CH 24

“That’s too little, your smile is a priceless treasure. It’s at least worth one hundred yuan!”

Xie Zhongxing blinked a few times and commented softly, “Then I’ll be able to smile until you go bankrupt.”Qin Zhongyue disagreed, “Others can go bankrupt, but my family won’t ever go bankrupt.”As he said this, he reached into his pocket and then cried out, “Fuck, I forgot to bring cash!”Xie Zhongxing lightly coughed, “I was just joking with you, you don’t need to give me money. I’m not someone who sells my smiles anyway.”Qin Zhongyue refuted with a look of seriousness, “You’re not selling smiles, you’re selling happiness, and you’re also increasing the flow of funds on my end, raising its value in the process and indirectly promoting our country’s economic growth! You are a noble consumer! As long as you smile often, our country’s GDP will immediately surpass that of the United States!”Xie Zhongyue was unable to hold back. The corners of his lips rose, “That’s too exaggerated.”Qin Zhongyue’s eyes turned dazed. He hurriedly took out his phone wanting to take a photo, but Xie Zhongxing had already returned to his expressionless state.He was disappointed, “Smile again and let me take a picture. I want to print it out and stick it onto the wall in my room.”Xie Zhongxing, “……..”He looked at Qin Zhongyue strangely and changed the subject, “Let’s go back to class.”Xie Zhongxing had taken the initiative to end this topic and Qin Zhongyue’s attention was successfully diverted, “Xie Guoxu is waiting for you at the classroom but you’re sending yourself over?”Xie Zhongxing’s tone was light, “I’m not afraid of him.”Qin Zhongyue: “That’s true. With me around, he wouldn’t dare hit you.”Xie Zhongxing glanced at him briefly and then turned away to prevent Qin Zhongyue from seeing the light smile on his face.When they reached the classroom, sure enough, Xie Guoxu was there.As soon as Xie Guoxu saw him, he immediately strode over. Qin Zhongyue quickly pulled Xie Zhongxing behind him and asked loudly, “What do you want? Let me warn you, you better stay away from him. I won’t be polite if you get any closer!”As he said that, he even waved his fist that was the size of a sandbag.Qin Zhongyue’s build was large so it looked quite intimidating.Xie Guoxu stopped in his tracks. His complexion was dark and when his expression wasn’t too good, it made him look particularly fierce. He did his best to soften his tone, “Xing Xing, let’s have a chat, okay?”Xie Zhongxing walked out from behind Qin Zhongyue, “Sure. I also have questions I want to ask you.”Over the past few days, news about Xie Zhongxing’s affairs had travelled all over the school and almost no one didn’t know about their situation. As soon as the students in the corridor saw that they had met up, they ran off to report to the others and then quietly followed Xie Zhongxing and them downstairs.When they finally reached an open space outside, Xie Guoxu as well as Xie Zhongxing and Qin Zhongyue faced each other while surrounded by twenty or so students.Xie Guoxu didn’t feel comfortable being watched by so many people but he was an adult man almost in his forties so he couldn’t act fussy and get them to leave. He glanced at Qin Zhongyue who followed closely behind Xie Zhongxing and asked with a considerate tone that he almost never used before, “Can this little classmate leave for a moment? Your father would like to talk to you alone.”Qin Zhongyue was the first to refuse, “No way, I’m not leaving! Who knows if you’ll hit him!”Xie Zhongxing said, “He’s staying here. Not leaving.”Qin Zhongyue looked at Xie Guoxu triumphantly after hearing this.Xie Guoxu had no other choice but to pretend that he couldn’t see Qin Zhongyue. He slowly organised his words, “Xing Xing, you should clear things up with that reporter and let them know that it’s all a misunderstanding. I’m your father, I’ve raised you for eighteen years. How could I ever want to hurt you? You saying that I’m selling you off to that Uncle Ni is ridiculous. He has a proper business, how could I be selling you off? I won’t mention the matter of you dropping out anymore. You can continue with your studies, get into a good university and help gain glory to our family. I will also be happy with that. What do you think?”Xie Zhongxing closely examined his eyes and suddenly found that he couldn’t find any similarities in their features. The jut in his throat bobbed and he quietly asked, “Tell me, am I actually Xie Qinghe’s son?”Xie Guoxu froze for a moment. His expression seemed to have darkened another shade. The corner of his lips twitched, and his words carried some degree of irritation, “How could you be his son? You’re my son! You have nothing to do with him, don’t listen to that reporter’s nonsense.”Qin Zhongyue interjected, “This matter has already been broadcast by the broadcasting station as a documentary series. Brother Cage told me that a paternity test will be done in the next few days to settle this matter once and for all.”Xie Guoxu’s expression immediately changed, and he could no longer control his anger, “Do what paternity test?! If he wasn’t my son, would I have raised him for eighteen years?! Who would be willing to raise another person’s son?!”Qin Zhongyue mused, “The reporter even discovered that the compensation money for your older brother was two hundred thousand. Two hundred thousand yuan, that should be enough to buy a house at that time, no?”Xie Zhongxing smiled coldly, “So the house you’re living in right now was bought using my father’s compensation money? Is that right?”Xie Guoxu’s face convulsed, “I told you not to listen to other people’s nonsense! What compensation money, there’s nothing of that sort! And you’re not his son, you’re my son!”

