“Dad, I’ve got the photo already. It’s this guy!” Liang Sheng pointed at the picture on her phone—the sneaky shot she’d taken of that burly man with blood all over his face.
Her first glance at it made Liang Wengao jump. He stared at the image and stammered, “Th-this is the one who beat you up?”
“You bet!” Liang Sheng beamed with pride and nodded vigorously.
Liang Wengao took the phone and examined the photo more closely. Then he flashed a big thumbs-up at his precious daughter. “Not bad at all! That’s my girl—tough as nails!”
Pfft—if it were your daughter who’d gotten beaten to a pulp like that, you wouldn’t be laughing. Liang Sheng inwardly roasted her old dad.
“With the photo, we’re good to go. Dad’ll give this ungrateful punk a lesson he won’t forget!” Liang Wengao forwarded the picture from Liang Sheng’s phone to his own WeChat.
One look at the contact note, and a grin spread across Liang Wengao’s face.
It read—Father Emperor.
“Hahaha~~” Liang Wengao momentarily forgot all about the matter at hand. He reached back to ruffle his daughter’s hair. “Great name!”
“Isn’t it?” Liang Sheng huffed smugly as she swiped across her screen. “The one for Mom is Mother Empress~”
At those words, a flicker of guilt crossed Liang Wengao’s face.
“Uh… honey,” he said, glancing at Zhong Wen. “The other day…”
“No need to explain. I already know.” Zhong Wen cut him off with a calm expression.
Liang Sheng had no idea what was going on at first. But once she pieced together the timeline, it hit her—this was right around when her father’s second girlfriend was due to show up.
Yes, even though Zhong Wen had been Liang Wengao’s first love, they’d broken up once. He’d dated a second girlfriend after that, and things had gotten pretty serious between them. If Zhong Wen hadn’t come back to the country, Liang Wengao might well have ended up marrying her.
Of course, back then, he hadn’t sought out Zhong Wen or even contacted her after her return. It was the second girlfriend who’d gotten jealous on her own, throwing tantrums for over two months. She’d threatened to break up more than thirty times—practically every other day—until Liang Wengao finally couldn’t take it anymore and called it quits.
Later, Zhong Wen had taken the initiative to find him, and they’d fallen back together with unspoken understanding. Before long, they’d gotten married and had Liang Sheng.
In that instant, Liang Sheng went on high alert.
Before that other woman appeared, her parents had been head over heels for each other. Then something had changed, and Liang Wengao’s heart had wandered to the second girlfriend.
Given how much he doted on Zhong Wen now, he shouldn’t have cheated… Was there more to the story?
Liang Sheng recalled the tales of the other girls. Every one of them had deviations from the original plot—some small, some major.
“She’s back, isn’t she?” Zhong Wen asked flatly, tossing the TV remote onto the coffee table.
The atmosphere grew heavy in an instant.
“Daughter, why don’t you head back to your room for now?”
That was one thing Liang Sheng appreciated—he always spoke to her in a consultative tone, never barking orders.
But… Liang Sheng bit her lower lip.
She wanted to keep listening. She wanted to stop them from splitting up.
In her previous life—back when she wasn’t Liang Sheng yet—the divorce between Liang Wengao and Zhong Wen had been twenty percent her fault, as the original Liang Sheng.
Rebellious, back-talking, ungrateful. Spoiled rotten on top of it all, the original girl had blown through money like water. With a bit of talent in writing, she’d turned arrogant and looked down on everyone.
In the end, even Liang Wengao—who adored his daughter so much—had grown disappointed in this Liang Sheng who gave nothing back to his fatherly love.
“I’d like… to hear about the story between you and Mom, uh, your youthful adventures. Is that okay?” Liang Sheng asked carefully.
Both Liang Wengao and Zhong Wen froze for a moment. Then Zhong Wen couldn’t help laughing. She reached out and tapped her daughter’s forehead. “What a little schemer you are!”
Liang Sheng grinned sheepishly. “Heh heh.”
The tension eased right away.
“So… Daughter stays and listens?” Liang Wengao checked with his wife.
Zhong Wen nodded. “Sure. She’s not a little kid anymore. Heck, I’m pushing forty and still love a good gossip. She’s bound to be the same.”
“It’s not that!” Liang Sheng protested. “I just…”
Just wanted to stop you from getting divorced in the future? No way could she say that out loud—who’d believe her?
She faltered. “Well, maybe a little gossip. But mostly, I’m just concerned about you two and your relationship.”
Zhong Wen let out a “pfft,” though she was well over forty. Her skin was impeccably maintained, and she’d been a stunning beauty in her youth. Even now, she retained an air of elegant allure.
“Your dad has an ex-girlfriend named Wang Yan. Right, honey? That’s the name, yeah?” Zhong Wen said with a cold laugh, nudging her husband’s side with her elbow.
Liang Wengao felt both awkward and embarrassed—especially with his beloved daughter right there listening. His face flushed beet red as he covered his cheeks. “Y-yeah, yeah. Keep going.”
“And then~ about a month ago, this woman came back from out of town and tried to meet up with him. But he turned her down.” Zhong Wen pressed on. “Am I right?”
“Yeah!” Liang Wengao replied hastily. “See? I didn’t even go!”
“Quiet!” Zhong Wen shot him a fierce glare. “And then what happened next? You know exactly what!”
Liang Wengao deflated instantly. He hung his head and fell silent.
“Hah~” Zhong Wen sneered. She took her daughter’s small hand in hers. “Yesterday, that woman actually sent your dad a text! Claiming she had his child—a boy, already twenty years old!”
Those words struck Liang Sheng like a bolt of lightning.
What the heck?! How had she suddenly gained a brother? No, wait, no—in the original story, after the divorce, Liang Sheng went with her mother, but there was no mention of her father having another kid. Had the author just skipped it because it wasn’t relevant to the plot?
Did that mean Liang Wengao’s divorce had been because of this boy?
Liang Sheng felt her mother’s hands, icy cold. She could see Zhong Wen’s lips trembling with fury.
After hearing all that, Liang Sheng’s own hands grew chilled.
Liang Wengao straightened up immediately. “I didn’t! I swear, every single time with her, we used protection… cough!”
He glanced at the green-haired girl, his eyes flickering away evasively. “You know what I mean—every time, we used it!”
“Maybe it failed just that one time!” Zhong Wen shot back. “Why else would she send a text like that? If there was no kid, wouldn’t it all come out?”
“This…” Liang Wengao fell silent once more.
