Chapter 62: Be the Matrilocal Son-in-Law of the Chu Family

At the doorway, a figure hovered cautiously, intending to slip away.

"Elder Chu, everything is fine now. I'll be taking my leave."

Zhao Qiang turned around with a forced, ingratiating smile. "You don't need to thank me specially for what happened today. I'm just a man who does good deeds without leaving his name. If that eldest miss of the Chu family had really been married off to Zhang Zihao, her entire life would have been ruined."

Though he wore a cheeky grin, Zhao Qiang's heart was pounding. He had only talked back to Elder Chu out of desperation and certainly didn't mean to do so intentionally.

"Grandfather, I was the one who invited him here. I hope you won't make things difficult for him."

Panicking slightly, Chu Menghao stepped forward to put in a good word for Zhao Qiang.

"When has your grandfather ever been the kind of person to jump to conclusions?"

Elder Chu let out a cold hum. "If I were, I wouldn't have let you finish speaking just now."

"Your grandfather may be old, but he isn't blind to right and wrong. Even though I treat Zhang Zihao like my own grandson, I am still a reasonable man."

Although Elder Chu had remained silent throughout the earlier commotion, he had observed everything. A real man should have the courage to take responsibility for his actions. Standing there hesitating with so many eyes on him—if you're going to act boldly, there's nothing to be afraid of. Talking so much usually just meant one lacked the courage to act. It seemed the Zhang family grandson, in whom he had placed such high hopes, was not a suitable match for his granddaughter after all.

"So everything was within Elder Chu's calculations after all. I am filled with absolute admiration."

Zhao Qiang laid on the flattery thick and fast, desperate to escape this place of trouble.

"Enough of that nonsense with me."

Elder Chu's expression darkened. "Let me tell you this: while I can forgive you for talking back to me, you have behaved far too presumptuously here in the Chu residence. If I don't teach you a lesson, won't people in the future think the Chu family is easy to bully?"

Elder Chu was angry—very angry.

"Grandfather, didn't you just say..." Chu Menghao asked anxiously.

"I said what I said, but you brought an outsider here to cause a massive scene in our home and ruin the engagement banquet," Elder Chu raised his voice. "If you think only the Zhang family lost face, you are gravely mistaken. This concerns the reputation of the entire Chu family!"

Chu Tiankuo chimed in, "Dad, Menghao is just a child who acts without thinking of the consequences. She was only fixated on the outcome."

Though his daughter's actions were extreme, Chu Tiankuo also felt there was no real need for an alliance with the Zhang family.

"Great-grandfather, you are not allowed to yell at my mommy and daddy!"

Little Taozi popped up from who knows where, shielding Zhao Qiang with her tiny body as she glared indignantly at Elder Chu.

Seeing Little Taozi, Elder Chu's expression softened slightly. "Sweetheart, Great-grandfather wasn't yelling."

"Great-grandfather, if you yell at my mommy and daddy again, I won't talk to you anymore."

Little Taozi jutted out her lower lip, wearing an expression of supreme haughtiness.

She was the little princess of the Chu family, someone no one dared to provoke. Elder Chu could only respond with a placating smile; despite her young age, the little girl held a serious grudge.

"Well, Elder Chu, I still have matters at home, so I'll be heading off."

At that moment, Zhao Qiang felt like dying. No matter what, he could not acknowledge his relationship with Little Taozi here. If he did, the Chu family would surely skin him alive. With that thought, he turned to leave. At worst, he could come back another day to pick up Little Taozi.

"Daddy, Daddy, where are you going?"

Little Taozi clutched tightly onto Zhao Qiang's trousers, dragging with all her might to prevent him from leaving.

"Will you tell me another story tonight, please?"

Little Taozi looked up at Zhao Qiang with eyes full of anticipation.

Elder Chu, Chu Tiankuo, and Yang Xuemi all turned their gazes toward Zhao Qiang, their brows furrowing in deep confusion.

"Why is Little Taozi calling you Daddy?"

Elder Chu was the first to speak, his tone severe.

"Menghao, what is the meaning of this?"

Chu Tiankuo followed up immediately, his gaze locked onto Chu Menghao.

When Little Taozi used to call the wrong person in the past, it wasn't like this—she would just chatter on endlessly, and nothing like this had ever happened before. Elder Chu had a gut feeling that the identity of the man who had wreaked havoc in the Chu household was far from simple.

"Grandfather, this..." Chu Menghao hesitated, torn internally. Should she really tell them? If she did, she had no idea how her parents and grandfather would treat Zhao Qiang. Unsure of what would happen, she could only look helplessly at Zhao Qiang.

"Menghao, could he actually be Little Taozi's father?"

Yang Xuemi reacted instantly. A woman's intuition was remarkably sharp. Little Taozi had always been close to her and would never call a complete stranger with such deep affection. They must have interacted previously; otherwise, it was impossible to be so familiar upon a first meeting.

"Grandma, Mommy said he really is my daddy!"

"Daddy even told me stories and held Little Taozi while she went to sleep!"

Little Taozi spoke with the sweetest voice, her face radiating pure happiness.

