Cheng Zhili beamed brightly, "In that case, I’ll call my family right now. But they probably won’t believe me, so I’ll need you to help explain, sir and ma’am."
"No problem, go ahead and call. I’ll talk to Cheng Wenbin," Fu Zheng nodded eagerly, almost too enthusiastically.
Cheng Zhili smiled, took out his phone, and dialed Cheng Wenbin’s number.
The call was quickly answered, and Cheng Zhili put it on speaker.
"Ha! Realized your mistake and want to come back? Let me tell you, Cheng Zhili, unless you apologize to your brother, don’t even think about returning to the Cheng Family!" Cheng Wenbin’s cold laughter echoed.
Cheng Zhili maintained his smile, "I’m calling today just to inform you that I’m going to marry Fu Laiying."
"What?" Cheng Wenbin was stunned.
Cheng Zhili handed the phone to Fu Zheng.
"Brother Cheng," Fu Zheng immediately put on a familiar tone.
Hearing Fu Zheng’s voice, Cheng Wenbin became even more flustered.
What was going on? How did Cheng Zhili get involved with the Fu family in just a few days?
"General Manager Fu, did Cheng Zhili cause some trouble?" Cheng Wenbin’s voice was anxious, tinged with worry.
"Of course not, Zhili is a good kid, we all like him!" Fu Zheng paused before continuing, "So, we want him to marry Laiying."
"What?! But, but, doesn’t your son like Zhixia?" Cheng Wenbin was dumbfounded.
Was this really happening? His useless, good-for-nothing illegitimate child was really going to marry Fu Laiying?
"Ahem…" Fu Zheng coughed awkwardly, "Laiying is willing to marry Zhili too."
Cheng Wenbin was speechless.
Wasn’t this young master supposed to be head over heels for his Zhixia? How did he change his mind so quickly? Could it be because he had a taste of Cheng Zhili and wanted more?
Men, they really are driven by their lower halves!
Cheng Wenbin understood this all too well.
Besides, Cheng Zhili was his son too! To him, it didn’t matter who married whom, as long as it was his son!
However, the problem was that he had just fallen out with this illegitimate child! Just now, he had shown no kindness in front of Fu Zheng and the others!
Damn it!
Cheng Wenbin cursed inwardly, but outwardly he laughed heartily, "Great, great, Zhili is a good kid. It’s his honor that your son likes him!"
Fu Zheng also laughed heartily, "As long as you agree, we want to hold the wedding for these two kids as soon as possible, maybe in half a month. We can discuss the exact date and try to pick an auspicious day, how about that?"
Cheng Wenbin was taken aback, "So soon?"
The Fu family seemed too eager!
"Haha, the kids are in a hurry, nothing we can do," Fu Zheng shifted the blame entirely onto Fu Laiying.
Cheng Wenbin wasn’t sure if he believed it. But on second thought, the sooner they got married, the better it was for the Cheng Family! So, he went along with it, "No problem! We can discuss the exact date!"
"So it’s decided?" Fu Zheng was overjoyed.
"Yes!"
"Oh, there’s one more thing…"
"What else, General Manager Fu?" Cheng Wenbin asked.
"Well… ahem, Zhili hopes Zhixia can be his best man…"
Silence fell on the other end of the line.
Fu Zheng felt a bit awkward.
This request was indeed difficult for the Cheng Family.
Sure enough, Zheng Xue’s shrill voice came through the phone, "In your dreams! Cheng Zhili, you wretch, it’s bad enough you stole my son’s fiancé, and now…"
"Shut up!" Cheng Wenbin roared, cutting Zheng Xue off. Then, his voice turned sycophantic, "Let’s do it! It’s quite elegant for a brother to be the best man at his brother’s wedding."
"Dad…" Cheng Zhili heard Cheng Zhixia’s trembling voice.
He smiled brightly, "If it’s inconvenient for you, brother, that’s fine. Just rest at home, my wedding won’t miss you."
Cheng Wenbin didn’t wait for Cheng Zhixia to speak and immediately said, "What are you saying? How could a brother not attend his brother’s wedding? He’ll definitely be there, don’t worry!"
"Shameless," Fu Laiying muttered under his breath.
Cheng Zhili heard it but pretended not to, smiling sweetly, "Alright, I’ll be waiting."
"Zhili, when are you coming home? Dad misses you!" Cheng Wenbin eagerly asked before he could hang up.
Cheng Zhili laughed coldly to himself, "I wouldn’t be comfortable living at home, I’ll stay with the Fu family instead." He looked at Fu Zheng and Wenxiu, "You don’t mind, do you, sir and ma’am?"
"Of course not," Wenxiu replied with a beaming smile.
"Did you hear that?" Cheng Zhili said to Cheng Wenbin.
"That’s fine, that’s fine," Cheng Wenbin felt a vague sense of unease. But then he thought, Cheng Zhili was his own son, and even if they had some minor disagreements, as long as he apologized, the other should forgive him, right? After all, there’s no overnight grudge between father and son.
"I’ll hang up now," Cheng Zhili said coldly.
"Alright, you hang up," Cheng Wenbin remained enthusiastic.
Then, Cheng Zhili ended the call.
He looked up, his face once again lit up with a bright smile, "Thank you, sir and ma’am."
"Call us Mom and Dad," Wenxiu said lovingly.
Fu Laiying frowned, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.
He knew that whatever he said was useless, his parents had already completely sided with Cheng Zhili.
Was a child really that important?
Fu Laiying couldn’t understand.
He found Cheng Zhili to be utterly inscrutable. One moment he could be as cold as ice, and the next he could smile like a blooming flower, like a fox with a thousand faces, impossible to see through or grasp.
