ARBRMW : Chapter 67

Chen Xu handed out a lot of red envelopes, but he didn’t receive any in return. The children who received his red envelopes eagerly tore them open without even thanking him. Even their parents eyed the envelopes to see how much money was inside. When they saw only two hundred-yuan notes, their smiles quickly vanished, thinking he was just being stingy.

Chen Xu didn’t feel embarrassed at all. After all, he had never received red envelopes from them in the past. Now that he was giving them out, he felt like he was the one at a loss.

“Chen Xu, is Mr. Si not treating you well?” His relatives probed after seeing the small amount in his red envelopes.

“Uncle Si treats me very well,” Chen Xu answered honestly.

The more he said this, the more they thought he was just putting on a brave face. They looked at him with pity, and some even had a hint of schadenfreude in their eyes.

The lunch was tasteless. Chen Xu ate a little and then put down his chopsticks. The child next to him was using his chopsticks to sift through the food, looking for meat. None of the adults thought there was anything wrong with this behavior. 

Their eyes met, and the child made a face at Chen Xu.

After lunch, Chen Yuqi found Chen Xu and complained, “Second brother, why did you only give me two hundred yuan? I’m your own sister.”

“Two hundred yuan is already a lot. I don’t have much cash on me,” Chen Xu replied. In fact, he didn’t have much cash at all. The card Si Ye gave him was rarely used, and he usually spent his own money from part-time jobs. Si Ye had provided everything he needed, so he rarely had to spend money.

Chen Yuqi looked incredulous. “How is that possible? You married Uncle Si, and he’s so rich. How can you not have money?”

She rolled her eyes and asked, “Could it be like Aunt guessed, that Uncle Si doesn’t like you anymore?”

“We have a very good relationship. You’re overthinking it,” Chen Xu replied, giving her a calm look.

This reaction made Chen Yuqi even more convinced she was right. Si Ye must have grown tired of Chen Xu. She always thought that aside from his looks, Chen Xu had nothing. Si Ye could have any beauty he wanted, so how could he be devoted to Chen Xu?

“Second brother, you don’t need to pretend. Even if Uncle Si is tired of you and divorces you, he’ll give you a lot of money. You won’t have to worry for the rest of your life. You don’t need Grandpa’s inheritance. It would be better if you gave it to me,” Chen Yuqi said, pulling on his sleeve and pleading, “I’m just a girl with no skills. Unlike big brother, I can’t earn money on my own. Grandpa’s inheritance is just pocket money for you, but it’s very important to me.”

Chen Xu squinted his eyes. So that’s why they called him back for New Year’s. They were all after his grandfather’s inheritance.

“Didn’t Grandpa leave you an inheritance?” Chen Xu asked, unmoved.

Chen Yuqi pouted. “Just a little bit. Grandpa was biased. You got more than me and big brother combined.”

“That was Grandpa’s money, and he decided how to distribute it,” Chen Xu replied coldly, feeling a sense of ingratitude¹ from her.

“Hmph, you can only say that because you were favored. It’s easy for you to talk,” Chen Yuqi rolled her eyes and muttered, “You don’t need the money. Why insist on keeping Grandpa’s inheritance?”

Chen Xu’s expression turned cold. “I may not need the money, but it’s the only thing Grandpa left me. Why can’t I keep it?”

Chen Yuqi stomped her foot in anger, clenching her fists and glaring at him. “How can you be so greedy? You want a share of everything. I’m your own sister, and you can’t even give me this. Who needs your two hundred yuan? Go give it to beggars.”

She threw the red envelope at Chen Xu and ran away. Chen Xu calmly picked it up. If she didn’t want it, then he saved two hundred yuan.

Right after Chen Yuqi left, Chen Yue called Chen Xu into his study.

“You’re eighteen now. Mr. Cai should have contacted you, right?” Chen Yue asked directly.

Chen Xu, tired of the charade, nodded. “Yes.”

“Your grandfather left you an inheritance to be inherited when you became an adult. Now that you’re an adult and married, this inheritance should rightfully come back. The shares of the Chen family shouldn’t fall into the hands of outsiders. Your grandfather’s life’s work shouldn’t be meddled with by others, right?” Chen Yue clasped his hands together, eyes filled with calculating malice.

So they were all after Grandpa’s inheritance today. Chen Xu casually put his hands in his pockets, his expression indifferent. “You’re overthinking. Si Ye and I are both men; no one is marrying or being married off. The inheritance Grandpa left me has nothing to do with Si Ye. Even if it did, Si Ye wouldn’t care about it. He wouldn’t even look at the entire Chen family.”

His words hit Chen Yue where it hurt, and his face darkened with anger. “Chen Xu! Don’t be ungrateful. Do you really think Si Ye loves you? You’re both men, you can’t have children. What will you use to secure your position? In the future, you’ll have to rely on us and your big brother for support.”

