Chapter 3
But Yinxi is different from him. She doesn't have children, so when she told him she wanted to have a child, he agreed immediately.
However, while she agreed, she wasn't very enthusiastic about having children.
But now, he feels that his thoughts have changed somewhat.
Looking at Gao Yinxi lying softly in his arms, Yuan Ergeng felt his whole body filled with thoughts of happiness and satisfaction. If he could really have a daughter as fragrant, soft, and beautiful as her, it would be a very happy thing.
Moreover, having a child only strengthens the bond between the two of them, doesn't it?
Having figured this out, under the dim light, Yuan Er's smug face resembled that of a cat that had successfully stolen some fish. He gently placed his hand on Gao Yinxi's flat stomach and said, "You will get what you want."
...
Xi Garden.
White smoke rose wisps from a corner of the study, filling the air with the scent of geraniums.
Li Chi'an was reading a book with his son when his phone suddenly started playing audiobooks; a certain audiobook app had been opened.
As Chen Zui, the youngest child, listened intently, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Eating melon... Mom, it says eating melon."
Looking at his son's rosy little face, Li Chi'an felt his heart melt. "Baby, do you know what 'eating melon' means?"
"I know!" Chen Zui, the youngest child, replied, shaking his head. "It's just eating melons, watermelon, pumpkin, winter melon, cantaloupe, melon, melon, melon, melon..."
Li Chi'an laughed uncontrollably, "Yes, but the uncle on Mom's phone who's talking about 'eating melons' doesn't mean eating all kinds of melons, he means gossip. Do you know what gossip is?"
"I know." Chen Zui, the youngest child, raised his hand, drew a circle in front of him, and then drew a curved dividing line inside it.
Li Chi'an looked at the Bagua diagram her son had drawn and smiled again, "Sweetie, your Bagua drawing is pretty good, but the Bagua that Mommy is going to tell you about now..."
She tried to give several examples to help Chen, the youngest child, better understand what "eating melons" means.
Chen's youngest child is a very attentive listener and enjoys talking to his mother.
Once he realized that Chen had indeed understood what "eating melons" meant, Li Chi'an put the book back next to Chen, the youngest child on the table. "I'm going to take a shower. You can continue reading by yourself."
"Mom, can I have your phone?" Chen, the youngest child, pointed to the phone that Li Chi'an had placed on the desk with his little finger. "I want to eat some melon seeds."
Li Chian was overjoyed and took the phone, placing it in his son's hand. "Listen to it yourself, but you have to give it back to me after I take a shower."
“Okay, Mom.” Chen’s youngest child held the phone like a kitten who had successfully stolen some treats, clever and smug. “Mom, go take a shower, and then we’ll sleep together.”
"Tie it up." Li Chi'an brought his face close to his son, who was urging him to take a bath.
Chen, the youngest child, tilted his head and pressed his face against Li Chi'an's.
"Sweetie, can you feel how happy Mommy is with you?"
Feeling the chubby touch on his face, Li Chian felt a wave of tenderness wash over him.
Life is truly amazing.
She clearly hated Chen Li so much, but she didn't hate her son, who had half his blood, at all.
I wouldn't even dare to think about it.
After all, she loved him so much that she felt happy just seeing him.
"I'm happy." Chen, the youngest child, briefly looked away from his phone and gazed intently at Li Chi'an with his round, dark, grape-like eyes. "I'm also very happy to be with my mom."
Li Chi'an patted his son's head and chuckled softly, "Keep eating your melon, my dearest Chen."
Chen Zuizui looked at her phone with a smile, but couldn't help asking as Li Chi'an closed the door, "Mom, why hasn't Dad come back from America yet?"
Li Chi'an turned around and looked at her son's innocent face. "Can we discuss this after Mom finishes taking a shower?"
"Okay, go ahead." Chen Zui, the youngest, waved goodbye nonchalantly.
...
The next morning.
As Li Chi'an prepared breakfast in the kitchen, a few smiles couldn't help but appear on her gentle face.
