Qi Youxuan was put in a tight spot by those two men. It was a situation where choosing one option meant discarding the other!

“Can you be reasonable!” Mo Yuxin dragged Chang Zhiyuan back. “How could you let him choose? You’re putting a burden on the child, aren’t you? If I were to decide, we’ll go to whichever country that we get the Visa first. Japan’s Visa is easier, so when the time comes, it’s still alright if we go to Japan first!”

Chang Zhiyuan got anxious. How could his own wife side with an outsider?

All of a sudden, Chang Zhiyuan had a thought. He turned to Ruan Keshan and said, “My dear in-law, you work in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, right? You’re a government man, you can’t simply just leave the country, can you?”

Ruan Keshan pursed his lips and straightened his back. “We can, if we apply for leave in advance.”

“Hey, I don’t need to apply for leave in advance. I can go whenever I feel like it, and my Visa is active for another seven years! Everything’s set once Youxuan’s Visa is done. I’m definitely going to be faster.” Chang Zhiyuan puffed out his chest, feeling as though he had emerged as the victor.

Ruan Keshan, “…”

The helpless Mo Yuxin hinted at the housekeeper immediately, then called everyone to have lunch. She was hoping that lunch would keep Chang Zhiyuan’s mouth shut.

To her disappointment, the two grown men continued their verbal sparring. Nevertheless, neither fed too much meat to Qi Youxuan, since both Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen did not allow it.

They were not afraid of Qi Chenglin’s displeasure, but rather, that of Ruan Danchen’s.

…

Amid Ruan Keshan and Chang Zhiyuan’s war-of-words, everyone finished their meals and no one thought of bringing up Ruan Keyu and Chang Yuehuan.

Mo Yuxin and Chen Minxia talked to each other on one side and hit it off rather well.

Before then, the two women were still able to control their husbands, but they soon found it hard to restrain them and subsequently gave up.

After lunch, everyone spoke with each other, including Ruan Danchen. All of them ignored Chang Zhiyuan and Ruan Keshan’s arguing.

Ruan Zeer was used to it. After all, with Grandfather Ruan at home, Ruan Zeer would not be surprised by Ruan Keshan’s antics.

On the other hand, Chang Jingwan was utterly shocked. She never knew that her ever-strict father had such a childish side.

Just as the Ruan family were getting up to leave, Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen were going to bring the little guy away too. Chang Zhiyuan waved to the boy and said, “Ah, Youxuan, come here.”

Qi Youxuan carried a big bag of gifts and went over.

Another four plastic bags were held by Qi Chenglin, Ruan Danchen, Chen Minxia, and Ruan Zeer, respectively. Since Ruan Keshan was not very pleased with all those toys, the little boy chose not to let him carry any. Qi Youxuan thought of himself as a very kind and considerate person, but he was oblivious to how miserable Ruan Keshan felt then.

Ruan Keshan felt that it was a reflection of the little boy’s trust and closeness to them. Could Qi Youxuan have chosen not to let him carry because he was angry at what Ruan Keshan said earlier?

Throughout the ordeal, Ruan Keshan looked at the little boy quite desolately.

“Granduncle,” the little boy called out sweetly, making Chang Zhiyuan feel as though he would be willing to give the boy anything at all.

“Come here. Granduncle’s giving you some pocket money, okay!” Chang Zhiyuan took out a stack of bills from his pocket that looked too many to count.

“Just buy whatever you want to buy!” Chang Zhiyuan stuffed the bills into Qi Youxuan’s hand.

The little boy’s eyes lit up. His chubby hand held the bills and he blushed while saying embarrassedly, “I… I can’t possibly take this!”

Chang Zhiyuan watched as the little boy said those words, but in the meantime, Qi Youxuan held all that money and fished out a wallet from his backpack. It was the same wallet that Qi Chengji used in the past. At the time, Qi Youxuan hinted very ‘indirectly’ that Qi Chengji should change to a new wallet. The quick-witted Qi Chengji then passed down the ‘old wallet’ that had only been bought a week ago to Qi Youxuan.

