Polite pleasantries would sound normal coming from anyone else, but hearing them from Yun Xi was startling. After all, the last time Qin Zhi visited, Yun Xi had nearly turned the house upside down.
Despite this, Qin Zhi maintained a faint, indifferent expression upon hearing the words. “No need. I still have to go back and take care of my mother.”
Standing on the balcony, Yun Xi watched Qin Zhi leave without a single backward glance. His feelings were complicated. To some extent, Qin Zhi was quite a tragic figure.
However, it was not his place to feel pity.
As the sky darkened, dinner time soon arrived.
Yun Wangjiang disliked grand celebrations, so only family members attended the dinner.
The Yun family tree was not particularly lush. Yun Xi’s grandparents had passed away a few years ago, and Yun Wangjiang had only one older brother, who was Yun Xi’s Eldest Uncle. This uncle had a son and a daughter, who were a Beta and an Omega respectively. Strictly speaking, the Yun family had not produced a single Alpha in Yun Xi’s generation.
Yun Xi’s Eldest Uncle was a Beta, but he harbored a significant “Alpha-worship” complex. He often tried to influence Yun Wangjiang, urging him to have another child, specifically an Alpha, to take over the legacy. Yun Wangjiang, however, never paid him any mind.
Yun Xi knew his uncle looked down on him, but since the man was an elder, he endured it. On the surface, they maintained a civil relationship.
Entering the dining room, Yun Xi found his Cousin already seated.
Yun Xi’s Omega Cousin-sister had married two years ago and currently lived in Country A, rarely returning. For Yun Wangjiang’s fiftieth birthday, only the Eldest Uncle, his wife, and their son were present.
Seeing Yun Xi walk in, the Cousin leaned back in his chair and smirked. “Xixi, where is your brother? Why did he not come with you?”
He was looking for trouble. Yun Xi rolled his eyes, ignored him, and sat down to play on his phone.
The Cousin was relentless. “I heard that brother of yours is a true young talent, a top student working at a research institute. Xixi, I am not just saying this to pick on you, but you have been graduated for years. Even if you have not achieved anything great, you cannot just keep living off the family like this. I have hardly seen you go to the company. If you keep this up, I am afraid you will have to let that brother of yours…”
“I am not dead yet, am I?”
Before the Cousin could continue, a cold, stern voice drifted in. Yun Xi’s hand paused in the middle of his game as he looked up.
Several people entered the dining room. Leading them was a man whose presence was naturally commanding and dignified. This was Yun Xi’s Alpha father and the current head of the Yun Group: Yun Wangjiang.
Seeing Yun Wangjiang, the Cousin shrank his neck, his voice weakening. “Little Uncle, what kind of talk is that? It is your fiftieth birthday, such an important day. Talking about death is bad luck.”
Yun Wangjiang took the head seat and looked coldly at the Cousin. “I thought I was not fifty, but eighty, so old that I was about to drop dead, considering you seem to think this massive Yun Group cannot afford to support Yun Xi alone.”
Yun Xi put down his phone, his chin tilting up slightly as he gave his cousin a triumphant side-eye.
The Cousin cursed his bad luck, inwardly fuming that Yun Wangjiang spoiled his son to the point of having no bottom line. The Yun family is doomed sooner or later, he thought.
The atmosphere froze until the Eldest Uncle stepped in to smooth things over. “Xiao Kai was just worried. With Xixi suddenly having a brother, Xiao Kai was just concerned for him.”
“I will say this one last time: I only have one child, and that is Yun Xi. I will not allow Qin Zhi to enter the Group.”
“Fine, fine, Brother, do not be angry,” the Eldest Uncle said with a forced smile.
Yun Wangjiang gave a cold snort and signaled the butler to serve the meal.
Shen Jiu sat beside Yun Xi, comfortingly patting the back of his hand.
Yun Xi grabbed his father’s hand. Remembering the main purpose of his return today, he cleared his throat and announced: “I am planning to get married.”
The moment the words left his mouth, everyone at the table was stunned.
It was not surprising they were shocked. Although Yun Xi was a notorious troublemaker who spent his days fooling around, he had always been averse to romance. A month ago, his sudden pursuit of an Alpha had already shocked them once, but had the word not been that Yun Xi was dumped?
The Cousin was the first who could not hold back. “Marry whom? That kid from the Gu family?”
Immediately following, Yun Wangjiang’s stern voice rang out from the head of the table: “I do not consent to this marriage!”
“It is not Gu Xun. I would have to be crazy to marry him.”
Shen Jiu frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, “Could it be the son of the Su family?”
Just as Yun Xi nodded, Yun Wangjiang could not sit still.
“That broken-legged cripple from the Su family? Xixi, what do you see in him?”
Several question marks popped up over Yun Xi’s head.
“Who?”
When did Su Yanqing break his leg? How did he not know about this?
Shen Jiu gave Yun Wangjiang a meaningful look. “It is not Su Jilan. It is the one they brought back later, named Su Yanqing. He is a very excellent child.”
Su Jilan. The name sounded familiar. He must be the “civet cat” in the Su family’s “civet cat exchanged for a prince” scenario. He did not expect the guy to be disabled.
Hearing this, Yun Wangjiang’s expression did not soften much. “Xixi, how long have you known him? Do you really understand him? Is this not too reckless?”
Shen Jiu added worriedly, “Xixi, tell us the truth. Are you in such a hurry to get married because you are acting out of spite? Because of Gu Xun?”
Yun Xi felt a bit guilty. His decision did indeed involve a bit of spite, but he certainly could not admit that.
