Chapter 38 (Combined with Thirty-Eight)
Thirty-eight:
Qin's parents felt a little guilty after hearing what he said.
But soon, they retorted defiantly, "We watched Xiao Cheng grow up. When we were raising him, you didn't even know where you were. Now you're telling us we can't see him? Don't you think that's going too far?"
"I don't know where it is. Why don't I know where it is?" Mu Feng looked at her. "Isn't it because your good daughter secretly gave birth to the child all by herself and didn't tell anyone? That's why I don't know where it is."
Qin's mother: ...
"But it wasn't just Xiao Luan's fault."
"So I'm not here today to settle old scores with you," Mu Feng said calmly. "I'm here to talk to you about Qin Cheng. Qin Luan is your daughter, and I don't care what happens to her, but Qin Cheng is my grandson, and I can't let you bully him."
“We didn’t!” Qin’s mother retorted. “How could we possibly bully him?! He’s our own grandson, we love him dearly!”
"Your so-called love is looking at him with dissatisfaction and disgust at his mother's wedding; it's trying to please someone who doesn't care about you at all and doesn't care about your own grandson's feelings; it's knowing your child for seven years, only to have him feel that you don't love him, making him unable to even say that he likes you. Is this your love?"
Mu Feng scoffed, "Then my grandson doesn't need it."
“My grandson doesn’t need this cheap, superficial love that only hurts him and is not presentable.”
"You!" Qin's father was furious. "Mu Feng, we respect you out of respect for Mu Zheng, but don't push your luck."
"Then I will definitely go too far." Mu Feng leaned back in his chair, completely unconcerned. "No need to show me any respect for Mu Zheng's sake. What face does Mu Zheng have? He wasn't even born when I was expanding my territory. Go ask him, ask him if he needs to give his father face for his sake. Do you think he dares to say he does?"
Qin's father: ...
“I admit we owed Xiao Cheng a bit before,” Qin’s mother said anxiously, “but that was because we didn’t know who his father was, and Xiao Luan cared about him. Since he didn’t consider marriage at all, we were worried that Xiao Luan wouldn’t be able to get married, so we neglected the child. But now we know he is Xiao Zheng’s child, and we won’t do the same thing as before.”
"There's no need." Mu Feng's eyes were devoid of emotion, and his words were cold. "After learning that he is Mu Zheng's child, there are plenty of people who want to treat him well. We don't need the two of you."
"But we are the child's maternal grandparents."
"So what? Children without parents can still grow up, let alone grandparents?"
Mu Feng looked at the two people in front of him who seemed unable to accept how much he truly loved his grandson, and found it all laughable.
Before, when Qin Cheng only had his maternal grandparents by his side, they didn't love him. Now that there are more people around him who love him, they want to love him again. It seems that no matter whether they love him or not, as long as they are willing, Qin Cheng has to accept it.
Who do they think they are?
"I'm not here to discuss this with you," Mu Feng said calmly. "I'm just here to let you know."
"But you'd better understand two things. First, I have never been satisfied with Qin Luan as my daughter-in-law, and I have never approved of this marriage. Second, I have more than one child, Mu Zheng. I am willing and I agree that Mu Zheng is the president of the Mu Group. If I am not willing, I can replace him with someone else at any time."
"You are free to refuse. You can meet with Qin Cheng in private, go to Mu Zheng, go to your daughter, or even go to Qin Cheng to complain about today's grievances. But before you do anything, think carefully about the consequences. What do you really want? Do you want the Mu family as your in-laws, the status of the president of Mu's Group's father-in-law, or do you want your daughter to be newly married and divorced, or do you just want Mu Zheng himself?"
"Think it through carefully before making your decision."
"Don't end up with nothing but a wasted effort, losing both your pride and your army."
Qin's parents looked at him, wanting to say something, but Mu Feng no longer wanted to listen.
He has never been a patient or good-tempered person, and having said all he could, he felt he had said enough.
Mu Feng stood up and left the private room.
