“I married into the same family as my best friend, and we both got pregnant a year later.”
“The hospital detected that my best friend’s fetus was an XXY mosaic, and the whole internet was in an uproar. People urge repeatedly my best friend to have an abortion, but she was stubborn and gave birth to the child.”
“The child my best friend gave birth to was well – behaved, excellent in both character and learning, and successfully slapped the netizens in the face.”
“However, my child was a born villain, making me spend all my family wealth and ruining my family.”
“When I was cutting off relations with him, my son stabbed me eighteen times for my property.”
“Before I died, my best friend triumphantly said that she thanked me for raising her son, and now she had two well – behaved sons at once.”
“It turned out that when my son was born, my best friend had swapped our sons.”
“Opening my eyes again, I returned to the day when my best friend’s son was detected with XXY syndrome.”
1
“I was reborn and returned to the day when my best friend’s son was detected with XXY syndrome.”
“My best friend and I were sitting in my husband’s car together. My best friend triumphantly posted the prenatal test report on the internet to show off.”
“‘My son has one more male chromosome than others. He will surely be a real man in the future.'”
“Just as she finished editing and was about to post, I stopped her first.”
Chen Ling looked at me unhappily. “Qingyang, what are you doing? Can’t you stand to see my son doing well?”
Taking a deep breath, I said gently,
“Lingling, are you stupid? We are somewhat like bloggers now. Your baby has such excellent genes. What if you post this video and arouse jealousy? What if someone finds us and does something to us? It would be impossible to guard against.”
Chen Ling, awakened by me, immediately held my hand.
“Qingyang, thanks to your reminder. You are really my best sister. I knew that when we married into the same family, we could support each other.”
Suppressing my disgust, I quietly withdrew my hand. Seeing that Chen Ling gave up showing off her XXY baby, I heaved a sigh of relief.
This year, my best friend and I became popular by using the gimmick of marrying a pair of brothers. We shared our daily lives on the short – video platform every day, arousing the envy of many netizens and gaining more than a hundred thousand fans.
In my previous life, when she posted the video showing off her XXY baby, she was immediately ridiculed by the whole internet. People one after another persuaded her to abort the child in her womb.
As a result, Chen Ling, persuaded by her mother – in – law, insisted on giving birth to the child and even boasted to the netizens that her baby would be smarter and more filial than ordinary people. The netizens were waiting to watch the show.
But who could have imagined that Chen Ling’s child was really well – behaved and sensible when he was born. He was also excellent in both character and learning. Without much worry, he was always the first in the grade, successfully slapping the netizens in the face.
Chen Ling became popular on the internet overnight with the gimmick of “a genius son with XXY syndrome” and earned 100,000 yuan a month.
Looking at me, my child was a born villain. He started lying at the age of five. When he was in kindergarten, he secretly put a razor blade in another child’s bowl, almost cutting off the little girl’s tongue.
My husband and I compensated the family 150,000 yuan.
Later, when he went to primary school, he took the lead in bullying in school. His grades were always at the bottom. Because of intentionally harming other classmates, he transferred to six schools in six years. My husband and I compensated more than a million yuan in total, almost exhausting all our family savings.
Even so, my husband and I didn’t give up on him. I even quit my job to wholeheartedly guide him to be good.
However, it was of no use.
After beating him severely a few times, he behaved himself for a while. Just when we thought things were turning around.
He raped and killed a four – year – old girl, and then came back home as if nothing had happened. I didn’t know the truth until the police came to the door.
My husband and I became gray – haired overnight. At that time, I really wished he could go to prison and be sentenced to death to atone for the little girl.
In order to pay compensation, my husband and I discussed selling the house. But my husband was retaliated against by the girl’s parents first and died at home.
On the way to call the police, I was also hacked to death by my son, who came back secretly, with eighteen cuts.
On the verge of death, I saw my son rush into my best friend’s arms and call her mom.
Chen Ling looked at me with a smile and said that she thanked me for raising her son all these years.
Only then did I know that as early as when our two children were born, she had swapped them.
And my mother – in – law, who always seemed to be “fair”, helped Chen Ling and her husband cover up the truth of my husband’s and my death.
She even pushed all the blame on us, saying that it was all because we usually abused the child, so the villain’s character became more and more unstable.
After my husband and I died, we were scolded by the whole internet, and some people even began to sympathize with the villain.
At this time, Chen Ling stood up and said earnestly that she would take good care of the villain and prevent him from harming society again.
Her move won the praise of the whole internet, and her number of fans increased again.
I hated her so much. I really hated her.
Perhaps God also felt the overwhelming anger in my heart, so I was reborn.
Thinking of this, I looked at Chen Ling, who was full of pride, and smiled faintly.
“So before the child is born, it’s better not to make a fuss.”
I’m not so selfless and great. I can’t ignore the hatred of my previous life and directly kill Chen Ling’s XXY fetus.
I want Chen Ling to reap what she has sown and be tortured by her son until her family is ruined!
2
Soon, Chen Ling and I arrived home.
As soon as we entered the door, my mother – in – law greeted us. She shouted at the top of her voice:
“What did the doctor say? Are they two grandsons?”
I frowned. Even though I knew that the baby in my belly was a boy, I liked both boys and girls. I really disliked my mother – in – law’s typical thinking of favoring sons over daughters.
Chen Ling triumphantly handed the prenatal test report in her hand to my mother – in – law.
“I don’t know about Qingyang. She was too embarrassed to tell me. But the baby in my belly is definitely a boy. Moreover, it’s an XXY!”
My mother – in – law asked curiously, “What is XXY?”
“XXY, as the name implies, is more powerful than an ordinary male. A real man among men, a male among males!”
