News about Wei Ximing targeting Wei Mingzheng caused quite a stir at school. Even the teacher knew about it. Wei Ruoyang, who was originally on Wei Ximing’s side, felt incredibly complicated inside.

Wei Ruoyang’s attitude represented all of Wei Ximing’s supporters. 

This issue quickly reached the ears of the Wei family. Madam Wei was furious when she heard of it. However, before she even had the chance to get angry, Wei Ximing actually ended up running back to the main branch that very Saturday. He apologized bitterly in front of Madam Wei. Then, he apologized profusely to Wei Mingzheng.

“I’m sorry! I only did that because I was upset! I will never do it again!” Wei Ximing wiped his tears as he spoke.

Madam Wei fumed, “Ximing, how could you do such a thing to Mingzheng!?”

Wei Ximing threw himself into her arms. He hugged her and cried, “Mom! It’s because I’m jealous! I’m upset! Ever since Mingzheng returned, you haven’t been paying attention to me anymore! You’ve put all of your attention on him! Although I’m not your biological son, I’ve always regarded you as my biological mother! For more than ten years, you were the only mother I’ve ever known! However, you suddenly told me that I am not your real son, and, now, you don’t like me anymore! I’m upset! Mom! I’m so sad!” 

Madam Wei’s heart was completely melted by his repeated cries.

She had to admit that she had indeed neglected this child after Wei Mingzheng returned. Whenever she thought about how he was probably switched with her own child on purpose, she would feel very distraught. Naturally, she did not want to see him.

That might have been why she had ignored him.

Wei Ximing continued, “After Mingzheng came back, he kept targeting me! At the welcoming banquet, he claimed that we were deliberately switched. It really made me uncomfortable! If it wasn’t for Grandma, I would have been kicked out of the house!”

Wei Ximing burst into tears and heartrendingly cried, “Mom! Regardless of what happened back then, I’m still innocent! I was a baby! I didn’t know anything! Why should I have to take the blame for someone else? Starting from my very earliest memory, I’ve always been your son, Mom!”

Madam Wei’s heart felt sour.

That’s right. Wei Ximing had only been a baby back then. Regardless of what happened, he was innocent. He didn’t know anything from beginning to end. Had she been a little too cruel towards him?

“This issue…” Madam Wei awkwardly looked at Wei Mingzheng. “Why don’t we just leave it at that? Ximing was just being impulsive.” 

Shu Ning, who had been watching, wanted to laugh. He said sarcastically, “Wow. Wei Ximing, you have clothes to wear and food to eat. You come and go in a luxury car. You live in a mansion. Everything you own is worth millions, and you have countless servants at your beck and call. You have all of this, yet you’re still the victim!”

Madam Wei and Wei Ximing’s bodies froze.

Shu Ning sighed. “I’m sure tons of people would love to experience this kind of ‘grievance’.”

He said to Madam Wei, “Aunt Su, Wei Ximing might be upset, but have you ever thought about how upset Mingzheng might be? He was beaten and abused. He nearly died. You think Wei Ximing’s so innocent, don’t you? Are you trying to say that Mingzheng isn’t innocent? That he deserved to be beaten to death?” 

Madam Wei looked embarrassed.

“You might think that Wei Ximing has suffered, but the person who was harmed here is Mingzheng! Hasn’t he suffered?”

Madam Wei’s face changed drastically.

Wei Ximing was still crying. He kept apologizing and said, “I was wrong. I was wrong. I’m sorry.” 

Wei Mingzheng, who had been silent for a while, suddenly chuckled. He said to Wei Ximing, “I don’t accept your apology.”

Wei Ximing continued to say sorry.

Wei Mingzheng stopped paying him attention. Instead, he stared at Madam Wei and said coldly, “Madam Wei, I’ll give you some time. Please think things over before giving me a reply.”

Madam Wei?! 

