Chapter 43: Isn't the husband you were just calling out actually me?

Zhao Qiang could simply not endure this. It was a matter of a man's dignity, something he could not let go of under any circumstances.

He lunged forward abruptly, pressing directly against Chu Mengyao, bracing his hands on either side of the seat to trap her between his body and the backrest.

With a stern and threatening expression, he said, "It was you who forced me back then, which is how little Peach came to be. Don't you dare try to deny it now!"

Taken aback by his sudden movement, Chu Mengyao flushed slightly, her breathing growing a bit shallow. Yet, she forced herself to remain composed and retorted, "So what if I did?"

Zhao Qiang leaned in close to her face, their noses nearly touching, his voice dropping low and resonant. "So what? You ask what? You have to take responsibility!"

Chu Mengyao could feel his warm breath, her heart pounding frantically against her ribs while panic flickered in her eyes. She tried to turn her head away, but Zhao Qiang gently cupped her chin and turned it back, forcing her to meet his gaze head-on.

"And what if I refuse to take responsibility? What can you possibly do to me?"

"Do you really think I wouldn't dare make you have another child with me?"

Zhao Qiang was done pampering self-righteous women like her. No matter how stunning she looked, what good did it do? Troublesome women still needed to be put in their place, lest they ended up just like Liu Ruyan.

"You shameless beast!" Chu Mengyao's face flared crimson as she let out a soft hiss of indignation.

Despite already being a mother, her inner self remained as innocent as a young maiden. She had never been in a relationship, nor had she ever stood in such close proximity to a man. Her aloof and overbearing exterior was merely a facade she put on. It was the only way she could command respect from the old fogies at the company, serving as a protective shield to keep predatory men and wandering hands at bay.

"Since little Peach is my daughter, I won't fight you for full custody, but you have no right to deprive her of the chance to see her grandparents."

"Otherwise, I'll just make you have another baby, and that way we each get one child."

Zhao Qiang argued his case with absolute conviction, sounding surprisingly reasonable.

Looking at the breathtaking face mere inches away, Zhao Qiang swallowed hard. He was only joking, of course. Still, he had to keep up appearances, otherwise this woman would only push her luck further.

At that moment, Xiao Zhou the driver called out from outside the car, "President Chu, Mr. Zhao, have you two finished discussing?"

"Someone is coming this way."

The entire vehicle had been rocking, and Xiao Zhou hadn't even dared to look, completely clueless as to what was happening inside.

Zhao Qiang and Chu Mengyao exchanged glances and fell silent. The atmosphere in the car turned somewhat awkward as they hurriedly straightened their clothes.

After a moment, Chu Mengyao broke the silence. "When I get back, I'll ask little Peach. If she agrees, I'll let your parents see her. But let me make this clear beforehand—if little Peach suffers even the slightest grievance, I will never let you hear the end of it."

A smile finally broke across Zhao Qiang's face. "Don't worry, that will definitely not happen."

"Don't get cocky; I'm only agreeing because you helped me out."

"That song you wrote is wonderful."

That song, *Invisible Wings*, had already been produced into a full track, and Chu Mengyao had listened to it, utterly intoxicated and unable to pull herself away. She had to admit that Zhao Qiang still possessed a certain amount of talent.

"However, if you want little Peach to visit your parents, you'll have to write me another song. Then, I might consider it..." Chu Mengyao curved her lips into a triumphant smile, looking as though victory was already hers.

Before she could finish her sentence, Zhao Qiang hopped right out of the car.

"We'll talk about that later then. Farewell!"

So she had actually needed a favor from him all along, yet she had still put on such an arrogant attitude. Zhao Qiang refused to cater to her whims; he would just wait for Chu Mengyao to come begging him on her own.

"Zhao Qiang, you get back here right now..."

Chu Mengyao stomped her foot in fury, watching helplessly as Zhao Qiang walked away.

Zhao Qiang didn't pay her any mind at all. Go back? As if. He had a temper of his own.