My mother – in – law beamed with joy. The way she looked at Chen Ling’s belly was like looking at a golden lump.
Then, when she saw me beside her, she looked at me with a frown.
“She’s too embarrassed to say. It must not be my precious grandson.”
I didn’t refute. My mother – in – law took my silence as guilt and snorted, then went to cook.
Chen Ling’s eyes rolled, and she comforted me, “It doesn’t matter, Qingyang. We are the best sisters. My son is also your son. In the future, when my nephew becomes successful, he will still honor you as his aunt.”
In the past, when I heard Chen Ling say this, I would have been moved to tears.
But now I just smiled faintly and agreed, not missing the flash of calculation in Chen Ling’s eyes.
How could I not know Chen Ling’s plan? In the past few years, my husband and I had saved some money and bought a school – district house with a down payment. Chen Ling was thinking that our house could be left to her biological son in the future!
It was a pity that after I died in my previous life, Chen Ling couldn’t wait to transfer our house. Only then did I understand Chen Ling’s calculation.
She let that villain son kill me just because she was afraid that I would sell the house to compensate the family of that little girl.
Thinking of her XXY son, I sneered. This time, her calculation was doomed to fail.
3
My husband sent Chen Ling and me home and then went to work. He didn’t come back until dinner time.
Because Chen Ling and I were pregnant, my mother – in – law cooked the meals at home.
Before dinner, my mother – in – law’s youngest daughter, my sister – in – law Zhao Xue’er, came to ask Chen Ling and me what we wanted to eat.
I didn’t like this sister – in – law either. She had a very strange temper. Since I’m not her biological sister and my efforts to be friendly didn’t work, I didn’t pay much attention to her anymore.
Moreover, in my previous life, after I died, my sister – in – law was one of those who testified to the media that I abused the villain.
But my sister – in – law had an unexpectedly good relationship with Chen Ling.
I casually said that I wanted to eat something spicy. My sister – in – law immediately went to ask Chen Ling.
We were all sitting in the living room, and I could hear their conversation clearly.
Chen Ling wanted to eat something sour.
So I immediately added, “Cook mine and Lingling’s separately. I can’t eat anything sour these days.”
My sister – in – law didn’t even turn her head to look at me. She just casually said she knew and then went to the kitchen to tell my mother – in – law.
My mother – in – law was busy for a while. When my husband came back, it was just time for dinner.
When my mother – in – law brought all the dishes to the table, my face was darker than the bottom of a pot.
There was no other reason. Today’s dishes were pickled fish, pickled beans, and a sour plum soup. Only one dish of green vegetables was not sour, but it was also sprinkled with scallions.
After marrying my husband for a year, the whole family knew that I hated scallions the most. I would vomit just by smelling them.
Wasn’t this clearly meant to make me uncomfortable?
My husband saw that I didn’t move my chopsticks and asked me what was wrong.
I didn’t say anything, but a flash of triumphant smile passed across Chen Ling’s face.
Chen Ling picked up a chopstick of pickled fish and put it in her mouth, showing a satisfied smile.
“Mom’s cooking is delicious. Thank you, Mom! Qingyang, why don’t you eat? Is Mom’s cooking not to your taste?”
My mother – in – law’s face, which had just shown a smile, immediately pulled down.
“I do housework and cook for you every day. Except for Lingling, none of you are grateful. Now you even dislike my cooking. If you really don’t want to eat, then whoever wants to cook can do it in the future!”
My sister – in – law, who was eating beside us, also curled her lips:
“It’s good enough to have something to eat. Stop being picky. If you have the ability, ask your own mother to cook for you! Such a picky person.”
Hearing my mother – in – law and sister – in – law’s sarcasm, my anger flared up.
My husband saw that my face was wrong and was about to mediate. I stood up directly.
The people in the family were all startled by me.
“I’ve been in this family for a year. I’ve said countless times that I don’t like scallions, but you put them in every day. Fine, I’ll order takeout. After I got pregnant, you said that the food outside was unhealthy and insisted that I eat at home.”
“Before eating, I said I wanted to eat spicy food. If you don’t cook spicy food, that’s fine. The only dish that’s not sour has scallions in it. Isn’t this clearly forcing me to eat sour food?! With all this, you still have the nerve to say I’m picky. What, am I just supposed to be treated like dirt when I marry into your family?”
I’ve been a good girl since I was a child. The most common comment from people around me is that I’m gentle.
In this family for a year, I usually endured small things. But now, I’ve died once. I don’t want to endure anymore.
None of the people present expected that I, who was usually amiable, would be so tough today.
My mother – in – law, being contradicted face – to – face, lost face. Her voice was like a loudspeaker, and she immediately shouted:
“I worked hard to cook, and now I’m in the wrong? It’s just food. What can’t you eat? You people these days have had it too good. When we were young, even if it was wild vegetables, we had to eat them all up! What’s this about not being able to eat scallions and sour food? You’re not a princess. Why are you so delicate?”
I was so angry that I laughed.
“Did you like eating wild vegetables back then? You just had no choice. My parents doted on me since I was a child. They cooked whatever I liked. What does your suffering have to do with me? And you’re lecturing me now. The living expenses of this family are paid by my husband and me. Can’t I even eat something spicy?”
When it came to this, my mother – in – law’s face showed some guilt. She muttered, “The second son is capable. What’s wrong with giving some living expenses? I worked so hard to raise him. Why can’t he give me some living expenses?”
Chen Ling’s husband’s face looked a bit ugly. He kept a straight face and didn’t say a word.
Because Chen Ling’s husband was recently laid off by the company and was unemployed at home. My husband, out of consideration for his elder brother, paid the living expenses of the family.
