Chapter 406: Chapter 399: I’m Just a Face-Lover 41
Some things are not determined by whether you want them to happen or not.
Xu Bao’er didn’t want Duke Dingguo to find Xu Xingsheng, but no matter how much she didn’t want it, Duke Dingguo still came looking.
Previously, Duke Dingguo Mansion could not find Xu Xingsheng because Duke Dingguo did not wish to find him.
In Duke Dingguo’s heart, his younger son was obedient and sensible, and he was very pleased with him, especially since he had passed the college examination at a young age, naturally surpassing his elder brother. With the younger son around, the rebellious and unfilial elder son was dispensable.
But now things were different, the younger son was gone, and the importance of the elder son had become apparent.
Duke Dingguo started not to care about his soon-to-be helpless step-wife and frantically searched for his eldest son.
Although Duke Dingguo Mansion was not in the county, it was not far from it, and finding someone was not difficult for him.
Recently, Xiao Yuan had to go to Prefecture City to prepare for the college examination, and Anning, after seeing off Xiao Yuan, was thinking about Xu Bao’er and came to visit the Xu Family.
Xu Bao’er was quite happy to see Anning and pulled her into her room to speak in hushed tones.
The sisters hadn’t talked much when Xu Bao’er’s maid Hong Mei hurried in: "Miss, outside, there’s someone looking for your husband, saying it’s his father."
"Has he been found?"
Xu Bao’er’s hands turned cold in shock, Anning quickly hugged her: "It’s okay, being found doesn’t matter, everything depends on Xu Xingsheng’s attitude. If he doesn’t want to go back, Duke Dingguo can’t force him, remember, he has become General Xuanwei."
With Anning there, Xu Bao’er felt relieved.
She pulled Anning to the main court; she wanted to see what exactly was going on.
As soon as they entered the main court, they heard voices arguing.
"I will not acknowledge, I absolutely will not."
This was a voice of an unfamiliar man, filled with anger.
Anning looked at Xu Bao’er: "Don’t be afraid."
Xu Bao’er wanted to smile but couldn’t.
Anning pulled Xu Bao’er into the room.
Upon entering, they saw an unfamiliar man sitting there.
This middle-aged stranger resembled Xu Xingsheng but looked quite unwell.
His complexion was pale, he looked haggard, and his dark circles were significant.
Xu Xingsheng sat opposite this middle-aged man.
Xu Pengju, sitting in the main seat, calmly said, "Our Xu family’s affairs need no acknowledgment from you. Xingsheng is our son-in-law, who will look after us in our old age, and your Xie Family has nothing to do with this matter. I was willing to overlook your reckless behavior considering you lost your son, but I didn’t expect you to take it too far, trying to take someone from our family."
That stranger was Duke Dingguo.
Duke Dingguo, upon hearing Xu Pengju’s words, became furious: "What son-in-law? He is the Princely Heir of Duke Dingguo Mansion, how did he become your son-in-law? Did I agree to his marriage? If I didn’t agree, it doesn’t count."
Xu Bao’er’s heart tightened as she tightly gripped Anning’s hand.
Anning pulled her aside and whispered softly: "It’s fine, just keep watching."
Duke Dingguo was furious, but Xu Pengju remained calm as usual, not flustered at all.
"What Princely Heir? Do you have any proof that he is your son? If not, be careful, I might take you to the government office."
Duke Dingguo even more annoyed: "How could I not recognize my own son?"
Xu Pengju looked at Xu Xingsheng: "Xingsheng, he says he’s your father, do you recognize him?"
Xu Xingsheng shook his head calmly: "I don’t recognize, I don’t know."
Xu Pengju smiled and looked towards Duke Dingguo: "Did you hear? My child doesn’t recognize you, perhaps you’ve mistaken him for someone else; there are many people who look alike in this world, you’d better go look elsewhere for your Princely Heir."
"How dare you say you don’t recognize me?"
Duke Dingguo furiously pointed at Xu Xingsheng: "You dare not acknowledge your father, you unfilial thing."
Xu Xingsheng blinked: "Why must I recognize you? Are you a Copper Coin or an ingot?"
Duke Dingguo nearly spat blood in fury.
Xu Bao’er was truly relieved at this moment.
A smile appeared on her face.
However, Xu Xingsheng would not let Duke Dingguo off the hook so easily.
