Although he knew Shang Shuji was at home, Xuan Zhixia was somewhat surprised to see him in the restaurant at lunchtime.
After all, Shang Shuji lives in a separate building, and given his dislike for Xuan Zhixia, he probably wouldn’t want to see him during mealtimes. Besides, the Shang family doesn’t lack servants, and Shang Shuji has his own kitchen in his building; coming here to eat would just be a hassle.
However, the entire Shang family belongs to him, and Xuan Zhixia has no say in where he eats, nor is he interested in it.
The apocalypse struck too quickly in his previous life. Although Xuan Zhixia’s family still had food, they didn’t have the means to eat properly for the last three days. However, he was in poor health and had to be careful about his diet. He had been taking care of his health since childhood and had long since lost his appetite, so he didn’t feel any discomfort in that regard.
Seeing the sumptuous food on the lunch table now, Xuan Zhixia felt nothing; the fresh air he breathed when he first transmigrated in the morning had a greater impact on his mood.
He sat down and quietly began to eat.
The dining table was an extravagantly long one. Shang Shuji sat in the head seat, while Xuan Zhixia sat at the far end opposite them. The two ate separately, as if separated by a galaxy.
Suddenly, Shang Shuji, on the other side of the galaxy, spoke, asking calmly, “Did you release those messages online?”
Xuan Zhixia was taken aback, surprised that Shang Shuji would actually go through the process of asking for a statement.
”Yes.” Xuan Zhixia replied frankly, as if he were simply saying that the weather was nice today.
Shang Shuji didn’t comment, but continued, “Did you have a conflict with Jingqi and Jingshu?”
Xuan Zhixia felt that this person was asking a pointless question, but he was too lazy to say more, so he simply nodded and said, “Mm.”
The question, which was left unanswered and whose purpose was unclear, ended there, and no further action was taken.
Xuan Zhixia continued to eat slowly and deliberately.
He was in poor health and his stomach couldn’t handle too much food. He always stopped eating when he felt a little full, so although he arrived at the restaurant later than Shang Shuji, he put down his chopsticks first.
After finishing his meal, Xuan Zhixia wanted to leave.
But looking at Shang Shuji and thinking about the 18 million yuan penalty for breach of contract hanging over his head, Xuan Zhixia decided to try again.
Judging from the “dialogue” just now, there is still an opportunity for communication between the left and right.
However, communicating across a galaxy is too far and strains the throat, and Xuan Zhixia, mindful of his health, felt it unnecessary to expend so much energy unnecessarily.
So Xuan Zhixia stood up and walked directly to a spot two seats away from Shang Shuji, where he sat down under Shang Shuji’s indifferent gaze.
”Mr. Shang, I want to ask you something,” Xuan Zhixia said directly. “If I cooperate with the divorce and help you cut your losses in time, can you give me 20 million in compensation?”
Shang Shuji: “…”
Shang Shuji was aware of his reputation; many people said he was not like a human being.
But upon hearing Xuan Zhixia’s words and seeing his exceptionally composed and self-assured demeanor, Shang Shuji felt that he was now completely outmatched in the matter of being “inhuman.”
Xuan Zhixia remained calm despite being stared at by Shang Shuji’s emotionless gaze.
Only the restaurant’s servants would be happy to be deaf… How could they possibly listen to such inside information!
Half a minute later, Shang Shuji spoke up: “Before this, my parents wanted to give you a property as a way of repaying and compensating your parents for their kindness in the past, but you firmly refused and insisted on getting married. And that property, if I remember correctly, is worth nearly fifty million on the market.”
Xuan Zhixia: “…Hmm.”
But wasn’t the timing of my transmigration a bit unfortunate?
Shang Shuji hadn’t encountered anything so perplexing to him in many years: “If you need a psychiatrist, you can ask Aunt Chen to arrange it.”
Xuan Zhixia said helplessly, “My brain is healthy, I’m not sick, it’s just… I suddenly realized something, yes.”