I retorted, “Which law stipulates that we have to support the whole family of siblings when we support the elderly? Is it so natural to freeload?”
Hearing my words, not only Chen Ling’s husband but also my sister – in – law’s face looked very ugly.
My husband pulled me over and said in a low voice, “The money for food is not much. Don’t mention this.”
I sneered.
To be honest, as long as it doesn’t involve his big family, my husband is a fairly competent husband. But it was precisely because he was extremely kind to his family that I endured so much anger from my mother – in – law in my previous life.
And now, I don’t want to endure this anger anymore!
I said to my husband word by word, “If you dare to stand on their side today, we’ll go through the divorce procedures tomorrow!”
4
Under my gaze, my husband’s face showed obvious hesitation.
After a moment, my husband looked at me with apologetic eyes.
“Qingyang, let’s not make trouble, okay? It’s just a meal. I’ll cook for you myself in the future, okay?”
These were the same words to smooth things over again.
In my previous life, when I was in my later stages of pregnancy, I had a lot of stretch marks on my belly. So I asked my husband to help me apply pregnancy oil. But my mother – in – law thought it was too expensive and secretly replaced it with ordinary essential oil. I didn’t find out until two months later.
As a result, I could only live with an ugly belly full of stretch marks for the rest of my life and never dared to wear any clothes that exposed my belly button again!
And my mother – in – law directly secretly gave the pregnancy oil I bought for several thousand yuan to Chen Ling, pretending that she bought it for her.
The reason was that my mother – in – law thought the XXY baby in Chen Ling’s belly was more promising than my son.
It was not until Chen Ling came to show off in front of me that I knew the truth of the matter.
After I told my husband about this, my husband just sighed and said that his elder brother dropped out of school early, and his elder brother paid half of his college living expenses. He asked me to let this matter go and that he would buy me a better pregnancy oil.
At that time, I swallowed my anger because of my husband’s words. Now that I think about it, his elder brother didn’t give me the living expenses. Why should I endure the anger at home to repay the kindness?
Why should Chen Ling, who didn’t do anything, marry her husband and enjoy the respect from her husband’s younger brother with peace of mind? Why should I, who didn’t do anything, marry into this family and be willing to respect her husband’s elder brother, along with Chen Ling, a sister – in – law, and a mother – in – law?
Even I didn’t ask for the betrothal gifts at that time, and the down payment for the house was saved by my husband and me.
Was it because I was stupid?
After figuring out the key point, I felt that my mind became much clearer.
Maybe the reborn soul couldn’t carry the complete soul and discharged some waste.
Seeing that I didn’t speak for a long time, my husband quickly hugged me.
“Honey, you are the best wife in the world. Please forgive my mom this time. Didn’t you fancy a gold bracelet last time? I’ll buy it for you and give it to you.”
I expressionlessly shook off his hand.
“Wang, if you dare to scold your mom as a villain even once, I can continue to live with you! Only knowing to endure blindly won’t make others treat you like a man! You’d better keep that gold bracelet to honor your mom. Oh no, wait until the property is divided, and then you can honor your mom.”
After I finished speaking, I directly ignored him and started packing my luggage.
Even if my husband is a good person, so what? I’m too lazy to serve this big family!
Seeing me like this, my husband was also a little angry. But he thought I was just in a normal low mood during pregnancy. He patiently coaxed me for a while. Then, after receiving a work call, he hurried out.
Before leaving, he said to me, “Honey, don’t you love the roast duck from the restaurant in the north of the city? I’ll bring it back for you when I get off work!”
I didn’t stop packing my luggage for a moment.
Haha, even if I get divorced, I can still buy roast duck myself! But if I keep living with this family, I’m afraid that if I buy a roast duck, I’ll only get the duck’s buttocks!
5
Under my threat of having an abortion, Zhao Cheng still went to the Civil Affairs Bureau with me to get a divorce.
Although he was easily influenced by others, he was not a unreasonable person.
The divorce agreement was signed smoothly. Zhao Cheng left the school – district house to me, and I would pay the loan myself. He would give 2,000 yuan per month for child support until the child was 18 years old, and the deposit was divided with 70% for me and 30% for him.
I let out a long sigh of relief.
I could tell that Zhao Cheng thought I was just emotionally unstable during pregnancy. But only I knew how much determination I had made.
6
It was not until after the one – month cooling – off period that Zhao Cheng seemed to suddenly realize that this time I was not just angry. I really wanted a divorce.
But everything was irreparable. Even though Zhao Cheng pleaded desperately, we still got divorced.
After the divorce, I moved to my parents’ house to live.
As for the account that Chen Ling and I had been operating, because the contract with the media company was about to expire, it was naturally dissolved.
We dissolved the partnership relatively peacefully, and the fans also accepted it well.
I started to operate my personal account. When Chen Ling and I were jointly operating the account, most of the work such as writing copy and editing was done by me alone. Chen Ling just showed up in front of the camera. So I didn’t find it too difficult to do it alone.
After hearing that I went solo, Chen Ling called me and taunted me a few words. She chose to continue to cooperate with the previous company and use the account we used to have, just replacing me with another “best friend”.
If things ended here, maybe I would think that what happened in my previous life was just like a dream.
But Chen Ling posted her prenatal test form on the internet, and the whole internet exploded.
7
[“XXY and mosaic? Do you know what this means, blogger? It means that your child is not only XXY, but he even ate his own brother in the womb.”]
[“Abort the child quickly while it’s not born yet. Such a villain will surely harm society if born.”]
[“Great news, netizens in City A, you’re lucky!”]
[“…”]
Messages like this filled Chen Ling’s comment section. Chen Ling called me and asked me to speak up for her.
