Chapter 4 — Invincible Stepmother

As for Manh Canh Tu... didn't say much, just calmly declared: "Let's take wedding photos." Then, he specially placed a super large photo frame, hanging right in the middle of the living room. That wedding photo, as soon as guests enter the house... they immediately know who is the female owner of this house. 11 Although I never had any intention of competing, this action of Manh Canh Tu - hanging a huge wedding photo in the middle of the living room - still made me feel warm in my heart. Therefore, I felt even more secure lying down, eating and drinking, officially entering the "luxury" period of aging. That afternoon, around four o'clock, I crawled up in a dreamy state and crawled out to the living room to find a bottle of water to drink. As soon as I walked out... in the middle of the living room stood a beautiful, sophisticated woman. She wore a luxurious English-style hat, with a net in front that covered half of her face. On her body was an ivory white Chanel suit, from head to toe... luxurious, dazzlingly luxurious. Meanwhile… I, the homeowner, was wearing cheap cotton pajamas, my hair tied in a loose ponytail, looking pathetically homely. She's exactly the type of person who says one sentence with three words in her heart. She slowly takes off her gloves, her eyes sweep over me from head to toe, "click" twice with her tongue, then sneers: "You're To Thien Tuyet, right? Compared to the picture on the internet, it's... completely different. It's true that Manh Canh Tu is so hungry that... he can swallow anything." Having finished speaking, she slowly introduced herself, deliberately emphasizing each word: "I am Liu Ky - the biological mother of the three precious treasures of the Manh family!" The word "biological mother" was whispered in her voice, as if she was afraid I wouldn't hear her. Me: “…” I don't like this attitude. I was too lazy to argue, went straight to the kitchen to get an ice cream, peeled it and turned on the TV, sat cross-legged on the lady's chair, extremely relaxed, completely treating her like air. Sure enough, her face immediately smelled worse than sewage, and she couldn't help but criticize: "You! You are so... rude! What a rude woman with no cure!" Seeing that I didn't bother to answer, she tried to change the subject, her voice rising: "Where are the children?" I didn't raise my head, just leisurely pointed at the wall clock: "Sister, check the time too. They're still in school at this time." At that moment, a clear, happy voice rang out outside the door: "Mom, I'm home~" It was Manh Quang! When Luu Ky heard that, his eyes immediately lit up, he walked quickly, and opened his arms to welcome his child: "Oh my, baby Manh Quang, it's mom~!" But... Manh Quang stood dumbfounded, then tilted his head to look at her, without any reaction, ignored it, ran straight towards me: "Mom~~ I bought you ice cream!" The air freezes for three seconds. Liu Qi: "..." She was stunned, then her face immediately darkened and she became angry: "To Thien Tuyet! You dare to incite my child to call you mother?! You are erasing the existence of his biological mother, right?!" I: "???" Sorry, I misunderstood! I haven't been here for a long time, I don't even know the breath of my "biological mother" yet! At night, the remaining two children - Manh Tu and Manh Hanh - also went home one after another. As soon as I saw Luu Ky, without any appointment... my face was as cold as money. Obviously, no one wants to be close to their biological mother. 12 It seems that Liu Qi has made up his mind and wants to rebuild the "sacred motherly relationship" with his three children. She stood in the middle of the living room, her voice full of power: “Me want to move in. After all, they are my children, you have no right to stop them." Me: “…” Well, you can stay here if you want, the house is this big, I'm not afraid of bumping into each other. I calmly waved my hand: "As you wish." Since then, strange scenes have often appeared in the house: I slept until noon, and Luu Ky woke up at 5 a.m. to make breakfast. Next was the scene of waking up the three treasures full of love, with a voice as sweet as honey: "Babies~ wake up~ If you have a good breakfast, you will be able to study well~" But the three children's reactions were... a world away from her imagination: • Manh Tu (oldest sister): wrapped in a blanket, rolling around, lazily muttering: "I just want to sleep a little longer..." • Manh Hanh (middle child): frowned, looked at the glass of milk, bluntly: "This milk is fishy to death, I won't drink it." Luu Ky pursed his lips, looking resentful: "Mom gets up early in the morning to make food for you children, don't you respect her even a little?" Manh Hanh coldly pointed at the sandwich plate: "This kind in the store costs a few dollars each, I can buy it in two minutes." In fact, before now, the housekeeper always prepares a rich breakfast. It's just... at this age, children don't care about nutrition or health at all. Wholemeal bread? Steamed eggs? Fresh juice? Children: “Not delicious! Dislike! Don't eat!” They only like to eat snacks full of additives, the stronger the taste, the better. So, I soon concluded: “Don't waste your effort. Give them money and they'll order things themselves." Unable to sway the children with affection, Luu Ky turned his attention to "studying": "Manh Tu, what are those novels in your drawer? This is an important time, don't be distracted." Manh Tu immediately slammed the door, his voice full of dissatisfaction: "Don't randomly rummage through my things!" Not giving up, Luu Ky turned to Manh Hanh, held up the report card he had just received, his voice raised a level: "Manh Hanh! My math test this time was only fifty points, not even above the average score! You are the eldest son in the family, if you don't try hard, how can you inherit your father's property in the future?" I stood next to him, eating potato chips and thinking to myself: "Three billions are in my hands, what do you care about who inherits this house? It has nothing to do with me..." Manh Hanh's eyes were red, so angry that he was about to cry: "You... you have improved so much!" In the past, I always submitted blank papers, but getting points this time is already a miracle!” As for Manh Quang, he was attacked in a more tragic way. Luu Ky opened the wardrobe, picked up a handful of things, then gritted his teeth: "Manh Quang! What kind of miscellaneous things are in your closet?! I'll throw it all away for you to see!” Manh Quang immediately screamed, clutching the closet door with both hands, his eyes filled with tears: "No! Don't touch my pretty dresses!” 