Chapter 136: Chapter 136: As Long as I Have Dad, I’ll Always Be Happy

"Boo hoo... sob... When Daddy went to work, she was supposed to take care of me at home, but... (sob)... she said Tongtong was annoying and locked me in the room. Then she went out to play and didn’t come back for a whole day. Tongtong was so, so hungry, and I missed Daddy so much."

Wang Cheng was getting angry as he listened. He asked, "Who is this ’she’ you’re referring to?"

Tongtong replied, "Yang Yixue. Daddy’s ex-wife."

"Boo hoo... Poor Tongtong... I’m so glad I have Daddy."

Seeing his daughter looking so upset, Jiang Liu quickly went over, picked her up, and let her sit in his lap.

Tongtong felt a little better.

Wang Cheng continued, "Is there anything else, Tongtong? For example, things Yang Yixue said to you? Did she ever hit you?"

Ticking off points on Jiang Liu’s fingers, Tongtong said:

"Yes! Lots and lots. She said she wished Tongtong was a dog so she could be thrown in the trash to stink. She also said lots and lots of bad things about Daddy, that she married a good-for-nothing and gave birth to a useless idiot. She even said if she had known, she would have just thrown Tongtong in the water to drown right after she was born."

"She hit Tongtong, too. Daddy sometimes flicks Tongtong on the head, but it’s very gentle, and Tongtong knows Daddy does it because he loves Tongtong. But she’s different. She pinches Tongtong’s arms really hard, hard enough to leave bruises, and she pulls Tongtong’s ears. Tongtong felt like my ears were going to fall off."

As she spoke, Jiang Tongtong gritted her teeth and shivered.

Wang Cheng made an "OK" gesture. He asked again, "This ’she’ you’re talking about, the one who pinches you, yells at you, and starves you—who are you referring to?"

"Yang Yixue. Daddy’s horrible ex-wife. I hate her."

Jiang Dahai, who was standing to the side, interjected, "I’m Tongtong’s grandpa. I have something to say about when Tongtong was first born."

Wang Cheng nodded. "Of course. Please, go ahead."

Jiang Dahai recalled:

"I remember it was about five years ago. Tongtong was just a month old, and Yang Yixue was at home, recovering from childbirth. Tongtong was sharing a bed with her. One time, I heard Tongtong crying and started to head over, but the crying stopped halfway there. I was curious, so I peeked through the crack in the door and saw Yang Yixue covering Tongtong’s mouth to stop her from crying!"

Jiang Dahai gritted his teeth.

Upon hearing this, the expression on everyone’s face changed instantly.

Jiang Liu’s face darkened as well. His father had never told him about this.

"How could she cover the nose and mouth of such a small child? What was she thinking!?" Lin Qiu exclaimed angrily.

Wang Cheng remained calm and continued, "Tongtong, I’m now planning to apply to terminate your mother’s visitation rights. Do you understand what that means?"

Tongtong thought for a moment. "Does it mean Yang Yixue can never snatch Tongtong away again?"

"Yes, you can think of it that way. Once her visitation rights are terminated, you won’t have to be with Yang Yixue again until you’re grown up."

"Can Tongtong never see her again?"

Jiang Tongtong asked a very childish question.

But no one in the room could laugh. Just how afraid of her own mother must this little girl be?

Wang Cheng shook his head. "Not forever, but you won’t have to see Yang Yixue for a very long time. Can you accept that? Will you miss her?"

"I can accept it! Hmph, Tongtong would never miss her. I’m too busy hating her!"

"As long as Tongtong has Daddy, I’ll be happy! Happy forever and ever!"

After she said that, Tongtong started counting on her little fingers:

"Not just Daddy! There’s also Teacher Qingmeng, Grandma and Grandpa, all the kind people Tongtong knows, and the big brothers and sisters who come to Daddy’s shop to buy buns."

Jiang Tongtong counted everyone she knew.

’Looks like everyone had earned Tongtong’s seal of approval.’

