Wang Yuhua quickly saw off the onlookers.
Looking at Xu Teng, who was still standing dazed on the spot, Wang Yuhua’s face crinkled into a smile as she teased, “Why are you still standing here? Go increase your feelings with your future wife. Treat the girl well. Grandma will go buy some meat to cook something delicious and replenish your bodies.”
With that, Wang Yuhua turned and left, leaving Xu Teng, Chen Lishu, and Tiantian alone in the room.
Xu Teng scratched his head and said, with feigned simplicity, “Wife, I’ll take you back after we get married tomorrow. I heard you have a company and it’s doing very well. Take out some money to subsidize our household expenses.
This house is very old and can be renovated. The work on the mountain is too tiring. Arrange a big boss position for me in your company, so I can have an easier time.”
Before anything was even set in stone, Xu Teng had already started allocating the funds in Chen Lishu’s possession. It seemed this man was not as honest as he appeared on the surface; he was quite cunning in reality.
Chen Lishu pursed her lips and turned her head away with a hint of disgust. Xu Teng remained oblivious, his eyes lingering on Chen Lishu’s beauty with evident desire.
He wiped the corner of his mouth, then lecherously said, “Wife, since we’re getting married tomorrow, why don’t we do what we need to do today? I can’t wait any longer!”
As he finished speaking, Xu Teng lunged towards Chen Lishu!
This sudden move caught Chen Lishu off guard. Just as Xu Teng was about to succeed, Tiantian, whom Chen Lishu was holding, suddenly stood up and bit Xu Teng’s chest.
“Ah!” a heart-wrenching scream echoed through the air. Xu Teng, with reddened eyes, stumbled back several steps.
“You ungrateful dog, how dare you lay a hand on me? I’ll kill you!” Xu Teng gritted his teeth and stepped forward, raising his hand to slap Tiantian’s face.
Fortunately, Chen Lishu reacted quickly, shielding Tiantian behind her. She then glared at Xu Teng and said, “Go ahead and hit her. At worst, we’ll both be injured. None of your family will get anything!”
Hearing this, Xu Teng’s rage seemed to be extinguished by a bucket of cold water. He suppressed the urge to kill and forced a smile, saying, “Don’t be angry. I was just playing around. I didn’t intend to do anything to you. But you have to hand that little brat over to me. It’s natural for me to discipline my own child!”
Chen Lishu let out a cold laugh, refusing to back down. “I will protect Tiantian! You’d better not touch her. This is a society governed by law. Your actions will be despised. Do you want your neighbors to gossip about you from now on?”
“Of course not!” Xu Teng said, as if it were obvious. Then, he lewdly leaned towards Chen Lishu and asked, “Do you mean you want to take me to live in the big city from now on?”
Upon hearing this, a flicker of disdain flashed in Chen Lishu’s eyes, but she quickly concealed it. It wasn’t the right time to fall out completely. She forced a smile and strung him along, “We’ll naturally go back home later.”
Hearing this, Xu Teng’s face lit up with excitement.
Seeing that he still intended to get closer, Chen Lishu’s face darkened. She then said through gritted teeth, “If you force me to do something I don’t want to do, believe it or not, I’ll die right in front of you, and all your efforts these past few days will be in vain?”
Hearing this, Xu Teng paused. He still wanted to rely on this woman for a comfortable life. If she died, who would give him money?
With this thought, a hypocritical smile appeared on Xu Teng’s face. He then held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, backing away as he said, “Don’t be angry. I was too impatient. Anyway, we’re getting married tomorrow. It’s not too late to do anything after tomorrow.
Alright, you should get some rest. I’ll take little… Tiantian out to play. Don’t let this clueless child disturb your rest. Only by resting well can you give me a fair-skinned and plump son in the future.”
Hearing that Xu Teng wanted to take her out, Tiantian tightly clutched Chen Lishu’s clothes with both hands, casting a pleading gaze at her.
Chen Lishu did not disappoint. She called out to Xu Teng again, “I’ve been sleeping with Tiantian all this time, so there’s no such thing as disturbing her. Alright, you go out. Tiantian will continue to sleep in this room.”
Seeing Chen Lishu’s persistence on this matter, Xu Teng couldn’t say much more. He shot Tiantian a secret glare, then plastered a fawning smile on his face and said, “Alright, I won’t disturb your and your daughter’s rest. I’ll be going now.”
With that, Xu Teng left, and silence fell upon the room.
“Stepmom.” Tiantian looked up at Chen Lishu, her eyes full of dependence.
“Tiantian…” Chen Lishu placed her hand on Tiantian’s shoulder, biting her lower lip. She couldn’t just wait to be dealt with any longer. She had to take action tonight!
She met Tiantian’s gaze, took a deep breath, and slowly said, “Auntie is leaving.”
When Tiantian heard the news, a flicker of pain flashed in her eyes. After a moment, she finally nodded.
Chen Lishu asked in surprise, “Tiantian, why aren’t you surprised to hear this news? Can you tell Auntie what you’re thinking?
If you’re reluctant to part, you can tell Auntie. You can say anything you want, because after tonight, the chances of us meeting will become fewer and fewer.”
Perhaps they might never see each other again.
Chen Lishu thought this last sentence to herself, not daring to utter such a cruel truth aloud.
Tiantian threw her arms around Chen Lishu’s neck, lowered her head, and said in a low voice, “I don’t want Stepmom to leave. After all, in this place, only you are truly kind to me.
But I know you’re not happy staying here. You told me before that you have your own children. If my mother disappeared for so many days, I think I would be very sad! I don’t want my brother and sister to be sad.”
Seeing Tiantian’s docile appearance, Chen Lishu felt as if her heart were being squeezed by a hand. After a long period of contemplation, she asked, “Tiantian, do you like this home? Do you want to stay here, or do you want to live with me?”
“I… I want to stay in this home. Grandma raised me. When Tiantian grows up, she will repay Grandma well! I won’t disturb your family’s happiness anymore. Tiantian just hopes that Stepmom can come back to see Tiantian from time to time, just so Tiantian knows that she is not a child nobody cares about.”
Tiantian said these words very cautiously. Chen Lishu felt her heart breaking.