After losing control of his emotions for a moment, he forced himself to calm down and his words softened again, “Xing Xing, don’t make this situation turn into something big. Your younger brother is very thin-skinned, and his classmates are looking down on him because of this matter. I was only doing it for our family when I considered dropping you out of school, I didn’t know your results were this good. If I knew, I most definitely wouldn’t have made you drop out. Even if I have to resort to selling scrap metal, I will support the two of you with your studies! Trust me, okay?”Xie Zhongxing shook his head, “Forget it. Not one of your words is truthful.”Xie Guoxu, “Everything I’m saying is the truth. You on the other hand trust in strangers rather than your father. I have really raised you for eighteen years in vain.”Xie Zhongxing spoke calmly, “As you said, it doesn’t take much effort to raise a dog; give it a place to shelter it from the wind and rain, feeding it when you remember, letting it go hungry when you forget. Rather than saying that you have raised me for eighteen years, it’s better to say that I myself fought hard to live until this age.”“When I was sick, you were reluctant to even give me cold medications, leaving me to endure through it on my own. And if I couldn’t recover? You wouldn’t have cared anyway.”“When I was seven or eight years old, you got me to fetch water from the well. Have you ever thought about whether I, a young child, could’ve fallen into the well?”“You have never bought clothes or shoes for me. If not for the nine years of compulsory education, you probably wouldn’t have even let me attend school.”“Until this age, the money you have spent on me probably doesn’t exceed five thousand. Five thousand over eighteen years. That’s less than three hundred a year. It must be very easy for you to raise a child.”“If I wasn’t your child, all of this would make sense. It would make sense why you treated Xie Zi’an and I so differently.”Xie Zhongxing’s tone turned heavily, “Don’t call yourself my father anymore. You don’t deserve that title.”Xie Guoxu couldn’t refute him. He argued loudly with a red face, “That’s your mother’s business. I’m busy with work every day, I don’t have time for that!”Xie Zhongxing: “Shut up, I don’t want to hear your lies anymore. I won’t tell the reporters that it’s a misunderstanding. You wanting me to drop out of school is a fact. Also, if you really did take my father’s compensation money, I will sue you and make you spit it all back out.”As soon as those words were spoken, Xie Guoxu’s eyes turned red, “You white-eyed wolf!”Just as he was about to get physical, Qin Zhongyue charged over and threw out a heavy kick, kicking Xie Guoxu onto the ground!“You’re terrible! How dare you abuse him like that?!”Qin Zhongyue shouted this loudly, his voice sounding a little nasal.When Xie Zhongxing heard him, his eyes widened slightly as a hint of surprise surfaced from the depths.His eyes fell onto Qin Zhongyue’s face. He saw that his eyes were red, and it was even a little watery.Qin Zhongyue punched Xie Guoxu a few more times before Xie Zhongxing went over to stop him, “Enough, stop hitting him.”Qin Zhongyue stopped and looked down at him. The rim of his eyes turned even redder, “I never expected you to have lived this kind of life.”If he had known….if he had known about this…..He really didn’t try to understand the Xie Zhongxing in his previous life. No, it wasn’t that he didn’t try. When Xie Zhongxing first got married to him, he had also wanted to try and get to know him better, but Xie Zhongxing was very cold, always keeping everything inside and not telling him about his feelings or his past. As a result, even after five years passed, he still didn’t know anything about Xie Zhongxing.He had no idea his childhood was like this. He had no idea!!The more Qin Zhongyue thought about this, the more ashamed he felt. Tears welled up in those clear and bright eyes of his and, with a blink, a large teardrop rolled down.Xie Zhongxing, “……..”He himself didn’t even cry.Xie Zhongxing took out a packet of tissues and used one to wipe his tears, “Don’t cry.”Qin Zhongyue’s voice was sullen, “I don’t want to either but my eyes aren’t listening to me. I can’t do anything about it.”Xie Zhongxing comforted him, “Don’t cry, there’s nothing to cry about. There are a lot of people watching you.”Qin Zhongyue turned away, quietly wiped his eyes and then turned and looked angrily at Xie Guoxu, “It’s all this guy’s fault, making me embarrass myself! Didn’t