Upon hearing this, Qin Haiming couldn’t help but tremble as he raised his hand to demand her to leave.
"Me, get out? Why should I get out? I’ve stood by you for so many years, caring for you without daring to slack in the slightest. I’ve always been diligent, keeping our home in perfect order. For you, I was content to stay low-key. For you, I spent my youth sneaking around in that dreary place. The one who should leave is your precious daughter, that wretched bastard borne of that whore!"
"Get out! I never want to see you again!"
After hitting her, Qin Haiming’s hand trembled even more fiercely. Pointing to the door, he could no longer stand the sight of this woman who made his stomach turn.
Zhang Rujia was slapped so hard she stumbled backward, fortunately steadying herself with a writing desk. She covered half her face and turned her head, but she didn’t leave the house. Instead, she locked herself in a room.
For over twenty years, she had never cried .
The pain she felt today only intensified her hatred for Qin Mu.
Meanwhile, Qin Haiming was sitting in his chair, incapable of calming down. He had not expected that Zhang Rujia would hate Qin Mu so much, that she would despise his now-deceased wife so thoroughly.
In life, that woman had been like a flower untouched by worldly strife, but after her death...
How could he let another woman shame her? The woman he had loved the most.
Yes, he had loved before. Back when he was young, he had a warm home, a wife who loved him, and a daughter who loved him.
That night, Zhang Rujia didn’t leave, but Qin Haiming moved out of their residence.
Qin Mu remained calm when she heard the news, for she knew this was not the end result.
She wanted to see that mother and daughter destitute and helpless.
Even if Zhang Rujia hadn’t arranged for someone to tamper with her herbal medicine, Qin Mu had already stopped caring about letting them off. The incident only hastened her actions.
When Jiang Yan was feeling a bit better, he visited the Mu Family again.
At that time, Mu Qingxin was holding Huanhuan’s hand, applying nail polish. While painting, she asked, "Doesn’t it look pretty? Should we try another color? Hm?"
Jiang Yan was brought to her house by Mu Yichen, but she hadn’t been informed.
She thought he was in another city.
In the past few days, on the phone, he always said it was not convenient to meet. However, he had reassured her so well that Mu Qingxin didn’t think too much of it until she sensed a familiar person approaching.
It was Huanhuan who first looked up, staring with big, round eyes at the tall man in front of her.
He smiled gently at her, his hand lightly touching Huanhuan’s head.
Blinking slowly, her hand, decorated with nail polish by her aunt, slipped away as Huanhuan ran toward the door where her father was beckoning to her.
With no one else in the living room, Mu Yichen took his daughter to the yard.
Now alone in the living room, Mu Qingxin gradually looked up, her gaze finally settling on him.
He looked somewhat haggard, but he stood before her intact.
Mu Qingxin couldn’t suppress the excitement in her heart. Knocking over the bottle of nail polish on the table, she stood up and hugged the man before her tightly.
"Ayan! I’ve missed you so much!"
Unable to hold back, Mu Qingxin tightly wrapped her arms around his neck.
Jiang Yan hugged her shoulders as well, his chin resting on her forehead, kissing her hair lightly.
The elders who were about to come downstairs stopped in their tracks at the scene in the living room and quietly retreated.
Reluctantly, Jiang Yan let go of her, examining her tear-streaked face closely. He lifted his hand to gently wipe away her tears while teasing her, "You look like a tearful little cat."
"It’s all because of you!"
Her tears wouldn’t stop; she playfully tapped his chest, acting spoiled.
Jiang Yan immediately clutched his chest and stumbled backward, turning pale.
"I forgot to tell you, he’s just recovered from a gunshot wound."
The man who had been at the doorway suddenly spoke up and then left again.
Mu Qingxin, with her mouth hanging open, pulled her gaze back from the door and anxiously looked at Jiang Yan, "You said you were fine, didn’t you?"
"Do I look fine now?"
He gently soothed his chest and then opened his arms wide, asking her.
"You scared me to death, you know! Don’t ever leave me again."
Mu Qingxin started crying again and threw herself into his embrace.
Jiang Yan felt a cold sweat breaking on his forehead from the pain, but once she settled down, the pain in the wound gradually faded, replaced by a warming sensation.
"I thought I was going to lose you, Ayan. Never leave me again."