“They must be jealous that I can have a son. The doctor said there’s no problem. Why should I have an abortion? Qingyang, we have the best relationship. Please say something for me quickly.”
What a nerve! She didn’t even dare to speak up herself and wanted me to take the lead?
“Yes, Lingling. They’re all jealous of you. Don’t take it to heart. I don’t think it’s necessary to clarify anything. Anyway, when the child is born, he will be smart and cute, and surely slap them in the face.”
Over the phone, I could imagine that Chen Ling’s face must have turned as black as coal.
But what did it have to do with me?
Chen Ling spoke again, her tone filled with forced flattery.
“Qingyang, isn’t your father a professor at a medical university? Can you ask him to speak up for me?”
I sneered in my heart. I knew that this was why Chen Ling came to me.
“My father is indeed a professor, but he’s a brain surgeon. I’m afraid he can’t help you for now.”
Chen Ling was stunned for a moment, then reacted and said angrily, “It’s your son who needs to see a brain doctor. Besides, others don’t know which department your father is in. As long as he shows his professor’s certificate, the netizens will naturally believe it.”
I sneered, “Sorry, I can’t do something that might damage my father’s reputation.”
“Shen Qingyang! If you don’t help me, I’ll have to pay a one – million – yuan penalty! You can’t be so vicious!”
Hearing the screams coming from the phone, I directly hung up.
I almost forgot that with the huge negative impact Chen Ling caused on the internet this time, the media company she signed with surely wouldn’t let her go.
In my previous life, Chen Ling also came to me for help. I kept looking for various experts to prove that the XXY baby wasn’t as harmful as people thought and was mostly no different from a normal person.
With the authoritative proof, the negative impact of public opinion on her was gradually weakened.
Instead, her XXY baby, as a gimmick, attracted a lot of attention from netizens, and the number of fans of her account increased rapidly. The company naturally didn’t mention the penalty.
I worked so hard to help her, but she turned around and swapped my son with her XXY baby. I would be really stupid to help her again.
8
The next afternoon, my friend Xiaoyun, who works in the hospital, called me.
“Qingyang, you were right. That Chen Ling really came to ask about the XXY child. What can our hospital say? We can only say that there’s a high possibility that it’s a normal child. Otherwise, persuade her to abort the child? But that Chen Ling doesn’t seem as confident as last time. I guess she’ll come up with some tricks later. You be careful.”
After I was reborn, I asked Xiaoyun to keep an eye on Chen Ling’s news.
After hanging up the phone, I opened Chen Ling’s homepage. The first post was her new work.
“He’s the child I’ve been pregnant with for eight months. I can’t give up on him. I’ll prove to everyone that he’s not a XXY villain, but my smart and cute baby son.”
9
Because of the generally negative impression of XXY babies on the internet, seeing that Chen Ling was unwilling to give up the abortion, netizens quickly flooded Chen Ling’s comment section.
After all, no one wants a time – bomb around their child in the future.
Chen Ling’s company found me, hoping that I could persuade Chen Ling. I directly posted some of the previous chat records with Chen Ling.
In the chat records, Chen Ling’s attitude was firm. She not only didn’t think the XXY baby was dangerous but also said confidently that the XXY baby would be a real man in the future.
Even the person in charge who contacted me was speechless and no longer mentioned asking me to persuade Chen Ling.
10
Besides Chen Ling, Zhao Cheng also came to me once later.
“For my sake, Qingyang, can you help my elder brother and them? It’s a million yuan. They’ve been so worried these two days that they can’t sleep. My mom’s hair has turned white with worry.”
“So what? What does it have to do with me?”
I looked at Zhao Cheng mockingly.
“Your family didn’t even let me have a bite of spicy food when we ate. Now you think of coming to me for help? Zhao Cheng, I tell you, no way!”
Zhao Cheng pressed his temple.
“Those are all trivial matters, Qingyang. Do you really have to dwell on those trivial matters? It’s just a meal. You know what my mom is like. She just thought that sour food indicates a son and spicy food indicates a daughter, and she wanted to have a good omen.”
Until now, Zhao Cheng still thought those were just trivial matters. I even heard from our mutual friends that Zhao Cheng said outside that I divorced him just because of a meal.
Now many people think that we divorced because I’m too delicate.
“So you knew what your mom was thinking, but you just chose to stand by and do nothing. What, do you also think sons are better than daughters?”
“I like both boys and girls, but daughters will eventually get married and leave. I…”
Before he could finish, I stood up and splashed a cup of hot coffee on his face.
“Then go find another woman to give you a son. Don’t pester me here.”
After saying that, I picked up my bag and left directly.
11
Amid the online curses, the popularity of Chen Ling and her XXY son reached its peak. If Chen Ling hadn’t exposed her identity, it might have been okay.
But she posted it with her own self – media account. So someone dug up her address and threatened to monitor her until she had an abortion. Some people poured feces and red paint at her door. Some even knocked on Chen Ling’s door in the middle of the night, scaring Chen Ling badly.
All these were posted by Chen Ling with her own account. She cried bitterly on the internet, saying that she was just a poor person, but no one listened to her. Even if some people sympathized with her, the extremists wouldn’t be moved by her tears.
Coupled with the one – million – yuan penalty, soon, I heard that my mother – in – law sold the house they were living in and moved to another place.
Chen Ling’s account was also forcibly taken back, and her works were deleted, ready to be transferred to other bloggers.
For two consecutive months, Chen Ling didn’t show up on the internet. Until the two – month due date, I received a threatening text message from an unknown number.
[“You will get your retribution.”]
I sneered and replied, [“Really? Then I’ll wait and see.”]
12
On the day of giving birth, my whole family came to accompany me.
