Chapter 76 – Grandpa Is Awesome!

Faced with his grandfather’s rare severity, Xiao Fang subconsciously shrank back.

Fei Xiangnan had long anticipated this day, but he didn’t say much. After all, this was Xiao Fang’s choice. If he was willing to speak, he would. The moment he opened his mouth, Fei Xiangnan could make a move and properly deal with the Xiao Family today. He’d been annoyed with them for a long time anyway.

Grandfather Zhuo Deben looked at his two grandsons—one playing dumb and the other playing deaf—and grew angry. It was a good thing he hadn’t brought the new dragon-head cane he’d made, or the first ones he’d hit would be these two foolish boys. Why were they protecting such a top-tier scumbag? Was he giving him face?

Grandma also knew her old man was furious. Where her grandfather used steel, she would use silk. If they didn’t pry open their grandson’s mouth, this matter couldn’t be resolved.

“Fangfang, Grandpa isn’t here to force you into a difficult position between both sides. Your grandpa and I are people with one foot in the grave. We’ve enjoyed what we should enjoy and suffered what we should suffer in this life. The only thing we can’t let go of is you, our only bloodline. If you’re wronged, Grandpa and Grandma feel like we’re suffering with you. Even if you don’t say anything, we two old folks know in our hearts, and it’s painful,” Grandma said, dramatically clutching her chest. Grandfather immediately patted his wife’s back, looking at Xiao Fang with a weathered and helpless expression.

Do you think your grandpa and grandma are useless now?

Xiao Fang clutched his guilty chest. He could never stand to see this kind of thing. One look and his heart would soften. Even knowing that if he spoke up, his grandfather would definitely take action, he had to speak.

“First things first, Grandpa, Grandma, you can’t just get rough with my dad when you see him. And it’s late today, can we go tomorrow?” Xiao Fang cautiously gave the two elders a heads-up.

Grandpa and Grandma nodded quickly. For the sake of the truth, everything was negotiable.

What a pair of drama kings!

Xiao Fang looked helplessly at Fei Xiangnan. President Fei’s calm face held a hint of excitement. Fine, no need to think about it. There was already one at home who had been holding it in for a long time. He couldn’t be counted on. Even if his grandparents hadn’t come, once Xiao Fang’s body had fully recovered, President Fei would have sought this justice anyway.

And so, Xiao Fang began to recount the events, slightly embellishing them. For example, he tactfully described his father forcing him to abort the child and having already contacted a hospital as a “suggestion.” However, Xiao Fang didn’t hide the fact that Xiao Qi had been the one to snitch. They had already fallen out, so what was there to be afraid of? He estimated that Xiao Qi probably hated him to the core by now anyway.

“What a load of crap! Does he think he’s so special? He has the nerve to ‘suggest’ it to you? Just watch me break his damn legs!” When the old artist got fierce, his words were just as blunt.

Xiao Fang immediately poured a glass of water for his grandfather. “Grandpa, calm down, let’s not use foul language.”

“He treated you like that! Fangfang, you shouldn’t have endured it!” Grandfather gulped down a large glass of water and spoke to Xiao Fang in a grave tone.

Perhaps this was a case of the bystander seeing clearly what the person involved could not. Xiao Fang always felt that although this father was a scoundrel who had cheated, he had never remarried afterward and had lived a lonely life for ten or twenty years, always tolerating the original owner’s various whims. This was why Xiao Fang couldn’t bear to strike. To receive someone’s kindness and then bite back more than a decade later felt somewhat unjust.

If Xiao Fang had been the Xiao Fang of this world from the beginning, he might have completely severed ties with the Xiao Family after his mother’s death. He would have lived with his grandparents in the old town and genuinely hated his father and that damn illegitimate son for a lifetime. But the original owner hadn’t, and the problem had fallen to Xiao Fang, making it difficult for him to act.

“Grandpa, my dad did raise me, after all. The money he spent was ten, even dozens of times more than an ordinary family would. For this matter, I can only say that I’ll stick to my principles and pay back what I owe him. Otherwise, it would be too unreasonable,” Xiao Fang explained his concerns.

Grandfather could also see that he wasn’t that close to Father Xiao, just that he felt indebted for all these years. “You, when did you become so rigid? Whether he remarries or not is his business. He’s just trying to appease his own guilty conscience. Don’t always pile it on yourself. Raising you was his duty as a father. He even raised that illegitimate son, so does he still owe you? Forget it, forget it. I, an old man, know the gravity of this matter. I’ll take the lead. You just listen from the back. If it comes to it, just try to break up the fight. And that illegitimate son! He looks clean, but his methods are so disgusting. He needs to be dealt with!”

