Liu Daqiang frowned and said, "I told you long ago that the Zhao family is not a kind family, but you wouldn't believe me. Now you understand!"
Liu Zi sat on the ground without saying a word, her heart filled with deep regret for what happened back then.
Liu Daqiang was about to say a few more words when his wife, Xu Mei, stopped him.
Xu Mei shook her head pleadingly at her husband.
Liu Daqiang's heart softened as he thought of the tears his wife had shed for their daughter over the years.
He sighed, shook his head, left the matter to his wife to handle, and went back to his room.
"Zizi, get up quickly, you've scared Qiqi. Take her back to your room to rest." Xu Mei freed one hand and pulled her daughter up.
"Your dad may be a nag, but he still loves you. His personality has changed a lot in recent years. He even secretly asked me once if he had made a mistake back then. I could tell he regretted it."
Liu Zi's tears welled up in her eyes again.
When recalling her childhood, her father, Liu Daqiang, was undoubtedly the most special person in her life.
Liu Daqiang is a veteran. His years of military service have forged his steely will and shaped his domineering personality at home.
He was very strict with Liu Zi: she couldn't be coquettish, couldn't act spoiled, couldn't be naughty, couldn't have long hair, couldn't wear skirts, and couldn't have a boyfriend/girlfriend...
For a time, Liu Zi would even tremble with fear at the mere mention of the word "father."
She once hoped that her father would never come back after leaving the family.
Growing up in such a tense environment, Liu Zi gradually became timid, cowardly, and even self-conscious.
Later, she was admitted to university and left home, which improved her personality.
The vibrant life at university made Liu Zi curious about everything.
Naïve and inexperienced, she met Zhao Qian in her freshman year of college through her best friend Su Yao's introduction.
After only one meeting, Zhao Qian began to pursue her passionately and actively.
Sending flowers, inviting someone to the movies, keeping someone company while they study...
He was always by Liu Zi's side.
In particular, Zhao Qian's actions always touched Liu Zi's heart, making her believe that the two were of one mind and shared the same values.
It wasn't until later, when she reflected on this marriage and recalled the past, that she realized that the happiness and sweetness she thought she had back then might just be a play between Su Yao and Zhao Qian!
Liu Zi sighed. Some things are in the past, and some things haven't happened yet. The most urgent thing now is to divorce Zhao Qian as soon as possible.
In just over six months, Zhao Qian's embezzlement of public funds will come to light.
When his reputation is ruined and he is destitute, he will definitely stop at nothing to get his father to help him. It will be difficult to get rid of this clingy pest then.
Liu Zi only had 2,000 yuan on her, which, even in Beijing in 1998, was only two months' wages for an average worker.
Who would have thought that Zhao Qian's wife, a senior executive at a private company, only had so little money in her pocket?
The Zhao family's finances were controlled by Old Mrs. Zhao, who was very wary of Liu Zi in this regard. This little bit of private money was saved by Liu Zi little by little over a long period of time.
Liu Zi urgently needs money to support herself and hire a lawyer.
She thought of her forte: screenwriting. In this day and age, if she could serialize a novel in print media, her royalties would completely solve all her difficulties.
She decided to prepare several articles and submit them to mainstream magazines such as Reading, Digest, and Story to test the waters.
What's giving Liu Zi the biggest headache right now is that she hasn't figured out how to convince her parents, especially since she doesn't have any evidence of Zhao Qian's infidelity, so her words don't hold water.
Her parents have traditional values. Although they look down on Zhao Qian's family, they will definitely oppose her divorce.
Just as Liu Zi was still struggling with her decision, Zhao Qian had already eagerly come to her door.
When she came out after hearing the noise, Zhao Qian was already sitting on the sofa, drinking tea with her father.
"Zizi, you're awake."
Upon seeing Liu Zi, Zhao Qian immediately stood up and walked over, asking her questions solicitously.
She reached out to tuck a stray hair behind Liu Zi's ear, but Liu Zi dodged her.
Zhao Qian was caught off guard and froze on the spot.
At 29, Zhao Qian still has good looks; he's young and handsome, and in a white shirt and suit pants, no one would deny his dashing charm.
Liu Zi was also captivated by his looks back then, and eventually fell into his trap.
"Zhao Qian has come to take you back!"
My father, who was furious at noon, has somehow calmed down and softened his attitude.
"It's all because my mom has such a short temper. That kid Zhao Gang was disobedient, so what's wrong with Zizi hitting him a few times? My mom is just an old woman from the countryside, uneducated, and she's too protective of her child." Zhao Qian spoke in a tone that seemed to be defending Liu Zi, but his words emphasized again the fact that Liu Zi hit the child.
Liu Daqiang was somewhat embarrassed and said to Liu Zi in a slightly harsher tone, "Is this how I raised you? Taking your anger out on the child? You've really grown up!"
Zhao Qian pleaded with Liu Daqiang again, saying that he was usually too busy with work and didn't spend enough time with Liu Zi, which made her feel upset. He said that everything was his fault, and he had deeply realized his mistake. He hoped that Liu Zi would give him a chance to correct it.
These words made Liu Zi's parents feel ashamed. Their daughter didn't work, not only beat her children at home, but also argued with her mother-in-law and threw tantrums, causing her husband, who was working outside, a lot of trouble. This was really too much.
Zhao Qian always emphasized his grievances and exaggerated Liu Zi's unreasonable behavior, something Liu Zi had already learned in her previous life.
This time, she won't hold it in like before.
"Doesn't his grandmother know why I had a conflict with the child?" Liu Zi said sarcastically, her face full of resentment.
Zhao Qian's affectionate expression froze on his face; he hadn't expected Liu Zi to contradict him.
"That brat Zhao Qian insisted that I buy him a Transformers toy, but I didn't agree. Don't you know why? Do you think I didn't want to buy one for the child? It's all because you give all your money to your mother. I have to ask her for money even to buy a bag of salt. People who know me know that I'm Zhao Qian's wife, but people who don't might think I'm your family's maid!"
Zhao Gang clenched his fists quietly, his expression impassive, but in his mind he had already cursed Liu Zi several times over.
She actually embarrassed him in front of her parents, thinking she has someone to back her up, huh!
Upon hearing Liu Zi's words, Liu Daqiang's face turned angry.
"I didn't know that my daughter, Liu Daqiang's daughter, was working as a nanny in your house. Zhao Qian, you're really something!"
"Dad, what nanny? Zizi is my wife, how could she be a nanny?" Zhao Qian hurriedly explained.
“My mother still has old-fashioned ideas and is used to being in charge. I will talk to her about this when I get back and I will definitely give you an explanation.”
Liu Zi scoffed. Couldn't she come up with something different every time she used the same thing to deal with her?
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