Chapter 41 Night Rain "Meng Cenjun thought of her still-healed face, and suddenly..."
"You bastard!"
The old man's face contorted with rage. He raised his hand and slapped the person in front of him across the face.
He's over sixty years old, and despite his illness, his strength is no less than it used to be.
Meng Shiyuan was knocked to the side by the blow, his teeth clenched, his whole body trembling with hatred.
Beneath his disheveled hair, a pair of eyes gleamed with an unusual red, like a skinned wild beast locked inside, howling and roaring as it tried to break free. He had locked himself in his room for a week, becoming haggard and stubble-covered. When he was finally dragged out, he was like a mad beast disturbed, wanting nothing more than to tear the person who had been disturbed to pieces. Even though it was his father.
Seeing that he remained defiant, the old man's anger boiled over. He slapped him again and cursed, "Haven't you been crazy enough all these years? Have you lost your mind? You've been doing all sorts of dirty and despicable things behind people's backs! You've completely disgraced the Meng family!"
"Remember this: if this happens again, no one can protect you!"
"Who told you to step in and settle this?" Meng Shiyuan raised his eyes coldly, his voice hoarse and husky. "I was already prepared to go with her."
"You! You..." The old man pointed at him, his thin face flushed red, and he was so angry that he couldn't speak properly, "How could I have such a despicable son as you?"
"Your plane ticket is booked. You'd better get back to South America as soon as possible, so you don't have another episode of your illness!"
"I'm not going."
"You unfilial son, do you intend to cause trouble at someone's funeral?"
“How could I possibly stand by and watch them be buried together?” he said coldly.
"That's none of your business! Who do you think you are? You'd better die somewhere far away, for you have disgraced the family!"
"Who do you think I am?" Upon hearing this, Meng Shiyuan immediately flew into a rage, grabbing the old man's shoulders and fiercely questioning, "If it weren't for your interference back then, she and I would have been married long ago! Now you're blaming me for going crazy and embarrassing you? Why didn't you think back then that you would be in this situation today?"
“Meng Shiyuan! You’ve lived almost half your life, and you still can’t see reality? She doesn’t take you seriously at all, yet you keep pestering her! When she came to see me back then, it was to completely sever ties with you. Don’t you think about why? Instead, you hate your own father like an enemy!”
"Liar! How could she possibly want to break off our friendship? We grew up together, we've known each other for years! How could she say something like that?"
"Was it you? Was it you?" He shook his shoulders frantically, his eyes bloodshot. "Did you warn her? Threaten her? Or were you just making excuses for yourself?"
The old man was shaken like a tattered cardboard box, his silver hair disheveled, clutching his chest and panting: "You...you get out of here!"
"From this day forward, I have no son like you!"
Meng Shiyuan grabbed a plum vase with floral and fruit patterns and smashed it on the ground. Amid the sharp sound of shattering porcelain, he bitterly accused, "I would rather not have you as my father!"
He slammed the door open and went out, his anger making him seem to grow larger, making the corridor seem particularly narrow and making it difficult to walk.
A tall wooden flower stand at the corner blocked his way. Without even looking at it, Meng Shiyuan kicked it. With a bang, the valuable jade bonsai on it was thrown to the ground, and the crystal-clear grapes rolled and bounced down the tall stairs, smashing to pieces.
Meng Cenjun first saw the grape-shaped corpse at the top of the stairs, then looked up and saw a tall man rushing down aggressively.
It was his uncle, Meng Shiyuan, who was also the one who brought him to the Yi family ten years ago.
Meng Xia, who was holding a cigarette, rolled her eyes at him and muttered to herself, "He's sick."
Meng Shiyuan completely ignored her presence and banged downstairs. He happened to see Meng Cenjun standing in the living room, and his expression changed, a hint of disgust flashing across his face.
Before he could figure out where this disgust came from, Meng Shiyuan had already strode out the door like a hurricane.
The next second, a servant's voice rang out from upstairs, seemingly trying to call a doctor.
Meng Xia frowned and hurriedly went upstairs to check.
Meng Cenjun couldn't just stand there idly, so she followed her upstairs.
The old man had a heart attack, but fortunately it was discovered in time. After taking a few pills, he gradually recovered.
Meng Xia fed him some warm water and reached out to pat him on the back to help him catch his breath: "Dad, my brother has been like this for a while now, why are you so angry?"
The old man was barely breathing, staring with his eyes wide open and saying nothing.
Meng Xia thought to herself, "Arguments are arguments, even if they turn the world upside down, so what? This old man still won't tolerate anyone saying a bad word about his heir. Even if Meng Shiyuan is rotten to the core, he will never give up on him. Ah, his most beloved son."
A faint shadow fell over her eyes, then she smiled and said, "Dad, look who's here?"
Suddenly called upon, Meng Cenjun, who was standing at a distance, stepped forward and called out in a deep voice, "Grandpa..."
The old man turned his cloudy eyes and gazed at Meng Cenjun, staring intently at her face, before suddenly coughing violently.
He seemed to have been greatly shocked, and before he could catch his breath, he fainted.
Just then, the maids, along with the family doctor and assistants, rushed into the room. Some were examining the patients, others were administering medication. In a flurry of activity, everything was in disarray, and Meng Cenjun had no choice but to retreat to a corner.
