Chapter 17: Complaining Again, Are You? Who Doesn’t Know How to Play a Part?

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Zhao Qiang was kicked out of the car, but he didn’t care. Now that he was a father, his spirits were soaring with joy. After all, he had Chu Siqi’s phone number and could call little Peach anytime.

Instead of returning to the small Western-style house he shared with Liu Ruyan, Zhao Qiang went straight to his parents’ home. Originally, he planned to scour the house for clues, to turn it upside down. Anything related to that man would surely provide some trace. But now that he knew the man was Zhang Zihao, there was no need.

The only direct evidence to prove Liu Ruyan’s infidelity was the paternity test; there was nothing else. She had deceived him for ten years, so she certainly hadn’t left behind anything useful.

To marry Liu Ruyan, he had spent the family savings, leaving his parents still living in the old neighborhood. Guangming Community was a former residential area built for the glass factory workers. Those who lived there were mostly retired, laid-off workers.

As he entered the old neighborhood, he was met with pointed fingers and whispered gossip; everyone had heard the news. Aunt Zhu, a neighbor, was busy chatting; who didn’t know that Old Zhao’s son had abandoned his beautiful wife who was in the hospital? He had just fathered twins and was already being ridiculed by all the elders in the community.

Zhao Qiang ignored their gazes and went straight home. The truth would come out eventually, and he would silence all these mouths.

His parents hadn’t even eaten dinner; they sat on the sofa. As soon as they saw their son, He Fen immediately approached him.

“Qiangzi, have you found anything?”

Those two grandchildren had vanished without a trace, and He Fen was furious. The neighbors were all talking, and she didn’t dare show her face outside.

“Mom, yes. The child Liu Ruyan is carrying isn’t mine,” Zhao Qiang said plainly. “She married me only to give those two children an identity. The Liu family knows this but haven’t spoken a word.”

Better a short pain than a long one. Zhao Qiang told her the truth to prevent her from suffering more later.

He Fen sat stunned. “Mom, don’t be sad,” Zhao Qiang comforted her, hesitating whether to tell her about his daughter. Maybe that would ease her pain, but Chu Mengyao had warned him not to spread the news.

“This is outrageous!” Zhao Hai slammed a glass cup onto the floor, shattering it into pieces.

For a year, they had treated the Liu family as relatives, sincerely expecting goodwill, only to be so horribly deceived. Lavish betrothal gifts, buying a house and car, yet no gratitude in return.

“The paternity test results will be ready tomorrow; we spent a bit more to speed it up,” Zhao Hai said. “No matter what, we have to divorce Liu Ruyan.”

Zhao Hai was a straightforward man; the humiliation was unbearable.

“Yes, Dad. Not only divorce, but I want all the betrothal money and red envelopes back,” Zhao Qiang declared. He intended to reclaim every penny he had given, not leaving a cent.

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Zhang Zihao was so wealthy, yet he still had the audacity to make a move on him. The Liu family was truly disgusting.

At that moment, a commotion erupted downstairs.

“Zhao Qiang, get down here right now!”

“Let the neighbors see what a shameless, heartless man you are!”

A sharp voice rang out, startling the entire community.

Zhao Qiang recognized it immediately—Li Fengying shamelessly showed up, brazen enough to come knocking on his door. One had to admire her nerve, boasting about her daughter’s scandal everywhere.

She was deliberately trying to stir up trouble, forcing him to take responsibility, to endure the community’s scorn and wear the proverbial green hat.

“I’m going to confront that shameless woman!” Zhao Hai got worked up, itching to grab a kitchen knife and settle the score with Li Fengying. The Zhao family’s reputation was in tatters, all because of this family.

“Mom, Dad, don’t lose your temper. I have a plan!” Zhao Qiang soothed his parents. He had endured far worse humiliation in his past life. It was just a brazen troublemaker showing up; he could handle it easily.

Downstairs, a crowd had gathered, drawn by Li Fengying’s provocations—old men and women from the neighborhood.

“I never expected Zhao Qiang to be such a person. I watched him grow up!” one said.