Hearing that, Zhao Qiang gave up any hope of fabricating an excuse. A knot tightened in his chest, and he knew he was in deep trouble now. Since his daughter was so happy, he certainly couldn't deny he was her father! Dammit, he had been reborn, so what was there to be afraid of? If he didn't even dare to acknowledge his own biological daughter, what kind of man was he?

"Zhao Qiang, I'm giving you a chance. Don't throw it away!"

Elder Chu's gaze burned like a torch as he stared fixedly at Zhao Qiang.

"Alright, Elder Chu, since you've asked..."

"I won't hide my identity anymore. I am Little Taozi's father."

Zhao Qiang took a deep breath, as if making a monumental decision.

As soon as those words left his mouth, both Chu Tiankuo and Yang Xuemi were utterly stunned. The man the Chu family had spent years searching for was actually standing right in front of them.

Having obtained Zhao Qiang's confirmation, Elder Chu looked back at his granddaughter and asked once more.

"Menghao, you tell us."

Elder Chu's voice was low and commanding.

Chu Menghao bit her lip before finally confessing, "Grandfather, Dad, Little Taozi is Zhao Qiang's daughter."

Elder Chu's expression turned gloomy. "Menghao, explain this clearly to me. What on earth is going on?"

"Didn't you say you didn't know Little Taozi's father?"

"That you had never met him and could never find him again? What is this situation now?"

Elder Chu was furious. He felt as though he had been deceived by his granddaughter, and the fire in his heart raged upward.

Chu Menghao took a deep breath. "Grandfather, I only found him recently, and truly, I didn't know him before. It was only after I left that I discovered I was pregnant with Little Taozi, and I decided to have her."

Chu Tiankuo roared, "Absurd! How could you keep such a massive matter hidden from the family?"

To think they had found Little Taozi's biological father and still proceeded with an engagement to the Zhang family—if word of this got out, it would be an absolute disgrace.

In truth, Chu Menghao had been trying to protect her younger sister, Chu Siqi. If Menghao failed to marry into the Zhang family, her younger sister would be pushed forward in her place. Their grandfather would never allow anyone to sabotage the alliance between the two families unless something went wrong on the Zhang family's end; hence, she had resorted to this scheme.

Yang Xuemi complained from the side, "Menghao, where on earth do you expect the Chu family to put their face after this?"

At that moment, Chu Siqi hurried back into the room.

"Dad, Mom, Grandfather, I actually knew about this too. Please don't blame Eldest Sister; she was only afraid of dragging me into it."

Chu Siqi anxiously pleaded on Chu Menghao's behalf. If her eldest sister couldn't marry into the Zhang family, the marriage would fall onto her shoulders instead.

Seeing everyone shifting the blame onto Chu Menghao, Zhao Qiang stepped forward. "This is all my fault. It has nothing to do with the eldest miss."

As a man, it was his duty to shoulder the responsibility. The Chu family was a prominent household; surely they wouldn't actually do anything to him, right? He might as well take the blame entirely off Chu Menghao's shoulders—consider it repayment for raising Little Taozi all these years.

"Elder Chu, Uncle, if you have any grievances, direct your anger entirely at me. Even though I wasn't aware of things back then, I take full responsibility now."

Zhao Qiang's expression was unwavering. This was his burden to bear.

Elder Chu fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Since matters have come to this, what do you intend to do?"

Zhao Qiang's gaze was firm. "I will take responsibility. Little Taozi is my daughter, and of course, I will take good care of her."

"Rest assured, I won't snatch Little Taozi away from you; I just want to come and see her often."

"And what about my granddaughter? Are you just going to abandon her?"

Elder Chu's voice rose a notch. Zhao Qiang's words were genuinely baffling—every single sentence was about Little Taozi, yet he didn't utter a single word about his own granddaughter, Chu Menghao.

After today's fiasco, the prestige of the Chu family would inevitably take a hit. Elder Chu was a traditional man who believed strongly in original marriage ties. Now that the man had been found, he would never allow Chu Menghao to marry anyone else.

"What do you mean? The eldest miss hasn't married yet, and I certainly wouldn't want to ruin her future."

"Don't worry, I'll just visit Little Taozi and will never interfere with the eldest miss's life."

Zhao Qiang quickly assured him, driven purely by the instinct for survival. He was terrified that if he spoke too slowly, Elder Chu would throw him out on his ear, making it infinitely harder to see Little Taozi in the future.

Elder Chu let out a cold snort. "So, you don't intend to take responsibility for my granddaughter?"

"She gave birth to your child, and now you plan to just wipe your hands clean and walk away? Does such a wonderful deal exist anywhere under the heavens?"

"What does that mean? Elder Chu, can you please speak plainly?"

Zhao Qiang looked utterly bewildered; he genuinely could not fathom Elder Chu's train of thought. What on earth was he getting at? Did he seriously expect him to take care of the eldest miss as well? He was an outsider, and Chu Menghao would eventually marry someone else and have a new husband—how awkward and inconvenient would that be for him?

"What I mean is, you will become the live-in son-in-law of the Chu family."

Gazing sharply at Zhao Qiang, Elder Chu laid down his demand.