Chapter 9 — A Debt of Filial Duty

It is merely a ceramic flowerpot.

I said, Company property.

You must pay for it.

My mother shrieked, She is still just a child! I looked right at her.

Then you, as her parents, are her legal guardians.

The head of security walked over holding the damage report. My father’s face drained from green to white. Eventually, he pulled out his phone and scanned the QR code to pay. Eight hundred and sixty yuan. His fingers trembled as the transaction went through. When they finally left the grand lobby, my mother was still weeping. Yet this time, no one joined in to scold me alongside her. Before the elevator doors slid shut, my father cast a final, chilling glance in my direction. It was not the look of a father gazing at his daughter. It was the look of a gambler who had just lost a round, already calculating how to turn the tables in the next. At noon, the moment I finished a meeting, my son’s homeroom teacher called. Her voice sounded deeply distressed.

Mother of little Nicholas, would it be convenient for you to come to the school right now?

My heart suddenly clenched.

What has happened?

The voice on the other end paused for a moment.

There are two elderly people who brought a child to the school gates.

They claim to be Nicholas’s maternal grandparents.

They insist on taking Nicholas away.

By the time I rushed to the school, a crowd of parents had already gathered outside the gates. The security guard stood firmly at the entrance blocking the way. The homeroom teacher stood just inside, her expression deeply troubled. Nicholas stood right behind her, his small hands clutching the straps of his schoolbag tightly. My mother was seated on the stone steps outside the gates, clutching her chest. My father stood beside her, holding a copy of our household registration booklet. Little Ben squatted by a flowerbed, poking an anthill with a twig. The moment I stepped out of the car, the teacher visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Director Hoang, you have arrived.

I walked straight up to Nicholas, looking at him first.

Are you alright?

He shook his head, though his lips were somewhat pale. I crouched down and took his hand.

Do not be afraid.

Mother is here.

Nicholas nodded. I stood up and turned to face my parents.

What is the meaning of this?

The instant she saw me, my mother burst into tears.

What is wrong with a grandmother wanting to pick up her own grandson?

You have turned the entire family upside down, am I not even allowed to see the child?

I said, You have no right to take him. My father thrust the document copy forward.

I am his grandfather.

We are not strangers.

The homeroom teacher’s voice remained polite yet utterly resolute.

Neither of your names is listed in the school’s authorized pickup system.

And the student himself has clearly stated that he refuses to leave with you.

My mother immediately flew into a rage.

He is just a child, what does he know?

His mother must have put him up to this!

She reached her hand out toward Nicholas.

Nicholas, come home with your grandmother.

Grandmother will buy you delicious treats.

Nicholas retreated a step, hiding behind my back. My father’s expression turned dark.

An Hoa, do not teach the child to turn against his own blood.

I stared at the document in his hands.

Where did you obtain Nicholas’s personal information?

A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes.

It was already kept at home.

I replied, You had it at home only because I trusted you.

Yet now you use it to come to his school and attempt to snatch him away.

I will be filing an official report with the police regarding this matter.

My mother clutched her chest and wailed.

Go ahead and report it!

You might as well have all of us arrested!

Let everyone see just how dutiful a daughter you are!

The surrounding parents began to murmur among themselves. Some asked what had happened, while others advised against frightening the child. Hearing the word child, little Ben suddenly stood up and shouted toward Nicholas.

Give our house back to me!

Grandmother said it belongs to me!

Nicholas’s small body stiffened. I turned my gaze back to him. His eyes instantly reddened—not over mere houses, but from being utterly terrorized by this blatant act of daylight robbery. The last thread of patience in my heart snapped with a painful twang. I turned back to my mother.

Did you come to the school simply to utter such filth in front of Nicholas?

My mother avoided my gaze.

Who told you not to answer our phone calls?

Since we could not reach you, we had no choice but to come find him.

I said, If you wish to find me, you may go through legal channels.

You have no right to target my son.

My father lowered his voice.

Do not make a scene.

I looked straight at him.

The moment you came to a school attempting to abduct a minor, a scene was already inevitable.

I pulled out my phone and dialed the police. My mother lunged forward, trying to snatch it from my hand. I stepped back, and the security guard immediately interposed himself between us. Her hand was blocked, twisting her face in fury.

Hoang An Hoa!

Would you actually call the police to arrest your own mother over a few houses?

I looked down at her.

It is not about the houses.

It is about my son.

The call connected. I clearly stated our location, the situation, the identities of the opposing parties, and their attempt to abduct the child. The homeroom teacher also added her testimony from the side. Upon hearing me state the phrase attempt to abduct a minor without the guardian’s consent, my father’s expression finally shifted. He took a step forward.

We were not abducting him.

We merely wanted to take him out for a meal.

I replied, The child refused, the school refused, yet you refused to leave.

That is more than enough.

Ten minutes later, the police arrived. My mother instantly switched back to a tearful, pitiful tone.

Officer, we only wanted to visit our grandson.

Our daughter refuses to let us see him.

Now that she has wealth, she no longer acknowledges her own parents.

The police listened patiently, then looked over at me. I handed them the file of documents I had prepared in advance.