{“Qian Xu’s second slap had already fallen mercilessly.” 5}

“Why are you pretending to be deaf and mute?” Cheng Shuangyi, visibly enraged, demanded, “Qian Xu, shouldn’t you know exactly who I am? Haven’t you seen my face in Shen Qi’s photo frames or journals?”

“Cheng Shuangyi, I’ve heard plenty about you,” Qian Xu replied calmly, remaining seated at her table. She didn’t mind if everyone around overheard the context of their argument. “I’m curious, as a mother so understanding and considerate of her children, how is it that you’ve ignored them all these years?”

“How could you bear to abandon them and go off to live a carefree life on your own?”

Cheng Shuangyi was not about to lose the upper hand. “Of course, I have my reasons. As their biological mother, it’s not your place to comment.”

“I wouldn’t bring it up, but—” Qian Xu smirked knowingly, striking where it hurt the most. “Didn’t Shen Qi tell me all about it himself?”

“He said the reason he loved you so much was because you abandoned him when the family fell into hardship. Imagine how suppressed and twisted he must’ve felt inside,” Qian Xu said with a faint smile, as if recounting an everyday truth. “No wonder he can’t stop talking about you.”

“Stop dragging Shen Qi into this,” Cheng Shuangyi snapped, finally breaking out of Qian Xu’s rhetorical web. She tried redirecting the conversation to her children, a topic she wasn’t winning on either. “You can resent me all you like, but don’t take it out on my kids.”

“Do you really not know why your kids came to find me instead of you, their ‘loving’ mother?” Qian Xu countered, wanting Cheng Shuangyi to reflect for once. But she knew reflection was something this woman might never learn.

Instead, she asked, “Why do you think that is?”

As expected, the crowd’s attention remained fixed on their confrontation, growing more intense. Some had even begun filming the scene.

“What other reason could there be?” Qian Xu continued, now sounding almost bored. “Your children figured it’d be too hard to get you on a reality TV show, so they came to me instead. I guess they thought I’d agree and that it’d give their ‘real’ mom a bit of a jolt.”

Cheng Shuangyi, panicked, refused to retreat. “Don’t you dare slander my kids! They’re nothing like you. It’s been hard enough for them to grow up unaffected by your presence.”

Qian Xu chuckled lightly. “I agree. Strong genes are everywhere. If anything, they’re more like you than me.”

This time, Cheng Shuangyi felt the balance shift. Qian Xu was not as easy to intimidate as she’d assumed. Every word seemed innocuous but was actually an insult, cutting deeper than direct criticism. Realizing this, Cheng’s face contorted in fury. “What are you insinuating? Are you saying being like me is a bad thing?”

“I haven’t said a word, Miss Cheng,” Qian Xu replied, her expression composed. With graceful precision, she placed her silverware back on the table. “But let me clarify something: I’ve taken care of your children for years. Of all people, you are the least qualified to accuse me of anything. If you’re feeling guilty about your so-called maternal love, don’t waste time on me. Go take care of your kids.”

“Qian Xu, I’ll remember this,” Cheng Shuangyi spat, issuing a warning.

Finally, noticing the changing expressions of those around her and the unmistakable judgment in their eyes, Cheng couldn’t contain herself. She burst out angrily, “Who do you think you are?”

She held her head high, glaring down her nose, but quickly realized that even standing, she wasn’t taller than Qian Xu. Frustrated, she lashed out with venom. “You’re just a glorified babysitter who looked after my kids for a few years. Do you really think you’re that important?”

Qian Xu had long noticed how Cheng Shuangyi and Shen Qi shared an inflated sense of superiority, habitually seeing others as beneath them. It wasn’t the first time she’d encountered such behavior.

In the past, Qian Xu might’ve endured such treatment in silence, waiting for her moment. But now, this foolish woman had walked right into her trap.

With a swift motion, Qian Xu raised her hand and slapped Cheng Shuangyi across the face before she could even react.