She heard her son brushing his teeth in the bathroom, muttering, "I wish you would get rich, and you wish I would become powerful, but you didn't get rich, and I didn't become powerful either, so we chose to make short videos, but short videos don't get traffic, and nobody watches them."
Soon, little Chen Zuizui, her fair face still wet from brushing her teeth, rushed into the kitchen. "Wow! Mom, today's breakfast is so delicious!"
Wearing thick cotton gloves, Li Chi'an took the heated milk out of the microwave. "Honey, are the toothpaste and toothbrush ready?"
"It's all set." The youngest child, Chen, peered wide-eyed at the stove. "Mommy, what are we eating today?"
"You didn't even see what I made, yet you know today's breakfast was delicious?"
"Of course, Mom always makes me lots of delicious food."
"Baby is so smart, today we have scrambled eggs with milk and baked potato wedges!"
"Wow!" Chen Zui, the youngest child, jumped up with joy. "That's great, Mom!"
Scrambled eggs with milk and roasted potato wedges are his absolute favorite foods.
Seeing his son as happy as ever, Li Chian's worries eased.
Deep down, she felt that it was right to be honest with her son about divorcing Chen Li, even though he was only six years old and she couldn't lie to him. However, she couldn't help but worry about how this would affect her son's mood.
Fortunately, it seems that the impact wasn't significant.
The mother and son sat down at the dining table, and Li Chi'an asked with a smile, "Baby, what were you saying while brushing your teeth?"
Chen Zui, the youngest child, read it again with a smile.
Li Chi'an listened and asked, "I want you to get rich, do you want me to go crazy?"
"It's about 'emitting energy'." Chen Zui, the youngest child, picked up his milk cup, took a big gulp, and earnestly corrected, "I hope you get rich, and you hope I 'generate energy'."
"Drink some water, baby." Li Chi'an poured a glass of water and placed it in front of his son, then asked, "What is 'emitting energy'?"
"The 'gong' in 'homework'." The youngest child, Chen, obediently put down his milk, picked up his water glass, and took a big gulp. "Mommy, it's lemonade!"
"Yes, is it delicious?"
"It tastes good."
Li Chi'an laughed uncontrollably, "What you just said was hilarious. Wait a minute, I'm going to get my phone and write it down in my book."
"Mom, where's your phone?"
"In the study." Before making breakfast, she spent two hours typing in the study, so her phone was left there.
Chen Zui, the youngest child, ran to the study to get his mother's phone. "A bad pen is worse than a good memory. Write it down quickly."
...
Li Chi'an stood in front of Chen Li's old house and rang the doorbell.
The door opened, and Wang Hui was visibly taken aback when she saw Li Chi'an, before giving him a polite smile. "You've come."
Seeing her expression, Li Chi'an knew that Chen Li must have discussed it with her mother, so he went straight to the point and didn't want to waste any more words.
"Auntie, I've come to get the most precious gold jewelry."
Wang Hui's smile froze on her face. She stepped aside to make way for him, saying, "Let's talk inside."
After entering the house, Wang Hui did not immediately go to get her things, which made Li Chi'an's expression turn sour.
"Auntie, where is the best gold jewelry?"
She stood in the Chen family's living room, watching Wang Hui slowly and deliberately grind the Chinese medicinal herbs, deliberately prolonging the process.
"Is the baby alright? Did he cause any trouble last night?"
“He’s very nice.” Li Chi’an tried to remain polite. “Auntie, those gold ornaments were given to me by my mother. Now I want to take them back and keep them safe.”
Wang Hui's hands didn't stop moving, and she had a fake smile on her face. "It's your business to get a divorce, Chen Li and I won't interfere. If you're willing, you can treat us as relatives in the future. After all, we still have a child. But those gold ornaments are for the child. Isn't it the same if they're kept here with me?"
“It’s different.” Li Chi’an looked directly into her eyes. “I am the mother of the child. I have the right to keep his things, especially since they were things my mother bought for my son.”
