"Congratulations on having another baby."
Just that casual, offhand remark struck me like a thunderbolt, leaving my head buzzing. When I looked at Mom, she clearly seemed caught off guard—her face had turned pale, and the corners of her mouth kept twitching uncontrollably.
Dad looked utterly bewildered and asked, "What do you mean? Having a baby?"
Afraid she would say more, I slammed the table hard and shouted, "Anuo! Don't say another word!"
Dad turned to look at me, suspicion in his eyes. "Don't say what?"
I glanced at Mom and saw her eyes wide open, glaring at me, her chest heaving violently.
Only then did I realize I had misspoken. I hurriedly explained, "I… I… I was afraid she'd talk nonsense. She's always spouting lies—not a word of truth comes out of her mouth."
Dad shot me a glare. "Is that any way to talk about your sister?" Then he turned back to Anuo. "What's going on, exactly?"
Anuo looked back with an innocent expression and asked, "Isn't Aunt Yun pregnant? So you're having another baby, right? That's why I congratulated you."
"Pregnant? Your aunt is pregnant?" Dad turned to Mom, still confused. "Are you pregnant?"
Mom closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly. After a long pause, she cleared her throat and forced a pained smile. "Me? Pregnant? How would I know?"
Dad was now completely lost, like a monk trying to make sense of a riddle. Mom turned to Anuo and asked, "Who told you I was pregnant?"
Anuo blinked her big eyes, looking utterly innocent. "I guessed."
"Guessed?"
"Yeah. Auntie was feeling nauseous a lot recently, and then I saw a white plastic stick fall out of her pocket. I got curious and looked it up online—it was a pregnancy test."
"A pregnancy test?" Dad asked in surprise.
"Yeah, and my brother saw it too."
Dad turned and glared at me. I quickly waved my hands. "I didn't see anything! Don't listen to her nonsense."
Dad then looked at Mom and demanded, "Why did you buy a pregnancy test?"
Mom took a deep breath and replied calmly, "Why would I buy a pregnancy test? She must have seen wrong."
"Is it true or not?"
Mom seemed a bit impatient now, frowning as she said, "How long has it been since we… What kind of pregnancy would that be?"
Dad opened his mouth but said nothing. Finally, he turned back to Anuo, as if seeking confirmation or questioning her.
Anuo blinked her big eyes, still wearing that innocent expression. "Then maybe… I really did see wrong. Oh well! What a letdown. I thought I was going to be a big sister."
She did it on purpose. She absolutely did it on purpose! Lu Yiyi was right—she never had good intentions from the start. I hated myself so much. Why did I invite a wolf into our home and help her get inside?
Dad froze for a moment before sitting back down, forcing a stiff smile. "Yeah, what a disappointment. Let's eat, let's eat."
Even though he said that, Mom's reaction was clearly off. Even I could tell, and Dad must have started to suspect something.
Beibei looked completely clueless, as if she had no idea what was happening. She glanced left and right before asking Mom foolishly, "Are you really pregnant?"
I reached out and smacked the back of her head. Beibei covered her head, glaring at me with resentment. "Why did you hit me?"
"Eat! Talk less."
Beibei turned her face away in a huff.
The private room fell into silence, with only Anuo and Mom picking up food with their chopsticks.
I stole a glance at Mom sitting beside me. She appeared calm on the surface, but her left hand rested on her knee, clenched tightly into a fist, trembling slightly.
After hesitating for a long time, I mustered the courage to reach out and take her hand, hoping to offer some comfort, but she forcefully pulled it away.
Soon, Mom returned to her usual self, picked up her wine glass, and said to everyone with a smile, "It was just a misunderstanding. Sorry to get your hopes up for nothing. Let's still wish your dad a happy birthday."
We all raised our glasses to wish Dad a happy birthday. Dad smiled and returned the toast, but the smile on his face was no longer the same as before.
Dad's birthday party ended in this awkward atmosphere, and we barely even touched the birthday cake.
After returning home, Dad pretended as if nothing had happened and sat on the sofa watching TV as usual. Mom urged me to go back to my room and study. Everything seemed no different from before, yet it gave off a subtle, uneasy feeling.
After Mom went back to the bedroom, I seized the chance to slip into Beibei's room. I saw Anuo sitting by the bed, head bowed as she played with her phone.
