Fu Bo walked out of the room in tears. Xiao Wang, Xiao Zhou, and Xiao Deng went to help him with his luggage. Xue Jing Yi stared blankly at the scene. Her vacant expression was one of helpless confusion, as if she had yet to figure out the situation.
It wasn't until Fu Bo walked all the way to the front door and told her to take care of her health in a voice choked with emotion did Xue Jing Yi jump as if she had been electrocuted. She shouted, "Fu Bo, you're really leaving?"
She thought her brother's words were just from a fit of anger. Fu Bo was not a servant. He was their family. He took care of them since they were little and raised them!
However, the so-called "care" was only taking care of her. As for Young Master Xue who suffered from mysophobia and a deficiency of emotions, he always avoided people, so his sentiments were not deep at all.
"I don't want Fu Bo to go! Brother, you're kidding, right! You let Fu Bo stay!" With tears gleaming in her eyes, she threw herself at Xue Zi Xuan, but he pushed her away in disgust. Then he repeatedly wiped his hands with napkins, as if he had just touched something dirty.
Zhou Yun Sheng held his bowl and ate unselfconsciously, as if there were no one else present.
Xue Jing Yi couldn't get up for a long time. She simply curled up on the floor and wept, crying and begging. Fu Bo and the others hurried into the dining room. Each of them offered her words of comfort and tried to lift her up, but they were afraid of breaking her and sweated anxiously.
It could be seen that Xue Jing Yi, the adopted daughter, was the treasure of the Xue family. On the contrary, Xue Zi Xuan, this biological son, seemed like a child picked up from outside.
No matter how great the disturbance Xue Zi Xuan caused, it was like it didn't matter. But if Xue Jing Yi gave a single cry of pain then everyone would revolve around her.
This treatment, such a norm for the son of fate. Zhou Yun Sheng picked up a piece of twice-cooked pork and pondered sourly in secret. Xue Zi Xuan also continued to eat gracefully. He turned a blind eye to the group of people crouching at his feet. He definitely did not listen to the miserable crying of the girl.
Fu Bo felt both angry and pained. He entreated, "Young Master, you want me to leave, I will leave right away, and I don't even need the pension anymore. Just come over and see the young miss. Tell her not to be sad. Ever since childhood, the young miss listens to you the most. One word from you is equivalent to a hundred words from us. Look at her. She's crying so much she can hardly breathe. How can it go on like this? Young Master, just take it as me begging you, please?"
Xiao Zhou shouted, "Quick, call Dr. Wu. Tell him to hurry up and come here!"
Xue Zi Xuan wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. He spoke each word clearly, one by one, "Fu Bo, you can go now."
That short sentence completely suffocated Fu Bo, making him dumbstruck and unable to reply. He looked at Xue Zi Xuan steadily for half a day and then left in disappointment.
When he reached the doorway, he turned back and asked, "You Master, how did you become like this?"
Xue Zi Xuan heard but deliberately ignored him. He didn't even spare Fu Bo a glance from the corner of his eye. How did he become like this? If it weren't because of these people joining hands to murder his Huang Yi, if it weren't for them delivering the teenager to the surgery table and attempting to dig out his heart, then Xue Zi Xuan would not become like this.
Originally, he could have become a person with robust feelings, he could have possessed an even more beautiful future, but everything was destroyed. These people destroyed it all!
Fortunately, he had another chance to start over. Thinking of this, a gentle and loving smile burst forth, and he lightly rubbed the hair of the teenager who was engrossed in eating.
Zhou Yun Sheng also raised his gaze and smiled, and his favorable impression of Xue Zi Xuan, this mental case, continued to rise.
Asides from her older brother, the person that Xue Jing Yi relied on the most was Fu Bo. Now, her brother hated her and Fu Bo was being driven away. She felt like she could not live on anymore. She couldn't catch her breath. Her eyes rolled up and she fainted dead away. The dining room naturally became a mess of turmoil and chaos.
