ARBRMW : Chapter 57

“What the hell! How could my goddess have so many scandals?! I don’t believe it!” Zhu Yaoyuan suddenly sat up in bed, his face filled with shock.

“I told you your goddess was a green tea b*tch, but you wouldn’t believe me,” Tang Zhen said, scrolling through Weibo. He had actually seen the news two days ago but hadn’t told Zhu Yaoyuan, worried he wouldn’t be able to handle it. But now Zhu Yaoyuan had found out on his own.

“How is this possible?! She’s so beautiful and gentle. How could she be this kind of person?!” Zhu Yaoyuan couldn’t believe it. His goddess, Bai Churui, turned out to be two-faced. Not only that, but she would also suppress any promising newcomers she saw, afraid they might outshine her.

The revelations went even further, revealing that when Bai Churui first debuted, she had a sugar daddy with significant influence who had helped her rise to fame. The man was old enough to be her father and had a family. Bai Churui had even pretended to be close to his wife, who treated her like a goddaughter. When the wife found out about the affair, she was disgusted and filed for divorce. Bai Churui had only cut ties with her sugar daddy after that.

All these revelations were backed by solid evidence, leaving Bai Churui’s fans utterly devastated.

—

Si Ye grabbed his coat and headed out. Today, Chen Xu was coming home, so Si Ye had left work on time for once. The employees were shocked to see their boss leaving at the usual hour.

Secretary Jiang approached him. “Mr. Si, Miss Bai is requesting to see you.”

“Not interested,” Si Ye replied without stopping, his expression cold as he stepped into the elevator.

Secretary Jiang followed closely, lowering her voice. “Young Master Si Yichen has uncovered some information related to Chen Xu.”

Si Ye’s brow lifted slightly, and he gave Secretary Jiang a look. She handed him the documents.

“The private investigator found that Chen Xu is indeed not the child of the Chen couple. He was suddenly brought back by Old Master Chen sixteen years ago. The Chen family servants have been spreading rumors that he’s Old Master Chen’s illegitimate son.”

“Sixteen years ago…” Si Ye’s brow furrowed. That number was all too familiar to him.

Sixteen years ago, many things had happened, each one unforgettable.

That year, he was twelve years old. He had been kidnapped and locked in a chemical factory, suffering severe physical harm. No one came to rescue him, and in the end, he had to escape on his own. He was sent abroad for treatment, and it was also in that year that his only nephew went missing.

Si Ye’s older brother and sister-in-law had a son named Si Lin, who had disappeared sixteen years ago. Si Jinwen and his wife, Sun Keting, had never given up searching for their child, but no matter how hard they tried, they never found any trace of him. Everyone knew that Si Lin was most likely dead.

Sun Keting developed depression as a result, and it was during this time that Tao Minzhi often brought Si Yichen over to keep her company. Sun Keting’s condition gradually improved. When they learned that Si Yichen’s mother had died during childbirth and his father had abandoned him to travel abroad, Sun Keting and Si Jinwen, on Tao Minzhi’s suggestion, adopted Si Yichen.

When Si Ye was sixteen, Si Jinwen and Sun Keting received news about Si Lin. Despite having been misled countless times before, they insisted on rushing over that very night. But on their way, they were caught in a multi-car accident and perished in the ensuing fire. When Si Ye, who was abroad at the time, received the news, it felt like the sky had fallen. Their family was utterly shattered.

Over the years, Si Ye, Tao Minzhi, and the Sun family had never given up searching for Si Lin. Tao Minzhi had once said that the Si family should have belonged to Si Jinwen, and Si Ye was merely holding it in trust for Si Lin. Once Si Lin was found, Si Ye would have to return the family to him.

Si Ye had no objections to this. If his older brother were still alive, the Si family would never have fallen to him to inherit. He had started his own company abroad at fifteen, and it was now thriving. Even after his father’s death, when the Si family was in decline due to internal strife, it was only through the support of his own company that he managed to save it.

He wasn’t attached to the Si family. If Si Lin returned, he would personally guide the boy and hand the family over to him.

But in his previous life, up until the moment he returned, he had never received any news about Si Lin.

The information Si Yichen had uncovered was gradually confirming a terrifying suspicion.

Why had Si Yichen suddenly turned on Chen Xu in his previous life? It might not have been just out of jealousy but because Si Yichen had felt threatened.

If Si Lin returned, even Si Ye would have to step aside, let alone Si Yichen.

If Chen Xu was Si Lin, then Si Yichen had every reason to kill him.

Chen Xu, Si Lin, uncle and nephew.

Si Ye’s heart tightened, and his hands and feet turned cold. His gaze as he looked at the documents was like a deep, dark pool, icy and unfathomable.

The reason he hadn’t let Secretary Jiang investigate was that he was afraid—afraid of getting this answer.

“Mr. Si!” A sharp voice suddenly interrupted Si Ye’s thoughts.

They were in the underground parking lot. Why was Bai Churui here?

Seeing Si Ye’s displeased frown, Secretary Jiang immediately took out her phone to call security.

Bai Churui pleaded anxiously, “Mr. Si, I just have a few words to say to you. Please, give me a few minutes.”

Si Ye coldly glanced at her. “You should have thought of that earlier.”

With that, he got into his car without looking back. Bai Churui stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.