Seeing the little boy keep all that money without much ado, Chang Zhiyuan was incredibly adept at finding excuses for his grand-nephew, and at that moment, could not bear it anymore.

“Granduncle, next time, don’t spend so much okay. You can give a lesser amount, or maybe you can give more frequently?” the little boy spoke in a consultative tone, making everyone feel like gnashing their teeth.

“It’s all good, you don’t need to think about saving money for me. Granduncle will still give you more next time!” Chang Zhiyuan’s creased face was all smiles.

Mo Yuxin felt that her husband was emanating the aura of a money-hungry person.

“Granduncle, if you’re like this… Your grand-nephew will like you a lot!” After putting away the money, he threw himself into Chang Zhiyuan’s embrace and wiggled around smugly.

“You’re definitely the best Granduncle on the face of the earth! I’ll tell all my friends when I go to school tomorrow so they’ll all be jealous. Their granduncles are definitely not as good as mine!” Qi Youxuan puffed out his chest and uttered crisply.

He previously showed off Great-Grandfather Ruan and Ruan Keshan’s status as eminent scientists. Now that he had another person to flaunt, he felt rather shy!

Chang Zhiyuan smiled like blooming flowers—the boy’s words were completely spot on!

Ruan Keshan huffed and felt even more resentful after being compared.

Ruan Zeer leaned over stealthily to Ruan Keshan’s ear and whispered, “See. Giving him money is more effective than anything else.”

Ruan Keshan huffed again. “I can’t be as shameless as he is! I… I’m a scientist of unyielding character!”

“…” Chang Jingwan heard their exchange with crystal clear clarity. She felt that her own worldview was turned completely upside-down.

‘Are all scientists like this?’

‘Does a scientist’s unyielding character apply to that kind of situation?’

Ruan Zeer—the young math genius who made the news and was set to enter into A University—seemed like an equally unreliable person too!

“Granduncle will surely give you many opportunities to show off,” Chang Zhiyuan said.

Chang Jingwan felt that the man was not her father at all, for her father would not be that much of a dunderhead.

While Chang Zhiyuan was still trying to stroke Qi Youxuan’s ego, he was interrupted by his ringing cellphone.

Chang Zhiyuan looked at the caller—it was Lao Liang.

Chang Zhiyuan then stood up and picked up the phone. He listened as Lao Liang explained things before hanging up and turning to Ruan Danchen. “The results of Chang Jingqiu and her parents’ DNA test are out. Lao Liang’s afraid that something might happen to it, so he’s guarding it personally. He’s now bringing Chang Jingqiu and her parents to my mother’s place. He’ll wait for us to come before he leaves.”

Regarding that matter, Lao Liang did his utmost best. One need not worry much, if at all, whenever he was tasked with doing something.

At the crux of it, it was the Chang family’s internal matter. Ruan Keshan and the others felt it improper for them to tag along, so they left first. Ruan Danchen left Qi Youxuan with them and went to the Chang family house with Qi Chenglin. Grandmother Chang would definitely throw a fit, and because it was highly likely that the old lady would go nuts along with Chang Jingqiu, it was best not to let Qi Youxuan watch the ordeal.

Chang Zhiyuan, on the other hand, allowed Chang Jingwan to go with them. An adult herself, it was not wise to leave her in the dark when the Chang family was facing any issue.

…

Everyone arrived at Grandmother Chang’s place, and Lao Liang was waiting in front of the villa entrance while holding a file.

Other than Chang Zhiyuan, no one else in the Chang family had any dealings with Lao Liang. Recent interactions with those other Chang family members made Lao Liang dislike them. He was unwilling to be associated with them in any way and was content with dealing with Chang Zhiyuan alone.