If it were like before, Zhou Yun Sheng would still pretend to be full of brotherly concern, but now he knew that he could get rid of the villain system sooner or later, he was reluctant to even put on a show. He casually ate two more mouthfuls of rice and then headed upstairs to play on the computer.
Xue Zi Xuan personally prepared a fruit platter with his own hands, cutting and arranging the fruit. It was beautifully prepared and ready to be taken upstairs for the youth to enjoy.
Xiao Wang and the others secretly shook their heads. They felt speechless from Xue Zi Xuan's heartlessness and cold-bloodedness.
After the doctor's critical care, Xue Jing Yi averted danger. She lied on an immensely huge and soft bed. She looked so weak and frail. Xiao Wang felt more and more distressed. He took out his cell phone to call Xue Rui and Xue Li Dan Ni, and recounted each and every one of the young master's out of tune behavior.
At the end of the phone call, they were so furious that they each booked the earliest flight ticket and hurried back home.
"Young Master, do you want to go see the young miss? Even in a coma, she was still calling your name." Soon after Xiao Wang hung up the phone, he walked to the door of Huang Yi's room to call Xue Zi Xuan.
"Do you also want to leave?" Xue Zi Xuan put down the file in his hand. His tone was very cold.
"No," Xiao Wang shook his head. "Young Miss's condition is really bad. You can ignore her, Young Master, but don't upset her. She can't bear it. I have to say, although you and the young miss are not related by blood, you still grew up together. Where you should place your affections, can outsiders compare?"
Xue Zi Xuan buried his head in the documents and seemed to have heard nothing. Xiao Wang sighed in his heart, and finally left the room unwillingly. At the last moment, right before he closed the door, he saw the young master twirl a strawberry in his fingers and fed it straight to the mouth of the young boy who was concentrating on playing with the computer.
It turned out that the young master did not lack emotions, but rather, he had put all his emotions on one person, so in the eyes of irrelevant people, he would seem so cold and heartless. What was an irrelevant person? Including Xiao Wang, it must be the same for the young miss, the master, and the mistress.
Xiao Wang's grievances did not affect Xue Zi Xuan in the slightest. The next day, when Xue Zi Xuan learned that Xue Rui and Xue Li Dan Ni were on their way back after receiving a phone call from Xiao Wang, he straightforwardly wrote a check and dismissed Xiao Wang.
Xiao Wang, who had always felt lucky in his heart, was blindsided as he carried his luggage and left. Working for the Xue family, not only did he get a high monthly salary and bonuses, he could also easily have access to all kinds of luxury cars from the garage. The working conditions were extremely good. It was precisely because of this job that he could afford to buy a house in the heart of the city, marry the goddess of his dreams, and offer his son the best school.
As the saying went, from frugality to extravagance was easy, but it was hard to become frugal after being accustomed to luxury. He was just a lousy driver without a diploma and without any capabilities. Where was he going to find a better job to support his family?
Thinking up to here, Xiao Wang was finally struck with red-hot remorse, but he quickly smiled again. He could still anonymously strike the Xue family fiercely with a crime of murder. Xue Rui for the sake of his daughter, Xue Zi Xuan for the sake of Huang Yi, both sides would have to pay up money. They had to. He didn't have to worry about his source of livelihood for the future anymore. Perhaps he could even make a fortune.
In the end, Xue Zi Xuan was just an ignorant child and unreliable when it came to handling affairs. As an elder in the family, how could he, Xiao Wang, be driven away so easily? Was Xue Zi Xuan not afraid of provoking his anger?
Xiao Wang thought about this again and again for a long time. His heart, spleen, lung, and kidney, he felt comfortable and at ease all over. Like so, he took large strides down the mountain path.
At the same time, Xue Zi Xuan was bringing Zhou Yun Sheng to a high-class clothing store to try on some formal attire.
"Young Master Xue, please wait a moment, I will go get the clothes." The clerk served two cups of hot tea and looked over the youth's excessively delicate face.
