Chapter 227: Fighting For Custody
Mo Suqing reached out to Xia Zi tentatively. Her voice trembled as she said, “A’zi...”
Xia Zi’s eyes were filled with tears as she called out again. “Sis...”
Mo Suqing was already crying. She never thought that the heavens would dote on her so much and give her two huge surprises. After her mother passed away, she has not felt the warmth from a family member until now. Although they had just met, she remembered how Xia Zi fought to save her five years ago.
All her pain and sorrow seemed to be instantly erased as she looked down at her children. Xiaoliu’s eyes were shiny with tears, and A’jiu looked like a tiny gentleman.
I would never have imagined this...
Seeing Mo Suqing so emotional, Ye Zhongjue coughed to remind them of his presence.
Xia Zi then addressed Mo Suqing. “Sis, I’ve heard from… Brother-in-law about what happened five years ago.”
She instinctively glanced at Ye Zhongjue since she was referring to him as ‘brother-in-law’ now.
Mo Suqing did not correct her, but she looked over at Ye Zhongjue as if she was wondering what he actually told Xia Zi.
Xia Zi observed Mo Suqing’s reaction. She did not seem opposed to listening to what she had to say.
Xia Zi thus continued. “I came to A City to look for Qiqi at first, but who knew that I’d meet Brother-in-law, Xiaoliu and A’jiu at the supermarket. The kids even called me mummy the first time they saw me. I was quite stunned at the time, but it only took me a second to put all the pieces together, since I remembered seeing you five years back.”
She then paused for a while. “What I didn’t expect was for Brother-in-law to realize I was faking my identity in just half a day. So I had no choice but to tell him who I truly was. After which, we went to the Mo family home to check on my real identity. We found out that Mo Zhenfeng had another daughter who went missing when she was two. We took a strand of his hair and did the DNA testing, and the results were as what I’ve just told you.”
“I only asked about why you left some time later. Brother-in-law then told me about what happened eight years ago. He said he remembered his car hitting Tang Mo, and Mummy didn’t die at the time. Her car simply turned on its side. His parents took care of everything else after that so he wasn’t sure about what happened after either. He wanted to explain himself to you, but he didn’t expect you to pull the trigger at him...”
Xia Zi had basically summarized everything that had happened in the past.
Mo Suqing was dumbstruck. Was this true?
She looked up at Ye Zhongjue. “Is it true, what A’zi just said?”
He nodded in reply.
Mo Suqing fell silent. If this was true, then all that conflict and hatred within me was all for nothing...
Ye Zhongjue asked her a question while she was still in a daze.
“I just want to know something. How did you get to know Su Jincheng at the time? And why did he help you? And also, how did you become the weapon designer for The Dark Night...”
Mo Suqing’s mind went back to five years ago, the images playing in her head like a movie.
She sounded distracted as she answered him. “I saved Su Jincheng once five years ago. We actually already knew each other when you thought that we had met for the first time. We found out later that we lived in the same area. He decided to give me shooting lessons, probably just out of gratitude and to return the favor since I helped him out once. He knew that you had some sort of hidden identity and that things might get dangerous, so he said that it’d be useful if I learned how to use a gun.”
She glanced at Ye Zhongjue as she continued. “I already knew that you were the Poisonous Prince at the time, and since I was pregnant, I thought that it’d be good for me to learn how to use a gun and defend myself if I ever need to. I never thought that I’d pull the trigger at you. Do you still remember that book about firearm design in your study? Maybe I’m just talented at this, but I didn’t think that I’d actually be able to design real weapons. That night five years ago...”
Mo Suqing gave a bitter smile. “A’jiu and Xiaoliu were sent into the operating room right after I gave birth. Su Jincheng thought they wouldn’t survive, so he told me they died so that I wouldn’t end up being disappointed. I felt utterly devastated at the time and decided to leave the city. But none of this matters anymore as long as I have my children with me...”
She hugged Xiaoliu and A’jiu tight.
Being more mature than his peers, A’jiu understood everything she said. Although he could not wrap his head around some of the details, he understood enough to know that his mother did not abandon them by choice. He suddenly felt very upset on her behalf.
