Zhao Youxi’s piercing scream shocked everyone inside the house. When they recovered their senses, they hurriedly lowered their heads and pretended they had not heard anything. They quietly retreated as they were afraid they might become the sacrificial items of the father-daughter pair.
“What did you say?!” Zhao Shuncheng froze before he returned to his senses. His face was darker than thunderclouds, and he looked frightening.
Yet, she still had the guts to refute him, “I said, you… um…”
Li Hongyu knew Zhao Youxi would be in trouble the moment she opened her mouth. She wanted to cover Zhao Youxi’s mouth, but was too far away. She managed to stop her at the nick of time when Zhao Youxi was about to talk back to him.
“Youxi, shut up.” She warned her daughter in a low voice. Zhao Youxi smirked and her face darkened.
Li Hongyu turned around and looked at Zhao Shuncheng. She quickly resumed her usual gentle and weak look, which she wore best, and said tearfully, “Shuncheng, don’t lower your standard to meet hers. She’s still a child… She doesn’t know anything…”
Unfortunately, ever since their last discussion ended up unhappily, coupled with the farce this time, Zhao Shuncheng had used up his last bit of tolerance for Li Hongyu and Zhao Youxi. “She’s still a child, and she’s innocent?! She ended up like this because you’ve been covering up for her all the time! You raise a wastrel with your overflowing of motherly affection. You’re the cause of who she is today!:”
Upon hearing Zhao Shuncheng’s merciless rebuke, Li Hongyu widened her eyes. She looked at Zhao Shuncheng incredulously with her teary eyes.
Meanwhile, Zhao Shuncheng seemed like he still had not had enough of it. He snorted and cussed, “You failed to educate my children. I wonder why I even laid my eyes on you in the beginning!”
This was human nature. When they treasured someone, regardless of what the person did, everything was flawless. However, once they disliked the person, everything that the person did was flawed. At that moment, that was how Zhao Shuncheng perceived Li Hongyu and Zhao Youxi.
In the past, he had tossed Zhao Youlin and her mother to the side without hesitation after he got fed up with them and made Li Hongyu and Zhao Youxi his official wife and daughter. Likewise, now, he got fed up with the mother-daughter pair, so he just tossed them aside.
Li Hongyu’s expression stiffened, and she stared at Zhao Shuncheng dumbfoundedly to the extent that she forgot to shed tears.
Zhao Shuncheng frowned. He found them annoying, and snapped at them, “From now on, we’re no longer family! Get out now! I don’t want to see you anymore.” Right after he spoke, he turned around and left.
He sounded so firmly, as if he had made up his mind to cut ties with Zhao Youxi.
Upon hearing Zhao Shuncheng’s words, only then did Zhao Youxi realize how serious the matter was. She panicked. She sobbed and called Li Hongyu, “Mother…”
Li Hongyu was snapped out of her daze. Looking at Zhao Shuncheng’s silhouette, who left them alone without hesitation, she became anxious. Without caring much less about others, she staggered her way and lunged at Zhao Shuncheng. She wrapped herself around his thigh.
Before Zhao Shuncheng kicked her away angrily, she howled miserably, “Shuncheng, I know Youxi has disappointed you. But, she’s still your own flesh and blood. I failed to educate her, and I don’t deserve your mercy. However, even if you don’t want to give your respect to me, you should at least consider things for Youming. You can’t just leave her to fend on her own!”
Indeed, right after Zhao Shuncheng heard his son’s name, he struggled less.
Li Hongyu knew this in her heart. She worked harder by adding, “Shuncheng, Youming is your only son. He’s very successful. He shouldn’t be the subject of criticism because of such things. He’ll be back in a couple of days. How upsetting would it be if he finds that his elder sister has been kicked out of the house upon his return?”
Under Li Hongyu’s tearful pleading, Zhao Shuncheng’s faith was a little shaken. His gaze rested on Zhao Youxi and Li Hongyu, and he looked at them back and forth. In the end, he gave in to her and said, “Stay at home these few days. Don’t go anywhere.”
Right after he spoke, he pulled out his hand from Li Hongyu’s grip and left without even turning back.
Zhao Shuncheng took back his words, and did not kick Zhao Youxi out immediately. As such, the mother-daughter heaved a sigh of relief.
Zhao Youxi crawled toward Li Hongyu with a sense of lingering fear. She looked even more ruffled.
No matter how, Zhao Youxi was her own flesh and blood. Regardless of how furious she was, she was reluctant to criticise her harshly.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t be scared. I’m here. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Looking at her tearful daughter, this was Li Hongyu’s first time feeling incredibly exhausted.
She had spent many years teaching her all the etiquettes and manners to be expected from the ladies of great families. She did this because she did not want her daughter to follow her footsteps. In the end, Zhao Youxi still disappointed her.
Fortunately… She still had a successful son. His son was not inferior to anyone.
Thinking of this, a glimpse of light was caught in Li Hongyu’s deadly gaze.
Unbeknownst to the mother-daughter pair, the family dispute soon reached a certain one’s ears who had been watching them closely.
While Zhao Youxi’s gossips were spreading like wildfire in Shalnork, Zhao Youlin added an activity to her list, which was… collecting various news about Zhao Youxi, as well as asking someone to watch over Zhao Shuncheng and his family’s reactions and inform her in a timely manner.
Zhao Shuncheng’s reactions right after he found the news were already within Zhao Youlin’s expectation. He was ego, vain, and snobbish. To put it bluntly, he would not give up on his stubborn pride even if it cost him his life.
It would be a miracle if he ever tolerated Zhao Youxi after tainting his reputation so greatly.
Therefore, the moment Li Hongyu used their son to change Zhao Shuncheng’s mind so that he did not drive Zhao Youxi out of their house, the so-called brother whom Zhao Youlin did not have much impression on piqued her interest.
“General Manager, this is today’s newspaper.” Zhao Youlin had finished her work and had nothing to do at that moment. Just then, Li pushed open the door and came in while holding today’s various updated newspapers in her hand.
Zhao Youlin’s eyes sparkled. She smiled faintly and took over the newspaper from Li. She flipped through the newspaper and saw the unbearably scandalous photos, a huge contrast when compared to Zhao Youxi’s recent outings photos as well as its contents.
“The illegitimate daughter of the chief of the development department from Zhao Group is suspected of misappropriation of public funds…” A look of surprise flashed across Zhao Youlin’s eyes. She grabbed the bottom of the newspaper and studied it carefully. After she verified the validity of the evidence provided by the magazine publisher, the corners of her lips slowly curled upward.
She wondered if Zhao Shuncheng could cover up for Zhao Youxi, or rather, if he was still capable of covering up for her!
