Chapter 234 | Chapter 235 | Chapter 236
Chapter 234: Discussion
The three of them ate lunch absentmindedly.
Yu Xin was thinking about how to resolve the engagement—she had no intention of being forced by Yu Wenli and Cui Wanning to fight Yu Yuan over a cockroach.
Jiang Chuchu mentally reviewed the list of lawyers her assistant Jin Jubao had provided and quietly decided to raise the priority of “using force.”
As for Gu Qinghuan, she was thinking about how to phrase things when she called Xia He later.
If Xu Zhishu really intended to walk away, then it was already beyond what she, as a student, could handle.
She could inform Bao Rujian to keep watch, but without official authorization, his actions would be heavily restricted.
At a time like this, Xia He was clearly the best option.
Normally, she would discuss things with the whole class, but this situation involved too many threads, and her information sources were too complicated. Explaining everything to everyone might only make things more chaotic.
Gu Qinghuan finished eating first. “I’m full! About the Wei family—I’m going to talk to Xia He. I’ll let you know immediately if there’s any plan. I’m heading off!”
With that, she hurried away.
Yu Xin and Jiang Chuchu exchanged looks. There was a faint sense of unwillingness—but they both knew that with Xia He’s help, many things could be accomplished.
Jiang Chuchu rubbed her temples. “I wonder what Qinghuan figured out.”
“It must be something serious,” Yu Xin said, lips pressed tight. “Otherwise she wouldn’t contact Xia He.”
The two looked at each other again and said in unison, “I wish I were as capable as Xia He.”
“Ah-choo!”
Xia He rubbed his nose, suspecting someone was talking about him.
Xia Nanzhi? The trap he’d set for him this month hadn’t even gone off yet—he’d only sent a few bottles of blood pressure medication.
Xia Xu? He’d been too busy to deal with him lately. He’d heard Xia Xu had even regained his weight.
Pulling himself back, Xia He was just about to decide where to eat lunch when his phone rang. He glanced at it, and his expression softened. “What happened?”
Gu Qinghuan choked slightly. She did have something to discuss, but being asked that directly made her feel a bit guilty—like she only contacted him when she needed help.
Still, the situation was urgent. “I need to discuss something with you. It’ll take a while.”
Xia He raised a brow. “How long?”
“At least half an hour.”
He tapped his fingers on the table. “We can discuss details later. First, tell me—what do you need me to do?”
Gu Qinghuan hesitated, then asked, “Can you keep an eye on Xu Zhishu? Make sure any unusual movements are caught immediately.”
“I’ll arrange it right away,” Xia He replied calmly.
Such a reliable backer.
Gu Qinghuan immediately felt less anxious. “Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Mhm. I’ll set things up first and call you back in a few minutes. Then we’ll talk.”
This way, he’d be the one calling her—and save her phone bill.
Taking advantage of the gap, Gu Qinghuan messaged Bai Hanshan. After getting approval, she headed to the student council president’s office.
She could’ve gone to her own office—but who knew if Wei Xiao might suddenly show up? The president’s office was safer.
She had just locked the door from the inside when Xia He’s call came in.
“Everything’s arranged on Xu Zhishu’s side. Now tell me what happened.”
Gu Qinghuan immediately dumped all the messy information she had gathered. The sheer volume made Xia He pinch the bridge of his nose.
“What exactly have you been getting yourself into every day?”
Gu Qinghuan let out an awkward laugh. She also wanted to know how much more dramatic this world could get.
After organizing the information in his mind, Xia He said, “So you suspect Xu Zhishu wants to run?”
“I’m not sure. I just feel like she might not want Wei Xiao anymore, so she doesn’t care about the engagement either.”
After a brief pause, Xia He suddenly asked, “Why did you bring up Lin Zhulu?”
As the daughter of Wei Yan’s ex-wife, studying next door to Wei Xiao, it was already a coincidence—but was there any need to mention it?
The Wei family hadn’t noticed her. Pointing out her identity didn’t seem like something Gu Qinghuan would usually do.
Gu Qinghuan hesitated. Lin Zhulu was her mission target, tied to the most tragic outcome—she had mentioned her instinctively.
She scratched her cheek and improvised, “I just think Xu Zhishu giving up on Wei Xiao so easily isn’t normal.”
Xia He agreed. “With the Wei family’s wealth and status, she could live comfortably for life as Wei Yan’s wife and Wei Xiao’s mother.”
