Chapter 249 | Chapter 250 | Chapter 251
Chapter 249: Prelude to Divorce
When Wei Xiao arrived home, he gave the servants quite a scare.
The wound on his face had already scabbed over, turning a dark, bruised red that, at first glance, looked like a jagged tattoo.
A servant hurriedly went to fetch the medical kit, but Wei Xiao just asked with bloodshot eyes, “Where is my mother?”
“Madam went out and hasn’t returned yet,” the servant replied, trembling.
Wei Xiao asked again, “Did she say when she would be back?”
The servant hesitated. “Madam said there was no need to wait up for her tonight.”
Wei Yan was out of town for research and wouldn’t be back in the city this week. Hearing this from the servant, Gu Qinghuan’s words echoed in Wei Xiao’s mind once more.
If he wasn’t Wei Yan’s son, then whose was he? Was he the son of that man Xu Zhishu had been having secret talks with?
Wei Xiao recalled how frequently Xu Zhishu had been going out lately, and remembered her mentioning the divorce to that man.
He even considered the possibility that the date and room number she had mentioned were the time and place of a tryst with that man, and that he was the product of that affair.
Realizing this, Wei Xiao felt a wave of dizziness.
If he weren’t Wei Yan’s son, how would someone with Wei Yan’s personality react? Wei Yan was obsessed with traditional values like “carrying on the family line”—would he ever accept a son who shared none of his blood?
Of course not! Wei Yan would only be filled with rage. He would loathe Xu Zhishu for cuckolding him, and he would view Wei Xiao as living proof of his humiliation. Kicking Wei Xiao out of the house would be the kindest outcome.
As for the investments made in Wei Xiao over the years? Wei Yan was a seasoned businessman; he wouldn’t let “sunk costs” cloud his judgment.
Sweat pricked at Wei Xiao’s palms. He couldn’t find a shred of composure at the thought of losing everything.
Just as he was contemplating whether or not to call Xu Zhishu and demand to know where she was, he heard the sound of a car pulling up outside.
After stepping through the door, Xu Zhishu noticed the servants’ nervousness. She scanned the room and locked eyes with Wei Xiao, who was standing in the living room.
The first thing she noticed was the wound on his face. She frowned slightly. “What happened to your face?”
Then she noticed that Wei Xiao looked like a mess—there were bits of grass in his hair and patches of mud on his clothes.
Furthermore, although she could only see a portion of his back from her angle, was that a footprint on his shirt?
Wei Xiao stared straight at her, not saying a word.
Xu Zhishu turned to the servants and ordered in a commanding tone, “Everyone leave the main house. Whatever needs doing can wait until tomorrow.”
The servants left in a hurry, leaving the space to the mother and son.
Xu Zhishu walked past Wei Xiao, sat down on the sofa, and massaged her temples as if she had a headache. “What happened? Did someone hit you?”
Wei Xiao dropped onto the sofa opposite Xu Zhishu, continuing to stare at her unblinkingly. “Whose son am I?”
Xu Zhishu was reaching into her purse for a cigarette. At his words, her hand paused for a fraction of a second before resuming its motion. “Who have you been listening to?”
This reaction was within Wei Xiao’s expectations. He curled his lip. “Then tell me, who was that man you met at the luncheon the day before yesterday?”
This time, Xu Zhishu’s pause lasted longer. She struck a match, brought the flame to the cigarette she was holding between her lips, took a drag, and exhaled.
As the smoke curled around her, her voice remained steady. “That’s none of your business.”
“How is it none of my business!” Wei Xiao stood up abruptly. “I don’t care what you’re planning, just don’t drag me into it!”
Xu Zhishu held the cigarette between her fingers and looked at him coldly.
Although she had long known that Wei Xiao was bad to the core, he was still, at the end of the day, her son. Hearing those words still stung.
At the same time, Xu Zhishu became even more determined: she could not let herself be dragged down by this son.
“In that case, do whatever you can to make your father and me divorce sooner,” Xu Zhishu said coldly. “I’ll be staying far away from you and your father.”
Wei Xiao took a deep breath and sat back down heavily. “You’d better mean it.”
This time, it was Xu Zhishu who couldn’t be bothered to look at him. She crushed the half-smoked cigarette into the ashtray, rose, and retreated to her bedroom.
Wei Xiao watched her resolute back and went to take a shower, his belly full of rage.
He had intended to use the shower to change his mood, but as the water hit his face, the pain reminded him that he hadn’t treated his wound yet.
The servants had been dismissed, so Wei Xiao had to treat the injury himself. In the mirror, the edges of the blood scab, now softened by the water, looked a sickening gray-white. It only made him more irritable.
