Chapter 39 – Tearing Off the Mask

“I won’t.” Xiao Fang squeezed the words out from between his teeth.

Xiao Qi looked at Xiao Fang with disdain. This wasn’t something he could decide.

Father Xiao showed no hesitation, as if he had already anticipated this outcome. He stood up and walked towards Xiao Fang, step by step.

“Fei Xiangnan’s family assets are among the top in the entire country, with dealings in various nations. His personal assets are comparable to several corporations. Your father’s total assets amount to three billion. If you marry into that family and something happens, even sacrificing your father’s life would be like a drop in the ocean. Xiao Fang, ask yourself, have I ever asked anything of you since you were born? I was even prepared for you to live a life of leisure. I promised your mother I would take good care of you. And what about you? You’re digging your own grave. Have you thought about the consequences? Have you thought about this family?” Father Xiao spat out the words one by one, finally stopping in front of Xiao Fang.

“Dad, he’s your grandson!” Xiao Fang himself was an orphan. He had once wished so desperately that his parents hadn’t abandoned him, that they could have given him a home. And now, how could he possibly get rid of this child who had grown in his expectations?

A flicker of pity crossed Father Xiao’s eyes, but he quickly concealed it, saying sternly, “I will have many other grandchildren in the future. If not for me, then for your mother’s sake, get rid of the child. Let’s go! I’ve already contacted a private hospital. The government will never find out.”

“What has this child given you, and what has Dad given you? Xiao Fang, you need to be clear about this!” Xiao Qi warned from the side.

Xiao Fang’s hands dropped to his sides.

Father Xiao picked up the clothes from the sofa and took Xiao Fang’s hand. “Let’s go. Let’s get rid of it.”

A triumphant smile appeared on Xiao Qi’s face.

“Dad, I’m not going.”

“Don’t be foolish. Don’t you understand yet?”

Xiao Fang raised his head, but his gaze fell on Xiao Qi, his eyes terrifyingly red.

Xiao Qi subconsciously took a few steps back.

It all stemmed from this person. He was already destined to never go back. If he was fated to bow his head to this kind of person for the next few decades, he might as well grit his teeth and fight. What nonsense about the protagonist having a pitiful background and being ambitious. In reality, when he lost something, wasn’t he just as selfishly terrifying? He was no better than Fei Xiangnan. At least Fei Xiangnan, despite being selfish his whole life, could be good to one person, was willing to be good to one person.

Now, what did he have to be afraid of?

“Dad, I know your concerns. I, Xiao Fang, swear here at home today that I will never implicate the family in any matter I encounter at the Fei family in the future. My life and death will be my own. Dad, from now on, I won’t need any of your help, nor will I ask you for another penny. As for the money I’ve used of yours in the past, I will pay it back to you, bit by bit. This child… has been slowly growing in my expectations. If I get rid of him now, I’d be worse than an animal. He is a life. He wants to live, to survive, just like any of us!”

“You… you!” Seeing his son wanting to sever ties with him, Father Xiao felt a rush of blood to his head. “Smack!”

Xiao Fang’s head snapped to the side, one cheek quickly swelling up. His body even staggered back a few steps, and he instinctively protected his abdomen.

“You… you!” Father Xiao couldn’t catch his breath and fell straight backward.

“Dad!” Xiao Qi quickly caught his father, his body stumbling back from the momentum. He glared at Xiao Fang.

“Xiao Fang, is there something wrong with your brain? This is your father!”

Xiao Fang’s mind became a bit chaotic. He couldn’t even cry.

“Auntie Zhang, Auntie Zhang!”

Hearing Xiao Fang call her, Auntie Zhang quickly ran out from the kitchen. Seeing the situation in the living room, her face turned deathly pale.

“Call… the private doctor,” Xiao Fang said, steadying himself by grabbing the arm of a sofa, fighting off the dizziness in his head as he gave the urgent order.

“Okay, okay,” Auntie Zhang said, her hands trembling as she took out her phone to make the call. The master had high blood pressure and had a private doctor on call. Fortunately, the doctor had no appointments and arrived in about half an hour. The chaos continued until nine o’clock at night. Father Xiao’s condition finally stabilized. It wasn’t a major issue, and the doctor said he would wake up the next morning after the IV drip was finished.

“Mr. Xiao has high blood pressure. I hope that any family issues can be discussed calmly. We might not know what the outcome will be next time,” the private doctor said, looking at the two sons, each more famous than the last, feeling utterly helpless.