“Exactly. So I thought—if she doesn’t care about Wei Xiao, could it be because he’s not actually her son?” Gu Qinghuan said with a straight face.
Xia He shook his head.
Someone like Xu Zhishu couldn’t be judged by ordinary morality.
Even if he were her biological son—if he threatened her interests, she could still abandon him.
So that reasoning didn’t quite hold.
Besides, Wei Xiao resembled Xu Zhishu closely—he should be her son…
Xia He paused.
Wait.
Being Xu Zhishu’s son didn’t necessarily mean he was Wei Yan’s son.
Gu Qinghuan quickly added, “If Wei Xiao is fake, then Wei Yan would only have Lin Zhulu left. I’m worried he might take her away from her mother.”
This was also her current guess about Lin Zhulu’s worst possible fate.
No matter how much Wei Yan favored sons over daughters, he wouldn’t willingly raise a son with no blood relation.
If Wei Xiao’s identity were exposed, Lin Zhulu might be taken away—leading to her most tragic outcome.
“I understand,” Xia He said. “I’ll look into it.”
Gu Qinghuan silently let out a breath.
This was exactly her dilemma.
If Xu Zhishu were exposed, Wei Xiao’s identity might come to light—and trigger Lin Zhulu’s worst fate.
But if she wasn’t exposed, Wei Xiao would continue harming others, including Yu Yuan.
She wanted a solution that could resolve both.
As Xia He was still thinking, his phone suddenly received a message—from the person he had just assigned to monitor Xu Zhishu.
He raised a brow at the speed—then read the contents.
Gu Qinghuan heard him laugh.
But the laugh was… unsettling.
She cleared her throat. “Um… what happened?”
“Nothing major,” Xia He said lightly. “Just that what you mentioned… happens to involve me as well.”
“Xu Zhishu is looking for someone—and that person is my second uncle, Xia Xiuzhu.”
“Your uncle? What connection could they have?” Gu Qinghuan asked.
“No idea. I’m quite curious myself—how Xia Xiuzhu got involved with a former human trafficker,” Xia He said slowly.
But if Xu Zhishu dared approach him, she must have leverage—something useful to him.
From this perspective, Xia He almost admired her.
To escape the Wei family, she was reaching for a stronger one.
Even if Xia Xiuzhu himself wasn’t particularly capable, just leveraging the Xia family’s name might be enough for her to divorce Wei Yan.
“I’ll handle Xu Zhishu,” Xia He said. “If anything happens, I’ll contact you immediately. For now, you can focus on dealing with Wei Xiao.”
After all, Yu Xin had been learning from him for quite a while.
If she still couldn’t handle someone as crude as Wei Xiao…
Then he’d really have to scold her.
Chapter 235: The Most Moving Words
After learning of Wei Xiao’s plan, Yu Yuan was so furious she almost burst into curses. If not for the fact that Yu Wenli was at home today, she really would have shouted them out loud.
“Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!” Yu Yuan rubbed her arms. “That… that…”
For a moment, she couldn’t find the right word.
Yu Xin reminded her, “Cockroach.”
“This cockroach!” Yu Yuan immediately adopted the term.
She had stood up in anger just now, but after venting, she flopped back into the beanbag chair in Yu Xin’s room, her whole body sinking into it.
Zhima climbed up along her leg and curled into a ball on her thigh: since auntie had taken the seat, the cat would just settle on auntie’s lap.
With Zhima acting cute like that, Yu Yuan’s irritation eased a lot.
Scratching Zhima under the chin, she grumbled, “What do we do now? I can deal with it myself, but you absolutely can’t be harmed by him.”
“What do you mean ‘you can deal with it’? Our original goal was to help you cancel the engagement—you’re the priority,” Yu Xin said without hesitation.
She was happy Yu Yuan cared about her, but that didn’t mean Yu Yuan should downplay herself.
“You matter too. You still have to break free from the Yu family and find your biological mother,” Yu Xin added.
At the mention of “biological mother,” Yu Yuan went quiet for a moment. “What kind of person would my biological mother be?”
“What do you hope she’s like?” Yu Xin asked in return.
Yu Yuan opened her mouth, then quickly shut it again. After a while, she said softly, “No… I shouldn’t have expectations. Otherwise…”
What if she ended up disappointed?