The delivery was relatively smooth. After giving birth, the nurse brought the baby to my chest for mother – child contact.
I spread the baby’s small hand on my own hand. Seeing a black birthmark on it, I suddenly felt relieved.
Yes, it couldn’t be wrong. In my previous life, Chen Ling’s “genius son” had such a birthmark on his hand.
Chen Ling didn’t lie to me. She really did swap my biological son.
Even though I was already 90% sure in my heart, when I saw this birthmark on my son’s hand, I almost burst into tears. At the same time, a huge sense of resentment rose in my heart.
How could I not hate that my son, who I carried in my womb for ten months, was swapped like this!
After adjusting my emotions, looking at the little baby in my arms with a wrinkled face, my heart softened. Finally, I reluctantly took a look at the child, and then the nurse took him away.
When I woke up again, I had some strength. A little nurse came to check my physical condition. When she got close to me, she put a note in my palm.
After she left, I couldn’t wait to open the note.
It read: “The child has been swapped. Everything is going well.”
13
On the day I was discharged from the hospital with the baby, Chen Ling appeared on the internet again.
She opened a new account called “The Daily Life of an XXY Baby”.
This time, Chen Ling was smarter. She said in the comment section that this account was used to record her son’s growth process and hoped that netizens would monitor more. If her son finally became a person who endangered society, she would send her son to a mental hospital with her own hands.
This statement temporarily calmed the netizens down. Compared with Chen Ling disappearing silently from the internet, this made everyone feel more at ease.
In the video, Chen Ling smiled triumphantly, as if certain that her child couldn’t become a villain.
Chen Ling named her son Zhao Xiong.
I stroked the baby’s white and tender little hand, looking at my parents, grandparents, and my husband’s parents who were discussing the baby’s name together, and smiled gently.
“‘A gentleman is like jade, warm to the touch.’ I think we can call him Shen Junyu.”
The first day I knew about the baby’s existence, I had already thought of the baby’s name. I hoped that he would become a person like a gentleman in the future, not seeking success in the worldly sense, but being able to respect others, just like a gentleman.
But in my previous life, when registering the villain’s household registration, my mother – in – law directly slapped the table and changed the villain’s name to “Zhao Xiong” without telling me.
Now it seems that maybe that villain just didn’t deserve this name.
Truly, there is a divine will in the dark.
14
Chen Ling’s account was continuously updated.
Her XXY baby was stronger than other babies when he was born. When he was two years old and live – streaming, Zhao Xiong inserted a fork into his grandmother’s mouth, almost piercing her tongue through. She said the child was young and ignorant.
When he was four years old, Zhao Xiong, while Chen Ling was live – streaming, picked up a vase and smashed it at Chen Ling’s head. Chen Ling was bleeding on the spot. After she was discharged from the hospital, with a head full of white bandages, she said the child was still young and didn’t understand.
When he was six years old, Zhao Xiong went to kindergarten. On the first day of school, he poured glass shards into a little girl’s bowl, causing the little girl’s gastrointestinal perforation, and the parents called the police.
Someone posted this incident on the internet, causing a huge stir.
Subsequently, the matter of Chen Ling’s XXY baby was once again on the hot search.
Countless people came to Chen Ling’s account to abuse and curse, wishing that Chen Ling and her XXY baby would die together.
Chen Ling was finally scared. She took Zhao Xiong back home and the next day sent me a message on the platform to contact me.
15
Over the years, I haven’t been idle either. I re – created a self – media account, specifically focusing on the maternity and childcare field.
Compared with Chen Ling’s XXY baby, my son is not only fair and tender but also very well – behaved. Netizens on the internet all like him and call him “Little Gentleman”.
There are even many gentle sisters leaving messages in the comment section, wanting to arrange a marriage alliance with me.
Even in Chen Ling’s comment section, people often compare the children of our two families, saying that although we were once best friends, the children we raised are worlds apart.
Chen Ling and I made an appointment to meet at a coffee shop. Seeing that I didn’t bring Shen Junyu with me, Chen Ling was very disappointed.
After all, in her heart, Shen Junyu is her biological son.
Over the years, Chen Ling has sent me a lot of messages, but I haven’t replied to any of them. I’ve long moved away from the place where I used to live, and Chen Ling has no way to force contact with me.
This time I came because I knew that Chen Ling was about to lose her patience.
She has contacted me countless times over the years, mostly because of her XXY child.
But this time, if I don’t show up, she might take desperate measures.
16
Chen Ling was like a completely different person compared to a few years ago.
I still remember when we first married into the Zhao family. We were both like young girls, with full collagen on our faces.
But a few years later, without the beautifying and filtering effects of the live – streaming room, Chen Ling looked more than ten years older. Even though she had a delicate full – face makeup on, she couldn’t hide the fine lines under her eyes.
Even when she lowered her head, I could faintly see the terrifying scars on her neck.
Presumably, in recent years, not only has Zhao Xiong been torturing her, but her husband has also treated her badly.
I felt a lot more delighted.
Seeing me in high – end luxury brands, strong jealousy burst out in Chen Ling’s eyes. She opened her mouth for a long time and finally said sourly,
“You’ve been doing well these years. Have you found a rich man to rely on?”
I gently took a sip of the hot coffee in my hand.
“I now have ten million fans across the internet and have even established my own media company. What do you think?”
Moreover, in recent years, I’ve also become an investor. After all, with an information gap of more than ten years ahead of this era, if I can’t even make money, wouldn’t I be as useless as Chen Ling?
Chen Ling’s fingers tightly grasped the cup in her hand, her fingertips turning white.
“Qingyang, you’re still so vain. To reach your current position over the years, you must have slept with a lot of men, right?”
I neither admitted nor denied it but gently sighed.
