Chapter 3: Born but Not Nurtured, You Deserve to Die

Momo said disdainfully while pouring oil, "But Mommy, please don't cook anymore, I'm afraid Mommy will blow up the kitchen one day, and we will be kicked out by the landlord."

Lin Qi's lips twitched harshly as she awkwardly changed the subject, "Mommy sent out a few resumes today, and I'm going to a company for an interview tomorrow."

Her insane former boss subjected her to workplace violence and spread rumors about her everywhere, leading many companies to fear hiring her. If she doesn't succeed in the interviews tomorrow, she and Momo would really be left in the cold wind.

Momo tilted his head innocently and looked at Lin Qi tenderly, then suddenly came up to her and pulled out a handful of brand new RMB notes from his pocket.

Lin Qi's eyes widened, "Where did this money come from?"

Momo said lightly, "The prize from the stationery store."

Lin Qi hugged him joyfully and rubbed against his chubby little face, "Xiao Mo, are you the god of wealth? How come you win prizes every day?"

Momo pursed his lips, helplessly silent.

Only his foolish Mommy would believe such an obviously flawed lie.

Lin Qi said, "Momo, Mommy will definitely work hard to make money to support you."

Momo asked, "Mommy, how much money do you need to make to afford Momo?"

Lin Qi said, "Mommy has set a small goal, to earn a hundred million RMB first."

Momo suggested, "Mommy, maybe you don't have to try so hard, Momo can support you."

Lin Qi looked at the adorable Little Baby in front of her, with his large, clear eyes, naively unaware; although she knew these were words spoken without understanding, she was still deeply moved by Momo.

Lin Qi kissed his chubby little face, asking playfully, "You are so small, how can you support Mommy?"

Momo pondered seriously for a moment, his eyes lighting up, "I can buy a lottery ticket every day, what if I win five million one day?"

Lin Qi gently scraped his nose, "Wishful thinking!"

The night deepened.

After putting Momo to sleep, Lin Qi carried a load of trash and headed downstairs.

For seven years.

She and Momo had relied solely on each other.

Momo was very sensible and well-behaved, the most precious treasure bestowed on her by the heavens.

Eight months into her pregnancy, she gave birth prematurely due to malnutrition. Momo had a twin brother, but that poor little guy was breathless at birth, swiftly taken away by the nurse for cremation.

In the end, all that was handed to her was a small box of ashes, which she buried with a heavy heart.

Momo was the younger brother and was frail from the start, with a problematic heart valve. To treat Momo's illness, Lin Qi racked up a mountain of debt, which took two years to pay off.

Only when he turned three, did Momo's health finally come up to par with children of his age.

To support Momo, she juggled multiple jobs. Forced by her father to drop out of school and marry into the Huo Family, which interrupted her education, she had no chance to seek a better job, nor provide Momo with the most comfortable life.

Momo was often pointed at and called a bastard, yet he seldom inquired about his biological father. Lin Qi vaguely remembered him asking where his Daddy was.

Caught off guard, Lin Qi didn't know how to respond, yet Momo seemed to understand by watching her expression, and since then, he hadn't asked again.

Heavy-hearted, Lin Qi had just stepped out of the building when two dark figures rushed towards her; before she had a chance to get a clear look at the people by her side, her mouth and nose were covered, and she was dragged into a car.

Suddenly, a strong wind started to blow outside.

Causing windows and doors to rattle loudly.

Momo suddenly woke up.

"Mommy?"

The pitch-black room was empty.

Momo climbed out of bed and walked around the room but did not see Lin Qi anywhere. He went downstairs along the corridor, and under the moonlight, at the entrance of the building, he found Lin Qi's fallen hair clip, picked it up, and a sense of foreboding rose in his chest.

Something bad happened, Mommy was kidnapped!

Huo Mansion, the study.

The rain outside the window drizzled incessantly.

Huo Tingdong stood by the window; even though the wind was tousling his ink-colored short hair, it still couldn't diminish his handsomeness by half.

An adorable Little Baby held his teddy bear and wore a cute little suit, gazing blankly at the man's silhouette.

Little Baby shares a striking resemblance with Huo Tingdong, as if carved from the same mold, innocent and adorable.

Huo Tingdong walked towards Little Baby, gently tugged at his little hand, "Han, what are you thinking about?"

Han tilted his head, blinking, his eyes vacant and ethereal.

At seven years old, Han still hadn't spoken a word.

There were rumors outside that Huo Tingdong, the favored son of heaven, had fathered an imbecile.

Three years ago, his men brought Han back from the orphanage, and after a paternity test, confirmed this child was his flesh and blood.

His men said the child might have been born with an intellectual disability, frail and sickly, abandoned at birth, later sent to the orphanage.

According to the timeline, Huo Tingdong was sure that this child was born to that woman.

Lin Qi!

She had deceived him, secretly getting pregnant and giving birth to a child, but she abandoned him because of his intellectual disability, responsible for giving birth but not raising him!

When Han was brought back to the Huo Family from the orphanage, he was as thin as a rail, having suffered untold hardships.

Now, he had the urge to grind that woman to ashes.

Footsteps approached from outside.

"Mr. Huo, the person has been brought here."

Huo Tingdong turned and strode forward.

The man crossed the broad corridor until he stopped in front of a door.

From within, a woman's angry voice could be heard.

"Who are you people?! Where is this place?"

"Miss Lin, please calm down..."

"Don't touch me!!"

"Crash"——

The sound of porcelain shattering.

Huo Tingdong forcefully pushed the door wide open.

In the room, Lin Qi stood guard against the wall, her gaze turned sharply towards the man upon hearing the commotion, but after a mere glance, she froze.

——Huo Tingdong!?

The man stood at the door, clad in a dark suit, his figure tall and impeccable.

His chiseled, handsome features hadn't changed in seven years, and within his cold eyes, there lay a hint of ancient severity.

Such a divinely handsome man emanated an aura of long-held authority.

"How is it you!?" Lin Qi looked around, "Where is this place?"

Huo Tingdong had no wish to waste time with her and got straight to the point, "You secretly carried and bore my child but failed to raise him, you deserve to die!"

Lin Qi's heartbeat skipped several beats, but she instinctively feigned ignorance, "Child, what child?" She was instantly flustered.

When Huo Tingdong mentioned the child, could it be... he had discovered about Momo?

After all, the Huo Family's influence in Beijing reached everywhere, and hiding Momo these past few years had been an arduous task.

Huo Tingdong turned to instruct his assistant: "Give her the document."

The assistant stepped forward and handed a medical report to Lin Qi for review.

Lin Qi glanced at it, and there on the report, a line was highlighted and circled in red: "A history of pregnancy."

She had not expected the medical report attached to her job application to contain such a result...

Huo Tingdong said, "Lin Qi, do you still want to argue?"

Lin Qi bit her lip.

Huo Tingdong furious, "I'll give you one minute, give me an explanation!"