Chapter 57: Inferior Character
Min Zhi’s stance was clear and firm, making Rong Xingyi tell Xi Leng the truth.
Rong Xingyi wasn’t the type to keep secrets, and his relationship with his brother was good, yet this matter troubled him greatly, making him nervously bite his fingernails.
“Min Zhi-gege, you don’t know…”
Min Zhi hurriedly asked: “Don’t know what?”
“Ever since I was young, my ge always wanted me to study hard. He said that only studying could change our fate.” Rong Xingyi’s eyes flickered, and he paused for a few seconds before finishing his sentence, “…So we wouldn’t end up like that person.”
Min Zhi wanted to ask more, but Rong Xingyi, previously bright and cheerful, suddenly wilted like a mushroom, his eyes downcast as he murmured: “These past few years, we haven’t seen each other much, I’ve been ignoring him.”
“Forget it, I understand.” Finally, Rong Xingyi seemed to have reached a decision and asked, “Right, Min Zhi-gege, are there any good malls nearby? I want to buy my brother a gift before telling him.”
After thinking for a long time, he could only come up with this clumsy plan of bringing a gift like a weasel paying a visit to a chicken.
Min Zhi didn’t discourage him, but he had other matters to attend to, so he sent Zhu Minglang with him.
The renowned gold-medal manager became a babysitter, quite a change of pace.
However, just as the two returned happily after shopping, having just crossed the street near the company’s main entrance, a shabby-looking middle-aged man blocked their way.
Rong Xingyi froze, his body stiffening, an instinctive reaction to overwhelming fear.
Zhu Minglang sensed something was wrong and called out to him.
Rong Xingyi snapped out of his daze and hurriedly grabbed his arm: “Zhu shushu, let’s go…”
But Rong Haigao had already strode forward: “Rong Xingyi!”
Zhu Minglang, puzzled, only heard the man call out Rong Xingyi’s name, but his tone was clearly hostile.
He frowned, his paternal instincts kicking in as he shielded the teenager behind him, facing the aggressive man and asking: “Who are you?”
“Who am I?” The man’s features weren’t bad, but his expression was fierce and malevolent, his smile even more so. He kept glancing at the hiding Rong Xingyi, saying slowly, “I’m his father, of course.”
“…He’s not.” Rong Xingyi tried to hide further.
This man was probably Rong Xingyi’s father, but he definitely hadn’t fulfilled his responsibilities as one.
Rong Haigao was prepared for Rong Xingyi’s denial, seeing that Zhu Minglang was well-dressed, he spoke to him politely: “I really am his father, wait, I’ll show you…”
Rong Haigao lowered his head to search his pockets. Zhu Minglang took the opportunity to take out his phone and send a message to Min Zhi.
“Here, see for yourself.” Rong Haigao showed him the photos on his phone. “This is him and his brother, and this, his birth certificate, see? He was premature, spent time in the incubator, cost me tens of thousands.”
“This brat even bit me last time, and I didn’t even hold it against him.” Rong Haigao said with a smile. “Thank you, you can just hand him over to me.”
Zhu Minglang also smiled, but his usually jovial face now carried an aura of danger and intimidation.
The smile on Rong Haigao’s face gradually faded as he heard Zhu Minglang ask: “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Rong Xingyi hadn’t expected this either, a warm hand even patted the back of his head. Zhu Minglang turned to him, his tone instantly changing: “Don’t be afraid, shushu will take you back.”
Rong Haigao was stunned, then exploded.
“You motherfucker! How dare you!? This is my son! Where are you taking him!?”
The terrifying and violent man instantly revealed his true colors, rushing forward to snatch Rong Xingyi.
“Stop.”
A deep and cold male voice came from behind them, soft, yet it easily stopped him in his tracks.
Zhu Minglang hurriedly pulled Rong Xingyi and ran towards the company building.
Rong Haigao didn’t chase after them, instead turning to look for the source of the voice. And it was, the target he had been stalking for a month!
Compared to Min Zhi, Rong Xingyi was just an unexpected bonus.
He immediately made his choice, approaching Min Zhi obsequiously: “Big star! Min Zhi, right? I finally found you, your receptionist is really something, judging people by their appearance, wouldn’t even register me.”
Min Zhi’s brows furrowed slightly.
He had met this man before.
Last time, near Xi Leng’s rented apartment, he was holding a photo of the teenage Xi Leng, looking fierce and aggressive like a debt collector, asking rudely if he had seen the person in the photo.
