Chapter 156: Chapter 155: Slapping the Fake Daughter 56
"It’s not like that, it really isn’t."
Mr. Liu immediately became anxious when he saw Liu Mingzhu tarnishing his reputation.
He hurriedly explained to the police: "I was just frantic and upset from searching for my child, and when we found her and she wouldn’t come home with us, I lost my temper and slapped her."
Liu Mingzhu cried softly: "You’re right, that slap left injuries all over my body, and the perpetual new and old wounds on my sister’s body were also caused by a slap."
Her words immediately undermined Mr. Liu’s explanation.
After all, the daughter of the Liu Family was originally Zhao Anning, and at the beginning, the Liu Family probably didn’t know that Zhao Anning was switched at birth, having raised her as their own for fifteen years. Yet even then, she ended up wounded all over and driven to attempt suicide and hospitalization, which shows just how heartless the people of the Liu Family could be.
The police now looked at Mr. Liu differently: "If what the child says is true, then we truly cannot let you take her away."
Liu Mingzhu then added more to the story: "I had no choice. At night, I overheard my brother planning to sell me off to get money for buying a house. My... my biological mother said, said that the apartment my foster father gave me shouldn’t stay in my hands. She wants me to sell it, to use the money to buy a shop for my brother in the county."
Saying this, Liu Mingzhu’s face turned pale, a sign of her deep sorrow: "It’s not that I’m disrespectful to my parents. That apartment was given to me by my foster father. He actually still cares about me and wanted to raise me till I’m an adult. But my biological parents always caused trouble, insisting on taking me back. My foster father had no choice but to sever ties with me to avoid my suffering, and he gave me an apartment. But I can’t accept it; my foster parents raised me for fifteen years, and I can’t repay their kindness enough. How could I accept the apartment they gave? I was thinking of returning it to them in the future. I can’t sell it. Selling it would be such a betrayal to my foster parents."
Liu Mingzhu, with her reasonable and grateful demeanor, made several policemen feel a surge of sympathy, admiring how sensible the child was.
Observing a sensible child and then looking at the Liu Family pretending to be cordial but actually looking aggressive and confrontational, they felt even more convinced that a good child would be ruined if taken away by them.
Liu Mingzhu grabbed the policewoman’s hand: "Auntie, I... I want to live on my own. I don’t want to go back with them. Please help me find a way. Can I sever ties with them? Since I was born, they’ve never taken care of me, not even for a day. Now they’re forcing me to sell the apartment. Why should I? Why?"
With those words, Liu Mingzhu shouted until her voice was hoarse, filled with grievance and anger.
Mrs. Liu was furious.
In her heart, she thought how well this girl could play the victim, putting on an innocent front while deliberately slandering their reputation. This couldn’t go on; if it continued like this, they would likely end up losing everything.
Mrs. Liu, not having much brains to begin with, became so angry that she raised her hand to hit Liu Mingzhu.
Liu Mingzhu quickly hid behind the policewoman: "Don’t hit me..."
The policewoman also quickly intervened: "Let’s talk this out, you can’t hit people."
Mr. Liu looked at Liu Mingzhu, his eyes slightly squinting. He smiled at the police: "Um... Can I have a few words alone with my child?"
The police were still somewhat worried.
Mr. Liu assured: "This is a police station, we can’t do anything to her here. It’s just a matter of having a few words, to properly persuade the child."
Liu Mingzhu lowered her gaze and thought for a moment before stepping forward proactively: "Then... Let’s talk."
The policewoman found a quiet place for Mr. Liu and Liu Mingzhu, then stood not far away watching. She felt quite sympathetic towards Liu Mingzhu and thought about helping the girl out. From her vantage point, even if Mr. Liu was furious, he wouldn’t dare to lash out at Liu Mingzhu, at least ensuring the child wouldn’t get beaten.
In a place with no one else around, Liu Mingzhu wouldn’t pretend anymore.
She looked at Mr. Liu with a cold face: "What are you looking for me for? I won’t go back with you anyway, I want to stay in the Capital. If you force me to leave, I can’t guarantee what I might do."
Mr. Liu was bursting with anger: "Oh, you’re really good at playing the role, acting so affectionate with us before, and now you think we’re useless, just throw us aside. Let me tell you, you’re dreaming if you think you can get rid of us that easily."
Liu Mingzhu sneered: "You think I could have hidden for so long without anyone’s help? I wasn’t just idle at the Zhao Family’s, during these fifteen years I’ve made quite a few acquaintances, many of whom are influential figures you wouldn’t even dare to think about. My relationships with them are not bad at all. If you keep pushing me, then we’ll all go down together; if I’m not happy, don’t expect yourselves to be either."
Mr. Liu did feel a bit intimidated.
After all, there are many important figures in the Capital, and Liu Mingzhu, being spoiled in the Zhao Family, truly did meet some of these figures through Zhao Han. Add to that the students from the Foreign Language School, many of whom come from exceptional backgrounds. Considering Liu Mingzhu’s cunning and tactics, it was entirely possible for her to make some advantageous connections.
If pushed too hard, there’s no telling what Liu Mingzhu might do.
Mr. Liu squinted his eyes and thought for a while, then gritted his teeth: "Okay, if you want us to leave you alone, you can stay in the Capital. Here’s the deal: sell the child, give us the money, and we will sever father-daughter ties. From then on, whether you’re doing well or poorly, it’s none of our business, no matter how well you live, we won’t come looking for you again."
Liu Mingzhu lowered her head to think for a while, also gritting her teeth: "Fine."
Liu Mingzhu understood that a house in the Capital meant nothing to her.
Having experienced the luxurious life of the Zhao Family, she truly didn’t value a single house.
Moreover, with He Yang’s affection currently on her, if she ended up with He Yang in the future, what would a house count for then?
Rather than having to deal with intermittent threats and harassment from the Liu Family in the future, it would be much cleaner to break it off now.
By giving the Liu Family some benefits and severing ties with them now, it would save a lot of trouble in the future.
After weighing her options, Liu Mingzhu quickly agreed.
Once she and Mr. Liu had come to an agreeable arrangement, he turned to the police saying: "The child insists on staying in the Capital, we can’t force her against her will. Let it be, if she wants to stay, she can stay. We’ll just consider we have no such daughter."
Liu Mingzhu also said: "My parents have had a change of heart, they’re no longer forcing me to go back, and I can stay in the Capital. Besides, my adoptive parents won’t neglect me, and living here I can have a better life."
Seeing that there was no issue, the police let the people go.
Leaving the police station, they found a real estate agent and listed the house for sale.
Liu Mingzhu also consulted with He Yang and under the witness of a notary, wrote a letter of disownment, severing her relationship with the Liu Family.
Anning, having witnessed this whole drama, said to An Xin: "Once the money from the sale of the house is transferred to the Liu Family’s account, let them be happy for a few days. After that, you take that money and donate it to Project Hope."
An Xin was especially delighted to hear this: "Don’t worry, I will definitely not let the Liu Family have it easy. They think they can just get a large sum of money for nothing, what a beautiful dream."