Madam Wei was shocked. She stared at Wei Mingzheng in disbelief. He wasn’t calling her mother anymore!

Wei Mingzheng pointed at Wei Ximing and said, “I hadn’t cared about him before. It didn’t matter to me whether he stayed or not. However, he keeps getting more and more despicable, so I changed my mind. You can only keep one of us. Please choose carefully.”

Madam Wei quickly let go of Wei Ximing. She stepped forward and said to Wei Mingzheng, “Mingzheng, why are you suddenly…”

Wei Ximing ended up getting pushed aside. He was so caught off guard that he forgot to cry. 

Wei Mingzheng said, “Madam Wei, you’re not a child. You shouldn’t keep letting others play around with you. You were the one who was supposed to clear out any obstacles for my return. I didn’t come back here to help you investigate the truth and watch you be indecisive.”

“You should figure out what kind of person Wei Ximing is for yourself. Don’t forget. You were the one who begged me to return. I wasn’t the one who wanted to come back here.”

Wei Mingzheng’s deep eyes stared at Madam Wei.

Madam Wei was startled. She remembered how she had stayed in Chuzhou for an entire month. She waited and waited and waited, all for the sake of taking Wei Mingzheng home with her! 

Wei Mingzheng didn’t care about the Wei family at all!

Madam Wei suddenly shuddered. She realized that she might end up losing Mingzheng!

Wei Mingzheng continued, “I’ve pretty much figured everyone out by now. Madam Wei is the only one who actually cares about me. No one actually wants me here. Even my biological father had only come to see me a couple of times. He hasn’t taken me to heart at all.”

“The reason why I continued to stay here is entirely because of you. If you aren’t able to figure things out, I’ll just cut ties with the Wei family and change my last name to Shu. We’ll have nothing to do with each other ever again.” 

Madam Wei was trembling all over. Every single word was like a hammer to her chest. She felt like her organs were about to split.

She thought that their relationship had been very good lately. However, was it actually something that Wei Mingzheng could discard at any time?

“Because of my respect for you, I never brought up kicking him out. I wanted to give you some time to transition. However, I’ve realized that you still haven’t figured out how to deal with us.” Wei Mingzheng paused. Then, he slowly said, “I’m really disappointed.”

Madam Wei’s heart was pounding. She panicked. “Mingzheng, don’t be like this. You are my biological son! Of course I love you! However, Wei Ximing is also my son. I… I’m in a difficult situation…” 

Madam Wei covered her face and cried.

Wei Mingzheng was unmoved. He smiled and said, “It is rather difficult. Madam Wei, why don’t I go and ask Dad to bring his mistress and illegitimate child into our house? What do you think?”

Madam Wei suddenly raised her head, her eyes widened. She stared at Wei Mingzheng in disbelief, her lips trembling. “You… you…”

How could Mingzheng say something like that?! 

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Wei Mingzheng continued, “Don’t you think Dad has it very hard?”

“Ah?” Madam Wei’s jaw dropped, dumbfounded. 

Wei Mingzheng said, “You’re his wife, and the other woman is also his wife. If he was as troubled and indecisive as you are, shouldn’t we just bring his mistress and child here?”

Madam Wei almost stopped breathing. Her lips were trembling. She was completely speechless.

Wei Mingzheng continued, “Shouldn’t you also try to understand him, tolerate him, and live together with his mistress and child?”

“That’s impossible!” Madam Wei roared, clenching her teeth. 

“That’s right,” Wei Mingzheng said lightly. “Do you understand how I feel now? I’m the legal wife, and Wei Ximing is just a mistress from who knows where. All he’s done is benefit at the expense of others, yet he’s still trying to frame me, to squeeze me out. As a mother, you weren’t able to handle things properly, yet you’re still hoping for the two of us to coexist with each other?”

Wei Mingzheng didn’t leave Madam Wei with any hope this time around. His words were like knives. They pierced straight into her heart.

