Xie Quanjia, clad in her pajamas, rushed to the side of the father and son. She stopped and slapped Xing Zheng across the face. Xing Zheng had anticipated Xie Quanjia would resort to physical violence, yet he did not dodge the blow.
The slap left Xing Zheng’s ears ringing, his teeth clashing against his lip, drawing blood. Still, Xing Zheng remained rooted to the spot. As Xie Quanjia raised her hand for a second blow, Xing Sha grabbed her arm. “Can you just calm down!”
Xing Sha had no idea when Xie Quanjia had arrived at the study door, but it was perhaps for the best that she had overheard their conversation.
Xing Sha had always planned to hand over Rong Shi to Xing Zheng. Even with Xing Yan still alive, the company should have been managed by Xing Zheng. Xing Yan’s disposition was too gentle, lacking the ruthlessness required of a decision-maker. Even when Xing Yan was alive, he and his wife had frequently argued about who the company should be entrusted to.
“I think *you* are the one who needs to calm down! I have shares in Rong Shi too, and I don’t agree to hand it over to him. He’s not worthy,” Xie Quanjia argued with Xing Sha, her tears flowing uncontrollably due to her agitation. “The company should belong to Ah Yan. He, the murderer who killed Ah Yan, doesn’t deserve any of this!”
Xing Sha placed his hands on Xie Quanjia’s shoulders. He no longer tried to placate her as he had before. Instead, he said, “Ah Yan’s death was an accident. Don’t forget, Ah Zheng was also in the ICU for a week back then.”
“He’s been gone for so many years now. You’ve indulged your stubbornness enough.” Since she had heard, he decided to seize this opportunity to make things clear. “From now on, Rong Shi belongs to Ah Zheng. Whether to help or not help with the Zhao Corporation’s matters is up to him.”
“You menace! You were jealous of Ah Yan, and killing Ah Yan wasn’t enough. You had to push Jiang He to the brink as well. Ah Yan thought of you constantly, and Jiang He still considers you a good brother. Who are you being true to?!”
Xing Zheng looked at the hysterical Xie Quanjia. He pulled at the corners of his mouth and asked her calmly, “Since you hate me so much, why did you give birth to me?”
He had had the urge to ask her this question thousands of times. If you couldn’t treat him well, why bring him into the world? Why not let him die before he even took shape? “Mom, Mom.”
Knowing that this was the name she detested the most, Xing Zheng kept calling her that.
Xing Sha tried to stop Xing Zheng. “What are you doing?”
Xing Zheng smiled. He touched his cheek where Xie Quanjia had just slapped him, the pain still lingering. He pushed his tongue against his upper palate, like an unruly, indulgent young master. “Mom.”
“Shut up, you shut up! I don’t have a son as wicked as you!”
Xie Quanjia finally fainted from Xing Zheng’s provocation. Xing Sha, forgetting to reprimand Xing Zheng, helped his wife towards the bedroom. Xing Zheng, however, remained frozen in place, watching their retreating figures, his lips moving.
“Mom.”
One could only discern the shape of his lips; no sound emerged.
Xing Sha administered a sedative to Xie Quanjia. Once she was sound asleep and her heart rate had stabilized, he emerged from the bedroom. He saw Xing Zheng leaning against the wall opposite, standing there.
Xing Zheng asked him, “How is she?”
His tone was indifferent, betraying no emotion. But a father knows his son. Seeing Xing Zheng’s reddened eyes, Xing Sha swallowed the reprimand he had prepared. He told Xing Zheng, “She’s taken a sedative. She’ll be better after sleeping. It’s late, you should go back.”
Xing Zheng raised his hand, his slender fingers grasping his tie. With a forceful tug, he strode towards the bedroom door. Xing Sha’s expression changed, and just as he was about to stop him, he heard Xing Zheng’s hoarse and fragile voice, “I’ll go see her.”
The arm that had been raised to stop him disappeared. Xing Sha watched as Xing Zheng entered the bedroom. He gazed at Xing Zheng, who walked to the bedside and knelt, his eyes dry and stinging.
Xing Zheng knelt by the bed. His gaze remained fixed on Xie Quanjia’s face, unmoving.
Xing Sha watched him kneel for nearly half an hour. When Xing Zheng finally stood up, he said not a word. He stumbled downstairs and left the villa.
Xing Sha felt a pang of unease. He looked at his wife on the double bed and recalled many past events.
Of his two sons, Xie Quanjia had always doted on Xing Yan more. She never hid it, and relatives and friends were accustomed to it. Xing Zheng’s arrival had been an accident.
Xie Quanjia had only wanted one son, Xing Yan. But she later became pregnant unexpectedly. During that pregnancy, Xie Quanjia had stopped taking her medication, leading to emotional instability and poor physical health. Despite it being her second pregnancy, it was exceptionally taxing. Xie Quanjia was often tormented by morning sickness, unable to sleep.
Due to her emotional instability, she experienced several threatened miscarriages. She had spent nearly half a month in the hospital receiving progesterone injections to maintain the pregnancy. In the later stages of pregnancy, Xie Quanjia’s swelling was so severe that she could barely walk. At that time, she had declared that even if the child were born, she would not love him.
After giving birth, Xie Quanjia’s mood worsened. Xing Yan was almost three years old then and was very sensible, constantly finding ways to cheer Xie Quanjia up.
Xing Zheng was raised on formula. Xie Quanjia refused to breastfeed him and slept separately from him during her confinement. Since Xing Zheng’s birth, Xie Quanjia had never personally taken care of him for a single day. When he registered for kindergarten, it was the nanny who took him.
Xing Sha was busy at the time, but he would still make time to take care of Xing Zheng. However, Xie Quanjia was completely incapable.
Xing Sha remembered one Mother’s Day when Xing Zheng brought home a gift he had made at kindergarten. He timidly presented it to Xie Quanjia, but she didn’t even glance at it, refusing to accept it.
At that time, Xing Yan had also given her a gift, a handmade card. Xie Quanjia examined the card and praised Xing Yan. The six-year-old Xing Zheng stood by, clutching his gift. Xing Sha couldn’t bear to watch and accepted the gift on Xie Quanjia’s behalf.
Later, Xie Quanjia had the nanny throw away Xing Zheng’s handmade craft, while Xing Yan’s card was treasured and placed on the bedside table in their bedroom.
Xing Sha did not know if Xie Quanjia’s aversion to Xing Zheng was related to the suffering she endured during her pregnancy. Recalling Xing Zheng’s question in the study earlier, “Since you hate me so much, why did you give birth to me?” Xing Sha felt a renewed sense of guilt.
Perhaps, he should not have insisted on her keeping Xing Zheng back then, causing so much pain.
Lin Mei dreamt of Xing Zheng that night. In her dream, Xing Zheng was being beaten by Xie Quanjia again, his body covered in blood, a large gash on his head. Yet, he remained still like a wooden post, unmoving.
No matter how Xie Quanjia hit him, he did not dodge or resist. Lin Mei wanted to save him, but she couldn’t budge him…
In the end, she could only watch helplessly as Xing Zheng collapsed in a pool of blood.
Lin Mei woke up from the nightmare, drenched in cold sweat. She sat up and picked up her phone. It was not yet seven o’clock, and the sky outside had not yet brightened.
Xing Zheng had returned to the Xing family villa last night. She wondered how he was. Lin Mei sent Xing Zheng a WeChat message to inquire. After waiting for nearly half an hour, there was still no reply. She couldn’t help but call him. She called three or four times, but all went unanswered.
Lin Mei grew increasingly worried and decided to go to Zhuhua Villa herself to find Xing Zheng.