Chapter 10: After the soul swap, I switched back.

Mrs. Si was so shocked by the shout that she almost choked. Her temper, which she had managed to muster, instantly dissipated. She turned to Mr. Si, her emotions breaking down, and cried out, "Si Zhong'an!?"

What does it mean to have only one biological son? What about her Xiao Qi then?!

Before he could finish speaking, Si's father appeared and immediately took over the conversation, angrily shouting, "Si Qi is my son, my flesh and blood! He's suffered so much injustice over the years, and now that he's finally back, you're still here, stubbornly protecting outsiders without a single word of concern or apology. What kind of mother are you? Is this how a mother should act?!"

Mrs. Si was furious, her face flushed red: "You, you—"

Didn't this guy participate when she ignored Si Qi before? Didn't he do the same when she treated Si Qi coldly and didn't treat him like her own son?

They both did the same thing, so how come it's all her responsibility now, while her father is portrayed as the loving and caring father who cherishes his son?!

Has he no shame?!

"Was it all my decision back then?" Mrs. Si trembled. "You said he wasn't raised by us, and he doesn't have our blood in his veins, so he could be raised as an adopted son at home. You said those words yourself!!"

Si Nan and the innocent doctor who listened to the whole thing were both numb with shock.

Look, is this something a human being could say?

They were the two people who were closest to Si Qi, and they knew best just how cold the couple had been to Si Qi over the years.

Taking advantage of her parents' disregard for their illegitimate child, Si Nan constantly resorted to various underhanded tactics to torment Si Qi. She frequently had people target Si Qi outside and gathered classmates to bully him at school, yet she was never disciplined by her parents for it.

The doctor watched as Si Qi writhed and wailed in pain on the hospital bed. He felt sorry for Si Qi and asked his parents what to do, but was dismissed with the words, "I'm not a doctor, I don't know the situation, you can figure it out yourself."

They originally thought that Si Qi was not their child and therefore disliked or even hated him, which is why they had this attitude.

After all the commotion, it turned out that Si Qi was their child, and the heir whom everyone admired was just a fake young master who had usurped their place.

Thinking about the contrast between the two children over the years, not only did the doctor's values ​​crumble, but even Si Nan couldn't stand it anymore.

The warm and harmonious home she had always imagined was actually built on such a twisted, despicable, and disgusting relationship!

She couldn't help but want to see Si Qi's expression, to see how wronged her poor brother must feel upon hearing these words.

Will he cry in sadness? Will he feel so painful that he wants to escape?

No, there isn't.

There was nothing there.

Si Qi simply watched the couple argue indifferently, the corners of his lips curling up as if he were sneering.

He had absolutely no attachment to this family.

Love is the root of hate, and it is love that causes suffering.

Si Qi doesn't even have love, so how could he possibly cry because of past hurts?

Just thinking about Si Qi over the years—being abandoned by his parents time and time again, cursed by his own sister, and ostracized by outsiders—makes Si Nan feel suffocated and unable to breathe.

What kind of life did he lead...?

Si Nan's tears wouldn't stop, but this time they weren't for Si Ding or for herself, but for everything Si Qi had suffered over the years, filled with regret and self-blame...

She knew she wasn't a good person, but at least she wasn't so vicious as to harm the family she once deeply loved.

Why did her father, mother, and brother never tell her the truth? Why were they indifferent when they knew she had repeatedly tormented Siding? Why did her brother, knowing that she hated Siding so much because of the illegitimate child, never tell her that it was just a misunderstanding and let her hate her own brother for years on end?

Why……

Si Nan wiped away her tears and said to her parents, "Why did you do this six years ago?"

Mrs. Si, enraged and embarrassed, retorted, "Enough! You have no right to speak here!"

Si Nan cried, "Even if it's because of that body and has nothing to do with our family, at least don't let outsiders treat him like an illegitimate child! Is it so hard to explain to people? Is it so hard to order others to shut up and to make people respect my brother? It's just a matter of saying a word and showing an attitude, why...!"

Given the Si family's status, even if he were an illegitimate child, his status would be far more prestigious than that of most of his classmates at school.

There are so many illegitimate and concubine-born children in the conglomerate. Apart from the two legitimate children, the Si family only has one "illegitimate child," Si Qi. If he wants to live a good life, it is very simple. All Si's parents need to do is make a public statement.

No, there isn't.

There was nothing there.

At first glance, everything Si Qi went through seemed to be the work of outsiders, but the real reason ultimately came down to the attitude of the Si family couple. It was because of their indifference that outsiders would act according to the situation, pretending to be irreconcilably opposed to the illegitimate child in order to indirectly please the eldest son and daughter of the Si family.

Si Nan was kept in the dark, and wanted to help her brother, which is why she hated the illegitimate child so much.

Si Ding, who had the advantage from beginning to end and had stolen the position of the eldest son of the Si family, was actually not even as good as an illegitimate child in terms of status. So what gave him the right?