He didn’t want to watch her continue to hesitate. Either way, he already had people who liked him. Anyone else could be abandoned at any time.

“Shu Ning and I are going back to Chuzhou for a couple of days. You can give me an answer when we come back.” After saying this, Wei Mingzheng said to Shu Ning, “Let’s pack up.” 

“Ah, that’s right.” Wei Mingzheng suddenly turned his head and gave Wei Ximing a meaningful smile. “You’d better behave yourself.”

Then, he turned around and went upstairs.

Wei Ximing shuddered. An ominous sense of foreboding suddenly descended upon him.

Shu Ning had long since been stunned silly. The little villain had always been rather independent. It didn’t matter what he had on his mind or how much he had suffered. He would choose to silently keep it all in his heart. It was rare for him to get into an argument with others. 

Shu Ning hadn’t expected him to say so much.

At the same time, Shu Ning felt a little distressed on his behalf. He could only imagine just how exasperated he must have been to react like this.

“Okay.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Shu Ning followed the villain upstairs to pack his luggage. 

In the past, he always thought that real familial affection would definitely be able to make up for the villain’s childhood trauma. However, he was now starting to find that this so-called familial affection could also bring the villain harm. If it was only going to hurt him again, they might as well forget about it.

It wasn’t too bad for the villain to cut ties with the Wei family and change his surname to Shu. From now on, Shu Ning would love him even more in place of his parents.

Madam Wei panicked when she saw that Wei Mingzheng was actually going to leave.

“Mingzheng! Don’t go! Mom was wrong!” 

She didn’t have any energy to spare for Wei Ximing right now. She rushed upstairs and said, “Mingzheng, Mom was wrong! I’m choosing you! Of course I’m choosing you!”

“No, you don’t know what you’ve done wrong at all. You’re just saying that in order to prevent me from leaving.” Wei Mingzheng took a moment to pack his things. “Madam Wei, I’m giving you some time to think things through. I don’t want you to regret it later.”

Madam Wei grabbed his sleeve and refused to let him go. “It’s all my fault. I definitely won’t regret it!”

Wei Mingzheng used her husband’s mistress as an example. It absolutely infuriated her, but, once she regained her senses, she was finally able to understand what her biological son must be feeling. 

Wei Mingzheng was the legal wife. Wei Ximing was the mistress.

With this analogy, she was instantly able to get it, and she was pissed.

That’s right. Wei Ximing was like a cuckoo in the nest. It was highly likely that he was deliberately placed within the Wei family. Now, he was even trying to harm Wei Mingzheng! This was simply too disgusting!

“I’m choosing you! I’ll definitely choose you!” Madam Wei desperately pleaded. 

Wei Mingzheng said, “I don’t believe it. The stuff you say sounds nice, but, whenever Wei Ximing starts putting on his act, you always feel sorry for him.”

He stuffed his clothes into a suitcase. Then, he walked to the room next door and shouted, “Shu Ning, are you ready?”

“Ready!” Shu Ning walked out with his suitcase.

The two of them had only just arrived here not too long ago. They didn’t have that many things. Their home in Chuzhou already had everything that they would need. 

“Mingzheng! Mingzheng! Don’t go!” Madam Wei was really frightened.

She finally realized that it was her who had begged Wei Mingzheng to return. Wei Mingzheng didn’t care about the family’s power or money. It was something he could abandon at any time if he wanted.

Shu Ning saw Madam Wei’s anxious expression, and his heart softened. He couldn’t help but give the villain a look.

The little villain’s face didn’t change. He said to Shu Ning, “Let’s go.” 

Shu Ning sighed to himself. Then, he walked out with his suitcase in hand.

“Mingzheng…” Madam Wei chased after them. She was trembling all over, and her face turned pale.

The villain said, “Don’t worry, Madam Wei. Shu Ning and I are just going back to Chuzhou to visit Aunt and Uncle. We’ll be back in a few days.”

