At this moment, Xia Yuning’s eyelashes were lowered, making his expression difficult to read, so he did not delve deeper and cast this fleeting doubt aside.
“Hmph, I suppose you know your place, boy.” The middle-aged man seemed to want to continue berating him, but as if struck by a sudden thought, he immediately changed his attitude, putting on a gentle expression as quickly as flipping a page in a book.
He cleared his throat, which had become raspy from yelling, and said in a gentle tone, “Little Xia, after you marry into the Lu family, you must come back to see your uncle often. Our family has taken care of you for so many years, so it is time for you to repay us.”
Heh, the audacity. Care? It was more like abuse.
Xia Yuning rolled his eyes in his mind, his lips curling into an imperceptible arc of mockery. It was obvious that Xia Guoliang had an ulterior motive, and Xia Yuning did not want to dance around the issue. He asked straightforwardly, “And so?”
“And so, after you go to the Lu family, you must siphon more benefits for your uncle!” Xia Guoliang rubbed his hands together, his beady eyes filled with pure greed.
Xia Guoliang did not realize that the Xia Yuning standing before him was no longer the original Xia Yuning. He likely assumed the boy would continue to be as submissive as he once was.
Siphon benefits for you? Keep dreaming!
However, Xia Yuning replied, “Don’t worry, Uncle, I will.” He would siphon benefits for Xia Guoliang, ideally to the point of bankrupting him.
“Hahaha, good! I knew Little Xia was a sensible, good child.” Xia Guoliang laughed with satisfaction; his already small eyes disappeared into slits. “Perhaps your uncle was lacking in his care for you before, but we have raised you for so many years, haven’t we?”
“One must learn to be grateful. Look, there is a perfect opportunity right now waiting for you to repay us.”
“After all, we are family. Let’s not fuss over those small matters from the past.” Xia Guoliang raised his hand to pat Xia Yuning’s shoulder. Xia Yuning frowned, feeling a wave of disgust, and pretended to cough while moving to the side to dodge the contact.
How could Xia Guoliang be so thick-skinned? He was thicker than a city wall. He had just been calling him a loser, and now he was asking him not to hold a grudge.
Xia Yuning was almost amused by the absurdity. He suppressed his revulsion and forced a stiff, insincere smile, saying, “Don’t worry, Uncle. I will not hold a grudge.”
Xia Guoliang felt that there was something slightly off about those words, but he did not dwell on them.
Having obtained Xia Yuning’s promise, he stopped talking. With his hands behind his back, he told Xia Yuning, “Go and prepare yourself. The Lu family will be here soon. Hurry up; I’m heading downstairs.” With that, he walked down the stairs without looking back.
Xia Yuning sighed heavily. Now that things had finally quieted down, he returned to his room, changed his clothes, and began to pack the things he needed to take with him.
The original owner’s possessions were pitifully few, leaving little to organize: just a few old clothes, a mobile phone, and a bank card. The bank card had been opened by the original owner himself, and the money inside was what he had saved through hard work from part-time jobs over the past two years.
Tsk.
It was all too pathetic, which could not help but remind him of the days when he was hounded by debt collectors in his past life.
He carried his meager belongings downstairs. Three people were sitting in the living room: Xia Guoliang, the uncle he had just met; his wife, Lin Ying; and his cousin, Xia Lei.
A true family of three, all possessing shameless and disgraceful countenances.
From the moment Xia Yuning appeared, Xia Lei had been staring at him intently, his gaze sweeping back and forth over him.
Xia Yuning was wearing the outfit Xia Guoliang had prepared for him, presumably to make a good impression on the Lu family. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been willing to spend a fortune on clothes for him. At the moment, this outfit was the most valuable thing he owned.
It was a pure white suit. The young man’s skin was already fair, and against the stark white fabric, he looked even more bright and translucent. The white suit accentuated his slim waist, and his legs beneath the trouser hem were long and straight, tightly wrapped by the suit pants, making him look tall and elegant.
Xia Lei walked up to Xia Yuning, placed a hand on his shoulder, and whispered sinisterly into his ear, “Little Xia, you look truly beautiful today.”
He lowered his voice further, until it was at a level only the two of them could hear: “Tsk, this little waist is so slim; I really want to wrap my hands around it.” As he spoke, his viper-like gaze swept over Xia Yuning’s waist, sticky and disgusting.