Chapter 24
Tang Wan had just returned to the company after meeting with a client when the secretary told her that Xu Yao had arrived.
Thinking of the beating incident at school, she immediately walked towards her office. Xu Yao would always go to the office to wait for her.
As a result, after walking a few steps, she saw Xu Yinyin coming out of an office. Through the half-open door, she saw the tall Xu Yao and the tightly drawn curtains.
Actually, this was the first time Xu Yinyin and Xu Yao met. What on earth brought them together to discuss something so secretively?
Thinking of Xu Yinyin's thoughts, Tang Wan felt inexplicably apprehensive. Could it be that she had revealed all her negative information to Xu Yao in an attempt to alienate them from each other?
Thinking of this, she could no longer sit still and hurried over.
Xu Yao wasn't surprised by his mother's arrival. He calmly pressed the remote control, opened the curtains, and then asked calmly, "Why are you here?"
"I should be the one asking you this. Why are you here at the company? Don't you have classes this afternoon?"
"Today is the monthly exam, so we have a holiday this afternoon."
"The monthly exam is coming up so soon?" Tang Wan couldn't help but be surprised. She felt like school had only just started a few days ago.
Xu Yao didn't respond, but just gave her a dull look, as if to say, you've never cared about my affairs.
After receiving the accusing look, Tang Wan explained guiltily, "Mom has been busy discussing the merger with TK lately and has been unable to spare any time. That's why I asked your cousin to go to school. Next time, Mom will go in person."
"What? You think the trouble I caused wasn't enough? You want to do it again?" Xu Yao snorted and laughed, a trace of pain flashing in his eyes.
"No, Mom knows you're a good boy. What happened today is definitely not your fault. It must be--"
"Since you trust me so much, why don't you help me get justice?" There was a hint of aggressiveness in Xu Yao's eyes.
"I, I'm busy."
"Yes, you're busy, busy all day long, busy vying for power, busy partying every night, but never busy with your son. If you're so busy, why do you still have time to get married and have children? Oh, now I remember, you need a son as a bargaining chip to gain a firm foothold in the Xu family, right?"
"Xu Yao!" Tang Wan's face darkened. "Is this something a son should say to his mother?"
Xu Yao spread his hands. "A son's respect for his parents depends on his parents' equal care and love for him. Excuse me, do you have that?"
"you!"
"I know you're not going today because you're afraid of being embarrassed. After all, it's my dad who got into this affair, so he should be the one to go."
"Who told you that it was your father's fault, right Xu Yinyin?"
Tang Wan was shocked and also angry at Xu Yinyin's outspokenness. How could she say such shameful things about her parents in front of her children?
"See, this is your problem. Whenever you encounter a problem, you always blame it on others and never look for the cause in yourself. My cousin isn't that free. Chen Sheng told me himself that my dad slept with his stepmother."
Tang Wan shuddered violently. She had not expected this move, and she was even more surprised when he called Xu Yinyin cousin.
Does Xu Yao trust Xu Yinyin so much? It’s obviously their first meeting. What kind of magic potion did she give him?
Xu Yao continued, "But that's not important. I don't like his behavior anyway, and I'm used to this kind of humiliation. But what makes me sad is that this is clearly your fault, but I have to pay for it. Do you think it's fair?"
"It is said that parents are the guides of their children, and their every word and action influences their children. But my parents are different. They are the roadblocks for my children. Every move they make is blocking my way back. There is not a single day that I don't want to leave this home, and I have been working hard for this."
Xu Yao looked at Tang Wan and said with unprecedented indifference and calmness, "I'm putting this out there. I won't take a single cent of Grandpa's fortune. You and my father, go get what you want. Don't even think of using me as a tool in your unscrupulous fight. If you push me to the limit, I'll just ask Grandpa to remove my name from the household registration. Or, I can just disappear from this world, dust to dust."
After saying this, Xu Yao walked around Tang Wan.
Tang Wan stared blankly at his resolute back, her legs softening and she fell onto the sofa, muttering, "Dust to dust, ashes to ashes—"
Then, she quickly stood up and roared at Xu Yao's back: "Xu Yao, you can't do this to me. I am your mother. No son can be so cruel to his mother."
