Sometimes you have to admit that you can tell whether a person's heart is good or bad just by looking at their face; otherwise, there wouldn't be the saying "the face reflects the heart."
At this moment, Wu Tingting's face looked sharp and mean.
"You can only blame yourself for this! Blame yourself for being selfish!"
Wu Tingting looked at Aunt Tuanzi with resentment, as if the one who did the bad thing was not herself, but the other person.
She said angrily, "Do you remember how I begged you? I knelt down and kowtowed to you, I cried and begged you to give me the child... You knew perfectly well that I could never have my own child in this life. All I wanted was for you to give me one child. It's not like you can't have children. If you wanted, you and my brother could have several children!"
"That was all I asked for, but you refused no matter what!"
Finally, she concluded, "In the end, it's all your own fault. If you had agreed back then, why would I have needed to secretly take the child away? Why would all this have happened?"
Aunt Tuanzi was stunned by her logic. She said, "Just because you can't have children, does that mean I have to give you my child? What kind of logic is that?"
Wu Tingting said matter-of-factly, "I'm my brother's sister. His child is my child. What's wrong with giving me one of his children? I won't abuse a child!"
She glared at Aunt Tuanzi. "How good were you to me and my mother back then? And what did you do in return? Since you're unwilling, then I'll just have to take it from you myself!"
Aunt Tuanzi only knew that her sister-in-law was spoiled rotten by her former in-laws, but she had no idea that the other woman's thought process could be so outrageous.
She reached out and pressed her dazed head to calm herself down.
"...And then what? You had countless opportunities to tell me the truth!" Aunt Tuanzi began, "But you just watched me search for my child everywhere, watched me travel through mountains and rivers, watched me search for thirteen years!" When
she said the number "thirteen years," her tone couldn't help but carry a hint of grief and indignation—thirteen years! How many thirteen years does a person have in their life?
And her most vibrant and passionate thirteen years were wasted on the road to finding her child because of the Wu family.
Aunt Tuanzi choked back tears, saying, "How could you do this? Wu Hao, you were my husband back then! How could you treat me like this? How could you do something so vicious?"
When the child was lost, she insisted on searching for him. Even years later, when Wu Hao couldn't hold on any longer and wanted to give up, asking for a divorce, she never blamed him. But now, a surge of resentment suddenly erupted within her.
She resented her ex-husband's concealment, resented his cruelty.
Wu Hao fell silent. Wu Tingting said, "Don't talk about my brother. He also considered telling you... but who told you to keep insisting on finding the child?"
She said unhappily, "We originally thought that as time passed and the matter faded, you and my brother would have another child, and then we would slowly reveal this to you. But who knew you would be so stubborn?"
Their plan was perfect.
Yes, Li Ru would initially find it hard to accept the loss of her child, but with time, such things would eventually fade. She and her brother could have two more children, and with new children by her side, she would eventually forget the "lost" child.
After all, it was only a one-year-old baby; they had only been together for a year. How deep could the bond between mother and child be?
However, they misjudged Li Ru's stubbornness.
One year, two years, three years…
seven or eight years passed, and Li Ru remained stubbornly opinionated, showing no sign of changing her mind. She still refused to have another child with her husband, refused to forget the "lost" child, and insisted on continuing the search.
They saw no sign of giving up in her.
Under these circumstances, the Wu family dared not tell Li Ru about the situation. Given her tenacity, if they told her, their family would surely be torn apart.
Since that was the case, they had no choice but to continue hiding it. Anyway, Li Ru wouldn't recognize Bowen as her child, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, she would never discover the truth.
But who knew that an unexpected event would occur?
Wu Hao closed his eyes and said, "I knew this couldn't be hidden forever. Sooner or later, you would find out."
He looked at Aunt Tuanzi, his voice hoarse, "Li Ru, believe me, I really didn't mean to hide it from you. I only found out later myself. I thought about telling you, but I didn't know how..."
Adding to the turmoil, his mother and sister knelt down and begged him, and his sister, Wu Tingting, even attempted suicide by cutting her wrists.
Torn between his mother and sister, and his wife with whom he shared a bed... Wu Hao didn't know how he survived that period, but in the end, he clearly chose his family.
Aunt Tuanzi wiped away her tears and said, "I won't let this go. Xueya is my child, and I'm taking him away!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Tingting immediately exploded. She grabbed Wu Xueya beside her and shouted, "You're dreaming! Let me tell you, Bowen is my child! He's not your son anymore!" As she spoke
, she turned to look at Wu Xueya and hissed, "Bowen, right? You'll stay by your mother's side, won't you?"
Wu Xueya looked at her blankly, his mind a complete mess.