“I’ve really been very tired these years. When my son turns eighteen and has his coming – of – age ceremony, I’ll transfer the shares under my name to him, become a hands – off boss, and travel around. Alas, as a woman, I actually don’t need to work this hard. It’s mainly for the sake of the child. Don’t you think so, Chen Ling?”
Hearing my words, I could clearly see Chen Ling’s hand on the back trembling.
She was excited.
Her whole body slowly unfolded like soaked hair vegetable. In a blink of an eye, she seemed to return to the Chen Ling who was full of superiority in front of me a few years ago.
“You’re right. As mothers, we always have to consider our sons.”
After saying this, Chen Ling left directly. Before leaving, she gave me a provocative look.
I looked at her back and unhurriedly took another sip of coffee.
After today, I knew that Chen Ling would continue to painstakingly torture and endure her XXY son.
After all, as long as she waits until Junyu turns eighteen and I transfer all the shares to Junyu, she can stand up and claim kinship, and smoothly become a rich lady.
And I’m certain that she won’t kill that XXY son because she still needs to keep him for the day when I learn the truth.
She wants to make me miserable, but she doesn’t know who the real hunter hiding behind is.
17
The next day, Chen Ling posted a video. In the video, she humbly pulled Zhao Xiong to apologize to the little girl’s parents, but was suddenly pushed to the ground by the enraged Zhao Xiong, who scratched and clawed at her face, and soon there was blood.
For a moment, netizens began to sympathize with Chen Ling again, thinking that it was quite pitiful for Chen Ling to have such an XXY son.
Moreover, Chen Ling can be considered a responsible parent. After all, in the videos that Chen Ling updates every day, she treats Zhao Xiong fairly well and even quit her job to stay at home with Zhao Xiong.
In this way, Chen Ling’s reputation has improved a lot, and netizens have shifted their firepower to Zhao Xiong.
I took out the new photos from the private detective and flipped through them one by one, the corners of my mouth curving up.
As I expected, in my previous life, although Zhao Xiong was cruel to others, he never made any aggressive moves towards me.
And the reason why Zhao Xiong attacked Chen Ling was that Chen Ling used a chain to lock Zhao Xiong at home.
Zhao Xiong was locked in a cage like a dog. Only when live – streaming and shooting videos would Chen Ling let Zhao Xiong out.
Chen Ling has been severely tortured by Zhao Xiong in recent years. She’s not a good person either. When Zhao Xiong didn’t obey, she would directly beat him with a stick. When she couldn’t beat him anymore, she would let Zhao Jing do it.
Because of being beaten all year round, Zhao Xiong was covered with dense scars. And because of being afraid of Chen Ling and Zhao Jing at home, Zhao Xiong would temporarily hide his claws and cooperate with Chen Ling to shoot videos.
In such an environment, Zhao Xiong was raised like a wild beast.
He seemed well – behaved on weekdays, but when he judged that Chen Ling was in a vulnerable position, he would not hesitate to rush up and attack her.
Therefore, when Chen Ling knelt in front of the little girl’s parents, Zhao Xiong pounced on her and beat her.
For a moment, I couldn’t help but admire Chen Ling. After all, for the sake of making me regret in the future, she could even endure such a beast.
Hmm… why not play with her for a while longer?
18
In a blink of an eye, Junyu grew to eleven years old.
He was carefully taught by me since childhood, knowing how to respect others and care for the weak, like a real gentleman, gentle and proper.
At the same time, Junyu’s grades were as good as in the previous life, always ranking first in the grade. Teachers and classmates all liked him very much.
For the convenience of going to school, I bought a house in the villa area next to Junyu’s school and lived there permanently.
One day, Junyu told me that a new classmate had transferred to the class next to theirs.
The new classmate was very strange, always gloomy, and couldn’t get along with anyone. The classmates in his class isolated and disliked him.
Junyu remembered my usual teachings and took the initiative to make friends with him.
He and the new classmate lived in opposite directions. After coming out of the school gate, Junyu would part ways with him.
But recently, Junyu always felt that someone was secretly following him on the way. The feeling of being stared at would only disappear when he entered the community.
Junyu guessed that the person might have ill intentions. So once after entering the community, he didn’t leave directly but hid behind the security room to observe secretly. After several times, he finally found out who the person was.
The new student who transferred to the class next to theirs, Zhao Qiang.
19
Every word of Junyu made my heart rise to my throat.
Chen Ling had disappeared from the internet a few years ago, and I gradually stopped paying attention to her, focusing instead on my career.
Hearing my son’s description, I could almost guess who that person was without thinking.
Zhao Xiong.
But Junyu was studying in an international aristocratic school. How did Zhao Xiong, or rather Chen Ling, find this place?
Damn it, because I hadn’t paid attention to Chen Ling for several years, I didn’t even know Chen Ling’s current specific whereabouts.
I was too careless.
I tried to calm down and touched Shen Junyu’s head.
“You go to bed first. Mom will solve this matter.”
Shen Junyu obediently answered “hmm” and went back to his room to rest.
I covered my violently beating chest with my hand. It would probably take a lot of effort to find a private detective to investigate again.
After thinking for a while, I still took out my phone and dialed a number.
“Zhao Cheng, it’s me. How have you been recently?”
20
I called the school principal and mentioned it slightly. I didn’t want Junyu to see the darkness of human nature too early, nor did I want him to get involved in the affairs of our previous generation.
So the next day, Junyu came back and told me that Zhao Xiong had transferred to another school.
The crisis was temporarily resolved, and I felt a sigh of relief.
Another half a month passed peacefully, and it was Junyu’s twelfth birthday.
I carefully arranged a birthday party and asked Junyu to invite his classmates to come and play.