In this moment, he began to resent Xu Zhishu for failing in her responsibilities as a mother.
Even if he weren’t Wei Yan’s son, one look at his own face was enough to know he was undoubtedly Xu Zhishu’s child—how could she be so cold to her own flesh and blood!
Nursing his grievances, Wei Xiao was just about to return to his room to rest when he received a call from his father.
Wei Yan’s voice coming through the phone sounded slightly distorted, but the fury was authentic. “Son, do you know where your mother went tonight?”
“I don’t know, she didn’t say. She came back about half an hour ago,” Wei Xiao said, sensing which way the wind was blowing.
“Keep a close eye on your mother for the next couple of days. I’ll be back the day after tomorrow!” Wei Yan dropped this final instruction and hung up the phone abruptly.
Wei Xiao thought for a moment and tried searching for information related to his family online. It didn’t take long before he found a topic trending lower down on the search list.
A marketing account had posted photos paired with text, documenting Xu Zhishu’s “infidelity.”
The man in the photos was a well-known playboy in their social circles—Xia Xiuzhu of the Xia family.
Xia Xiuzhu had a bit of a reputation in the circle as a parasite who lived off his family. He couldn’t do anything right, but he had been lucky enough to be born into the wealthy Xia family.
Wei Xiao found videos of Xia Xiuzhu’s past public comments and immediately confirmed by the voice that the person Xu Zhishu had been talking to at the luncheon was indeed Xia Xiuzhu.
Could it be that Xia Xiuzhu was the object of Xu Zhishu’s affair? Was he Xia Xiuzhu’s son?
Honestly, the prospect of being associated with the Xia family was tempting for a split second, but he quickly snapped back to reality.
Xia Nanzhi and Xia He were currently locked in a cutthroat battle for the family business. Even if he were truly Xia Xiuzhu’s son, rashly inserting himself into that fray would only result in Xia Nanzhi and Xia He crushing him into nothingness.
Old Master Xia Suirong wasn’t likely to leave much of an inheritance to Xia Xiuzhu, let alone an illegitimate son.
By comparison, it was far better to remain the sole heir of the Wei family. As long as his identity remained unexposed, the entirety of the Wei family would be his.
Xu Zhishu wanted Xia Xiuzhu to help her divorce? Wei Xiao recalled her words just now, and he realized he would have to lend her a hand.
If he could get Xu Zhishu out of the way sooner, the chances of his own identity being exposed would decrease significantly.
While he wasn’t sure if the trending topic had been leaked on purpose, since Wei Yan already knew and had ordered him to keep watch over Xu Zhishu, Wei Xiao would naturally stand by his father’s side.
That was right—his father could only ever be Wei Yan. There was no other possibility.
Chapter 250: Signing Up for the Sports Meet
Bright and early the next morning, as soon as Gu Qinghuan arrived in class, she got the latest scoop from Bao Qingsong: the news was out that “Xu Zhishu is having an affair with Xia Xiuzhu.”
Gu Qinghuan immediately understood that this was a smokescreen released by Xu Zhishu to facilitate her divorce from Wei Yan.
“She really doesn’t care about her reputation at all, does she?” Gu Qinghuan couldn’t help but sigh.
While it wasn’t clear whether Xu Zhishu intended to fake an attachment to Xia Xiuzhu and use the Xia family’s background as leverage for the divorce, or if she was intentionally trying to make Wei Yan misunderstand so he would be the one to propose it, her ability to face the pressure of public opinion across the entire internet showed she had a truly formidable psychological resilience.
No, perhaps it was more accurate to say that compared to the crimes she had committed, this was mere child’s play. Gu Qinghuan couldn’t help but shake her head.
Bao Qingsong, unaware of the inside story, was completely bewildered at this point. “Why would she want to divorce Wei Yan?”
As a student, Bao Qingsong naturally couldn’t conduct field investigations into “Xu Zhishu’s” past, but he could certainly ask around.
Regarding “Xu Zhishu’s” past graduation institutions and work history—as long as it was written down, it could be verified.
Bao Qingsong had calculated based on her age and found students from the same school, college, and even the same major from those years. None of them knew an “Xu Zhishu.” It was essentially confirmed that “Xu Zhishu” was a fake identity.
But who had set up this fake identity? Xu Zhishu herself? Impossible. With Wei Yan’s capabilities, it would be trivial to uncover Xu Zhishu’s true identity. At the very least, Bao Qingsong felt Wei Yan wouldn’t keep someone whose background was unknown by his side, let alone marry her.
Therefore, he concluded that this fake identity had been arranged for her by Wei Yan.