However, when he told Xi Leng about it, Xi Leng was secretive, changing the subject subtly.
Xi Leng was also harassed by someone at the television station entrance last time, then suddenly requested to terminate his lease.
And now, he encountered this man again.
He claimed to be Rong Xingyi’s father, which naturally meant he was Xi Leng’s father.
All the strange pieces suddenly fell into place.
Min Zhi had never met his own biological father, he was already deceased for two years when he was acknowledged by the Jiang family. Although it was a pity, at least it allowed the young boy back then to imagine a dependable and loving father.
And some people, living was worse than being dead.
Like this person in front of him.
Min Zhi’s eyes were cold.
Rong Haigao approached him obsequiously, rubbing his hands together, and said: “I saw online that you and Rong… no, Xi Leng, are close. You must have given him a lot of money, right? I don’t know where he moved to now, enjoying himself, ignoring me, his father. What do you think of that?”
He rambled on and on, and Min Zhi only replied with three words,
“So what?”
Rong Haigao was speechless for a few seconds, clicking his tongue and dropping the pretense, saying directly: “You probably need to maintain a good relationship with your fans, right? But you’ve chosen the wrong person…”
Min Zhi ignored all his one-sided accusations about Xi Leng being cold, heartless, and having an inferior character.
“He’s quite aloof.”
A simple sentence interrupted the rambling Rong Haigao, his patience running thin, he asked one last time: “Anything else?”
Rong Haigao opened his mouth, carefully considering his words for a while before speaking: “He ran away from home when he was 17, did he tell you about this? He didn’t tell anyone, not even his younger brother, his brother cried for days…”
Min Zhi froze slightly.
No wonder, although the two brothers clearly cared deeply for each other, there was also a strange distance between them.
So that was the reason.
Rong Haigao pressed his advantage: “Do you think that kid is even human?”
Min Zhi, however, lowered his eyes, murmuring softly: “He must feel very guilty.”
The 17-year-old Xi Leng didn’t have the ability to protect himself, he knew that home was a dangerous place, and the best he could do was leave on his own. His brother was too young, the 17-year-old couldn’t take him with him, nor could he afford to raise him.
And as far as Min Zhi knew, Rong Xingyi’s mother was still alive, Rong Xingyi often went to his mother’s place.
Min Zhi guessed that if there was a time when Rong Xingyi’s mother took him and left, it was probably after Xi Leng ran away. The biggest target of the violence, once he was gone, the woman could only leave with her child as well.
Almost instantly, Min Zhi understood Xi Leng’s logic, he wasn’t wrong, and he must feel very guilty.
Min Zhi’s face darkened.
Rong Haigao, however, thought his twisted words had worked, chuckling: “You also think so, don’t you?”
Min Zhi, his expression unchanged, only asked: “What do you want?”
“I saw that he’s quite popular online, everyone is saying he’s cold on the outside, warm on the inside, praising him endlessly. If his true colors were revealed, it would definitely ruin his reputation, wouldn’t it?” Rong Haigao’s greedy nature gradually surfaced. “You’re close to him now, this will definitely have a negative impact on you too. I know you celebrities care about your image and you’re also rich, I’m not asking for much…”
Zhu Minglang was still making excuses on the phone when Xi Leng rushed out, hurriedly hailing a taxi, then practically sprinting all the way to Min Zhi’s company.
He didn’t bother looking around, nor did he have time to deal with the starstruck employees asking for autographs. He was led by a secretary, taking the elevator directly upstairs.
Standing outside the elevator doors was Min Zhi, looking relaxed and composed.
Seeing him, Xi Leng’s worries eased by half.
His fear of the opening elevator doors had mostly been overcome. Now, Xi Leng showed no trace of fear, only a slight panic: “Is Xiao Yi alright?”
“He’s in my office, Lao Zhu is with him.” Min Zhi paused, then said, “That man, he’s in the meeting room, do you want to come with me?”
Xi Leng’s eyelashes trembled, and after a while, he nodded: “Okay.”
Rong Haigao, seeing Min Zhi return as promised, even bringing the elusive Xi Leng, figured his plan had worked.
Min Zhi and Xi Leng sat side by side, then gestured towards Rong Haigao opposite them: “Is there anything you want to say to him?”