Junyu had good popularity and invited more than fifty classmates to come and celebrate together.
Among these children, there were those who were outgoing and played games together, and naturally, there were those who were introverted and hid in the corner without speaking.
I didn’t pay much attention, focusing all my attention on Junyu.
Because most of the classmates lived in the same community as us and someone would pick them up outside, everyone played until two or three o’clock in the morning. At this time, most of the classmates couldn’t hold on anymore and left one after another. Other classmates who couldn’t go back because it was too late stayed overnight at my house.
At four o’clock in the morning, when I was sleeping in a daze in the bedroom, I suddenly heard a slight movement outside.
Someone was prying the lock of my bedroom door.
Realizing this, I woke up instantly.
It was so late. It could definitely not be Junyu, and Junyu would definitely knock on the door first if he came.
It couldn’t be an outsider either, because the security system in the villa area was very good, and no irrelevant person could get in.
So the person prying the door must have sneaked into the villa or was let in by me on my own initiative.
Wait, someone I let in on my own initiative…
My heart was pounding. I searched through the classmates who came today and finally thought of a boy wearing a baseball cap who hid in the corner.
My fingertips were trembling, and a name was about to come out.
It was him, it was… Zhao Xiong!
At this time, the door was pushed open.
My heart stopped for a moment. After a while, I looked inside in horror.
Zhao Xiong was seen raising a machete high and slashing down hard at the person under the bedding on the bed.
Yes, I was watching all this from outside the door.
21
The security guards came quickly and they jointly subdued the tall and strong Zhao Xiong.
Zhao Xiong looked at me with a gloomy face.
“Bitch, you guessed it a long time ago, didn’t you! You guessed it a long time ago!”
I leaned into Junyu’s arms and cried bitterly.
“Aren’t you a classmate of my child? I treated you so warmly. Why are you doing this?”
Zhao Xiong laughed, his face full of ferocity.
“Don’t you know? After pretending for so long, do you really think you’re a kind – hearted person? Mom, I became like this because I inherited your genes!”
Hearing his words, everyone present frowned.
They all thought that Zhao Xiong was crazy and talking nonsense.
After all, everyone knew that Shen Junyu was the child I raised by my side, and my social media account recorded every bit of Junyu’s growth from childhood to adulthood.
The police arrived soon.
They quickly took away Zhao Xiong and Zhao Cheng’s bodies.
Yes, under the quilt that Zhao Xiong hacked was none other than my ex – husband, Zhao Cheng.
22
“Junyu is also Zhao Cheng’s son, so I invited Zhao Cheng to come and celebrate Junyu’s birthday. But I’m a public figure after all, so I don’t want others to know that Zhao Cheng came. After all, Zhao Cheng is… not doing well now, and I don’t want others to know that Junyu has such a father.”
Zhao Cheng was not just not doing well. In recent years, he had been constantly borrowing online loans and was burdened with millions of debts.
So I asked Zhao Cheng to hide in my room first. But I didn’t expect that it was too late and Zhao Cheng fell asleep in my room. So I went to sleep in the guest room next door. In the middle of the night, when I heard the sound from the next door, through the monitor I installed in the room, I saw that devil kill my ex – husband with my own eyes. So I immediately called the police and the security guards.
The monitor in the room recorded everything. I hadn’t seen Zhao Xiong’s family for many years, and the police could find out after a little investigation.
As for Zhao Cheng, the chat records between him and me were still saved on my phone.
It clearly showed that I invited Zhao Cheng to quietly attend our son’s birthday party.
Zhao Cheng was really an innocent victim this time.
So I was soon released.
And at the police station, the police also told me something.
It turned out that three years ago, Chen Ling’s family died at home due to a gas leak, leaving only Zhao Xiong alive.
“At that time, there was no evidence to show that Zhao Xiong was the murderer, and at that time, Zhao Xiong was not yet twelve years old. So even though we had great doubts, there was nothing we could do.”
I wiped the tears from my eyes and sighed softly:
“The world is full of unexpected things.”
23
Finally, the police determined that Zhao Cheng developed a jealous mentality because I had a good relationship with Chen Ling, but I lived a life completely different from his with Shen Junyu. So he deliberately approached Shen Junyu, wanting to kill me.
And the reason why Zhao Cheng could enter our aristocratic school was that Chen Ling bought a high – value insurance policy for the whole family before her death. The insurance company compensated, and Zhao Cheng used the money to get in.
“This Zhao Xiong is not stupid at all. On the contrary, he has a very high IQ. If he hadn’t exposed himself, there might be a time – bomb in society in the future.”
The police sighed to me.
“Yes, it’s just a pity that my ex – husband blocked the disaster for me. Now Junyu doesn’t have a father anymore.”
My tears flowed down again, and the police quickly comforted me.
He said implicitly, “Maybe it’s lucky for your son to have a mother like you.”
This case was exposed on the internet, causing a huge stir. The public was extremely angry and demanded that the judicial authorities give a severe sentence, not wanting someone like Zhao Xiong to live in the world.
Finally, the court sentenced Zhao Xiong to life imprisonment, and he would spend his life in prison.
24
I went to see Zhao Xiong one last time.
Through the glass, Zhao Xiong was much calmer, looking no different from an ordinary person.
With the police watching, I just calmly chatted with him about everyday things.
“When did you come back?”
I asked.
“Three years ago.”
I understood.
Before I left, he mouthed to me:
“You won this life, Mom.”
Looking at the black birthmark on the palm of Zhao Xiong’s hand placed on the glass window.
I smiled.
Well, after all, Zhao Xiong was my son. Born later, he was reborn later too~
Epilogue
1
My name is Shen Qingyang, originally named Xu Zhaodi.