13 Seeing the three children flatly refuse all attention, Liu Qi was so angry that he trembled. She was sure it was my fault for "spoiling" the children, so she put her hands on her hips, rolled up her sleeves, and scolded loudly: "To Thien Tuyet! Do you still have face here?! Every day he spends the living expenses that Manh Canh Tu gave him, but doesn't even pay attention to his children! All day I only know how to eat and sleep, just like a pig!” I was lying on the sofa, lazily turning over, yawning and singing: "So what if it's a pig~ After all, it's my husband's pet pig~" At this moment, Manh Canh Tu came home from work. I immediately jumped up like a shot and rushed to hug him him, his voice was soft: "My husband~~" He followed a natural reflex, wrapping his arms around me and hugging me tightly. I took advantage of the victory and rushed forward, pulled his arm, leaned my head on his shoulder, and then secretly stuck out my tongue to annoy Luu Ky. Sure enough, her face was as black as the bottom of a pot, her hands clenched into fists. In the evening, a family meal of five people took place in a strange atmosphere. I sat down to eat chicken wings, and the three children happily fed each other food. The scene is as warm as a family drama. But Luu Ky couldn't bear it anymore, suddenly slammed his chopsticks on the table, with a "click" sound, the air froze. She leaned towards Manh Canh Tu, her tone as if she was about to open a quick parent-teacher conference: "Manh Canh Tu! Open your eyes and look! If you let To Thien Tuyet teach, these three children will be ruined by her!" She started reading the crisis report: • “Meng Tu is about to take the university entrance exam but he's still busy reading novels!” • “Manh Hanh's grades are miserable, I heard he even got into fights, from now on he won't cause anything new!” • “Manh Quang has a wardrobe full of dresses, does he still look like a boy?!” Having finished speaking, she lowered her voice meaningfully, looking at me with eyes that didn't hide her contempt: "I know you're busy with work so you can't take care of your child. But now I'm back. I, the biological mother, will raise the child myself! And she... kicks me out of the house!" I was biting into a piece of chicken thigh, and after hearing this sentence, I almost choked, what drove me out of the house? Is she going to smash my rice bowl?! Hmm. Who knows when to complain? Want to report me? Okay, let's see who plays deeper! I put down the chicken thighs, turned to hug Manh Canh Tu's arm, my voice was as soft as cotton, emphasizing each word: "Husband~ Look at her, she's bullying me~~" Manh Canh Tu sat there, on the surface pretending to cover his mouth with his hand, as if thinking seriously, but the corners of his lips kept twitching as if... trying to hold back laughter. He held back for a long time, finally "calmed down", raised his head, looked straight at Luu Ky, his voice was cold but sharp as a knife: "How my wife and I raise our children... has nothing to do with you. When we divorced, we made it very clear: from now on, you and the children will no longer have any relationship. You don't need to interfere." Pausing for a moment, he tilted his head, his eyes carrying a sarcastic smile: "Moreover... have you forgotten? At that time of divorce, you chose money, not children. What's wrong now? Arguing with a young man, planning to come back to me as a "backup plan"?" Liu Qi: “…” A fatal arrow shot straight into the heart. Her past was torn apart right in front of everyone, her face turned pale, then red with anger. It turned out that that year, Luu Ky and Manh Canh Tu were only married for the sake of the family, had no feelings, but still maintained a nominal marriage. Until she fell in love with a "little white guy", determined to divorce him to marry him, even took half of the Manh family's fortune, and flew abroad to live happily like a queen. Now, the old love has broken down and boldly returned to reclaim his position - the result is being slammed directly into harsh reality. Not willing to lose face, Luu Ky turned to the three children, trying to regain the advantage in the name of "biological mother": "And you children? Don't you need me too? I am your biological mother, there is no such thing as a good stepmother!" The three children looked at each other and were silent for a moment. Finally, Manh Quang - the youngest child, slowly opened his mouth, his voice was soft naive but steadfast: "Other people... stepmothers may be bad. But our stepmother is very good." That sentence was like a soundless slap hitting Luu Ky in the face. She choked, her whole face distorted because her biological son denied her. Security was called and politely but firmly invited her out of the house. Liu Qi was escorted to the door, turned around, his eyes were red, his voice screamed with anger: "One day, you will regret your choice today!" The door "clicked" closed, leaving only me, the three children, and Manh Canh Tu in the living room. The atmosphere was so quiet, I could hear the sound of potato chips crunching in my mouth.