Chapter 274: Laying Everything Bare

Seeing her daughter burst into tears, Song Qingtian just sat there, at a loss.

Ling Hanyu glared at Song Qingtian in anger, then bent down and picked up his daughter.

Ling Nuonuo clung tightly to Ling Hanyu, sobbing softly.

Ling Hanyu wiped away his daughter’s tears and began rocking her back and forth around the bedroom.

It took quite a while to finally soothe her down.

Ling Hanyu looked at Song Qingtian, who wore an innocent expression, and asked, “Why?”

Song Qingtian tried to laugh but said, “If I tell you, you’ll be scared!”

“I wasn’t raised to be easily frightened,” Ling Hanyu shot back.

Ling Hanyu was clearly urging him to speak up.

So Song Qingtian recounted how she had just been giving their daughter a lecture, and upon hearing it, Ling Hanyu’s face grew even darker.

Song Qingtian wore a mocking smile.

She happened to feel like taking a shower as well, so she went and washed up.

Meanwhile, Ling Hanyu sat down with his daughter in his arms and talked to her at length.

Most of what he said made sense, but Ling Nuonuo was still so young—no matter how much you explained, she could only grasp bits and pieces.

She simply couldn’t understand the underlying principles.

Ling Hanyu was exhausted and didn’t know how to express what he was feeling at that moment.

In the end, he decided not to say anything more.

Ling Nuonuo was getting sleepy and leaned against Ling Hanyu’s shoulder, whispering, “Daddy, is Mommy going to leave?”

“No, Mommy will always be with us.”

“Daddy, then can I take a little nap? When I wake up, will Mommy still be here?”

“Of course!”

Ling Hanyu felt deeply pained—his daughter was so young, yet that woman was already talking about divorce all the time.

He needed to have a serious talk with her and set things straight.

Ling Nuonuo soon fell asleep, her head resting on Ling Hanyu’s shoulder.

Ling Hanyu gently put her down and tucked the blanket over her.

He changed into his pajamas and waited in the Bedroom.

When Song Qingtian came out, she saw Ling Hanyu leaning against the headboard, waiting for her.

As soon as he heard Song Qingtian’s footsteps, Ling Hanyu opened his eyes and looked at her.

“You’re finally willing to come out?”

Ling Hanyu was furious—what a slip of the tongue!

Song Qingtian frowned. “What do you mean?”

She had come back for their daughter—was that somehow making her inferior?

Was Ling Hanyu, such a big jerk, seriously mistaken?

He really underestimated her!

Was she supposed to take all the abuse just because she’d returned?

A flicker of displeasure crossed Song Qingtian’s eyes as she walked over and sat down, beginning her skincare routine.

Ling Hanyu knew he’d said something he shouldn’t have, so he got up and walked over to her, looking at her reflection in the mirror: “Even a lotus blooming in clear water isn’t much compared to this, is it?”

Without makeup, Song Qingtian looked like a peeled egg—her skin was so smooth it seemed almost fragile.

Ling Hanyu reached out to touch it, but Song Qingtian slapped his hand away.

Ling Hanyu pulled his hand behind his back and admitted, “I really did say something stupid.”

Song Qingtian glanced at her reflection in the mirror and said, “I came back for Nuonuo, not for you!”

“That’s exactly why we need to talk,” Ling Hanyu replied, sitting down beside her.

He glanced at the makeup bottles on the dressing table and picked up a bottle of nail polish, pretending to open it—but Song Qingtian stopped him.

“These are harmful substances; don’t open them—they’ll affect Nuonuo,” she said.

Ling Hanyu was taken aback and looked up at Song Qingtian’s face. “If you already knew they were harmful, why didn’t you cut back when you were pregnant? It’s no exaggeration to say you were everywhere with them.”

At that moment, Ling Hanyu’s gaze was piercing, as if he could see right through everything.

Song Qingtian ignored his skepticism and continued: “We still have to get a divorce. I’m just not asking for custody of Nuonuo anymore. As for the property, I don’t need it—I only want Yunhai Pavilion. That’s my home, and I want it. But don’t worry; I’ll divide the assets, and everything will be in your name. All I ask is that you write a statement declaring that the property belonging to my parents should go to Nuonuo after you’re gone.”

“So you’re guaranteeing Nuonuo’s rights—then what about you?”

“I don’t want anything. In fact, life itself is a kind of cultivation. Our shared treasure is Nuonuo—she’s very important to you, and to me as well.”

Song Qingtian stepped away from the dressing table and headed outside.

Ling Hanyu followed her, and the two of them moved to the area outside the Bedroom, so their daughter wouldn’t wake up and overhear their conversation.

Song Qingtian found a spot upstairs to lean against and turned to look at Ling Hanyu: “Besides wanting to be involved in Nuonuo’s education and living temporarily in Yunhai Pavilion—with the condition that no one else is allowed to stay there during my lifetime except Nuonuo—I’ll stay, but we still have to get a divorce.”

Ling Hanyu mused, “If you get the Song Family inheritance plus custody of Nuonuo, we can go ahead and get a divorce. But you’re not allowed to leave me—let me tell you who’s in charge here. Is this deal really worth doing?”

Song Qingtian was stunned.

She just stood there, staring blankly at Ling Hanyu, unable to respond.

But deep down, Song Qingtian knew she was moved.

The only question was…

Was it safe?

However, Ling Hanyu’s next move completely put her mind at ease.

He was ready to lay everything bare!

End of Chapter 274: Laying Everything Bare