Chapter 28: The Bad Woman

“Daddy!”

Zhao Jiaying rushed toward Ou Zichen. He immediately scooped her up and sat her on his lap, his voice soft and indulgent as he spoke. “Running so fast—aren’t you afraid of falling?”

“Daddy, you said you’d come down in a little while, but Yingbao waited for so long and still didn’t see you! Second Uncle’s chess skills are terrible—I beat him completely in just a few moves. It wasn’t fun at all! Playing chess with Daddy is much more interesting! Since you weren’t coming upstairs, I decided to come find you instead!”

Ou Zichen gently patted Zhao Jiaying’s head and said apologetically,

“It’s Daddy’s fault for making Yingbao wait so long. I’ll continue sparring with you later!”

“Okay!”

Yang Xiaoyun saw everything—Ou Zichen’s tenderness and indulgence toward Zhao Jiaying. It was a treatment she had never experienced herself because Ou Zichen had always been cold toward her. Every time they ate out together, she was the one who initiated conversations, but his responses were always short and indifferent.

Just now, when she heard Zhao Jiaying call Ou Zichen “Daddy.” she was utterly shocked. But Ou Zichen had never been married—where did this child come from?

“Zichen, who is this child?” Yang Xiaoyun asked knowingly.

“My daughter.” Ou Zichen replied flatly with just three words.

Yang Xiaoyun had assumed that Ou Zichen would tell her the child was adopted, but he didn’t.

Zhao Jiaying glanced at Yang Xiaoyun. She wasn’t as young as her Mommy, nor was she as pretty.

“Daddy, who is this auntie?”

Lin Zhenzhu immediately corrected Zhao Jiaying upon hearing the improper form of address.

“Yingbao, Xiaoyun Big Sister isn’t married yet. You should call her ‘Big Sister,’ not ‘Auntie.’”

Zhao Jiaying knew very well that unmarried women were addressed as “Big Sister” and married ones as “Auntie.” But she deliberately refused to call her “Big Sister” and instead said,

“Great-grandma, but my Mommy is younger and prettier than her. Other kids call her ‘Auntie,’ so why can’t I?”

The underlying meaning in Zhao Jiaying’s words was clear—if her Mommy, who was younger and prettier, was already an “Auntie.” then surely Yang Xiaoyun couldn’t be anything else.

Zhao Jiaying wanted Yang Xiaoyun to know that she wasn’t as young or as beautiful as her Mommy.

Ou Zilong, upon hearing Zhao Jiaying’s words, let out a stifled laugh but quickly tried to suppress it.

Ou Zichen also wanted to laugh but managed to hold it in.

Lin Zhenzhu felt somewhat embarrassed and apologized to Yang Xiaoyun.

“Xiaoyun, I’m really sorry. Our Yingbao is still young and doesn’t understand things properly. Please don’t take it to heart!”

Yang Xiaoyun forced a slight smile and pretended not to mind.

“Grandma, it’s okay. It’s just a form of address. She can call me whatever she wants!”

Deep down, she was already fuming. This brat had just insulted her in a roundabout way, implying that she was old! Just wait—once she became Madam Ou, she would make sure to teach her a lesson.  

But for now, with Ou Zichen doting on her like this, she couldn’t afford to offend her. On the contrary, she needed to treat her well and work on building an image of a kind and caring stepmother in front of Ou Zichen and Lin Zhenzhu.  

“Zichen, when did you adopt this child? She’s so adorable!”  

Yang Xiaoyun refused to believe that Ou Zichen could suddenly have a child, so she was certain that Zhao Jiaying was adopted.  

However, upon hearing this, Zhao Jiaying immediately became unhappy. She pouted in displeasure and retorted,  

“Auntie, are your eyes not working properly? Can’t you see that I look exactly like my Daddy? I’m not adopted—I’m Daddy’s biological daughter!”  

Yang Xiaoyun was instantly dumbfounded. She stared in disbelief and stammered,  

“T-This… how is this possible? Zichen, how… how could you suddenly have such a grown child?”  

She refused to believe it. She simply couldn’t believe it! More accurately, she didn’t want to believe it.  