"Mom, Dad," Cheng Zhili followed suit smoothly.
Fu Zheng and Wenxiu nodded in satisfaction.
"Good child!" Wenxiu ruffled his hair, "Let’s make it a double celebration, why not go get the marriage certificate today?"
Cheng Zhili was taken aback.
He knew the Fu family would be eager, but he didn’t expect them to be this eager!
Fu Laiying couldn’t hold back, "Mom!"
"What?" Wenxiu glared at him, "You’re getting married anyway, the sooner you get the marriage certificate, the more at ease you’ll be, right?"
Fu Zheng nodded in agreement.
Cheng Zhili thought about it and found it reasonable, so he said, "I’ll listen to Mom."
Wenxiu beamed with joy, not caring about Fu Laiying’s reluctance, and directly urged him, "Quick! Laiying, go get the car, we’re going to the civil affairs bureau right now!"
Fu Laiying was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
His mom was too eager!
Then Cheng Zhili said, "But my household registration is with the Cheng Family."
"I’ll call the Cheng Family and have them send it to the civil affairs bureau! Oh, and you’ll need a color photo, hmm, I’ll have Mrs. Chen buy two white shirts! And we need a photographer, oh dear, so much to do!" Wenxiu’s eyes sparkled as she rattled on.
Cheng Zhili was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, "Um… I think the civil affairs bureau provides photo services."
"The photos taken there can’t compare to those taken by a hired photographer," Wenxiu shook her head.
"Alright," Cheng Zhili had nothing more to say.
Wenxiu then called a photographer, and after the call, she shouted upstairs, "Mrs. Chen! Mrs. Chen!"
"Coming!" The housekeeper, Mrs. Chen, came down and asked respectfully, "Madam, what is it?"
"Go find two white shirts! Oh, Zhili, what’s your size?"
Cheng Zhili gave his size.
Wenxiu immediately said, "Buy two, according to Zhili and Laiying’s sizes!"
"Yes," Mrs. Chen looked puzzled but went out to buy the white shirts anyway.
Wenxiu then said, "You two sit and chat, the photographer will be here soon."
Fu Laiying suppressed his impatience, "Mom, the company can’t do without me."
Upon hearing this, Wenxiu rolled her eyes and turned to Fu Zheng, "Old Fu, what kind of chairman are you, idling at home? Go to the company!"
Fu Laiying: …
Fu Zheng chuckled foolishly, "Alright, alright, I’ll go now, but make sure to send me the photos once they’re taken!"
"Got it, now go!" Wenxiu shooed him away.
Fu Zheng really went out to work.
Cheng Zhili was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, this couple was just too amusing!
He couldn’t help but glance at Fu Laiying.
Sure enough, Fu Laiying’s face was green. Noticing his gaze, Fu Laiying snorted coldly and turned away, choosing to ignore him.
Cheng Zhili didn’t care.
"It seems he really resents you," Reinhardt commented meaningfully from above.
Cheng Zhili rolled his eyes at him.
If Fu Laiying hated him, so be it, it wouldn’t harm him. In his view, as long as he could disgust Cheng Zhixia, he would do anything. Although in his past life, Fu Laiying hadn’t directly harmed him, the doctor who performed the heart transplant on Cheng Zhixia when he died was brought in by Fu Laiying. Didn’t that doctor see that he wasn’t actually in critical condition? Couldn’t he tell he was just in a coma? Ha, how could that be?
So why did the doctor choose to proceed with the surgery? Was it because he turned a blind eye for Fu Laiying’s sake?
Moreover, after Cheng Zhixia and Fu Laiying got together, the Cheng Family, backed by the Fu Family, gained countless benefits and committed numerous shady deeds!
The Cheng Family was in the jewelry business, and as far as Cheng Zhili knew, Cheng Wenbin had once ordered Zhao Chao to target Gu Jewelry. At that time, Gu Jewelry’s development was unmatched by Cheng’s, and the Gu family had a genius in gambling stones named Gu Wending. Not only that, Gu Wending was also a renowned jewelry designer, and because of him, Gu Jewelry thrived. Unfortunately, Gu Jewelry was a grassroots company with no backing.
So, Zhao Chao orchestrated a car accident, having someone crash into Gu Wending’s family! In the end, Gu Wending’s parents died, and he himself was left crippled, barely able to care for himself. While he was hospitalized, Gu Jewelry was directly swallowed by Cheng’s, and Gu Wending was abandoned by everyone, eventually disappearing. Rumor had it he became a beggar on the streets, though no one knew for sure.
If not for the Fu Family’s support, Cheng Wenbin wouldn’t have dared to do such a thing. Or if he had, without the Fu Family’s backing, he would have been arrested long ago, and the Cheng Family would have been destroyed, and Cheng Zhixia wouldn’t have coveted Cheng Zhili’s heart.
Speaking of which, why did Cheng Wenbin favor Cheng Zhixia? Wasn’t it because Fu Laiying liked Cheng Zhixia? That’s why he chose Cheng Zhixia over his other son, because it was tied to the Cheng Family’s glorious future! Cheng Wenbin, like many men, possessed all the worst traits, and everything he did was ultimately for himself.
So, in Cheng Zhili’s eyes, Fu Laiying was indirectly responsible for his death.
Cheng Zhili considered himself a very vengeful person, and anyone who had harmed him, whether directly or indirectly, he would remember and seek revenge when the opportunity arose.
—Like a venomous snake.
Cheng Zhili thought, truly Cheng Wenbin’s blood, he was indeed malicious. Blood ties were mysterious, and among the Cheng family, including himself, there wasn’t a single good person.