“You and Chen Li will both have your own home in the future. Your grandfather and I will definitely take care of it the most. As for those valuables, it’s best if I keep them safe.” Wang Hui chuckled awkwardly.
"Auntie, do you not understand what I'm saying, or are you deliberately unwilling to give it to me?" Li Chi'an disliked the Chen family's roundabout ways. They had made a name for themselves but did all sorts of immoral things. For a moment, his tone was cold.
"What do you mean I don't want to give it? It's as if we'd covet the child's things. The child's surname is Chen, he's a child of the Chen family. How could I give his things to outsiders?" Seeing Li Chi'an's lack of respect, Chen's mother's face darkened. "After you get divorced, what kind of good life can you have without our Chen family? Who knows if you'll have difficulties later and might sell your things?"
Chen Li's mother is not only shameless, but also looks down on her.
Li Chi'an felt a surge of anger rush to his head. "What do you mean? That was my mother's gift! Even disregarding all that, legally speaking, it should be returned to me!"
"A token of affection?" Wang Hui suddenly raised her voice. "Your mother bought something for your son, but we didn't? As his grandmother, what's wrong with her buying him something? Shouldn't she?"
Li Chi'an suddenly stood up, his hands trembling slightly. "Those gold ornaments have invoices and purchase records, so legally they belong to me! I want to take back what is rightfully mine."
“Law?” Wang Hui turned her head to the side, curling her lip in disdain. “I don’t care about any laws. All I know is that Zui Zui is my grandson, and I am his grandmother. I have the right to keep his things safe.”
Before Li Chi'an arrived, he never imagined he would encounter such a situation: Chen Li's mother would not return her son's gold.
She felt she understood better why Chen Li had become a scumbag.
“I have nothing to say to someone like you who only lives for three seasons.” Li Chi’an looked at Chen’s mother with anger in his eyes. “If you don’t give me the things today, you will receive a court summons in a few days.”
Chen's mother didn't understand what "three seasons" meant, but she was also a little afraid that Li Chi'an was serious with her.
But she was too proud to admit it and didn't want the other person to think she was afraid of her calling the police, so she stuck out her neck and yelled, "Go ahead, go ahead and sue us! Do you really think we're afraid of you?!"
Talking to this kind of person is an insult to your own character.
Li Chi'an gave Chen's mother a deep look, then turned to leave.
Just then, the doorbell rang again.
Wang Hui was overjoyed and ran to open the door, exclaiming, "Coming, coming!"
At this time, no matter who comes to the house, they are all members of the Chen family, and it is impossible for them to side with outsiders.
"mom."
"Son, why are you back?" Chen's mother was clearly taken aback when she saw Chen Li.
"His mother said she was coming over to pack up the most important things, so I came to check." Chen Li's complicated expression passed through his mother and landed on Li Chi'an, who had a cold face.
Chen's mother angrily complained, "She didn't come to pack things, she came to rob our house."
Chen Li's brows furrowed. "What is she trying to steal? She's just here to get her son's clothes and shoes. Just give them to her."
"Hmph!" Mother Chen turned and walked into the room. "If she wanted to take our son's clothes, would I refuse? What she wants is our son's family heirloom."
"What family heirloom?"
"We will leave gold jewelry to our son as a family heirloom."
Li Chi'an looked at Chen Li, "I want back all the gold jewelry my mom bought for Zui Zui."
Chen Li's expression instantly turned cold. "Those things are kept safe with my mom. What's your rush?"
“That was given to you by my mom, not yours,” Li Chi’an said, raising his voice slightly.
She didn't expect that Chen Li would have the same attitude as his mother.
What a shameless family.
Li Chi'an took a deep breath, rainwater mixed with tears streaming down his cheeks, his voice filled with suppressed anger, "Those are things passed down from my grandmother. My mother specially made them into a longevity lock and bracelet for Zui Zui. Why won't you return them?"
Seeing Li Chi'an cry, the Chen mother and son remained expressionless.
