Shi Wenqian was a good liar. That was the least Zhang Liling knew about her stepmother.
The woman was good at lying her way through, and she wouldn't stop now.
At least, she needed to see her in a dilemma. Also, it would be cool to watch her lying when she already knew the truth.
It would have been good if it was possible to give her a scorned look while watching her drama, but that would ruin things if she was caught.
Shi Wenqian will definitely know how far she had gone to know her secret, and then there would a big mess later.
Mr. Fang let out a deep sigh. He was already tired of her. Since she wanted to have some fun, he would let her, but not without giving her an earful.
At least he had to caution her and let his words sink into her ears.
That would be saving them some trouble at the end.
*******
~The Tang Mansion~
The entire family was sitting around the dining table having dinner when Mrs. Tang suddenly stopped eating.
Wiping the corner of her lips with the table napkin, she fixed her gaze on Zhang Xiaoling and her son Tang Enlai.
Seeing how they were both busy eating quietly, she decided to disrupt their peace.
"Xiaoling," she called, instantly attracting the attention of the rest of the family.
Giving the two women a glance, they all went back to their food.
Seeing that his mother had something important to tell his wife, Tang Enlai looked away. It was not his business.
He didn't care for the woman again, so he could as well continue to eat as he listened to the upcoming conversation.
Hearing her mother-in-law call out to her, Zhang Xiaoling paused as her gaze instantly went to her direction.
It was at this time that she noticed that she had stopped eating, so, she hurriedly put her cutlery down as she fixed her attention to her.
"I have been meaning to ask you, it's been almost a year since you got married to my son, and I still can't hear about you two talking about having a child. What is going on?"
Instantly, everyone quietened down as an eerie silence ensued in the dining room.
This topic was too private for Mrs. Tang to bring it up during dinner, and then she had to make everyone know about it.
That wasn't how things were done.
What happened to calling Zhang Xiaoling out to privately ask about it?
Zhang Xiaoling felt her heart freeze in her chest as her breath seized at the same time.
As for Tang Enlai, he only paused midway while sending a piece of meat into his mouth, but in the next 2 seconds, he continued eating as if the question his mother threw at her didn't concern him.
Zhang Xiaoling felt anger burn in her heart with that question randomly thrown at her, and also, she didn't know what to say.
What would she tell her mother-in-law that would stop what from questioning her further or lashing out at her?
There was nothing.
No matter what she said, there would be a comment or a closing remark that would prick her heart.
She just wished that she would disappear and totally avoid that question.
Who would save her? Surely, it wouldn't be Tang Enlai, as the man would love for her to be scolded.
"You seem to have no answer for me," Mrs. Tang said as her brows creased slightly in a frown.
This was a reminder that she was waiting for her answer.
"I am not ready yet," came Zhang Xiaoling's reply after she managed to swallow the hard lump in her throat.
"You are not ready? How long will it take you to get ready?" Mrs. Tang asked in a low tone laced in anger.
This honest reply from her, was suddenly putting her off.
Not waiting for her to respond, she continued as her gaze moved between her and Tang Enlai.
"Have you forgotten that Enlai is the first son of this family and the reason you two got married in such a short time was because of him starting his own family?"
Not caring about her feelings, Mrs. Tang continued with her speech, further making the dinner awkward for everyone.
Thankfully, Mr. Tang intervened and stopped her from further making a ruckus.
"That's enough. If you have something to talk to her about, there is a smaller sitting room where you can have all the time you want. This is the dining room, we should eat peacefully here."
Mrs. Tang didn't like her husband interrupting, but knowing that she couldn't go against him, she rolled her eyes at Zhang Xiaoling before picking up her cutlery once again.
Although her father-in-law was the one that intervened at the end and saved her, Zhang Xiaoling couldn't continue eating her food anymore.
This was the highest insult she could take.
Since her mother-in-law could do this to her in front of everyone without caring about her feelings, then she was not going to care about hers either.
Without thinking it twice, she stood and pushed the chair backward. Then glancing at the head table where her father-in-law was sitting, she said to him politely,
"Father, I will be going back to my family tomorrow to stay there for a while. It has been a long while since I last saw them. Also, my sister is back, we need to catch up."
Mr. Tang nodded in approval. He couldn't refuse her because she had not offended him. Also, she was his friend's daughter, so he had to at least give in to her for Zhang Renshu's sake.
Immediately she got her father-in-law's approval, Zhang Xiaoling turned and walked away from the dining area without sparing any other person a glance.
Watching her leave without showing her any respect, Mrs. Tang almost exploded.
"Did she just leave like that?" she asked with her eyes widening in disbelief.
"You disrespected her in front of everyone like you have something against her" Mr. Tang said. Then moving his cutlery about, he added, "I wouldn't be surprised if you are the reason she suddenly found an excuse to leave for a while. You were wrong."
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