Qin Juan thanked the teacher and took Ningning into her arms from the teacherâs embrace, comforting her while apologizing.
It was her fault for not arriving on time, which led to the person frightening her daughter.
Only after Ningningâs emotions were soothed did she shield her daughter behind her and scoffed, "Your mother cares for her child? From the day Ningning was born, she never gave her a proper look, despising her for being a girl. Zhang Wenbin, does it make any sense for you to say this? Didnât you find another woman to bear you a son? And now youâre claiming you miss your child so much that you canât eat or sleep, isnât that laughable?"
"What are you saying? No matter what, I am Ningningâs father, her blood flows in my veins, and Iâve raised her with affection. How could I not miss her? Even if there are some misunderstandings between us, you canât keep a child from seeing her father, can you?"
"Misunderstandings? Zhang Wenbin, you have the nerve to call it a misunderstanding?"
If it werenât for the presence of the child, Qin Juan really wished she could tear away his facade of decency.
He had been caught red-handed in bed by his own brother and still had the audacity to speak of misunderstandings.
Not wanting to argue further with this man, Qin Juan pulled Ningning and walked away.
This was Ningningâs school, surrounded by her classmates.
She didnât want this incident to cause her classmates to judge Ningning, nor did she want Ningning to become a topic of gossip among others.
Naturally, Zhang Wenbin wouldnât give up so easily. This indeed wasnât the place for such a conversation.
Although Zhang Wenbin no longer lived in the city, he still cared about his reputation.
There were too many people around for him to face being scolded by Qin Juan in public.
Qin Juan walked a few steps with Ningning but stopped when she heard footsteps behind and saw her daughter looking back constantly, her small hand gripping hers tighter and tighter.
"Zhang Wenbin, why are you following us? Weâre already divorced, we no longer have any relationship. If you keep following us, Iâll report you to the police."
Zhang Wenbin looked around, seeing fewer people nearby, and suddenly his expression turned affectionate, "Juanzi, donât be like this. You know how much youâre hurting me inside? I know I was wrong. I came today to apologize to you and Ningning. I was blinded and fooled by another woman..."
"Thereâs no need to tell me what you were like before," Qin Juan coldly interrupted before Zhang Wenbin could finish his affectionate speech, "No matter what, we have nothing to do with each other now."
"How can we have nothing to do with each other? Ningning is my daughter. Even if you donât want to deal with me, you canât stop me from seeing Ningning, can you? Juanzi, I know I wronged you before. Iâve thought about it these days. For Ningningâs sake, canât you give me another chance? Ningning is so young; she canât grow up without a father. What will happen if she gets bullied at school?"
"No one is bullying me," a childish voice suddenly spoke up as Little Ningning puffed her cheeks and clenched her small fists, speaking earnestly, "My aunt told me that if anyone bullies me, she will take revenge for me. My aunt is very powerful, and so is Yuan Bao, they wonât let Ningning be bullied."
Qin Juan followed with a scoff, "Do you hear that? We have people to back us up; we donât need your false concern. Zhang Wenbin, think about what your Zhang Family did to us mother and daughter. The time we were most bullied and mistreated was at Zhang Familyâs place. Every day away from the Zhang Family is a happy day. I will never return, and neither will Ningning. Just give up on that idea."
Having said that, Qin Juan walked away with Ningning.
Zhang Wenbin didnât expect Qin Juan to treat him with such an attitude, and even more surprisingly, his own daughter as well.
She was his biological daughter, and though he hadnât given much care to his daughter, he didnât feel he owed her anything over the years.
Suddenly, all his suppressed emotions lost patience, and he quickly stepped forward, blocking their way.
His earlier face, more affectionate than any dog, had changed.
"Qin Juan, did you plan this all along? Did you always want to get rid of me? I didnât know you were so scheming. It turns out that in all the years we were married, you were playing two faces at home. And now, youâre going to turn the tables and blame everything on us. Qin Juan, youâve played the game well."
"I donât know what youâre talking about," Qin Juan didnât want to entangle with him and turned to walk in another direction.
Zhang Wenbin simply grabbed her arm, "You really donât know what Iâm talking about? The Qinâs Restaurant where you are working now is your familyâs, right? To have the restaurant right under my nose and me not even knowing about it, you still say youâre not playing games? An Cityâs Qinâs Buns Shop, Xiyang Food Factory, who would have thought that your Qin Family would be so capable, becoming well-known local business owners. You never let on about it, what exactly are your intentions?"
If she had revealed even a little bit, they might not have ended up divorcing.
He knew his mother well enough; even if she didnât think much of Qin Juan, given that Qin Juanâs family had some capabilities, she wouldnât have been too harsh on Qin Juan.
He knew this, didnât Qin Juan know as well?
Yet she deliberately concealed her familyâs situation, perhaps wanting to provoke his mother into acting up, so she could have a reason for divorce, right?
"Youâve wanted to divorce me all along, havenât you? Saying that I wronged you, but in reality, you had already betrayed me in your heart."
Zhang Wenbin looked ferocious, scaring Little Ningning into crying again.
Seeing her child frightened into tears, Qin Juan struggled to break free from his grip.
She then let go of Ningningâs hand and slapped him across the face.
The sound of the crisp slap echoed, Zhang Wenbinâs eyes widening in disbelief.
Over the years, it had always been him laying hands on Qin Juan, and after her one attempt at resistance, he punished her severely, intimidating her into never retaliating again. From that moment on, she never dared to lay a hand on him.
But now, divorced, she had the audacity to raise a hand against him, striking his face.
In that instant, all the mental preparation he had for this encounter was forgotten, and all his emotions turned into a challenge against him.
"You dare to hit me? Qin Juan, listen to me, you wronged me first, so this divorce doesnât count. Ningning should not be yours, she belongs to our Zhang Family, and should be with me. If you know whatâs good for you, come back with me, or else youâll never see your daughter again in this lifetime."
While speaking, Zhang Wenbin reached out to grab Ningning.
Ningning was Qin Juanâs weakness; he was certain that once he had Ningning, he would make Qin Juan submit to him.
He would repay the humiliation of this slap, sooner or later.
Ningningâs arm was grabbed, and she cried out in fear.
Qin Juan, frantic, wrapped her arms around Ningning and, in a moment of desperation, bit down hard on Zhang Wenbinâs arm.