Rong Haigao chuckled awkwardly, trying to change the subject nervously: “No, nothing. Didn’t we already talk? We had a good talk, it’s fine now. Min-zong, look…”
“What did you tell him?”
Xi Leng abruptly stood up, an anxious expression appearing on his usually impassive face.
Rong Haigao looked at him, smiling: “Just talking about how much you resemble me, your dear father?”
Xi Leng’s face paled slightly.
“Min-zong…” Rong Haigao continued flattering Min Zhi, rubbing his hands together, clearly asking for money, something Xi Leng was all too familiar with.
However, Min Zhi also stood up, walking around to stand in front of Rong Haigao, looking down at him: “Since you have nothing else to say, get out.”
The smile on Rong Haigao’s face slowly vanished.
Xi Leng hurriedly walked over, trying to stop Rong Haigao before he made a move.
As expected, Rong Haigao’s attitude changed drastically, shouting at Min Zhi aggressively: “Hey! You—”
Xi Leng’s stomach churned with disgust, the thought of sharing this man’s blood making him even more nauseous.
How would Min Zhi see him?
For over a decade, he had seen Rong Haigao as his enemy, long abandoning any expectations of fatherly love, always appearing indifferent and nonchalant, but now…
Because of Rong Haigao’s words and actions, because of this biological father, how would Min Zhi see him?
Xi Leng’s fingertips felt cold.
He didn’t know what to do, only able to try and stop Rong Haigao. However, Min Zhi, as if anticipating this, grabbed Rong Haigao’s arm and twisted it forcefully, making him cry out in pain.
“If I leak this to the paparazzi, you’ll be dragged down with him!!”
“He’s my son, I know him best, he’s obsessed with money, I only asked for a little bit, and he refused, not even caring about his younger brother, selfish and heartless…”
“He’s a liar, you’ve been deceived! Why are you so stupid? Insisting on being a fool, do you think someone like him would be grateful? A joke!”
Rong Haigao, unable to resist, could only resort to threats and insults.
Xi Leng broke out in a cold sweat, his throat tightening.
Min Zhi, who didn’t know the meaning of “threats,” was enraged, but seeing Xi Leng’s expression, he suppressed his anger, slowly unclenching his fist.
This scumbag was addicted to gambling, his character violent, the two children’s childhood spent in darkness and abuse.
Even someone like Xi Leng was still deeply affected by his childhood trauma.
No matter how righteous the cause, he couldn’t resort to violence in front of Xi Leng.
So he stopped.
“I don’t want to use violence in front of him.”
Min Zhi forcefully threw the writhing man to the floor, looking down at him coldly.
“So, get out yourself.”
Since Rong Haigao, the scoundrel, refused to leave on his own, Min Zhi’s ever-ready bodyguards swarmed in, dragging him out of the company building.
The meeting room returned to its peaceful state.
Xi Leng was still in a daze, his face filled with confusion and bewilderment.
Every word Rong Haigao said made his heart clench, but Min Zhi, unfazed, even kicked him out, and now he was calmly drinking water as if nothing had happened.
Xi Leng’s heart was in turmoil. After struggling internally, he finally asked casually: “You didn’t… give him any money, right?”
“Of course not.”
“…That’s good.”
Min Zhi looked up, asking with a smile: “What, worried about my money now?”
There was something strange about these words, and Xi Leng frowned, but didn’t think too much about it.
Thinking that Rong Haigao was still his biological father, he wasn’t sure how to judge that person in front of Min Zhi, hesitating for the first time on such a trivial matter, finally saying tactfully: “He’s a bottomless pit, and he has nothing to do with you.”
Rong Haigao’s words still lingered in his mind.
Calling him selfish, heartless, a liar, with inferior genes.
Xi Leng rubbed the fabric of his pants, then after a while, finally couldn’t help but ask: “What else did he tell you?”
Min Zhi, always seeing through his defenses into his soul, smiled and said lightheartedly: “Like, entrusting you to my care?”
Xi Leng was stunned, then realizing what he meant, said with a helpless expression: “How is that possible.”
Min Zhi’s expression became serious: “He wanted my money, and kept saying bad things about you. I’m not stupid, I can judge for myself.”
Xi Leng’s eyes flickered slightly.
Min Zhi seemed unconcerned, clicking his tongue and standing up, glancing at the chair Rong Haigao had sat on, seemingly annoyed: “I was going to give him a chance to apologize to you, otherwise I would have beaten him up and kicked him out long ago.”
