The rumors and whispers began to come from everywhere — even in my university.
This was not new.
It had happened before — when my brother was in university.
Back then, someone had slyly asked him,
"Hey, between your two mums… Who's your real one?"
He had initially brushed off the question. But curiosity, coupled with pressure and whispers, becomes dangerous.
So one day, without telling anyone, my brother secretly brought a DNA sample to the hospital.
He wanted to know.
He had to know.
But he was caught.
By my father.
My father didn't shout.
He didn't punish him.
But the disappointment in his eyes — my brother never forgot it.
But what I did was something completely different.
I went straight to my mom's to confront them.
Not in a whisper. Not in private.
I confronted them both. Together.
Right there, in front of the swirling storm of rumors and comments.
My mother 1 is Wei Xiaozing.
My mother 2 is Wei Xiaoying.
Wei Xiaozing — my mother 1— is gentle. As gentle as the morning light.
The moment I asked her, she broke down.
She started to cry.
But Wei Xiaoying — my mother 2 — stood upright.
Her eyes were cold.
Her face was unreadable.
Maybe it was the rumors.
Maybe she was just… tired of defending something that didn't need defending.
But me?
I just wanted to know.
Not because I loved one more.
Not because I doubted them.
But because I wanted to shut them all up.
But what happened…
That was something small that became something great.
Just as the air was getting heavy, guess who decided to enter?
My cousin Jiang Xu'er, together with her mom.
And they didn't just walk in.
No, they barged in —and loudly repeated every malicious rumor that had been whispered behind our backs.
They spoke as if it was their duty to uncover a great scandal.
As if they were heroes.
But every word that came out of their mouths?
Pierced my mother Wei Xiaozing's heart.
Like a knife stabbing back and forth.
Every sentence, every "someone said", was like poison.
I saw her turn pale.
I saw her lips trembling.
And me.
I just stood there, frozen, and watched her break before my eyes.
It's burned in my memory.
The way Jiang Xu'er and her mother stood there that day—arms folded, eyes gleaming—not with concern, but with a sick kind of amusement.
They didn't even pretend to be subtle.They wanted to be heard.
"Oh my, Aunt Xiaozing, you've gotten so thin lately," Jiang Xu'er's mother said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "I suppose that's what happens when people start whispering you're just the 'emotional caretaker' and not the real mother. Must be hard, isn't it?"
And then Jiang Xu'er—smiling like this was all entertainment—added:
"You know what Madam Lin said at the golf club last week? 'One of those twins definitely couldn't conceive, so they passed the child like some family heirloom.' And of course, everyone laughed. Even Madam Su chimed in—'Well, at least the child looks like one of them. It would've been more awkward otherwise.'"
They laughed.
They laughed while my mom—Wei Xiaozing—looked like she was crumbling inside.
"Oh, and didn't Mrs. Qian say at the tea party that it's obvious which one's the biological mom? You just have to look at the girl's face! Like we're all blind."
"They even joked, 'Why raise a child equally when everyone knows blood matters more?'" Jiang Xu'er said, practically glowing with satisfaction.
And then—this one—this one still echoes in my chest:
"Honestly, Aunt Xiaoying," Jiang Xu'er's mom said, "if it turns out you're not the biological mother, wouldn't it be a relief? At least then people would stop calling you the cold one who's pretending."
They weren't asking questions.They were shooting daggers.
And those daggers—they weren't just aimed at my mom.They were meant for me.
It kept coming.Like waves meant to drown us.
And the worst part?
They said all of it with smiles.
"You know, some of the wives were wondering," Jiang Xu'er said with a fake pout, "why keep the truth hidden? It's not like people care anymore. Everyone's doing IVF, surrogacy, test tube babies... It's practically fashionable."
Her mother chimed in, adjusting her designer shawl with a smug tilt of the chin:
"Exactly. But hiding it? That's what makes it scandalous. What are you so afraid of, Xiaozing? That your daughter might walk around calling the wrong woman 'Mom' in front of the media?"
"And what if she marries into another top-tier family?" Jiang Xu'er added. "You know how bloodlines matter in those circles. You think the Ye family or the Zhou clan wouldn't do a DNA test before even sending an engagement ring?"
My mom, Wei Xiaozing, just stood there—her hands trembling, lips pressed tight—but her tears wouldn't wait.
Her sister—my mom 2—Wei Xiaoying had her arms crossed, back rigid, and eyes like winter steel. But even her calm cracked when Jiang Xu'er's mother said:
"People say the real reason this family won't reveal the truth is because they're ashamed of which twin had fertility issues."
"Some even whispered," Jiang Xu'er leaned closer, mock-whispering loud enough for everyone to hear, "'Maybe the baby was a result of a surrogacy scandal they covered up.' Can you imagine the gossip if that gets out?"
I was shaking.I wanted to scream, to throw something, to grab both of them and—
And that's when he entered.
My father.
Jiang Weiren.
The room shifted.
Even the air froze.
He didn't slam the door—he didn't need to.
His voice alone made the walls remember who built them.
"Who gave you permission," he said slowly, dangerously, "to stand in my house and speak filth about my wives and my daughter?"
Jiang Xu'er's mother paled. Jiang Xu'er stepped back instinctively.
My father walked in like a storm wearing a suit. Calm on the surface, but you could feel the fury beneath his skin.
"If you want to gossip," he continued, "go to the streets. That's where dogs bark without consequence."
He stopped in front of my two mothers, placed a steadying hand on Wei Xiaozing's shoulder, and met my gaze.
"Zhiqing. Go upstairs."
I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off with a single look.