Chapter 8: Stepmother
1263 Words
Lawyer Li was surprised. Who wouldn’t know their own mother had passed away?
“Mr. Xiao, Mrs. Xiao passed away a few days ago.”
Hearing the news, Xiao Zheyan was stunned. He sank back into his chair, unable to accept the reality.
Especially when Lawyer Li added, “Mrs. Xiao died of late-stage cancer.”
He worked in hospital research himself, yet couldn’t save his own mother. Worse, he never even saw her one last time.
She must have been deeply disappointed in him in her final moments—her son, whom she had raised with so much effort, wasn’t by her side at the end.
That was the greatest regret, for both the living and the dead.
Gathering himself, he called Lawyer Li again.
“Send me the will you mentioned.”
Soon, his phone received a file—just a single page.
Only one name was on it: Qiao Yu.
All of his mother’s property and liquid assets had been left to her.
His wife in name only, the woman who had cared for his mother these past three years. It was clear how much his mother had trusted and approved of her.
What Xiao Zheyan didn’t know was that his mother had left the inheritance to Qiao Mo out of fear she would be bullied by the Xiao family and might abort the child in anger.
The child was her only hope. She wanted to leave Qiao Mo enough money so that financial hardship wouldn’t force her to give up the baby.
Yet before the inheritance was transferred, Qiao Mo was still struggling financially.
Xiao Zheyan messaged Lawyer Li: “Once Qiao Yu signs the divorce papers, release the inheritance to her.”
This was, in a way, making up for all the shortcomings he had caused her in the past three years.
“Understood,” Lawyer Li replied quickly.
With his mother gone, he had nothing left to hold back. Xiao Zheyan planned to go home that evening and see if his mother had left anything for him.
After work, Xiao Zheyan drove straight to the Xiao mansion. The butler was startled to see him.
“Young master, why are you only back now?”
Xiao Zheyan’s voice was hoarse. “I already know about my mother.”
The butler said nothing, having no right to scold him for being late. He just shook his head regretfully.
Once inside, Xiao Zheyan noticed a strange woman in the house.
Frowning, he asked coldly, “Who are you?”
At that moment, Xiao Zhen stepped out of the study and stood protectively beside the woman.
“She’s your and Qingqing’s stepmother.”
Stepmother?
“My mother died less than half a month ago,” Xiao Zheyan said, his tone tinged with anger.
Xiao Zhen was indifferent. “So what? I never had much feeling for your mother anyway. Even if she were alive, I’d bring another woman home sooner or later.”
Xiao Zheyan gritted his teeth. “Don’t you think you’ve gone too far?”
“Too far?” Xiao Zhen sneered. “You haven’t been home for three years and didn’t even attend your mother’s funeral. Tell me, which of us is worse?”
His words stabbed Xiao Zheyan’s heart. He realized just how much the Xiao family had wronged his mother.
She had raised a son and a daughter for the Xiao family, and in the end, the only one by her side was a daughter-in-law with no blood relation.
According to Lawyer Li, Qiao Mo had organized the entire funeral alone.
He had also heard that Qiao Mo was pregnant, and the child definitely wasn’t his.
But none of that mattered anymore. For his mother’s sake, he wouldn’t blame Qiao Mo.
Not wanting to argue further, Xiao Zheyan said bluntly, “I’m here to collect my mother’s belongings. I’ll leave right after.”
“Your mother didn’t leave any belongings behind,” said Xiao Zhen’s new woman coldly. “That old woman’s stuff was all taken away by her precious daughter-in-law.”
“And it wasn’t even worth much. Why do you still want it?” she sneered.
Xiao Zheyan shot her a dagger-like glare. “My matters don’t concern you.”
Xiao Zhen was annoyed by his tone and snapped, “Xiao Zheyan, how do you talk to your stepmother like that?”
He snorted coldly through his nose. “I’ve never accepted that woman. If she wants to be my stepmother, she can try again in the next life.”
Since Qiao Yu had already taken the belongings, Xiao Zheyan saw no reason to stay. With that, he turned to leave.
Just as he reached the door, he ran into Xiao Qing coming in.
“Brother, didn’t you say you wouldn’t come home?” she asked, surprised.
Xiao Zheyan wasn’t in the mood to argue with her about why no one had told him about their mother’s death. What was done was done.
He kept his frustration inside, ignored her questions, and pushed past her.
“Brother, why are you leaving just after you came back?”
Xiao Qing followed closely, bombarding him, “Brother, have you eaten? You’re home, why not stay?”
“Brother, where are you going?”
Annoyed, Xiao Zheyan stopped, turned, and narrowed his eyes at her.
“When did that woman come into the Xiao family’s home?”
“That woman?” Xiao Qing caught on. “You mean the stepmother?”
The word came out so naturally.
“Our mom just died not long ago. How can you accept someone else replacing her so quickly?” Xiao Qing rolled her eyes at him, thinking her brother was old enough to know better.
“Brother, even if Mom hadn’t died, Dad would have brought another woman home sooner or later.”
Those words were exactly what Xiao Zhen had said.
“Xiao Qing, when did you get so cold-hearted?”
He always thought his sister was innocent. No matter what, she was their real mother!
Xiao Qing shrugged. “A loveless marriage usually ends like this.”
“Just like you and Qiao Yu. Tell me, don’t you plan to divorce her?” she shot back.
Xiao Zheyan was speechless again.
Red-eyed, he said, “Qiao Yu and I are different from them.”
“Different how?” Xiao Qing asked.
Different how? He couldn’t say. There really wasn’t much difference. Both were loveless unions forced by circumstances.
“Enough.” Xiao Qing hooked her arm through his and acted coy. “It’s no big deal. Since you’re rarely home, just pretend that woman doesn’t exist.”
Xiao Zheyan couldn’t accept that woman’s existence. To pretend she didn’t exist was disrespectful to their mother.
Seeing how much his sister had been influenced by the Xiao family, he sighed helplessly.
“Mind your own business. You should take care of yourself first.”
Not wanting to upset him, Xiao Qing sweetened her tone.
“Brother, don’t be mad. Dad did wrong on this.”
“But you have to understand him. He’s a normal man; it’s normal to have needs.”
Xiao Zheyan was a doctor and understood this well. But as a husband and father, responsibility came first.
No matter the needs, one mustn’t act recklessly outside.
Seeing him lost in thought, Xiao Qing poked his arm and whispered, “Brother, what are you thinking about?”
Snapping back, Xiao Zheyan locked eyes with her and asked,
“Do you know where Qiao Yu is right now?”
- Writer
