CHAPTER 685: CHAPTER 680: A SHAMEFUL PAST

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Zhiming watched as Zhou Yunmei’s speech became rude and full of threats, and his heart sank, feeling certain that nothing good would come from her next words.

He glared at Zhou Yunmei and frowned, asking, "What do you mean by that?"

Zhou Yunmei didn’t beat around the bush but directly stated her leverage, "I will reveal Luo Zhiyong’s identity. And that’s not all, I might even go to his military unit and spread the word about Luo Zhiyong’s status, to see how a bastard like him has any face to boast. And also elaborate on how his mother gave birth to him in secret and didn’t want him, how she sneakily abandoned him with us..."

Zhou Yunmei’s words uncontrollably brought up incidents from Luo Dashan’s youth he didn’t want to remember, ones that were particularly hurtful.

Those things hurt him, but if it was blown up, the one who might be hurt more was Zhiyong.

Thus, without waiting for Zhou Yunmei to finish, Luo Dashan stood up, uncontrollably yelling at her, "Zhou Yunmei, shut your mouth! All these years, the only reason I’ve indulged you is because you did indeed put effort into Zhiyong’s upbringing, which is why I’ve tolerated you. If you dare to do this and ruin Zhiyong’s and... reputation, consider our marriage over. We’ll get a divorce."

Zhiming was obviously referring to someone’s name, but Luo Dashan stopped short of saying it.

In the past, Zhou Yunmei would have been frightened by these words, feeling that if she really divorced Luo Dashan, she would have no support, but having been separated from him for so long, she seemed to have gotten used to it. Plus, judging by Luo Dashan’s current attitude towards her, he did not plan on living with her in the future.

Therefore, she laughed indifferently and retorted to Luo Dashan, "Let’s divorce then. The way we’re living now is no different from being divorced, I don’t care anymore."

"You..." Seeing that his last resort to intimidate Zhou Yunmei was ineffective, Luo Dashan was incredibly anxious, he couldn’t let Zhou Yunmei expose the past that he had intended to bury in his heart forever.

Although he didn’t know whether those things would affect Luo Zhiyong’s work, they would definitely disturb Luo Zhiyong’s current life. What’s worse, they could harm the person he had always wanted to protect in his heart.

As a result, he tried to control his anger, sat down opposite Zhou Yunmei again, and attempted to reason with her, "There’s no need for you to do this. Isn’t Zhiming’s wife pregnant right now, and due to give birth in a few months? Didn’t you say last time that you’re sure it’s going to be a boy? That would be your direct grandson, so why must you cling to Haohao?"

When the topic of Xu He’s child in her womb came up, Zhou Yunmei’s expression changed slightly. She didn’t know why, but perhaps because Luo Cuilan had been dropping hints that made her suspicious, it made her feel on edge, as if Xu He’s unborn child wasn’t entirely safe.

But in reality, she felt in her heart that there was probably nothing wrong with Xu He’s child. After all, Xu He was pregnant back in their hometown and spent every day honestly at home under her watch. What could go wrong?

Anyway, she just felt uneasy about it.

Plus, Haohao was already grown up and past the most difficult and costly stages of childhood. Naturally, she wanted to take Haohao back with her; having a child ready-made was better than one whose fate was uncertain.

Seeing that Zhou Yunmei didn’t respond, Luo Dashan continued to persuade, "Besides, Yunmei, aren’t you just worried about Zhiming not having a child, that when he gets old, there won’t be someone to depend on, and no child to carry on the family line?"

This time Zhou Yunmei did not object, as she indeed thought that way.

Luo Dashan looked at her, was silent for a moment, and then proposed an idea, "Here’s what, if Xu He’s child is not a boy or if there are any other issues, I will discuss it with the Fang Family, and when Haohao is older, after some time has passed and the relationship between our two families has improved a bit, I will suggest that you visit Haohao twice a year. Let Haohao know who his real father is, and show him your true affection, so that he won’t reject you anymore. This way, he won’t neglect Zhiming in the future. How about it?"

Zhou Yunmei was internally opposed, but Luo Dashan had given ground, so she couldn’t push too hard. If she went too far and exposed Luo Zhiyong’s identity, she wouldn’t benefit either.

Instead, she could use this leverage to gain more, so Zhou Yunmei didn’t immediately object but began to calculate in her heart.

Seeing that Zhou Yunmei remained silent, Luo Dashan thought she was tempted and continued to coax, "Yunmei, raising a child costs quite a lot now. If Xu Huhua has one, plus Haohao, can you bear the financial burden over there?"

Zhou Yunmei hesitated at Luo Dashan’s words, especially since she had just thought of something else, so she didn’t insist anymore, saying, "Let me think about it, I’ll discuss it with Zhiming too."

"Okay," Luo Dashan said, relieved that Zhou Yunmei was willing to reconsider.

But soon, Zhou Yunmei began to make demands, "We’ll talk about this matter later. However, there’s another thing; Xu He is about to give birth soon, and our whole family in the city incurs a lot of living expenses every day."

"I...," Luo Dashan hesitated. He was no fool and knew that Zhou Yunmei was blatantly threatening him. If he gave in this time, she would only ask for more the next time. He couldn’t make money, and the little he had on hand was the pocket money Luo Zhiyong and Luo Honglan gave him occasionally. He couldn’t fulfill her demands every time.

But before Luo Dashan could speak, Luo Honglan suddenly burst in. She had clearly heard the conversation between the two, holding 20 yuan in her hand and throwing it disdainfully at Zhou Yunmei, "Here’s 20 yuan, I’m paying you to leave me alone and get out of my house. Take it and go quickly."

Upon receiving the money, Zhou Yunmei couldn’t care less about anything else. She picked up the 20 yuan and started walking out, saying, "Fine, fine, my daughter really is the best."

Once Zhou Yunmei had left, Luo Honglan sat opposite Luo Dashan without a word, simply staring at him.

Luo Dashan did not expect anyone to return at that moment and was startled upon seeing Luo Honglan.

After a long while, he came back to his senses and asked anxiously, "Hong Lan, when did you come back? How much of my conversation with your mom did you hear?"

Luo Honglan had already been outside for quite a while and had almost completely overheard the conversation between Zhou Yunmei and Luo Dashan. Without any small talk, she directly asked Luo Dashan, "Dad, if my older brother isn’t my biological brother, then who is he?"

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