“Mingzheng, I’m choosing you, really! Please trust me!” Madam Wei was so anxious that she almost cried. 

Wei Mingzheng smiled and said, “No matter how many times you say that, it’s still not very convincing. If you’re really going to choose me, you should prove it with your actions. I’d like to see your determination. Otherwise, nothing you say will hold any weight.”

Madam Wei was completely dazed.

Wei Mingzheng helped Shu Ning carry his suitcase. He brushed past Madam Wei.

Shu Ning thought that Madam Wei had treated them well. He gave her a quick bow and expressed his thanks. Then, he caught up with the villain. The two of them headed downstairs and left. 

After leaving the villa, Shu Ning asked, “Mingzheng, are we really going to leave?”

Wei Mingzheng said, “Of course. It’s about time that we go home and visit. Do you not want to go home?”

“Of course I want to!”

“Then let’s go back for a visit.” 

Shu Ning hesitated for a moment. “What about Madam Wei and Wei Ximing?”

Wei Mingzheng replied, “That depends on what Madam Wei decides to do.”

Shu Ning was stunned for a moment. Then, he hesitantly said, “Then, what if…”

“Are you worried that she’ll choose Wei Ximing?” Wei Mingzheng smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll just leave the Wei family.” 

“You won’t regret it?”

“No.” Wei Mingzheng shook his head. “As long as you’re here, I won’t have any regrets. You’ll always care for me and be by my side, right?”

Shu Ning was caught off guard. Then, he nodded.

Wei Mingzheng laughed. “In that case, I have nothing to fear.” 

The person he liked most in the world also liked him. Even if he lost everything else, he wouldn’t regret it.

Shu Ning had no idea that he was so important to the little villain. He was incredibly moved, but he was also super nervous. What if there came a day where the two of them were separated? Wouldn’t the little villain end up crying himself to death?

The two of them were sitting in a car. Wei Mingzheng picked up his phone and sent a WeChat message.

Now, it was all up to Madam Wei. 

Back at the villa.

Hu Mei received a WeChat message, as well as a transfer of ¥30,000. She was immediately put on high alert. She put away her cell phone and walked towards the front gates of the villa.

Wei Mingzheng and Shu Ning had already left. Madam Wei stood all by herself in front of the corridor, her face full of pain.

Just what the hell had she been doing? 

Why should Mingzheng forgive Wei Ximing?

How could she be so muddled in the head?

Hu Mei walked to her side and said softly, “Madam, don’t be sad.”

Madam Wei rubbed her eyes. She turned her head and asked, “Tell me. Have I done something wrong?” 

Hu Mei mulled over what to say. She said, “The things you did were understandable. It wasn’t exactly a mistake to keep Young Master Ximing, but that’s on the condition that Young Master Ximing doesn’t do anything wrong. He can’t be allowed to bully Young Master Mingzheng.”

Madam Wei and Hu Mei were somewhat close because they were distant relatives. Plus, Hu Mei had worked at the villa for several years now. They were close enough to share private matters with each other.

Madam Wei said, “I felt that Ximing had only done it on a whim. Ximing’s such an outstanding child. He’d only made one mistake. It wasn’t entirely unforgivable. I didn’t know that Mingzheng had been so hurt.”

Hu Mei said, “Madam, I’m not sure if I should say this or not.” 

Madam Wei was a little surprised. She asked, “What is it?”

Hu Mei frowned and hesitated. “It’s about Young Master Ximing.”

“Ximing?” Madam Wei was confused. “What happened with Ximing?”

Hu Mei said, “Madam, the way Young Master Ximing acts in front of you is a little different from how he acts in front of others. You can ask a few of the other servants about it.” 

Madam Wei expressed her understanding.

Hu Mei said, “There’s one more thing. I can no longer keep this from you.”

“What else is there?” Madam Wei asked.

