Chu Li was a very handsome man. His facial features were deep and well defined, and his pair of expressive phoenix eyes had captivated countless women. That was one of the reasons Chu Yifeng’s mother had fallen for him in the first place. Chu Li had chosen a political career, and he also carried an elegant scholarly air. With those two qualities combined, many people who saw him thought they were looking at an exceptionally dazzling movie star rather than a politician. Most people therefore felt he would have been more suited to the entertainment industry. With his face and temperament, he could probably have become famous overnight.
Even though he had not entered entertainment, Chu Li differed greatly from most officials in the country.
From the time he was young, Chu Li had been an incurable playboy. But his romantic nature did not take the form of indiscriminate sleeping around. At heart he was actually rather devoted, except that his devotion usually did not last very long, and he never forced women.
Chu Li was already in his fifties, but he looked like a man in his thirties, with the refined air of a mature gentleman. Yet because of his romantic nature, he did not resemble a conventional, rule-bound official at all. His speech, behavior, and clothes could practically be modeled on entertainment celebrities. He looked like a politician walking at the very front of fashion.
A man like Chu Li rarely stayed home. Many months passed without even his own family seeing him more than a few times.
Old Master Chu had long gone from disappointment in this eldest son to complete despair. No matter what he said, Chu Li never listened and always did exactly as he pleased, never taking his father seriously. People called him the country’s most fashionable and handsome official, but also one of its least proper. If the Chu family did not have deep influence in both military and political circles, with few people willing to oppose them, he might have lost his official position long ago.
Fortunately, Chu Li was not without a weakness. Old Madam Chu was that weakness. If she spoke, Chu Li would return immediately even if he were at the ends of the earth. But the moment he heard the family meeting concerned his son, he lost all interest.
“Did that brat cause some kind of trouble? He’s already thirty and still won’t let people stop worrying about him.”
Much of the time Chu Li forgot that he was even a father. By the time he learned he had a son, that son had already matured so early that adults barely needed to worry about him. He still remembered the first time the boy returned to the Chu family. His relatives had ordered Chu Li to make up for five missing years of paternal love. Yet whenever he spoke with the child, Chu Li felt as though the person in front of him was not a five-year-old boy but an adult whose mind had already matured. After spending time together a few times, he stopped treating his son like a child at all.
Old Master Chu snorted coldly. “At least he gives us far less trouble than you, his father. You’re already over fifty and still as unreliable as you were when you were young. When are you going to let us have some peace?”
Chu Li immediately shut up. No matter what he said, the old man would argue with him. Better not to speak at all.
After receiving signals from his parents, Chu Wenting cleared his throat. “Eldest Uncle, Grandfather called you back this time because of Cousin. A few days ago he suddenly had people put pressure on the Jiang family. Eldest Uncle knows Cousin rarely does this sort of thing, so everyone wanted to get together and discuss it.”
Chu Li raised an eyebrow in surprise. He did not spend much time with his son, but he knew what kind of person he was. Put that way, the behavior really was unusual. “Did you investigate first?”
“Yes. It seems to have something to do with a man, and that man apparently comes from the countryside.”
“…”
Chu Li thought he had misheard. With elegant movements, he dug at his ear. “A man? Wenting, are you sure it isn’t a woman but a man?”
“I’m sure.” Before Chu Wenting learned the details, he had not expected the reason to be a man either.
Chu Li’s experience in matters of romance surpassed even the old man’s. “Doesn’t that brat like women? How did he get involved with a man?”
“We don’t know the specific situation either. That’s why we called everyone together to discuss what should be done. Eldest Uncle knows how difficult Cousin is to handle. He’s even harder than you.” Chu Wenting smiled.
Chu Li did not want to admit it, but at least he himself had a weakness, while this son seemed to have none at all. His ex-wife’s side had always let Chu Yifeng do whatever he wanted. Who knew which side was responsible for producing this personality? He looked at the old man. “Dad, if Yifeng really has that kind of relationship with this man, what are you planning to do?”
The true head of this family was still Old Master Chu.
Everyone immediately looked at the old man.
“Naturally, make them separate. The Chu family cannot afford this kind of disgrace.” Old Master Chu’s sharp, solemn gaze became impossible to ignore. A soldier’s severity and iron-blooded authority swept across the room, making everyone present understand that he was not joking.
Chu Li frowned. “If that’s the case, call him back and tell him to break up with the man.”
“Eldest Brother, if it were that easy, there’d be no need to call you back too,” Chu Yifeng’s eldest aunt, Chu Yinghua, said.
“What else are you planning to do? Act like idiots in a television drama and throw a check in the man’s face?” Chu Li said carelessly, the mockery in his tone unmistakable.
“Of course not.” Chu Yinghua shook her head. Anyone who had caught Yifeng’s eye could not possibly be a fool. The Chu family might be powerful in military and political circles, but if they compared wealth, they absolutely could not match this nephew. Anyone with even a little intelligence would know that giving up Yifeng would be the same as abandoning a mountain of gold taller than Mount Everest.
Chu Li could tell at a glance what his younger sister was thinking, but he had a different view.
Chu Yinghua continued, “Hard methods will only provoke resistance, so we should use something gentler. I have an idea.”
Chu Yinghua, like Chu Li, had chosen politics, but their styles were different. Chu Yinghua was the strategist type. Put simply, she excelled at making plans. Her position had risen high enough that she no longer needed to personally think through every detail, since there were plenty of subordinates willing to do the work for her. If she said she had a plan, no one doubted its feasibility.