you say that you’re going to sue him? I’ll find the best lawyer for you and make him go completely bankrupt!”Xie Guoxu who was left stunned from the earlier beating didn’t dare say a word when he heard this. Being humiliated in front of so many students was already enough to make his expression poor. He got up from the ground, gave Xie Zhongxing a dark look and turned and left.Xie Zhongxing didn’t look at him. He comfortingly patted Qin Zhongyue’s back, “Calm down.”Qin Zhongyue thought about how humiliating he was in front of Xie Zhongxing and felt a little embarrassed, “I’ve already calmed down.”He then said, “You should hurry and forget about what I looked like just now. I haven’t cried once in my life! It was only this one time!”Xie Zhongxing stared at him, his beautiful eyes curving into charming crescents. His voice was light and it carried a pleasant tone, “I know. I’ve already forgotten.”Qin Zhongyue sniffled. The moment he caught sight of this smile of his, he once again found his heart racing and his breathing became difficult.

A light blush surfaced onto his face. He turned away and said in an extremely small voice, “I won’t let others hurt you again.”Xie Zhongxing quietly looked at him. From his angle, he could see Qin Zhongyue’s bright red ears.He seems to blush easily, Xie Zhongxing thought.But it’s very cute.Xie Zhongxing smiled again. This time, Qin Zhongyue didn’t see it.*Huang Jingnan left the office and headed for the smoking room where her partner Li Gui was.When Li Gui saw Huang Jingnan coming over, he reflexively wanted to extinguish his cigarette, only to see her take out a thin cigarette from her pocket, light it and then skilfully take a drag, “Aren’t you trying for a baby? Yet you’re still smoking?”Huang Jingnan said, “Not trying anymore.”Li Gui asked, “Then Brother Xiang agreed?”Huang Jingnan answered calmly, “He cheated.”Li Gui: “………”The air suddenly turned awkward.Huang Jingnan spoke first, “Brother Cage asked us to continue reporting on the school dropping out incident. Do you have any thoughts?”Li Gui thought for a moment, “There are many viewers calling the hotline right now, wanting to know who Xie Zhongxing’s biological mother is. I think we can consider investigating in this direction. It will be a hot topic.”“Our news station has been hanging from a thread for a long time. The college entrance examinations will be held in a few months. If Xie Zhongxing really comes first in the province, this incident can be used again and, with more attention, the broadcasting station would be willing to switch to our news station instead. Brother Cage agreed to give the two of us a website to manage if that happens. It’ll just be for us two.”When Huang Jingnan heard this, a smile rose on her face, “Let’s not talk about this. Remember when Xie Zhongxing said that Xie Guoxu was going to sell him? I have already looked into the identities of those two people. Let’s go and investigate them further.”Li Gui looked at her with eyes filled with admiration, “You even went out of your way to have that done? You’re amazing.”Huang Jingnan looked at him and extinguished her cigarette, “Stop trying to flatter me. Pack up and let’s go.”Li Gui also put out his cigarette and chased after Huang Jingnan.The two of them didn’t bring any large and chunky cameras with them and only brought along a pinhole camera so that it could be somewhat concealed.Pinhole cameras were still rather new during this time, so most people were not very wary of them.The two of them arrived at the office building Old Ni rented and pretended to be a pair of siblings, here to check their services out.The person receiving them was a rather handsome young man who wore tight pants and had yellow dyed hair. He was originally lying lifelessly on the front desk but as soon as he saw Huang Jingnan, he immediately stood up with bright eyes and asked attentively, “Are you here for a consultation on employment opportunities?”The sign outside Old Ni’s office said “Employment Consultation”. It looked quite legitimate.Huang Jingnan wore delicate makeup, making her look very different from her usual valiant appearance on the news. With the addition of a white dress and long hair that went past her shoulders, she looked very gentle, elegant and feminine.The young man stared at her closely, his words and actions very attentive. Even without waiting for the two of them to answer, he had already gone to get paper cups, intending to make tea for them.Li Gui said, “Yes, my sister just graduated from university and