Why should he watch the real children of the Si family suffer outside? Why should he enjoy the best of everything while turning a blind eye to his "benefactor"?

It's clear that everything Si Qi suffered was because of him. If it weren't for him, Si Qi should have been the illustrious eldest son of the Si family, the future heir sought after by everyone, and her, Si Nan's, best brother!

Si Nan looked at Si Ding with red eyes: "Why didn't you say anything? Why?!"

Si Ding felt very embarrassed by Si Nan's questioning.

Seeing that the questions ahead would only embarrass him more, he clutched his chest and cried out in pain, "Mom...it hurts so much, help me!"

Si's mother turned around, extremely worried: "Son, what's wrong!"

Siding burst into tears: "I haven't taken my medicine for a month, and I feel like I'm about to die... Mom, I don't want to die..."

Immediately forgetting her argument with Mr. Si, Mrs. Si rushed over anxiously and asked, "Why didn't you take your medicine? Did Si...did he lose your medicine?"

Ignoring Si Nan's drastically changed expression, Si Ding shook his head and cried, "No, it was my sister who lost the medicine. I tried to go to her for help, but she wouldn't listen to my explanation and even slashed my face with a knife..."

Si's mother flew into a rage, "Si's daughter!!"

Si Nan was incredulous, as if this was the first time in all her years that she had truly seen her brother's face. She was both angry and amused: "I lost Si Ding's pills, not his... never mind, whoever's they were, I didn't know at the time! Besides, Si Ding called you when he ran out of medicine, and you completely ignored him! You even blocked him! Now it's all my fault?! If you had cared for your son then, if Si Ding had proactively brought the medicine over, would he have been like this for the past month? It's all his own fault—"

"Slap!" Before Si Nan could finish speaking, Si's mother slapped her across the face.

Si Nan's eyes were red. She had taken the blow, but this time she didn't feel guilty. She just stood there with her face turned to the side, feeling that it was all ridiculous.

"Hahaha……"

She cried and laughed at the same time, as if she had gone mad, muttering to herself, "Yes, yes, he is your son, and what am I? You slap me repeatedly for an outsider... Why? Why!! I am clearly your daughter!!"

Finally, unable to contain her grievances any longer, Si Nan shouted at her mother, "My son isn't important, my daughter isn't important, the one in your arms is the most important!! Go ahead and hit me, hit me to death!! You only treat him like your child!! You can even sit idly by and watch your own son die, what am I to you!!!"

Enraged, Si's mother raised her hand to slap him again, but Si's father pulled Si's daughter's hand away.

Mr. Si frowned and said to Si Nan, "Enough! What nonsense are you spouting? Isn't things chaotic enough already?!"

"Waaaaah..." Si Nan, who had always been a little princess, had never suffered such injustice in her life. She couldn't hold back her emotions and covered her face, sobbing uncontrollably: "But why... why..."

Frustrated, Si's father summoned a servant to take Si's daughter away, saying, "Send Miss back to her room so she can calm down."

Si Nan struggled and screamed, unwilling to leave, but was pulled away by several maids.

Si's mother circled around Si Ding, questioning the doctor about why her son was in so much pain. The doctor, covered in sweat, stammered, unsure how to explain.

To be honest, after serving as Si Qi's attending physician in this family for so many years, this is the first time he's been questioned by a patient's family about why the patient's condition is always worsening.

Doctor: "Genetic diseases are incurable..."

As if struck dumb, Mrs. Si's mind went blank for a long time before she realized the real seriousness of the situation. She screamed, "No, no... You can't!!"

She gripped the doctor's hand tightly and said sorrowfully, "Save him! He's my son, he can't die...!"

Si Qi sat to the side, watching his mother's ferocious expression and Si Ding's pale face with indifference. When he looked up, he met his father's subtle gaze as he observed his reaction, and couldn't help but chuckle.

Mr. Si was a little embarrassed: "Your mother was just anxious for a moment, it's not that she doesn't care about you."

"Really?" Si Qi chuckled. "It's been six years since she came home, and this is the first time I've seen her cry because of her genetic disease. It takes her so long to react, so long that she only just found out that genetic diseases can be fatal."

Si's father felt very embarrassed, and Si's mother was also so moved by Si Qi's words that her crying stopped.

Si Qi: "When I had my last attack, Si Nan threw away my medicine. I was in so much pain that I asked her for help. She said she was busy and hung up before I could finish speaking. She even blocked me."

Sifu: "..."

“What’s even more interesting is that after Sting found out about this, he specially called me on video to show me how they were ‘busy’ shopping. When he saw me lying on the ground convulsing in pain, he laughed and said he would buy me new clothes to comfort me, saying that I was so pitiful to have this disease, as if he hadn’t given me this disease.”

The more Si's father listened, the uglier his expression became. His eyes were dark as he stared at Si Ding, making the young man shrink back in fear.

