Enraged by Xu Zifan, Xu Maotong actually sent someone to move Chu Wen, but was immediately dismissed by the bodyguards. Afterwards, Xu Maotong sued Xu Zifan, demanding to see Chu Wen as her legal husband and arrange for her medical treatment. Xu Zifan refused this request and provided the court with numerous analytical documents, questioning Xu Maotong's motives, expressing disbelief that he genuinely cared for Chu Wen, and fearing that something bad would happen to her if he took her back.
Given that Chu Wen was in a vegetative state, the court naturally had to consider her safety, as well as the quality of the marital relationship between Xu Maotong and Chu Wen. Their primary focus was on mediation, hoping that Xu Maotong and Xu Zifan could compromise and reach an agreement. Therefore, during the mediation process, no one knew that Chu Wen had regained consciousness.
Xu Zifan and Chu Wen are living a very warm and cozy life. Xu Zifan continues to livestream his weight loss journey every day. He has now lost weight to the point of being slightly chubby, and the next step is to work on his muscles and shape his body.
Netizens were impressed by his perseverance and praised him highly. Many were inspired by his before-and-after photos and thanked him for his persistence, which motivated them to persevere as well. Many of Xu Zifan's fans have now lost weight. Xu Zifan responded to these comments on Weibo, saying that his strong willpower was hereditary, entirely inherited from his mother's good genes.
Although fans didn't understand why he mentioned his mother, the comments section of his Weibo post was filled with blessings for Chu Wen, hoping she would recover soon. While most of the messages were just auspicious wishes—no one could have truly imagined that someone who had been in a vegetative state for twenty-three years would awaken—the flood of blessings did indeed look quite festive.
When Xu Zifan was in a good mood, he gave out a big red envelope for his fans to grab, which immediately made the hashtags #XuZifanFilialPiety# and #XuZifanSpoilingHisFans# trend on social media.
Xu Maotong snorted coldly upon seeing this, deeply regretting that he hadn't cut off Xu Zifan's financial support out of consideration for his reputation and face. Wasn't Xu Zifan's current success solely due to his wealth? Otherwise, the saying "a long illness tests a filial son" held true; imagine having to care for a vegetative patient every day—just the bathing and massage alone would drive him crazy! Thinking about how that private club's reputation was growing, practically becoming the de facto number one club in the industry, his heart began to ache again.
That place cost Xu Zifan hundreds of millions to open. He's ripping him off and slapping him in the face. Xu Zifan is really cunning and sly!
Xu Maotong's heart ached terribly whenever he thought about Xu Zifan. He forced himself to put those things out of his mind and focused solely on his secretary reminding the lawyer to win Chu Wen back. Then he contacted Xu Zifeng to inquire about the performance of professional managers in the company, but Xu Zifeng hung up on him after only a few words, saying he had to go to a meeting!
Xu Maotong threw down his phone, angrily cursing, "They're all unfilial!"
The caregiver next to him quickly advised, "Mr. Xu, please calm down and don't get angry."
The caregiver glanced at him, inwardly scoffing. How could a scumbag like Xu Zifeng possibly be filial? Even someone as outstanding as Xu Zifan shouldn't be filial to Xu Maotong. Someone so despicable expects filial piety? Dream on!
The three caregivers were all very similar in their attitudes. Even if they appeared to be doing their jobs diligently, they were only fulfilling their prescribed duties, offering no further care or advice. Being diligent and responsible is not the same as being dedicated and conscientious. Xu Maotong didn't realize the difference, but judging from the frequency of his heart pain, scumbags are disliked wherever they go.
Xu Zifeng, who dared to hang up on Xu Maotong, is now overjoyed. He's finally back at the Xu family business. Without Xu Maotong, the professional managers don't dare to pressure him anymore, and he has considerable power within the company. This feeling of being in a high position and wielding power is wonderful; why would he want to be Xu Maotong's puppet? He believes he's learned a lot from Xu Maotong, and he's not intimidated at all. On the contrary, he's smug and hopes Xu Maotong will stay ill for the rest of his life.
While Xu Zifeng was riding high, the board members frequently met privately, where many matters were discussed and agreed upon before being handed over to professional managers. In reality, the professional managers were their puppets; the power given to Xu Zifeng was merely to lull him into complacency and had no real impact. They controlled the group's large-scale cash flow and the launch of major projects. Xu Zifeng was simply manipulated by his secretary and assistants into supporting the professional managers; everything was under their control.
Of course, these old men hadn't made any company decisions in nearly thirty years, previously relying entirely on Xu Maotong's decisions. Now, brimming with confidence, they ousted Xu Maotong, believing they could salvage the Xu Group's stock price, recreate past glories, and recoup all their losses. In reality, however, they faced increasing difficulties and a growing number of problems. The Xu Group had already begun to descend into chaos without Xu Maotong's knowledge.
Xu Zifan would recount these exciting events to Chu Wen every day, giving her amusement. He also explained his plans: "I don't intend to take the Xu family business. Xu Maotong has always considered the Xu family business his life's work, and it's what he cares about most. Developing the Xu family business to this extent over the years must be an achievement he's very proud of. So I plan to destroy the Xu family business, to make him watch helplessly as his life's work is destroyed, to see the century-old foundation of the Xu family crumble in his hands. That would be the biggest blow to him."
Chu Wen was surprised that he would have such a thought, but thinking about it this way, she actually felt quite good!