Of course, he wouldn't replace Mu Zheng as president just because of Qin Luan's parents, those two idiots. But he bet that Qin Luan's parents valued Mu Zheng's status and the wealth and position behind the Mu family more than their own grandson. So this was simply a multiple-choice question.
Qin Cheng is the one who will definitely be abandoned.
What right do such grandparents have to stay with their grandson?
Qin Luan is a daughter, and she cannot sever ties with her parents.
But Qin Cheng was different. He was his grandson, and he wouldn't let his grandson do anything difficult. So he chose to let his maternal grandparents leave his life on their own.
In this way, his grandson only needs to receive the abundant love from those who love him.
He no longer needs to receive the shallow, calculating love from his maternal grandparents.
Mu Feng walked out of the hotel and got into his car.
He leaned back in the back seat, signaled to his assistant to drive, and then took out his phone to call Qin Luan, which was unusual for him.
Qin Luan was drawing a design sketch when she saw his caller ID and quickly answered, "Hello."
“It’s me,” Mu Feng said. “I just met your parents.”
Qin Luan was surprised. Mu Feng had always been indifferent to his parents, so why had he met them today?
“I told them not to appear in front of Xiao Cheng again, and not to contact Xiao Cheng again, unless Xiao Cheng wants them to, otherwise they had better disappear from his world.”
“Now,” Mu Feng said seriously, “I’m here to tell you that unless Xiao Cheng wants to, you’d better not take him to see them.”
Qin Luan was taken aback.
“Qin Luan,” Mu Feng said calmly, “on Saturday, I asked Xiao Cheng a question. I asked him if his maternal grandparents liked him. Xiao Cheng did not answer.”
"He has known your parents for seven years. Logically speaking, he shouldn't hesitate, shouldn't remain silent, and certainly shouldn't be unable to answer this question. But he didn't answer, so there's only one possibility: he doesn't feel that your parents love him."
“I have seen how your parents treated him, although only once, but that is not the attitude that a loving grandparent should have.”
"Do you think your parents love you?" Mu Feng asked her.
Qin Luan fell silent.
Mu Feng knew that.
He said, "You are your parents' daughter, so I won't interfere with you."
“But Qin Cheng is different. I will not allow my grandson to suffer like this.”
"Today, if Mu Shaoting fell in love with a man, became pregnant out of wedlock, insisted on giving birth to the child, but refused to reveal who the man was, I would certainly be very angry and dissatisfied with her actions. However, I would never allow others to look down on her, much less on her child."
"Because no matter who the child's father is, he is Shaoting's child, my grandson, and a child of the Mu family."
"This is what parents should do."
"Whether you get married or not, and who you marry, is not a necessity. Saying that they are dissatisfied with your children because they are worried that you will not be able to get married is just an excuse. If they were really that worried about you and loved you that much, why would they take their anger out on your children because you can't get married, and why would they put the blame on you? Does that mean you are not their daughter if you don't get married? Does that mean your children aren't their grandchildren?"
"This is not a reason, much less a reason for them to take their anger out on Qin Cheng."
As Qin Luan listened, tears welled up in her eyes.
Over the years, her parents have always been dissatisfied with her, always resentful, and always started scolding her while talking.
She was scolded so much that she realized she was in the wrong and felt guilty.
But she didn't expect that they would also be dissatisfied with Qin Cheng, feeling that his existence was a burden to her.
Qin Luan didn't want Qin Cheng to have such thoughts, so she moved out with him. But she herself was already affected, always feeling that she had done something wrong, that she was wrong, and that she had brought shame to her parents.
She felt that his parents were doing it for her own good.
Therefore, even though she moved out, she still kept in touch with her parents and would go back to them during holidays, trying to please them.
She hopes her parents can forgive her, and even more so, she hopes they can be good grandparents and stop being prejudiced against her child.
And now, the knot of frustration that had been weighing on her heart has finally been untied.
Because Mu Feng said, "This is what parents should do."
He said, "These are all excuses."
He was also a parent, but he said something completely different.
Qin Luan suddenly felt relieved and realized that she wasn't so unforgivable after all.