He pulled his hand back, avoiding his two fathers’ gazes. “It is not spite. I really like Su Yanqing. He is a good person, and our compatibility is 98%. I have been alone for so many years; wanting to find a partner is perfectly normal.”
Yun Wangjiang looked at his son, his brow never uncreasing. He said solemnly, “Xixi, if it is because of Qin Zhi…”
Yun Xi raised his hands in surrender. “It is really not. Can I not just want to get married?”
The Eldest Uncle also chuckled. “That is right. Xixi is an Omega after all; it is normal to want to marry an Alpha. Big Brother, you cannot keep Xixi tied to your side forever.”
Tsk, this old man really knows how to say unpleasant things, Yun Xi thought.
Yun Wangjiang raised his hand, unwilling to discuss it further. “We will talk about this later. Let us eat first.”
After dinner, Yun Xi was called into Yun Wangjiang’s study.
Looking at his father’s heavy expression, Yun Xi knew Yun Wangjiang still believed he was marrying because of Qin Zhi. He could not exactly say he was getting married specifically to disgust Gu Xun; that would make him look childish and like he cared too much about Gu Xun.
Well, even if he did, a little.
Yun Xi had no choice but to praise Su Yanqing to high heaven, describing him as a peerless saint. Only then did Yun Wangjiang skeptically agree to the marriage.
“Xixi, you are not a child anymore. I believe you can make your own decisions regarding this,” Yun Wangjiang said seriously. “Xixi, you must remember: Papa will always be your backup. If anything goes wrong or if you are unhappy, you must tell me. Do you understand?”
Looking at the firm gaze of his father and thinking of the ending in the original book, Yun Xi’s nose suddenly felt a bit prickly. Regardless of the past, his two fathers truly and deeply loved him.
In a rare surge of filial piety, Yun Xi stepped forward and gave his father a firm hug, saying emotionally, “Dad, you have to live to be a hundred years old.”
Touched by his son’s rare display of affection, Yun Wangjiang was deeply moved. As the father and son shared this moment, Yun Xi remembered the potential crisis coming in a few months. Just as he was about to give a warning, Yun Wangjiang’s phone rang.
Yun Wangjiang answered. Upon hearing the person on the other end, his expression changed drastically. “I will head over immediately.”
Yun Xi blinked. For his father to be this anxious, it must be something big. “What happened?”
Yun Wangjiang pursed his lips and avoided the question. “I have to go out for a bit. Xixi, you stay at home.”
Since Yun Wangjiang was unwilling to speak, Yun Xi did not press further.
He wandered over to Shen Jiu’s room. When he opened the door, Shen Jiu was watching TV.
“Papa, when did Su Jilan break his leg? I remember seeing him when I was little, and his legs were fine then.”
Shen Jiu’s expression became a bit awkward. “Xixi, why are you asking about this?”
“Just checking in on my future brother-in-law.”
Shen Jiu paused the TV and sat up straight. “Xixi, do you remember when you were kidnapped when you were thirteen?”
“I remember. Does it have something to do with Su Jilan?”
The Yun family used to live in a mountain villa area in the North District of City B. The developer claimed it had beautiful scenery and a top-tier security system, with the entire mountain acting as a backyard. As it turned out, while Yun Xi was wandering the mountain, he was bagged by kidnappers and brazenly taken away.
His two fathers, receiving the ransom call, were frantic. They immediately led people to the kidnappers’ hideout, yet could not find Yun Xi anywhere.
After a round of interrogation, they learned Yun Xi had escaped while the kidnappers were not looking, and no one knew where he was. The Yun family searched all night before finding Yun Xi in a remote corner with a gash on his head. They rushed him to the hospital.
He was mostly fine, but he had lost a few days of memory. Whether it was due to trauma or shock, he had lost all memories starting from the day he discovered his two fathers each had their own little lovers.
Coincidentally, Su Jilan’s leg was also broken during those few days. However, the Yun family moved away shortly after, and Yun Xi did not pay much attention to the Su family, so he never knew.
“I heard before,” Shen Jiu said, “that Su Jilan was pushed down the stairs by Su Yanqing, which is how his leg broke.”
Yun Xi’s mouth hung open. “Huh?”
Amused by his son’s cute reaction, Shen Jiu ruffled Yun Xi’s hair. “But I do not think that is how it happened. That Jilan child, to put it bluntly, his heart is not in the right place. I once caught him killing a kitten. He was only a teenager, yet he was not flustered at all when I saw him. People like that are capable of anything.”
“So Xixi, if you really want to be with Yanqing, be careful and stay on your guard.”
Yun Xi’s brow was furrowed deeply. After a long while, he finally nodded.
It was almost certain now: the mastermind who killed Su Yanqing in the book was Su Jilan. He just did not know if his fathers’ deaths were truly accidents or if there was more to the story.
After saying goodbye to his father, Yun Xi rushed back to his apartment in the city.
Just as he stepped out of the elevator, he ran into Su Yanqing, who was carrying a cat carrier. Since their unpleasant parting that night, the two had zero communication and had not even seen each other.
Yun Xi glanced at Candy inside the carrier and asked, “What is wrong?”
“A bit of diarrhea. I am taking her to the hospital for a check-up.”
Su Yanqing stared at Yun Xi quietly. He did not know where Yun Xi had come back from, but there was a trace of exhaustion in the Omega’s eyes.
Yet, he was still very beautiful.
Yun Xi did not notice Su Yanqing’s gaze. He knelt down to check on the cat and said, “I will go with you.”