Early the next morning, Zhao Qiang slept in. He didn't go to the office—going to work was simply out of the question.

Tomorrow was the engagement banquet for the Chu and Zhang families, but today promised to be even more interesting. The DNA test results with the Liu family were finally out, and he needed to take his parents to the hospital to confront them face-to-face.

That doctor named Zhao had already been arrested, so he didn't have to worry about the test report being falsified. To prevent the Liu family from backing out of their word, he had contacted Chu Siqi beforehand.

"Brother-in-law, wait until I get there before you start."

"I'll be live-streaming the whole thing so that old hag Li Fengying can make a complete fool of herself."

Chu Siqi was brimming with excitement. She was determined to pay back the grievance she had suffered at the hospital last time.

At the Central Hospital, the Liu family was already waiting eagerly outside the entrance of the DNA Testing Center. Liu Ruyan slipped away to the restroom area to make a phone call, sending a text message to Dr. Zhao to confirm one last time. She hadn't called him directly simply because he hadn't answered her previous attempts.

Before long, she received a reply reading "Mm."

Deleting the message immediately, she felt a profound sense of relief, the heavy stone finally lifting from her chest.

What Liu Ruyan did not know was that at this very moment, inside the police station, Gao Lan wore a faint, chilling smile.

She hurriedly opened her contact list, found the entry labeled "1008611," and dialed.

This was Zhang Zihao's phone number, disguised with meticulous care, and she always deleted the call log immediately after every conversation. Even if she didn't, Zhao Qiang would never suspect a thing.

"Hello, my darling, did you miss me?"

"Why are you calling me so early today?"

The familiar voice of Zhang Zihao came through the receiver.

"Darling, how much longer do you expect me to endure this?"

"I don't know how that useless Zhao Qiang figured it out, but even if we fool him this time, he'll only keep making trouble."

"I really can't stand staying with him another second. When on earth are you going to marry me?!"

Liu Ruyan unreservedly addressed Zhang Zihao as her darling, her tone filled with urgency and grievance.

"Oh, darling, be a good girl and listen to me."

"You know your husband is a man destined for great things, and men like us don't get bogged down by trivial details."

"If the affair between you and me were to leak out, my marriage alliance with the Chu family would be completely ruined. The moment my second younger brother and my second uncle get hold of a weakness of mine, the Zhang family won't be mine to command anymore."

"When that happens, the wealthy life you want will vanish, and our child won't have a good life either. They'll stop at nothing to target me. Do you have the heart to make our child suffer through that kind of hardship?"

"Be a good girl, my darling. Once I have firmly secured the position of family head, I will definitely carry you into my home in a grand bridal sedan."

"Fine, then I'll listen to you."

"Remember to find some time to come see our twins."

"Alright, the same place—Star Hotel, the presidential suite."

Liu Ruyan hung up the phone and promptly wiped the call history clean.

"Wife, were you just calling me?"

The sudden voice of Zhao Qiang from behind startled Liu Ruyan so badly that she hurriedly pressed the lock button on her phone.

"Zhao Qiang, why are you here?"

"Who was calling you? Get away from me."

With a face full of utter disgust, Liu Ruyan shoved Zhao Qiang away forcefully.

"You weren't calling me? Could it be that I misheard?"

"Weren't you just calling someone 'darling'?"

"Isn't your husband right here?"

The corners of Zhao Qiang's mouth curled up into a smile, though there was no warmth in his eyes. He stared straight at Liu Ruyan, as if trying to pierce right through her thoughts.

Sensing Liu Ruyan's furtive behavior earlier, he had quietly followed her. He never expected to overhear so much useful information.

Star Hotel—a six-star luxury hotel in the capital city.

A presidential suite, no wonder he had never discovered the two of them carrying on behind his back.

In his past life, he had caught them red-handed at home. Well, not merely caught them—Zhang Zihao had deliberately flaunted it in front of him, appearing in his home without a shred of shame and embracing Liu Ruyan right before his eyes.

A supreme humiliation!

"If you weren't calling me, could you have been calling someone else's husband?"