Xu Yao paused, tilted his head slightly and said, "Really? Then let me be the first one."
Tang Wan's eyes went dark, and she leaned precariously against the door panel, as if all her strength had been drained away.
Xue Weiwei, who was delivering the information, saw this scene. She tried hard to suppress her excitement of encountering a big melon and hurried forward to support him.
Tang Wan used this external force to stand up, took a deep breath, tidied her slightly messy clothes, and coldly told her to call Xu Yinyin.
She must figure out what she had done to Xu Yao.
After receiving the instructions, Xu Yinyin walked while wondering.
Weiwei said Second Aunt and Xu Yao seemed to be arguing, and she wanted me to mediate. Help! I really don't want to get involved in this kind of family fight.
Xu Yao is a rebellious person, no one can persuade him, so you should just go through the motions.
[Tsk, why is Second Uncle's family so complicated? One is the heir, and the other married into a wealthy family. Isn't it better to just be content and live a peaceful life? Why do they have to fight?]
Human nature is greedy. We always feel that it is not enough, so we fight for it.
【Why! 】
Xu Yinyin did not comment on this personal choice. She had finally married into a wealthy family and was living a well-behaved life, content with what she had. Other things were not within her consideration.
Xu Yinyin let out a deep breath and pushed the door open. "Boss Tang, you're looking for me?"
"Come in and sit down. I'll talk again after I sign this document."
"oh."
Xu Yinyin sat down properly on the chair opposite the desk, with her legs together and her hands on her legs, feeling reserved and awkward.
Tang Wan caught a glimpse of her nervousness and found it funny.
If she doesn't listen to your inner voice, she will think that the girl is cautious and dutiful, but once she eats the melon, she will immediately shock you.
Her courage must have been caused by swallowing thunder and lightning. She dares to say anything and eat anything!
After Tang Wan signed the last contract, she set it aside and looked up at her, a gentle smile slowly blooming on her face. "Are you used to working with my aunt?"
"I'm used to it." She nodded quickly.
[She wouldn't want me to be a spy and monitor my sister-in-law, would she?]
Tang Wan sneered in her heart. She thought that choosing someone who could be heard by everyone as a spy must be crazy!
To avoid being disturbed by her inner thoughts, she got straight to the point: "How was Xu Yao's mood when you went to school today?"
"He was quite calm and didn't show any extreme emotions the whole time. On the contrary, the other party was quite excited and arrogant. Perhaps it was because he had his mother to rely on."
Tang Wan heard Xu Yinyin's subtext, which was that she was accusing her of not going in person, leaving Xu Yao without support and at a disadvantage.
"Originally, I should have gone, but I really didn't have the time. I asked you to come and ask for details. I'll go back tonight so I can have a heart-to-heart talk with him."
[Oh my, what a bizarre train of thought! If you want to be honest, shouldn't you just speak directly to the person involved? Why do you have to let a third party relay it? You're crazy!]
Tang Wan gritted her teeth silently.
"Actually, when I went there, the matter was almost over. The other parent was about to pursue the matter, but for some reason, they suddenly left. Then the principal said that if the other party didn't pursue the matter, the matter would be considered settled, and then he let us go."
Xu Yinyin told Tang Wan the details truthfully, and her headache only got worse after hearing them.
If I'm not mistaken, it was probably because Xu Yinyin was jealous that she revealed all the negative information about the other party's family. The other party felt ashamed and ran away.
I guess all the school leaders now know about the shameful things Xu Yanrui and the other party did.
Tang Wan originally sent Xu Yinyin there because she was afraid of being embarrassed, but she ended up shooting herself in the foot. No wonder Xu Yao reacted so strongly.
Damn it, she's regretting it so much now.
"Maybe it's not a big deal, and the other party feels there's no need to pursue it." Tang Wan said indifferently.
"By the way, did you see the wound on Xu Yao's face?" Xu Yinyin suddenly asked.
Tang Wan was visibly taken aback. She really hadn't noticed, but as a mother, she couldn't appear to be negligent, so she said, "I saw it. Boys need to save face. He didn't tell me, and I was afraid that asking too much would disgust him."