After a moment, Chen Li looked at his mother, frowning, "Mom, where are those things? Take them out and give them to her."
Wang Huizhi's face turned ashen. She suddenly turned around, walked into the room, and slammed the door shut.
Chen Li stood there, his face also grim. "I'll go and try to persuade her."
He said that he followed them inside.
Li Chian stood alone in the living room, feeling a sense of powerlessness and irritability.
Every interaction with the Chen family was exhausting, but fortunately, I will soon be able to completely distance myself from them.
She glanced up casually and saw a family photo of the Chen family hanging on the wall. Chen Zui was being held in the middle by his grandmother, smiling brightly, while he and Chen Li stood on either side of them.
Chen Li's hand rested on her shoulder across the two of them, and she suddenly felt that the photo looked extremely jarring.
Ten minutes later, Chen Li came out with a red velvet box. When he saw the scene in the living room, his brow twitched and a feeling of fear welled up in his heart.
"What are you doing?" He walked a few steps to Li Chian's side.
Li Chi'an held a pair of scissors in her hand, and some scraps of paper were scattered around her feet, with incomplete human figures on them.
"Cut the photo, can't you see it?"
Li Chi'an continued cutting photos, ignoring him.
Knowing that Li Chi'an was not giving him a friendly look, Chen Li also realized that he had asked a stupid question.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "The gold jewelry you wanted is all here. You can open it and take a look if you're not sure."
Li Chi'an quickly cut up the photos in his hand, picked up the red velvet box, opened it to check, and found that the longevity lock, golden bell, zodiac plaque and anklet were all there, but several items were obviously missing.
"And what about the pair of bracelets?" she asked, looking up.
Chen Li avoided her gaze, "My mom said... it can't be found."
"Can't find it?" Li Chi'an's voice became shrill. "It was Zuizui's first birthday, a gift from my mother. You were there too, you remember, right? We were together, how could you not find it?"
Chen Li scratched his head in frustration. "Li Chi'an, stop messing around, okay? Are these things really that important?"
"Why do you think it's not important?" Li Chi'an almost shouted, her eyes red with sadness. "That was left to my mother by my grandmother. My mother couldn't bear to take care of it herself, so she melted it all down and gave it to Zui Zui! She didn't even give it to me when I got married. Every single one of them has meaning! And now you say it's not important."
"Chen Li, aren't you afraid of retribution for bullying people like this?" Li Chi'an's fingers turned white as he gripped the scissors.
Chen Li turned his head to the side. "I got the stuff, what more do you want?"
"Ha, what do I want? I want you dead!" Li Chi'an cursed, each word dripping with veil. "I will make you wish you were dead. Your Chen family has gone too far."
Chen Lixin was startled, his brows furrowing. "My mother didn't lose it on purpose, she just can't find it for the time being. When she finds it, it will belong to her son."
“You and your family have no credibility whatsoever,” Li Chian said through gritted teeth.
After saying that, she turned and left, her steps hurried and heavy, as if she wanted to stomp through the floor.
Behind him came Wang Hui's curses and Chen Li's impatient rebukes.
As Li Chi'an stepped out of the Chen family's gate, his tears finally broke free.
With trembling hands, she dialed her best friend Gao Yinxi's number, "Xixi, I need your help..."
...
Neatly hung on the walls on both sides of the corridor were lawyers' licenses with gold-plated borders and black-and-white photos of them. Glass display cases held commemorative plaques for victories, which gleamed with a metallic sheen under the cool lights.
"Our lawyer, Liu, is currently receiving guests. Please come with me to the lounge for a cup of tea. Lawyer Liu will be ready to provide you with consultation services soon." The receptionist, dressed in a suit, guided Li Chi'an and Gao Yinxi, who were looking around.
At this moment, they are inside the "Mingjing Law Firm".
After the receptionist left the lounge, Gao Yinxi squeezed Li Chi'an's hand and whispered, "Don't be nervous, she's not good either. Let's continue looking for a suitable lawyer."
