Chapter 34
“You misunderstand, the lawyer is for Xi Le. She wants to divorce Shi Fengsheng.”
Xi Shi was amused by his reaction. He was usually the one at a disadvantage, and he had never seen Zhong Yuxiao with such an expression.
“I thought so.” Zhong Yuxiao’s heart settled back in his chest, and he let out a sigh of relief. “I thought you were afraid of being impotent for the rest of your life.”
Xi Shi: smile slowly fades
After this incident, they were no longer in the mood to eat at the school gate and went straight to the hospital.
Xi Shi asked his assistant to take the lawyer to Xi Le. Shi Fengsheng wasn’t at this hospital. The news reported that they had a physical altercation, but only included Shi Fengsheng’s photo. Xi Le came to the hospital, but he hadn’t heard how seriously she was injured.
“So after we left last night, Xi Le beat him up?”
“Probably.”
Xi Le had brought a group of people with her when she came to see him.
Xi Shi suddenly remembered something. “Do you know why Shi Fengsheng went to that hotel last night?”
After the gathering at Linjiang Fang ended, Shi Fengsheng drove alone to the suburbs. The hotel was located in a remote area, not even covered by surveillance cameras. Shi Fengsheng going to such a place in the middle of the night was clearly not for anything good.
A guess formed in Zhong Yuxiao’s mind, and his eyes widened slightly. “Could he have gone to meet his lover?”
“That’s right. The adulterer owns that hotel. They’ve been together since college and have never broken contact.”
At first, it was due to societal pressure, they didn’t dare to come out. Later, same-sex marriage became legal, but Shi Fengsheng had already latched onto Xi Yue, so it became a secret affair.
Even if it was just a change of heart, Xi Shi wouldn’t hate Shi Fengsheng as much as he did now. This man had never been sincere from the beginning. Xi Shi had no prejudice against same-sex relationships, he was gay himself, but he loathed gay men who entered sham marriages.
“Shi Fengsheng has been secretly supporting his lover all these years, truly a deep love.” Xi Shi’s face was full of disdain, and he found another news article on his phone. “The hotel was also smashed last night. Xi Le must have discovered the affair.”
Xi Le was different from his mother. Xi Yue was gentle and wouldn’t even curse. Even after being betrayed by Shi Fengsheng, she couldn’t bring herself to blame her husband and cousin, only torturing herself.
Xi Le was much more assertive and had never taken any shit since she was young. Discovering that Shi Fengsheng had been deceiving and using her, her first reaction was to seek revenge, even if it meant mutual destruction, she would take a bite out of Shi Fengsheng.
If his mother had been like Xi Le, perhaps she wouldn’t have met such a tragic end.
“Shi Fengsheng didn’t even dare to call the police after being beaten like this, insisting it was a mutual altercation. He must be afraid of the affair being exposed.”
But he would never dream that Xi Shi had already told Xi Le about the adulterer.
Zhong Yuxiao could only think of one saying – the wicked have their own grinders.
“Do you think he knows we put a sack over his head?”
Xi Shi thought for a moment and shook his head. “He probably blamed it on Xi Le.”
Not long after, the lawyer came out. “Mr. Xi, Ms. Xi Le asked me to tell you that she wants to see you.”
Xi Shi didn’t really want to see Xi Le. At his worst, just hearing her name made him nauseous.
“Do you think Xi Le knows what we did last night?” Zhong Yuxiao asked casually.
Xi Shi frowned. The timing of Xi Le and Shi Fengsheng’s fight was too coincidental. She might actually know something. Besides, it was time to settle things once and for all. “Will you come in with me?”
Watching the drama unfold live, Zhong Yuxiao readily agreed.
Inside the ward, Xi Le sat calmly on the bed. She was indeed unharmed, without a scratch on her, just slightly swollen eyes, as if she had been crying, her makeup smudged, her face even more haggard than last night.
Seeing Zhong Yuxiao, Xi Le was stunned, seemingly not expecting Xi Shi to bring him along.
