“He’s an orphan who has been freeloading off our family for all these years.”
From the moment Xu Yiwen stepped through the front door, hung up his coat and scarf, and walked toward the living room in his slippers, Xu Yichuan’s accusations continuously dominated the living room soundtrack.
Aside from Qiu Yao’s feeble rebuttals, everyone else in the living room simply let Xu Yichuan hurl these sharp words.
“Yichuan, I told you to shut up!” Qiu Yao raised her voice with a cough, and only then did Xu Yichuan reluctantly stop his nagging.
“A-ru,” Qiu Yao pushed away Xu Yichuan’s comforting hand with a frail palm and pointed toward the dining room. “A-ru, cough, cough, cough, cough, Xiao Wen hasn’t eaten yet. Bring out the heated food.”
“Alright, Old Madam, the food will be ready right away,” the servant Wang Ru’s flustered voice echoed from the dining room.
“Xiao Wen, go sit down and eat!” Before Qiu Yao could finish her sentence, Xu Yichuan pushed her wheelchair toward the bedroom on the first floor.
Catching a glimpse of Xu Yichuan turning his head back with a turbid, triumphant smile, Xu Yiwen let out a faint sigh, a growing sense of stifled frustration swelling in his chest.
Qiu Yao, the only one willing to speak up for him, was his sole protective umbrella.
Once Qiu Yao was taken back to her room, the crossfire in the quieted living room zeroed in on him.
The opening silent attack came from the three people seated at the dining table.
Jiao Qin was feeding Xu Baoan dessert, her gaze and posture both entirely tilted toward Xu Baoan.
Across from them, Xu Baoning took a tiny bite of a strawberry tip and tossed the remaining majority of the strawberry pulp, along with the stem, right back onto the plate.
Then, with a provocative sideways glance at Xu Yiwen, she pushed the plate across.
That spot was Xu Yiwen’s assigned seat.
Seating arrangements at the Xu family dining table were fixed.
After Grandpa Xu Fengying passed away, the head seat had remained vacant.
Flanking the sides closest to the head seat were Grandmother Qiu Yao and father Xu Xiangchuan.
Seated next in line were Second Uncle Xu Yichuan and mother Jiao Qin.
Further down were Xu Baoning and Xu Yiwen.
Xu Yiwen’s legal spouse, He Xihuan, sat right beside Xu Yiwen.
As for Xu Baoan, who had just returned, he was currently sitting in Xu Xiangchuan’s seat.
Xu Yiwen walked with steady strides to He Xihuan’s seat, sat down, and left one empty space between himself and Jiao Qin.
Robbed of the chance to mock him about eating garbage, Xu Baoning lost his composure, glared at Xu Yiwen, and scolded, “You’re in the wrong seat! Why have you gotten so clueless about rules lately?”
Xu Yiwen raised his eyes to look at him, silently got up to wash his hands, and came back to sit in He Xihuan’s seat again, his tone flat. “This is my husband’s seat.”
At the mention of He Xihuan, a wave of resentment welled up inside Xu Baoning.
“Auntie, look at big brother Xiao Wen!” Xu Baoning kicked his legs, leaned forward, and acted spoiled while lodging a complaint with Jiao Qin, who sat diagonally across from them.
Jiao Qin’s hand movements paused. She turned her head sideways, her chestnut-brown short curls reflecting in the eyes of Xu Yiwen, who had also turned to look.
Xu Yiwen’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as he saw, for the very first time, such a clear and affectionate gaze of doting indulgence in Jiao Qin’s eyes.
Yet, this was merely the lingering aftermath of Jiao Qin’s doting on Xu Baoan, a warmth she hadn’t managed to pull back in time, and one that did not belong to Xu Yiwen.
Yet Xu Yiwen still harbored a sliver of hope because of it.
Even if it was just to explain Xu Baoan’s identity to him, offer a slight word of comfort, and tell him that his parents still regarded him as family, that would have been enough.
Nothing. Not a single word.
“Xiao Wen, go back to your own seat.”
It was the same flat, stern tone, completely devoid of fluctuation, not even carrying any emotion of reprimand.