“Okay.” She replied without hesitation, “Don’t worry, I won’t take him to see them unless Xiao Cheng brings it up himself. Otherwise, I won’t let them meet.”
Mu Feng was satisfied and was about to hang up when he heard her say softly, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Mu Feng replied.
He hung up the phone and went home.
The Qin family elders never dreamed that Mu Feng's visit wasn't to build a closer relationship, but rather to keep them away from their grandson.
The two were furious, and the more they thought about it, the angrier they became. The angrier they were, the more they couldn't let it go. Yet, they were genuinely afraid of their in-law, afraid that what he said was true.
How could it not be true?
When Mu Zheng and Qin Luan got married, they asked Mu Zheng to invite his father to discuss the wedding arrangements, but Mu Zheng refused without hesitation.
He said, "Let Xiaoluan and I discuss it ourselves."
They then said, "Then we must at least meet with your father, right?"
Mu Zheng said, "No need."
They knew then that Mu Feng looked down on them.
Mu Zheng, as the son, couldn't do anything about his father.
Later at the wedding, they finally met their in-laws, but Mu Feng didn't give them a warm welcome.
He has three sons, and he doesn't look old himself. Mu Zheng is not his only choice, but Mu Zheng is their only choice.
Qin's parents were scared and intimidated, but they couldn't swallow their anger, so they could only call their son—after all, Mu Zheng hadn't said they couldn't tell their son about this.
Qin's mother made a phone call, speaking with righteous indignation and fervor, as if she wished she could drag Mu Feng out and shoot him the next second. Qin Yuan listened, but was only surprised.
It hasn't been long since Qin Cheng discovered his true identity, and his grandfather has already come knocking on his parents' door, placing a restriction on them. He's really swift and decisive.
"Tell me, what kind of thing did he do?! How can a grandfather be so overbearing! He's bullying people by abusing his power! He's just bullying people by abusing his power!"
"If you really don't want to, you can go see Xiao Cheng. At worst, Xiao Luan will get a divorce, or Mu Zheng will stop being the president of Mu's Group. Anyway, he also has shares, so Xiao Luan and Xiao Cheng won't starve," Qin Yuan said.
Qin's mother: ? ? ?
What did he say?!
Did she say all this so that her son would say the same thing?!
"That won't do! Your sister finally married such a good man. If she gets divorced, where will she find such a good husband again!"
"It wasn't said that a divorce was inevitable, so isn't there another possibility?"
"That won't do either." Qin's mother was even more unwilling. "Does having real power make the same thing? If you can be the CEO, why not be it?"
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Then what are you dissatisfied with?"
"While the old master of the Mu family may have been a bit forceful, he did give you two options, didn't he? You're unwilling to do this and unwilling to do that. Mu Zheng is important, and Mu Zheng's identity is even more important. In the end, what's unimportant is Xiao Cheng, isn't it?"
"That's not how it's said," Qin's mother hurriedly said.
"That's how it is," Qin Yuan said calmly. "You don't love Xiao Cheng that much. You're not angry because you'll never see your grandson again, but because you've lost face and you can't do anything about it, so you're unhappy."
"But that's not so bad. Grandpa Mu said that he just doesn't allow you to see him on your own initiative. If Xiao Cheng wants to see you, then you will still be able to see him. Everything depends on Xiao Cheng's wishes."
"How can that be?!" Qin's mother said angrily. "Xiao Cheng is just a child, what could he know?! He can't see us, so naturally he won't think of us. In the end, he still won't see us!"
“He knows,” Qin Yuan said calmly. “He’s a child, not a stone. He has feelings and thoughts. Why wouldn’t he know? Why wouldn’t he think of me if he can’t see me? He’ll call me even if he can’t see me, and ask me when I’m going to visit him. Has he ever called you?”
Qin's mother fell silent. She had never known that Qin Cheng had actually called her son.
“I’ve told you before not to scold Xiao Luan in front of Xiao Cheng, and even more so not to speak ill of him behind his back. I’ve also told you not to let your relatives gossip. You think he doesn’t know or can’t hear it? But how could he not hear it? With so many people talking, he’s used to it. How could he not know?”