The second young master of the Zhong family, Xi Shi’s arranged marriage partner. She had heard of him. He had studied abroad for seven years and was now teaching at Lincheng University, a renowned young talent in the circle.
Such a talented young man reminded her of Shi Fengsheng in the past, gentle and refined, courteous and polite.
A shadow flickered in Xi Le’s eyes. “I have something to tell you, ask him to leave first.”
Xi Shi pulled a chair over for Zhong Yuxiao. “There’s nothing he can’t hear.”
He had told Zhong Yuxiao almost all his secrets, so he didn’t care about the little things Xi Le might say.
Zhong Yuxiao had to admit, he was pleased by Xi Shi’s words.
It took Xi Le a while to understand what he meant, and her expression became complicated. “You’re truly Sister Xi Yue’s son, very much like her.”
Xi Yue was a taboo. Mentioning her instantly shattered the calmness Xi Shi had been trying to maintain. “You’re not qualified to call her ‘sister’!”
Zhong Yuxiao held his hand and gently traced his palm. “Of course a mother and son are alike. I saw Shi Chengze from afar before, and he ran away scared as soon as he saw Xi Shi. You—”
Zhong Yuxiao paused and smiled, his tone cold. “If you saw Aunt Xi Yue, would you run away in fear?”
Xi Le’s expression immediately changed. She bit her lip, her face turning pale, and clutched the blanket in panic.
After Xi Yue’s death, she had nightmares for a long time. In her dreams, Xi Yue was covered in blood, staring at her silently, asking whose child she was carrying.
She was terrified and even secretly sought help from spiritual practitioners, and the situation only gradually improved after she safely gave birth.
Last night, after learning about Shi Fengsheng’s true nature from Xi Shi, she had another nightmare after all these years. In her dream, Xi Yue remained at her most beautiful age, her features picturesque, smiling and calling her “sister.”
After waking up, Xi Le cried and went to see Xi Chongyang at the old residence.
“Ah, I was just kidding.” Zhong Yuxiao shrugged indifferently. “You guys talk, don’t mind me.”
Xi Shi squeezed his hand and gave him a thumbs up. Being well-educated was indeed different. Teacher Zhong could insult someone without using any vulgar words, his gentle knife striking directly at the heart, easily turning the situation around.
No wonder he couldn’t win an argument against Zhong Yuxiao.
Because of Zhong Yuxiao’s interjection, Xi Le’s condition visibly worsened, her momentum weakening. “Xi Shi, I can take the blame for what happened last night.”
“What happened last night?” Xi Shi asked nonchalantly.
Xi Le forced herself to speak. “You know what I mean. I’ll help you deal with Shi Fengsheng and all the trouble he’ll cause. In return, you let Xiao Ze return to the Xi family.”
Shi Chengze was the child of Shi Fengsheng and Xi Le. Because of Xi Yue’s death, even Xi Le was resented by Xi Chongyang, let alone her child with Shi Fengsheng.
Since Shi Chengze’s birth, Xi Le hadn’t given up on sending him to the old residence. She wanted Shi Chengze to grow up by Xi Chongyang’s side, just like Xi Shi, and naturally become one of the Xi family’s heirs.
But Xi Chongyang had never agreed, even declaring that Xi Shi would be the only heir to the Xi family.
As long as Xi Shi spoke up, he could definitely persuade Xi Chongyang to change his mind.
“Return?” As if hearing a ridiculous joke, Xi Shi sneered. “His surname is Shi, not Xi, there’s no talk of returning.”
“He’s your half-brother, your blood brother. Why can you be the eldest grandson of the Xi family, but he can’t return to his roots?!”
Xi Le’s eyes were filled with resentment. She thought of the past, when she and Xi Yue were both daughters of the Xi family, but in the eyes of others, only Xi Yue was the eldest miss, while she was only known as Xi Yue’s cousin.
Why?
“Chenxi International was founded by my mother and your uncle. My son and I deserve a share of the Xi family. If it weren’t for my mother’s accident, do you think you and Xi Yue could have the life you have now?”