Xia Zi was reminded of Ye Zhongjue asking her to help him out when Mo Suqing returned.
She thus said, “Brother-in-law suspects that Mo Sulian’s mother, Bai Lian, was involved in the accident eight years ago. This was why he approached Mo Sulian. It’s just to look into what really happened. I think we can make use of her to find out what role Bai Lian played in the accident.”
Mo Suqing frowned. “You’re saying that we put on a show?”
“Mm!” Xia Zi nodded. “Brother-in-law kept his distance from Mo Sulian because of you, but now that you’re aware of the truth, we can put on a show and mislead Mo Sulian to think that Brother-in-law has accepted her. You know that women aren’t very rational when it comes to matters of the heart. We can then trick her into telling us about what Bai Lian did years ago.”
Mo Suqing looked at Ye Zhongjue. “He just needs to agree to it. I don’t really care. I just want to protect A’jiu and Xiaoliu now. Ye Zhongjue, whether you genuinely accept Mo Sulian or not, you’ll have to agree to one condition.”
“What is it?” He asked.
Mo Suqing’s eyes flashed. “If you’re going to put on a show for Mo Sulian, then you’ll have to give me custody of the kids!”
Ye Zhongjue was stunned. He was afraid that Mo Suqing might take the children away and disappear, just like how she had disappeared in the past five years.
Mo Suqing seemed to be able to read his mind as she said, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t agree. We’ll just have to meet in court. I won’t give up on getting custody of the kids!”
There was a subtle change in everyone’s expression after she made that comment.
Xiaoliu watched her with wide, watery eyes and A’jiu turned serious. Why can’t both Daddy and Mummy be around?
Xia Zi did not expect for Mo Suqing to be so extreme. She wanted custody of the kids right after reuniting with them. But with Ye Zhongjue’s personality, would he really give up custody to Mo Suqing?
Ye Zhongjue stared at her, both their eyes glinting with anger.
He spoke with an awful expression. “Mo Suqing, how dare you!”
She returned his stare. “Ye Zhongjue, there’s nothing that I, Mo Suqing, am afraid of!”
He then laughed. His laughter was a mixture of anger and shock, with a trace of mockery.
“Mo Suqing, I guess I’ve really underestimated you. I’ll just have to fulfil your wish since you’re so adamant. You want to go to court? I’ll see you there!”
Xia Zi was at a loss for what to do. She did not expect for these two individuals to be so stubborn. No one would emerge the real winner like this. Why can’t they just sit down and think it through?
She then said, “Sis, Brother-in-law, are you sure you want to fight over this? Do you think that’s fair to A’jiu and Xiaoliu? They’ve just reunited with their Mummy and are suddenly faced with making a choice between Mummy and Daddy. They’re still so young, how can the both of you bear to do this to them?”
Mo Suqing’s expression changed as she heard what Xia Zi said. She knew that she was too emotional earlier, but she could not help but feel immensely frustrated at the very thought of Mo Sulian approaching her children.
With how closely Ye Zhongjue is hanging out with Mo Sulian, what if the children actually want to stay with her? I’ll never risk that. I won’t ever hurt them like this. But as Xia Zi just pointed out, fighting over custody of the kids would hurt Xiaoliu and A’jiu.
Mo Suqing’s heart hurt as she looked at her children. She felt lost. I didn’t ask for this...
Ye Zhongjue saw the conflict in Mo Suqing and made a sudden suggestion.
“If you’re worried about me being together with Mo Sulian while I try to get some information from her, the kids can stay with you during this time. How about that?”
Mo Suqing was about to agree before he continued.
“I also have a condition for that. You’ll have to live with Xia Zi. Firstly, Xia Zi is an exceptional police officer. I believe she and Luo Qiqi will be able to protect both you and the kids. Secondly, it would be convenient for me to visit the kids if you stay at the Shallow Sea Area. We can do that if you agree. Let’s discuss custody after we settle this.”
Mo Suqing looked at her children again. She then nodded in agreement.