He was thirteen (actually fourteen, old enough to distinguish right from wrong). He had overheard and understood the argument between his mother and aunt. This meant his aunt was his biological mother, and his current mother was actually his aunt?
Wu Xueya glanced instinctively at Aunt Tuanzi, and it was this glance that led Wu Tingting to misunderstand.
"Slap!"
Wu Tingting slapped him across the face. She glared at him fiercely and demanded, "Do you want to acknowledge that woman as your mother? Don't forget who has fed and clothed you all these years, how much I've sacrificed for you, have you forgotten?"
Wu Xueya covered his face, looking at her with a trembling expression, and subconsciously apologized, "...I'm sorry, Mom."
Wu Tingting stared intently at him, saying, "You must remember, only I am your mother. Have you forgotten? All these years, you've called me 'Mom'..."
"Wu Tingting, what did you do? How could you hit the child?" Aunt Tuanzi rushed over, both anxious and angry. She reached out to touch Wu Xueya's reddened face, asking with concern, "Xueya, does it hurt?"
But before her hand could even touch her, she was shoved hard.
Wu Tingting glared at her fiercely and said, "You think I'm being nice? Let me tell you, Bowen is my son, and you can't take him away from me!"
Aunt Tuanzi stumbled from the shove, but was caught by someone. She looked up, her face lighting up with joy.
"Little Turtle?" she exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
Xu Gui smiled at her and said, "I was out having dinner with someone and just happened to be passing by... Aunt Tuanzi, are you alright?"
Aunt Tuanzi stood up straight and shook her head, saying, "I'm fine."
She turned to Wu Tingting, angrily saying, "Wu Tingting, even if you're angry, you shouldn't take it out on the child!"
"What business is it of yours if I discipline my son?" Wu Tingting sneered. "Let me tell you, Li Ru, just give up on that idea. Bowen is my child, and he always will be! All these years, I've been the one teaching him and taking care of him. What right do you have to take him back?"
"Right, Bowen?" She turned to Wu Xueya, asking softly, "You won't leave your mother, right?"
Wu Xueya's face was flushed, and two faint finger marks could still be seen. Hearing Wu Tingting's question, he nodded timidly.
Wu Hao looked at Aunt Tuanzi and said, "Li Ru, I admit that our family was wrong in this matter. I sincerely apologize to you. I know that the words 'I'm sorry' are too weak for you..."
Aunt Tuanzi pursed her lips, her eyes filled with anger as she looked at him.
Wu Hao avoided her gaze and said, "But, so many years have passed since this happened, and Bowen is all grown up now. Why should we keep bringing it up?"
Aunt Tuanzi was furious. Before she could speak, Wu Hao quickly said, "Listen to me first, and see if what I'm saying makes sense."
He sighed, "Bowen has been with Tingting all these years, and you've seen how she treats him. She really cherishes him, treating him like her own son. She gives him the best of everything."
"If it weren't for that, how could I bear to let Bowen stay with her? Besides, you should also consider the child's feelings. For so many years, he has always called Tingting 'Mom.' In his heart, his mother has always been Tingting… Children at this age are naturally sensitive. If you suddenly make him change his mother and his family, do you think he can accept it in a short time?"
"Don't you think it's too cruel for him?"
Wu Hao finally revealed his true thoughts, saying:
"Li Ru, I think, even for the sake of the child, why don't we just let this go? Otherwise, if we keep making a scene, only the child will get hurt!"
He spoke earnestly, but Xu Gui was completely bewildered: ??
Was he even speaking human language? Even turtles wouldn't say something so outrageous.
Xu Gui was angry.
But Aunt Tuanzi was genuinely swayed by Wu Hao's words. If Wu Hao had said anything else, she wouldn't have reacted this way, but when it came to the child, Aunt Tuanzi's thoughts involuntarily followed his words.
She glanced at Wu Xueya standing next to Wu Tingting, her heart clenching. She murmured, "But, but…" But this was her child, a piece of flesh that had fallen from her womb, the biological child she had searched for for thirteen years.
"Wait!"
Just then, a voice suddenly interrupted from the side.
Wu Hao paused, looked up, and saw that the speaker was the young girl standing next to Li Ru.
The other woman glared at him, her whole body bared like a small animal. She said, "Who the child belongs to is not for you to decide!"
Wu Hao was stunned: "What do you mean?"
Wu Tingting then questioned in a shrill voice, "Who are you? What business is it of yours what our family's affairs are?"
Xu Gui ignored Wu Tingting. She looked at the brother and sister and sneered, "Let me tell you, I've already called the police. You didn't inform the child's mother, but secretly took the child away and raised her for so many years... To put it nicely, this is a crime; to put it bluntly, you are human traffickers!"
