Xu Zhenhua hadn't eaten hot pot in at least ten years. He usually opted for more elegant dishes like steak, which were convenient for business conversations. This time, eating hot pot with his son and daughter, he actually found it quite amusing to watch the two kids chatting and laughing.
Xu Zifan scooped up a meatball and ate it, then recounted a funny story about drinking with others in the past: "That time we threw Qiangzi a bachelor party, he drank too much and went to the bathroom, and didn't come back for a long time. When we went to look for him, we found him with his leg raised and leaning against the wall, and even the security guards couldn't pull him away. Guess what he said?"
"What did you say?" Xu Mengyao looked at him curiously.
He said... I'm a gecko! You can't catch me, or my tail will break off!
Xu Mengyao's eyes widened, and she burst out laughing!
Xu Zifan pulled out his phone to show him, "Look, all of us brothers filmed it, and we even showed it to the bride the next day. He was so drunk he was practically delirious at the wedding, and his wife was so angry she wouldn't let him into the bridal chamber!"
In the video, Qiangzi's insistence that he was a gecko was hilarious, and a group of rich kids around him were cheering him on, which made Xu Mengyao laugh. She felt that the distance between herself and the rich kids had narrowed a little. It turned out that they could also joke around and play around, and they weren't always aloof.
Xu Zhenhua also watched the video and listened to Xu Zifan recount many amusing stories between the brothers. He felt that Xu Zifan had deeply misunderstood his son in the past.
This isn't really going astray; it's just a group of kids playing together. They haven't gotten involved in anything they shouldn't. He was just too strict with his son before.
After Xu Zifan finished talking about his own affairs, he asked about Xu Mengyao's affairs. Xu Mengyao had already relaxed and was no longer afraid of Xu Zhenhua next to her. She talked about whatever funny things came to mind.
"When I was in my first year of high school, the school corridor lights were motion-activated. Sometimes the homeroom teacher would stand at the back door to see if any students were making noise, and the lights wouldn't turn on if there was no sound. Once, my deskmate was reading a ghost story, and when he looked up at a tense moment, he was right in front of the homeroom teacher's face. He was so scared that he screamed and jumped up, throwing the book away. Then he was punished by the homeroom teacher to stand in the corner for a week!"
"When I was in the third grade of elementary school, I went to and from school with the neighbor's child. One time it rained and the road was all muddy. Every step we took made a hole. By the time we got into the village, there were already four rows of holes behind us, like a field of freshly pulled radishes. You could even raise small fish if you put some water in it!"
"Oh, right, when I was eight years old, I was tending the vegetable garden behind the house. While hoeing, I hit something hard. I hoeed it so many times, I was sweating profusely, but I still couldn't move it. Brother, guess what happened? There was an iron box underneath, and inside the box was a really beautiful jade pendant!"
Xu Zhenhua listened attentively to her stories of the past, but as he listened, he felt uneasy. Working in the fields at eight, walking such a long way to school at ten, braving the dangers of heavy rain—and these were considered fond memories by his daughter? That could only mean her life wasn't pleasant. The Wang family had gone too far.
Xu Zifan laughed and said, "Our Yaoyao is really a lucky star. It must be worth some money to hide it so well."
Xu Mengyao nodded, "That's right. I heard them say that Grandma Wang sold the jade pendant for 100,000 yuan, which was enough for the family to build a big house."
Xu Zhenhua suddenly frowned. "What shape of jade pendant? Do you remember?"
Xu Mengyao was taken aback by his question and replied, "I remember, it was a cute little gourd, green, I loved it."
Xu Zhenhua's expression suddenly changed. "The little green gourd? That's something your grandfather put on you for good luck!"
"Huh?" Xu Mengyao was dumbfounded. "Then, how did it end up in the field behind the Wang family's house? Did they... did they know from the beginning that I wasn't their daughter?"
Xu Mengyao was shocked, but at the same time, she seemed to have found the answer. No wonder the Wang couple had never liked her; they had known all along that she wasn't their biological child. So, they wouldn't let her go to university because they were afraid she would leave her hometown and find her biological parents? If she really married that cripple from the next village, she would never be able to leave.
Xu Mengyao shivered, feeling both fear and confusion.
Xu Zifan and Xu Zhenhua exchanged a glance, and Xu Zifan said coldly, "I'll go investigate."
Xu Zhenhua looked at him for a while before agreeing, "The sooner the better."
After this incident, the three of them lost their appetite. Xu Zifan drove them home, and the car was silent.
While waiting at a red light, Xu Zifan looked at Xu Mengyao and said, "Don't be afraid, you're home now. None of those who bullied you will get away. I'm here."
Xu Mengyao didn't intend to cry, but tears instantly welled up after hearing those words!
"Brother! Why did they do this to me?" She was always strong, but at this moment, in front of her brother, she was incredibly vulnerable. People are all made of flesh and blood; why could the Wang family be so cold-blooded?!
Xu Zifan leaned down and hugged her, taking out a tissue to wipe her tears. "Some people are inherently wicked and don't need a reason to do bad things. You did nothing wrong, and it's not worth making yourself sad over someone else's mistakes. From now on, you have me, you have family, and you have nothing to do with them anymore. Be good, it's not worth shedding tears for the past. We must always look forward."
Xu Mengyao nodded between sobs, "I will never cry about the past again. I am Xu Mengyao, not Wang Mengyao!"
Xu Zhenhua watched them from the back seat with a complex expression. Xu Zifan had said he would cherish his younger sister, and at that moment, he clearly realized the weight of those words—it was a promise. It was also the first time he truly understood how much his daughter had suffered.