Given that, why would Xu Zhishu want to divorce Wei Yan, the very man who held the leverage to ruin her?
“Because staying in the Wei family doesn’t benefit her anymore, right? And she might even get dragged into more trouble,” Gu Qinghuan said.
“On the surface, it looks like she betrayed Wei Yan and might face retaliation, but she hasn’t actually harmed Wei Yan’s financial interests. This kind of tabloid gossip is just fodder for conversation at best.”
“Wei Yan might lose a bit of face, but he’s the victim of the affair. Public condemnation will lean toward Xu Zhishu, so he has no reason to tear off his mask and have a messy fallout with her.”
If Wei Yan were to expose Xu Zhishu’s true identity out of spite—even through a third party—he would only make himself look stupider for having been deceived for so many years. There would be no benefit to his personal image whatsoever.
However, Gu Qinghuan quite hoped Wei Yan would expose Xu Zhishu’s true identity. After all, if that happened, Xu Zhishu could finally be brought to justice.
Looking at it this way, Xu Zhishu was holding an incredibly comfortable script. If Wei Yan found out she was once a human trafficker, he wouldn’t dare expose her, fearing she would implicate him and send him to prison on charges related to her forged identity.
She could also leverage the secret that Wei Xiao wasn’t Wei Yan’s biological son to threaten Wei Xiao later. As long as she kept the scale in check and didn’t demand too much, she could ensure a life of peace and security.
Thinking of this, Gu Qinghuan let out a sigh: “Looking at it like this, Xu Zhishu is living way too well.”
“Huh?” Bao Qingsong was a bit dazed. She was being shredded on the trending search list—how could she be living well?
“But how can we let the bad guys have it so easy?” Gu Qinghuan patted Bao Qingsong on the shoulder. “Go! Become the retribution Xu Zhishu deserves!”
With that, she walked away, leaving Bao Qingsong standing there, even more confused than before.
He thought for a moment and decided he would continue gathering evidence that “Xu Zhishu” was a fake identity.
The result of teaching Wei Xiao a lesson yesterday was that Gu Qinghuan felt refreshed and energized today. She was even smiling as she announced the upcoming sports meet to everyone during the break.
However, to the students of Class Three, the class monitor’s current smile looked absolutely murderous.
“How many people does our class need to sign up?” Shen Jianwei raised his hand, trembling slightly.
Song Yi, who was standing beside Gu Qinghuan, projected the sports meet proposal onto the screen: “This sports meet is mainly divided into two major categories: track and field events and fun events.”
Track and field included the 100m, 200m, and 400m sprints; 800m and 1500m middle-to-long distance runs; the 4×100m relay; standing long jump, triple jump, and shot put.
Most of these were standard physical education exam items; in fact, having only these counted as being on the lighter side.
The main focus was the fun events, which included tug-of-war, group jump rope, three-legged race, dribbling relay, shuttlecock kicking, and timed basketball shooting, among others.
Song Yi flipped through the proposal: “There are no hard requirements for the fun events, but the situation with the track and field events is a bit complicated… The 100m sprint, 800m and 1500m runs, and shot put are mandatory. Each class must field at least one person for these. For the 200m and 400m sprints, choose one to enter. For the standing long jump and triple jump, choose one to enter.”
“What about the relay race?” Lin Zhulu asked.
“The relay is a class-wide event. If you sign up for it, you can skip signing up for the elective events,” Song Yi replied. “Also, the relay requires two girls and two boys.”
This meant that if four people were sent to participate in the relay, they could skip the 200m/400m sprint and the long jump/triple jump.
“But the relay requires four people, so even if we skip two events, we need even more people in total,” Ai Ning said with a pained expression.
“Can’t one person participate in multiple events?” Zhan Chuchen spoke up. “I can do both the sprints and the jumping events.”
The rest of Class Three: That would be too embarrassing to ask.
Complaining aside, everyone earnestly began discussing how to arrange the roster.
Having caused trouble together so many times, no one felt that they could just sit back and relax just because others were participating. Those who weren’t competing would write cheering scripts and handle logistics.
Gu Qinghuan wrote each event on the blackboard and let everyone sign up on their own first.
Song Yi immediately crossed off the 1500m. As the person with the best physical fitness in the class and the sports committee member, Song Yi felt this was his mission.
Xu Xinghe was awestruck, bowing down in admiration: “I will definitely write the best cheering script for you!”
Yu Xin signed up for the 800m. She had great stamina and wanted to take advantage of the official track to test her performance as preparation for future physical education exams.
Fan Ziran and Yuan Wuwai signed up for the relay, and Jiang Chuchu dragged Qin Yue into it as well to round out the two girls and two boys, allowing them to drop two other events.
