Sensing the calm and uneventful atmosphere around him, Su Baiye comforted and hypnotized himself in his heart: It’s fine, nothing has happened, everything will proceed as you envisioned, you will achieve all your wishes, you are the best…
As a result, Su Baiye, who should have been the most dazzling presence at the banquet, became a silent bystander due to his unsettled state of mind. In the face of Pei Zhaohe’s brilliance, even Tan Shengjun had no choice but to retreat. In the end, Pei Zhaohe and Yi Lingfan became the center of attention for everyone present, with Yi Lingfan even attracting more gazes than Pei Zhaohe.
Well, what could they do? After all, he was the miraculous existence who had captured Pei Zhaohe’s heart and entered into a relationship with him.
Taking a break in a quiet corner to breathe some fresh air, Yi Lingfan suddenly chuckled and tapped Pei Zhaohe’s chest lightly. “Brother Pei, I’ve stolen all your spotlight. Are you jealous?”
Pei Zhaohe pinched Yi Lingfan’s other hand affectionately. “Of course I’m jealous. Jealous that others get to see my Fanfan. The thought of you being the center of attention makes me want to hide you away in a golden cage.”
Yi Lingfan giggled, stood on his tiptoes, and planted a kiss on Pei Zhaohe’s lips. Blushing slightly, he looked at Pei Zhaohe and said, “How about this as compensation for making Brother Pei jealous? Is it enough?”
Gazing into Yi Lingfan’s sparkling eyes, Pei Zhaohe’s expression darkened as he pulled Yi Lingfan’s slender waist closer. “Compensation? A peck like that doesn’t count as a kiss. It’s not enough.”
Yi Lingfan leaned closer to Pei Zhaohe. “Then when we get back tonight, Brother Pei can do whatever you want. I’ll cooperate fully. Is that enough?”
Receiving the hint, Pei Zhaohe felt his eyes turning green with desire, wishing he could take Yi Lingfan home right then and there to “bully” him thoroughly.
While the two of them were lost in their sweet, intimate bubble, the Su family—Su Jun, Su Baixiao, and Kong Qintong—stood awkwardly around the corner, unsure whether to approach or retreat. Watching the lovebirds surrounded by what seemed like tangible pink bubbles, they exchanged glances and silently retreated to another area.
However, the thought that the person with Pei Zhaohe might be their long-lost youngest son/brother left them feeling uneasy. Unfortunately, since they hadn’t been there to witness Yi Lingfan’s growth, any dissatisfaction they felt had to be swallowed silently—after all, they had no right to comment.
With this in mind, the Su family added another black mark against Wei Zhen, whom they suspected of being responsible for the loss of their youngest son.
As the banquet ended, Old Man Tan, who believed he had successfully connected with Pei Zhaohe, was extremely pleased. His satisfaction extended to his grandson Tan Shengjun, who had arranged the event. Tan Shengjun, basking in his grandfather’s approval, failed to notice Su Baiye’s unusual mood.
Meanwhile, Su Jun, who had felt something amiss upon seeing Yi Lingfan, had already ordered an investigation into him. The Su family had been searching for their lost second son for years and had a dedicated team for the task. Now that they had a potential lead (Yi Lingfan), it was only natural to assign them to investigate.
As for Yi Lingfan himself, after returning home with Pei Zhaohe, he fulfilled his promise of “compensation.”
While the two lovebirds were inseparable, the atmosphere between Tan Shengjun and Su Baiye was far from harmonious.
Thanks to Old Man Tan’s favor, Tan Shengjun secured an important project. For various reasons, he decided to approach Du Shi to gauge the Du family’s stance. If the collaboration with the Du family went smoothly, the profits would be enormous.
Neither the Du nor the Tan family could handle the project alone due to its massive scale and investment. Normally, given Tan Shengjun’s relationship with Su Baiye, the Su family would have been the ideal partner—they certainly had the resources. However, the Tan and Su families were fundamentally incompatible, and any collaboration between them would likely end in disaster.