Fei Xiangnan’s lips curved up. The little man in his heart was practically waving a small flag and shouting, “Grandpa is awesome!” When it came to helping his wife get revenge, he absolutely couldn’t be soft-hearted.

“Grandpa, I suspended some of Xiao Qi’s endorsements because of that incident. If we use some extraordinary means to persuade him to restrain himself… My work is busy, and I really can’t look after Fangfang everywhere,” President Fei said, getting into character, his tone laced with helplessness and heartache.

Xiao Fang’s eyes widened. Are you sure the means you used were just a simple “persuasion”? That was a business deal worth tens of millions!

Unexpectedly, Grandfather nodded in strong agreement, his admiration for Fei Xiangnan deepening. “Your approach was a good balancing act. Now that I’m here, it’s time to properly sort things out.”

Xiao Fang looked helplessly at the grandfather and grandson-in-law who had already reached a consensus. He knew in his heart that this matter had to be resolved. He couldn’t step forward directly, so it had to be his grandfather, the one with the highest seniority. Whether he, Xiao Fang, still had a place in this family would be determined tomorrow.

As Fei Xiangnan and his grandfather were discussing, he quietly took Xiao Fang’s hand. No matter what, he would always be there.

***

As the year drew to a close, Xiao Qi had already publicly announced his relationship with Yan Yunyang and brazenly brought his future husband home for dinner. Father Xiao, who had been frowning with worry for days, finally saw some of the gloom lift from his heart upon seeing his long-absent younger son.

He quickly had Auntie Zhang prepare Xiao Qi’s favorite dishes. Before the meal, the three of them sat on the sofa, chatting about their daily lives.

Father Xiao knew of Yan Yunyang. He was a proper man, and the Yan Family was a well-known prestigious family. He felt much more at ease. Yan Yunyang’s speech and demeanor were very elegant and polite, earning him a lot of goodwill from Father Xiao.

“Mr. Xiao! Young Master Xiao is back!” Auntie Zhang trotted out of the kitchen to open the door, then quickly walked to the living room, her face beaming with a smile she couldn’t hide. Compared to the cold and aloof younger young master, she preferred the more personable elder young master. Although he was a bit willful at times, he still respected her, the nanny, very much. He often gave her birthday gifts and would even act spoiled with her sometimes, like her own child. It was a good thing she had thought the elder young master might come back and had prepared prawns in advance. She could make his favorite stir-fried shrimp for him later.

Hearing that name, Father Xiao’s face darkened. But then he thought, maybe he was coming back to admit defeat, and his heart felt a little better, though his expression remained somewhat sour. He said huffily, “He still knows how to come back?”

“Does my grandson need your permission to come back?” A familiar, aged voice rang out. Father Xiao suddenly felt like he hadn’t heard this voice in over a decade. The elder’s posture he had just put on immediately vanished, and he stood up, instantly transforming into a misbehaving primary school student.

It was normal for Auntie Zhang not to recognize Grandfather Zhuo Deben, as she had been hired after Xiao Fang’s mother passed away. When a large group of people came in, she only recognized Xiao Fang.

Zhuo Deben was wearing a black Tang suit with a dark pattern, leaning on a cane that Fei Xiangnan had bought for him the night before. Although his hair was white, he looked very spirited. Following behind him were a displeased-looking Grandma, Xiao Fang, and Fei Xiangnan.

Father Xiao had never expected that Xiao Fang would pull such a move.

Even more humiliated was Xiao Qi. As an illegitimate child, with the legitimate wife’s father present, he didn’t even know if he could call him “Grandpa.” He had also brought Yan Yunyang along, which made him seem even less legitimate, and by extension, his fiancé too.

Xiao Qi’s face turned pale with anger.

“Dad, Mom, why didn’t you say you were coming? I would have picked you up personally,” Father Xiao immediately offered his seat to the elders.

Grandfather and Grandmother both snorted coldly and sat on the main sofa in the center. Xiao Qi had also been sitting in the middle, but seeing his father stand up, he could only swallow his humiliation and stand up with Yan Yunyang, squeezing out a few words from between his teeth.

