My voice wasn't loud, but at that moment, it sounded no different from thunder to these two middle-aged men.

Their reactions were almost identical; both of them stopped what they were doing at the same time, and after a few seconds of stunned silence, they seemed to realize what was happening and looked at me simultaneously.

Xu's mother had already met with me, and she clearly understood what I was saying immediately. She slammed her hand on the table, stood up, and glared at me angrily: "Xu Ruo, what do you mean?"

"For so many years, you've eaten our food, used our things, and everything you have today is thanks to the Xu family. Now, the Xu family is just taking back what doesn't belong to you. If you had any sense, you should have quietly disappeared from our sight."

"Or... do you want to be an ingrate?"

Hearing these words, I felt as if my heart was being pricked by needles again and again.

However, I can understand it.

I am not her biological son after all. Over the years, she has indeed fulfilled the responsibilities of a mother. Her current reaction is simply because she no longer needs to give me her share of motherly responsibilities.

What I can't understand is...

After all these years, even without blood ties, there should be some feelings between us. So why is it that from the moment I saw her again, I was like a hungry wolf or a wild dog in her eyes, making her disgusted?

I couldn't figure it out, so I stopped thinking about it.

I ignored her, suppressing the pain in my heart, and then looked at the silent Mr. Xu. I sat down directly in front of him and said with a faint smile, "Uncle, shall we talk?"

I don't know if it was my calling him "uncle" that made him uncomfortable, or something else, but I clearly saw his body tremble slightly at that moment.

This made me subconsciously hopeful that he would treat me... at least be polite.

However, I was probably overthinking it.

A moment later, he slammed his hand on the table, pointed at my nose, and started cursing: "Xu Ruo, do you really think I have no temper?"

“I told you before that I would compensate you so that you could at least live comfortably for the rest of your life, but you kept saying that you didn’t need it.”

"And now, they've come to our house again demanding compensation?"

"What? Do you expect me to give you half of the Xu family's fortune?"

Who do you think you are?

"Or is it that you can't forget your past as a beggar, and now you're coming to my house to beg for food before you leave?"

Mother Xu sneered in return, "A beggar is a beggar. Even if he's been a rich young master for a few years, he can't change the baseness in his bones!"

There's a saying that seems to be true.

People often know best how to hurt those closest to them.

Even if they were once close.

Even though I had prepared myself mentally before coming, at this moment, the sense of loss in my heart turned into a chilling sorrow.

So, that's how they see me.

Perhaps if I hadn't been burdened with the identity of their son, they would have already revealed their disgust for me.

This also reminds me of someone.

The Xu family members all love to pretend.

But in her current view, this is the most authentic version of herself.

Because from the very beginning, she told me: "Xu Ruo, don't think that just because you've entered the Xu family now, you're the eldest young master of our family. The fact that you were a beggar for even a day adds a stain to our family, a stain you can never change. So don't expect me to treat you like family, because you don't deserve it!"

Coming to my senses, I took a deep breath, took out a cigarette again in front of them, lit it, and took a drag. Ever since I decided to divorce Gu Nianci, I seem to have developed a smoking addiction.

Or rather, it's the little bit of nicotine in the cigarette that can temporarily calm my heart and give it a little more heat.

"Whatever you think is fine," I said, feigning nonchalance. "What you're saying is indeed all correct."

"But there's one thing you should forget."

“It was you who brought me here, told us that we were your sons, and made me call you Mom and Dad for seven years.”