I yanked her up, glaring at her fiercely, and whispered accusingly, "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Anuo tilted her head slightly, pretending not to understand what I was saying. "What am I trying to do? Can't I just play on my phone for a bit?"
I growled in a low voice, "Stop playing dumb! What did you mean by what you said during dinner?"
"What did I say?" Anuo feigned ignorance, then suddenly put on an expression of realization. "Oh! You mean when I congratulated Dad and Aunt Yun? I misunderstood. I thought Aunt Yun was pregnant again, so I congratulated them."
She was clearly putting on an act, but I was too furious to think of how to refute her at the moment.
Seeing how flustered and angry I was, she smiled and asked, "I already said it was just a guess. I guessed wrong, so we got our hopes up for nothing. I'm disappointed too that I won't get to be a big sister."
"Disappointed my ass!" I blurted out in anger. "What the hell were you thinking, guessing something like Mom being pregnant for no reason?"
Anuo replied nonchalantly, "Just guessing for fun."
"You…"
Just as I was about to explode, there was a knock on the door. I took a deep breath to steady myself, turned around, and opened the door. I had expected it to be Dad, but it was Mom standing outside.
"Why aren't you studying in your room? What are you shouting about in here?" Mom scolded, clearly displeased.
"Nothing, just chatting."
"Go back to your room and study."
I lowered my head, walked past her, and returned to my room.
Beibei was staying home for the night, so she had taken over my room again. She lay on the bed, head down as she played with her phone, her bare, snow-white feet dangling in the air, swaying leisurely.
I sat down at the desk, my mind a tangled mess, with no focus for studying at all. Beibei suddenly turned her head and asked, "Why did Annuo say Mom is pregnant?"
"How should I know? She's just making wild guesses."
"I think she did it on purpose."
Her words made me pause. Of course, I knew that brat was doing it on purpose, but I was curious about Beibei's thoughts, so I asked, "How do you mean she did it on purpose?"
Beibei pursed her lips and snorted, "I think she just wants to ruin Dad and Mom's relationship."
"How would she do that?"
"I don't know either, but that's just what I think, and it had the intended effect, didn't it? Look at Dad's reaction—he was so shocked his jaw almost dropped. Dad has always been a bit petty. Remember that incident a while ago when someone sent photos to our house? That was clearly someone trying to make Dad misunderstand." At this point, Beibei paused, suddenly realizing something. "Those photos... could they have been sent by Annuo?"
Only then did I remember she didn't know the follow-up to the photo incident, but I wasn't in the mood to explain it to her now. I waved my hand and said, "How could that be? Alright, hurry up and go to sleep, kid. Don't worry about things you shouldn't."
"Aren't you a kid too? Why aren't you sleeping?"
I sighed. "Fine, I'll go to sleep, and you can study for me. You can take the college entrance exam in my place."
Beibei chuckled. "No thanks."
I sat at the desk and started working on the test papers, but my mind kept drifting back to what happened at the birthday party.
Beibei was right. That brat definitely had ulterior motives—most likely trying to ruin Dad and Mom's relationship.
Mom had been showing signs of morning sickness recently, and something that looked like a pregnancy test had fallen out of her things. When you put those two clues together, it's easy to jump to conclusions.
Even I could tell something was off. That girl is as sharp as a tack—she must have noticed long ago but kept it to herself, waiting for the right moment to drop the bomb in front of the whole family.
Wait! Even if Mom really is pregnant, how did Annuo know the child isn't Dad's?
I lowered my head and thought for a moment before it hit me. If it were a normal pregnancy between a married couple, they would have announced it at a family meeting long ago.
But Dad seemed completely unaware from start to finish, and with Mom acting so secretive, it's easy for people to jump to conclusions.
So, by announcing Mom's pregnancy in front of everyone—whether it's true or not—she would make Dad suspicious.
Maybe that brat thinks Mom is having an affair, or even that she's pregnant with another man's child. Or maybe, as Beibei said, those photos really were taken by Annuo?
Or... did I accidentally let something slip during that morning when I was having a wet dream, letting her find out about me and Mom?
The thought sent a chill down my spine, and I broke out in a cold sweat. If that were true, and Annuo found out about this, I would have really doomed Mom.