Shang Shuji looked at him calmly: “You’ve thought it through, so I’m supposed to cooperate with you? And I’m supposed to give you 20 million as compensation? Xuan Zhixia, the Shang family doesn’t do charity.”
Xuan Zhixia had no choice but to continue revealing the truth: “You probably heard it in the garden this morning. My agent got me a job, and if I can’t go, I’ll have to pay a penalty. The penalty is 18 million… In any case, I’m your legal partner now, and it doesn’t look good for a Shang to have a defaulter who doesn’t pay his debts.”
”It’s alright, the Shangs don’t care about this reputation,” Shang Shuji said.
Xuan Zhixia wanted to sigh.
Since that approach wasn’t working, Xuan Zhixia changed the subject: “If Jingqi and Jingshu agreed to appear on the show with me, would you stop them?”
Shang Shuji seemed to hear a butterfly about to fly across the Pacific Ocean, but still gave the answer: “I won’t stop it.”
Xuan Zhixia blinked.
“But I will tell them that I disagree,” Shang Shuji said slowly and deliberately.
Xuan Zhixia: “…”
With no other option, Xuan Zhixia had to make up his mind to take his “shamelessness” to the next level.
”Okay, then forget it.”
Xuan Zhixia gave up struggling; after all, he didn’t really want to participate in that children’s variety show. As for the breach of contract penalty, he had plenty of debts to worry about; he could deal with it slowly. However, this meant that the divorce could be put on hold for the time being.
Fortunately, Xuan Zhixia didn’t care. This marriage was very strange, so he would naturally like to get a divorce if possible, but not getting a divorce wouldn’t be a big deal. Xuan Zhixia felt that he could adapt and find a balance to live his own life.
”The prenuptial agreement states that you will give me 100,000 yuan a month for living expenses. I will rely on Shang for food, clothing, housing, and transportation, and if I control my spending, I can still pay back 100,000 yuan a month even without other income. Eighteen million yuan, not counting interest, can be paid off in fifteen years. To be on the safe side, let’s give it a little more time. Mr. Shang, I look forward to your guidance for the next twenty years.”
After speaking in an orderly manner, Xuan Zhixia got up and left the restaurant.
Shang Shuji: “…”
In the afternoon, Shang Shuji went to the company, while Xuan Zhixia stayed home reading. He also spoke with his agent, Zhen Cheng, and pronounced the death sentence on the child’s comprehensive contract.
Zhen Cheng grabbed his hair, looking bitter and resentful: “How about… I talk to the production team and see if we can let you appear on a children’s variety show on your own, and the production team can arrange a little guest for you to take care of… If we can reach an agreement, we shouldn’t have to lose money, but we’ll have to lower our pay, and it’ll be a bit embarrassing… Or we can not appear on the children’s variety show. Anyway, it’s our company’s program. I’ll try to ask the company to step in and coordinate a change, so that you can appear on another show?”
Xuan Zhixia, unfamiliar with the entertainment industry, hadn’t expected such a method. Although Zhen Cheng’s words lacked confidence and it was likely unlikely to succeed, it still offered a better chance than forcibly digging out nearly 20 million without any other options.
Then let’s try struggling one more time.
…
Kindergarten lets out early; Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu returned just after four o’clock in the afternoon.
Upon learning that Shang Shuji had returned home in the morning and was no longer there, the siblings were both disappointed. They were further disheartened to learn that Shang Shuji wouldn’t be home for dinner or even tonight. This sense of loss became unbalanced after they saw Xuan Zhixia.
”You saw father?”
At the dinner table, the brother and sister looked longingly at Xuan Zhixia.
“Did Dad mention us?”
Xuan Zhixia, lacking compassion, frankly stated, “He mentioned your names, but I didn’t care.”
However, Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu were easily satisfied and were quite pleased to hear this.
Shang Jingqi said to Shang Jingshu, “After one more day of school, we can have a holiday. We’ll be home every day then, and we’ll definitely have a chance to talk to Dad!”