“Grandpa, Grandma.”

This time, Grandfather didn’t speak. Grandmother, who was usually such a gentle old lady, now spoke with a sharp edge in her voice. “We only gave birth to one daughter, and that daughter only has one son. You should save that ‘Grandpa’ and ‘Grandma’ for someone else. We can’t bear the honor.”

Xiao Qi’s face instantly became extremely ugly. Yan Yunyang narrowed his eyes, looking at the aggressive group. His gaze finally settled on Xiao Fang and Fei Xiangnan. It seemed they had deliberately come to cause trouble!

“Xiao Qi called you two elders out of politeness. Since he calls the same person ‘father,’ it’s not a big deal for him to call you that, is it?” Yan Yunyang’s words voiced all of Xiao Qi’s grievances. Xiao Qi, his eyes red, tugged on Yan Yunyang’s sleeve. “Stop talking, let’s go. We’re not welcome here.”

“Xiao Qi!” Although Yan Yunyang’s feelings for Xiao Qi had cooled recently, their many years together were not for nothing. How could he bear to see his lover suffer like this? This justice had to be sought.

“Xiao Fang, it’s almost the New Year. Did you have to come here and ruin everyone’s mood?” Yan Yunyang put on his boss-at-the-company air. Wasn’t this Xiao Fang afraid of him? Then he should just obediently listen.

Before Xiao Fang could even muster the energy to argue against the crowd, his old husband had already stepped forward. He took a step forward and said breezily, “I did come to ruin it. What are you going to do about it?” His tone was calm, but it was a threat.

Yan Yunyang thought about his company’s current strength and was instantly rendered speechless.

Xiao Qi felt a burning sensation on his face. He hated Xiao Fang to death, but now he couldn’t think of any way to retaliate.

Just as they were at a stalemate, Grandfather interrupted with a frown. “What’s there to argue about? Isn’t it just about not wanting to respond to a title? Fanning the flames!”

A light and airy sentence, yet it placed all the blame on Xiao Qi for being petty. Now, Yan Yunyang didn’t even know what to say. The old artist’s divisive tactics were just that clever and ruthless!

Now, Xiao Qi didn’t know whether to leave or stay. Staying would just be suffering. In the end, he could only stand there foolishly.

“Everyone, let’s not stand around. Let’s sit and chat. It’s rare for us to be gathered so completely.” Even though Father Xiao was in a precarious situation himself, he still had to step out and ease the atmosphere, to prevent things from getting too ugly.

“Sit? What’s there to sit for! Your family is full of problems. If I, this old man, hadn’t happened to find out now, I would have gone to my grave in confusion, not knowing how to face my daughter who died young!” Grandfather said, painfully rapping his cane.

At the mention of his wife, Father Xiao couldn’t utter a single word of rebuttal, his heart filled with self-blame.

“I came today not to argue, but to have a good talk. A group of juniors, living your lives less clearly than an old fossil like me. Today, I’ll set things straight. I won’t be offending you, will I, President Xiao?” Grandfather’s tone was not the least bit uncomfortable. Instead, it carried the pressure of an elder. How could Father Xiao dare to say no? He immediately nodded.

Fei Xiangnan watched this scene with extreme satisfaction. The stuffy anger in his heart was mostly dispelled by his grandfather-in-law.

“Originally, I was going to have all you juniors stand and listen, but Xiao Fang just gave birth, and his body is weak. As his grandfather, and you as his father, and that one as his younger brother, you shouldn’t have the heart to make him stand, right?” Grandfather’s sharp gaze swept over them.

How could Father Xiao dare to say no? He felt a certain amount of guilt towards Xiao Fang and nodded again. Xiao Qi, though unhappy, didn’t want to be caught on this point and could only nod through gritted teeth. Yan Yunyang, caught in the middle, could only endure and see what tricks Xiao Fang had up his sleeve.

“And Xiangnan, though he’s part of the family, you all haven’t really acknowledged him in your hearts. As an outsider now, he shouldn’t have to be punished along with the family, right?” Grandfather pointed at Fei Xiangnan. President Fei put on an innocent expression, disguising himself as a baby who knew nothing of the world.

The other three were furious, but there was nothing they could do. They could only watch as the couple sat down steadily, their hearts bleeding while they could only force a smile.

In the end, the group that had just arrived all sat down, while the original hosts stood obediently in a row to be scolded. It was truly infuriating.