I was both terrified and filled with regret, pounding my head with my fists. Beibei asked, puzzled, "What are you doing? Have you gone crazy?"
I ignored her, stood up, and walked out the door, wanting to find Annuo and talk to her, to test the waters.
Just as I was about to push open her door, it suddenly occurred to me that this sly girl was sharp-witted. I shouldn't risk having my words coaxed out of her instead of getting information from her.
Besides, upon careful thought, even if I had really called out my mother's name in my dream, at most she would just think I had an Oedipus complex. There was no way she could know what happened between my mother and me that night.
Better not stir up trouble by talking to her and risk her noticing something amiss. That would truly be counterproductive.
After hesitating for a moment, I decided it was best to wait and see for now. Even my mother wasn't in a hurry, so I certainly shouldn't be. I didn't want to cause more trouble instead of helping.
I thought about talking to my mother again, but it was already too late, and the matter hadn't been brought into the open yet, so there was no way to discuss it.
My dad seemed his usual self, sitting on the living room sofa watching TV for a while before washing up and going to bed.
That night, lying on the sofa, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
I strained my ears, listening carefully for any sounds from their room, wondering if my dad and mother were arguing.
Fortunately, the night passed quietly. It wasn't until dawn that I dozed off for a bit before heading to school.
A few days ago, my only focus was getting into Tsinghua University, but now my mind was filled with what happened last night. I was terrified that my dad and mother might have a falling out and couldn't concentrate on studying at all.
When I returned home from school in the evening, I stood at the entrance, listening for any sounds in the house.
It was quiet, so I changed my shoes and went inside.
My dad hadn't returned yet, Beibei was back at school, Annuo was in her room, and my mother was cooking in the kitchen.
I put down my backpack, hesitated for a moment, and walked into the kitchen. My mother was chopping vegetables. I walked up beside her and asked softly, "Mom, do you need any help?"
She glanced at me and said coldly, "I don't need your help. Go back to your room and study."
Seeing that her mood hadn't changed much, I was about to turn and leave when she called me back.
I stopped, puzzled. My mother put down the kitchen knife, turned to look at me, and asked, "What did you say to Annuo?"
"I didn't say anything."
"Then why did Annuo say I'm pregnant?"
Facing her intense gaze, I scratched my head and frowned. "She's just talking nonsense. How could she possibly know you're pregnant? No, no! I mean, even if you really were pregnant, she wouldn't have any solid evidence. She's just guessing."
As I watched her brows furrow and her phoenix eyes narrow, a chilling aura emanating from her, I realized I was only making things worse and quickly shut my mouth.
After a moment of silence, my mother suddenly asked, "You haven't told anyone about what happened that night, have you?"
"That night?" I asked foolishly before quickly correcting myself. "No, no, no. How could I possibly tell anyone?"
She stared at me, silent for a long while before gritting her teeth and saying in a low voice, "If anyone else finds out, neither of us will be able to live. I might as well jump off a building with you." With that, she slammed the kitchen knife onto the cutting board, startling me.
Her voice was icy cold, like bone-chilling frost. I quickly waved my hands and said, "No, no, absolutely not."
After being warned by my mother, I was chased out of the kitchen.
Somehow, I suddenly felt as though Mom and I were now in the same boat, sharing a secret of great importance. Strangely, it made me feel a little happy inside.
But then I thought of Anuo. If she ever found out about what happened between Mom and me, the consequences would be truly unimaginable. If she used this to hurt Mom, I'd have no choice but to take her with me and jump off a building.
Dad had a business dinner that evening, so it was just the three of us having dinner together.
But after what happened yesterday, sitting at the same table felt incredibly awkward.
The three of us ate in silence, with only the sound of the TV filling the room.
I kept stealing glances at Anuo. That damn girl looked as calm as ever, as if nothing had happened at all.
But deep down, I knew she had already shown her true colors. She didn't want to become part of this family—she wanted to destroy it.
Most importantly, she was holding a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment. I had to find a way to defuse it as soon as possible.
Dad didn't come home until eleven at night, completely drunk.
Mom and I helped him into the bedroom. Dad kept mumbling, insisting he wasn't drunk, before collapsing onto the bed.
