He spat angrily, facing the two bodyguards. In defeat, he could only negotiate the price and lower it to two hundred and fifty thousand. He scrunched his face as he received a debit alert on his phone. Now, he was going to have to make him pay. His life depended on the court case, and thinking of Lixin's temper, he knew everything would work out in his favor.
Meanwhile,
The black Range Rover car parked on the other side of the restaurant had its door pulled open by Lixin and then shut. He fell back on the chair, opened up the court case, and continued to read it. The trial was next week, and he had trouble finding the best lawyer to take the case.
For once, he was going to end whatever his mother had started years ago, even when she was late. Lixin's brows raised as he saw that his driver was skeptical about the plan. He knew who Haoyu was. He had a crazy yearning for power! He was willing to do anything for riches.
"I have contacted Mu's lawyer. Last night, she refused to take the case. She probably knew that the two sides were not equal. Yes, your father did wrong by divorcing Auntie, yet his claims were right. He could have sued and used the Child Rights 234 Law.
Lixin bit his lips hard and focused on what his driver was saying. He was right again. No lawyer would take a case that was unfavorable to their path; it would reduce both their reputation and esteem. Aside from that, in all likelihood, Haoyu was in a more advantageous position than he was. Lixin sighed, lit up a cigarette stick from the car pouch, and allowed it to burn, releasing its faint tobacco scent.
He breathed it in and relaxed in the chair. He was not a smoker, but the smell of tobacco had a soothing effect on his angry nerves. Its scent was simply cold and wonderful. His gaze stiffened, seeing as the day changed to night and he had not realized how long he had been gone. Lixin had not had any lunch apart from the breakfast he ate before leaving, and for so long, his stomach grumbled in pain.
His lips twitched in annoyance after the cigarette burned out too quickly.
"Are you seriously not going to seek help from your aunt? She might know an acquaintance who could help you. Talk to her, would you?"
"Mind your business, Asshole!" |
Lixin shut him up straightaway and shut his eyes tightly. This was his fight against the sole cause of his childhood disaster. If only he had not filed for divorce because of his greedy needs, his mother would not have become mentally ill in four months. He bit his lips and let his worries go while the faint tobacco scent filled his nostrils.
Some minutes later, the car parked in front of the large mansion of the Mus, or, to be precise, his mansion. Lixin came down with an exhausted sternness on his face, accompanied by his driver, who dropped off some groceries before bidding him goodbye.
"Mingxia? She is asleep?" Lixin asked wearily, gulping a glass of water down his throat. His face displayed his tired nature as he skipped her answer and went to the stairs.
"You stayed out too late. What are you up to?" Suyin coldly asked, leaning against the couch. This afternoon, after she had dropped Mingxia in her room, she made a short search in his room and found a letter—a suit letter. Her face scrunched up while reading its content. She had not expected her brother-in-law to have his eyes wrapped tightly with greed. He had the guts to threaten his son for a share of the inheritance. What a bare-faced man!
"Some paperwork," His reply was short. Lixin's hoarse voice and scent gave him away. He had completely forgotten, when he was immersed in its scent, how much Suyin hated the smell of cigarettes. She found it irritating like she always said.
His back turned coldly to the stairs.
"Your dad is suing you, right?" Lixin's face soured. He turned back at her, exhaled loudly, and leaned on the black staircase rail.
"How many times have I asked you not to snoop around when I am not gone? This is my house, and for once, I'd wish you would obey my rules." He shot back, obviously annoyed that she had gone through his belongings. Furthermore, she read the letter.
… So what if he was being sued for a case he had no idea of?
All he knew was that Haoyu's approach to his mother's parenting role was one he used as his ticket. Nevertheless, Lixin could not blame her. Who would? She had suffered at the hands of Haoyu and, even at the slightest escape, had become mentally ill.
He knew of her dyslexia symptoms at an early age and took care of them himself until she passed away. Her death lingered long in his heart, followed by self-blame and deceit. He knew that if she had let go of him, she would not have been dead!
Lixin was the cause! She went back to get him, only for her to be stuck and burned into ashes while he escaped with a scarred face for eternity. His life was ruined, and she was dead!
It was a dead end for him. Every investigation of his was futile. The neighbors that day entirely denied having seen Nuying. They claimed she set the house on fire and committed suicide. Lixin was only a little boy then—about eight or nine years old. Having seen this, he hated people to the core and continually viewed them as stonehearted!
That was one piece of evidence Haoyu had. The false statements of the neighbors who had collected bribes to cook up fake stories He could not do anything. He was in a coma for a year and a half, and that was when he met Suyin and Haoru when he woke up.
Up until now, his memory lingered on the fire accident—a planned fire accident.
"Oh! Am I not supposed to know what is going on in your life? When will you start treating me as your family? As your new guardian. Life is difficult for you; I get it. You want revenge, but is that what Nuying wants for you? Lixin, this is slowly eating you up. The grief, vengeance, anger—everything! Your mother…"
"You do not know anything about my mother!"
Lixin roared, clutching the black staircase rail; his fists were balled firmly, and his eyes turned red. The pain of having to hear her fake consoling words disgusted him to the core. Did she also forget that she had abandoned her sister? Suyin was not much better than his father was!
"You!" Suyin retorted, raged by his bellowed yell.
… He knew about it. Suyin's body began to tremble in fear, her knees weakening at the icy glare she received from Lixin. If he knew about the distanced relationship between them, then would it...
Her face soured, and she rushed over to Lixin's arms, tugging on his shirt.
"Let go,"
"Lixin, whatever Haoyu told you is fake. How could I possibly cause my sister's divorce? I love Nuying. I wouldn't dare to..."
"Let go!" He shouted, pushing her away from his sleeves. He needed air before he suffocated with such shocking news. How long did she think that her soft act would heal his wounds? She was fake! A fake could not replace his real mother, whom he hated for
After waking from the coma, he met Suyin. Something deceptive about her sold her off instantly in the first instance. She smiled brightly, but underneath the beaming smile held a terrible guilt—an unspeakable guilt. As if she were hiding something from him—something about his mother.
Lixin furthered his research and found out that the two sisters had a grudge on the day Nuying got married. Frequent arguments reoccurred from then on, and he could vividly remember that same choking voice on the phone before the deadly fire event took place. A series of investigations traced the yelling voice that night back to Suyin! How awful that she believed she could keep him from finding the truth! She was the sole reason why she had left the kitchen and the same reason why his mother came back suffocated.
… Did she think that spending time with him would release her from her guilt? No, nothing could!
"From now on, I don't want to ever see you. Get lost, Suyin! Get Lost!"