Since I was born, I’ve never been liked by my family.
In order to get a bite to eat, I often had to wash clothes with cold water in the middle of winter, my hands turning bright red from the cold.
My father was an alcoholic, often whipping me with a salt – soaked whip after getting drunk.
But it was strange. For these inhumane tortures, I didn’t feel as miserable as a normal person would.
It seemed that I was born without much emotion.
But I really liked my younger brother.
My younger brother was a very polite and kind – hearted child.
He would hide half a steamed bun in his arms and secretly give it to me to eat at night.
He would wake up the village head next door when I was being beaten.
When the boys in the village grew a bit older and wanted to explore the mysteries of girls, my younger brother would protect me behind him and tell them that it was wrong and that we should take care of girls.
He was the most wonderful person I had ever seen. I learned a sentence in my textbook:
“A gentleman is like jade, warm to the touch.”
I thought that if my younger brother grew up, he would surely be such a person.
But such a good younger brother remained forever at the age of six.
My younger brother was trying to pull my drunk father who was abusing me, but was accidentally thrown away by my father. His head hit the floor, and he died on the spot.
On the day my younger brother was buried, my mother slapped me again and again, but I didn’t move.
Later, in a late night, my father and mother died because they forgot to open the window while burning charcoal for warmth.
I was sent to an orphanage and was adopted by my current parents.
They loved me very much and changed my name to “Shen Qingyang”, which was taken from “Graceful and charming, as clear as the stream”.
They treated me very well. I had clean clothes, never went hungry again, and no longer got beaten.
They said I was a kind and lovely girl.
But Mom and Dad, would a kind and lovely girl kill her own biological parents?
As I grew older, I gradually realized that I might be suffering from some kind of disease.
When I saw the kittens around the school, I always had an impulse to wring their necks and watch their breath fade away little by little.
But I remembered that when I was a child, the first time I tried to lure and kill a kitten with cured meat, my younger brother held my hand. He thought I was rescuing the kitten.
He looked at me with a pair of clear eyes and said, “Sister, you’re so nice.”
So I endured it.
A person as good as me shouldn’t do such things.
But with the long – term pretense, I was about to burst.
Just then, I met Chen Ling.
2
The first time I met her, she locked a pretty girl in the classroom and wouldn’t let her out. She was muttering, “You seduced the senior. You’re on your period, right? Tomorrow I’ll let the classmates in the class see the pool of menstrual blood you left.”
When she saw me, she looked terrified.
But I smiled.
Kittens are cute and harmless creatures. I can’t hurt them. But for someone like Chen Ling, even if I killed her, it wouldn’t matter, right?
Don’t they all say that those who punish the evil and promote the good are good people? Little brother.
3
Because of Chen Ling’s boyfriend, I got to know Zhao Cheng.
He seemed honest and decent, but I knew that the class flower committed suicide because he spread pornographic rumors about her.
So I started to approach him actively and successfully got together with him.
Several years after graduation, Chen Ling and I married into the same family.
And by using this gimmick, we started to make money through the Internet.
4
At first, I didn’t know that Chen Ling had swapped the children.
But Chen Ling was so stupid. Didn’t she know to change the name tags when she asked someone to swap the children? The mistake was quickly corrected by the nurse, and my child was still my child.
But Chen Ling didn’t know. She thought she had successfully swapped the children.
So when she was abusing Shen Junyu at home, she didn’t know that it was actually her own child.
And my child grew up day by day. No matter how I taught him, he couldn’t become a kind – hearted good boy like my younger brother.
I was losing patience.
One day, on my way home from work, I met Shen Junyu.
He politely called me “Aunt” and thoughtfully offered to help me carry things.
In that instant, I seemed to see my younger brother.
So I seriously asked him if he would like to be my son.
Shen Junyu was stunned for a moment and then refused.
Even though I saw a flash of eagerness on his face.
This scene was seen by Zhao Xiong.
He stabbed me eighteen times with a knife.
He said, “Since you don’t want to be my mom, then I’ll find another mom.”
5
Opening my eyes again, I was reborn and returned to the day when Chen Ling’s child was detected with XXY syndrome.
Since Zhao Xiong wanted to change his mom, then I’ll grant his wish.
Well, it’s definitely not that I want Junyu to be my son.
I’m fulfilling Zhao Xiong’s request. Little brother will surely understand me.
I’m still a good person, right?
6
Junyu grew up day by day. Every time I looked at him, I felt extremely at ease.
Junyu grew up to be a lovely, kind – hearted child like a gentleman as I had hoped.
He’s not a born villain at all. He’s my dearest son.
7
Zhao Cheng contacted me. He said that he had done a paternity test with Zhao Xiong and knew that Zhao Xiong was our biological son.
He asked me to give him money, otherwise he would tell Chen Ling about this.
I calculated the time and then made an agreement with him. Every year when Junyu has a birthday, if he reminds me to come and celebrate Junyu’s birthday, I will transfer money to him.
I transferred money like this for five years until Junyu was twelve years old.
8
I will eliminate all potential threats that might separate me from Junyu.
So I had someone bring Zhao Xiong to the aristocratic school and contacted Zhao Cheng on the day of Zhao Xiong’s twelfth birthday.
Only when they were both dead would no one be able to take Junyu away from me.
Little brother, I had no choice.
You will understand your sister, right?
I’m still a good person, right?
9
Over the years, I have repeatedly observed humans, studied various psychology books and novels.
I have fully learned to disguise my emotions, making my joys, angers, sorrows, and pleasures seem no different from those of a normal person.
So if I don’t tell you the truth, you’ve been deceived by me, right?
My dear reader.
(The End)