“I told you, but you wouldn’t listen. When Xiao Luan argued with you, you didn’t think you were wrong. Now look what’s happened, Xiao Cheng has his own grandfather, and his grandfather is standing up for him. What are you unhappy about?”
"You don't love him enough, so you won't even allow his own grandfather to love him?"
Qin's mother exclaimed incredulously, "Qin Yuan, how can you talk to me like that?! Am I your mother? I'm only doing this for your sister's own good!"
"So, is she good? You criticize her for belittling her son, but is she good? You can see that, do you think she's good?"
Qin's mother: ...
Not everything will go as you wish.
Qin's mother had never felt that her son's voice was so harsh.
“Originally, Xiao Luan gave birth to him and raised him alone. You and Father should have been the closest people to him besides his mother. He gave you seven years, seven years, but you didn’t live up to that. So don’t blame others for taking him away from you.”
"At least, his grandfather seems to love him more than you do."
After Qin Yuan finished speaking, she hung up the phone.
As a son, he felt deeply indebted to his parents for raising him, so he couldn't be like Old Master Mu and forcefully prevent his parents from contacting Qin Cheng.
Years ago, he had thought that he hoped his parents could change their mindset and properly love their daughter and their grandson.
But later, when he learned that Qin Luan had moved out of the house, he gave up.
Qin Luan doesn't go home except on holidays, so Qin Cheng sees his parents less and less.
He thought this was a good thing, good for his nephew and his sister.
No matter what mistakes the parents made, the children are innocent.
No matter what mistakes a child has made, even if they have been scolded or hit, they should be forgiven and cared for properly.
Instead of repeatedly reopening her wounds and making her cry again and again.
His parents did love his sister and their grandson, but their love was limited and conditional.
The Qin family elders stared at the disconnected phone, feeling utterly empty inside.
They never expected it to turn out this way.
She thought her son would stand with her and help her denounce Mu Feng, but it turns out her son is actually denouncing her!
On this day, they finally realized that not only their grandson had drifted away from them, but their most prized son was not the person they thought he was either.
They believed that as a family, blood was thicker than water, and even if they were wrong or did something they shouldn't have, they would be forgiven and their sinews would be wiped clean.
But now they've discovered that's not the case.
What they don't care about are what others care about. The more they care, the more barriers arise, and eventually, these barriers accumulate into cracks that can never be smoothed over.
Qin's mother wiped away her tears, feeling wronged and heartbroken.
Before Mu Zheng went to sleep that night, Qin Luan sat in bed and told him about what happened that afternoon.
Only then did Mu Zheng realize that Mu Feng had asked him to meet his parents-in-law for this reason.
"I agree," Qin Luan said gently. "Originally, I would only take Xiao Cheng back during holidays. I won't need to do that anymore. If Xiao Cheng wants to see them, he will naturally tell me. If he doesn't say anything, it means he doesn't want to see them, so there's no need for him to see them."
Seeing that she had no objections, Mu Zheng had even fewer objections.
He didn't have a good impression of his parents-in-law to begin with.
"Mm," he replied.
Qin Luan smiled and said, "Mu Zheng, your father is a very good father."
Mu Zheng nodded.
His early life was smooth sailing, largely thanks to the excellent material conditions provided by his father and the abundant love and tenderness given to him by his mother.
None of them can be missing.
“I will also try my best to be a good father,” he said.
Qin Luan hummed in agreement. "I believe you."
After they finished speaking, they turned off the light and got into bed.
Ye Qingxi couldn't wait to share the news of getting the cotton candy with Pei Liang and the others on Monday when she went to school.
Pei Liang asked curiously, "Let me see."
Instantly, Zhong Yan and Kang Cong also leaned over.
Ye Qingxi raised her hand and showed them the photos stored in her smartwatch.
Marshmallow is only two months old. She's still chubby and white, and her little chubby body waddles as she walks, which is incredibly cute and instantly won the hearts of three children.
