Chapter 5 Hitting a Woman

“How can you hit a woman?”

Yet, it was precisely this sentence that led Cheng Xiangrong to misunderstand, thinking Xu Lianghan still cared about Cao Manhui and felt sorry for her.

Cheng Xiangrong sighed and said he had no choice. Cao Manhui’s mental illness was severe. Because he felt sorry for her, he didn’t want to send her to a psychiatric hospital—but who knew this would happen?

“Look, nothing actually happened this time. Otherwise, if I sent her to a psychiatric hospital, it would be unbearable for everyone… Especially for the children she bore—if they went out in the future, people would treat them as kids of a mentally ill mother. How pitiful would that be!”

Seeing this, Ruan Yaoyao realized Xu Lianghan couldn’t take it any longer.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Xu Lianghan withdrew the lawsuit.

【I knew it!】

Xu Lianghan’s heart sank. I forgot my mom! She’s still here.

He pricked up his ears to listen carefully.

Ruan Yaoyao watched Cheng Xiangrong take Cao Manhui away without stopping him. She knew that, given the current chain of evidence, even if Cao Manhui were truly sued, it would be useless—one “mental illness” label could ensure she received protective treatment.

【I didn’t expect this “mental illness” to really become a trump card for survival! Cao Manhui and her daughter are masters at this game. In the past life, they even turned my granddaughter into a patient and sent her to a psychiatric hospital.】

【This life, they rely on the three words “mental illness” to escape legal punishment—truly infuriating!】

Xu Lianghan: Damn! Mom, why didn’t you say anything earlier?

If she had, he would have…

Well, he realized that now, with “mental illness” in their hands and lacking more evidence, there was nothing he could do.

He decided he needed to arrange people to keep an eye on both Cheng Xiangrong and Cao Manhui, to prevent them from doing anything terrible again.

At this time, Xu Lianghan didn’t yet know that he would later discover the reason his wife Yu Xiangqiao’s “due date” was moved up—Cao Manhui had bribed a maid in the household. Cao Manhui gave birth on schedule, but fearing that if the two births were too far apart, it would be difficult to swap the children, she arranged for Yu Xiangqiao to deliver early.

Xu Lianghan: Damn! How blind was I before to fall for a woman like this?!

After finishing watching the drama unfold, Ruan Yaoyao prepared to leave.

“Mom, where are you going?”

“Of course, to see my precious granddaughter.”

【The drama’s over, why stay here?】

“I’ll go with you.”

Ruan Yaoyao, slightly annoyed, told Xu Lianghan not to get too close.

Ever since he could hear Ruan Yaoyao’s thoughts, Xu Lianghan had realized she was all sharp tongue but soft heart. Instead of stepping back, he deliberately moved closer.

In getting close, he accidentally bumped into Ruan Yaoyao.

“Get away!”

Ruan Yaoyao, angry, pushed him away, causing him to stumble.

At that moment, Ruan Yaoyao noticed a flash above Xu Lianghan’s head, as if a magnifying glass had zoomed in on the entire story.

Huh? Did I see that right?

Surprised, Ruan Yaoyao immediately pretended to be concerned and helped him: “Are you okay?”

In reality, she used the opportunity to grab his arm and read the “detailed page” above his head.

Xu Lianghan, from “Family’s Darling, Fake Heiress Shocks the World”—a heartless father who ignores his biological daughter while spoiling the fake heiress who took her place.

He firmly believed that since the fake heiress Xu Xiaoxiao was raised in the Xu family, and was the daughter of his old love, she deserved all the affection. How could he not indulge her a little?

What he didn’t see was that his three sons all fixed their gaze on this daughter: if they can’t be siblings, then let’s be a couple.

It struck Ruan Yaoyao like a bolt of lightning: 【Damn! My three grandsons actually fell for that fake heiress?!】

【So that’s why, when Lingxuan didn’t exist, they repeatedly humiliated my Lingxuan because of Xu Xiaolan!】

【Are they even human? Just because of one woman, they’d abandon their own sister?!】

…

The deeper she read, the angrier Ruan Yaoyao became, wanting to tear apart all four of these scumbag fathers and brothers.