Chen Xu almost laughed. Even if he and Si Ye had a falling out, the Chen family would probably kick him when he was down. They wouldn’t be giving him any support. Did they really think he was naive?

“I don’t need your help. Rest assured, no matter how difficult or miserable my situation gets, I won’t come to you for help. Likewise, don’t try to use my name to get benefits from Si Ye.” Chen Xu’s features were delicate and refined. When he frowned, he looked like an untouchable spirit from the snow country.

Chen Yue slammed the table and pointed at Chen Xu, cursing angrily. “You’ve really turned against us! If it wasn’t for us sending you to the Si family, you wouldn’t be where you are today! You wouldn’t even be able to touch Si Ye’s coat!”

How could there be such parents in the world? Sending their young child to someone else’s home without a shred of guilt, even feeling proud and smug about it.

Chen Xu frowned, his eyes dark. “I was only twelve when you sent me over. You were thinking like this even then? You really are disgusting.”

“I had no intention of inheriting Grandpa’s estate, but since you all want to take it from me so badly, I might as well accept it to spite you,” Chen Xu said, his tone frosty and his smile mocking. He turned and walked out of the Chen family home without another word.

Chen Yue stood in the study, dumbfounded. What did Chen Xu mean by that?

Did he just backfire on himself?

“Dear, why did Chen Xu leave?” Wang Qiang came into the study with a tray of tea, looking concerned.

Chen Yue briefly explained what had happened. Wang Qiang frowned, gripping the teapot. “Should we tell him he’s not really our biological son? Considering we’ve raised him all these years, he should feel too ashamed to take Dad’s inheritance.”

Chen Yue had thought of this but shook his head. “We still need him for now. If he finds out the truth, he could sever ties with us completely. How would we benefit from Si Ye then?”

Wang Qiang agreed after some thought. “You’re right. We’ll have to think of another way.”

Outside the Chen family home, Chen Xu held two strands of hair in his hand, one from Wang Qiang and one from Chen Yue.

He called Yuan Ren, whose senior worked at the provincial hospital, to help him with a DNA test.

Leaving the hospital, Chen Xu felt a mix of emotions. Soon, he would know the truth about his parentage and whether he was indeed not the biological child of Chen Yue and Wang Qiang, as the servants had gossiped.

He already had a hunch. It was too obvious.

If it turned out to be true, then the way Chen Yue and Wang Qiang had treated him all these years would make sense. No wonder they had treated him decently while Grandpa was alive, at least pretending to care in front of him. But as soon as Grandpa passed away, they sent him to the Si family.

They had wanted to curry favor with the Si family. If the Si family raised him well, they would benefit without doing anything. If he turned out badly, it didn’t matter since he wasn’t their real son.

Snow began to fall outside. Chen Xu hailed a cab home. In the cab, he saw messages popping up in the group chat. Tang Zhen had posted a picture of their hometown covered in snow, a beautiful and spectacular sight.

He had also posted pictures of his two younger sisters, two very cute girls who looked very similar, even though they were only thirteen years old.

Zhu Yaoyuan: They look so alike, I can’t tell which one is the older sister and which one is the younger.

Tang Zhen: It’s normal. Even their classmates can’t tell them apart.

Zhu Yaoyuan: Don’t they get upset about being mistaken all the time?

Tang Zhen: Not at all. They actually enjoy it because they can secretly help each other with exams. The older sister is good at Chinese, and the younger sister is good at math.

Zhu Yaoyuan: Wow, I wish I had a twin brother! 

Tang Zhen: It’s not really a good thing. I’ve already taught them a lesson.

Chen Xu: Your sisters look tall. They might catch up to you.

Tang Zhen: Don’t say that. My parents are worried they won’t stop growing and won’t be able to find boyfriends.

Zhu Yaoyuan: Your parents are worrying too early. They’re only thirteen. Tall girls are great. They’re like goddesses, like my family’s Zhenzhen.

Tang Zhen: Tsk tsk, are you being so affectionate already? Did you ask her out today?

Zhu Yaoyuan: Hehe, today I went to the temple with her to burn incense.

Tang Zhen: You’re awesome, taking her to the temple for your first date.

A memory from his childhood flashed in Chen Xu’s mind. He remembered wearing a red amulet around his neck when he was young, which his grandfather had specially requested from a temple to improve his health. It worked, and his health gradually improved. Later, the amulet disappeared for some reason.

He always thought his grandfather disliked him, but now, thinking back, it seemed his grandfather cared for him deeply in many subtle ways.

So why did he later become so cold and distant? Did Chen Xu do something to upset him? But what could a child have done to anger an old man?

Scrolling through his feed, Chen Xu saw a new post from Xiang Xiuhe.