Mom didn't complain. She bent down to help him take off his shoes, but Dad suddenly sat up, grabbed her arm, and stared straight at her. His face was as red as a monkey's bottom, but he didn't say a word for a long time.
Mom couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick? Do you need to throw up?"
"You… you're seeing someone else," he said, before letting out a drunken burp.
"Who am I seeing?" Mom replied, trying to push him back onto the bed. But Dad stubbornly resisted, slurring, "If… if you're not seeing anyone… why… why won't you let me… touch you?"
Mom turned and glared at me, her voice sharp. "You don't need to be here. Go back to your room and study."
I mumbled an "okay" and turned to leave. As I closed the door behind me, I heard Dad roar, "Are you pregnant?"
"I'm not pregnant!" Mom pushed him back onto the bed with force.
Even after closing the door, I could still hear Dad's incoherent shouting.
I had planned to go into Anuo's room and talk to her, but after hesitating for a moment, I gave up. I was genuinely annoyed with her and didn't want to say a single word to her.
The next morning, after Dad sobered up, he sat at the table as usual, eating breakfast while scrolling through his phone. His expression was calm, as if he had completely forgotten what happened the night before.
Mom, on the other hand, looked somewhat haggard. It seemed she hadn't slept well.
There was no conversation during breakfast. When it was time, everyone went their separate ways—to work or to school—without even saying goodbye. The usual harmony was completely gone.
Over the next few days, Dad came home late every night, completely wasted, and made a scene each time. Mom tried to soothe and reason with him, never complaining once.
Dad was narrow-minded. Deep down, he knew Mom wouldn't cheat on him or betray him, but he couldn't help thinking about it. This time, the knot in his heart probably wouldn't be untied anytime soon.
I wanted to help Mom explain, but I didn't know how. Besides, Mom had warned me several times not to get involved.
On Thursday afternoon after school, I had just opened the front door when I heard my dad's furious roar coming from inside the house.
"Tell me, where exactly did you go during that time a while back?"
Mom replied in her usual tone, "I've already told you many times—I was on a business trip."
"You're lying! I'm asking you one more time—where did you really go?"
"I've said it over and over—I was on a business trip. If you don't believe me, you can ask my colleagues. Here's my phone—call Xiao Zhou or Xiao Wang, anyone you want."
"I don't need to ask! You and your colleagues are all in on this lie together—you think I don't know? But you forgot about the security guard at your company. He said you took a week off—you weren't even at work!"
"What does a security guard know?" Mom's voice grew a bit anxious.
"You think the security guard doesn't know? He's well aware of everything that goes on in your building!"
Mom fell silent. I changed my shoes and quietly walked over, peeking through the crack in the door. Dad was pacing back and forth, looking furious, while Mom sat on the edge of the bed, her face filled with worry.
"Speak up! Where did you really go?" Dad suddenly stopped and demanded sharply.
Mom lowered her head, thought for a moment, and then said impatiently, "I was feeling down, so I went abroad for a trip."
"You just came back from a trip abroad, and you went again? You have that much free time?" Dad asked angrily. "Who did you go with?"
"By myself."
"By yourself? Who are you trying to fool? You think everyone's an idiot, don't you?" Dad gritted his teeth and asked, "Are you pregnant?"
"No."
"Did you go to the hospital to get an abortion those days?"
"No!"
"Fine, then—dare to go with me to the hospital for a checkup?"
Mom opened her mouth but said nothing, finally turning her face away. Dad let out a bitter laugh. "Too scared, huh?"
Mom rubbed her temples, stood up, and tried to walk out, but Dad blocked her way.
"Tell me, whose child is it?"
"There is no child!" Mom shouted at Dad.
"Of course there isn't—you got rid of it!" Dad's veins bulged on his forehead as he yelled at Mom.
"You're insane!" Mom tried to push past him, but Dad grabbed her arm and shook her hard. Unable to break free, she turned her head and said, "Let go of me. I have things to do."
"Do you dare to go with me to the hospital for a checkup?" Dad pointed toward the door but unexpectedly noticed me standing outside, watching. He shouted angrily, "What are you looking at? Go back to your room!" Then he quickly walked over and slammed the door shut.
Standing outside the door, listening to my parents' argument, I felt terrible. I wanted to go in and mediate, but I remembered Mom's warning and ultimately gave up.
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