ARBRMW : Chapter 42

“Chen Hao, as the main character tonight, you’re late. You have to be punished!”

Chen Hao straightforwardly drank three glasses of wine amidst the crowd’s jeering, and they immediately applauded and cheered.

“Thank you all for coming. Have a great time!”

It’s rare for Chen Hao to host, and this time he was so generous. His gang of friends naturally opened several bottles of wine in celebration, teasing him about whether he felt the pinch. Chen Hao, with a carefree attitude, declared that he could afford it, earning him another round of flattery from the group.

“Young Master Chen, I apologize. There were some matters at home that delayed me,” Chen Hao immediately approached Si Yichen, who was sitting silently drinking on one side.

At first, when Si Yichen arrived, many people came up to greet him. However, since he was in a bad mood, he didn’t respond much and started drinking on his own. The sharp-eyed crowd quickly noticed Si Yichen didn’t want to be disturbed, so they didn’t push their luck.

These people only heard that Si Yichen had recently been overshadowed by Chen Xu but were unaware that Si Yichen had been cast aside by Si Ye. They still treated him with the same reverence because, even if Chen Xu was currently in the limelight, Si Yichen was still Si Ye’s only son. As long as they could curry favor with him, the scraps from Si Yichen’s table would be enough for them to delight in.

Hearing Chen Hao mention that there were matters at home, Si Yichen remembered that Chen Hao was Chen Xu’s older brother and today was Chen Hao’s birthday. Logically, Chen Xu should be home celebrating with Chen Hao.

“Oh? Could it be that your parents didn’t allow you to come out?” Si Yichen probed.

Chen Hao waved his hand, poured himself a glass of wine, and said, “That’s impossible. I’m already twenty, unlike my sister who’s still in high school.”

He took a sip of wine and then cautiously glanced at Si Yichen, saying, “It’s because of that idiot Chen Xu. For some reason, my parents insisted he come back for dinner. It’s disgusting.”

Mentioning Chen Xu, a dark look crossed Si Yichen’s face. “It is quite disgusting.”

“Right? But my parents wouldn’t listen and insisted he come back. My relatives are idiots too. They kept asking where Chen Xu was during dinner, waiting for him. They didn’t even start dinner just because of him. He must have been messing with us on purpose,” Chen Hao complained, his face full of contempt for Chen Xu.

Si Yichen frowned, swirling the wine in his glass. “Maybe your parents miss Chen Xu. After all, he’s your brother.”

“Ha.” Chen Hao let out a derisive laugh, as if he’d heard the biggest joke ever.

He refilled his empty glass and also topped off Si Yichen’s. They clinked glasses.

“My parents couldn’t possibly miss him,” Chen Hao said after downing his wine in one gulp. His eyes turned red as he spoke to Si Yichen, “I vaguely remember overhearing my parents argue when I was little.”

He hiccuped, leaned closer to Si Yichen, and whispered, “Chen Xu isn’t my parents’ child.”

Si Yichen’s hand, holding the wine glass, paused mid-air. He stared at Chen Hao for a few seconds. “Are you serious?”

Chen Hao, now slightly drunk and with unfocused eyes, used a hushed tone. “He’s my grandfather’s illegitimate child. My grandfather was concerned about his reputation and forced my parents to raise him.”

This revelation was beyond Si Yichen’s expectations. He remembered Chen Xu’s grandfather, who passed away when they were both twelve. Despite not being prominent, the family wasn’t in the dire straits they were now during the old man’s lifetime. The old man was often praised for his integrity and had helped many poor students, which explained how the modest family managed to send Chen Xu to Si Ye.

Chen Xu was actually the old man’s illegitimate child?! This would be a huge stain on the old man’s reputable life. No wonder Chen Yue and his wife quickly sent Chen Xu to the Si family after the old man’s death, finally able to get rid of this unwanted burden.

So Chen Xu was an illegitimate child, someone nobody wanted, and it seemed even he didn’t know about it.

“Hahaha…” The more Si Yichen thought about it, the more delighted he felt.

An illegitimate child, a stain—no wonder he did something as despicable as climbing into someone’s bed.

Why was he in such a hurry? Once his father grew tired of him, Chen Xu would inevitably become a stray dog.

Si Yichen’s laughter sobered Chen Hao a bit. Realizing he had spilled a family secret, he nervously said, “Young Master Si…”

“Don’t worry. I just realized I overestimated Chen Xu,” Si Yichen said, suddenly seeing things clearly. Chen Xu was just a toy for his father. How could he compare to himself, the legitimate son and only heir?

When a dog bites you, you don’t bite back, do you?

Chen Xu was just a sycophantic dog, and he was a human. They were on completely different levels; there was no need to care how a dog tried to please people.