She smiled gently and said, "I have no objection. He has seized the Chu family's business for more than 20 years, and there is no trace of the Chu family left. Your maternal grandparents would agree with your idea if they knew in the afterlife. But this will be hard on you, as the Xu family should have been inherited by you."
Xu Zifan raised an eyebrow and smiled nonchalantly, "If I wanted to, I could create something even better than the Xu family."
Chu Wen loved seeing his confident demeanor; it made her feel no regrets, even though she had missed out on her son's growth, he had already grown into a towering tree. She smiled and said, "Do whatever you want, Mom will..."
I support you.
Once Chu Wen was able to eat normally and fully adapted to the sunlight and environment outside, Xu Zifan finally stopped arguing with the court and directly announced the great news that his mother had woken up!
He retweeted 10 million times on Weibo and randomly selected 100 people to receive the gift, saying he wanted his mother to live to be 100!
Each person selected received 100,000 yuan. Where else could you find such a good deal? Everyone was excited and forwarded his Weibo post, which immediately went viral and became the number one trending topic, officially announcing to the world that Chu Wen had awakened and recovered most of her health!
The mediator from the court also met with Chu Wen. No one could force Chu Wen to do what she wanted. At the same time, Chu Wen also wanted to sue Xu Maotong for maliciously murdering her and pushing her down the stairs, causing her to become a vegetable.
This unexpected turn of events astonished even the court officials, rendering Xu Maotong's previous lawsuit a laughingstock. While Xu Maotong was shocked and couldn't believe his wife had awakened, netizens were equally shocked that Chu Wen had been framed by him! Some of the earlier speculations resurfaced, and even the most imaginative individuals were surprised that their wildly imaginative guesses would actually come true. Chu Wen, a person with an impeccable reputation, spoke the truth herself, and everyone believed her, vehemently condemning Xu Maotong.
Xu Maotong was both terrified and furious, and he fainted again. This time, he didn't wake up as quickly as before, remaining unconscious for a day and a night.
Upon waking, he stared at the white ceiling, surrounded by no relatives, only the burly caregivers who stood like pillars. A sudden sense of desolation washed over him. How had he, Xu Maotong, come to this? Did he truly still have the power to turn the tide?
Xu Zifan didn't give him a chance to catch his breath. Once Chu Wen had adjusted to the outside environment, Xu Zifan pushed her to the hospital in a wheelchair. The two of them had twelve bodyguards, and even Secretary Wang didn't dare to stop them; they went straight into the ward.
Xu Maotong felt a sense of unreality upon suddenly seeing Chu Wen, as if he were dreaming. But in reality, he had never dreamed of Chu Wen in all these years. He felt no guilt or fear about his past actions, so naturally, he wouldn't have nightmares. His only fear was that someone would have evidence to bring him down.
He stared at Chu Wen in disbelief, speechless for a long time. Chu Wen was awake; the fact that he had pushed her down the stairs could no longer be hidden, but he could also insist that Chu Wen had framed him. Twenty-three years had passed, the statute of limitations had expired, and there was no other evidence; he still had a chance of winning, didn't he?
Chu Wen was also looking at Xu Maotong. In her memory, he had always been a spirited and energetic man, but now he looked like a haggard and sickly old man. Perhaps due to exhaustion during this period, Xu Maotong's hair had turned gray, making him look more like the father-in-law she remembered.
The hatred that Chu Wen had been harboring in her heart suddenly became very subtle. Was this man really her husband? It was too incongruous, too unfamiliar. She couldn't possibly see him as the Xu Maotong she knew.
But the hatred remained. No matter what Xu Maotong became, he was still her enemy. This man had killed her parents, harmed her, and even harmed her son; the hatred between them was irreconcilable!
Chu Wen stood up with a cold smile on her lips and said in a cold voice, "Didn't expect that, did you? I'm better now, but you've fallen. This is heaven having eyes, and good and evil will ultimately be rewarded!"
Xu Maotong's eyes flickered, and he subconsciously looked at Xu Zifan. He had developed a conditioned reflex from Xu Zifan's livestream recordings and such; his first reaction was that he shouldn't say anything carelessly. He replied, "Xiaowen, I'm the happiest person that you're awake. Why do you say that? Those things online are all rumors, pointless speculation. Zifan has also misunderstood me. Now that you're awake, our family is reunited. We'll celebrate once I've cleared my name. By the way, how are you feeling? Have you fully recovered?"
Chu Wen looked down at him, a half-smile on her face, and said, "You're afraid because you're no longer the omnipotent Xu Maotong. You're about to fall. Xu Maotong, your good days are over. I woke up at this time and was able to see your miserable end. How wonderful."
Xu Maotong clutched his heart, his eyes flashing with coldness as he glared at her, and said in a deep voice, "You're overthinking it. I will never fall!"
"Really? I'll wait and see." Chu Wen gracefully sat back in her wheelchair, showing no signs of her mobility issues. She patted Xu Zifan's hand, signaling him to push her away. "Let's go, seeing this person makes me nauseous."
"Chu Wen! You and your son are just like a pair!" Xu Maotong couldn't stand his wife, whom he had once looked down on, mocking him like this, and his heart was beating faster and faster.
"Fortunately, my son looks like me and has good genes." Chu Wen was pushed out, and when she reached the door, she said without turning her head, "Xu Maotong, I never owe you anything. It is you who owe the Chu family three lives."