Shen Qingyan did not believe Xiao Luo’s explanation—it would be weird if she did. Based on what she knew of Xiao Luo, she guessed that the man had probably headed to the presiding judge’s house with a knife last night.
Of course, she did not probe anymore.
Court was in session soon after, and the counsels on both sides soon began their brutal debate.
The lawyer on Bai Yuquan’s side started a series of debates based on the argument that Su Xiaobei was Bai Yuquan’s biological daughter. With the Bais’ family background, financial capability, as well as other great qualities they had, their lawyer believed that Bai Yuquan was the one who was most qualified to have custody of Su Xiaobei and that he was the one who could give her a healthy environment to grow up in.
Not to be outdone, Su Li’s attorney, Ning Wanxiu, believed that Su Li could provide Su Xiaobei with everything that Bai Yuquan could. On top of that, Su Xiaobei had been fostered by Su Li since her birth, and so the latter had a profound relationship with the child. If they were to hand custody of Su Xiaobei over to Bai Yuquan now, it would definitely become a source of childhood trauma for her and, therefore, detrimental to her growth and well-being.
Xiao Luo sat in the gallery, as if he were witnessing a heated debate. The lawyers on either side were both extremely eloquent and professional.
After a fierce debate, the presiding judge was very obviously leaning towards Bai Yuquan. It was not because of the Bais’ influence, but because of the argument that Su Xiaobei was his biological daughter. Su Li was disadvantaged because of this. It did not matter how well Su Li’s lawyers could hang the moon and stars with just her words alone. The undeniable fact was that Su Li was Su Xiaobei’s aunt, while Bai Yuquan was Su Xiaobei’s biological father.
“Hey, pal, this disperses all your doubts, right? This is definitely fair and square!”
Bai Guoxiong was seated not too far away from Xiao Luo. He had a cane with a dragon cane head and a gratified smile on his wizened face, looking every bit like a victor. “I can’t even find the words to describe how at ease and pleased I am at the thought of having such a beautiful and adorable child as my great-granddaughter.”
“Old man, the ruling isn’t out yet. Don’t be happy just yet,” Xiao Luo reminded with a smile.
Bai Guoxiong spread his arms and responded, “Are there still any doubts as to the outcome of this hearing? The Xiaobei’s custody will definitely go to us.”
Bai Ying, Bai Xuenan, and Yu Yasi all had smiles on their faces. Su Xiaobei was a part of the Bai family, and it was their blood that flowed through her veins. It went without saying that custody should go to them—there was no questioning this.
Xiao Luo raised a brow and smiled, but said nothing more. Truth be told, regardless of the outcome, he was prepared to accept anything. The Bais could, indeed, provide Su Xiaobei with more love and attention from her grandparents, her great-grandfather, and a myriad of other relatives. In the Bai family, Su Xiaobei would definitely become a bona fide princess constantly surrounded by people.
Of course, deep down in his heart, he leaned towards wanting the little girl to return to Su Li’s side, selfish as it was.
“Miss Su, is there anything your side would like to present?”
The presiding judge motioned for Su Li to speak. In truth, he was giving Su Li’s side a final chance. If they still could not move him or present something more persuasive, he would rule for the custody of Su Xiaobei to go to the Bais.
“Your Honor, there’s something we would like to say.”
Ning Wanxiu stood up, motioning for her assistant to hand a document over to the presiding judge and the other judges for them to look over. “Your Honor, the document you’re holding right now is a medical receipt from Changjiang Hospital, Xiahai City. This is proof that Su Jing underwent in vitro fertilization treatments in Changjiang Hospital four years ago. The Changjiang Hospital stamp, as well as the signature of the director, are also on the document.”
A test-tube baby?
What did this mean?
It was not just the presiding judges and the judges who were shocked—even Xiao Luo, Bai Guoxiong, and the rest of them sitting in the gallery were puzzled.
Ning Wanxiu continued, “Your Honor, the truth of the matter is that Su Xiaobei isn’t even Bai Yuquan’s daughter. They don’t share the same blood. My client had already clearly told him as much in Xiahai City, but he did not believe her and forcefully took Su Xiaobei away.
“You scum! What are you running your mouth about? How can Su Xiaobei not be a Bai?”
Bai Guoxiong stood up abruptly to lash out at Ning Wanxiu. He had spent many days doting on this little doll, only to be told that she was not his great-granddaughter? It was difficult for him to accept this.
Thud! Thud!
The presiding judge banged his gavel several times and coughed drily as he said, “Please remain silent, Mr Bai. You’re in court.”
Bai Ying and the rest urged him to do the same, and it took some time before they calmed Bai Guoxiong.
Xiao Luo, on the other hand, frowned deeply, because this mention of Changjiang Hospital dredged up some pretty bad memories for him. He had been in his junior year when Zhang Dashan came to him with a promotional poster from the hospital, urging him to do something shocking—to perfect the human genome project.
He had heard of the human genome project. Started in 1990, the project aimed to decode the approximated 25,000 genomes in the human body. At the same time, it would map out the blueprint of human genomes. This way, they would be able to control and completely cure genetic diseases, and they could even help amputees grow new limbs. It was a noble project that could allow for all the organs in the human body to regrow. One could even go as far as to say that Jurassic Park would no longer just be a science fiction story.
And what they had to do was this: donate their sperms.
Xiao Luo had rejected it immediately. The process of sperm donation involved an activity that would have to be kept secret. He was a pretty conservative man, and so he would not to engage in such activities. Zhang Dashan, on the other hand, was different. He said that there were a lot of hot nurses in Changjiang Hospital, and his lecherous mind was thinking about how those hot nurses could help him.
In the end, he succumbed to Zhang Dashan’s pestering. He could not say that he had succumbed to Zhang Dashan’s persuasion. More accurately, he could not resist the temptation of money. As long as he passed the physical examination and donated his sperm, what awaited him was a 2,000-Yuan cash prize. Besides, this would be kept secret forever. At that time, his father had been building a farm, which was technically an entrepreneurial investment. The family expenses were too high, and so he only had an allowance of 500 Yuan each month. Because of this, RMB2,000 was not a small sum to him.
And after that, there was no “after that”. He went to Changjiang Hospital with Zhang Dashan where they both passed the physical assessment, and they became anonymous sperm donors.
This was a dark past he did not want to remember. Were it not for the fact that they had mentioned Changjiang Hospital and test-tube babies, Xiao Luo would not have thought about this at all.
Why this coincidence?
Why did Su Xiaobei call him daddy the moment she saw him?
Could it be that Su Li’s sister had not used Bai Yuquan’s sperm when she accepted the in vitro fertilization treatments? Had she used sperm provided by Changjiang Hospital?
Xiao Luo’s mind was in a mess, because all of this was bewildering him. If Changjiang Hospital had, indeed, used the sperm he donated, then would that not make Su Xiaobei his biological daughter?
“It can’t be…”
No matter how emotionally stable he was, Xiao Luo could no longer keep his cool at this moment.
It was too unbelievable. It was too surprising. It was…too much of a plot twist.