Xu Yinyin nodded in understanding and agreed, "That's right."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, listen to me. Is this what a human being would do? Your son suffered an undeserved punishment at school because of your scandalous affair. Not only did you, as a parent, refuse to go to school, but even with the person right in front of you, you didn't even bother to show any concern. I bet you don't know why he was beaten."
[Although Chen Sheng's stepmother has some issues with her personal ethics, she truly protects her son. Who cares if she's a stepmother or a biological mother? A good mother is one who protects her child. My second aunt is truly unfit to be a mother, and my second uncle is a scumbag father.]
[That's why I called her a vicious woman, vicious and heartless. No wonder Xu Yao wanted to run away from home. He must be so unlucky to have such troublesome parents who leave so much trouble everywhere.]
"That's right. If you don't plan to raise a child well, why did you give birth to him? Are power and wealth so important that you'd even consider using your own flesh and blood as a tool to obtain them? God, he's your child, not a stray cat or dog on the street that you can pet when you want and then throw aside when you don't. That's too cruel."
[Ah, I suddenly feel a little sorry for Xu Yao. Fine clothes and delicious food are good, but he was born into such a miserable family. Even mountains of gold and silver can't buy him the slightest bit of happiness. Indifference is just his armor, loneliness is his true nature. This wealthy family is better off not having it.]
Tang Wan listened to her criticism silently, and miraculously she was not angry. Instead, she felt speechless and suffocated.
She did not fulfill her duties as a mother, but as a wealthy woman enjoying abundant material conditions, she also needed to fulfill her responsibilities and obligations.
Helping her seize power and gain more benefits for the second house is Xu Yao's mission as a member of the family, and it would be the same for anyone else.
He can blame and hate her now, but when he becomes her and reaches her position, he will naturally understand her good intentions. Now is not the time to be sad.
"Okay, I don't have any more questions. Go and do your work."
"OK."
Xu Yinyin returned to her workstation, took out the company's first aid kit, thought about it, and decided to take it to find Xu Yao.
Xu Yao was currently in the open-air garden on the top floor of the company. He was leaning on a bench, staring at the blue sky in a daze.
The flowers and plants around him are vying for beauty, but his expression reveals a hint of loneliness. From a distance, he always gives people a sense of loneliness.
Xu Yinyin sighed softly and pushed the door open.
Xu Yao turned around when he heard the voice, his eyes passed across Xu Yinyin's face, and then turned to the things in her hands, a can of milk in her left hand and a first aid kit in her right hand.
After a moment of surprise, he asked in disbelief, "Don't tell me, that milk is for me?"
Xu Yinyin glanced at the milk and asked, "Is there a problem?"
"Only children drink milk. I don't want it."
Xu Yao was in a conflicted mood. The medicine box gave him a warm feeling of being cared for, but the bottle of spoiling milk dissipated a lot of this warmth.
Is Xu Yinyin coaxing him like a child? Is she afraid that he will be hurt or that he will cry?
"You're not even eighteen years old, if you're not a child, then what are you?"
Xu Yao frowned unhappily, and suddenly couldn't find the words to refute, tsk!
Xu Yinyin sat down next to him, stuffed the milk into his hand, then lowered her head to take out disinfectant, cotton swabs and iodine.
"Give me your face, I'll help you apply the medicine." Xu Yinyin gestured while holding up a cotton swab.
Xu Yao didn't hesitate and leaned his face closer, as if it was natural.
Xu Yinyin held his chin steady with one hand, and with the other hand she used a cotton swab to disinfect him with iodine, and then applied ointment.
Xu Yao lowered his eyes and watched her movements, feeling the gentle force coming from his chin, and a long-lost feeling of soreness and swelling surged in his heart.
Apart from her aunt at home, Xu Yinyin was the first family member to treat her wounds.
Although he has been carefully cared for since he was a child, he is rarely injured.
But this rare injury could not attract the attention of his parents. He had just seen his mother, but she was only concerned with comforting herself and could not even see the opportunity for care that was right in front of her.
