Chapter 23: Mom, Dad, Could You Please Stop Arguing?

Zhao Qiang froze for a moment, instinctively looking at Chu Mengyao.

Liu Ruyan continued, "Zhao Qiang, if you dare to have another woman, I will absolutely expose your scandals and ruin your reputation."

"Ha, Liu Ruyan, you should worry about yourself first!" Zhao Qiang retorted bluntly. It was ridiculous for her to shift the blame onto him. She was hardly innocent herself, yet expected others to be completely devoted to her—she had no shame.

Just as he hung up, his mother called. "Where is the soy sauce I told you to buy?" her confused voice came through the receiver. She had been waiting for a long time and hadn't seen him yet.

"This..." Zhao Qiang was speechless; he had completely forgotten about the soy sauce.

He Fen's voice woke up Little Taozi, who chirped, "Daddy!"

"Son, who is that talking?" He Fen asked from the other end.

"Daddy, who are you talking to?" Little Taozi asked, rubbing her eyes in a daze.

"Mom, I'm not coming home tonight. I didn't buy the soy sauce, so you'll have to go downstairs yourself. I'll come back tomorrow and explain. That's all, I'm hanging up!" Zhao Qiang hurriedly ended the call and let out a sigh of relief.

"Ms. Chu, are you just going to sit there and watch?" Zhao Qiang looked at Chu Mengyao with a hint of resentment.

"She's your daughter; what does that have to do with me?" Chu Mengyao, holding a wine glass in one slender, pale arm, looked utterly indifferent.

"Fine, you win!" Zhao Qiang gritted his teeth and picked up Little Taozi, intending to lull her back to sleep.

"Hey, change that ringtone of yours. Did you hear me?" Chu Mengyao said loudly, clearly annoyed by the sound.

"Why?" Zhao Qiang asked, puzzled.

"I don't like it, that's why." Her tone was firm. Every time she heard that song, she was reminded of that night, and it put her in a foul mood.

"I'm not changing it. Why should I?" Zhao Qiang had his own pride. He wasn't afraid of her; he wasn't an employee of the Chu Group, and he didn't owe her a single cent.

"Are you going to change it or not?" Chu Mengyao’s beautiful eyes widened as she glared at him.

"I'm sorry, that’s my personal preference. Ms. Chu, I don't think you have the right to dictate that!" Zhao Qiang didn't back down. Besides, he had saved her life once—who was afraid of whom?

"I may not have the right, but my fist does!" The damn jerk dared to act arrogant in front of her. If she didn't teach him a lesson today, he would definitely get carried away in the future. Chu Mengyao raised her fist, ready to strike.

Just then, Little Taozi kissed both of them on the cheek, instantly silencing the car.

"Daddy, Mommy, please stop fighting, okay?" Little Taozi's large, watery eyes were filled with such pleading that they couldn't refuse.

"I'll let you off this time, but if there's a next time, you'll taste my 'scissors kick'!" Chu Mengyao stomped her foot, her legs trembling slightly.

"I'm only letting it go for my daughter's sake. I don't eat your rice, so what right do you have to boss me around?" Zhao Qiang wasn't going to coddle her; he had his own backbone.

"Be careful, or you'll be deceived by Liu Ruyan without even knowing it," Chu Mengyao suddenly remarked with a cold snort.

"What do you mean?" Zhao Qiang’s heart tightened; he had a bad premonition.

"Change that lousy ringtone, and I'll tell you." Chu Mengyao’s lips curled into a sly smile.

"Fine, I'll change it." Zhao Qiang changed the ringtone right in front of her; he was desperate for the answer. Liu Ruyan had previously refused to do a paternity test, but now she had suddenly agreed. What exactly was she up to?

"Are you sure the twins in Liu Ruyan's belly aren't yours?" Chu Mengyao asked, confirming once more.

"That's a stupid question," Zhao Qiang replied irritably. If they were his, would he have made such a scene?

