Chapter 4 Investigation Results

The investigation results completely took Xu Lianghan by surprise—damn it, his suspicions were correct.

Cao Manhui was no longer the innocent girl she used to be. Time had polished her into something more worldly, even somewhat cynical, and her appearance had changed accordingly.

When he set the trap and caught the person trying to swap the child on the spot, and then threatened to call the police to flush out the others involved, Cao Yushi confessed everything.

She cried, saying it wasn’t her who wanted to swap his child—it was her sister.

“Please… I beg you, spare me, for my sister’s sake. I didn’t do it on purpose, I really didn’t, I have a child too, I need to take care of my child…”

“It was my sister who gave me the money and told me to do it. She said she wanted revenge on Cheng Xiangrong because he was terrible—he even hit her while drunk.”

…

Ruan Yaoyao thought: 【Oh, so this is the legendary, unranked “female N” role—a textbook cannon fodder.】

Xu Lianghan’s mouth twitched. What kind of novel has my mom been reading? Even the cannon fodder shows up?

Then, Cao Manhui appeared.

Dressed flamboyantly, she knelt before Xu Lianghan, crying beautifully: “Wuwuwu… I’m sorry, I just… I just wanted to make it up to you.”

Ruan Yaoyao squinted, staring intently.

【The ultimate white moonlight?】

【Could it be…】

She quickly shifted her gaze to Xu Lianghan and understood. 【So all these years, my poor son has always had feelings for her. No wonder in the previous life, after learning the “truth,” he still raised someone else’s daughter…】

【Turns out he wasn’t raising just any daughter, but the daughter of his white moonlight, the one he had lingering feelings for.】

【No wonder Xu Lianghan could earn the title of “the most ruthless scumbag dad in history.” One second of sympathy for my dear granddaughter.】

Xu Lianghan immediately found Cao Manhui unattractive.

Although he had indeed liked her in the past, that was so many years ago. Was he supposed to remain a scumbag dad forever?

Ignorant of all, Cao Manhui continued crying, her tears accentuating her words: “I know you’ve had feelings for me all these years, but because of the Yu family’s influence and Cheng Xiangrong, you didn’t dare say anything. So I thought, if I swap my daughter with yours, then every day when you see my daughter, it would be like seeing me…”

Xu Lianghan was stunned. His mother’s imagination might be a guess, but Cao Manhui actually thought that way?!

He suddenly couldn’t understand her logic.

What does it mean that he still has feelings for her?

He’s been married for years, has multiple children with his wife—how could he still be thinking of her?!

If he really cared about her, why would he get married and have kids?

Ruan Yaoyao glanced at Xu Lianghan’s shocked face, looked up at the sky, and thought: 【Because it was a business marriage. A business marriage is “unavoidable.”】

Xu Lianghan couldn’t take it anymore. He shouted at Cao Manhui like trying to stop her: “Are you out of your mind? That’s my daughter—my biological daughter. If you swap her, what will happen to my daughter?”

Cao Manhui cried and said: “I didn’t want to do anything to her. I thought it through. I just wanted to exchange her with my daughter. She is your flesh and blood, I’ll definitely take care of her…”

Ruan Yaoyao thought: 【Yeah, sure, very considerate—send her to an orphanage, that’s taking care of her, right?】

【Meanwhile, Xu Lianghan’s poor daughter is in the orphanage, underfed and barely clothed, while your daughter lives in luxury in our Xu household—private tutors, skiing trips, overseas travel…】

【Poor little granddaughter has barely any warm clothes in the dead of winter, has to work summer jobs, earns her own tuition. You really took care of her well—so considerate to make her face life’s hardships and be self-reliant at such a young age.】

【Xu Lianghan really owes your whole family thanks! Why didn’t you swap your son too?】

Then, realization struck Ruan Yaoyao: 【Oh, age mismatch, can’t swap him.】

Originally, Xu Lianghan was about to soften his heart, thinking that the conditions of the two families were similar. If they swapped, given Cheng Xiangrong’s doting on Cao Manhui, her daughter wouldn’t suffer.

But Ruan Yaoyao’s inner thought jolted him awake.

Cao Manhui didn’t swap his daughter to raise her—she sent her to an orphanage!

Damn it!

How is that comparable?

Rage!

Fury!

When his wife woke up and found out, she would surely be furious.

“Cao Manhui, you really are seriously sick,” Xu Lianghan gritted his teeth. “I did like you once, but that was many years ago. By the time we got married, this was over. My own daughter, I care for myself—I don’t need you to care. This can’t just be ignored. I must report this to the police. If I don’t, it would be unfair to my daughter who was almost swapped, and unfair to my wife in the delivery room.”

Cao Manhui panicked and cried as she rushed forward, hugging Xu Lianghan’s leg: “No… please, Lianghan, no. I really didn’t mean it. I just miss you so much, I want to fix our relationship…”

Ruan Yaoyao thought: 【A married man, a married woman, fix what relationship? An affair, isn’t it?】

Xu Lianghan shuddered and quickly shook her off, calling for his bodyguards to pull her away.

He was married—he belonged to his wife. How could he let another woman touch him?

The police report was inevitable. Even if Xu Lianghan didn’t want to report it, with Ruan Yaoyao watching, he had no choice.

Otherwise, her inner commentary would kill him.

Still, the police must be called, and then Cheng Xiangrong finally appeared.

Ruan Yaoyao thought: 【Here he comes, the legendary “domineering CEO.” Let’s see how this domineering CEO differs from my son.】

【And indeed, there was a difference.】

【Because the title above his head clearly read “Domineering CEO.”】

Looking back at Xu Lianghan’s “Most Ruthless Scumbag Dad in History,” Ruan Yaoyao had to admit it.

Xu Lianghan protested: Same CEO, same young talent, why is Cheng Xiangrong a “domineering CEO” and I’m “the most ruthless scumbag dad in history”?

Just because he’s the unlucky one whose daughter was swapped?

The thought alone made him uncomfortable.

Thus, when Cheng Xiangrong approached, trying to resume old ties, Xu Lianghan had no interest.

He just felt suffocated and wanted to hit him. Not hitting women, maybe hitting a man would be okay?

But what Xu Lianghan didn’t expect was the key difference between him and the “domineering CEO”—Cheng Xiangrong actually hits women, while he does not.

Smack!

Seeing his negotiation fail, Cheng Xiangrong slapped Cao Manhui down.

“Are you out of your mind? You have a daughter yourself, why swap someone else’s?”

Then he told Xu Lianghan that, whether it was because Cao Manhui had too many children or what, she had developed depression.

She got into trouble because no one was watching her.

“Sorry, bro, my apologies. How about this: I’ll host you for a meal today. You can order whatever you want.”

Cao Manhui, who had been slapped, squatted there, clutching her face, leaning against the table leg, teary-eyed, too scared to move.

Xu Lianghan felt a strange mix of emotions.

After all, she had once been his white moonlight, and back then he even competed fairly with Cheng Xiangrong.

Also—Cheng Xiangrong actually hits women?!

He had thought her claim that Cheng Xiangrong hit her was an exaggeration… but now…

Xu Lianghan stared at Cheng Xiangrong in disbelief, as if witnessing something impossible.

His good upbringing had always taught him that men should not hit women.