Xiang Xiuhe’s recent post was a picture with the caption: “The porridge is delicious.”

Chen Xu opened the picture. It showed a plain bowl of white rice porridge on a table, seemingly just to express how good it tasted. But Chen Xu noticed a keychain in the corner of the photo.

The keychain was a small crocheted sun that Chen Xu had made and insisted on hanging on Si Ye’s keys. Si Ye hadn’t found it childish and let him hang it. Si Ye rarely used the keys, so only he and Jiang Secretary had probably seen the little sun.

Si Ye had gone to Xiang Xiuhe’s house early in the morning, made porridge for him, and stayed with him all day.

If Chen Xu hadn’t seen the affection in Xiang Xiuhe’s eyes backstage at the annual meeting, he might not have overthought it. He would have assumed Xiang Xiuhe accidentally included the little sun in the photo.

He laughed bitterly, running a hand through his hair. While they seemed like the legal couple, he felt like a third wheel.

Was Chen Yue’s ominous prediction coming true so soon?

“Sir, I can’t drive any further,” the cab driver said, stopping outside the villa.

“I’ll get out here,” Chen Xu said, paying through his phone.

Back home, Uncle Zhong told him that Si Ye hadn’t returned. Si Wanping saw him and gave him a glance. “Where’s Si Ye?”

“I don’t know,” Chen Xu replied curtly, not wanting to engage with Si Wanping, and headed upstairs.

“What an attitude, thinking he’s someone important,” Si Wanping muttered sarcastically at Chen Xu’s back. She took out her phone and called Si Ye, but there was no answer.

“Not a single one is home. They’re all such a bother.”

Chen Xu set up his easel on the balcony and finished the commercial drawing he had been working on.

Guan Shuang sent him a message asking if he was free after the New Year.

Chen Xu: I haven’t decided yet. I’ll let you know in a couple of days.

Sister Shuang: Okay.

Chen Xu was ready to confront Si Ye. He didn’t like dragging things out. He didn’t want to be a stand-in or a third wheel in someone else’s love story. Although legally, Xiang Xiuhe was the third wheel.

He had died once and had nothing to lose. There was no need to cling to one tree.

If the confrontation didn’t go well, he wouldn’t ask for Si Ye’s money. The Chen family definitely wouldn’t support him. He’d have to make more money to support himself. Taking on more work would be a good thing.

Although rationally he could plan everything calmly, he underestimated the emotional pain. He clutched his chest, feeling like he was drowning, unable to surface, his heart feeling like it was going to explode.

His hand shook as he held the pen. The cold wind stung his face, and in this state, he couldn’t draw anything. Chen Xu crumpled the paper and threw it in the trash.

He put away the easel and went to the music room, closing the door to play the drums for two hours. Sweat poured from his body, his hair flying with his intense movements, flinging droplets into the air. Even sweating profusely, he looked neither sloppy nor unkempt, but rather beautiful and captivating, his dark eyes shining brightly.

After venting, Chen Xu’s cheeks were flushed, like a freshly peeled peach, tender and inviting. 

He took a comfortable shower, went downstairs for dinner, and had a bowl of noodles prepared by the kitchen. The noodles were handmade, with a rich tonkotsu broth, soft-boiled eggs, char siu, and garnished with bean sprouts and corn.

The rich flavor and smooth texture made Chen Xu drink the soup as well. He wondered why he had never noticed how delicious the home-cooked noodles were before.

He realized he rarely chose his own meals, usually eating whatever was served.

After exercising, showering, and eating a satisfying meal, Chen Xu took a walk in the garden, built a small snowman, and posted it on his social media.

Tang Zhen: Brother Xu, that’s not good enough. Look at my recent post.

Chen Xu scrolled down and saw that Tang Zhen had built a snowman four or five times bigger than his. He commented: Impressive.

Tang Zhen quickly replied: I like them big, hehe.

Zhu Yaoyuan: I feel like a steamroller just ran over my face.

Chen Xu chuckled at Zhu Yaoyuan’s response, realizing Tang Zhen was joking. He wrapped his scarf tighter, put his phone in his pocket, and walked back inside.

Although in a bad mood, Chen Xu valued his health and wouldn’t do anything to get himself sick.

He lay in bed until ten o’clock when Si Ye messaged him to go to bed early, saying he was out with friends and would be back late.

Chen Xu traced the word “friends” on his phone screen for a while.

“Friends” who like each other?

He gave a bitter laugh, didn’t reply to Si Ye, put his phone on the nightstand, and went to sleep.

Despite his heavy heart, he underestimated his body’s need for sleep and soon drifted off.

Chen Xu didn’t know if Si Ye came back or what time he returned.

He had a dream, where he was about four or five years old, with a high fever, being taken to the hospital.