“Mr. Si! I was just momentarily blinded. I didn’t mean to offend your wife. Please, spare me. I’ll never dare again.” Bai Churui was filled with regret. She had thought Chen Xu was just a naive kid who would be easy to manipulate. She had assumed he wouldn’t confront Si Ye about the intimate photos but would instead overthink and sulk. Si Ye was a man of high status; how much patience could he have for a young lover? Once Chen Xu became spoiled and unreasonable, Si Ye would grow tired of him.

She had never expected Chen Xu to take the photos and complain to Si Ye!

He was eighteen years old—why was he still acting like a child, tattling like this?!

And Si Ye was just as cold and ruthless as the rumors said. With a single move, he had destroyed any chance of her making a comeback.

Si Ye paid no attention to her tears or her remorse. He simply coldly ordered security to throw Bai Churui out of the company.

—

Around seven, Si Ye returned home. Chen Xu had just finished showering and was holding a bouquet of flowers he had picked from the greenhouse. He was carefully arranging them in a vase, his slender hands skillfully trimming the stems and placing each flower into the vase.

His dark hair was a bit long, cascading over the pale, slender nape of his neck. As he bent his head, a section of his fair, delicate neck peeked out from the loose collar of his shirt, bathed in the warm glow of the overhead light.

Si Ye stood at the doorway, unwilling to disrupt this serene scene.

Flowers paired with beauty—it was a timeless combination, and for good reason.

“Uncle Si?” Chen Xu took a step back after arranging the flowers, admiring his handiwork. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed a figure at the door.

Turning his head, he was pleasantly surprised to see Si Ye.

Chen Xu might not have realized it himself, but his eyes lit up the moment he saw Si Ye, shining with a brilliance that was breathtaking. Si Ye, however, saw it clearly, and his steady heartbeat quickened involuntarily.

He stepped forward, intending to kiss Chen Xu, but in a split second, his hand changed course mid-air, shifting from wrapping around Chen Xu’s waist to a more polite pat on the back.

Chen Xu’s ears turned red, his heart so full of joy that he didn’t notice Si Ye’s unusual behavior. Even though they had just seen each other a week ago, it felt like an eternity had passed. Only when he wrapped his arms around Si Ye did he feel grounded again.

I’ve missed him so much.

Is this what love feels like?

Chen Xu tilted his head up, wanting to kiss Si Ye, but Si Ye subtly avoided it. Instead, he took Chen Xu’s hand and gently pulled him away, maintaining a slight distance. Casually, he asked, “Your final exams are coming up soon, right? How’s your preparation going?”

“I should be fine,” Chen Xu replied, though he felt something was off. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Si Ye ruffled his hair. “You’re so smart. Of course, you’ll be fine.”

“If I do well, will Uncle Si give me a reward?” Chen Xu wasn’t the type to ask for gifts, but now that he liked Si Ye, he naturally leaned on him, wanting to act spoiled. Sometimes, words slipped out before he even thought them through.

Si Ye chuckled, tapping the tiny mole on Chen Xu’s nose. “What do you want?”

Chen Xu gently swayed Si Ye’s hand, looking up at him. “I haven’t decided yet. Let’s keep it on credit for now. I’ll tell you when I think of something.”

“So confident that you’ll do well, huh?” Si Ye’s hand, which had instinctively moved to caress Chen Xu’s face, paused mid-air. Instead, he lightly brushed Chen Xu’s ear before pulling back.

Chen Xu nodded seriously. “I may not be good at other things, but I’m very confident in my ability to study.”

“You’re good at plenty of things. Which kid can paint, play multiple instruments, excel academically, and still be this adorable?” Si Ye listed Chen Xu’s strengths, causing Chen Xu’s cheeks to flush.

If anyone else had called him “adorable,” Chen Xu might have scowled. But for some reason, when Si Ye said it, it made his heart bloom with joy.

This must be the power of love, Chen Xu thought, suddenly realizing that he might be a hopeless romantic. Around Si Ye, he had no sense of rationality.

Uncle Zhong knocked on the door, calling them down for dinner. Si Ye told Chen Xu to go ahead, saying he’d join shortly.

Chen Xu obediently followed Uncle Zhong downstairs. Once Chen Xu was gone, Si Ye’s smile faded. He pulled out his hand from behind his back, revealing two strands of hair he had discreetly plucked from Chen Xu’s head earlier.

He sealed the hair in a plastic bag and stared at it for a long time, unable to bring himself to send it for testing immediately.

The person he had loved for two lifetimes—just as he was about to fully have Chen Xu, he was being forced to let go.

It always seemed this way. In both his lives, aside from meeting Chen Xu, it felt like nothing good had ever happened to him.

Si Ye even wondered if he had been some kind of heinous criminal in a past life, and this was his punishment.

—

Chen Xu walked downstairs to the dining room, where no one else was present. This meant it would just be him and Si Ye having dinner together.

Sun Wei’ang often didn’t come home, but Si Yichen usually seized every opportunity to build a better relationship with Si Ye. It was strange that even on a weekend, he wasn’t here.

At that moment, Si Yichen was in a secluded café. The person he had arranged to meet was already seated, a woman wearing a large hat that obscured her face.

She pulled a piece of paper from her bag and handed it to Si Yichen. “I’m pregnant.”

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