Hearing this, many people in Xu Gui's live stream suddenly realized something:
[After listening to them say a lot before, I felt something was wrong. Now, after hearing Xu Gui's words, I finally understand what's wrong. This is a crime, it's human trafficking! It's not a family dispute!]
[These two siblings are really skilled! One plays the good cop, the other the bad cop; the child's biological mother was almost completely fooled!] [
Isn't this man just manipulating the child's biological mother? He keeps saying he's doing it for the child's good, but this whole thing is clearly the fault of his mother and sister. They took the child away, and then lied and said the child was lost. What kind of deep-seated hatred is that? If I were that mother, I'd be furious!]
[The main problem is that the child's biological mother has been searching for thirteen years! Not one or two years, but thirteen years! And this man keeps downplaying the issue! Damn it! I'd win with my fists. This whole family, the father is a complete idiot!] [This
is the first time I've so strongly supported Xu Gui reporting this to the police. This family is a complete human trafficker! This man is manipulating the child's biological mother; he's despicable! A piece of trash!] [
I know this family; they're my neighbors. Their story is quite infamous around here. The child's grandmother took him out to sunbathe, and when they came back in the afternoon, the child was missing. For years, this woman has been searching for the child. I heard she spends half the year earning money and the other half searching. It's incredibly hard work.
Also, this woman and the man divorced a long time ago, and he remarried within two years, having two children with his new wife. By the way, I heard that the man initially searched with the woman, but after a few years, he gave up and even advised her to give up, but she refused, so he divorced her—that's what my mom said.]
[They gave up because his mother and his mother told him that his nephew was his son, right? That despicable woman! She knew but didn't tell the child's biological mother, and watched them search for thirteen years. Is this something a normal person would do?]
[This family is absolutely despicable! Sisters, we can't let this kind of person get away with this. Everyone, please spread the word and let everyone see this. We need to let the whole internet know what kind of people this family is!] ... Netizens were all hot-tempered but also kind-hearted, swearing profusely while actively helping this family gain fame. With everyone's continuous forwarding
and promotion, Xu Gui's livestream's popularity soared, with viewership increasing from 300,000 to 500,000, and then rapidly surpassing one million in a short time. The staff monitoring the various guests' livestreams immediately noticed the abnormal increase in Xu Gui's viewership. Their first reaction was "vote rigging," since the final results of their program would also consider livestream popularity and gift value, and under such circumstances, some people might inevitably have ulterior motives. However, after checking, the staff member discovered that the livestream's popularity was actually normal! The staff member was somewhat unsure and called the director over: "Director, take a look at this guest's livestream. In just half an hour, the number of viewers has increased from 230,000 to over 1.1 million..." The director casually asked, "Vote rigging?" Staff member: "...It's normal." It was precisely because it was too normal that he found it strange, considering this guest's usual viewership. The growth rate shouldn't be this fast. The director leaned closer and asked, "Who's the guest?" Staff member: "...Let me see, it's Xu Gui...Teacher Xu Gui!" Who? Upon hearing this name, the director's ears perked up reflexively, as if he could see himself flapping his wings and embarking on a global trip again... The director was surprised, the director became wary.
"Open her live stream and show it to me," the director ordered, bending down to watch as a staff member brought up Xu Gui's live stream. He then saw the title:
[Searching for my son for thirteen years, only to discover my nephew is actually my son?]
Director: "..."
After a few seconds of silence, the director turned to the assistant director beside him and said, "Does this person think our program is some kind of vulgar live streaming channel?"
The assistant director chuckled awkwardly—he didn't know how to respond to that.
*
Meanwhile, at the school gate, when Wu Hao heard that Xu Gui had called the police, his expression froze. He clearly understood that what his mother and sister had done was utterly shameful.
A few seconds later, he looked at Aunt Tuanzi and said helplessly, "...Li Ru, this doesn't need to escalate like this, does it? After all, Bowen has been calling Tingting 'Mom' for thirteen years."
Xu Gui stood in front of Aunt Tuanzi and retorted, "You've got one thing wrong. First, this child's real name is Wu Xueya, not Bowen. Bowen was given to her by the human traffickers. Second, if your sister hadn't secretly stolen Aunt Tuanzi's son, how could she have recognized a thief as her mother and called a human trafficker 'Mom' for thirteen years? Don't get the cause and effect backwards."
"What's it to you?" Wu Tingting jumped up and down. "Who are you?"
Xu Gui said without batting an eye, "I'm nobody. I'm just a righteous bystander who didn't see you doing anything wrong, yet you're still manipulating the victim!"