He is really incapable of loving a mother like this.
Xu Yinyin looked at the wound at the corner of Xu Yao's lip. Although it was just a small tear, the wound was quite deep. It would be a little stinging when it came into contact with alcohol, but Xu Yao did not react at all. He was like a puppet, motionless, allowing her to move.
Thinking of his stubbornness and Second Aunt's reaction of being completely oblivious to his obvious injury, Xu Yinyin couldn't help but say, "You know, only crying children get milk."
Xu Yao was slightly stunned. This was the second time he heard her say this.
When he was a child, he was also very good at crying, but it turned out that not only did he not get any milk, but he also became hated and annoying.
But it doesn't matter. He has long passed the childish stage of crying to get attention. One day he will leave this home, the home that makes him full of hope but constantly disappointed.
Xu Yao said without any emotion: "That's someone else. In my family, crying children only annoy others."
Xu Yinyin was speechless, and the bitterness in her heart deepened.
She continued to comfort him, "Maybe they're just not good at expressing themselves. Parents' love for their children can sometimes be very deep and reserved, just like my grandfather towards my aunt. He may appear strict on the surface, but deep down he cares and worries more than anyone else."
"Really?" Xu Yao raised an eyebrow at her. "But what I saw was that Grandpa was willing to sacrifice 7% of the retail investors' shares for my aunt, letting Guo Cheng pocket the entire stake, just to show her the true face of this scumbag. And my parents already own 11% of the shares, but because they think it's too little, they're willing to have a child to increase their leverage. Do you call that kind of love deep and reserved?"
Xu Yinyin was suddenly speechless.
Ah, so he's always known his parents' motives for having him. Looking at it this way, Xu Yao makes me feel even more heartbroken. Why are there such heartless parents in the world?
Some children are born out of love, while others are born out of profit. Your uncle and aunt are like this, and so is Shen Ling.
"I'm sorry. Although I was trying to comfort you, I was actually trying to excuse your parents' irresponsibility. This unfair comfort is more painful than not saying anything. I'm sorry."
Xu Yao smiled indifferently: "I accept your apology. You are just being kind and don't want our family to break up. But you should have seen the chaos in my family. My parents' marriage is twisted, and people's hearts are twisted too. Such a family can't be good at all, so I want to stay away."
"In my opinion, the most normal marriage in our family is that of my eldest uncle's family. Although it's a family marriage, they both contribute to the marriage. My eldest uncle earns money to support the family, and my eldest aunt takes care of the husband and children. Together, the couple raised Sister Yao to be gentle, intelligent, and elegant. Only when she has a sense of security of being loved can she feel confident."
Xu Yao looked up at the vast sky again, his voice tinged with a barely perceptible sigh: "Our family will never have these. In their eyes, my uncle and aunt are losers, but in my eyes, this is a successful life, with love, warmth, affection, and connections."
"Money is good, but too much money can make people lose their most basic humanity and become like the walking corpse. So, I don't want to leave this family because I'm being sentimental, but I don't want to be a slave to money and live like them."
Xu Yinyin was slightly surprised, as if she didn't expect that he would talk to her so openly. It must take a lot of trust to be able to open up to her like this.
"Thank you for telling me so much. I always thought you were just having too many good lives and that was why you were being so hypocritical and wanted to prove yourself. I misunderstood. I'm sorry."
"Come to think of it, I should be the one thanking you."
"Thank me?" Xu Yinyin looked confused.
Xu Yao just smiled without saying anything. Thank you for letting me eat the big melon of Chen Sheng’s family. It not only relieved my hatred, but also added a lot of fun. It was great!
"How long until you get off work? I'm so bored."
Hurry back and eat melon, sister!
Xu Yinyin glanced at the time and became a little impatient. She suddenly leaned over mysteriously and whispered, "How about I skip work?"
"Is it okay?" Xu Yao was eager to try.
"Of course, just take a leave and wait for me."
After saying this, she ran away in a hurry with the medicine box.
After Xu Yao watched her leave, the smile in his eyes deepened. If she really left one day, he would probably be reluctant to part with his cousin and her friends.