’Of course, Daddy was number one. No one else could compare.’

’Teacher Qingmeng was a close second, though!’

Everyone present broke into a doting smile.

’This child is just too lovable.’

’She’s cute, pretty, and a sweet-talker, too.’

Wang Cheng shot Jiang Liu an envious glance. ’What a wonderful daughter. She must really love her dad.’

"Alright, Tongtong, that’s all the questions for now."

Turning off his phone’s recording, Wang Cheng smiled and said, "Tongtong, you did very well. You’re very smart."

"I am, right? I am!"

Tongtong’s little eyes sparkled as she looked up and stroked Jiang Liu’s face.

"Daddy, do you have anything to say? You have to tell the truth, okay?"

Jiang Liu glanced at the amused expressions on everyone’s faces and said with a helpless smile, "Tongtong was very well-behaved and clever today. Daddy is very proud. How about I give you a reward when we get home tonight?"

"Yay! Oh yeah!"

"Hee hee." Tongtong’s mouth split into a huge grin she couldn’t wipe off her face.

’Daddy praised me! And he said he’s going to give me a yummy reward tonight.’

’Hmm, should I pick ice cream or coke? Tongtong has such a hard decision to make.’

Jiang Liu looked at Wang Cheng’s smiling face and asked, "Lawyer Wang, are you confident about this?"

Wang Cheng was still smiling; he was in high spirits today.

"Based on my assessment of all the factors, terminating the visitation rights shouldn’t be a problem. After all, you, as the father, have a high and stable income. Coupled with Yang Yixue’s various malicious acts, I believe we have a very convincing case!"

A weight lifted from Jiang Liu’s heart. "Then what about Tongtong’s situation tomorrow?"

Wang Cheng gave him a reassuring look. "Boss Jiang, I know you’re worried about your daughter. I’ll get on this as soon as I get back. I’ll notify you immediately when I have results, alright?"

Before he knew it, he had started calling him Boss Jiang, just like Xia Changzhi.

"Okay. Thank you, Lawyer Wang."

Wang Cheng then had Jiang Liu sign a few retainer agreements.

He needed to be formally retained as Jiang Liu’s lawyer.

He saw that the fees were all listed as zero.

Jiang Liu said, "About the legal fees, how much is it? Let me pay you. I can’t let you run around doing all this work for free. I wouldn’t feel right about it."

Wang Cheng waved his hand dismissively. "Boss Jiang, please don’t mention it. We’re practically friends now. Let’s not talk about money. Just consider this meal as payment for my legal fees, how about that?"

The two of them went back and forth for a bit.

But no matter what, Wang Cheng refused to accept any money.

Jiang Liu finally gave up.

Seeing that they were about done talking,

Not wanting to overstay their welcome, Xia Changzhi stood up and said, "Boss Jiang, we’ll get going now. You’ve had a long day. You should get some rest with your family."

He then added with a laugh, teasing Jiang Liu:

"I mean, what if I keep you from your rest and your arms and legs are too sore to open the shop tomorrow? Everyone would hate my guts, haha."

Jiang Liu liked Xia Changzhi’s joking nature and replied:

"If you put it that way, then I really won’t open tomorrow. I’ll just tell everyone in the group chat that it’s all because I had dinner with a certain Uncle Xia tonight."

Uncle Xia pretended to be horrified and quickly waved his hands.

"No! Please don’t do that! I don’t want to become a public enemy, hahaha."

The atmosphere was cheerful.

Seeing Wang Cheng pick up his bag, Jiang Liu said, "Wait a moment. Let me get something for you guys."

"There’s more? What is it?"

Xia Changzhi glanced at Wang Cheng, and their eyes met.

They could both clearly see the pleasant surprise in each other’s eyes.

’Food?’ 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

’It has to be!’

’This trip was so worth it.’

’We ate our fill and now we get to take some home!’

Soon, Jiang Liu emerged from the back kitchen carrying two large bags.

Each bag was heavy.

...