“Of course, doctor. I’ll see you out.” In front of outsiders, Xiao Qi had re-established his ice-prince persona. He didn’t say much, but every word was humble, showing a kind of noble demeanor.

Xiao Fang took one last look at his father lying in bed, reminded Auntie Zhang to take good care of him, and followed them out.

After seeing the doctor off, only Xiao Fang and Xiao Qi were left in the living room.

Looking at Xiao Fang’s pale face, Xiao Qi felt an unprecedented sense of victory.

“Because of your selfishness, Dad almost didn’t make it! How can you be so selfish? Do you have any conscience at all?” Xiao Qi scolded righteously.

Xiao Fang slowly stood up. Even though he looked a bit haggard, the light in his eyes was completely different from when he was in his father’s room.

“Are you done with your act? It’s just the two of us here. Who are you putting on a show for?” Xiao Fang’s gaze was like a knife, stabbing into Xiao Qi. If Xiao Fang had seemed like a husky before, he now looked like a wolf, eyeing Xiao Qi menacingly.

He was not a benevolent person. If it weren’t for his initial plan, how could he have willingly let Xiao Qi trample all over him? But he still had his bottom line. It was fine to target him, but don’t drag others into it, especially in such an outrageous way. If he had been a little weaker, his child would be gone. If he had been a little stronger, his father would be gone.

Xiao Qi’s face turned pale, then dark. His chest heaved violently. “Is that how you talk to me?”

“I was polite to you before, but were you ever polite to me? Don’t think I don’t know about your filthy thoughts. My dad has high blood pressure, and you dared to gamble with his life just to make me miserable. Do you have any shame?!” This time, Xiao Fang’s words were completely unrestrained. The line in his heart had been crossed, and there was no need to hold back the words he had been bottling up for so long.

Even in the past, Xiao Fang had never spoken to him so bluntly. A bubble of tears welled up, about to burst.

“If you hadn’t done such a shameless thing in the first place,” Xiao Qi said, his face pale, “would I have told Dad? You’ve disgraced our family!”

Xiao Fang was amused by this idiotic testimony. “You were dating in university. Did you tell Dad? Don’t tell me you two have only kissed until now. If you can do it, why can’t I? Big Star Xiao is quite the hypocrite!”

“This isn’t about being a hypocrite!” Xiao Qi’s face went from white to red. He didn’t know what to say; his entire line of reasoning had been thrown into disarray.

Xiao Fang’s expression instantly turned cold. He said with extreme sarcasm, “Then let me tell you what this is about. You think someone of my level shouldn’t have gotten that supporting role. That my looks shouldn’t have caught Fei Xiangnan’s eye. That I shouldn’t be a third-gender person. That I shouldn’t be pregnant. That my mom shouldn’t have married my dad. That I shouldn’t be competing with you for the surname Xiao! Right?!” By the end, Xiao Fang was practically shouting.

What concealment, what face—it was all bullshit. If he wanted to do something, he wouldn’t stand for that kind of nonsense!

Xiao Qi was so frightened he stumbled back several steps, his lips trembling, unable to say a word. Or rather, Xiao Fang had said everything he was thinking. The shame of having this darkness exposed to the light left him at a loss for how to react.

“You… what right do you have to say this to me?” Xiao Qi became even more aggrieved. “You helped me save Yunyang’s company and even took care of Fei Xiangnan for me. You made me think you were such a good person. But what was the result? You were just taking advantage of the situation, treating me like a fool!” Xiao Qi changed the subject, shifting the blame onto Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang was almost amused by this scumbag’s logic. So the meaning was, even if I don’t like Fei Xiangnan, I’d rather he think about me than let him like someone else. No wonder this story was set up as a scum-and-submissive novel. This was really quite submissive!

“You never liked Fei Xiangnan from the beginning, so there’s no question of me ‘stealing’ him. The situation now is that I helped you, and you bit me back. I’ve never been a magnanimous person, and neither are you. You hold grudges. Since we’ve laid it all out today, go ahead and oppose me. But if you dare to drag Dad into this again, I, Xiao Fang, will absolutely not let you off easy!”

“Dad?” Xiao Qi sneered. “So you, Xiao Fang, still have this father in your heart? If you love him so much, why don’t you get rid of that bastard spawn in your belly? Is keeping it to disgust Dad your idea of filial piety?”