She looked sharply at Wu Hao and said, "If you really think your mother and sister did nothing wrong, why are you so afraid I'll call the police? Only those who have done wrong are afraid of the police!"
Wu Hao's expression froze instantly.
Xu Gui said defiantly, "Now, let's wait for the police to come. I don't believe the police will give the child to your family of child traffickers!"
Wu Tingting shrieked, "Shut up! You're the child trafficker!"
Xu Gui took a breath—she had never been insulted like this before.
But... this Wu Tingting looked so fierce, her face contorted with rage, it was terrifying.
Xu Gui secretly took two steps back, hiding behind Aunt Tuanzi, peeking out from behind her, and shouted, "You're the child trafficker! Your whole family are child traffickers! Otherwise, ask everyone, they'll all say you're a child trafficker!"
Aunt Tuanzi, who had been filled with grief and indignation, suddenly lost her anger and indignation when Xu Gui used her as a shield, and instead felt a bit amused and exasperated.
Hearing Xu Gui's words, Wu Tingting subconsciously looked around.
It was after school, and there were many people around. Their commotion had already attracted a lot of attention; Xu Gui even saw several stall owners abandoning their stalls to come and join the fun.
At this moment, the people pointed and whispered among themselves at Wu Tingting and her brother.
When Wu Tingting looked over, someone in the crowd shouted, "You're the human trafficker!"
Everyone else was whispering, but his voice was extremely loud.
Wu Tingting couldn't help but go crazy, stomping her feet and screaming, "You're the human traffickers! You are!"
Xu Gui was stunned by her shrill voice. She covered her ears and sneakily leaned close to Aunt Tuanzi's ear—it was obvious to everyone that she was talking badly about someone.
"Aunt Tuanzi, has your former sister-in-law always been this...crazy?" she whispered to Aunt Tuanzi.
Aunt Tuanzi was amused by her sneaky appearance, and then replied with a complicated look, "...She is indeed a bit willful."
Xu Gui muttered, "She's clearly prone to going crazy..."
She glanced behind Wu Tingting and saw Aunt Tuanzi's son standing there blankly, looking quite pitiful.
Xu Gui blinked and secretly waved at him.
Wu Xueya: ?
He glanced furtively at Wu Tingting, who was going crazy over the surrounding passersby, and then at Aunt Tuanzi, who was staring at him. He hesitated and took a few steps toward them.
As he approached, Aunt Tuanzi looked at him and couldn't help but take a step forward: "Xueya."
Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was very emotional.
Wu Xueya hesitated, but at this moment, the crazed Wu Tingting had already noticed him, and her expression was absolutely furious.
"Lin Bowen!" she shouted angrily.
Wu Xueya trembled all over, a hint of fear on his face, and his steps froze. But just then, a hand reached out and pulled him into the crowd.
Wu Xueya stared wide-eyed at the person in front of him.
"Quick, quick, quick!"
Xu Gui pulled him and ran behind Aunt Tuanzi, and the two of them hid behind her.
Aunt Tuanzi's gaze couldn't help but follow them. When Xu Gui saw her turn around, she said happily and proudly, "Aunt Tuanzi, I snatched your son away!"
She thought her actions were very cool, but in reality...
[Hahaha, why does my daughter look so thieving!]
[She's clearly doing a good deed, but she's making it look like she's doing something wrong, it's really amazing!]
[Go, daughter, hurry up and take this child back to his mother!]
[What a mutual love, but that woman seems to be going crazy again!]
...
Aunt Tuanzi looked at the two faces in her eyes and suddenly burst out laughing.
As she laughed, tears streamed down her face. She couldn't help but reach out and gently patted Xu Gui's head, then moved her right hand and gently placed her palm on Wu Xueya's head.
"Good boy..." she whispered, more tears flowing from her eyes, but the look in her eyes gradually became firm.
Wu Xueya was pulled into a half-squatting position by Xu Gui. He looked up, his expression blank, his eyes filled with Aunt Tuanzi's face.
After Aunt Tuanzi turned her head, he reached up and touched his face, his fingers slightly damp—a tear that had inadvertently fallen on his cheek when Aunt Tuanzi had just cried.
At that moment, Wu Xueya didn't know what to feel, only a sense of helplessness.
*
Aunt Tuanzi turned to look at Wu Tingting, who was going crazy because of Wu Xueya's departure, and a fierce glint appeared in her eyes.
—This time, she would absolutely not let her child be taken away again.
But before she could do anything, she felt a force behind her pulling her backward, and then a voice shouted from behind her.
"Help! Child traffickers are snatching children! Help!"
Aunt Tuanzi: ??
Aunt Tuanzi was bewildered.