If Ou Zichen had a child, that meant the child had a mother. Then how could she possibly marry him? If she couldn’t become Madam Ou, how would she ever hold her head high in society?  

She had no way out. She had to marry Ou Zichen. She had to become the wife of the Ou Corporation’s president. She must!  

Zhao Jiaying, completely indifferent to whether Yang Xiaoyun believed it or not, continued to taunt her,  

“Why wouldn’t my Daddy have a child? My Daddy is so handsome—it’s only natural for him to have one!”  

Yang Xiaoyun, feeling wronged, turned to Lin Zhenzhu with pleading eyes, hoping for an answer.  

“Grandma, is what she’s saying true? Is she really Zichen’s biological daughter?”  

Lin Zhenzhu nodded, a trace of guilt in her expression.  

“Yes, she really is Zichen’s biological daughter. We only found out about this not long ago.”  

Tears suddenly welled up in Yang Xiaoyun’s eyes. She stood up, covered her face, and cried,  

“I don’t believe it! This isn’t real!”  

Then, she ran out, heartbroken!  

Of course, she did it on purpose. She wanted to see if Ou Zichen would chase after her. If he did, it would mean that he truly cared about her.

Lin Zhenzhu watched as Yang Xiaoyun ran out in tears, her heart filled with worry. She feared that something might happen to her. After all, they were the ones who had wronged her in this situation. Panicked, she quickly turned to Ou Zichen and urged,  

“Zichen, hurry and go after her! Make sure nothing happens to her, or our guilt will only deepen!”  

Ou Zichen also felt uneasy. No matter what, they were at fault in this matter. Even if he had no intentions of being with Yang Xiaoyun in the future, he still needed to explain things clearly.  

He gently set Zhao Jiaying down and said to her,  

“Be good, Yingbao. Daddy will be back soon!”  

Then, he turned and ran after Yang Xiaoyun.  

Ou Zilong couldn’t stand it anymore. He stepped forward and said,  

“Grandma, anyone can see that Yang Xiaoyun is just pretending. Why are you and my brother so worried about her?”  

“Shut up! What do you know? Didn’t you see how heartbroken Xiaoyun was? If you don’t care, fine, but don’t stand here making sarcastic remarks!”  

Lin Zhenzhu was already feeling anxious. Not only did Ou Zilong refuse to help, but he was also making things worse. She couldn’t help but snap at him.  

Sure enough, after being scolded, Ou Zilong didn’t dare to say another word.  

Zhao Jiaying, however, was displeased that Lin Zhenzhu was speaking up for Yang Xiaoyun. Without hesitation, she sided with Ou Zilong.  

“Great-grandma, that auntie is a bad woman! Yingbao doesn’t like her!”  

“Yingbao, why would you think that? Xiaoyun Big Sister isn’t a bad person. She’s a good person—she even helped Great-grandma before!”  

Lin Zhenzhu, afraid that Zhao Jiaying had misunderstood Yang Xiaoyun, quickly tried to explain.  

“She’s not a good person! She wants to be Yingbao’s new Mommy and take Daddy away from Yingbao. That makes her a bad woman! Yingbao just doesn’t like her!”

“Yingbao, who told you these things?”  

Lin Zhenzhu didn’t believe that Zhao Jiaying, at such a young age, could come up with these ideas on her own. Someone must have said something in front of her.  

Ou Zilong’s heart sank. He immediately waved his hands at Zhao Jiaying, signaling her not to expose him. But it was too late. Zhao Jiaying pointed straight at him and answered honestly,  

“It was Second Uncle! Second Uncle said she’s a bad woman. Second Uncle doesn’t like her either!”  

Ou Zilong slapped his forehead. This little traitor—she had completely sold him out!  

Lin Zhenzhu, upon hearing that it was Ou Zilong who had been feeding such ideas to Zhao Jiaying, shot him a sharp glare, as if she wanted to skin him alive. How dare he talk nonsense in front of the child?  

Terrified by Lin Zhenzhu’s murderous look, Ou Zilong shuddered and quickly said,  

“Grandma, I’ll go check if my brother needs any help!”  

Then, without waiting for a response, he bolted out like an arrow.  

No way—if he stayed any longer, Lin Zhenzhu’s glare alone might eat him alive!  

—