“Smack!”

A crisp slap echoed through the living room. Xiao Fang’s hand tingled from the impact.

Xiao Qi was utterly stunned. This was the first time in his life he had been slapped.

“Still got a filthy mouth? Huh? The child I’m carrying with so much hardship is not for your dog mouth to blabber about. Bastard spawn? Why don’t you ask Dad why he didn’t convince your mom to get rid of you back then? Keeping the child of a mistress, who’s that supposed to disgust? Huh?!” Xiao Fang supported his belly with one hand and cursed with full force.

The child he cherished so much was not to be called a bastard spawn by some black-hearted, innocent-looking schemer. He’d hit one if one came, and he’d hit a pair if two came.

“You… you dare to hit me?” Xiao Qi could no longer hide his true colors, looking at him viciously. This time, the mask was well and truly torn off.

Xiao Qi lunged forward to hit him. With a child in his belly, Xiao Fang was not suited for a one-on-one fight. He immediately took a few steps back and shouted, “Auntie Zhang!”

“Young Master Xiao, what did you call me for?” Auntie Zhang, who had heard the noise, looked over from the stairs.

Xiao Qi looked at Xiao Fang in disbelief. He never thought this person could be so despicable. A lump of anger stuck in his throat, and he couldn’t get a word out. If he hit him now, his reputation would be completely ruined.

Xiao Fang returned to his usual demeanor and instructed, “Take good care of my dad.”

“Young Master Xiao, are you not staying at home anymore?” Auntie Zhang called out to him.

Xiao Fang looked over, a hint of sadness in his voice. “I won’t be coming over. Dad is angry right now, isn’t he? As long as you take good care of him, I’ll be at ease. If he’s not feeling well, just call the doctor. You don’t need to ask his opinion. He’s just too stubborn and doesn’t know how to take care of himself.”

“Okay,” Auntie Zhang said, looking reluctant to see him go but not knowing how to make him stay.

Xiao Fang waved his hand and turned to leave.

Xiao Qi was about to chase after him.

“Is the young master not staying at home either?”

Xiao Qi forced a smile that was uglier than a cry. “I’ll see him off.”

“No need. I have a child in my belly. Aren’t you afraid I’ll frame you if something happens?” Xiao Fang threatened.

Xiao Qi’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt. He watched helplessly as Xiao Fang left the Xiao family residence. This time, the desire to eliminate Xiao Fang from his life was stronger and more fervent than ever before.

Once Xiao Fang was out of the Xiao residence, his imposing manner weakened, and his face returned to its pale state. He never thought that some people, for the sake of so-called benefits, would even gamble with their closest relatives. And Father Xiao, to protect the family, would rather not have this child. What a fucking mess!

This was the first time since coming to this world that he felt so helpless. There were no so-called close relatives; he had been alone from the very beginning. No matter how much he tried to please them, those who wanted to harm him would still harm him, without any regard for his actions. In that case, he might as well have been alone from the start.

“Xiao Fang, are you done with your business?” A familiar voice sounded at the community entrance. Xiao Fang stared, stunned.

“President Fei, why did you come in person? It’s so late.” Fei Xiangnan was still wearing the same suit he had worn to the office that morning. He didn’t know if he had even gone home.

Fei Xiangnan looked as relaxed as usual. “I just saw it was getting late and was worried about you taking a taxi alone. Let’s go home.”

Fei Xiangnan didn’t ask any questions. Seeing Xiao Fang’s haggard appearance, he knew something had happened, but he chose not to ask. He would wait until Xiao Fang was willing to talk, and then he would slowly deal with those people. It was only a matter of time.

Xiao Fang nodded and walked over. Fei Xiangnan ruffled his head and opened the passenger door for him. As Xiao Fang got in, he looked up and suddenly saw several large red welts on the exposed part of Fei Xiangnan’s wrist. It was clear he had been feeding mosquitoes for a long time.

A sour feeling pricked Xiao Fang’s nose. What was he still hesitating for? It was just becoming cannon fodder together. What was the big deal?

“You haven’t had dinner, have you? I asked Que Jiang to make dinner at home beforehand. We can eat as soon as we get back. Is there anything else you want to eat? We can buy some more on the way.”

“Fried chicken.”

“Not allowed!”

“…”

“If you really want it, I’ll have Que Jiang make it tomorrow.”

“…Okay.”