Admittedly, she knew in her heart that Attorney Liu was already the most skilled divorce lawyer in Xianghai City, and besides, she was a woman. Judging from past cases and reputation, Attorney Liu was more empathetic towards women.
This is also why the two of them were willing to meet.
Li Chi'an felt a slight bloating and pain in her lower abdomen. It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous, since legal advice was a completely new area for her. "I need to go to the restroom."
"I'll stay with you."
Li Chian and Gao Yinxi walked out of the lounge. As soon as they opened the door, they heard the door to the consultation room not far away open and someone came out. She subconsciously turned around, and then froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.
Chen Li and Lin Ying emerged from the consultation room, followed by a woman in a business suit, Attorney Liu.
Lin Ying, wearing a slightly loose dress, affectionately linked arms with Chen Li, and the two chatted and laughed.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Chen Li looked up and saw Li Chi'an, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes.
He subconsciously let go of Lin Ying's hand, but it was too late.
"Chen Li?" Li Chi'an looked at him with a complicated expression. "What are you doing here?"
Chen Li's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes darting around, "You..."
"You're here for divorce counseling, right?" Li Chi'an sneered, his sharp gaze sweeping over the nervous woman beside him. "Did you bring your mistress with you?"
Lin Ying's face flushed red instantly. She took a half step back, intending to hide behind Chen Li, but quickly seemed to have figured something out. She raised her head and straightened her chest, tightening her grip on Chen Li's arm, and said in a fierce but weak voice, "Soon I will be Mrs. Chen, Miss Li, please show me some respect."
Despite being prepared for Chen Li's marriage to Lin Ying, Li Chi'an was still so angry at the provocation that he almost fainted.
Gao Yinxi supported Li Chi'an's swaying body, and at the same time, suddenly raised her voice, "Ha! Scumbag and bitch, it's you two, what a coincidence. What? You know that you cheated and transferred assets, which is illegal, so you're trying to find outside help?"
Her voice echoed in the empty corridor, attracting several staff members in the law firm to peek out.
Chen Li's face turned ugly. "Let's find a place to talk privately..."
He knew Gao Yinxi was always difficult to deal with, but he didn't expect her to be so disrespectful, directly revealing his affairs at the law firm.
"In private?" Gao Yinxi suddenly laughed, her laughter filled with utter contempt. "When you and your mistress were out together in public, why didn't you think about private matters?"
Then, she turned to Lin Ying and asked, "Do you know he's married? Do you know he has a wife?"
Lin Ying bit her lip, her eyes flickering, "I...I don't know..."
"You don't know?" Gao Yinxi laughed out loud as if she had heard a joke. "You're hilarious, mistress. You've come to consult a divorce lawyer with this cheating scumbag, how could you not know that he's already married and has a wife and children?"
"Gao Yinxi!" Chen Li shouted sharply, "Don't talk nonsense!"
Calling him a scumbag or a mistress is awful.
Don't he and Lin Ying have names?
"Honey, is my Xixi talking nonsense?" Li Chi'an laughed, but his laughter was full of sarcasm. "Did she say she wronged you by accusing you of having an affair during the marriage, or that she wronged you by accusing you of transferring assets during the marriage? A rotten cucumber like you, instead of running away as soon as you bumped into us here, you have the nerve to shout and yell. Do you really think everyone is as shameless as you two scumbags?"
"Exactly, why didn't the country use your faces as bulletproof vests?" Gao Yinxi's face was full of eager excitement.
Ha ha!
It's true what they say, "It's a small world to meet your nemesis."
I can't believe I ran into those two bastards here!
Isn't this just God delivering this opportunity for her to start cursing?!
That's so annoying!
However, it wasn't just Gao Yinxi who was cursing so smugly that was excited at this moment; the law firm staff were also thrilled. Originally, they had only been peeking around when they heard the argument, but after Gao Yinxi directly exposed the filth Chen Li had done, they were all excited.
They all craned their necks!
He was secretly amazed.
Wow!
There's some juicy gossip!
Today's class was so lively!
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