Chapter 12
After Wang Sikai left in resentment, the three of them returned to the car.
Xu Dongyang spoke first, asking, "Who is that person?" He rarely saw Ji Zhixing be so blunt in his criticism; Fan Yongjie was the first person to have done so.
Ji Zhixing briefly explained the feud between him and Wang Sikai, which made Xu Dongyang and Lin Lang curse loudly.
"Damn! No wonder I couldn't stand him; he's utterly despicable!"
"I should have punched him a few times earlier, since he was the one who caused the accident anyway."
Ji Zhixing remained quite calm, mainly because he had won another round, and he already had a plan on how to make Wang Sikai continue to suffer setbacks.
Right now, what bothered him more was Xu Dongyang's car. He felt very sorry: "Your car got scratched because you were so tired from buying me a computer."
"What are you talking about? What's it to you?" Xu Dongyang didn't even consider that possibility. "It wasn't you who hitched a ride with me. Besides, didn't that bastard pay me back?"
Lin Lang, sitting in the back seat, rubbed his lower back while chiming in.
Even so, Ji Zhixing still felt a little guilty. He secretly resolved to urge Xu Dongyang to study hard, improve every day, and create a bright future.
Xu Dongyang was unaware that his leisurely university life was suddenly thrown into turmoil, about to be dragged down by a series of challenges. He glanced at his watch; because of the slight delay, it was already eleven o'clock.
"Why don't you come to my house for lunch first, and then go buy the computer this afternoon?" Before he left, Xu's mother told him to bring his friends home to play and have them stay for lunch. She would cook a good meal for them to enjoy.
In Xu's mother's simple mindset, not eating properly was probably a capital offense, and eating in the cafeteria for a long time was practically equivalent to exile. Xu Dongyang even suspected that even if he threatened to kill his scumbag father, his mother would first make him sit at the table and eat his fill before he went on his way.
As for those like Ji Zhixing who used to only eat steamed buns with seaweed water, Xu's mother would sigh every time she mentioned it. Before leaving today, she told him to make sure to bring his friends who usually ate in the cafeteria home, and she probably wouldn't let them go until she saw them stuffed to the bone.
Lin Lang readily agreed, his stomach, ravaged by the cafeteria food, desperately needed the comfort of home-cooked meals. Ji Zhixing, on the other hand, wanted to express his gratitude to Xu's mother in person. During those difficult days, he hadn't collapsed from malnutrition thanks to Xu's mother's occasional special meals.
However, their arrival at the Xu family's house was clearly ill-timed; as soon as they opened the door, they heard Xu's mother's angry voice coming from the kitchen:
“We’re divorced, what right do you have to tell me what to do! You say I didn’t manage Dongyang well, but what about you? How much of your responsibility as a father have you fulfilled?! I don’t think there’s anything wrong with his friends, you’ve never even met them, and today you’ve come to question me after listening to a few words from your illegitimate son, have you no shame!”
Uh, Ji Zhixing and Lin Lang stood awkwardly at the door, unsure whether they should go in.
Xu Dongyang's face darkened, and his fists clenched. Ji Zhixing and Lin Lang were wondering if they should say goodbye when Xu Dongyang reacted first, leading them to his room while he went to check on the situation in the kitchen.
Even from his room, Ji Zhixing could hear faint cries and words of comfort coming from the kitchen. Recalling what he had just heard, for some reason, he suddenly remembered the way Wang Sikai looked at Xu Dongyang that morning.
After a period of training, his observation skills were now better than the average person. Although it was only a matter of a second or two, he clearly remembered that when Wang Sikai saw Xu Dongyang, his face instantly darkened and his eyes became sinister. He didn't look at Lin Lang like that, and he didn't even look so sinister when he looked at him.
But after that, Wang Sikai didn't look at Xu Dongyang again. Ji Zhixing didn't think much of it at the time, but now, thinking back, a bad feeling arose in his mind. Could it be such a coincidence? Xu Dongyang didn't react at all when he saw Wang Sikai.
But upon closer reflection, it is indeed possible. What if Xu Dongyang had never met his father's illegitimate son?
Judging from his tone, Xu Dongyang's father usually doesn't care much about him. Today, he must have heard something from his illegitimate son to interfere in Xu Dongyang's friendships. And the only person who had a conflict with them today was Wang Sikai.
Moreover, when he inquired about his aunt, he vaguely heard rumors that she was having an affair, but without concrete information, he didn't pay much attention. Looking back now, his aunt's occasional mentions of Wang Sikai's father were always subtly ambiguous in terms of attitude and tone. It was as if he were their boss, and they were employees eager to impress him and gain his favor.
Thinking of this, Ji Zhixing became somewhat restless. When Xu Dongyang had calmed his mother down and came in to call them out for dinner, Ji Zhixing grabbed him and whispered:
Have you ever heard of the name Wang Sikai?
Xu Dongyang's eyes widened instantly: "Where did you hear that?"
Even he was kept in the dark until he overheard his mother on the phone during summer vacation and found out that his father had an illegitimate child! He was angry that his mother had kept it from him, but his mother repeatedly said that it was an adult matter and was determined not to drag her son into the hatred of the previous generation, and refused to tell him anything.
He only found out that the illegitimate child was named Wang Sikai and was studying physics at Yenching University by searching online based on the information he heard. However, he couldn't even find a single photo of him, let alone any further information.
Ji Zhixing was also surprised to find that it was really true: "Do you know my scumbag cousin, the one I met this morning, what his name is? His name is Wang Sikai!"
Lin Lang's eyes widened instantly, looking at Ji Zhixing and then at Xu Dongyang. This ill-fated relationship...