Shang Jingshu nodded: “Grandpa and Grandma will be back the day after tomorrow, and Dad will definitely be back too!”
Shang Shuji’s parents went abroad last week to visit a seriously ill old friend and have not yet returned.
”Hello–“
The siblings chatted for a while, then Shang Jingqi suddenly looked at Xuan Zhixia and asked somewhat awkwardly, “You didn’t tell Dad, did you?”
Xuan Zhixia ate his meal slowly and calmly, without responding.
Shang Jingshu frowned: “Why aren’t you answering? That’s so rude of you.”
Xuan Zhixia raised his eyes: “Normal people don’t talk politely to impolite people.”
The sentence was a bit convoluted, and it took the two four- or five-year-old children a while to understand the surface meaning. After a while, they discussed it and realized that Xuan Zhixia was saying that the two of them were impolite!
”You! You’re a bad person! We don’t talk politely to bad people!” Shang Jingqi even slammed his hand on the table, but unfortunately, he was small and his hand was too small, so the slam didn’t have much force.
Xuan Zhixia wasn’t angry; he nodded calmly and said, “So why do you expect a bad person to be polite?”
The two children: “…”
After a while, Shang Jingshu asked again hesitantly, “So did you tell Daddy?”
Xuan Zhixia thought for a moment and then replied irrelevantly, “You can call me uncle. If you really need a father, I, as your stepfather, wouldn’t mind being called dad.”
The two children: “…”
They fell silent. Xuan Zhixia continued, “I don’t quite understand why you insist on asking me. Does it make you two seem unintelligent? Or are you just feeling guilty and need to hear the answer from the victim to feel at ease?”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu stood out among the children in the welfare home and were chosen to be adopted by Shang Shuji and his parents. They were certainly not stupid, but given their age and experience, their thinking could not be compared with that of adults.
The two children were a little confused by what Xuan Zhixia said. They wanted to refute him, but they didn’t know where to start, so they could only bury their heads and poke at the rice in the bowl in front of them with their chopsticks.
Seeing that Xuan Zhixia had finished eating and was about to leave the table, Shang Jingqi couldn’t help but call out to him again, like a broken record: “Did you… tell on me or not?”
Xuan Zhixia was helpless.
Two seconds later, Shang Jingshu whispered, “Uncle… Uncle…”
Xuan Zhixia shook his head: “I didn’t tell on you.”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu breathed a sigh of relief.
Xuan Zhixia: “But your father already knows.”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu stared wide-eyed.
”Silly child, there are more than just the three of us in this house. There are so many servants. Who would dare to hide it from your father?”
Shang Jingqi and Shang Jingshu were anxious and didn’t even bother to refute Xuan Zhixia’s words about “silly child.” They asked nervously, “Then… is Daddy angry?”
Xuan Zhixia smiled and said, “I don’t know. You can’t tell if he’s angry or not from his face.”
The two children were listless in the restaurant, and Xuan Zhixia went upstairs to his room.
As Xuan Zhixia climbed the stairs, his breath became unsteady. The height of just two floors made his vision blurry, and he really wished someone would just send an elevator out of the building.
…
Although Shang Shuji’s parents were still abroad, they instructed the household servants to keep an eye on Xuan Zhixia’s movements, especially since Xuan Zhixia lived in the same building as the two children, in case of conflict or the children being wronged.
Early this morning, Xuan Zhixia and Shang Shuji’s marital relationship was exposed to the public, and the servants who were keeping watch passed the news to the elderly couple who were far away across the ocean.
Due to the time difference, the Shang couple saw the news in the evening back home.
After discussing it, they called Shang Shuji’s assistant.
The assistant received the call, spoke with Shang Shuji who had just finished a meeting, and then transferred the call to the president’s office.
”Shuji, your marriage to Zhixia has been exposed? It’s said that Zhixia hired someone to arrange it?” Mr. Shang asked as soon as he came up, without any further pleasantries.
