Chapter 3 — My Best Friend Wants to Be the Second Wife

"That is exactly it! She was so terrified that her position as the wife of the Qin family would slip through her fingers that she orchestrated this whole charade in advance!"

His face flushed a deep, agitated red as he pointed a trembling finger toward Uncle Liu. "Tell me! How much money did Lin Tang pay you to pull this stunt?"

Jiang Huai spat on the floor in disgust. "Is this how your Qin family treats my sister?! Let me tell you all something: five storefronts are not nearly enough! You need to double the compensation! If you do not agree, do not expect my sister to ever carry a child for your family again!"

Stunned by this barrage of accusations, Uncle Liu’s complexion turned ghastly. Before he could even find the words to defend himself, Jiang Huai lunged forward and grabbed him by the collar. "Speak! How much did Lin Tang give you to put on this performance?"

Uncle Liu shoved him away forcefully, stumbling back a few paces as his own voice rose in a sharp, defensive pitch. "Performance? What are you talking about! She stole my underwear, and now she is trying to play the victim? I don't even know if it is still clean after she has worn it!"

He gestured impatiently toward Jiang Miao, his tone quick and harsh. "I do not want the garment back! Just pay me for it!"

Jiang Miao staggered backward, her face drained of all color, before letting out a shrill, piercing scream. "Are you insane! I stayed up all night here; I did not even see you once. How could the child in my womb possibly be yours!"

The child? It was only then that the reality of her claim fully registered with Uncle Liu. He immediately tossed the undergarment onto the floor and retreated several steps in horror. "What child? Do not even think about pinning that on me!"

Observing this, Miao's mother leaned closer to Zhao Yalan, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Look at this, Mrs. Qin. The housekeeper admits his guilt at first, then retracts it—this constant flip-flopping is a clear sign of someone whose nerves have failed now that their scheme has been exposed."

She sighed dramatically. "In my opinion, Qin Hai Chuan is simply having trouble accepting the sudden reality of becoming a father, which is why he is resorting to these desperate tactics. It is fine. Once Jiang Miao gives birth and he holds the baby in his own arms, he will naturally come to his senses."

Jiang Miao also approached, weeping as she clutched Zhao Yalan’s hand, her voice choked with sobs. "Mrs. Qin, I have known Tang Tang for decades; I know exactly what kind of person she is. Back when my grades were better than hers, she went behind my back to accuse me of cheating."

She lifted her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I truly never imagined that, simply to force me to abort this baby, she would stoop to such an absurd and malicious level..."

Zhao Yalan’s expression began to waver. She turned to look at Qin Hai Chuan, her tone both softening and hardening at once. "Hai Chuan, a man must take responsibility for his actions! It is just a child—it is not as if our Qin family cannot afford to raise one! There is no need to drag Uncle Liu into this ridiculous act just to appease Lin Tang!"

Everyone in the hall turned their gaze toward Qin Hai Chuan. He stood frozen in place, taking a long, deep breath. "Mother, do you truly not remember? When I was in the seventh grade, I suddenly developed a high fever and lost consciousness..."

Zhao Yalan stiffened, her expression shifting instantly, her voice tightening with anxiety. "How could I forget? That time nearly scared me to death! Why are you suddenly bringing this up..."

Qin Hai Chuan did not answer. He simply reached into his jacket pocket, withdrew a folded report, and handed it to her. "Read it, and you will understand."

Zhao Yalan took the paper and unfolded it. As her eyes scanned the first line, her expression transformed entirely. Jiang Miao, still oblivious to the gravity of the situation, rubbed her stomach tenderly. "Mrs. Qin, I am feeling a bit tired. May I go to the bedroom to rest? I think it would be best if I stayed in Qin Hai Chuan's room, where the scent of the baby's father still lingers..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Zhao Yalan raised her hand and struck Jiang Miao across the face with a resounding slap. "Jiang Miao! How dare you lie to me!"

Jiang Miao stood stunned, clutching her cheek, and slowly looked up, her eyes wide with utter disbelief. "Mrs. Qin, you... what are you doing?" She dropped her hand and gestured defiantly at her stomach. "I am still carrying Qin Hai Chuan's child!"

Miao's parents were shocked into silence for several seconds, but Miao's mother was the first to slam her hand against the table. "What do you mean by this! Are you truly going to discard the flesh and blood of the Qin family?"

"Flesh and blood?" Zhao Yalan was trembling with fury. "This child is not the flesh and blood of the Qin family at all! Get out! Do not force me to strike you again!"

It was at this moment that Jiang Huai scrambled to snatch the report from Zhao Yalan’s hand, flipping through it frantically, his eyes widening in alarm. "What? What does an abnormal allergic reaction on the skin of the buttocks even mean?"

Qin Hai Chuan stared at him with cold detachment. "It means that I can only wear disposable undergarments, which must be discarded immediately after use. Aside from Tang, not even my mother knew about this."

He looked down at the dark blue underwear lying on the floor, his lips curling with disdain. "I only need to wear fabric like that once to trigger a fever severe enough to make me collapse. How could it possibly belong to me?"

"What?!" Jiang Miao shook her head in disbelief, stepping back. "But... but I found it in the laundry basket in your house! When I took it, it was clearly in..."

Aunt Liang could not hold her tongue any longer and spoke up from the sidelines. "The laundry room you are referring to—is that the room under the stairs? That is the communal laundry room used by all of us servants."