Half-conscious, he heard people arguing outside.

“If you don’t want to take care of Xiao Xu, just tell me. Do you think I’d force you?” It was his grandfather’s voice, full of authority.

Chen Yue hung his head, trying to justify himself. “It’s not like that, Dad. We didn’t mean to. We love Xiao Xu like our own child. Xiao Hao has what Xiao Xu has. When have we ever mistreated him?”

“Hmph, if it had been any later, Xiao Xu might not have survived. Forget it, I won’t rely on you anymore. I’ll take care of Xiao Xu myself,” the old man huffed, pounding his cane on the ground.

“Dad! Do you know everyone is saying Xiao Xu is your illegitimate child? You’re being so biased towards him. Are you trying to confirm it? We made a mistake this time, but you’re making us look like child abusers. How are we supposed to face people?” Chen Yue argued, making the old man so angry that his chest hurt.

“Listen, no matter what his origins are, he’s my grandson!” Grandpa pointed to the unconscious Chen Xu on the bed, his eyes resolute.

Chen Xu woke up, feeling a bit teary. He stared at the ceiling, a deep sadness in his heart.

He probably understood why his grandfather had distanced himself and been so cold.

Because his grandfather had been too good to him, the entire Chen family had spread rumors that he was the old man’s illegitimate son. Grandpa didn’t want him to grow up under such malicious gossip and get hurt, so he pretended to be distant and replaced the gossiping servants. It wasn’t that he didn’t love Chen Xu; he loved him too much.

But it took him so many years to understand this. In the years when Grandpa was still alive, he hadn’t been close to him.

Adjusting his emotions, Chen Xu felt the pillow beside him. He didn’t know if Si Ye had gotten up early or never came to bed, but it was cold.

He got up, took a shower, dressed, and went downstairs to eat. He had an appointment with Mr. Cai about the inheritance today.

Si Ye had been dragged by Mo Hang for drinks yesterday and returned late. Not wanting to disturb Chen Xu, he slept in a guest room.

Hungover and with a splitting headache, Si Ye cursed Mo Hang while heading to the bathroom to shower.

Uncle Zhong brought breakfast to his room, but Si Ye noticed Chen Xu wasn’t there.

“Where’s Xiao Xu?”

“He went out early,” Uncle Zhong thought, finding it odd that they were constantly looking for each other.

Si Ye assumed Chen Xu was out with friends and muttered to himself, “Heartless little one.”

They hadn’t seen each other for a day and night, yet he didn’t seem to miss him at all. But then he thought Chen Xu was only nineteen, still a young boy. It was normal for him to have a playful nature. Even in his past life, Chen Xu had only been twenty-two.

After breakfast, it was almost eleven when Mo Hang called, asking if he had found the book he had borrowed.

“I found it ages ago. What’s so special about this book? What’s inside?” Si Ye casually flipped through the book he had borrowed from Mo Hang, finding nothing remarkable about it.

“There are lots of teachers inside,” Mo Hang said suggestively.

Si Ye raised an eyebrow in disdain and closed the book. “You should act like a human being.”

“Oh, come on, you ice king. You wouldn’t understand the joy,” Mo Hang retorted while eating.

However, he forgot that the current Si Ye was not the old Si Ye; the current Si Ye was a married man.

“I should know better than you. At least I’m married,” Si Ye said, sounding slightly smug, which surprised Mo Hang.

“Shit! You’re a beast! Xiao Xu is still a child!” Mo Hang dropped his fork, only to be surprised by Si Ye’s response.

“Not that small. He could be a dad,” Si Ye teased, licking the coffee off his lips.

Mo Hang was so shocked that his fork fell to the floor. “Damn it! Si Ye, you’re a pervert! You got a little boy pregnant!”

Si Ye: “…”

“Maybe you should read less.”

As the owner of an entertainment company, Mo Hang had read many stories, including those with bizarre plots like male pregnancy and shape-shifting animals. One story he remembered vividly involved a flipping fish that could lay three billion eggs at once and inexplicably got pregnant by a male protagonist, producing an ocean of children. Despite their low survival rate, thirty kids survived.

This story was so ridiculous that Mo Hang almost greenlit its production until his diligent secretary stopped him.

Mo Hang said he’d come by to pick up his book and drop off some gifts he had brought from abroad, including the yearly gift from his sister, Mo Yao, to Si Ye. Si Ye had expected Mo Yao to be furious about his marriage and not send him anything, but she still sent a gift, even including one for Chen Xu.

After agreeing on a time, Si Ye hung up and put the book on the table. It must not have been placed securely because it fell to the floor. He bent to pick it up, and a photo slipped out. To his surprise, it was a photo of Xiang Xiuhe.

1.???? = bite the hand that feeds one ( ingratitude ) ?