A beautiful summer night

A long silence and standoff.

Xie Tianqi's expression was filled with sorrow and deep irony; each sentence was more forceful and more furious than the last.

Do I really have to say it?

"Do you really have to embarrass me?"

"Yao Qin, are you really going to leave me no self-respect at all...?"

The three questions brought tears to Yao Qin's eyes.

What she found even harder to accept than his lack of love was his suspicion and distrust of her.

Or is it... this kind of distrust?

Tears streamed down Yao Qin's reddened eyes. She sighed, raised her hand, and gently wiped away her tears: "I..."

"Speak! Let him speak! I want to see what kind of human words this scum who can't even recognize his own son can say!" Liu Shubai rushed in, his broad shoulders shielding Yao Qin behind him. His shadow fell, and he glared menacingly at Xie Tianqi from above.

He had promised Yao Qin he wouldn't act impulsively.

But he couldn't remain unmoved when Yao Qin shed tears.

Xie Tianqi sneered: "Look how protective he is of you."

“Evidence.” Yao Qin was still standing. She pulled away Liu Shubai, who was blocking her way, with a little more force. Her face darkened slightly, as if her previous weakness was just an illusion.

She is not a person without a temper.

"What are your reasons for suspecting that Ayan isn't your biological son, and what evidence do you have to prove he isn't your biological son?" Yao Qin questioned him, looking him straight in the eye.

It is said that misunderstandings hurt people, sow discord, and leave a knot in people's hearts that is hard to untie. In the end, the misunderstanding and the misunderstood person will part ways.

What I fear is that the misunderstanding will never be resolved.

Xie Tianqi's misunderstanding of her was the reason she hated him for the rest of her life.

Looking at the two people standing together, so well-matched, Xie Tianqi felt a surge of nameless anger: "Do I need a reason! If Xie Qiyan is my son, why doesn't he look like me at all? Back in Nancheng, the neighbors always said that the child didn't look like me! He looked like you, and I just attributed it to your strong genes, but ever since he appeared in our family's life..."

Xie Tianqi pointed his finger at Liu Shubai three times and said angrily, "He dotes on you day and night, sending you and your son flowers and gifts even on ordinary days, right under my nose!"

"But I've already explained it to you..."

He explained that Liu Shubai was just his neighbor, classmate, and friend, and Xie Tianqi generously said at the time that he didn't mind.

"What utter bullshit!" As if greatly provoked, Xie Tianqi cursed, "Does he dare say he never coveted you, a married woman, back then?"

The more he cursed, the more he coughed, until his eyes became bloodshot.

If Xie Tianqi had questioned him like that back then, Liu Shubai might have felt guilty and nervous, afraid that Yao Qin would find out about his deep-seated feelings.

But now, he only casually uttered, "I do covet her, and I even wish she would dump you soon so I could have a chance to pursue her."

This is a standoff between two men.

Liu Shubai had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

“Severing ties with your father who raised you with such hardship is unfilial; failing to gain your family's approval for the person you love is incompetent; eloping with A Yao back to Nancheng without giving her a proper wedding is useless!” Liu Shubai almost finished speaking in one breath, bitterly accusing him, “You think you’re so great? Xie Tianqi, stop with your self-pity. Someone like you doesn’t deserve my wonderful A Yao.”

After saying that, Liu Shubai felt a sense of relief, not only comfortable but also exhilarating.

As Yao Qin listened, her slightly parted lips remained open, as if she had something to say but couldn't utter it.

After a long while, she looked at Xie Tianqi, whose face had turned pale from Liu Shubai's scolding: "Just because of him?"

Xie Tianqi's expression softened, and he clenched his fists: "Of course not."

All three of them are here.

Having said all that, Xie Tianqi could no longer remain silent.

From the moment he learned that Yao Qin had developed a serious mental illness due to the emotional distress caused by what happened back then, he had been thinking of telling her everything.

He knew what Yao Qin wanted to know.

He truly owes her an answer.

“I knew the day Hou Mengqiu got pregnant that the child in her belly wasn’t mine.”

The topic suddenly veered off course, and Yao Qin was stunned for a moment.

Xia Wanzhi, standing outside the door, pricked up her ears and exchanged glances with Xie Qiyan.

Sure enough, Xie Tianqi's next sentence was: "I was diagnosed with asthenospermia, and the probability of me having a child is extremely small, almost negligible."

Liu Shubai's return sparked his doubts about Yao Qin.

They were childhood sweethearts with a deep affection for each other. Neighbors often said in private that they were a match made in heaven, but Xie Tian had long felt uneasy about it.

Some people even mistook Liu Shubai for Xie Qiyan's father, recalling the neighbors' comments that their son didn't resemble him, and then suddenly being diagnosed with that illness...

Xie Tianqi had no reason not to have doubts.

They even believe without hesitation that the child is not their own.

He drank too much the night he slept with Hou Mengqiu.

He regretted it and blamed himself, but when he returned to the courtyard with a repentant heart, he saw Liu Shubai holding Xie Qiyan, who was tired from playing, in his arms, and Yao Qin standing beside him, laughing softly, just like a family of three.

He became even more convinced that Yao Qin had betrayed him first.

So Yao Qin sent Xie Qiyan to the Xie family, and when the old man forcibly kept the Xie family bloodline, Xie Tianqi felt only deep shame when he looked at him.

He was distant and indifferent to him, and even refused to see him or speak to him.

Perhaps because he had experienced it once, when Hou Mengqiu became pregnant later, even though he knew the child wasn't his, his emotions didn't fluctuate as much.

It seems that he cares more about his self-esteem and reputation than about the fact that the child is not his own.

His strong sense of pride prevented him from accepting that he was incapable.

The air grew thin. Yao Qin remained silent, as did Liu Shubai, but he unconsciously adjusted his glasses.

Xia Wanzhi, standing outside the door, looked at Xie Qiyan blankly, as if asking: "Then how did you get here?"

Xie Qiyan, who understood the meaning in Xia Wanzhi's gaze: "..."

Xie Tianqi's words shifted all the blame onto Yao Qin. Yao Qin just smiled bitterly, as if she didn't want to argue anymore, and said lightly, "Then let him be just my child."

Outside the door, Xie Qiyan released Xia Wanzhi's hand, strode across the threshold, and stood tall in front of Xie Tianqi. He unexpectedly plucked a hair from Xie Tianqi's head and said, "I trust the test report more than your speculations and one-sided statements."

A man who suspects his wife based solely on his imagination without even having a medical report done is a coward. (I'm experiencing writer's block; please allow me to save up a few more chapters and release them all at once later.)