“He seemed honest, but turns out he’s so irresponsible,” Aunt Zhu, the neighborhood gossip, chimed in. She often spread malicious rumors and had even accepted money from Li Fengying to tarnish the Zhao family’s reputation.

Now the whole community believed Zhao Qiang had done wrong.

“Everyone, judge for yourselves! My daughter gave birth to twins, and now he’s abandoned her in the hospital without a care. Is that something a man should do?” Li Fengying publicly berated the Zhao family, speaking with all the details.

Her stirring words made the crowd believe every rumor.

“I’m Liu Ruyan’s college classmate. Zhao Qiang used to treat her well, but recently, I don’t know what changed, he’s been especially harsh,” said Su Yao, Liu Ruyan’s close friend. At Liu Ruyan’s request, she rushed over to help.

Even if Zhao Qiang wanted to make a scene, he couldn’t let the blame fall on Liu Ruyan. Su Yao even filmed videos, planning to post them in the school group to have everyone curse Zhao Qiang for being ungrateful.

She struck first, cementing Zhao Qiang’s reputation as a heartless man.

Su Yao was smart; to avoid angering Zhao Qiang, she spoke tactfully. She only mentioned that the couple had quarrels and Zhao Qiang had neglected the children, but never brought up infidelity or paternity tests.

“Mother-in-law, why did you come so late?” Zhao Qiang came down the stairs and confronted her directly, calling her “mother-in-law” repeatedly. He knew the Liu family’s habits, but the neighbors did not.

“Why don’t you come inside for a while?” she sneered.

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The crowd parted to make way as he strode straight to Li Fengying.

“Zhao Qiang, you good-for-nothing! Finally you show your face!” she snarled. “I thought you were too scared to come out. My daughter is still in the hospital, and you haven’t even gone to see her!”

Li Fengying was arrogant now, with the entire neighborhood on her side. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got; she couldn’t stand it. Coming to the Zhao family at night to cause a scene, making them lose face in front of everyone, seeking revenge for the slap she had received earlier.

“Zhao Qiang, I can understand if you and Ruyan have conflicts—what couple doesn’t? But you can’t just ignore a woman who just gave birth,” Su Yao said soothingly. “Zhao Qiang, stop this fuss. Maybe if you talk to Ruyan, you’ll clear up the misunderstanding.”

“Su Yao, I didn’t expect you to side with them?” Zhao Qiang smiled bitterly. Liu Ruyan and Su Yao were inseparable; they were practically joined at the hip. He knew more about Liu Ruyan than anyone, even more than Su Yao.

The Liu family had really invested in bringing Su Yao over.

Zhao Qiang and Su Yao had been classmates; he met Liu Ruyan through her. Su Yao had even helped him when he was courting Liu Ruyan, speaking well of him in front of her. In the previous life, Zhao Qiang had been especially grateful.

“Heh, maybe I should thank you for giving me Liu Ruyan, letting me marry such a wonderful wife?” Zhao Qiang’s words had double meanings, but Su Yao didn’t catch on.

“If I had known you were like this, I would never have introduced Ruyan to you,” Su Yao said coldly. To her, Zhao Qiang was ungrateful and shameless.

Grandpa Wang, the gatekeeper, also advised, “Zhao Qiang, I’m not trying to lecture, but it’s better to talk things out than to make a scene. Let this go.”

“Your wife is so beautiful; many envy you. You have two children—what more could you want?” Aunt Liu agreed; these days people encouraged reconciliation over separation.

Everyone expected Zhao Qiang to admit his mistake and apologize, to avoid making the situation worse and cutting off all future paths.

“Thanks to all the neighbors for your concern. It’s not that I don’t want to reconcile,” Zhao Qiang said carefully. He didn’t want to argue with those who lived nearby; otherwise, his parents wouldn’t be able to live here peacefully.

If Li Fengying wanted to play dirty, he’d play along.

That old woman didn’t know that he had already found the man behind the scenes.

“I want to reconcile too—you all know my wife is beautiful. Marrying her was a blessing I earned through eight generations of good karma,” Zhao Qiang said, clutching his chest with a pained expression.

His anguish seemed genuine, instantly stirring curiosity.

Who can’t act when necessary?