"It's so cute, Xiaoxi! Can I come to your house and play with it?" Zhong Yan asked expectantly.
Ye Qingxi did not refuse, "Okay."
“Then we’ll go too,” Pei Liang and Kang Cong quickly said.
Ye Qingxi readily agreed, "Sure, everyone come!"
So, when Mu Shaowu came to pick up his son that afternoon, he found three little ones standing next to him. The little ones said they wanted to visit his home.
Seeing the smile on Ye Qingxi's face, Mu Shaowu opened the car door without hesitation. "Get in, little princes."
The four little princes quickly got into the car and headed straight for Ye Qingxi's house.
The two-month-old kitten was just the beginning of its fearless journey. Cotton Candy raised its little chin, its beautiful blue eyes looking around at this and that, before finally lying down at Ye Qingxi's feet, exposing its belly.
Ye Qingxi bent down, touched its little head, and then couldn't help but gently touch its little belly.
Cotton Candy, being very good-natured, let him pet it. After he finished, it jumped up and invited Ye Qingxi to play a game of chase with it.
Ye Qingxi and Pei Liang started playing with it.
When it got dark, it was time to go back, and Pei Liang and the others were reluctant to leave.
Ye Qingxi held the cotton candy, waved to them while holding its little paws, and then saw them out of the house.
The end result of this incident was that Pei Liang, Kang Cong, and Zhong Yan all decided to get a cat.
Not only that, they also spent the whole night looking at different breeds of cats.
Pei Liang wants to raise a Ragdoll cat.
Zhong Yan wants to raise a golden spotted dog that looks just like a cotton candy.
After much deliberation, Kang Cong finally decided that he would raise a Maine Coon cat.
"This one is the biggest, it can grow really big, it's so cool!" Kang Cong said excitedly.
“Okay, then we’ll both have cats,” Zhong Yan said happily.
Ye Qingxi was also very happy.
He had spent his childhood moving between film sets and lacked time with friends, so he was happy no matter what he did with Pei Liang and the others, including fighting.
Yes, in the third week of school, Ye Qingxi gloriously got into a fight, and it was a group fight at that.
The fight started simply because when Ye Qingxi and Pei Liang went to the restroom together, someone was playing around near them and bumped into Ye Qingxi, causing her to take a step forward and her shoe hit the heel of the student in front of her.
He quickly apologized, saying, "I'm sorry."
But the other party refused to accept it, pointing to their shoes and demanding that Ye Qingxi pay for them.
Pei Liang looked at his shoes and said speechlessly, "Aren't these shoes perfectly fine?"
"He just stepped on it."
"I didn't!" Ye Qingxi retorted, "I only touched you!"
The person who hit Ye Qingxi earlier immediately said, "I did step on her, I saw it, and if I stepped on her, I have to pay for it."
Ye Qingxi was furious when she saw that he dared to speak. "If you hadn't bumped into me, how could I have bumped into him? Then you have to pay me back for my clothes!"
"Your clothes are perfectly fine, why should I compensate you!"
"His shoes are perfectly fine, why should I compensate him! Besides, I apologized to him when I bumped into him, but you bumped into me and didn't apologize to me."
“Exactly!” Pei Liang chimed in, “You haven’t apologized to Xiao Xi yet! Apologize to him!”
"It was an accident! He insisted on walking this way, it wasn't on my intention!"
The group started arguing, and in the end, Pei Liangling retorted sharply, "You two, one of you bumped into someone and didn't apologize, and the other wants someone to pay for a pair of shoes. Are you doing this on purpose? Are you trying to stage an accident?"
He sneered, clearly annoyed, "If you want money, just say so. Bring a bowl and ask for it. Stop trying to scam me!"
This statement instantly escalated the conflict.
The child who was bumped by Ye Qingxi stepped forward and swung at Pei Liang.
Ye Qingxi quickly reached out to stop him.
The child who had hit Ye Qingxi earlier, along with his two friends, quickly joined the fray and started fighting together.