Xue Zi Xuan bowed his head and stooped to help the teenager take off his shoes. He knew that the youth was lazy, if he could sit, he would not stand. And it was not enough to have some place to sit. He would also kick off his shoes and rest his two long, straight legs on the seats in the most comfortable position.
Sure enough, Zhou Yun Sheng bent his legs very tacitly, curled up on the sofa, and shifted his butt left and right. In the end, he still felt the most comfortable when nestling within the young man's embrace. He straightforwardly pushed one of Xue Zi Xuan's arm aside and directly leaned against his chest. He held a tablet computer in his hands and played on it very happily.
Xue Zi Xuan chuckled lowly and twisted the hair by the side of Zhou Yun Sheng's cheek again and again. His lips pressed against his powder white cheek, as if he would kiss him at any time.
The intimate posture of the two attracted the attention of not only the staff but also the customers. They were all people from the same social circle of life, and most of them knew each other.
But they have only ever seen Xue Zi Xuan as a lone operator, the proud and aloof piano emperor. When have they ever seen him so tender and affectionate?
Everyone examined the pair for a long time, but they didn't dare to go up and say hello for fear of making a mistake. At this moment, the clerk came out with two suits of the same style and color, and led the two to the fitting room with a smile.
Zhou Yun Sheng put away the tablet and asked, "Are you really going to take me to the banquet? Let me warn you first, I don't know anything and I might embarrass you."
What did Xue Zi Xuan want to do? Zhou Yun Sheng was already too lazy to look into it. He'll just let nature take its course.
"It doesn't matter, you can do whatever you like. I don't feel embarrassed."
Xue Zi Xuan had already made inquiries and he knew that Xue Yan was not in China at the moment, so he had the courage to take the boy out. But he didn't like this kind of state very much. He wanted to openly possess the teenager, instead of being sneaky and hiding like this, as if he had stolen someone's treasure.
Concealing the depression in his eyes, Xue Zi Xuan helped the teenager change into the suit and smoothed out the corners. The clerk was shuffled away by Xue Zi Xuan several times, so in the end, the clerk could only stand aside and watch.
The clerk wondered who this person was? Young Master Xue's little lover? He looked at Xue Zi Xuan's eagerly attentive manner and clicked his tongue.
After changing clothes, the two attended the evening cocktail party. As long as someone asked, Xue Zi Xuan would calmly report the youngster's life history. Moreover, no matter where they went, he would have an arm looped around the youth's shoulders, and he would verbally express his feelings of love towards the boy.
The Xue Zi Xuan right now who was mingling and socializing with people in this dog eats dog and devil take the hindmost world, did not seem like a greenhorn new to the scene at all.
On the contrary, he was extremely capable and experience, efficient and unscrupulous. He made all the old foxes and cunning people within the circle feel frightened. They incessantly sighed in secret, lamenting that the younger generations would surely surpass them in time.
Within a day, the upper circles of the imperial capital all knew that Xue Jing Yi was adopted from outside. The Xue family was kind, when they learned that her twin brother was orphaned with no one to rely on, they brought him back to foster.
When Xue Rui and Xue Li Dan Ni got the news after getting off the plane, their faces were green with anger.
Their son not only dismantled the operating room, dismissed Fu bo and Xiao Wang, but also introduced Huang Yi, this wilding, as a family member of the Xue family to outsider. What in the world did he want to do?
"Are you trying to rebel? Ah?" When Xue Rui came home, he could not even bother to eat. He called his son into the study and questioned him sharply.
"Sooner or later, the Xue family will belong to me. Is it necessary for me to rebel?"
Xue Zi Xuan lit a cigarette and took a drag without hesitation. He seemed to remember something. He laughed slowly and his eyes were full of ridicule.
"How long has it been since you started taking over the Xue family? You think the Xue family is yours now? Let me tell you, no matter how strong your wings are, you are still my son! The things you've done! Have you considered your younger sister's life or death?"
Xue Zi Xuan glanced at Xue Rui, who was seething with anger, and said flatly, "Did not consider. Whether she lives or dies, that's her life. What does it have to do with me? And what does it have to do with Xiao Yi?"