…

“Uncle Si, you…you wanted to see me?” Tong Jiaxi clutched the hem of his shirt, glancing up at Si Ye and quickly looking down again.

“You don’t know why I called you?” Si Ye sat in his office chair, his voice low but full of pressure.

Tong Jiaxi stood in the study, his legs trembling. This was the third floor, Si Ye’s study, a place he had dreamed of coming to. But now that he was here, he didn’t feel happy; he felt more fear.

Si Ye’s mere presence was enough to intimidate him, making him feel scared and anxious.

He both feared and loved Si Ye, but at this moment, his fear overshadowed his affection.

Could it be that he had been found out?

No, impossible. He had done everything cleanly.

Tong Jiaxi’s lips trembled as he licked his dry lips, forcing himself to say, “I…I don’t know.”

“You’ve been at the Si family for six years now. When your parents sent you here, hoping I’d take you as my adopted son, I found you unworthy. Your parents almost beat you to death in front of me. Out of pity, I kept you.”

“Every time you see me, you keep your head down. I thought you were timid. I didn’t expect I’d misjudged you.” Si Ye threw a stack of photos at Tong Jiaxi’s feet.

Tong Jiaxi, who had been looking down, saw the photos scattered before him.

The photos showed him holding a phone, seemingly taking secret pictures. From the surroundings, it was clear they were taken near the bar where Chen Xu often performed, and further along, at the place where Chen Xu had given money to a pregnant fan.

If the first photo was just suspicious, the subsequent ones clearly showed Tong Jiaxi’s entire process of secretly photographing Chen Xu. These photos looked like they were taken from surveillance footage.

Tong Jiaxi was unaware that because of frequent disturbances, every household in that area had installed surveillance cameras. His actions were easily captured on these cameras.

Suddenly, his face turned pale, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead. He wanted to say something in his defense, but his lips only trembled.

“I have evidence of you transferring money to online marketing accounts using your classmate’s account to buy trending topics. Do you still want to claim you don’t know?” Si Ye’s questioning left Tong Jiaxi shaking uncontrollably, his pupils flickering.

Si Ye knew. He would definitely kick him out of the Si family.

Tong Jiaxi understood this clearly. Pan Qizhi was a precedent. If Chen Xu knew about this, there might still be a chance because Chen Xu wouldn’t bother with him. Even when he had plotted against Chen Xu, Chen Xu at most responded with fists.

But Si Ye was different. He would make him leave the Si family. If he returned to the Tong family, they would definitely abandon him.

“Uncle Si… I was wrong, I was wrong…” Tong Jiaxi suddenly knelt down, crying bitterly.

“I was momentarily possessed. I was too jealous of Chen Xu…” He looked at Si Ye, tears streaming down his face, his eyes red, looking particularly pitiful.

“I liked you first, but why couldn’t you see me? I didn’t know why you suddenly treated Chen Xu so well, even wanting to marry him… My heart was broken. I couldn’t take it anymore. I had no choice but to take this desperate step, hoping… hoping you would change your mind…”

Tong Jiaxi’s eyes were burning with passion as he confessed his love to Si Ye, hoping that Si Ye would forgive him after hearing his heartfelt confession. He even hoped Si Ye might be moved.

However, he forgot that Si Ye was revered for a reason. Si Ye, who inspired both fear and admiration, had a heart of stone.

His love, sincerity, and jealousy didn’t move Si Ye. Instead, they disgusted him.

“Don’t you feel ashamed saying this to the person who feeds and clothes you?”

Tong Jiaxi felt as if struck by lightning, staring at Si Ye in shock. Si Ye had almost outright called him shameless. But Chen Xu was the same, so why could Si Ye accept Chen Xu and not him?

Si Ye didn’t show any sentiment for the past six years. He not only kicked Tong Jiaxi out of the Si family but also exposed his schemes against Chen Xu online. For a time, Tong Jiaxi became a pariah on the internet and didn’t dare leave his house, let alone go to school. Si Ye didn’t even let him apologize to Chen Xu, denying him any chance to plead for mercy.

The Tong family, who had been dreaming of him succeeding, were left to deal with the fallout. They had waited for him to win Si Ye’s favor but instead found him thrown back and disgraced. The upper circles knew he had angered Si Ye, and several business deals the Tong family had were abruptly canceled. Tong Jiaxi’s father came home and beat him with a belt, and no one in the family intervened. They didn’t want to. Even his mother made sarcastic remarks, saying he was useless.

Without Si Ye’s direct involvement, opportunists abounded. Within a year, the Tong family was squeezed out of their social circle.

More people realized how much Si Ye cherished Chen Xu, as if he were his own eye.

Soon after, invitations were sent out from the Si family, shocking the upper echelons of society. The aloof, cold-hearted Si Ye was getting married!