"Is a paternity test result always accurate?" Chu Mengyao smirked, her expression ambiguous.

"What do you mean?" Zhao Qiang’s eyes widened in shock.

"If I wanted to tamper with something, I could certainly provide you with a fake one." Chu Mengyao swirled her wine glass, her leg still bouncing. "Is it really that hard to rig something like that?" She lifted the glass, pressed her red lips to the rim, and tilted her head back to finish the wine in one go. A few drops of red wine trickled down her pale neck.

"Faking a paternity test is a crime. Would they really dare?" Recalling this, Zhao Qiang froze, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"The reason they might not dare is because the money wasn't enough," Chu Mengyao said with a faint smile. "You are still too naive; you were almost swindled."

"Are you saying the lab technician would tamper with it?" Zhao Qiang was sweating profusely, a wave of fear washing over him. He had almost been played by Liu Ruyan. She must have gone to Zhang Zihao; without the confidence he provided, she wouldn't have dared to bring up a paternity test with him.

"Not necessarily. Anyone handling the samples can tamper with the documentation," Chu Mengyao said calmly. She had seen it all before. "Don't worry, though. Maybe the brat in Liu Ruyan’s belly really is yours?" she teased, having not felt this entertained in a long time.

"If you need help, I can—" Before she could finish, Zhao Qiang cut her off.

"No need, I can find others to help." Zhao Qiang was firm; he knew this woman would have demands, and he wouldn't fall for it.

"Is it that female police officer from earlier?" Chu Mengyao frowned, a trace of displeasure appearing on her face.

"Ms. Chu, that seems to have nothing to do with you!" Zhao Qiang didn't like her overbearing personality; she wasn't cute at all. Still, she was better than Liu Ruyan—at least Chu Mengyao, despite being bossy, was reasonable. Liu Ruyan was just hot-tempered and irrational. Beyond her perfect figure and beauty, she had no redeeming qualities.

"Hmph, don't forget our partnership!"

"I certainly haven't!"

"If the report is fake, don't alert Zhang Zihao." Chu Mengyao reminded him. Only by dealing Zhang Zihao a heavy blow and humiliating the Zhang family could their marriage alliance be broken. If that happened, her grandfather wouldn't be able to interfere with her affairs anymore.

Zhao Qiang felt this woman was deep and calculating, but he decided to cooperate with her just this once, for Little Taozi's sake.

"What is it?"

"It’s been a month and you still haven't come up with a satisfactory theme song for the disabled athletes' project? What use are you music company people if you can't handle a small task like this?"

"Are you forcing me to fire all the artists in your company?" After receiving a message, Chu Mengyao immediately began berating someone on the phone. She owned many companies, primarily in music, film, and technology. One of her products was designed for people with disabilities, and she needed a theme song for an upcoming event. She had listened to several versions, but none satisfied her, even after multiple revisions.

"A theme song for the disabled?" Zhao Qiang was stunned. The knowledge and culture in this world were different from his previous one.

"That has nothing to do with you. We are only partners, so stop prying," Chu Mengyao said coldly. She didn't like others interfering in her business.

"I can help you with this, but I'll charge a fee."

"You? You can write songs?" Chu Mengyao scoffed, not believing him at all.

"Of course I can. Fine, since we're partners, I'll help you this once." Zhao Qiang typed out the lyrics to "Invisible Wings" on his phone. If it weren't for his own inability to carry a tune, he would have been a famous singer already. "You can take this and try it out."

He sent the document to Chu Mengyao. She hesitated but forwarded it to her music company to have them take a look. She didn't understand music composition herself; she only cared about the final result. Even so, she held no hope. She just considered it a favor to Little Taozi. If it was rejected, she would at least have a reason to tell him to keep quiet in the future.

"Don't get your hopes up. Music composition requires a certain level of talent."

"I'll give you this chance, but if you dare to interfere in my company's affairs again... hmph!"