Hu Mei took a deep breath. Then, she said, “On the day Young Master Mingzheng returned, you assigned me to teach the two young masters about the family’s affairs. Young Master Ximing told me to give them the wrong information so that they would make a fool of themselves at the banquet.” 

Madam Wei was taken aback. “Such a thing occurred?”

Hu Mei nodded. “I was biased towards Young Master Ximing at the time. When Young Master Ximing made the request, I agreed. Fortunately, Young Master Mingzheng was smart enough to see through it and punished me. The stylist from back then knows about this. If you don’t believe me, you can ask her.”

Madam Wei was both angry and anxious. “How could you target Mingzheng because of a request from Ximing?”

Ashamed, Hu Mei said, “Madam, it’s hard to change a first impression. I assumed that, since Young Master Mingzheng grew up outside, he definitely wouldn’t be as outstanding as Young Master Ximing. Plus, Young Master Ximing grew up by our side. It’s normal for everyone to be partial towards him. You also preferred Young Master Ximing at first, didn’t you?” 

Madam Wei’s breath hitched.

Hu Mei continued, “There are a lot of other people who thought the same as I did. Other than you, no one else here likes Young Master Mingzheng. Everyone prefers Young Master Ximing. Even the servants think this way.”

“After Young Master Mingzheng taught me a lesson, I thought that he would report me, but Young Master Mingzheng let me go. Later, I slowly started becoming more familiar with Young Master Mingzheng. I think Young Master Mingzheng is actually pretty good.”

“Today, I noticed that you were worrying about Young Master Ximing and Young Master Mingzheng. I felt that it was necessary to tell you the truth. If you want to punish me, please go ahead!” 

Madam Wei was speechless.

It turned out that Wei Ximing had already started targeting Mingzheng on the very first day?

It didn’t work the first time, so he tried again?

Madam Wei slowly balled up her fists. 

Madam Wei recalled what Wei Mingzheng had said to her before he left. “No matter how many times you say that, it’s still not very convincing. If you’re really going to choose me, you should prove it with your actions. I’d like to see your determination. Otherwise, nothing you say will hold any weight.”

She suddenly realized that she needed to take action. Only then would she be able to win back her son’s heart! She could no longer remain hesitant and indecisive.

As soon as he saw Madam Wei chasing after Wei Mingzheng, Wei Ximing knew that he had lost. It was an expected outcome. There was no way Madam Wei would’ve chosen him over her biological son.

Sticking around would only cause Madam Wei to hate him even more. So, he tactfully left the main branch and returned to Li Yongna’s side, silently massaging her legs. 

His heart was pounding. He kept having this nagging feeling that something big was about to happen. As a result, he wasn’t able to control the strength in his hands.

Ever since Wei Mingzheng returned, things seemed to always go wrong for him.

“Ximing, is there something on your mind?”

Li Yongna didn’t actually know about what happened at Sai Yao International High School. She also didn’t particularly care. She just felt that Wei Ximing had been rather absent-minded for the past two days. 

She cared about Wei Ximing a lot. Firstly, she had watched Wei Ximing grow up, and, secondly, Wei Ximing saved her life. Over the past two years, Wei Ximing had become even more attentive and even more lovable.

The one thing that the elderly yearned for the most was kind and attentive grandchildren. Her other grandchildren didn’t come to visit her often. Wei Ximing was the only one who was always staying by her side. As time passed, their relationship naturally deepened.

Even if Wei Ximing wasn’t a child of the Wei family, Li Yongna didn’t mind.

Wei Ximing came back to his senses. He reluctantly said, “No.” 

His mind quickly started spinning. It was very likely that the incident from school would be passed on to the family. Today, he returned to the main branch to express his apology, but he wasn’t forgiven. Not only was he not forgiven, but Wei Mingzheng also ran away from home.

He probably wouldn’t be able to hide the fact that he had targeted Wei Mingzheng.