Once Chang Zhiyuan got down the car, Lao Liang walked over and handed the DNA report to Chang Zhiyuan. “I won’t interfere with your family matters.”

Chang Zhiyuan patted Lao Liang’s shoulders. “I’m really, really thankful to you this time.”

A heroic smile appeared on Lao Liang’s face. “Why so courteous, eh?”

Lao Liang left without lingering any longer.

Before going in, Chang Zhiyuan told Ruan Danchen, “Just ignore whatever nasty things that the old lady says. If you don’t wish to acknowledge the people in this family, then don’t. Most importantly, you must remember to acknowledge us.”

Chang Zhiyuan had no other alternative. As a member of the Chang family himself, he hated those people too, and if only they were not bound by blood, he would not want to acknowledge them too. If he felt that way, then it was only natural that Ruan Danchen—someone who had no feelings toward the Chang family and was made the subject of countless insults by Grandmother Chang—did not want to acknowledge them too.

His words elicited a giggle from Ruan Danchen. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t have brought Qi Youxuan and the Ruan family to visit you if I didn’t acknowledge you.”

“Ay!” Chang Zhiyuan let out a smile of relief. He nodded, but added another sentence because he was still worried, “I’ll definitely treat Youxuan well! Don’t choose not to acknowledge me okay! I don’t want to be dragged down by the others.”

Mo Yuxin, “…”

His words seemed to suggest that he was rearing to cut off all ties with the Chang family.

After finally getting Ruan Danchen’s half-giggling promise, Chang Zhiyuan pressed the doorbell. Moments later, the housekeeper opened the door and let them in.

In the living room, Chang Jingqiu—who was discharged a day earlier—was sitting in a wheelchair. She wore an ankle-length dress that managed to cover her legs.

Chang Jingqiu was actually injured at her waist, causing her paralysis. Both her legs were not injured, so it would not really matter if she did not cover them.

Grandmother Chang, Chang Zhixing, and Liu Xiangwen were sitting on the sofa. Opposite them was a pair of chairs that were moved there for the time being. Seated on those chairs was the couple that Ruan Danchen saw at the hospital the other day—Huang Pinggui and Wang Lixia.

Obviously, there were still plenty of seats on the sofa, but the couple was not allowed to sit there. They were only allowed to sit in those chairs, akin to criminals being interrogated. Perhaps it was because the Chang family was afraid that they would soil the sofa?

Ruan Danchen looked on coldly. Not a single positive feeling manifested inside her when it came to the Chang family.

She then looked again at Huang Pinggui and Wang Lixia sitting on the chair. They were both stiff, but Wang Lixia could not resist looking around in total admiration even though she was nervous. Meanwhile, Huang Pinggui had a placating smile on his face. He began voicing out his concern about Chang Jingqiu after seeing how the Chang family did not seem to despise her. Chang Jingqiu however, pursed her lips angrily and ignored him throughout.

Huang Pinggui shut his mouth after failed attempts to get on her good books. Nevertheless, dissatisfaction was rife in his expression as he felt that his daughter was completely heartless.

Seeing Chang Zhiyuan and the rest coming in, Grandmother Chang noticed the file in Chang Zhiyuan’s hands. It was the same file that Lao Liang was holding earlier.

“Hmph!” Grandmother Chang grunted angrily. “He’s finally willing to hand the report over? He even guarded it from us! What’s the meaning of that! It’s us who should be guarding it against him.”

Grandmother Chang’s inability to distinguish right from wrong was something Chang Zhiyuan had long been accustomed to. He did not try to refute her but simply placed the document before them. “This is the DNA report for Huang Pinggui and his wife with Chang Jingqiu. Take a look yourselves.”

In truth, it did not really matter whether they read it or not. Chang Jingqiu had already admitted that she was Huang Pinggui and Wang Lixia’s daughter, but Grandmother Chang still took the document out to see the results for herself.