Xu Yinyin asked Sun Min for leave, saying that she had to leave first because of something at home. Sun Min immediately thought of the news that Guo Cheng was sent to prison.
Xu Yinyin is now the weather vane for everyone. Only by participating more in family affairs can they have the opportunity to guess the intentions of their superiors through their thoughts, respond accurately, and protect themselves.
So she approved it immediately without thinking.
*
Jiang Xin was surprised when she saw the two people who suddenly appeared.
"Good afternoon, aunt." Xu Yao greeted respectfully.
Jiang Xin came back to her senses and invited the person into the house, "Come in quickly."
She noticed the wound at the corner of his lip at a glance, but did not ask in a hurry. She led him directly to the living room, asked her aunt to prepare afternoon tea, and then sat down opposite them.
"Did you meet on the road?" Jiang Xin asked carefully.
"No, Second Aunt asked me to go to school to deal with Xu Yao's matter. We will come back together after that."
Jiang Xin glanced at the corner of Xu Yao's lips again, and finally asked: "How is your injury? Do you need to call a doctor?"
"No need, my sister has already taken care of it for me."
The word "sister" made Jiang Xin and Xu Yinyin stunned at the same time.
Noticing the two people's surprise, Xu Yao realized that he had leaked something.
He pretended to be calm, picked up the teacup, lowered his eyes and drank the tea, and pretended to be dead.
[Ahhhh, he actually called me sister, he called me sister, does this mean he treats me as one of his own? ]
[Tsk, look how happy you are. Isn't it just calling me sister? If you like, I can call you sister too.]
The system doesn't like this showy mama's boy.
"You don't understand. Xu Yao is quite exclusive. It's not easy to gain his trust. But this way, I feel more at ease working with him. Family members won't betray family members. He definitely won't reveal our family secrets like my second uncle and aunt did."
Jiang Xin looked at Xu Yao with a smile. She had always felt sorry for this child. He was obviously very outstanding and self-disciplined, but he did not receive the love of his parents. This was undoubtedly the most fatal blow to a child.
He has been able to withstand loneliness and his parents' neglect and has always been excellent, surpassing most children. Such a child would be the darling of the family in other families, but it is a misfortune for him to be born in the second family.
Now it is a good thing that he can be friends with Yin Yin. As his aunt, she can give him the warmth and care that his parents cannot give him.
When Xu Yao heard Xu Yinyin calling him his own, he felt happy and reluctantly raised the corners of his lips.
Xu Yinyin looked around casually, "Mom, are Dad and sister back?"
Jiang Xin glanced at the time and smiled, "There's still an hour before get off work ends, and they're not in the same department, so they may not come back together."
Xu Yinyin nodded in understanding, then lowered her eyes to drink tea and quietly nudged Xu Yao with her elbow.
Xu Yao received the hint and suddenly said in confusion: "Just now on the way here, I saw my uncle and cousin entering the mall together. I thought they were back."
"Why did they suddenly go to the mall?"
"He's probably meeting a client. There seems to be a third person."
Three? Jiang Xin was puzzled and subconsciously stole a glance at Xu Yinyin. She had a feeling that her daughter and Xu Yao had come home early because they had something to say, but were hesitant for some reason.
Could it be--
[I don't know if my mother would think that my sister is secretly meeting her biological mother.]
Jiang Xin's eyes widened slightly. Sure enough, what was supposed to happen happened. She could understand that Yaoyao had a secret meeting with her mother, but why was Xu Yanwen there too?
Could it be that Zhou Xinyi first found Xu Yanwen, and then arranged for the mother and daughter to reunite with his tacit consent?
Jiang Xin felt dizzy, and Xu Yinyin's warning suddenly flashed through her mind. She must take care of herself, otherwise the family of three would suffer.
Thinking of the scene of the three of them going to the mall together, Jiang Xin suddenly felt depressed and subconsciously raised her hand to cover her heart.
[Oh my, oh my, Mom's face looks terrible, and she's clutching her heart. Is she thinking about Dad's secret meeting with Bai Yueguang? Did Xu Yao's hint work?]
Jiang Xin: My dear daughter, thank you :)
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