She couldn’t set her hopes too high—that wouldn’t be fair to her biological mother either.
Yu Xin thought for a moment. “She must love spicy food. You do, after all.”
“Aunt Yu does too!” Yu Yuan perked up immediately.
“Do you remember that time it was just the two of us at home? Aunt Yu made spicy chicken—that was amazing!”
She smacked her lips at the memory. The aroma alone while cooking had been irresistible—especially when the Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies, scallions, and ginger were stir-fried together.
The heat rushed straight to the head, yet it was so fragrant it made your mouth water. The diced chicken had been fried first, then stir-fried—slightly crisp on the outside, but incredibly flavorful, each bite bursting with spicy, numbing richness.
Seeing that Yu Yuan had already forgotten about Wei Xiao, Yu Xin felt satisfied. “Tomorrow night it’ll just be the two of us again. Want Aunt Yu to make it?”
“Yes!” Yu Yuan’s eyes lit up. She lifted Zhima off her lap and ran out to find Yu Wenxiu to discuss dinner.
Originally, Yu Wenxiu had only been responsible for cleaning. Later, after discovering her cooking skills, Steward Zhao had asked about her preferences and then reported to Cui Wanning, transferring her from a day maid to a live-in maid.
Although her workload increased, her salary nearly doubled.
Of course, for Yu Wenxiu, being able to spend more time with Yu Yuan was what mattered most.
After becoming a live-in maid, Yu Wenxiu had her own room.
To avoid being discovered, the moment Yu Wenxiu opened the door, Yu Yuan slipped inside and quickly shut it behind her.
Seeing Yu Yuan come to find her at this hour surprised Yu Wenxiu pleasantly.
When she heard Yu Yuan wanted spicy chicken tomorrow, she agreed readily. “Of course. Anything else you’d like?”
Yu Yuan couldn’t think of anything. “You decide, Aunt Yu. I like everything you cook.”
Yu Wenxiu couldn’t help but smile. “How about boiled pork slices? Mao Xuewang? Spicy shrimp?”
Yu Yuan was just about to swallow her saliva when there was a knock on the door.
She thought it was Yu Xin—but the next second, she heard Cui Wanning’s voice.
“Xiao Yu, are you there?”
Yu Yuan panicked.
Afraid Cui Wanning would discover her, she looked around frantically, then yanked open the wardrobe and hid inside.
Yu Wenxiu tensed as well. She closed the wardrobe door before going to open the room door.
“Madam Cui, is there something you need?”
Cui Wanning walked in directly, glanced around, and finally sat on the edge of the bed.
“Close the door. I have something to say to you.”
Inside the wardrobe, Yu Yuan barely dared to breathe, forcing herself to stay calm.
Why was Cui Wanning looking for Yu Wenxiu at this hour?
The answer came to her almost immediately—
It must be because Yu Wenxiu had stepped in at the wine tasting and openly opposed Cui Wanning.
As expected, once the door was shut, Cui Wanning spoke.
“Xiao Yu, you should know who pays your salary.”
“It’s true—you’ve taken good care of Yuan Yuan, and both Wenli and I have seen it. She likes you very much. She even asked me to bring you along to the wine tasting.”
“But you need to understand your place. You’re just a maid. There are plenty of people who can replace you.”
“I’ll let this slide this time, considering your usual hard work. But next time, remember where you stand. Otherwise, you won’t be able to keep working in this house.”
By the end, her tone was clearly unfriendly—almost threatening.
With just a few words, the Yu family could ruin Yu Wenxiu’s reputation, making it impossible for her to work in this field again.
“But Madam Cui, Wei Xiao was clearly acting on purpose—”
Before Yu Wenxiu could finish, Cui Wanning cut her off coldly.
“So what if he was? As long as she can marry into the Wei family, what’s a little grievance?”
“This is more than just a little grievance!” Yu Wenxiu’s expression turned cold. “If he can bully her psychologically today, tomorrow he could raise his hand against her! He’s not a good person at all! As her mother, how can you not protect your child?!”
Tears fell from Yu Yuan’s eyes instantly.
She pressed her hands tightly over her eyes, as if trying to force the tears back in.
Cui Wanning, however, let out a light scoff.
“Mother? Xiao Yu, you’ve been here long enough to know—Yu Yuan is not my biological daughter.”
“Haven’t I treated her well enough? I’ve given her the best life since childhood, and now I’ve arranged the best marriage possible.”