Grandmother Chang’s face sunk and she tossed the report to the table. Chang Zhixing took it and read it himself, and beside him, Liu Xiangwen nosily joined in. She looked at the results and looked back at Huang Pinggui and Wang Lixia.

Never did she expect that such ordinary-looking people could create a daughter as beautiful as Chang Jingqiu.

“How do you wish to settle this?” Grandmother Chang coldly directed her question at Huang Pinggui and Wang Lixia.

Huang Pinggui chuckled, “Hehe,” and began rubbing his hands together out of habit. His wretchedness was revealed through his actions, making Grandmother Chang loathe them even more.

Liu Xiangwen snorted disdainfully when she thought about how the grand Chang family had to be associated with people like them. Her entire body felt the repulsion.

She rubbed her shoulders as if her arms had come into contact with some disgusting thing.

Chang Jingqiu noticed all that and had a sudden thought. She willed her eyes to turn red. “What do you actually want? You sold me off last time, so now our relationship is completely severed and we don’t have anything to do with each other at all. Now you want to take advantage of me? You never once treated me as your own daughter! What else is there that’s important to you besides money? Do you really want me to suffer that badly?”

“Don’t put it that way. You’re certainly unwilling to suffer alongside us. Look at you. You’ve been raised by a wealthy family since you were little and you’ve gotten used to being spoiled. Would you be willing to do join us in our suffering and stay in our broken-down house?” Huang Pinggui snickered in disdain. “You say that there’s no affection toward us, but isn’t that because you’re unwilling to acknowledge us? You’re one of us. Even if you weren’t raised with us, you still have the same character as us.”

Was that a statement of how she was as selfish and gold-digging as they were?

Chang Jingqiu’s face reddened in anger, for she did not expect Huang Pinggui to have such a way with words.

Huang Pinggui ignored her and folded his hands, saying to Grandmother Chang, “Rich people like you have plenty of things to be concerned about. I know that your biggest concern is your reputation. I’m sure you don’t want outsiders to know that you’ve raised the wrong child for twenty-seven years. I didn’t study much and I’ve never explored the world, but I’m still capable of realizing that.”

A cold chuckle was heard, followed by further remarks from Huang Pinggui, “I know you look down on us. You don’t want to be associated with us at all and you’re unwilling to let anyone know about our existence. From what I’m seeing today, it looks like you want to continue raising Chang Jingqiu. I never knew you could be so kind as to raise someone else’s child. You know that she’s the wrong child yet you’re raising her so willingly.”

Grandmother Chang’s expression sunk, while Chang Jingqiu was watching with ever-increasing nervousness.

Huang Pinggui showed three fingers. “We don’t want much. Just give us three million and we’ll promise not to say anything. We’ll treat it as though nothing happened; like we’re complete strangers.”

Grandmother Chang’s gaze turned vicious.

Suddenly, Chang Jingqiu cried out, “I can’t let you threaten the Chang family like this! You said it yourself how you profited from selling me off and having the Chang family raise me all these years. You can’t even begin to understand how much money, effort, and care the Chang family spent on me all these years. Rightfully speaking, you’re the ones that owe the Chang family, and it’s good enough that the Chang family didn’t ask for money from you! It’s nonsense for the Chang family to give you money when the Chang family raised your daughter on your behalf!”

“We don’t care,” Huang Pinggui said bluntly. “We’re not afraid of being ashamed. You are. If you don’t want us to tell anyone, then shut us up using money. Don’t all rich people say the same thing? A problem that can be solved using money isn’t a problem anymore. We don’t want anything else; we just want money!”

“Then bring me away!” Chang Jingqiu yelled mournfully. “I’m a useless person anyway. I’m nothing without the Chang family. I’m a handicap that can’t do anything, not even my job from earlier. I’ll follow you back to your old house and you can raise me there!”

“Why should we?” Huang Pinggui was angry after hearing that. “You’re useless but you want us to take care of you? We don’t have the money to do that!”