hasn’t been able to find a job. Her standards are high but her abilities don’t quite match up. I don’t know what to do.”When the young man heard this, he was delighted inside, “Then you’ve come to the right place. We provide professional employment counselling……”He rambled on for a long time and Li Gui and Huang Jingnan also played along very well.Time passed little by little and the young man who soon basically believed everything they were saying gave Old Ni a call first before adding mysteriously after the call, “Your younger sister is highly educated and attractive. It would be a waste for her to do a normal job. If you two want, we have a very good job here. As long as you do it well, earning several hundred thousand yuan a year is not an issue.”Huang Jingnan and Li Gui exchanged a look and then proceeded to look interested, “Really? Don’t lie to me! Several hundred thousand in a year?”The young man said, “Why would I be lying to you? I know people who have earned that much!”Huang Jingnan rudely asked, “You’re not getting me to sell my body are you?”The young man waved his hand, “How could you make money with that? Don’t worry, it doesn’t involve selling your body. I’ll let my boss tell you the details.”After saying that, a man with a scar at the corner of his eye walked in. It was Old Ni.

*Although they had gained a lot from this, when Huang Jingnan and Li Gui left Old Ni’s office building, they didn’t appear all that relaxed.Li Gui said with some difficulty, “What was that?”Huang Jingnan took a look at the contract, “It has become an actual industry?”Li Guo asked, “What do we do? Do you still want to report on it?”Huang Jingnan said, “Of course.”Li Gui: “Xie Guoxu also has a contract, right?”Huang Jingnan: “He won’t take it out.”Li Gui: “Then should we let Xie Zhongxing know?”Huang Jingnan didn’t speak.Li Gui continued, “That child is so pitiful. Despite his good grades and despite his teachers all believing that he will take first place in the province, his parents are actually trying to ruin him instead.”Huang Jingnan thought for a moment and said, “Let’s tell him. We need him to go back and get the contract.”It would be easier if they got their hands on the contract. It would allow these people to be hammered into the ground, unable to wash themselves clean again.Huang Jingnan also knew that Xie Zhongxing didn’t have a phone, so she went and called Brother Cage first to let him know. As soon as he heard the details, he was completely dumbfounded. He wiped off the cold sweat and mumbled to himself, “I only wanted a big headline, but I didn’t expect it to be this big of an issue. That Xie Guoxu sure is brave.”After expressing this, he quickly called Qin Zhongyue.Qin Zhongyue was so shocked by this news; he was stunned for a long time. He didn’t know how to tell Xie Zhongxing this news.Xie Zhongxing noticed this constipated expression of his. During their lunch break, he casually asked, “Is something bothering you?”Qin Zhongyue glanced at him and then proceeded to raise his head.Xie Zhongxing, “……..”He stood up and lowered his head to look down at Qin Zhongyue’s face, “What are you doing?”The moment he finished asking this, he saw the tears in his eyes, “…….”Xie Zhongxing said, “Even if you raise your head, the tears won’t flow back in.”Qin Zhongyue immediately straightened his head back and tried his best to hold back his tears.Xie Zhongxing asked, “Something happened?”Just as Qin Zhongyue was about to speak, Zhong Yiming’s voice rang out first, “Xie Zhongxing, let’s go eat.”Zhong Yiming looked at Qin Zhongyue, pursed his lips slightly and said softly, “Do you need me to save a seat for you?”Xie Zhongxing paused for a moment and responded, “No need. You can go first.”Zhong Yiming’s expression darkened somewhat. He made a sound of understanding and left.Qin Zhongyue watched his leaving figure and suddenly had a light bulb moment. This guy, did he like Xie Zhongxing?But that thought only lingered for a moment before it was soon tossed to the back of his mind.The people in the classroom gradually all left, leaving only the two of them.Xie Zhongxing asked again, “Can you tell me now?”Qin Zhongyue cautiously took in his expression and said tearfully, “I do have something I want to tell you but I’m worried that you can’t take it.”Xie Zhongxing said, “Since I’m not a special services agent, you think my heart isn’t strong enough?”Qin Zhongyue burst into tears, “You’ve really suffered!”He hugged Xie Zhongxing and used his palms to slap Xie Zhongxing’s back with great force.