"You unfilial son! You can actually say such cold and ruthless words? Answer me, did you fall for that little mutt*?" Xue Rui was almost angered to the point of throwing up blood.
[*T/N: 杂种 za zhong – hybrid/ mixed breed/ bastard / son of a b*tch]
He never imagined that his clean-living and honest son would in the end give him a homosexual scandal. When he heard the assistant's report in the car, he almost thought he was hallucinating.
But when he thought of Huang Yi's delicate and bewitching face, and his son's recent abnormalities, he felt that there was an eighty percent chance that this was true.
"Please be a bit more respectful, Father." Xue Zi Xuan extinguished his cigarette. There was a trace of anger in his dark eyes. "If Xiao Yi is a mutt, then what is Xue Jing Yi? A small mutt?"
"Oh wow, your wings have gotten really strong, huh. F*cking scram! You don't have to go to the company tomorrow! Let me tell you, no matter how strong your wings are, I can still break them! You have yet to be in power and you're already treating your little sister like this. If you really become the head of the household, then I'm afraid even your mother and I would not have the right to speak." At this point, Xue Rui shouted towards the door. "Xiao Zhou, Xiao Zhou, go send that little mongrel to the city and find a place to lock it up!"
Xue Zi Xuan glanced at him with a sinister look in his eyes. Calm and unhurried, he flung the document pouch in his hand onto the table. He said lightly, "Try it right now. See if you can break my wings."
His gaze made Xue Rui feel cold all over. Xue Rui could not help but open the folder to read, and then he froze, his face gradually distorted.
Good. Indeed such a good son. It hasn't even been two months since he took over the company, but he had already clearly grasped the state of affairs of the company. Within the document pouch was information of his tax evasion, illegal financing, business cheats, etc. Furthermore, there were detailed clauses of the main house, the third branch, and the fourth branch's deficits.
With these documents in his hands, Xue Zi Xuan could sort out* whomever he wanted to. There were no misgivings from the start. What's more, he could easily destroy the Xue consortium in the span of a day.
[*T/N: 收拾 shou shi – to sort someone out, or to put someone in their place, etc]
How could he? After all, he was the heir of the Xue family, there was no way he could be that ruthless. Xue Rui comforted himself like this.
Just as Xue Rui got his nerves settled, Xue Zi Xuan spoke: "Father, who do you think the Xue consortium belongs to now? If I want it, naturally it will flourish. If I don't want it, it can collapse and fall apart in an instant. Leave the office and retire now, or let Xiao Yi off, what do you choose?"
These criminal evidences were announced to the public when Xue Yan attacked the Xue consortium in his last life. In this life, naturally he could easily get his hands on these documents.
Xue Zi Xuan understood Xue Rui's nature. He only valued the family property, power, and status. His wife and children all had to stand off to the side.
In the last life, in order to curry favor with Xue Yan, Xue Rui abandoned Xue Jing Yi. In this life, for the sake of the seat under his buttocks, he could give up on Xue Jing Yi once again.
Xue Zi Xuan knew. Xue Rui's choice would not change.
Sure enough, Xue Rui remained silent for a long time, and finally said, "Zi Xuan, you grew up. Dad didn't expect you to grow up so well. You are the pride of Dad." Pretending to sigh, he waved his hand, "All right, you go back. Dad is tired and wants to stay here alone for a bit. The Xue family is yours sooner or later. No need to worry*."
[*T/N: The word used here is 急 ji, which means "urgent, pressing, worried, or anxious," so the last sentence can also be translated as "No need to be in such a hurry (to oust me from my seat)." But of course, Xue Rui is trying to make it sound like he is still in control, so I went with "No need to worry," as if XR is the one trying to reassure XZX.]
Xue Zi Xuan nodded with an expressionless face. Then he pushed the door open and left.
Xiao Zhou, who was standing outside by the door, greeted him immediately and hesitantly said, "Young Master, do I still need to send…" The rest of the words were forcefully swallowed back, because the young man's gaze was way too sharp and sinister, as if he wanted to hack Xiao Zhou into itty-bitty pieces.
