Arc.
1.17
The Wicked Child of the Stepmother
Not long after that day, Nian Zhen found himself hearing yet another jaw-dropping story.
Chairman Xie had uncovered the source of the slander against them.
It turned out that someone had incited the Meng family to act—and that someone was none other than the Chun family.
And the person pulling the strings was none other than Chun Long, the so-called friend of his son, Xie Yanjing.
Chun Long had been envious of Xie Yanjing for a long time, though he had been too fearful of Chairman Xia’s influence to act against him (?).
Seeing how close Xie Yanjing had become with Meng Zhenzhen only fueled Chun Long’s jealousy.
After investigating Meng Zhenzhen’s background, Chun Long had manipulated the Meng daughters, tempting them with false promises to provoke them into taking action.
He planned to later frame Xie Yanjing for the entire affair, driving a wedge between him and Meng Zhenzhen.
He also hoped that Du Yao would complicate things further for Xie Yanjing.
This would, in turn, damage Xie Yanjing’s reputation as the eldest son of the Xie family.
Essentially, with one move, Chun Long could make life very difficult for Xie Yanjing.
Upon discovering the truth, Chairman Xie flew into a fury (again) and ordered swift retribution against the Chun family.
That day, Nian Zhen watched Chun Long scramble to explain himself, frantically trying to clear his name.
But Nian Zhen simply dodged the confrontation, sending him off to explain himself to Aunt Du instead.
When Du Yao saw Chun Long, she looked at him as if he were a thorn had pierced her eyes.
He was the one who caused her to miss the opportunity to frame her stepson, an unforgivable mistake.
Naturally, she would make things difficult for him as a form of payback.
With Chairman Xie now leaning heavily into his authoritarian tendencies, people began to feel intimidated, to the point where they were being overly polite and even fawning over Nian Zhen and Xie Yanjing.
Listening to the details, Nian Zhen had his suspicions about a few oddities in the story.
However, he couldn’t get to the bottom of it, and all he could do was hear it from Chairman Xia, who was starting to feel more and more like a real father with each passing day.
With Du Yao’s pregnancy now showing, she had no choice but to put her schemes on hold for the time being.
“You!! Xie Yanjing, you framed me!!”
As Nian Zhen and Xie Yanjing were about to get into the car to head back to the villa, Chun Long suddenly appeared out of nowhere, eyes red with rage.
Out of nowhere, he lunged straight at Xie Yanjing to attack him.
Without thinking, Nian Zhen shoved Xie Yanjing into the car, taking the punch himself.
Chun Long’s fist collided with his face, slamming him into the car window and sending him sprawling onto the pavement.
“Ow, ow, ow—it hurts, really hurt. Mama. Wahhhh.”
Nian Zhen wailed as tears streamed down his face, dazed and crying on the ground.
The driver immediately ran over and yanked Chun Long away by the collar, who had been trying to attack Xie Yanjing from behind in the car.
The driver then punched the young boy in the face with great force.
Chun Long immediately fainted.
Nian Zhen was stunned…
so much so that he forgot to cry for a moment.
“Xiao Zhen!!”
Xie Yanjing, whom Nian Zhen had thrown into the car face-first, scrambled out in alarm to check on him.
Nian Zhen felt so much pain that his tears fell again.
He held his mouth, tasting the salty and metallic taste of blood.
His small hands were trembling as he slowly pulled them away, seeing that blood filled his palms, with a tooth stuck in it.
Did I just get punched so hard that my lip split and I lost a tooth?
…Feels like I might’ve hit my head pretty hard, too.
“Big brother, it hurts. Wahhh, wahhh.”
Nian Zhen sat on the ground, crying with a messy face, feeling the blood in his mouth continue to flow.
Xie Yanjing, seeing how badly he was hurt, quickly got out of the car and lifted him up.
“Xiao Zhen, your big brother is here.”
He whispered gently, a rare tenderness in his voice.
The sight of Nian Zhen’s blood made his eyes burn with rage.
But because the boy kept crying in pain, he could only focus on calming him down.