“Some people spend their whole lives unable to climb up to a family like the Wei family. She can marry in so easily—others would envy her.”
“Or do you think she should be like you—spending her whole life working as a maid?”
Yu Yuan’s tears stopped.
Instead, something burned in her chest.
What was wrong with someone like Yu Wenxiu?
She earned her living through honest work, cooked delicious meals, kept everything neat and tidy, always smiled gently at her—and stood in front of her to protect her.
What right did Cui Wanning have to belittle her?
Yu Wenxiu was far more like a mother.
Yu Yuan reached for the wardrobe door, wanting to go out—even if she got scolded or hit, she wanted to speak up for her.
But just as her hand touched the door, she felt something press against it.
Yu Wenxiu had leaned her back against the wardrobe, stopping her from coming out.
Somehow, even without seeing her, Yu Wenxiu could tell—
Yu Yuan was angry.
Angry for her.
That alone was enough to warm her heart.
She didn’t get angry at Cui Wanning’s words. Instead, she said softly,
“Madam Cui, I’m not trying to persuade you, and I don’t think you’d listen anyway.”
“But no matter what, I hope Yu Yuan can live happily and freely.”
Cui Wanning snorted, unwilling to continue the conversation, and left.
Yu Wenxiu closed the door, then walked back to the wardrobe and opened it.
Yu Yuan kept her head down, wiping her face repeatedly, trying to erase all traces of tears.
“You’ve cried yourself into a little mess,” Yu Wenxiu said gently, taking tissues to wipe her face. “Don’t cry. I’m not hurt, and I’m not upset.”
I just regret that I couldn’t protect you better.
With a trembling voice, Yu Yuan asked, “Aunt Yu… I know this might sound inappropriate, but… can I call you… Mom?”
She couldn’t imagine what her biological mother was like, didn’t dare to hope—
But right now, she truly wished Yu Wenxiu were her mother.
Yu Wenxiu froze.
She suppressed the surge of joy and emotion in her heart, trying to answer calmly—yet her voice still trembled.
“Yes… of course you can.”
Yu Yuan threw herself into her arms, burying her face against her and softly called out—
“Mom.”
It was the most moving word Yu Wenxiu had ever heard.
Chapter 236: Submission
When Yu Yuan didn’t come back for a long time, Yu Xin began to feel something was off and was about to go check on her—only to see Yu Yuan return with red eyes.
She immediately asked, “Why are you crying?”
“It’s nothing… I just overheard some things.” Yu Yuan rubbed her eyes again.
At home right now, the only other person was Cui Wanning. It must have been something unpleasant she said that Yu Yuan overheard.
Yu Xin frowned, thinking that her previous talk with Cui Wanning clearly hadn’t had a lasting effect.
She should’ve just chopped up those spiders, centipedes, and bamboo worms and mixed them into Cui Wanning’s dinner—then told her after she finished eating.
…Though that sounded a bit too deliberate. Better forget it.
She stepped forward, took Yu Yuan’s hand, and said seriously, “Don’t take other people’s words to heart. Just ignore her.”
Yu Yuan smiled at her. “It’s okay. I don’t care about what she says anymore. I… I just called Aunt Yu ‘Mom.’”
Saying it out loud made her a little embarrassed, but the warmth of being cared for was so overwhelming that she wanted to share it.
Fidgeting with her fingers, she said softly, “You asked me earlier what kind of person I hope my biological mother is… I think Aunt Yu—no, Mom Yu—is already pretty perfect.”
Yu Xin felt a sense of relief.
No matter what, the fact that Yu Yuan could now look forward to the idea of a mother was a good thing.
She comforted Yu Yuan for a while. Once Yu Yuan had calmed down and left the room, Yu Xin sat down at her desk.
After finishing her homework, she began thinking about Wei Xiao again.
She stared at her phone for a long time before finally resigning herself and opening her chat with Xia He:
[Are you free?]
Less than five minutes later, Xia He replied—not with “What is it?” or “Go ahead,” but by directly sending over a mind map.
Xia He：[Complete within 15 minutes.]
Yu Xin silently screamed while replying obediently:
[Received.]
She printed out the mind map, grabbed some scratch paper and a pen, and started filling it in.
The map laid out the current situation clearly. The information Yu Xin already knew was included, along with some new details she was seeing for the first time.
