Chapter 275: THEY WERE FOOLS FROM THE BEGINNING

The television went dark as the remote clattered onto the mahogany side table.

Xue Deyong sat back on the sofa, his untouched glass of scotch resting against his knee. On the screen, Shen Zihao’s mugshot glared beneath bold red banners.

"Thank God," Deyong murmured, setting the glass on the coaster. "If Guiying had actually married him, the scandal would have destroyed us."

"You absolute fool." His mother stood in the doorway, her shoulders rigid, her hand resting heavily on the frame. "You sit there worrying about a headline?"

Deyong straightened his spine. "What else should I worry about? Guiying avoided a disaster."

His mother scoffed, her lips twisting in contempt. "You should worry about Guiying not being your son. Truly you’re Mingzhan’s son. The foolishness in this family runs deep."

Matriarch Xue stepped across the room, raising her hand in the blink of an eye—

_PIAK_

A sharp sound rang through the room.

"Mother!!"

Deyong held the side of his face, staring at his mother in disbelief.

"You foolish child! After everything I’ve done to make sure you head up at the top and inherit this family, you still ruined it. You let that illegitimate bastard take everything. How stupid can you get!"

Deyong’s lips twitched. What the hell was she yapping about?

Did she just hear about the details of the dinner?

"Mother, I understand that you’re angry. I will get back what ShangYan took from me, but that doesn’t give you the right to slap me."

Matriarch Xue let out a disappointed huff. Her son had turned out to be a complete fool.

"Mingzhan was a fool for spoiling you. That’s why you went out to cheat like that bastard. If you had stayed loyal to your wife, you wouldn’t have been your father’s scapegoat."

Deyong frowned. What was that supposed to mean?

"Mother, if you have anything to say, just say it. Stop beating around the bush."

Matriarch Xue nodded, followed by a little laugh. "The child you abused over the years and tried to sell off is your younger brother ShangYan’s son."

-_-

"What?!"

Deyong and Matriarch Xue turned towards the shrill voice.

It was Zhou Meilin, stepping into the living room alongside Bowen and Jiaming.

They had equally blank expressions on their faces.

"Mother, what do you mean? What do you mean Guiying isn’t Deyong’s son?!"

Matriarch Xue humphed and sat down on the chair, her chest rising in short bursts.

"Get me some tea."

Meilin immediately told Bowen to get his grandmother some tea while she and Jiaming joined Deyong.

"Guiying isn’t Deyong’s son. It was all an elaborate plan orchestrated by your father to, in his words, ’protect the family’ from shame."

Zhou Meilin’s lips turned down. What was this nonsense she was hearing?

They had spent over two decades raising a child that wasn’t even theirs?

"Deyong had cheated and was looking for someone to hide that infidelity, and your father used you as his scapegoat. He never acknowledged your younger brother. He had him raised in the countryside until he was well over 14 or 16, when Mingzhan brought him briefly to the city. That was how his own infidelity had come to light."

Bowen placed the tray near Matriarch Xue, pouring her a cup.

"Have some Oolong tea, Grandma."

Matriarch Xue patted his hand, accepting the cup.

"It caused a huge uproar in the family." Sipping the tea gently, Matriarch Xue let it calm her troubled nerves.

"So Mingzhan had to take ShangYan back to the countryside and the whole issue was buried, as though he never existed. But then years later you just had to cheat. Not that I’m surprised. If your father could cheat, then you could too. It runs through your veins."

Zhou Meilin clenched her fists, her eyes darkening.

Deyong had hated her body after childbirth and went out to find other women that fit his tastes.

Guiying’s mother wasn’t the only one he slept with. He had three more children outside.

But that was a story for another day.

"But that doesn’t explain why Guiying isn’t my son. It only proves it."

Matriarch Xue lifted the porcelain cup to her lips, steam curling past her face. Her eyes never left him. Over the rim of the tea, her glare cut sharper than any words.

She set the porcelain cup down. The soft clink was the only sound in the room.

"While you were busy trying to cover your infidelity, you went to your father for advice. The same man who had buried his own scandal successfully. So you were confident his plan wouldn’t fail."

She lifted her eyes to his.

"That was how he used you as a shield. To protect ShangYan. To tie him to the family."

Her fingers smoothed the edge of her sleeve.

"He was with that woman much longer than you were with her. And because the child’s birth matched the duration of your infidelity, Mingzhan was able to deceive you."

The corners of Deyong’s lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes darkening.

"Telling you to raise your illegitimate child. Unlike him, who abandoned his own."

Matriarch Xue’s shoulders shook, a small exhale escaping her.

"Ha. You’re so dumb. Because you had several illegitimate children, you never once thought to check if this one was yours."

"Mother, that’s enough."

-_-

"What? Why are you suddenly getting defensive? Oh, you don’t want your wife to know about your infidelity? I’m sure Meilin wouldn’t mind. She was the one who couldn’t control her man."

Meilin’s lips twitched, her fingers tightening.

"If only you were just as smart as Xue ShangYan, then you wouldn’t have—"

_Bang!_

Deyong’s palms slammed against the table, rattling the teacup.

"Mother! I told you that was enough. Have you gone deaf?!"

Matriarch Xue glanced at him, her lips curving up though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

"Tell us the truth, Deyong. Or were you planning on carrying it to your grave? Tell your sons about the three daughters you hid. Tell Jiaming how he’s not even your first born. If there was a scumbag competition, you certainly bested your father."

"Mother! Not another word from you. I want you to leave my house this instant."

Deyong marched towards her, sweeping the tray to the floor.

Crack!

The teapot shattered, scattering across the room in a million tiny pieces, its contents spilling onto the floor.

"Deyong!" Matriarch Xue’s voice cracked. For the first time, her composure slipped.

"Leave my house. Now!"

-_-

"So this is how to treat your mother, who has helped you over the years? I shall leave. But take my warnings to heart, Xue Deyong, your past will catch up to you and this time you won’t have a father to run to."

Reaching for Bowen’s hand, she patted it gently, signalling him to help her get up.

Her hands shaking lightly, Deyong had destroyed those lovely teacups.

Just like his father, they loved to talk about truth but could not stomach it when it was centered around them.

Glancing at Zhou Meilin, her lips pressed into a thin line. "You should have married a better man, my dear. Though, you were not a good person to begin with."

Meilin’s lips twitched but she didn’t say anything, her hands clenching at her sides as Bowen and Matriarch Xue left the hall.

"I’ll be on my way. Not interested in your explanation or your lies. Grandma wouldn’t lie, and Mum’s silence shows it isn’t."

Jiaming stood up, grabbing his coat from the side of the chair.

"Jiaming." Deyong stepped forward, "It’s not like that.."

Jiaming didn’t stop walking until he was at the door. He bit his lip so hard it was bleeding within seconds.

"I used to wonder why you hated Guiying. I’m ashamed of myself. It took me this long to realize it. You’re a horrible father. Why have children if you weren’t going to acknowledge them? I hurt my cousin for no reason.."

Deyong couldn’t say a word to counter Jiaming. There was nothing he could do to save himself from this situation.

Meeting Bowen at the driveway, Jiaming didn’t say anything to him.

Their family was a joke and he was ashamed to be in it.

"I’m sure Dad has an explanation.."

Jiaming didn’t reply, getting into his car.

There’s no need to think a man like their father could have any redemption.

He had the resources to take care of the children he brought into the world. But instead, he chose to hide some and abuse the others.

And they were fools to not see it from the beginning.