She shrieked hysterically, “You owe me this!”
Xi Chongyang, Xi Yue, Xi Shi… everyone in the Xi family had wronged her!
“No one owes you anything.” Xi Shi looked at her coldly. “When Chenxi International was founded, your mother only had 20% of the shares. After her death, Grandpa held them on your behalf, and after you became an adult, the 20% was returned to you.”
“Grandpa treated you like his own daughter, my mother protected you everywhere, treating you like her own sister, but what did you do?”
Xi Shi clenched his fists. “You interfered in my mother’s marriage, deliberately provoked her with your pregnancy, causing her to miscarry, causing her depression, causing her tragic death!”
Xi Le was probably the most vicious kind of mistress, taking the initiative to reveal her pregnancy.
At the time, his mother was worried that her unwed pregnancy would be criticized, so she wanted to help her hide it, only to find out later that the cousin she had always doted on was carrying her husband’s child.
Shi Chengze was conceived before his mother and Shi Fengsheng separated, a true illegitimate child.
No matter what, he would never agree.
“How, how did you know…” Xi Le’s face changed drastically.
“How did I know you were pregnant before marrying Shi Fengsheng? How did I know the truth about my mother’s miscarriage?” Xi Shi glared at her fiercely. If it weren’t for Zhong Yuxiao holding his hand, he might have lost control and hit Xi Le. “Heaven sees what people do. Did you really think you could deceive everyone with the lie of premature birth?”
Shi Chengze was a full-term baby, and this was easy to investigate. Xi Chongyang didn’t want to see Xi Le because he knew Shi Chengze was an illegitimate child.
For so many years, Xi Chongyang had been very lenient with Xi Shi, ignoring his playboy lifestyle, perhaps subconsciously, he also felt guilty towards his grandson.
“Xi Le, if karma exists, you will definitely die a horrible death.”
Xi Shi didn’t want to say more and pulled Zhong Yuxiao away.
Outside the ward, Shi Chengze looked at him nervously, his face pale, clearly having heard their conversation. “Brother…”
“Don’t call me brother.”
Xi Shi’s eyes were cold, and Shi Chengze immediately recalled the time when he was pinned down and beaten bloody as a child, subconsciously shrinking back.
On the way back, the assistant drove, and Xi Shi kept looking out the window. The weather was nice today, sunny, but he seemed to be shrouded in a dark fog, his eyes unfocused, his brow furrowed.
Zhong Yuxiao had never seen him like this.
He was dedicated to discovering different sides of Xi Shi, but at this moment, he didn’t feel any joy.
“CEO Xi, are we going back to the company or somewhere else?” the assistant asked.
Xi Shi silently looked at Zhong Yuxiao, who thought for a few seconds and gave an address. “78 Yunsheng Road.”
Not home, not the company, not the school.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll know when we get there.”
After getting out of the car, Xi Shi raised his eyebrows in surprise. “A boxing gym?”
“Mm-hmm, the place where I used to practice.” Zhong Yuxiao led him inside. “This gym is owned by an acquaintance of my brother. I’ve already informed him, no one will disturb us.”
After changing into their training clothes and gear, they went to the training area. Zhong Yuxiao handed him a pair of gloves. “Me or the punching bag?”
“Huh?”
“A punching bag isn’t as good as a real person, after all. I can reluctantly be your sparring partner and give you the most authentic experience.”
Xi Shi looked him up and down, clicking his tongue. As expected of someone who had trained for many years, Zhong Yuxiao’s muscles were smooth and powerful, completely different from his gym-built muscles, clearly explosive.
“I won’t fight you.”
Zhong Yuxiao chuckled. “Scared?”
Xi Shi’s thoughts were exposed, but he didn’t show it, his eyes darting around before he smiled. “Of course not. I’m not fighting you because I… feel sorry for you.”
Zhong Yuxiao: “…”
Xi Shi winked at him and said in a cloying voice, “I love Gege Zhong Er the most~ I’m crazy for gege, I’ll bash my head against a wall for Gege Zhong Er~”