“No parent wants to see their child go down what they believe is the wrong road. I’m sure his parents are the same, and people from the countryside are often more conservative about these things. If we let his parents know, I believe we won’t need to act at all. They’ll help us separate the two themselves,” Chu Yinghua said confidently.
After hearing her out, everyone wore different expressions. Chu Yinghua’s idea really was good, and it killed two birds with one stone. It might be somewhat unfair to that man, but since he had chosen to be with Yifeng, he should have been mentally prepared.
Chu Li looked at the old man. “Dad, what do you think?”
Old Master Chu made the decision on the spot. “Do as Yinghua said. Meeting adjourned.”
After the two elders left, Chu Wenting looked at his father, eldest uncle, and eldest aunt and suddenly had a bad feeling. It was quickly proven correct.
“Wenting, we’ll leave the rest to you,” Chu Yinghua said to him with a smile.
“Aunt, can you choose someone else?” Chu Wenting smiled bitterly. Why did this job that was guaranteed to offend someone have to fall to him? If Cousin learned about it later, who knew how he would retaliate?
“No. We can’t let this spread yet, so the fewer people who know, the better. Besides, among the younger generation of the Chu family, you’re the steadiest. We all trust you. Your eldest uncle and I are too conspicuous, so after counting everyone, you’re the most suitable person.”
Chu Wenting knew the moment he heard that there was no escaping.
“Wenting, do a good job. Your aunt believes in you. I’m sure you won’t disappoint us.” Chu Yinghua spoke as though she had not noticed his helpless expression.
If Mama Wang had not already known her son was gay, their plan would have had a ninety-percent chance of succeeding. But Mama Wang had already been won over, and even if Papa Wang found out, he would not be able to make much of a storm. That was simply the truth. It was not that Chu Yinghua’s plan was poor. The timing was wrong.
Jiang Shuang’s prison sentence was already practically certain, so Wang Cheng stopped paying attention to what happened afterward, because Zheng Jingen called him.
Zheng Jingen also knew that Wang Cheng had been dragged into Jiang Shuang’s affair. He had originally wanted to teach Jiang Shuang a lesson too, but the internal situation of the Zheng family was complicated. The moment he acted, those people would inevitably know. Zheng Jingen did not want them to learn yet that his younger brother had been found, so he chose to remain still and wait until Wang Cheng formally returned to the family before settling the score.
As the saying went, a gentleman could wait ten years for revenge. Zheng Jingen had plenty of patience, but Chu Yifeng had beaten him to it. Speaking of Chu Yifeng, Zheng Jingen’s feelings were complicated. He was relieved his younger brother had such a powerful person protecting him, but helpless over the nature of their relationship. Fortunately, Chu Yifeng did not look as though he was only playing around. Otherwise, even if Zheng Jingen had no real standing to interfere yet, he would never allow the two of them to stay together.
“Chengcheng, you’ve had a few days to think. When are you coming to the capital? Dad wants to meet you too.” Zheng Jingen called him by his childhood nickname without the slightest pressure.
Unexpectedly, Wang Cheng did not find it especially awkward. It felt much less strange than when Chu Yifeng called him that. Blood ties really were something mysterious. If he did not know Zheng Jingen was his biological elder brother, he probably would have found it very odd.
“I’m not busy lately. Once I finish handing things over here, I’ll come.”
“Really?” Zheng Jingen nearly thought he had heard wrong.
“Really. Three days at the latest.” Wang Cheng gave him a definite answer. He was not the kind of person who agonized over something forever. Since the truth could not be escaped, it was better to give everyone a clean answer.
“Good. I’ll wait for you. Call me before you come.”
“I will.”
After Chu Yifeng found out, he decided to go to the capital with him.
“Are you sure you want to come with me? Your family will definitely find out, won’t they?” His instincts told him that Chu Yifeng’s family would be even harder to deal with than Mama Wang.
“If they were going to know, they already know.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean they already know,” Chu Yifeng said calmly.
Wang Cheng was startled, then quickly guessed the general reason. “You already knew your family would figure out our relationship from what happened, didn’t you?”
“They were going to find out sooner or later. It’s better to let them prepare themselves mentally. You should be careful too. The Chu family isn’t like an ordinary household. If they decide to act, they’ll definitely attack our weak points.”
Wang Cheng’s expression turned serious. “Weak points? Are they going to send someone to kidnap me?”
Chu Yifeng raised an eyebrow. “How would kidnapping you count as a weak point?”
Wang Cheng stared at him in shock. “Boss Chu, am I not your weak point?”
Chu Yifeng froze for an instant, then laughed. “You are.”
Wang Cheng did not hide the matter from his parents. When he went home, he mentioned it in passing. Neither of them reacted too strongly. They knew this moment would come sooner or later. Whether or not Wang Cheng ultimately acknowledged his biological parents, in their hearts he would always be their son. That would never change.
“When you get there, remember your manners. That Mr. Zheng doesn’t look like someone from an ordinary family. Rich families always have more rules. Don’t let them look down on you.” Mama Wang used to be addicted to television dramas and had watched plenty involving wealthy young masters and daughters being switched at birth.
Wang Cheng was speechless. “Mom, you’re thinking too much.”
“I hope I am. Mom just doesn’t want you to suffer. If you feel you can’t live comfortably there, you can come back anytime. Your father and I will recognize you as our son for the rest of our lives.” As Mama Wang spoke, her heart began to ache.
Wang Cheng held her hand. “Mom, don’t worry. You and Dad will always be the people closest to me, even closer than Big Brother and Little Sister.”
“You brat, using your brother and sister just to cheer me up.” Mama Wang finally smiled, and all the warmth and sadness of the moment vanished under his teasing. Wang Cheng laughed.