Xie Zhongxing, “………”Qin Zhongyue had a rather large build and his limbs were also filled with power, completely different from Xie Zhongxing who was more on the slender end, with wrists that were not much thicker than that of a girls. Being held in such a tight grip and having his back slapped with such force, Xie Zhongxing could only feel blood and air surging up his throat.Xie Zhongxing held back the air that had gathered in his throat and said in a low voice, “Lightly please. I don’t know whether I’ve suffered but I do know that I am currently about to die.”Qin Zhongyue immediately backed away, “Brother Cage called me this morning.”Xie Zhongxing’s eyes flickered faintly, and he lowered his eyes, “What did he say?”Qin Zhongyue found it hard to put it into words.Xie Zhongxing spoke calmly, “Go on. I’m not as weak as you think.”Qin Zhongyue organised his words before finally saying, “It’s just that, that reporter sister went to that Uncle Ni’s place to investigate and found out that the nature of his business…..is actually to cultivate swindlers.”Xie Zhongxing frowned slightly, “What do you mean?”Qin Zhongyue, “Well, what I heard from Brother Cage was that after you sign a contract with him, he would help train your skills. There are different categories. Those who look good but are not that clever would become someone’s mistress. After deceiving the other party out of a car or a house, you withdraw and run. If you’re good-looking and clever, you would be arranged to be a wealthy family’s nanny……a-and seduce them….”Qin Zhongyue’s words suddenly stopped.Fuck….He suddenly understood how Xie Zhongxing got acquainted with his father.Before Xie Zhongxing appeared, because of his hair-loss problem, his father had visited a very high-end healthcare centre to save his hair….After caring for it for a period of time, his hair grew thicker and he also became spirited, often smiling and in a good mood. After that, he brought Xie Zhongxing back.Qin Zhongyue: “….”Fuck!His wifey’s life was too miserable!!!Qin Zhongyue once again began to shed tears. He hugged Xie Zhongxing again, mumbling something Xie Zhongxing couldn’t make out clearly. Xie Zhongxing only felt that he was being choked by a giant gorilla, “Lightly please….”Qin Zhongyue backed away and sniffled, “You’ve suffered. You’ve really suffered.”Seeing him like this, Xie Zhongxing could only go along with him, “En, I’ve suffered.”Qin Zhongyue once again promised earnestly, “I will protect you well. You just have to study hard, get admitted into Tsinghua or Peking University and succeed in life!”Fortunately, he came. Xie Zhongxing wouldn’t need to become a swindler now.Qin Zhongyue had said this many times already. Although Xie Zhongxing probably didn’t take it seriously the first time, but after it had been said many times, he could definitely feel Qin Zhongyue’s sincerity.His heart felt extremely warm, and his voice also softened, “I know. I will.”When Qin Zhongyue returned home in the evening, he gave Qin Xiangqian a call.Qin Xiangqian immediately answered the call and asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”Qin Zhongyue said sincerely, “Dad, I give you my thanks.”Qin Xiangqian, “?”Qin Zhongyue, “You rescued a pure and innocent young man!”Qin Xiangqian’s expression was numb, “…..Are you talking about yourself?”Qin Zhongyue’s tone was filled with emotion, “No. I am just really thankful that you didn’t have impure thoughts towards an innocent and beautiful young man. You are a true gentleman! Dad, I love you!”Qin Xiangqian, “…..”Who was he? Where was he? Why would he have impure thoughts towards an innocent and beautiful young man?After dazedly hanging up, Qin Xiangqian thought to himself: Well...I guess this is a good thing….?