When they arrived at the Han family home, it was almost time to get off work. Han Dongsheng was frantically searching for something in preparation for meeting Zhao Xiaolan.
He was overjoyed to see Elaine Chao return on her own; he even stammered a little.
"Xiao Lan, I'm just about to pick you up."
"No need, come in for a moment, I have something to tell you." Zhao Xiaolan walked straight into their room.
She discovered that her belongings had been moved in the room, and there was a framed picture of Xu Ruping on the table.
"Dongsheng, I've thought it through over the past few days. As long as you and I are still connected, my daughter-in-law will never be able to work freely and will always have something to worry about. Maybe we should separate."
Elaine Chao got straight to the point, not wanting to have too many complicated things going on with him.
This man had given her sweet moments, and their relationship hadn't broken down yet, but the objective contradictions were irreconcilable, so she chose to end things decisively.
Han Dongsheng panicked immediately, rushed forward and hugged her tightly, his face filled with unprecedented fear.
"Xiaolan, please don't do this, you can't abandon me!"
Sometimes, I even think that maybe if I just pretended I never had a daughter, I wouldn't have to face this situation.
But things have already come to this. My mom dotes on me and especially cherishes Ruping. Sometimes, when I see what she does, I want to criticize her, but my mom stops me.
I'm in a difficult position too, could you please give me a little more time?
A heartfelt plea softened Elaine Chao's heart for a moment.
However, she knew clearly what was more important.
“I don’t know what your precious daughter is thinking, but her open use of my niece’s mother to deal with Wanqing has crossed my bottom line.”
Lin Xiaocui has already gone to Hong Kong because of this incident, and I can't just stand by and watch Wanqing be bullied.
That's settled then. Take the time to complete the formalities. From now on, our two families will have no further connection. Tell your precious daughter that it's not too late to stop now, or she'll suffer a terrible fate.
As she spoke, Zhao Xiaolan pushed Han Dongsheng away and resolutely turned to leave.
Han Dongsheng could only hold her tightly. This grown man, who had never shown any weakness before, buried his face in her shoulder and cried.
"Xiaolan, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I'll talk to Ruping as soon as possible and tell her to do her job properly and stop making such a fuss. There can be healthy competition in the clothing industry; there's no need for us to make things so ugly."
Just as Han Dongsheng was trying his best to persuade Zhao Xiaolan, Old Mrs. Han came out of the room. After seeing Lin Ye and Lu Wanqing, she asked them to sit down with a somewhat serious expression.
“Wanqing, I heard from Ruping that you’re thinking of expanding production and seizing the market. There’s no end to making money, so there’s no need to ruin other people’s lives. Let others have a way to eat too.”
Grandma Han put it tactfully.
But Lu Wanqing knew immediately that Xu Ruping was making false accusations, saying that she was clinging to the market.
She felt a pang of sadness. Whenever she saw the old lady, she would cling to her and act coquettishly, buying her delicious food and nice clothes, truly treating her like her own grandmother.
In the end, it was all just wishful thinking.
"Grandma, these are all things your granddaughter told you, right? The clothing market in Beijing is supposed to be healthy competition. I'm not afraid of any fair competition trying to take away my market share, but if they use unfair means, I won't give it up."
Lu Wanqing smiled, trying her best to control her emotions.
The old lady seemed a little angry and started coughing violently.
"Wanqing, can't you give way to Ruping? She's still so young. She's suffered so much over the years. All she wants to do now is to do something, why is it so difficult!"
Lu Wanqing found it amusing, knowing that the woman was quite old and that once she formed this mindset, it would be very difficult to change her, so she said nothing more.
The greatest kindness is for her to remain silent in the face of an old woman with a weathered appearance.
For some reason, Grandma Han seemed much weaker than before. After she finished speaking, Wu Ma helped her to the house to rest.
When Wu Ma came out, she shook her head at Lu Wanqing with a helpless expression.
"The old lady hasn't been getting enough rest lately, and her energy isn't what it used to be. Just listen to what she said and don't take it to heart."
"You don't come to see her, and no one talks to her; she's become a bit neurotic."
After inquiring further, I learned that Xu Ruping's daily routine at home was completely different from that of the old lady.
The old lady wanted to go to bed around 7 or 8 o'clock, but Xu Ruping had just returned and wanted to listen to music, turning the volume up very high, which kept her awake.
In the morning, just when the old lady finally managed to get some rest, other people would get up and go to work, making a lot of noise and completely disregarding others.
Long-term sleep deprivation caused the old lady to become increasingly weak, but when Han Dongsheng tried to criticize Xu Ruping, she scolded him severely.
Han Dongsheng felt guilty about his daughter who had been living away from home for more than ten years, so he didn't dare to say much.
The negotiations between Elaine Chao and Han Dongsheng ultimately came to nothing.
She and Lu Wanqing returned to the courtyard house.
Thinking back to those years, her connection with this courtyard and with Old Lady Han, she was filled with emotion.
"Mom, Dad still has deep feelings for you. Let's talk about divorce later, so we can all calm down."
Lu Wanqing told Zhao Xiaolan to rest in the room.
Lin Ye also advised her that there was no need to make a decision now, and that things might still turn around.
Lin Chunhua then pulled Lu Wanqing aside and whispered her guess:
“I only saw Xu Ruping’s photo today. I feel that her facial features are a bit out of proportion. Don’t you find it strange? And those eyes, I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere before.”
Lu Wanqing had always only heard of Xu Ruping but never seen her. Today, seeing the photos displayed in the Han family's living room, she also had a strange feeling.
Xu Ruping's face was somewhat similar to the plastic surgery photos she had seen in her previous life; her whole face had a plastic feel and didn't look natural.
After Lin Chunhua's reminder, she had a bold guess in her mind.
Could it be that Xu Ruping was actually someone else who had plastic surgery to look like Han Dongsheng's first wife in order to gain her trust?
In fact, some hospitals have already introduced the technology for paternity testing. If Xu Ruping and Han Dongsheng were to undergo a paternity test, the truth would naturally be known.
However, we still need to find a reason for this.
Soon, Lu Wanqing found an opportunity to gather everyone together.
Luo Hao has completed the construction of the villa designed by Lin Ye, and only the final decoration is left.
Lu Wanqing hosted a banquet under the pretext of the project's completion, inviting the Han family to attend.
Han Dongsheng wanted to ease his relationship with Zhao Xiaolan, which was exactly what he wanted.
As his daughter, Xu Ruping naturally had to attend.
She also wanted to take this opportunity to let Lu Wanqing know at the banquet that she was now the apple of Old Madam Han's eye.
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