“Chengcheng, Mr. Chu! When did you get back? Come inside and sit down.”
“No need, Cousin Jiahe. We only stopped by to see how you were doing. We’ll be leaving in a little while,” Wang Cheng replied with a wave.
Guan Jiahe did not insist. Then he remembered something. “Oh, by the way, have you heard what’s been happening at home recently?”
“What happened?” Wang Cheng was baffled.
One look at him told Guan Jiahe he knew nothing about it. “Two days ago, those two Wang elders moved into your parents’ house.”
Wang Cheng was shocked. “How did that happen? Weren’t they staying quite comfortably with Wang Hongwei? Why did they suddenly go to my parents’ place?”
“I heard about it from Grandma. Apparently the family’s suffered some serious misfortune and can’t afford to support the two old people anymore. So now they want your father to provide for them.”
Wang Cheng instantly understood what they were up to. They must still resent him over the earlier house purchase. To think they had come up with a scheme like this! “Supporting the two old people isn’t my dad’s responsibility alone. What right do they have to dump it all on him?”
“That’s exactly what Auntie said, so she refused. According to her, all three households have a duty to help support the elders. She suggested they rotate between the three homes, staying a month with each. The old couple refused at first, but Secretary Guan intervened and they finally agreed. Only they absolutely insisted on spending the first month at Auntie’s house.”
“They must have something else in mind,” Wang Cheng said coldly.
“Exactly. Auntie and Uncle figured that out too. Auntie asked what they really wanted, and the old woman demanded one million yuan. She said Uncle owed it to them and that if he didn’t pay, they’d stay in your family’s house forever.”
Chu Yifeng said, “They know you won’t take this lying down, so they’re trying to strike first and extort some money from your father.”
Wang Cheng gritted his teeth. “That shameless old woman is like an indestructible cockroach. Every so often, she starts causing trouble all over again. It’s a pity Old Village Chief Wang’s son hasn’t returned. Otherwise this could be settled easily.”
“There is another way,” Chu Yifeng said suddenly.
“What way?” Wang Cheng turned to him.
Chu Yifeng motioned for Wang Cheng to lean closer and listen.
Watching the two men whisper so intimately, Guan Jiahe felt something odd stir in his heart, though he could not quite explain why.
Once Wang Cheng heard Chu Yifeng’s idea, he remembered he had used the same tactic before. It had worked perfectly. He said goodbye to Guan Jiahe, and the two drove straight back to Guanjia Village. He did not notify Papa or Mama Wang. When they arrived, they found two or three villagers hovering by the house, repeatedly peeking inside. The sound of the car caught their attention.
“Isn’t that Wang Cheng’s car?”
“He must have heard what happened and hurried back. Now there’ll really be something to watch. Wang Cheng is no pushover.”
“Exactly. Old Madam Wang’s days of strutting around may finally be over.”
Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng entered the house and found the two Wang elders seated in the living room. Old Madam Wang had assumed the air of an imperial dowager, watching television and cracking sunflower seeds. The once spotless floor was littered with shells she had tossed everywhere. Her deliberate provocation was enough to infuriate a saint.
“Chengcheng? Why are you back?”
Mama Wang’s anger vanished as soon as she saw him, replaced by delight and surprise.
Old Madam Wang jumped in fright. Her eyes widened when she saw Wang Cheng. He was the person she least wanted to meet. He was far too clever, and every confrontation with him ended in her defeat.
Wang Cheng gave Old Madam Wang a faint, mocking look. “I heard someone was trying to extort money from you, so I came back.”
Mama Wang understood that he already knew everything. She and her husband had hidden the matter because they did not want to trouble their son again, but it seemed they would end up relying on him after all.
“Chengcheng…”
“Mom, you don’t have to explain. Cousin Jiahe told me already. I know what’s going on. Leave the rest to me. Why don’t you go find Dad?”
Realizing her son wanted her out of the way, Mama Wang hesitated before rising. “All right. I’ll go look for your father.”
“Stop! Who said you could leave? You married into the Wang family!” Old Madam Wang did not want to face Wang Cheng alone. She had seen through his tactic and immediately raised her shrill voice.
Mama Wang ignored her completely. A daughter-in-law of the Wang family? As though that was some great honor!
Wang Cheng sat opposite Old Madam Wang and had Chu Yifeng sit with him. He fixed his gaze squarely on the old woman, with calculation written all over his face, but said nothing.
This was Wang De’s first direct confrontation with Wang Cheng, and the stare made him uncomfortable and guilty.
Old Madam Wang had faced him before and rarely felt guilty. But she feared being tricked by him again. This time she had nearly staked everything on helping her eldest son’s household. She would not give up without her million yuan. She summoned her courage and shouted, “What are you planning?”