He gently pulled Nian Zhen onto his lap, soothing him with pats on the back and soft words of reassurance.
Meanwhile, the driver notified the police and informed the teachers nearby to stay as witnesses, then hurriedly drove Nian Zhen to the nearest hospital.
Chairman Xie and Du Yao had received the news and rushed to the hospital, as they had been on the road at the time, returning to the Xie estate.
When they heard the news, they arrived promptly.
Du Yao was shocked when she saw Nian Zhen, covered in blood, with his white school uniform stained completely.
She nearly faint for real.
Her poor, dim-witted son had been attacked again by some scoundrel—this time left injured and bleeding.
Chairman Xie had not expected Chun Long to assault Meng Zhenzhen so brutally.
His face twisted in anger, and as soon as he learned that Chun Long had actually been targeting his son but that Zhenzhen had stepped in to protect him, thus ending up in this condition.
He immediately called his father, Xie Lanzhong, telling him that Nian Zhen had been severely harmed in place of his son.
He sarcastically reminded his father about how he had interfered earlier when he had tried to uproot the Chun family, then hung up in anger.
Afraid of the pain, Nian Zhen kept crying, and Xie Yanjing had the nurse administer a sedative before they stitched him up.
Luckily, this was a Xia-owned hospital, so Nian Zhen received prompt care.
It was unbelievable—after just one punch, he needed three stitches, a tooth was broken, his head had a swelling from hitting the car window so hard, and his eyes were swollen from crying so much.
The system worried about its host, and after seeing Nian Zhen injured, it scurried around to find painkillers, which it secretly gave him.
Xie Yanjing stayed by Nian Zhen’s side without leaving him for a second.
When he finally did step away, it was only to call and instruct the butler to bring some essentials over, as he wanted Xiao Zhen to rest here and be monitored for a few days.
Du Yao, her belly now visibly rounded, sat on a couch beside Chairman Xia, inhaling a calming balm periodically to keep herself from fainting again.
Pregnant women tend to faint easily, often without realizing it.
She felt a mix of emotions seeing how her stepson was far more concerned about her son than even she was.
The concern was genuine; it wasn’t an act.
She found it incredible that her rather simple-minded son had managed to win over such a supposedly devious stepson.
Their bond was better than she’d ever imagined.
If things continued this way, even her stepson might come to accept her.
With her new son and her stable position in the family, maybe they could live together in peace.
She could keep her distance from Xie Yanjing, and in return, she would act the part of a good stepmother.
The reason Du Yao had constantly schemed against Xie Yanjing and tried to turn him against his father was because Xie Yanjing disliked her deeply.
He made it painfully clear that he did not accept her.
Du Yao feared that if Xie Yanjing ever took over the Xie family, that would be the day she’d be thrown out.
And at that point, no matter how much Xie Heng might still love her, he would no longer have the power to oppose his son.
Originally, Du Yao had been optimistic that if she spent enough time around her stepson, she’d be able to win him over, or at least establish some peaceful coexistence.
She thought if she just held on until she had a son and a daughter of her own to solidify her status, she could live comfortably off the Xie family fortune, and everyone would be happy.
But after meeting the real Xie Yanjing, Du Yao woke up from her rosy dream and set herself up as the wicked stepmother she was today.
Du Yao only completed high school.
Since Du family couldn’t afford to send her to college, the only skills she had were how to charm and please men and how to scheme for her future.
She relied solely on her looks to gather as much wealth and stability as possible.
When Nian Zhen woke up, he felt that the pain had significantly lessened, almost to the point where he barely felt anything.
But when he remembered the moment he was attacked, he felt tears welling up and pouted, almost ready to cry again.
“Xiao Zhen, your big brother is here.”
Xie Yanjing held Nian Zhen’s hand and gently stroked his head.
Xie Heng, watching his son’s actions, was a bit surprised—so this cold stone did have a caring side.
“Big brother…” Seeing Xie Yanjing, Nian Zhen’s tears brimmed again.
Big brother, do you know how much I love you?
I pushed you out of the way without even thinking.
It hurts so much.
Wahhh, wahh.
Hurry up and comfort me.