Xu Yiwen instinctively shifted back to his own seat. When his gaze landed on the flawed, chewed-up strawberry pulp in his plate, he felt as though he had finally realized that the most vital parts of his own soul and shell were incomplete as well.
“Thank you, Mom.”
“Eat some more. Don’t like this? There are fresh ones. A-ru, where are the freshly baked egg tarts? Bring them over quickly.”
The intimate, back-and-forth banter between Jiao Qin and Xu Baoan beside him pressed Xu Yiwen’s straight back lower and lower.
Xu Baoning’s undisguised mockery from across the table made it even harder for Xu Yiwen to remain seated.
He lowered his gaze to glance at his wristwatch, feigned urgency, and said, “Mom, I have a last-minute academic seminar this afternoon, so I won’t eat. I’ll head back first.”
Jiao Qin, entirely absorbed in Xu Baoan, acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing, showing no reaction whatsoever.
Instead, Xu Baoning across from her scoffed mockingly, “A seminar, my foot. Just some pathetic lecturer, what is he putting on airs for?”
Xu Yiwen drew a deep breath. As he stood up, he gave his plate a sharp push, sliding the whole thing right back over to Xu Baoning.
Although Xu Baoning managed to catch the spinning plate in time, the chewed-up pulp garbage he had spit out rolled right out and stained his limited-edition off-white sweater.
“Ah! Xu Yiwen!” Xu Baoning sprang up in a fury, brushed the garbage off his lap, and stomped his foot on the spot.
Catching sight of Xu Yiwen’s retreating figure, he rushed over to the living room and blocked Xu Yiwen, who was quickening his pace.
“You’re going to pay for my clothes.”
“Xiao Wen,” Xu Xiangchuan said, coming down from the second floor. His deep voice overpowered Xu Baoning. “Where is Xihuan? Why didn’t he come with you?”
Seeing the file folder in Xu Xiangchuan’s hand, Xu Baoning bit his lip, clenched his fists, swallowed his anger, and ran back up to his room on the third floor to change his clothes.
He wouldn’t dare throw a tantrum while Xu Xiangchuan was discussing serious matters, but he quietly tucked today’s grievance away, knowing he would surely find a chance to pay Xu Yiwen back.
Watching Xu Baoning’s defeated, running figure, Xu Yiwen felt a strange sense of satisfaction in his heart.
The feeling of fighting back immediately felt good.
“He has a lot on his plate at year-end, so he couldn’t spare the time.” Xu Yiwen replied with a hint of defiance in his voice.
Xu Xiangchuan frowned and walked slowly toward Xu Yiwen.
Handing the file folder to Xu Yiwen, he said with a hint of dissatisfaction, “Take these documents to Xihuan and ask him to see if he can help invest. As a teacher with winter and summer breaks, you aren’t even busy normally. It’s one thing that you don’t often visit our Xu family, but don’t just run around outside aimlessly either.”
“As an Omega, you should spend more time at home, keep Xihuan good company, and get closer to him.”
Xu Yiwen took the sealed file folder, replying with a perfunctory “I know,” while inwardly complaining that even investments needed He Xihuan to vet them, so it was no wonder the company’s management was getting worse and worse.
Just as he lifted his foot to take a step forward, he heard Xu Xiangchuan’s deliberately lowered voice. “You’ve been married for a year now. You need to put having a child on the agenda as soon as possible.”
Though his steps landed firmly on the floor, Xu Yiwen’s heart felt as though it had been left hanging in mid-air. A strange flash of emotion crossed his eyes. He simply nodded and strode away.
Back in his car, Xu Yiwen tossed his scarf and the file folder onto the passenger seat.
He pulled a cigarette from the pack, lit it, took a few painful, anguished puffs through knitted brows, and made a phone call.
“Yuhang, I’m heading to your family’s bar now. Reserve a private room and get some heavy drinkers ready. I’ll pay double.”
Wen Yuhang, who was on duty in the faculty office, was momentarily stunned. Just as he let out a confused “Huh?”, the other end of the line went dead.
After a few seconds of processing, he put away his phone, immediately grabbed his coat, shot a flirtatious wink at Teacher Jin, who was also on duty in the office, and said pitifully, “Teacher Jin, something came up at home. I’ll have to trouble you with the afternoon shift.”