction."

"That works, too..."

"Some things still need to be kept separate. For example, I'd like to give Xiao Yue five pounds of the fat on my body, but even if she were willing, I couldn't."

Only then did Dong Zhenghao realize that the two of them were arguing again.

He waved his chopsticks impatiently. "Enough. Tomorrow, Mumu can go buy her own clothes. Transfer a few thousand to her. There's no time to have one made."

Jiang Li swallowed her frustration and shut her mouth. Liu Mumu cheerfully took out her phone and held it up to her. "Aunt Jiang, add me as a friend so you can transfer the money."

"No need to rush," Jiang Li gritted out. "I'm not going to short you that little bit of money."

With that, she got up and left.

After Jiang Li had been driven away, Dong Zhenghao gave Liu Mumu a warning look. "Don't worry. You won't go without food, clothes, or anything else in this house. You don't need to act so pitiful."

Liu Mumu rested her chin in her hands. "Dad's misunderstood me again. I was just telling the truth. Aunt Jiang's the one who's too sensitive. You haven't been looking too well lately. Want me to tell your fortune?"

Dong Zhenghao had been about to refuse, but he hesitated at the last moment. "You can really tell fortunes?"

Liu Mumu shrugged. "It's a family trade. I've studied divination for more than ten years."

Most of the time, her predictions were wrong. Sometimes they were so infuriating that her grandfather wanted to beat her, but that didn't matter. It was free. What more could anyone ask for?

Dong Zhenghao put down his bowl. "All right, then. Tell my fortune."

Liu Mumu first examined his palm with great ceremony, then held his head and studied his face. Dong Zhenghao grew a little impatient before she finally drawled, "Oh dear. It looks like you're going to lose money this year, Dad."

Dong Zhenghao's heart skipped a beat. He was losing money lately, after all.

He'd lost his partnership with Old Qin and was sure to take a big financial hit.

He sat up straight. "Be specific. How much am I going to lose?"

He could handle a million or so.

"Several... billion?"

"What?" Dong Zhenghao nearly fainted. "Am I going bankrupt?"

His entire fortune was only a few billion.

To his surprise, Liu Mumu looked even more astonished than he did. "Dad, all your assets are only a few billion?"

Father and daughter stared at each other. Dong Zhenghao said, "You didn't know? Aren't you supposed to be able to figure it out?"

Liu Mumu gave an awkward chuckle. "I guessed."

Their trust in each other collapsed completely. Dong Zhenghao decided he must have been an idiot to believe Liu Mumu could really tell fortunes.

Seeing that her only customer was about to leave, Liu Mumu hurried to stop him. "Dad, don't go! Let me tell your fortune again."

Dong Zhenghao didn't waver as he walked away.

Liu Mumu cast the divination for him, then cried, "Oh!" just as he was about to go upstairs.

Dong Zhenghao stopped without thinking and turned to look at her.

Liu Mumu toyed with the coins in her hand. "The reading doesn't look good. There's a risk of bloodshed."

Dong Zhenghao was now certain that this girl was an even worse swindler than the ten-yuan-a-reading fortune-teller outside. Free really did mean trouble.

The next day, Dong Qi couldn't go because of his injured leg. He kicked up a fuss at home for ages. After the couple had comforted him for a long time and promised him several things, they finally took the two girls and drove to the Zhan family's home.

Before getting out, Jiang Li glanced at her daughter, Dong Yue, whose custom-made dress made her disappear into the crowd, then at Liu Mumu, who wore a party dress that cost less than a thousand yuan yet made her look pretty and lively. She felt even more miserable.

She shot Dong Yue a look of disappointment before getting out of the car.

Dong Yue had no idea why her mother was glaring at her.

Zhan Hongye and Jiang Jia were greeting guests at the entrance. When they saw Jiang Li and her husband, with the two girls following behind them, Jiang Jia quickly tugged her husband over and introduced them. "This is my brother-in-law's eldest daughter, whom he just found. You were worried Xiao Ni wouldn't have any friends. This girl's the same age as her, so they can get to know each other."

After a brief moment of surprise, Zhan Hongye smiled at Liu Mumu. "I'll introduce you to my daughter in a moment. You two can hang out together."

Liu Mumu was still too surprised to react. She hadn't heard a word they said.

Zhan Hongye might not know her, but she knew him.

By coincidence, on the way over, she'd been chatting with Dong Yue and told her she had a classmate whose surname was Zhan. Who would've thought the two Zhans really came from the same family?

Wasn't this Mr. Zhan the father of her high school classmate, Zhan Ni?