Xiao Zhou was cowardly, he nodded slightly, and then he escaped at flying speed.
When he closed the door, Xue Zi Xuan carelessly added, "There is one more thing I forgot to mention. Fu Bo and Xiao Wang know too much. It is best for Father to deal with it cleanly."
He was a person who was able to contend with Xue Yan for a lifetime and not be completely beat down and suppressed. To handle these odds and ends, it was not necessary to do the job himself. Whoever tried to poke their head out, he'd just make them deal with the aftermath.
Xue Rui waved his hand and said that he knew. He lit up a cigarette and took a huge drag of the cancer stick. His eyes were filled with shadowed ruthlessness as he calculated.
He could not touch his son and Huang Yi, but he could still deal with a couple of small timers. If Fu Bo was faithful, then he could let him go, but Xiao Wang's greed was too heavy, he could not leave this trouble alone.
Xue Zi Xuan finished dealing with Father Xue and turned to deal with Mother Xue. He went to Xue Jing Yi's bedroom and found that she was not there.
"Brother, have you come to see me? Quickly, come over and sit down." Xue Jing Yi patted her bedside, her expression one of joyous excitement. As long as her brother was willing to come see her, she could immediately fling Fu Bo to the furthest reaches of her mind.
Xue Zi Xuan pretended not to hear, turned a blind eye on her, and closed the door with his backhand. Then he went to Xue Li Dan Ni's bedroom.
Xue Jing Yi's bright smile slowly twisted, and finally froze into bitter resentment.
When Xue Li Dan Ni finished visiting her daughter, she heard her husband and son arguing in the study, so she went down to find the little mongrel to settle the score. She went straight in without knocking on the door, and she was shocked when she saw the guest room that was changed beyond recognition.
The originally empty room now had two huge bookshelves full of mechanical books. The 1.5-meter single bed was replaced with a 2-meter double bed. A high low dual-use desk was placed next to the window. There were two laptops place on it, one closed and one opened.
At that moment, the little bastard that turned the Xue family upside down was staring attentively at the screen, and his fingers pitter-pattered rapidly on the keyboard.
This was a room full of life. It looked warm and comfortable, but it made Xue Li Dan Ni's heart continually tighten. She walked to the bathroom door and glanced inside quickly. Sure enough, all the items inside were in pairs: couple water cups, couple towels, couple slippers, and couple toothbrushes… Anything that could be in a pair was in a pair.
She choked on her next breath. Her complexion became paler and paler, and her expression twisted in malevolence.
Zhou Yun Sheng knew that Xue Li Dan Ni had come in, but he didn't want to bother with the other party. He now had absolutely no need to act with the Xue family.
Anyway, Xue Jing Yi's body was still weak, and they had to let him eat well and drink well in the meanwhile. By the time Xue Jing Yi's body recovered enough and was ready for surgery, he would probably be rid of the system by then.
What? You're asking what if he doesn't break away from the system in time? Silly. Then he would just irritate Xue Jing Yi again and continue to have her lie down. Was it not easy to pinch a sick seedling?
If Xue Li Dan Ni knew the real thoughts of the teenager, then it was estimated that she would blow up. Of course, she was close to exploding right now. She walked over to the desk, just as she was about to open her mouth to berate him angrily, her son came in.
"Mother, Father has something to say to you." Xue Zi Xuan walked in slowly.
"If there is anything to say then say it tomorrow!" Xue Li Dan Ni's expression was livid.
"It's a matter of life and death for the Xue family." Xue Zi Xuan opened the door and made a gesture of ostracism.
Xue Li Dan Ni hesitated, looked at the little bastard, looked at her son, and then turned to leave. "I will come settle the score with you later!"
However, there was no so-called "later."
Xue Li Dan Ni entered the study, and soon after she exited with her face pale. Her footsteps were heavy, as if she had lost her soul. Was this man really the son she gave birth to after carrying him in her belly for ten months? How could he be so cruel? How could he be so ruthless!