I Became the Eye Candy: Four Bigshots Claimed to be My Dad?-Chapter 78: He Couldn’t Hold His Head High in This Family

"Old Madam, you mustn’t do this!" the maidservant cried, running around in a panic.

"Mother, put the scissors down! Don’t hurt yourself," Liu-shi said, rushing forward.

The old madam pressed the scissors to her throat. "Don’t you come any closer. One more step, and I’ll stab myself."

"This... General..." Liu-shi was scared out of her wits.

Panic flickered in Xiang Minghou’s eyes. His arms around Ye Qianning tightened. ’When did my relationship with my mother get this bad?’

’I can’t believe the old madam would go this far for the second branch,’ Ye Qianning thought. ’They’re both her sons, but just because Dad can’t have any more children, she treats him this way.’

’He defended the country, charged at the enemy, and came back covered in wounds, yet all his mother cares about is an heir. It’s utterly chilling.’

"Put the scissors down." After a long silence, Xiang Minghou finally spoke, his voice like ice.

"If you don’t find a way to get Si Yan and Zhenzhu onto Lou Mountain, then I will die before your very eyes today, and you’ll bear the crime of matricide!" The old madam showed no sign of backing down.

Xiang Minghou felt that no blade on the battlefield could ever be as chilling or painful as this moment.

’I’m just an outsider in this family,’ he thought. That was why he hated returning to the Capital City.

Especially after his grievous injuries, he had never felt ashamed before the world. On the contrary, he was proud of his military accomplishments. But in this home, he couldn’t hold his head high.

And now, his own mother was trying to pin the heinous crime of matricide on him.

A chill washed over him. So cold. It was spring, yet the cold felt so real, so deep—

Ye Qianning felt Xiang Minghou trembling. She wrapped her small arms around him, her own nose stinging as she held back tears. "Dad."

’A man isn’t afraid of fighting and bloodshed,’ she thought. ’The deadliest wounds are the ones that come from home—’

Xiang Minghou drew a sharp breath. The sound of her small, stuffy voice dispelled the chill that had seeped into his bones. A faint smile touched his resolute face. ’Maybe,’ he thought, ’it won’t be so cold from now on.’

"Xiang Minghou, say something!" When he remained silent, the old madam actually jabbed the scissors into her neck.

Blood immediately stained the blades.

"Old Madam!" the maidservant shrieked.

"Dad, Grandma’s bleeding! Please, just agree!"

’I can’t believe she actually did it,’ Ye Qianning thought. ’Looks like she’s really willing to risk her life.’

’If it were anyone else pulling a stunt like this, even if they were just faking it, I would’ve stabbed them myself to teach them a lesson about how vicious people can be. But this is Dad’s mother.’

’If something happened to her, it would haunt my father for the rest of his life.’

After a long silence, Xiang Minghou finally nodded. "Fine."

The word had barely left his lips when the old madam’s scissors CLATTERED to the floor. She collapsed, slumping to the ground, clearly terrified by her own actions.

"A doctor! Go get a doctor, quickly!" Liu-shi cried, rushing to help her up.

The maidservant scrambled out the door.

Xiang Minghou said nothing more. Without even a glance at the old madam, he turned and walked out, carrying Ye Qianning.

The lingering rays of the setting sun cast a glow on his resolute face, so bright that he could barely keep his eyes open. He freed a hand to shield them. ’So the sunset can be this blinding, too.’

"Dad," Ye Qianning said, tightening her arms around his neck and resting her head against him.

’This was a huge blow for Xiang Minghou. Wounds of the heart are the hardest to heal.’

’The old madam had pushed him to this point over a single issue. There was sure to be more trouble ahead. Just the thought of it was exhausting.’

Xiang Minghou said nothing, simply holding his daughter tightly as he walked toward Yuehua Small Building. His nose stung, and a heavy pressure settled in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Ye Qianning watched him, growing more and more worried. ’He’s holding so much in.’

That night, Xiang Minghou fell ill. He was running a raging fever of over forty degrees that refused to break. If Ye Qianning hadn’t been too worried to sleep and snuck over to check on him in the middle of the night, the fever might have caused permanent damage.