“Then what right do you have in asking us for our money? Why should the Chang family give you any money? I’m telling you, Huang Pinggui, if I leave the Chang family, I won’t return again. I’ll never give you any chance to blackmail the Chang family.”

Chang Jingqiu’s eyes reddened as her tears flowed out. “Grandma raised me through thick and thin, treating me better than anyone else ever did. I can’t burden her like this. I can’t let an old woman like her suffer, bow down to people like you, and just give you money. You and I both owe the Chang family!

“They raised someone that had nothing to do with them for so many years, and I won’t let them suffer any more losses!” Chang Jingqiu pointed fiercely at Huang Pinggui. “I’m telling you, Huang Pinggui; to me, the Chang family is my real family, my true family members. You sold me off, and because of that, you have nothing to do with me anymore. I won’t recognize the two of you!

“I’ll drag my useless body to beg on the streets and I won’t be from the Chang family anymore! From then on, I’m no longer a member of the Chang family, and you can say whatever you want, but I won’t admit to it! If I do that, what reason would you have to threaten the Chang family?”

“You…” Huang Pinggui stood up abruptly. His eyes were red too, but they were due to anger. At that moment, he wanted to hit out at Chang Jingqiu, seemingly rearing to lay a hand on her at any given time.

“What are you doing? This is our house and you dare to act like a hooligan!” Grandmother Chang slapped the sofa in anger.

At that exact moment, Chang Jingqiu pushed down on her wheelchair’s armrests and propped herself up. Her entire body then fell onto the floor in a loud thud.

Her body, from waist-down, was completely devoid of any sensation. She wanted to kneel but failed to do so, prompting her to just lay there miserably.

“Jingqiu!” Grandmother Chang howled in shock. “What are you doing?!”

Chang Jingqiu crawled forward. Grandmother Chang turned to Chang Zhixing and said anxiously, “Why are you staring so blankly for? Help Jingqiu up!”

“NO! NOBODY TOUCH ME!” Chang Jingqiu wailed. She grabbed Grandmother Chang’s legs and looked up at the old lady. “Grandma, just let me be like this! I can’t feel anything in my legs, and I can’t even kneel down for you. This is all I can do right now, so don’t stop me.”

“My child, what are you doing? Your body hasn’t even recuperated yet!” Grandmother Chang said heartbrokenly.

Chang Jingqiu shook her head. “Grandma, I want to kneel before you. Jingqiu hasn’t been filial. I grew up to be a handicapped person after all you did to nurture me. I can’t repay you. This is the first time I hate myself so much for being useless. The only thing I can do now is to stop myself from making things difficult for you and making you feel wronged.”

“My child, what are you saying?” Grandmother Chang asked with an aching heart.

“Listen to me,” Chang Jingqiu cried out with much emotion. “I don’t want to leave you, but I can’t let them take advantage of your kindness to blackmail you. It’s not that our family can’t come up with three million, but why should we let them take advantage of us while we suffer from their threats? I can’t let them do such a vile thing to you! If we give in this once, there’ll be a next time. Today, they said they’ll keep their mouth shut after having three million, but after having a taste of luxury, they might regret not taking more money. They’ll come back to ask for another five million in exchange for their silence, so when will it end?

“Grandma, you’re old. You should be happily living the remainder of your days and no one should be giving you any stress. I can’t let them take advantage of you. I was never from the Chang family to begin with, so even if I leave, it’s something that ought to be done,” Chang Jingqiu cried and said. She looked up with a face that seemed completely unwilling to part ways with the old lady. “Grandma, Jingqiu hasn’t been filial and can never be filial to you anymore. From today onward, I can’t be your granddaughter anymore, but don’t worry… Even if I leave, I won’t go with them. I’ll live happily myself. Even if I can repay my debt to you, I’ll pray to Buddha every day to let you live a healthy, happy, and long life. But… but Jingqiu won’t be able to kneel for you anymore, and that’s why Jingqiu can never be filial.”