Upon seeing this, Ye Qingxi's classmates ran into the classroom and shouted to Kang Cong, "Kang Cong, Pei Liang and Ye Qingxi are fighting with someone!"
Kang Cong and Zhong Yan were startled. Kang Cong rolled up his sleeves and ran out of the classroom, rushing forward.
It was a four-on-four battle, and the fighting was intense, but Ye Qingxi's side clearly had the upper hand.
He's not really five years old; he fights purely out of passion. Ye Qingxi, on the other hand, fights with reason and strategy.
In nearly a hundred films he's acted in, there are also action scenes. He knows a couple of moves, which might be okay against adults, but he can easily crush these kids.
So Ye Qingxi protected her three children like a mother hen protecting her chicks while lightly punching the enemy opposite her.
There was nothing he could do; they were all six or seven-year-old children, and he simply didn't dare to be too harsh.
The fight was quickly stopped by the teacher when the students shouted, "The teacher is coming!"
All eight people were taken to the office. The teacher looked at the young masters in front of him, feeling utterly overwhelmed.
“He struck first,” Pei Liang said preemptively. “We are just…just…”
"Self-defense," Ye Qingxi reminded him.
“Yes!” Pei Liang declared emphatically, “It was self-defense.”
The teacher could only turn to look at the other three people, "Is that so?"
He insulted me! He called me a beggar!
"Why should someone else buy shoes for you if you're not a beggar!" Pei Liang argued logically.
"Because he stepped on my shoe!"
"I didn't," Ye Qingxi quickly clarified, "I just touched you, I didn't step on you at all."
"Sun Hao saw it all!"
"Yes! I saw it!"
The group started arguing again.
Finally, Sun Hao angrily said, "You wait, I'm calling my mom right now!"
Zhong Yan scoffed, "So you're the only one with a mom? I'll call my mom too!"
teacher:……
The children at their school are all from wealthy and privileged backgrounds, so much so that the teachers don't dare to say anything to anyone.
Okay, the teacher thought, since we're going to call the parents, let them handle it themselves.
"Then you should go back to class first, and we'll talk again when your parents arrive," the teacher said helplessly.
Ye Qingxi nodded and left with her friends.
Kang Cong put his arm around Zhong Yan's shoulder and asked him, "Are you really going to call your mother over?"
"Yeah, he's going to call her 'Mom'? Then I'll call her 'Mom' too!"
“Then I’ll call my mom too!” Kang Cong said chivalrously.
“Then I’ll fight too,” Pei Liang said.
Ye Qingxi: ...
The group of friends then realized that Ye Qingxi didn't seem to have a mother.
“It’s alright,” Zhong Yan said generously. “My mother is beautiful, one is as good as two. If my mother comes, it’s the same as your mother coming.”
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
What do you mean your mother is beautiful? She's as good-looking as two of them!
Is there any necessary connection between these two things?!
Upon hearing this, Pei Liang immediately said, "My mother loves reading and can do the work of two people. I'll lend you my mother too; if my mother comes, your mother will come."
Ye Qingxi: ...Does your mother know that you just lent her out like that?
Kang Cong scratched his head, thinking for a long time, and finally came up with an idea, "My mom can eat a lot! My mom herself said that one meal of hers is equivalent to three meals of other people's! So Ye Qingxi, don't worry, my mom coming is not only equivalent to your mom coming, but it's also like having one more person!"
Ye Qingxi: ...You might as well shut up! Does your mother know you talked about her like that?!
Ye Qingxi thought to herself, but couldn't help but smile.
Looking at his friends, he felt a warm glow in his heart.
"Okay," he replied. "Then I won't make the call."
"Mmm-hmm-hmm," the three nodded in response.
Ye Qingxi happily took Pei Liang and Zhong Yan's hands and walked forward, swaying as they went.
However, he stopped after taking only two steps—Kang Cong reached out and grabbed him from behind.
Ye Qingxi turned around, and Kang Cong asked disapprovingly, "Ye Qingxi, why did you pull them both but not me?"
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
Ye Qingxi: ...
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