Not long after Xu Shichu went missing, a woman brought a five-year-old boy to the Jiang family, claiming he was related to them.
At first, no one believed it was true. But the paternity test was conclusive: Little Jiang Yan was a child of the Jiang family, conceived by that woman through underhanded means.
What’s more, the boy was only a few months younger than Xu Jingheng.
In other words, the woman had conceived Little Jiang Yan while Xu Shichu was pregnant.
At the mention of Little Jiang Yan, Old Madam Jiang’s expression darkened too. She said uncertainly, “Surely Chuchu wouldn’t do anything to the child, would she?”
Grandpa Jiang gave a derisive snort. “Think about those dozen or so illegitimate children of the Xu family. Chuchu has been missing for over ten years, yet the Xu family inheritance still landed firmly in her son’s hands. Of all those who jumped out to fight for power, wasn’t every one of them put in their place by Old Master Xu?”
Old Madam Jiang fell silent.
Xu Shichu had been missing for over ten years, yet the Old Master of the Xu family had never considered transferring the inheritance to someone else.
Instead, the moment his grandson turned eighteen, he brought him straight into the company. The Jiang family’s influence certainly played a part, but Old Madam Jiang refused to believe Xu Shichu’s own methods had nothing to do with it.
The two of them fell silent at the same time, not knowing what to say.
After a long while, Old Madam Jiang picked up her phone. “I’d better call Jingheng first.”
Old Master Jiang assumed she was simply missing her grandson, so he nodded and turned to go upstairs.
It seemed the Jiang family was in for a shake-up too.
He had originally intended to bring Little Jiang Yan into the company and give him some experience.
After all, the original plan had been for the family’s two grandsons to take different paths: one, surnamed Xu, would become the Xu family heir, and the other, surnamed Jiang, would inherit the Jiang family.
Xu Jingheng had certainly lived up to expectations, taking over Xu Corporation at a young age.
But their other grandson, Jiang Xing Si, had been frail since childhood. Spoiled by the family, he had grown into something of a wastrel and knew nothing at all about the company.
So Old Master Jiang had been forced to turn his attention to Little Jiang Yan. Now, though, he would have to think it over carefully.
Meanwhile, in the hospital room,
Xu Shichu had just come out of the bathroom when she saw Xu Jingheng on the phone, looking troubled.
When he noticed her, he paused. “All right, I understand. I’ll talk to Mom about it.”
After a few brief exchanges, Xu Jingheng hung up.
Seeing that something was wrong, Xu Shichu asked, “Who was that?”
Xu Jingheng lowered his head. “Grandma. The Song family went to her, asking her to get us to let them off.”
Xu Shichu gave a cold laugh. She knew her mother-in-law’s temperament inside out by now and could no longer be so easily riled by her.
“Don’t take what she says to heart. Your Grandma is… well…”
She thought for a moment before continuing, “To put it nicely, she’s kind. To put it less nicely, she’s a hopelessly self-righteous do-gooder, scattering her kindness everywhere she goes, day after day. She only gets away with it because someone’s always there to clean up after her.”
Xu Jingheng stared at her in astonishment.
Xu Shichu reached out and ruffled his hair. “There’s no room for compromise on this. After you’re discharged tomorrow, I’ll go to the old residence myself and talk to your grandparents.”
Xu Jingheng anxiously clutched the hem of her clothes.
In his mind, his grandfather was a stern old man who never went back on his word. His Grandma seemed kind and gentle, but she was stubborn; once she made up her mind, few people besides his grandfather could change it.
He didn’t want Mom to go back. He was afraid she’d be mistreated.
Xu Shichu seemed to read his thoughts and gave a light laugh. “Afraid they’ll bully me?”
Xu Jingheng pressed his lips together, a little embarrassed, and didn’t answer.
But his eyes plainly said that was exactly what he was thinking.
She found it rather amusing. “Don’t worry. No one can bully me.”
She was more than capable of bullying other people herself. How could she let anyone bully her?
“Come on, get some sleep.” Xu Shichu pinched his cheek. “I’ll stay here with you tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll have the doctor check you over again. If everything’s fine, we’ll go home.”
“All right.”
Xu Jingheng felt a little more at ease, and his reluctance about going to the old residence eased as well.
The next day, Xu Shichu arranged his discharge. The family driver came and took them to Cloud Summit Villa.
The familiar fountain outside the villa and the scent of flowers and greenery in the air made Xu Shichu feel as if she had returned from another lifetime.
They had bought this villa especially when they got married. They hadn’t lived there for long, but it still held many happy memories.
Looking over the broad lawn, Xu Shichu asked, “Are your dad and younger brother home?”
Xu Jingheng seemed to recall something. He glanced at his Mom’s expression before answering, “Dad went abroad on a business trip. He doesn’t know when he’ll be back. Xing Si is out of town at summer camp and won’t be back until next week.”
Xu Shichu nodded. Thinking of the Song family’s graduation banquet, she asked, puzzled, “Shouldn’t your younger brother have finished the college entrance exams by now? Didn’t the family hold a graduation banquet for him?”
Xu Jingheng looked a little awkward. Never mind that the boy hadn’t taken the exams yet—given his grades, there was no telling whether he’d even pass.
“Xing Si was frail as a child, and the family worried about him, so they started him at school a year late. He won’t take the exams until next year.”
Xu Shichu remembered. Her labor had been difficult, and all the children had been tiny and underweight.
The fifth child had been in the worst condition. From the day he was born, he had spent a great deal of time in the hospital. He had always been sickly, and she wondered how he was doing now.
Xu Jingheng seemed to notice his mother’s concern and hurried to reassure her. “Don’t worry, Mom. Xing Si was weak when he was little, but he’s been in good health for years now. He can run and jump around. You’d never know what he was like as a child.”
He pictured Jiang Xing Si with his head of dyed blond hair, constantly getting into fights. He certainly bore no resemblance to the sickly child he had once been.
Only then did Xu Shichu feel relieved.
Still, the difference between her two sons really was striking. They were the same age, yet the second son had skipped grades all the way through and had taken over the family business at eighteen, while the fifth son hadn’t even sat the college entrance exams.
No wonder, in the novel’s plot, Xu Jingheng inherited the Jiang family too. The fifth son must not have been much good at studying either.
Old Master Jiang would rather merge the two companies than let a wastrel take over!
Xu Shichu wandered around the villa. Many places were exactly as she remembered them, with very few changes.
She opened the master bedroom door, guided by memory. The furnishings and ornaments inside were much as they had been before. Even the little things she used to keep on the table were still there, making the room feel all the more familiar.
She went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. In a little while, she had to go back to the Xu family home and have a meal with her father.
Her father certainly got his news quickly. He had called Xu Jingheng first thing that morning and told them to come over for lunch.
Since that was the case, Xu Shichu decided they would have lunch with the Xu family and return to the Jiang family in the afternoon.