A deep light flickered in Xie Yanjing’s eyes.
Just then, Du Yao, seeing that her son had woken up, hurried over to check on him.
“Zhenzhen, how are you feeling?” Her voice was filled with genuine concern.
Seeing Du Yao’s worry, devoid of pretense, Nian Zhen gave an approving nod in his mind.
Aunt Du did have some motherly instincts, after all.
“Mom, I’m hurt,” Nian Zhen’s eyes glistened with tears.
Du Yao’s heart ached as she looked at her son.
This foolish boy—even more foolish-looking now that he’d been hit.
“Don’t worry, Zhenzhen. Mom will make sure you’re avenged. That brat Chun Long will pay,” her voice was laced with barely restrained fury.
Nian Zhen was deeply satisfied—Aunt Du was finally doing her motherly duties.
“Thank you, Mother,” Nian Zhen feigned gratitude.
Du Yao asked after his condition a few more times before leaving.
Big brother, you stayed by my side the whole time?
I wouldn’t have minded.
You’re too nice, really.
But hospital beds are never as comfortable as the beds at home.
Don’t trouble yourself over me—I’ll only be here a few days.
But how do I tell him without sounding like I’m kicking him out?
Nian Zhen thought, and at that very moment, Xie Yanjing turned to him.
He touched the hospital bed Nian Zhen was lying on and frowned.
It really wasn’t comfortable, even though it was a special bed.
Big brother, why are you frowning when you touch the bed?
Is there something wrong with it?
Don’t scare me—I’m already afraid of ghosts as it is.
Stop making me paranoid.
Xie Yanjing said nothing, simply taking out his phone and stepping outside to make a call.
A little while later, Nian Zhen was transferred to a super VIP suite.
The room was more like a luxury hotel suite than a hospital room, with a large, incredibly soft bed.
It was clear that this was Xie Yanjing’s doing.
Nian Zhen was overwhelmingly moved.
Big brother, you’re really such a good person.
I knew I made the right choice by protecting you.
At that moment, I was terrified, but my body moved on its own.
This is terrible, really.
Since I was born, I’ve never done anything like this for anyone.
That impulse to protect someone else—was I possessed at that moment?
It couldn’t have been the real me.
With my personality, I wouldn’t have the courage to protect anyone.
I’m terrified of pain and far too self-preserving for that.
No, I definitely don’t like you, big brother.
Crap… don’t tell me, do I really like him?
[…]
No, no, no way.
It can’t be!!
I’m supposed to be the villain, I’m a bad person, I can’t let my heart waver.
It’s only because my big brother treats me too well.
Waaaah.
Xie Yanjing, who was stirring a bowl of porridge, looked up at Nian Zhen with an unreadable expression, the corner of his mouth lifting ever so slightly in a barely noticeable smile.
“Xiao Zhen, come eat. The doctor said you can only have soft foods for now. I’ve made sure it’s warm, not too hot. Even if it hurts, you’ll need to eat something.”
Xie Yanjing pulled a small table with a bowl of porridge and a glass of water closer to the bed where Xiao Zhen lay, brows knitted in confusion.
And Nian Zhen?
His heart was in chaos.
Just seeing Xie Yanjing’s face made his emotions all the more unstable.
Somehow, no matter what he did, Xie Yanjing seemed unbearably perfect, and it made Nian Zhen’s heart race.
Oh no, no, no, I’m actually getting flustered.
Now that I know I like him, I’m losing my composure.
No way, Zhenzhen, you can’t like your big brother.
Get a grip.
Do not give in.
No, no, no.
Xie Yanjing sat beside the bed, scooping a spoonful of porridge.
He blew on it gently to check the temperature before holding it out to Nian Zhen.
“…”
Nian Zhen was completely frozen, his ears turning bright red, almost as if they could burst.
All he could do was obediently open his mouth and accept the spoonful of porridge, unable to say a word, though the pain from his injury was still there.
He had no idea how obvious his own flustered expression was.
Xie Yanjing, however, carried on as if nothing unusual was happening.
[…] The system silently paid its respects to its host.