Those must have been gathered by Xia He after discussing with Qinghuan—
That faint sense of unwillingness surfaced again.
Gu Qinghuan: Yes, yes, it was Xia He who gathered it. Nothing to do with me.
The reasoning and analysis were laid out neatly. As Yu Xin filled in the blanks and answered the questions Xia He had embedded, she also organized her own thoughts.
By the time she finished, thirteen minutes had passed. She quickly took a photo and sent it over.
After a short while, Xia He replied again:
[Now do you know how to deal with Wei Xiao?]
Yu Xin：[Yes.]
Xia He sent a smiling emoji:
[Then go slap his face into ruin.]
So confident it was almost laughable—coveting Gu Qinghuan, trying to control Yu Yuan, and now even setting his sights on Yu Xin.
What, did he think they’d fight each other over him?
What a joke.
If Xia He had any real dealings with Wei Xiao, he’d have already found an excuse to beat him himself.
Yu Xin responded obediently, ended the chat, and turned to message the trio group chat.
Yu Xin：[I’ll handle the cockroach this time.]
Jiang Chuchu：[What are you going to do?]
Yu Xin：[He thinks Yu Yuan and I will compete over the role of his fiancée. Then let him see just how worthless that role really is.]
The next day, during the long break between classes, a new post appeared on Mingde’s confession wall.
[Dear wall, I want to ask—since many people here have some understanding of arranged marriages, what kind of partner is considered ideal?]
The gossip crowd rushed in immediately. Within a single break, nearly a hundred comments flooded in.
Most students at Mingde came from good backgrounds, so they were naturally somewhat familiar with arranged marriages.
Even though many families were open-minded and didn’t impose such expectations, at this age—when emotions were budding—most students had at least thought about what kind of partner they wanted.
Several early comments stood out:
[A friendly reminder from the Student Council: matching family background is enough. Never go on a blind date with a top-tier rich guy—unless you have a death wish.]
Three minutes later, the comment was deleted.
[Can someone tell me what it takes to marry into the Jiang family?]
Jiang Chuchu replied：[First requirement—have the courage to ask me this face to face.]
Five minutes later, the comment was deleted by its author.
Very few people actually answered the question seriously. Instead, it gradually turned into a gossip hub, with everyone sharing what they knew and speculating about which students had already been matched.
Yes—Yu Xin had borrowed two alternate accounts from Bao Qingsong to subtly steer the discussion in this direction.
By lunchtime, another post appeared, clearly linked to the first:
[Wall, please post anonymously.]
[I saw the earlier post about arranged marriages, and I can’t hold this gossip in anymore.]
[There’s a pair in our school rumored to have a tentative engagement. I say ‘tentative’ because honestly, anyone with a brain wouldn’t agree to it. I really don’t know what the girl’s family is thinking.]
[For starters, at a wine tasting event held recently by a certain family… those two caused quite a scene.]
The post went on in great detail, vividly recounting everything.
Everyone was thoroughly entertained—and soon, the male party was identified.
As for the female? Since the male’s behavior was so outrageous, she barely drew attention.
[Who would even want this kind of engagement partner?]
[Correction: who would take him?]
[Taking out the trash, huh?]
[Objectively speaking, his family background is decent, but as for him personally…]
[Looks okay, but if you dig into his family situation… yikes.]
[Good thing he’s in Class Two. Any other class would’ve kicked him out already.]
[He used to cling to the Student Council’s mascot—does anyone not know that?]
[He still does. Also, she’s not a mascot—without her, the council would fall apart.]
[Here’s a joke: I overheard him yesterday telling the girl’s older sister he’s reconsidering the engagement and wants to swap the younger sister for the older one.]
[The older sister? You mean the top student in the grade?]
[How does he even have the nerve… anyone know his last exam score?]
[Screenshot]
[Wow… with those scores, if he wants to “improve genetics,” he should marry into her family with his entire fortune.]
[Won’t work. No saving him. Just wait for extinction.]
[Why don’t I have that level of confidence… I mean, shamelessness.]
[Better not. That kind of confidence is useless—he didn’t even get accepted into the Student Council.]
Bang!
Wei Xiao’s newly bought phone shattered against the ground, the screen splintering into a web of cracks.
His eyes were red with rage, wishing he could track down every single commenter and make them pay.
Who posted that?!
He would definitely teach that person a lesson.
