Mother Ren looked at Lan Jin, and her anger surged uncontrollably. She had always believed that there couldn't be two sharp women in the same household. She was one, and Lan Jin was another. That's why they were never meant to get along as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
But honestly, she had never felt like she had treated Lan Jin unfairly. "You say you never spent a single cent of our family's money, but the wedding, the dowry, the apartment..."
Before Mother Ren could finish, Lan Jin cut her off without hesitation. "You have the nerve to bring up the dowry? Then let's talk about it properly. You mentioned the wedding. All the costs for the banquet and everything else were split evenly between your family and me. What did I take advantage of? Or were you expecting me to pay for all of it myself? Then why bother marrying your son? He might as well have married into my family.
As for the dowry, yes, you did give one. But right after the wedding, you claimed your business was in trouble and took it back. That almost caused Ren Xing and me to divorce. And even then, you never changed your mind. If I had known better, I would've gotten divorced back then. It wouldn't have made any difference. That money was never truly given. I didn't even get to touch it. I even signed a receipt to prove it, and it's still sitting at my place. Want me to bring it out and show everyone?
Now, about the apartment. Sure, your family paid for it. That has absolutely nothing to do with me. So why would it be a problem for your family to pay for the renovations too? I never lived there for free. I bought all the furniture in the place. And don't forget the utility bills after we got married, the food your son ate, the groceries, daily expenses. All that counts as rent, doesn't it?
And since you brought up living expenses, you gave Ren Xing twenty thousand yuan per month for that. But he never spent a single penny on me. Even when he was living at home, eating and drinking, it was all coming out of my pocket. Don't tell me that's impossible. You know better than anyone what kind of person your son is.
All in all, we're completely square. So tell me, what exactly do I owe your family?"
Mother Ren was so angry she was gasping for air. "You were married to him. Do you have to talk about him like that? We don't even know where he is now."
"Where could he be? It's not like he's out studying scripture. Most likely he's messing around in some woman's bed. You seriously think Meng Ying was the only one? Don't kid yourself. Do I really have to keep reminding you what your precious son is like?"
Had Lan Jin not confronted her, Meng Ying might have continued clinging to her fantasy. But now that everything was laid bare, the illusion shattered. All her scheming, all her energy spent stealing what she thought was a rich heir, and it turned out he didn't even have real money. Even Lan Jin, the legal wife, had never gotten anything from him. How could Meng Ying expect to?
This had all been a waste. And worse, now she was stuck with this mess of a reputation. Ren Xing had even gone missing. Just like Lan Jin said—so what if Ren Xing's parents died and he inherited everything? That didn't mean he'd ever give Meng Ying a cent.
Feeling thoroughly wronged, Meng Ying burst out, "So you're telling me you got married and didn't spend a single cent from the Ren family? Then what kind of marriage is that? You brought home a husband to worship? Are you stupid?"
"I was just young and naïve," Lan Jin said plainly. "Sure, Ren Xing was a complete failure, but he was handsome. The reason you liked him wasn't for his money, was it? Wasn't it because of his face?"
She wasn't wrong. Ren Xing may have been useless, but he was undeniably good-looking—at least, the type Lan Jin used to like. If it hadn't been for Meng Ying seducing him, and if the apocalypse hadn't broken out, Lan Jin might never have seen through him. She would've stayed with him, living in that lie. In the end, she'd really been just another hopeless romantic.
But that phase was over. Now she was back to her clear-headed self.
"And for that," Lan Jin added, "I sincerely thank you for taking my ex-husband away from me. Really, I mean it. But every time I tell you that, you refuse to believe me. What can I do about that? Surely now, you finally believe me, right?" There was even a trace of genuine grievance in Lan Jin's voice as she said it.
Hearing that, Ling Jiang couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't exactly the right moment for laughter, but Ling Jiang was a side character in all this, so no one paid her any mind.
Still, Meng Ying was clearly stung by the remark.
Honestly, if you looked at it a certain way, Father Ren was more generous than Ren Xing had ever been.
But Father Ren and Mother Ren still didn't think Lan Jin had any right to air the family's dirty laundry in public.
"This is a family matter…"
"I didn't lie about a thing," Lan Jin interrupted. "Why should I cover for you just because what you did is shameful? Why am I supposed to protect you? Besides, do you know what happens if you lie to the police? Even Qiao Qiao knows you're supposed to tell the truth to officers. And you're how old now? You still don't understand that?"
She nearly came right out and said that these two didn't even have the sense of a child.
Father Ren snapped, "We are still Qiao Qiao's grandparents. Watch your mouth."
Grandparents? Lan Jin almost laughed.
Qiao Qiao had been sitting next to her this whole time. From the beginning, neither of them had even looked at the child, let alone said a word to her. And now, suddenly, they remembered they had a granddaughter?
But Qiao Qiao really knew how to play along. She turned to Lan Jin and asked in her soft toddler voice, "Mama, who Grandpa Grandma?"
Mother Ren thought she had found a flaw to attack. She glared at Lan Jin and scolded, "Is this how you teach your child? She doesn't even recognize her own grandparents. What next, you going to deny the whole Ren family ancestry too?"
"We've had it rough," Lan Jin said calmly. "Since I got pregnant, Qiao Qiao has never seen her so-called grandparents. Not once. Every time I wanted to bring her over, you refused. When I called, you didn't answer. How is this my fault? Honestly, you're really good at dodging responsibility."
So with all that, was it really surprising that Qiao Qiao didn't know them?
Qiao Qiao didn't understand all of that, but she definitely knew she had never seen these people before. Just like she pretended not to recognize her no-good dad, she tilted her head and said, "Qiao Qiao no see. Mama, who Grandpa Grandma?"
Her words made everyone nearby feel a sudden pang of sadness.
What had this child done wrong? She was just an innocent bystander, caught in the middle of these petty adult squabbles.
Lan Jin, on the other hand, had a different thought brewing in her head.
If the Ren family didn't like her daughter, if they claimed her child didn't acknowledge them, if they even questioned whether she'd recognize the Ren family ancestors...
Then maybe they should just stop recognizing each other.
Why should her daughter carry the surname of people who clearly didn't want her? Why not just change it?
Surely that was allowed.
Probably.
Lan Jin turned to Qiao Qiao and asked gently, "Qiao Qiao, how about we change your last name? Want to have Mama's last name?"
Qiao Qiao's eyes lit up. She clapped her hands excitedly and repeated, "Lan?"
"That's right. You'll have Mama's last name, Lan."
"Okay! Okay! Same as Mama! Same!"
The mother and daughter's conversation happened so casually, like they were deciding what to eat for dinner. They had just been arguing with the Ren family, and now suddenly they were talking about changing surnames.
But this offhand comment sparked an immediate reaction from the Ren parents. Their son was already missing. No one knew if he'd ever come back. And now they might even lose their only grandchild?