The suffering wasn't an accident; the Wang family's mistreatment was all intentional. The Wang family deserves to die!
They got home at nine o'clock, and only the old lady was asleep.
As soon as Wang Yalin saw them, she stood up and smiled beautifully, "Dad, brother, Mengyao, you're back? Have you eaten?"
When Xu Zhenhua saw Wang Yalin's unpleasant expression, Feng Xiangjun's first thought was that her son and daughter had said something to Xu Zhenhua again. She suppressed her anger and said with a smile, "Zhenhua, why are you only coming back now? Yalin mixed your favorite drink; she's been learning for many days. Yalin, quickly mix a glass for your father to try."
"Okay, Dad, wait a minute." Wang Yalin smiled and went to mix the drinks.
Xu Zhenhua frowned. "No need. I have official business. Don't bother me."
These words were practically a direct instruction to Wang Yalin not to bother him. He didn't even notice the expressions on Wang Yalin and Feng Xiangjun's faces, which had lost their smiles, and went upstairs by himself. The oppressive atmosphere around him seemed to be materializing.
Wang Yalin bit her lip and laughed before Feng Xiangjun could speak. "Mom, Dad might be tired today. You should rest early too. You won't look pretty if you stay up too late. Brother, Mengyao, you should rest early as well. Try my cocktails when you have time."
After Wang Yalin finished speaking, she took Feng Xiangjun's arm and went upstairs, only letting go when they reached her door.
Feng Xiangjun said with heartache, "You don't need to be so submissive. You're afraid I'll scold them, but they won't appreciate it. I've seen how much you've tried to be good to them these past few days, but they're ignoring you and making the family unhappy."
Wang Yalin smiled without any reservations, "Mom, it's nothing. They're busy. I heard that my brother is teaching Mengyao about things at the company. They probably don't have the energy to go home. Let them rest more. Things will get better."
Looking at her smiling face, Feng Xiangjun felt another pang of heartache. She was still unaware that her family had decided she would move out after her birthday. Such a sensible child, how could they not see that?
Thinking that Wang Yalin would be moving away soon, Feng Xiangjun couldn't help but try to make it up to her. Suddenly, she remembered that Xu Mengyao went to Xu's every day, and she pulled Wang Yalin aside and laughed, "Your dad is very busy at the company, and your brother and Mengyao can't help him much. I think you should go to the company after school every day, and gradually start your internship. When you know more, you can help your dad."
A glint of light flashed in Wang Yalin's lowered eyes. She raised her head excitedly and asked, "Can I go? Will Dad not like me going?"
"No, I'll go talk to him right now. Your dad has worked so hard all these years, he'll be happy if you can help him. Okay, go to sleep, you have school tomorrow, I'm going to find your dad." Feng Xiangjun didn't take the internship seriously. It was just an internship; even undergraduates who hadn't graduated could go, so why couldn't her daughter?
To her surprise, this didn't work. She had barely opened her mouth in the study when Xu Zhenhua refused without leaving any room for negotiation.
"What's wrong? Zifan joined the company, and you made him the chairman's assistant. Mengyao went to the company to work with Zifan. Now I'm just letting Yalin be an intern, starting from the bottom. What's wrong with that?" Feng Xiangjun's face was unusually ugly, feeling that she had no status in this family anymore.
Xu Zhenhua looked at her coldly, "Wang Yalin is surnamed Wang. You'd better remember how the Wang family mistreated my daughter. You may not acknowledge this daughter, but I will. My daughter, Xu Zhenhua's daughter, was abused for seventeen years, and I won't let it go so easily. If you want to arrange things, then arrange for her to go to your Feng family. I can't interfere. In short, I will not allow her to enter the Xu family. Find a house as soon as possible, and move out immediately after her birthday. If you don't make proper arrangements, don't blame me for kicking her out."
Feng Xiangjun looked at him in surprise, "What's wrong with you? What happened again?"
Xu Zhenhua was extremely dissatisfied with her favoritism and did not intend to tell her until the matter was investigated. He waved his hand impatiently, "Go to sleep. I can't control your rejection of your biological children, and you can't control my aversion to my adopted daughter. If you can still calm down, I advise you to think carefully about whether it's worth it for you to become more and more estranged from your whole family for the sake of Wang Yalin."
Feng Xiangjun was shocked. No matter what she said, Xu Zhenhua ignored her and his expression became increasingly impatient. In anger, she slammed the door and left!
But back in her bedroom, facing the empty room, she suddenly felt a pang of sadness. Her family had always been happy; although her son was a bit playful, he never caused any trouble; her daughter was academically excellent, considerate, and sensible; her mother-in-law wasn't difficult, and her husband didn't have affairs. Many wives in her social circle envied her. How could her life have become such a mess now?
It all started when Xu Mengyao came back. Her husband blamed her for not loving her biological daughter. How could she love her? Who would like an intruder who disrupts their life? She wanted everything to go back to how it was before, back to that happy, carefree family, but why couldn't she?
The villa was huge, but there was no laughter or joy. Every time everyone gathered together, there was an underlying pressure. Only after everyone went back to their rooms could they relax a little.
Xu Zifan obtained the design blueprints for the jade gourd pendant from Xu Zhenhua and had Shaohua hack into the internet to try searching for them. At the same time, he began investigating the specific circumstances of the baby being switched at birth.
The Wang family is quite bold, but it remains to be seen whether they have the good fortune to back it up!