The order of the relay was also decided on the spot: Qin Yue, Jiang Chuchu, Fan Ziran, and then Yuan Wuwai.
The main consideration was their familiarity with each other, which would ensure better chemistry when passing the baton.
Qin Yue was also planning to sign up for the timed basketball shooting, but he needed to check the participation situation with the basketball team first.
Since she was already in the relay, there was no need for Zhan Chuchen to sign up for anything else. Considering her height advantage, she chose shot put.
As for the final 100m, based on the results of the straw-drawing, it went to Lin Zhulu.
It wasn’t that no one wanted to run; on the contrary, everyone felt the 100m was simple and all wanted to try it out.
As for the final ranking, it didn’t really matter. Although they couldn’t compete with the “capybaras” of Class Two, the “marmots” of Class Three had a very steady mindset.
Instead of fighting for a good ranking, it was better to hope for some drama on the field—like whether someone who swore they’d take first place would use the opportunity to confess their love to someone else.
The marmots: Can we be the spectators just once for this staple scene of campus romance stories!
Chapter 251: Completely Clueless
Chen Zelin was as satisfied as ever with his class’s efficiency; he felt like giving them a five-star review.
In the staff room, other teachers couldn’t help but turn green with envy when they saw Gu Qinghuan handing in the sign-up sheets for Class Three.
That was to say nothing of hearing her report that she had already arranged everything: the people writing the cheering scripts, the ones handling the broadcasts, the students purchasing supplies, and the ones coordinating the practice grounds.
The other teachers: Little Chen, why don’t you let us be the homeroom teacher for that class instead.
Chen Zelin pretended not to notice, turning to Gu Qinghuan and saying, “If there’s anything you need me to do, just say the word.”
Gu Qinghuan thought for a moment and said frankly, “It doesn’t seem like there’s anything you need to do, Sir.”
The other teachers: The verbal blow is lethal! Boohoo!
Gu Qinghuan added, “But I have to say, we might not place very high. Everyone is just trying to complete the task, so please don’t hold your expectations too high.”
“Not at all, not at all!” Chen Zelin promised immediately. “It’s a sports meet, after all—it’s meant for relaxation. As long as everyone gets some exercise, that’s enough. Don’t worry about the rankings.”
“Understood. I’ll head back to class then. The fun events haven’t been finalized yet; once everyone decides, I’ll bring the sheets back to you,” Gu Qinghuan said before leaving the staff room.
The teachers watched her retreating figure: Now that is what you call a class monitor belonging to someone else’s class.
Gu Qinghuan naturally didn’t know she had become the apple of the teachers’ eyes. There were also matters related to the sports meet waiting for her at the Student Council.
After school, she ran over to the Student Council office to work. Seeing her all alone, the fellow officers couldn’t help but ask: “Where is that assistant who usually throws himself at you?”
“Oh,” Gu Qinghuan replied with total composure, “we had a falling out. He probably won’t come looking for me anymore.”
A falling out? The officers exchanged confused glances. Someone had actually fallen out with Gu Qinghuan? Was he an alien or something?
Sun Qinglian’s gaze drifted over. “Is he the one who brought people to bully your friend yesterday?”
Gu Qinghuan nodded readily. “Yes. Luckily, nothing happened when we tracked them down. My friend acted in self-defense, and we protected her as we left.”
The officers were instantly incensed. Well, well, so he’s not an alien—he’s just human scum! A falling out is definitely warranted!
An officer sitting near Sun Qinglian nudged her with an elbow. “Does the Discipline Department handle cases like this?”
“We’re handling it. The guys he brought with him are already on our blacklist,” Sun Qinglian said, tilting her chin up. “Gu Qinghuan sent me the photos.”
“And that piece of scum?” the officer continued.
“We just found out about all this,” Sun Qinglian said, looking at Gu Qinghuan. “You kept it hidden—do you have other plans?”
“I have a few ideas. Let’s just leave him be for now. He’ll probably be busy enough with other matters soon. We can just sit back and watch the show,” Gu Qinghuan answered crisply.
Since Gu Qinghuan had a plan, the other officers didn’t feel it was appropriate to interfere. They still took turns advising her to speak up if she needed any help.
Gu Qinghuan agreed to each one of them. According to Yao Shali’s observations, Wei Xiao didn’t seem to have come to school today; it appeared the trending topic had quite an impact on him. She would just have to wait patiently for now.
Around 4:00 PM on Wednesday, Wei Xiao, who had been skipping school and staying home, finally waited for Wei Yan’s return.