Xu Dongyang murmured incredulously, "It can't be that much of a coincidence..." He grabbed Ji Zhixing's shoulder and told him his limited knowledge of Wang Sikai, one by one, to verify with Ji Zhixing. Every piece of information matched up.
"Damn it! It's like meeting an enemy and not recognizing him! No wonder he looked at me with such a sinister gaze." Xu Dongyang slammed his fist on the door in frustration. "No, I can't let things continue like this." He initially thought he couldn't really hold Wang Sikai accountable, after all, Wang Sikai wasn't born willingly carrying the stigma of being an illegitimate child. He should be dealing with the root of all evil—his scumbag father. But if Wang Sikai was also such a wicked scumbag, then he had to take precautions and even retaliate.
He pulled Ji Zhixing directly to Xu's mother and laid it all out, only then did Xu's mother understand the origin of today's phone call.
Xu Dongyang's storytelling was very skillful, making it sound as if Wang Sikai deliberately drove into Xu Dongyang because he saw him.
Ji Zhixing and Lin Lang exchanged a glance, neither of them revealing the truth. Xu Dongyang was already twenty, yet his mother still treated him like a child. While this was undoubtedly out of maternal love, it also made it difficult for Xu Dongyang to guard against Wang Sikai.
Upon hearing that Wang Sikai had used contract traps to extort money from Ji Zhixing's family for their life-saving treatment when he was in high school, Xu's mother covered her mouth and exclaimed in shock, "My God! I didn't know he was this kind of person!"
Like Xu Dongyang, Xu's mother initially didn't harbor much ill will towards Wang Sikai. After all, it wasn't him who had made the mistake, but rather that despicable couple. Moreover, when Wang Zhanpeng argued with her, he always liked to compare Wang Sikai with Xu Dongyang, saying how outstanding Wang Sikai was at Yenching University. Of course, she didn't think her son had anything wrong with him, but it's inevitable to be more forgiving towards academically gifted children, especially since she had never had any direct contact with Wang Sikai and didn't know him well.
It wasn't until today, when she overheard Wang Sikai's instigation in Wang Zhanpeng's phone call and learned about Ji Zhixing's personal experience, that she realized Wang Sikai was not innocent at all, and was actually such a despicable person.
Xu Dongyang felt a mix of relief and helplessness when he saw his mother finally realize the truth. His mother had been raised too naively by his grandfather, always seeing the best in people. If his grandfather were still alive, her naiveté might not have been so bad. But now that he was gone, she was being completely devoured, though in reality, things weren't that bad now.
Xu Dongyang put his arm around his mother's thin shoulder: "Mom! Tell me everything. If you keep hiding things from me, you're really hurting me!"
Xu's mother was deeply troubled. Her marriage to Wang Zhanpeng had ended, but she didn't want her son's relationship with his father to be affected too much. However... after thinking that Wang Sikai had the intention to harm Xu Dongyang, she finally realized that her concealment of Xu Dongyang's intentions would only put him in a passive and vulnerable position.
Thus, Xu Dongyang and the others heard a story about a heartless man from humble beginnings and a naive, rich, and beautiful woman.
Wang Zhanpeng came from a poor family, but through his own efforts, he was admitted to Yenching University. During a school-enterprise cooperation, he gained the appreciation of Mr. Xu, the boss of Xu's Enterprise.
At the time, Xu's father was worried about his only daughter, who was too spoiled and naive, and wanted to find a suitable man to marry into her family. He took a liking to Wang Zhanpeng.
Wang Zhanpeng readily agreed, expressing his strong feelings for Miss Xu. The two were of similar age and married immediately after graduating from university. Wang Zhanpeng then joined the Xu Group, starting as a manager. After Miss Xu's father passed away, he gained absolute power over the company.
At that time, Mrs. Xu didn't feel the need to be wary of her husband, and was gradually coaxed into transferring all the shares that Mr. Xu had left her to Wang Zhanpeng. After taking all the shares, Wang Zhanpeng revealed his true colors and confronted Mrs. Xu, demanding a divorce.
Only then did Xu's mother learn that Wang Zhanpeng had a girlfriend before marriage, and that his girlfriend was pregnant before marriage, and that their son was even two or three years older than Xu Dongyang.
Upon learning the truth, Ms. Xu felt utterly disgusted and quickly agreed to the divorce. At that time, Xu Dongyang was still a minor, and Wang Zhanpeng threatened to seize custody of his son. Fearing that her son would be mistreated by his stepmother, Ms. Xu was forced to abandon her plan to fight for the company's shares, and the Xu Group was thus transferred to the Wang family.
After this experience, Xu's mother realized how foolish she had been. Back then, her father was always wary of Wang Zhanpeng, and Wang Zhanpeng would often appear melancholy in front of her behind her back, making her feel guilty and even somewhat resentful towards her father.
Thinking of her father's love and care back then, Xu's mother felt guilty and pained, so she poured all her affection into her son and began to cherish him just like her father had.
This directly led to Xu Dongyang only knowing that his parents were divorced, but not understanding the details, always believing it was just a simple case of incompatibility. He was furious when he accidentally learned about the illegitimate child, but couldn't blame his mother for concealing it out of love. Only today, with Ji Zhixing's matter becoming a breakthrough, and Xu's mother willing to reveal everything, did Xu Dongyang finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Mrs. Xu shed some tears, and Xu Dongyang comforted her and helped her back to her room to rest. Mrs. Xu herself had no appetite, but before going back to her room, she remembered to tell Ji Zhixing and Lin Lang to make sure they ate all the food on the table.
When Xu Dongyang returned, he sighed at the table full of dishes, and the three of them began to discuss countermeasures. However, they were still students and knew nothing about business operations, so it was probably unrealistic to take the company back from Wang Zhanpeng.
A note from the author:
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