The mother then asked, “Shuji, is it true that Zhixia is going to take Jingqi and Jingshu to that parent-child reality show?”
With the speakerphone on and coffee brewing in his hand, Shang Shuji casually replied, “Just rumors in the entertainment industry.”
Mrs. Shang: “Oh, I see. No wonder. We were wondering why you agreed to that… The circle where Zhixia works is a mixed bag circle. Your father and I are thinking that we should let Zhixia leave that circle.”
Mr. Shang: “To put it bluntly, Zhixia didn’t achieve anything in the past few years anyway. After leaving the entertainment industry, he just stayed at home, even if he didn’t do any work… He sees Jingqi and Jingshu often now, so we can’t let his extreme ideas affect the child.”
Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Shang truly liked Xuan Zhixia. However, out of consideration for his parents’ kindness to them and the fact that Xuan Zhixia had now joined the Shang family, they reluctantly accepted him, hoping to maintain harmony within the Shang family.
After listening to Mr. and Mrs. Shang’s thoughts, Shang Shuji replied, “I am not responsible for Xuan Zhixia’s career planning. You should contact him if you have any ideas.”
Mr. and Mrs. Shang couldn’t help but sigh.
“With Zhixia’s personality, to put it bluntly, he’s a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong. I’ll probably have to be firm and talk to him about this,” Mr. Shang said. “But before I talk to him, I thought I’d let you know first, and also…”
Mrs. Shang picked up the conversation and continued, “And that parent-child reality show, we’ve been thinking, why don’t you and Zhixia bring Jingqi and Jingshu to participate?”
Shang Shuji frowned slightly: “The reason?”
Mrs. Shang asked with emotion, “Shuji, how long has it been since you last saw Jingqi and Jingshu? We video-called the two children last night, and they both miss you very much. They hope you can come home more often, but they are also worried that if you suddenly have a stepfather you don’t like, you will be even less willing to come home in the future.”
“Shuji, your mother and I understand that you adopted Jingqi and Jingshu so that the Shangs would have someone to inherit it in the future, but… since they call you Dad, you should also take on this responsibility. You can’t just give them money and arrange for someone to take care of them and then abandon them, right?” Mr. Shang said.
It was as if he had heard a crow telling the night sky, “You shouldn’t be so dark”; Shang Shuji smiled enigmatically, shutting down his earnest parents.
”It’s ironic that you, Mom and Dad, are trying to persuade me with these words,” Shang Shuji said slowly. “Jingqi and Jingshu are not young anymore. When I saw them at the orphanage half a year ago, I already told them that I don’t need children. What I need are two heirs who can support each other and compete with each other.”
“I don’t need a loving father and filial son. If they want to kick me out of the Shangs in the future, it will be my own incompetence.”
Shang Shuji’s words left Shang’s parents speechless.
Just as Shang Shuji was about to hang up, they hurriedly said, “But Shuji… when you were young, you didn’t feel insecure about your identity, and you didn’t have an elder like Zhixia by your side… Moreover, Jingqi and Jingshu are not you. Cultivating successors requires practical actions; they can’t grow into towering trees on their own.”
“Jingqi and Jingshu will be on summer vacation soon, which will be their first long vacation since they came home. Zhixia just arrived home, and after what he did today, it has caused quite a stir. I’m afraid it will be hard for things to calm down in the future. If you don’t step in, who knows how many more outrageous things Zhixia might do in your name in the future.”
”Shuji, you haven’t had a holiday in a long time either.”
In response, Shang Shuji replied indifferently, “I will have someone arrange Jingqi and Jingshu’s summer vacation schedule. They won’t have time to overthink things.”
After ending the call, Shang Shuji pondered for a moment and then called his assistant: “Tell Jingqi and Jingshu to stop using such underhanded methods when dealing with Xuan Zhixia.”
A cold-blooded, ruthless heir is acceptable.
But Shang Shuji felt ashamed of his heir, whose methods were so despicable and laughable.