So, as soon as Meng Xuejun finished speaking, "Is this how you talk to your father?", Meng Zihan let out a short and sharp sneer.
"dad?"
She repeated the word as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world, her voice filled with deep-seated hatred.
"You dare to presume? Have you ever raised me for a single day? Have you ever bought me a single foot of cloth? From childhood to adulthood, I've eaten at my aunt's house and worn clothes bought by her. Who do you think you are, daring to act like a father in front of me!"
She straightened her back, stared intently at Meng Xuejun, and spat out each word: "Don't think I don't know what you're up to! You just want money, right? Let me tell you plainly, not a single penny! You'd better give up on that idea!"
Meng Xuejun was taken aback by her reckless attitude, and then glared at her with disdain.
"Of course I know you don't. If you had any brains at all, you wouldn't be in this mess! You couldn't get into university, you lost your job, and you can't even keep a man! Tsk tsk, how did I give birth to such a good-for-nothing? You didn't inherit half of my intelligence!"
Every word was like a sharp knife, stabbing straight into the most painful spot in Meng Zihan's heart.
Her lips trembled uncontrollably, but she bit them hard to keep from breaking down.
But Meng Xuejun had no intention of letting her go. He leaned forward, his eyes were gloomy, and he spoke rapidly.
“You may not have money, but your good aunt and uncle do! They were just laid off and received severance pay, right? That's a lot of money! Why are you so stubborn? Why don't you try to get some for your own father? No matter how good they are to you, they're still outsiders! I'm your real father! Your very own father! My blood flows in your veins, and that blood tie can't be severed even with a knife! With me by your side, you should be helping me find a way! If I have money, then you have money too!”
He spoke with such self-righteousness that it was perfectly justifiable for his daughter to empty her aunt's savings.
Meng Zihan was completely stunned, her heart skipped a beat: "You... how did you know about the severance pay? You've known all along?"
"Bullshit!" Meng Xuejun rolled his eyes at her impatiently. "I'm your father. What's wrong with my brain? Is there anything in this world I don't know? You think you can hide your petty affairs from anyone? I saw all the stupid things you did!"
Meng Zihan's breath hitched, and she almost lost her balance. Her voice trembled with tears as she asked, "Didn't you say... you'd been looking for my mother in another city? How... how did you know about all this?"
"Looking for her?" Meng Xuejun scoffed, "That crazy woman, she's gone, so what? Why bother looking for her? Wouldn't it be better to marry a young and beautiful one instead?"
Meng Zihan's face turned deathly pale instantly.
Her mind was racing, and a terrible thought surfaced.
She stared intently at Meng Xuejun, her voice trembling.
"So... all these years, you haven't gone far at all. You've been in Jiangcheng all along? You've been hiding near the steel mill, watching... watching me get bullied?"
Meng Xuejun's expression changed, then he waved his hand arrogantly: "Why say such harsh things? I have my own business to attend to, I don't have time to keep an eye on you every day!"
"What kind of business?" Meng Zihan demanded sharply. "Is it gambling? You gambled away your entire fortune, and now you want to swindle your aunt and uncle out of your money to help you win it back? You're dreaming! That money is for my education! It's my only chance to turn my life around!"
"Gambling? What does this little brat know!"
Meng Xuejun's face flushed red, and he was about to explode, but he quickly suppressed his anger and forced an ugly smile.
"I've been running a business in Gangcheng for the past two years, dealing in electronic watches, and I've made quite a bit of money! It's just that I misjudged the market last year, and all my stock was stuck in my hands, so I temporarily returned to Jiangcheng to lay low. Don't get any ideas! As long as I have that severance pay as capital, my business will be back to normal right away! When I make a fortune, you can come with me and live the high life!"
At this point, he looked Meng Zihan up and down, his eyes full of disdain: "With a brain like yours, what's the point of studying? It's a waste of time! Why don't you come with me to do business? Once we make money, it'll all be ours, father and daughter, right? It's better than you staying in this wretched place of Jiangcheng, being talked about behind your back every day!"
Meng Zihan didn't believe him at all.
"You're talking nonsense! Who knows which of your words are true and which are false! You...you're definitely making up stories to fool me again!"
"You're so stupid, you won't believe me!" Meng Xuejun seemed to be completely enraged. He pulled out a soft, crumpled piece of paper soaked in sweat from his pocket and slapped it hard across Meng Zihan's chest. "Your own father would lie to you? Open your dog eyes and look carefully! This is my business license for the company I run in Gangcheng! I specialize in reselling goods! If it weren't for last year's bad decision, I would have been rich by now!"
The piece of paper floated gently to the ground, printed with traditional Chinese characters and a bright red official seal.
Meng Zihan stared at Meng Xuejun in disbelief for a few moments before slowly bending down to pick up the paper, her heart pounding like a drum.
She stared intently at the paper, then glanced at Meng Xuejun's confident expression, her mind churning with turmoil.
just in case……
What if it's true?
If such a path truly existed, she would follow him to the port city to do business, and once she learned the ropes, she would kick him aside and become her own boss…
Isn't that a hundred times better than being stuck in this quagmire of Jiangcheng?
Here, her reputation was already ruined, and she was pointed at and gossiped about wherever she went.
But if only I could leave...
She gripped the paper tightly, her knuckles turning white, and finally managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "You wait. I'll find out if this is real or fake. If it's real, I'll help you. But if it's fake..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but the fierce look in her eyes made Meng Xuejun's heart skip a beat.
He waved his hand dismissively, seemingly unconcerned: "Investigate all you want! If I can't find out, I'll admit defeat! You're my daughter, would I ever cheat you?"
Meng Zihan glared at him fiercely, stuffed the thin piece of paper into her bosom, and turned to run upstairs.
The stairwell was pitch black, with only the echoing sound of her heavy footsteps. When she reached her door, she realized her palms were covered in cold sweat, and it took her several tries to get the key into the lock.
As soon as the door opened, Meng Xueyun rushed up anxiously: "Xiaohan? How did it go? Your dad... he didn't give you any trouble, did he?"
Meng Zihan grabbed Meng Xueyun's hand, slammed the door shut behind her, and nervously dragged her into the bedroom. He lowered his voice and asked urgently.
"Auntie, look! He gave me this, saying it's his business license for opening a company in Hong Kong! I don't believe him."
"Do you...do you know anyone who can help me check if this thing is real or fake?"
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