Thus, despite being engaged to Su Baiye, Tan Shengjun chose the Du family. After all, one was willing to play dirty, while the other would nitpick and criticize—the choice was obvious.
But business was business. If there was a way to maximize profits, Tan Shengjun wouldn’t hesitate to manipulate the situation. He had done it before and was well-practiced in the art.
Tonight was the perfect opportunity to bond with Du Shi under the stars, exchange sweet nothings, and gather some useful information. Glancing at the starry sky, Tan Shengjun nodded to himself—yes, tonight was ideal.
Using the excuse of working late due to the new project, Tan Shengjun brushed off Su Baiye and went on his “date” with Du Shi to discuss poetry, philosophy, and the meaning of life. Su Baiye, distracted for reasons unknown to Tan Shengjun, didn’t question the flimsy excuse and was even somewhat relieved to see him go.
Once Tan Shengjun was gone, Su Baiye quickly locked the door and called Wei Zhen. Previously, he had handled things on his own, avoiding contact with Wei Zhen. He despised the idea of acknowledging her—it was a constant reminder that he was merely a replacement, a pawn in his mother’s scheme, an illegitimate child unworthy of the Su family name.
But now, things were spiraling out of control. Su Baiye wasn’t the type to shoulder burdens alone, so he decided to dump the mess onto Wei Zhen. After all, it was her fault for not ensuring Yi Lingfan’s death years ago. If she had just killed him properly, none of this would be happening!
If Wei Zhen had strangled or smothered Yi Lingfan back then, Su Baiye would have remained the top genius at school and in the research institute, free from the shadow of Yi Lingfan. There would be no ticking time bomb threatening to strip him of his status as the Su family’s second son.
So, everything was Wei Zhen’s fault!
The moment the call connected, before Wei Zhen could even say “hello,” Su Baiye, driven to near hysteria by thoughts like “Yi Lingfan is always overshadowing me” and “Yi Lingfan will take everything from me,” snapped, “It’s all your fault! Why didn’t you just strangle him or drop him to his death back then? How could you let him come back?!”
Wei Zhen, never one to take insults lightly, fired back, “Have you gone mad living the high life in the Su family? Who are you talking about killing? Can’t even speak properly now? Blaming me? Don’t forget who gave you this life in the first place! And you dare complain?!”
Pacing anxiously, Su Baiye hissed, “Oh, so you’re proud of yourself, huh? Do you even realize he’s back? He’s here to take everything from me!”
Wei Zhen, now alarmed, asked, “Who’s back? Who are you talking about? Tan Shengjun’s first love?”
“Ugh!” Su Baiye spat, showing no respect for his birth mother. “Who else? That child you abandoned—the Su family’s real second son! He’s back!”
“What?! He’s back?!” Wei Zhen was stunned. “That’s impossible! He was supposed to be dead! How could he return?!”
Su Baiye seethed. “How should I know why he’s back? But he is! You useless, stupid woman! You couldn’t even handle such a simple task—how could you let him live?!”
Wei Zhen, her temper flaring, retorted, “You think I wanted him to live? I stripped him naked and left him in the snow to freeze! How was I supposed to know he’d survive?!”
As she ranted, Wei Zhen couldn’t help but complain further. “Back then, if I hadn’t been in a hurry to take you to Kong Qintong to secure your place as the Su family’s second son, I would’ve stayed to watch the little bastard die! But no, I had to rush to make sure you got the life you’re whining about now!”
Time had been tight, so Wei Zhen had only managed to abandon the child in the snow before hurrying back with Su Baiye to present him to Kong Qintong. She couldn’t risk someone else taking the opportunity to become the Su family’s adopted son.
And who was she doing all this for? Su Baiye! The ungrateful brat, enjoying years of luxury, now had the nerve to blame her.
Su Baiye had originally intended to discuss countermeasures with Wei Zhen and dump the problem on her. Instead, they ended up in a vicious cycle of blame-shifting, with no real solutions discussed.
Unbeknownst to Wei Zhen, as she and Su Baiye hurled accusations over the phone, their conversation was being overheard by unintended ears.
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