His reputation at school was completely ruined. Wei Ximing was extremely unreconciled. However, things had already gotten to this point. There was nothing he could do about it.

The most important thing now was to maintain his relationship with Li Yongna and Jiang Yao. 

As long as he had these two, he had nothing to fear. Who cared about a high school reputation? Once he becomes Jiang Yao’s husband, all of those people who disliked him would have to keep their heads down and shut their mouths. They wouldn’t actually be able to do anything to him.

Instead of waiting for others to expose him, it was better for him to take the initiative and admit his mistake. That way, he’d still have a chance to turn things around.

Wei Ximing had thought things through. He stopped massaging Li Yongna’s leg and said sadly, “Grandma, I did something wrong.”

Li Yongna frowned. “Oh? What did you do wrong?” 

Wei Ximing suddenly burst into tears. “Grandma, it was because I was jealous. I organized a raffle for the school dance, and the losers would have drinks poured on them. I was going to pour my drink on Wei Mingzheng. I just wanted to vent a little…”

Wei Ximing used to style himself as a domineering princely type. He pretty much never cried. He also didn’t want to cry because he felt like it ruined his image. It made him seem too girly and effeminate.

However, right now, he had lost his princely halo. If he wanted to present a convincing story, he would have to be a little shameless and put on a pitiful face.

After listening to him cry, Li Yongna’s furrowed brows relaxed. “This time, you’re the one in the wrong. Make sure you apologize to Mingzheng.” 

Wei Ximing wiped away tears and said, “I already went to apologize, but Mingzheng wouldn’t accept it. He told Mom… He told Madam Wei to kick me out. He even ended up running away from home in order to threaten Madam Wei.”

“Ran away from home?” Li Yongna was very surprised. In her mind, the Wei family was a golden nest. There were so many illegitimate children out there who wanted nothing more than to be recognized into the family. Wei Mingzheng actually ran away from home?

Li Yongna was furious.

She rang the ball to call the butler. She asked, “Did Wei Mingzheng really run away from home?” 

The butler quickly made some inquiries. Then, he quickly replied, “Yes, Young Master Mingzheng has returned to Chuzhou.”

Li Yongna’s brows were furrowed so tightly that a drop of water wouldn’t even be able to pass through. She waved her hand and instructed the butler to leave.

“Grandma!” Wei Ximing knelt down on the ground and pulled on Li Yongna’s sleeve. “I know that I was wrong! Please give me a chance! I… I just wanted to pour some wine on him! I didn’t do anything else! Also, I’ve only done it once! I’ll never do this ever again!”

When she saw his miserable appearance, Li Yongna sighed. 

These two grandsons of hers had been completely incompatible from the moment they met. Wei Mingzheng started targeting Wei Ximing as soon as he returned. During the welcoming banquet, he announced that he “did not care about Ximing” in front of the entire family. He also claimed that Wei Ximing’s parents had deliberately switched the children. It was clear that he blaming Wei Ximing for the actions of Wei Ximing’s parents.

It was reasonable for Wei Ximing to fight back after being targeted.

From Li Yongna’s point of view, it wasn’t a big deal at all to splash a couple of drinks at a dance. Wei Mingzheng was using this to force Wei Ximing out of the family. He was entirely out of line.

Wei Mingzheng was unforgiving and intolerant. Li Yongna was extremely displeased. 

She patted Wei Ximing’s hand. “Don’t worry. As long as I’m still alive, you are my grandchild. Nothing can change that.”

Wei Ximing wiped away his tears and smiled. “Thank you, Grandma.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. With this, he was finally in the clear.

He happily went back to his room. He planned on having a drink in order to soothe his mind. 

Suddenly, his phone rang. When he looked down at the screen, he saw that it was Zhou Juan calling.

Wei Ximing was furious, but he had nowhere to vent all of his anger. His expression was dark. He picked up the phone with gritted teeth. “What are you still calling me for?”