He hadn’t gone to school for the past two days, staying home to keep watch and ensure Xu Zhishu didn’t leave again.
Although he saw Xu Zhishu making phone calls in the courtyard, he couldn’t exactly confirm if the person on the other end was Xia Xiuzhu.
The time it took for Wei Yan to return felt agonizingly long for Wei Xiao, especially since Xu Zhishu acted completely calm and composed.
Wei Xiao didn’t know how many times he had wanted to scream at her and demand to know what she was planning, but he was held back by the fear that she would expose his identity, so he had to keep his rage bottled up inside.
With Wei Yan finally home, Wei Xiao felt a wave of relief. He prepared to welcome him, but Xu Zhishu moved faster, walking briskly toward Wei Yan.
Wei Yan’s expression, which had been relatively calm, turned ugly the moment he saw Xu Zhishu.
There were plenty of their peers who had seen the trending topic over the past two days. Although no one was bold enough to question him to his face—preferring work over gossip—they had paid attention to it initially.
But just from the various glances he’d received during those initial moments, Wei Yan felt utterly humiliated.
Xu Zhishu keenly perceived the shift in Wei Yan’s expression and stopped, standing silently in place.
Wei Yan spoke first: “Explain.”
“I didn’t have an affair,” Xu Zhishu said calmly. “My meeting with Xia Xiuzhu was to discuss business. The trending topic was posted by Xia Nanzhi.”
“He’s been pushed to the edge by Xia He recently. Since our family has been getting closer to Xia He, he wanted to use this method to throw our family into chaos so we wouldn’t have the spare energy to consider a partnership.”
The trending topic hadn’t stayed on the list for long; it slowly dropped off before midnight, suggesting it had been artificially pushed.
However, Wei Yan didn’t believe this plausible-sounding reason at all. If anything, hearing Xu Zhishu say this made him suspect an affair even more.
The Wei family’s business had nothing to do with Xu Zhishu, and he didn’t value women enough to consider them that important.
The idea that someone would attempt to interfere with his work by disrupting his marriage was pure fantasy; Xia Nanzhi wouldn’t use such a low-class tactic.
In his perception, while Xu Zhishu was the type to claw her way up, she was completely clueless about this kind of boardroom maneuvering.
He judged that it was likely Xia Xiuzhu who had coached Xu Zhishu to say this—a rich, useless playboy like that would definitely be capable of such a lie.
“What were you discussing with Xia Xiuzhu?” Wei Yan stared fixedly at Xu Zhishu’s face.
Xu Zhishu fell silent for a long moment before finally saying: “It was about my past…”
Wei Yan raised a hand to cut her off, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Come to the study with me.”
He dropped his hand and looked at Wei Xiao, his tone softening. “Don’t concern yourself with your mother’s and my affairs. Go back to school tomorrow as usual.”
Wei Xiao agreed, watching as Wei Yan and Xu Zhishu went upstairs. He pretended not to notice the servants’ gazes and retreated to his room.
He lay on his bed, his mind still spinning with what Xu Zhishu had just said.
My past? Upon hearing that phrase, the name Wei Yan had mentioned in his drunken stupor immediately popped into Wei Xiao’s mind.
Zhu Yuanyuan.
He pondered it for ages before finally rolling over to sit up and pulling out his phone to search for the name.
However, Wei Xiao didn’t possess any real ability to conduct information retrieval. Furthermore, names found online usually appeared in news stories or novels, making it even harder to filter through.
After flipping through a few pages, Wei Xiao grew impatient.
He glanced at WeChat. In the Class Two group chat, everyone was lazily discussing the sports meet.
[The sports meet is coming up.]
[So scary…]
[Who’s going?]
[Does it make any difference who goes?]
[True.]
[Our homeroom teacher made a lottery program. Whoever gets drawn is going.]
[That works too.]
[Are we running the relay?]
[Nope, too much trouble.]
Wei Xiao felt irritated looking at this bunch of “capybaras.” He tossed his phone aside and eventually drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
When he woke up, it was already evening. Wei Xiao stepped out of his room but didn’t see Wei Yan or Xu Zhishu, and he had no idea where they had gone.
He asked the servants, who replied that the two had left separately. Judging by their expressions, they seemed quite calm, so the matter should have been resolved.
Even the servants believed this wasn’t a big problem—just a minor misunderstanding.
But Wei Xiao knew full well that what Xu Zhishu wanted was a divorce.
Wei Xiao was completely lost as to what Xu Zhishu was doing. He scratched his hair, feeling irritable and restless, so he decided to call the group of wealthy second-generation kids he usually hung out with.
“Hey, if you’re free, come out. It’s my treat—let’s head to our usual bar.”