He stared at Duke Dingguo as if looking at some strange creature, "You are truly shameless. Your own son is gone, and you have no one to care for you in your old age, so you’ve gone mad and started to snatch other people’s children? I have parents and a wife, and I live a good life. I am not insane and I certainly won’t casually acknowledge someone else as my father."
This time, Duke Dingguo really felt like spitting blood.
This damnable child was deliberately stabbing at his heart.
Anning also found it quite amusing.
She didn’t expect the usually calm and composed Xu Xingsheng to have such a scheming side.
"You, you..."
Duke Dingguo pointed at Xu Xingsheng but couldn’t utter another word for a long time.
Xu Xingsheng smiled, then looked at Xu Pengju: "Father, this man must be crazy. Let’s not entertain him anymore, otherwise, in a moment, he might start claiming something else, and might even recognize you as his father. I don’t want him as a brother. Let’s send him away."
The gleam in Xu Pengju’s eyes sparkled: "Okay, you go send him off."
Xu Xingsheng stood up and dragged Duke Dingguo outside: "If you care about your face at all, then hurry up and leave. It’s inappropriate to impose on someone else’s home. I still have to accompany my wife to paint soon, and don’t have the time to entertain you."
Watching as Xu Xingsheng dragged Duke Dingguo away,
Anning then went to greet Xu Pengju.
"Uncle An."
Seeing Anning, Xu Pengju was clearly very pleased: "Anning is here, sit down quickly."
Anning pulled Xu Bao’er to sit down, whispering in her ear, "You can rest easy now, right?"
Xu Bao’er nodded with a blushing face: "My husband is really great."
Anning rolled her eyes: "Only your husband is great, and I am not?"
"You are great too."
Xu Bao’er leaned on Anning’s side: "Sister, you’re the best."
Meanwhile, Xu Xingsheng almost dragged and pulled Duke Dingguo out of the Xu family’s gate.
Duke Dingguo resisted nonstop, mumbling continuously, "You unfilial son, you unfilial son, what kind of creature denies their own ancestors..."
Once they were far from the Xu home,
Xu Xingsheng then threw Duke Dingguo to the ground.
Duke Dingguo’s attendants tried to go forward to help him, but a fierce glare from Xu Xingsheng, filled with ruthlessness and murderous intent, scared the attendants away, causing them to scramble off.
Xu Xingsheng cornered Duke Dingguo against a wall, his body radiating ferocity as he stared at him: "What, now that your precious son is gone, you suddenly remember me, the son you almost drove to death?"
Duke Dingguo’s pupils constricted, "You, you remember."
Xu Xingsheng sneered, "I recalled it a few days ago. But so what? I am no longer Xie Jue, but Xu Xingsheng, the Xu family’s son-in-law, and I have no plans to revert to being Xie Jue."
Duke Dingguo was frightened by Xu Xingsheng’s murderous aura.
He stammered, "You, you’re not planning to take over the family business?"
"Ha!" Xu Xingsheng scoffed mockingly, "Family business? What does the Xie family have that could catch my eye? Is it your filthy deeds, or the full house of sins?"
"You, what are you babbling about?"
Duke Dingguo was obviously frightened, his hands trembling slightly, and sweat dripping all over his body.
Xu Xingsheng curled his lip corner, "Babbling? I remember everything. When my mother was bedridden, your ’good wife’ claimed she was caring for her sick sister, but she dallied with you by my mother’s sickbed, and my mother was angered to death by you two shameless people."
Speaking of his mother, Xu Xingsheng became increasingly sorrowful, "I might have been young then, but I already had memories. I will never forget how my mother vomited blood in anger."
Duke Dingguo grew more afraid, but also somewhat furiously ashamed, "You’re spouting nonsense, that’s not what happened."
Xu Xingsheng stepped harder on Duke Dingguo’s broken leg, causing him to burst into tears and snot, "I saw with my own eyes, I heard with my own ears. Are you telling me now that it wasn’t like that?"
He pressed down harder with his foot, "All these years, I’ve been wanting to kill both of you, but unfortunately, I was too young and weak to do so. Instead, I was plotted against by you, and your good wife drugged me, trying to kill me when I was weak and powerless. Luckily, I was alert enough to escape. Otherwise, I’d be but a pile of bones by now, while you did nothing about it. Why should I recognize such relatives? To disgust myself?"