【Xu Xiaoxiao supposedly stole guiding duties but actually belittled Xu Lingxuan as a wild child without proper upbringing.】

【Xu Xiaoxiao supposedly prepared a dress for Xu Lingxuan, but she actually tore it and framed Xu Lingxuan for disliking her, complaining to the parents.】

【Xu Lingxuan allegedly drugged her? That was all Xu Xiaoxiao, deliberately misleading and slandering her.】

【Poor girl, raised in an orphanage, finally found by her family, only to be thrown into hell when she expected love…】

Xu Lianghan listened intently, when suddenly Ruan Yaoyao slapped his arm, shouting:

“Xu Lianghan, are you out of your mind?! That’s your biological daughter, your own child, and you treat her like this?! You don’t even trust your own daughter, but believe a stranger instead! I misjudged you. If I could, I’d—”

She swung her arm, striking at Xu Lianghan.

Xu Lianghan was dumbfounded, unsure whether to dodge or not.

He thought: Mom, you really need to get your eyes checked! I’m a decent person—self-respecting, loving to my wife, protecting my family. There’s no way I would do such a terrible thing.

You must be mistaken.

But seeing Ruan Yaoyao so furious, he feared that if he dodged, she might overdo it and hurt herself because of her age.

So he dodged occasionally, not dodging at other times, taking the hits—but none too severe.

It made sense. Though Ruan Yaoyao hit hard, she was just the pampered “old lady” of the household, not as strong as a young, tall son.

Even before Xu Lianghan got really hurt, she was already out of breath.

And yet she kept pointing at his nose, yelling at him.

The bodyguards began to sympathize with Xu Lianghan. Being a stepson wasn’t easy—the matriarch could fly into a rage at any moment and even hit people. Too miserable!

Yet Xu Lianghan didn’t fight back, didn’t curse back—being a stepson and enduring that, remarkable!

Some secretly recorded video and photos and sent them to their masters.

Second son Xu Chengyan snorted: “After pretending for so many years, it’s finally exposed, huh? Only the eldest brother would stand there and take the beating. If it were me, I’d beat her to death!”

“Achu—”

Ruan Yaoyao sneezed.

Xu Lianghan asked concernedly if she caught a cold and whether to call the family doctor.

Ruan Yaoyao glared: “Doctor my foot! You’re just hoping I’d drop dead sooner, right?”

“No, Mom. Didn’t you just sneeze? Weren’t you saying you wanted your eyes checked? Perfect timing to do it together.”

Ruan Yaoyao was cautious: “When did I say I wanted my eyes checked?”

【Damn! When did I say that?!】

Exposed?

Xu Lianghan quickly said: “At the hospital, remember? You forget so easily. Mom, you should see a doctor—just to be sure, for peace of mind.”

She had said it, but didn’t remember—age catching up to memory.

In fact, she was only in her early forties, in excellent shape, looking very young—like thirty-something.

Ruan Yaoyao touched her face, not thinking about seeing a doctor for her brain, but considering a visit to her beauty consultant instead—time for a little maintenance.

【Such a beautiful face shouldn’t age too fast!】

Of course, she still didn’t want cosmetic procedures, preferring to age naturally, just slowly and gracefully.

Back at the hospital, the first thing Ruan Yaoyao did was check that her obedient granddaughter in the crib was still her granddaughter, to prevent any swapping.

Being able to see the “nickname” above the baby’s head eased her worry, but she wanted to be thorough in case Xu Lianghan’s blind eyes missed it.

She pulled up photos from her phone, compared repeatedly, lifted the clothes to check a birthmark on the baby’s shoulder—making sure: Is this really my granddaughter?

Xu Lianghan, returning after watching his wife, found the scene amusing but could say nothing, having to play along.

“Mom, I arranged for several people with good eyesight to keep watch, plus the monitors here. Who would dare mess with your granddaughter? If you’re still worried, we can always do a DNA test.”

Before he finished, Ruan Yaoyao turned to him, serious: “Fine, then do one.”

Xu Lianghan: “……”

Mom, didn’t you realize I was joking? Besides, you can see the nickname above her head—it is your granddaughter!

A bit chilly now… he wanted to hide under the covers and write. Sigh~