"That's not right."
Tears streamed down her face as she poured out her feelings, but Fu Jingshu remained unmoved. He even pointed out her lies with chilling clarity. "You're lying. When you stole Nuonuo, she was only one year old. You got close to Chen Zhisheng with the sole intention of taking this child away."
This meant that long before he had fallen for someone else, back when he was still searching for her, she had already committed this unforgivable act.
Lu Wanying shifted her gaze, her voice faltering, "I, I just liked that child so much..."
"Liar!"
Fu Jingshu's eyes turned icily cold. "According to my investigation, you didn't treat Nuonuo well at all. You were always hitting and scolding her. Is this what you call liking her?"
Lu Wanying's lips trembled. She didn't know how to retort.
How could he have investigated even this?
Didn't he dislike Nuonuo?!
Chen Zhisheng, who had been eavesdropping in the next private room, could no longer bear it. He stormed in, his eyes blazing with fury. "Lu Wanying, you beast!"
Lu Wanying's face turned deathly pale at the sight of him.
Chen Zhisheng's eyes were bloodshot, his expression contorted in a terrifying grimace. "You stole my child and then treated her poorly! You wicked woman, you deserve to die ten thousand times over and it still wouldn't be enough!"
Lu Wanying instinctively took a step back, a chill of fear coursing through her.
"No, I... I didn't..."
Before she could finish, she felt a cold gaze upon her. It was Fu Jingshu. He hadn't said a word, yet his presence was filled with unspoken threat.
For some inexplicable reason, she felt a certainty: if she dared to lie again, he would produce evidence and cast her into an abyss of despair.
Her lips quivered, and she dared not argue further. Instead, she tried to shift the blame. "No, Jingshu, who told you I abused Nuonuo? Was it that girl? It's all lies! She's deceiving you. She's always trying to gain your sympathy this way. I didn't agree..."
Outside the private room, Shen Qingqing stood with Nuonuo. The little girl wanted to go inside, but Shen Qingqing held her back. Nuonuo looked at her with eyes full of hatred.
Suddenly, hearing these words, Nuonuo froze.
What was Mommy saying?
How could she...
Shen Qingqing glanced at the stunned little girl, feeling a pang of sympathy. She let go, and Nuonuo immediately pushed open the door to the private room and rushed in.
"Nuonuo..."
Lu Wanying's face turned ashen the moment she saw the child.
Chen Zhisheng's first instinct was to shield the child behind him, covering her ears. But it was too late. She had already heard what she shouldn't have.
He cast a reproachful glance at Shen Qingqing, but dared not voice his disapproval.
Nuonuo felt deeply disappointed, but the person before her was her mother. A sliver of hope remained in her heart, a longing to return to her mother's embrace.
"Mommy..."
To her surprise, Lu Wanying suddenly lunged at them with a wild frenzy.
"Let go of my daughter!"
Chen Zhisheng jumped in shock. He instinctively scooped up the child and stumbled back a few steps, evading Lu Wanying's contorted, almost deranged face.
Fu Jingshu's brow furrowed. His immediate reaction was to shield Shen Qingqing.
Lu Wanying missed, lunging into empty air. When she looked up, she saw all four of them recoiling from her as if she were something monstrous.
She had completely lost her mind.
"Ahhh! You're all doing this to me! Nuonuo, you little beast! I raised you, I was your mommy, and you treat me like this?!"
Nuonuo's eyes widened, tears involuntarily streaming down her face.
"Mommy..."
Lu Wanying roared, "Shut up! You don't deserve to call me Mommy. If you truly consider me your mother, then leave Chen Zhisheng immediately!"
Nuonuo flinched, feeling as if she had returned to the days of being beaten. She tried to get down from Chen Zhisheng's arms, but he stopped her.
"Nuonuo, don't go. She doesn't seem normal right now."
Nuonuo hesitated. She knew that if she went down, she would be beaten. Her mother always treated her this way when she had these episodes.
But...
This hesitation caused Lu Wanying to completely lose the last shred of her sanity.
She smashed a wine glass on the table, picked up a shard, her expression manic. "You dare to snatch my child away! You're taking my daughter! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
The more she acted like this, the less likely it was that Chen Zhisheng would give the child to her.
"You're truly insane!"
"You dare to snatch my child!" Lu Wanying had completely lost control. Looking at Chen Zhisheng, whom she now saw as an enemy, she knew she had nothing. The only thing she possessed that wouldn't betray her was Nuonuo. Her thoughts were chaotic, her face pale as she thought.
She couldn't lose Nuonuo!
She gritted her teeth, veins bulging on her forehead, and lunged at Chen Zhisheng, brandishing the shard of glass.
Chen Zhisheng, of course, was not afraid of a woman. Even though she looked crazed, like a lunatic, he never expected that as he tried to subdue Lu Wanying, she would suddenly lunge towards Nuonuo.
"Get out of the way!" he roared, his eyes wide with shock and fury.
Nuonuo stood frozen in fear, her mind blank.
Lu Wanying muttered a terrifying curse, "I'll kill you, then you'll be with me forever!"
As she was about to harm Nuonuo, Fu Jingshu and Shen Qingqing, who were too far away, couldn't reach them in time. Chen Zhisheng, in his shock and anger, unleashed an unprecedented burst of strength. At the critical moment, he grabbed Lu Wanying!
They both tumbled to the ground.
During the struggle, Chen Zhisheng felt a sharp pain in his arm. He quickly released Lu Wanying, got up, and saw a three-inch-long wound on his arm.
Blood flowed freely.
But his first concern was Nuonuo. Seeing that the child was unharmed, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Fu Jingshu and Shen Qingqing intervened in time, subduing Lu Wanying and disarming her. Lu Wanying lay on the ground, still restless, spewing curses.
Shen Qingqing looked at Chen Zhisheng. "You should go to the hospital to get it bandaged."
Chen Zhisheng didn't object. He wanted to take Lu Wanying to the hospital as well. Someone who was not mentally well should be handed over to a psychiatrist.
At the hospital, Lu Wanying was taken away.
Shen Qingqing accompanied Chen Zhisheng to get his wound bandaged. While the doctor was stopping the bleeding, Nuonuo held onto Chen Zhisheng's other arm.
This was the first time since father and daughter had met that she had actively approached Chen Zhisheng like this.
Shen Qingqing and Fu Jingshu exchanged a look. Shen Qingqing whispered, "It seems this was an accident, and a good thing at that."
Chen Zhisheng was also happy that his daughter was willing to get close to him. He felt the pain was worth it, even thinking to himself that another stab might not be so bad.
He gently circled Nuonuo. "Don't be afraid. Daddy's here. Daddy will protect you."
Nuonuo had never understood what a father represented before. But looking at him now, she seemed to understand.
Perhaps, a father represented an unparalleled sense of security.
One that no one else could provide.
She hugged Chen Zhisheng, looking at his arm as it was being bandaged. She couldn't help but sniffle, her eyes red, and began to cry.
Chen Zhisheng's heart ached even more at the sight. He stroked her hair. "Don't cry. It doesn't hurt."