Father Si took a deep breath and said to Si Qi, "They were wrong in this matter. I can understand if you are angry and resentful. But you must know that you are a child of the Si family, and the Si family will still need you in the future."

His words were a reassurance to Si Qi, and also a warning to Si's mother to wake up and see the situation clearly.

Regardless of whether Si Ding was their carefully groomed heir over the years, he has already returned to his original body and is nearing the end of his life. No matter how reluctant Si's mother is, Si Ding can no longer inherit the family business—because of his genetic disease, and also because he has no blood relation to the Si family.

They only have one son, Si Qi, and they absolutely cannot add fuel to the fire at this time, allowing Si Qi to continue to drift away from the Si family.

Si's father had already thought this through on his way here.

He was a businessman who was so rational that he was cold-blooded. He only considered things based on interests and did not have much emotion.

Previously, Si Ding was more worthy of being cultivated than Si Qi, so he wholeheartedly nurtured Si Ding and let Si Ding deal with Si Qi, so that Si Ding could feel at ease.

Now that Si Qi has returned to his body, he is more perfect than Si Ding in terms of knowledge, talent, and skill. Even the company's current mecha research needs Si Qi's help.

Therefore, choosing whom is something that doesn't require any thought.

Si's father assured Si Qi, his tone incredibly gentle: "Don't worry, Dad is on your side. If you don't like it, Dad won't let them get close to you again."

Mrs. Si opened her eyes wide and raised her voice: "You, surnamed Si! What do you mean by this!"

Si Qi: "I really don't want to see them again."

Mrs. Si gasped, her face flushed and paled, "You, you need to know, I'm your mother! How dare you talk to me like that!!"

"Are you?" Si Qi turned his head and looked at her with suspicion. "No mother would look at her with disgust when her child finally returns home after years of wandering. Nor would any mother happily stroll around with her son's enemy when she knows her son is seriously ill and about to die."

"You consider Xiao Qi your enemy?" Mrs. Si asked, her face filled with grief and indignation.

“I am ‘Xiao Qi’,” Si Qi said coldly. “Before, my name and identity were stolen, and you used all sorts of means to threaten me and force me to admit that I am Si Ding. Are you going to continue now?”

Si's mother looked away, not daring to look at Si Qi like this, and unable to answer his questions. She didn't even have the confidence to be arrogant and domineering as before, and could only say in a guilty and short voice, "The body swapping was not Xiao Ding's intention. Even the decision to adopt you was made by your father and me. He never said anything. You shouldn't hate him, and you shouldn't have tormented him like this all this time."

“I’ve already said, I didn’t lay a hand on him. All the injuries on his body were inflicted on him by the underlings he sent to teach me a lesson, and by Si Nan, whom he’s been sowing discord with for so long.” Si Qi sneered, “Everything he’s going through now is his own doing. I just never thought that the tricks he used against me would one day fall on his own back. What does this have to do with me? He’s the one who shot himself in the foot.”

Sifu and Simu: “…………”

It's really impossible to say that this is Si Qi's fault.

Si's mother tried to avoid mentioning Si Ding's past actions, only saying, "Then you shouldn't have hidden it. You should have told me directly about the body swap, otherwise he wouldn't have suffered so much this past month."

"When he replaced my body back then, did he tell you anything?" Si Qi retorted without backing down. "What was he doing when his alcoholic father broke my leg and I almost died of a high fever? What was he doing when I was thrown out of the house in winter and almost froze to death? I suffered all kinds of bullying outside, trying every means to survive and find my parents, while he, the only one who knew the truth, was in my house, eating delicious food, wearing fine clothes, enjoying everything I had, keeping all of this a secret for years without revealing a single word—why didn't he say anything?"

Mrs. Si opened her mouth and then closed it again, unsure how to answer.

"He harmed me for over a decade, and you didn't say a word. Now I'm just letting him experience what he did to me, and after only a month, you're already heartbroken?" Si Qi sneered. "You should know that the suffering I endured was not something I should have had to suffer. And his suffering was all his own doing!"

"You, you're being so rude!" Mrs. Si said, her face turning ashen.

“I’m stating the facts,” Si Qi said expressionlessly. “He has a genetic disease, and given his status, he can’t buy medicine and can only endure it, which is normal. In fact, I’ve even suffered for him for so many years because of him, extending his life to this point. He should be grateful to me.”

"..." Mrs. Si opened and closed her mouth, but didn't know how to refute it.

"The reason Si Nan and the people at school beat him up is because he used to stir up trouble behind my back, saying that Si Ding was an illegitimate child and came from the slums, revealing his hatred for me. Now this identity of being bullied and humiliated has come full circle back to him. If he doesn't deserve it, then who does? It can't be me, who has always tried to protect Si Ding's body but is always the one being slandered and targeted, right?"

Si Qi sneered, and Si's mother lowered her head dejectedly, her face full of pain, utterly speechless.

A note from the author:

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