“I hear you’re planning to shamelessly camp out in our house,” Wang Cheng finally said.
Old Madam Wang sneered. “Your father is my son. He has a duty to support us in our old age. It’s only right. If he refuses, I can sue him.”
“Don’t be so certain. We still have to establish whether he’s even your biological son. When I prove he doesn’t share a drop of your blood, it may be another matter entirely whether he has to support you,” Wang Cheng replied calmly.
“Don’t think you can scare me. Even an adopted son has a duty to support his adoptive parents.” They had done some research before coming. An adopted child could still have such responsibilities, so they were not afraid Wang Hongxin would refuse.
Wang Cheng smiled. “So you did your homework. That’s fine. Having no blood tie is still much better than having one. You can stay here if you like, but you’d better be careful. Don’t let me get hold of so much as one strand of your hair.”
Old Madam Wang’s heart thudded. He was right: a lack of blood ties would put them at a disadvantage. Yet she was unwilling to give up. “You’re trying to frighten me into leaving, aren’t you? Dream on! Whether your father is my biological son or not, he’s obliged to support me. That won’t change!”
Wang Cheng frowned slightly.
“If an adoption relationship is legally dissolved, there’s no duty to support the adoptive parents. Besides, you have two other sons. Why would the burden fall on Papa Wang?” Chu Yifeng interjected.
The elderly couple stared in astonishment at the man who had suddenly spoken. Old Madam Wang snapped, “Who are you? What does our family’s business have to do with you?”
Chu Yifeng crossed one leg casually. “Nothing, really. But ruining the Wang family would be very easy for me. Your sons, grandsons, even great-grandsons… Do you believe that with a single word I could make sure none of them ever gets ahead in life?”
“I hear Wang Ningkai is thinking of making a comeback in business. Looks like he won’t get another chance,” Wang Cheng added. He knew that gentle methods would never work with this woman. She would only take advantage of kindness and demand more. The best approach was to strike at what she cared about most.
Old Madam Wang’s eyes nearly burst with rage. “You wouldn’t dare! I won’t let you go, even as a ghost!”
“If that day comes, I’ll set off firecrackers to celebrate. You’re welcome to haunt me whenever you like.” Wang Cheng smiled pleasantly. “If I were you, I’d get out before making me angry. Otherwise, I’ll do exactly what I said.”
“You shouldn’t push people too far,” Wang De finally said. He had remained silent until now.
Wang Cheng turned to the old man, who valued his reputation above all else. “Who’s pushing whom too far? I’ve given you a choice. You’re the ones who keep forcing this issue. What exactly does my father owe your family? Before lecturing me about decency, take a look at your own behavior.”
“I raised your father! He owes me for that. Unless you give me one million yuan in support money, I’m not leaving,” Old Madam Wang declared furiously.
“Fine. We can keep this up as long as you like. Let’s see whether your eldest son can hold out that long. Old woman, did you know your son and grandson made quite a few enemies when they were doing business? Some of them were gangsters. If those people found out where they were hiding, who knows what they might do?”
Both Old Madam Wang and Wang De went pale.
Wang Cheng took out his phone. “What do you think? Should I make a call right now and let someone know their address?”
Obviously not.
The elderly couple knew little about their son’s and grandson’s dealings, but Wang Cheng sounded so convincing they feared he might be telling the truth. Wang De was the more rational of the two. Afraid of provoking him, he eventually dragged the furious old woman away so they could return home and make new plans.
When Mama and Papa Wang returned, they found the elderly couple gone. Only Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng remained in the living room. The sunflower seed shells had been cleaned up.
“Where are they?”
Wang Cheng cracked another seed. “Gone.”
“How did you get them to leave?” Neither parent could believe such difficult people would simply go. They had experienced Old Madam Wang’s obstinacy themselves. One woman alone could put a fighter jet to shame. They were desperate to know what had happened.
“Obviously because I’m so kind and approachable.”
He had barely finished speaking when Mama Wang’s palm smacked the back of his head. “Speak plainly.”
Chu Yifeng watched in amusement.
“I relied on my quick wits and courage to negotiate with them fearlessly despite all the difficulties…”
Out of the corner of his eye, Wang Cheng saw Mama Wang roll up her sleeves. He immediately scrambled closer to Chu Yifeng and spilled everything. “I threatened to make Eldest Uncle’s family suffer if they didn’t leave, so they left. But something big might happen in another couple of days. Mom, Dad, you’d better be mentally prepared. Big Brother might come back too.”
The parents stared. “What big thing?”
“I can’t tell you yet. You’ll find out when it happens.”
They did not press him. Their son was only trying to protect them, after all.
Papa Wang sighed softly. His eyes drifted toward Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng sitting closely together on the sofa, and he suddenly paused. Something about the two of them did not seem quite right.