I really didn't choose a good time today.
A sense of impending failure washed over me.
The room was noisy, and Meng Xia took the opportunity to say to him, "Xiao Cen, sit down for a while and don't leave. I'll take you home later."
After hearing her words, Meng Cenjun went straight out and waited in the downstairs guest room for a long time before she finally saw her.
He knew she hadn't kept him here for no reason; she must have something to say to him.
The two walked side by side outside, strolling along the long corridor. The downpour continued, showing no signs of abating, with streams of water cascading down the eaves.
"Is Grandpa alright?" Amidst the commotion, Meng Cenjun could barely hear her own voice.
"Things have stabilized for now. As people get older, all sorts of health problems come knocking, which is normal."
Hearing Meng Xia's nonchalant tone, he was secretly surprised; she was clearly angry. However, he was too far away at the time and could only hear the buzzing and arguing upstairs, so he couldn't tell what it was about.
Meng Cenjun, thinking of the disgusted looks in their eyes, as if he were the culprit, still couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa and Uncle, why did you two start arguing?"
"Oh, it's nothing serious. You know your uncle's temper; he's not exactly in good shape either. Your grandfather wanted him to expand the territory in South America for a few more years, but he's probably tired of it. The old man hasn't been feeling well lately, so he's thinking of transferring back. Maybe it's because of this disagreement..."
He immediately knew that Meng Xia was dodging the question and deliberately steer the conflict towards a dispute over the family property, but he was too embarrassed to ask further. He knew someone was intentionally keeping it from him.
After a moment of silence, they walked to the previous spot where the four waters converged, and Meng Xia finally asked, "How is the Yi family doing?"
Meng Cenjun shook his head. Everyone knew how devastating Payne's losses had been this time, and he could sense that there was a hidden hand pulling the strings behind the scenes.
"So what about you? Are you really going to help the Yi family?"
"Ten years, the kindness of their upbringing is too heavy." The Yi couple gave him a home and treated him better than anyone else.
"Repay a debt of gratitude? The wealth you brought with you back then was more than enough."
Meng Xia knew that he had given all his inheritance to the Yi family, and after ten years of upbringing, they had long since settled their differences.
For some reason, Meng Cenjun recalled Lan Jia's tearful appearance in the hospital. How could he bear to stand aside at a time like that, being looked at with such eyes?
He paused, then said very seriously, "I can never repay the Yi family for what they gave me."
"Hmm, you are quite loyal and righteous."
Before I knew it, it had been delivered to the door.
Meng Cenjun opened a black umbrella and was about to walk out when she heard Meng Xia speak again behind her: "Actually, it's not entirely hopeless."
He turned to look at her.
Meng Xia smiled, the tassels hanging from her purple shawl swaying in the wind.
"Besides that small portion, didn't your second brother leave you something else good?"
Meng Cenjun didn't say anything and walked straight into the dark, rainy night.
As Meng Xia watched his receding figure, she sighed inwardly: How could such a good bamboo shoot emerge from this pile of bad bamboo in the Meng family? It's truly a wonder.
The car gradually drove away from the Meng family's old residence and down the mountain road lined with lush trees.
Meng Cenjun sat in the car for a long time, pondering before finally making a decision.
The deep courtyard trapped his mother to death.
From this day forward, he is no longer a member of the Meng family.
The next day, he went to the Lijiang Stock Exchange alone and submitted a declaration to sell the Meng family shares he held.
Before long, many people followed the scent and contacted him, offering quite good prices, but he did not make a move easily.
He is waiting.
He can get a higher price from whoever needs it the most.
Sure enough, one afternoon when he came out of the Pine Building, a car was already waiting by the roadside.
The car window rolled down, revealing Meng Xia's beautiful face. She smiled when she saw him and asked, "Want to chat?"
Both sides wanted to maximize their interests, and after a week of negotiations, once everything was settled, he transferred all his shares to Meng Xia, thus severing his last remaining ties with the Meng family.
I still remember how happy he was the day things were settled. He went to Lan Jia's favorite dessert shop and ordered a cake.
Her tenth birthday arrived as scheduled.
With the lights off, the candle flames glowed golden, and the snow-white ward finally felt warm, like a fairytale house.
A warm glow shone on her small face, making each eyelash's shadow distinct. Lan Jia's fingers were intertwined, her lips moving silently.
He asked her what she wished for, and she mysteriously told him, "If you tell me your wish, it won't come true."
"Then I won't ask anymore," Meng Cenjun said with a doting smile.
She smiled too, as if looking at him made her especially happy, her eyes crinkling with laughter.
Brother, I want us to be family forever, and never be apart.
She silently repeated it to herself.
"Alright, now that you've made your wish, blow out the candles."
"Um!"
Lan Jia was eager to try, puffing out her cheeks and blowing out all ten candles in one breath.
The light in the ward suddenly dimmed.
In the darkness, Meng Cenjun thought of that still-wounded face from earlier, and suddenly tears streamed down her face.
Author's note: The entire Meng family are villains.
Also, it feels like the brother is bringing a dowry to his sister's house [milk tea emoji].
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