Chapter 66: Mother & Daughter-in-Law Conflict
The mouthful of tea An Shaofeng had just sipped nearly sprayed right back out.
He stared at Huo Beixing in total shock.
What kind of bandit robber are you?!
This is a law-abiding society—since when was it your turn to act this wildly?
But in the very next second, he remembered the original photo of An Yi’s little white teeth. Back then, when he said he wouldn’t give it, this brat had simply snatched it away before leaving.
…He really was quite wild.
Still, not once, not twice, and certainly not three times.
More importantly, he wouldn’t even tolerate a second time.
An Shaofeng said, “If An Yi isn’t willing to stay with you, what’s the use of stealing him?”
Huo Beixing looked at him. “No use?”
An Shaofeng: ……
Outrageous.
“Do you even know what kind of behavior you’re talking about? That’s a crime!” An Shaofeng stretched out his hand. “Also, give me back the photo you took last time.”
Huo Beixing played dumb. “What photo?”
“An Yi’s photo. Hand it over.”
Huo Beixing shook his head. “My wife said that only things I don’t need get shared with other people.”
An Shaofeng snapped, “Was that ever your thing to begin with?”
It had clearly been snatched from him!
Huo Beixing replied, “If it’s in my hand, then it’s my thing.”
In summary: not giving it back.
It was the first time An Shaofeng had met someone so shameless. He had spent so many chaotic years in the business world—it wasn’t as if he had never seen thick-skinned people before. But someone this brazenly self-righteous was a first.
He was only twenty-six.
Only twenty-six and already no longer acting human—how dare he.
Ever since An Yi got married, life at the An family had become increasingly carefree and stable, and An Shaofeng’s guilt toward An Yi had turned into a water tank that just kept filling and filling, from emptiness to brimming full and then spilling over.
Everything the An family had now had been picked back up by An Yi.
A child he had never shown even the slightest grace of raising.
When he had just been brought back, for the sake of appearances, they had publicly called him the adopted son.
Every time An Shaofeng thought back to that moment on stage, when An Yi had heard himself being referred to as the adopted son, that confusion and helplessness on his face made An Shaofeng want to go back in time and slap himself twice.
He saw himself as a successful businessman, someone who always put the company’s interests first in all outside matters.
Now, though, he had stepped down. He no longer traveled day and night for work, and the pace of his life had slowed. That also meant that space for regrets had opened up in his heart.
And that regret was An Yi.
His biological son, who had spent more than twenty years toiling bitterly in the wilderness.
He had left all his large shares in the company to him, because outside of that, he truly did not know how else he could make amends.
He could also tell that in the An family, the only one An Yi had feelings for was Chen Lin, his mother. Otherwise, he would not have agreed to the marriage alliance just because Chen Lin agreed to it. As for An Shaofeng and the An family itself, there was no particularly deep emotion there.
After the two got married, An Shaofeng had also hired a private detective to look into whether they were living well. Every time the report came back, it was good news.
The two of them eating ice cream by the roadside, smiling happily.
Gradually, those scenes replaced the image of the An Yi he had once brought home.
He thought that if An Yi could get along so well even with a stranger, then after the divorce, once An Yi came home, they would surely be able to make up for those lost twenty-some years of father-son affection.
As long as An Yi remained at the Huo family, they could not spend long periods together, nor could they see each other anytime they wanted.
So now that the two-year deadline was approaching, An Shaofeng desperately wanted them to divorce. After all, this marriage had been imposed on An Yi from the start. If it was something he did not like, then the earlier it ended, the better.
Yet the brat before him had absolutely no intention of letting go.
Looking at Huo Beixing, An Shaofeng thought that the man’s mind was incomplete—plainly speaking, he was a fool. Could it be that An Yi would have to spend his whole life with a person like that?
No.
If Huo Beixing’s foolishness didn’t get cured, then when the two-year term was up, the Huo family would arrange a marriage alliance with the Li family, and he would cast An Yi aside as well.
An Shaofeng cleared his throat, intending to reason with this foolish brat. He also felt rather ashamed of the way he had lost his composure just now. No matter what, when he discussed business outside, he always paid attention to his manner. Being so easily provoked like that really was a bit too much.
His tone softened somewhat. There was still the Li family, after all. The Huo family would definitely make him divorce when the time came.
“There are many things in this world whose right to decide doesn’t lie in your own hands. Put like that, you may not understand. To put it simply, what you say doesn’t count. If you don’t divorce now, the family will still make you do it later. And when the time comes, you’ll marry another wife.”
Huo Beixing looked up at the huge crystal chandelier above his head. “Why should I marry?”
An Shaofeng said, “The family doesn’t agree, of course you…”
“I can simply choose not to listen.”
The hand holding An Shaofeng’s teacup paused.
“But marrying Miss Li would be better for you and for the Huo family. It would bring more benefits.”
The Li family was also an old elite family. A marriage alliance between the two houses would be a wonderful match. Not just for business, but even in terms of public reputation, it would sound good.
Huo Beixing turned to look at him and softly uttered a few words.
An Shaofeng froze in place.
“But I don’t like it.”
An Shaofeng said, “You mean to say that in this world everything should go exactly as you wish, exactly as makes you happy?”
“Otherwise?” Huo Beixing replied. “Isn’t that what living is for?”
Never in that house had An Shaofeng heard words so wildly reckless. He was just about to say more when Huo Beixing spoke first.
“I only want what I like. Anything is fine. Even if it’s worthless, even if it has no use at all, as long as I like it, then in my eyes it’s still the best. By the same token, no matter how beneficial something is, if I don’t like it, then if you put it in front of me it’s just trash. If I threw it into the garbage, I wouldn’t even know how to sort it.”
“As long as I don’t agree to it, no one can make me divorce. I like An Yi, and no matter how much profit or benefit you offer, I won’t trade him away.”
Huo Beixing looked at An Shaofeng with a calm expression. “There are so many people in this world. It’s impossible for everyone to be the same.”
Under Huo Beixing’s gaze, An Shaofeng felt as though a bone were stuck in his throat. He had never expected a fool to say something like this.
Those words cut into everything he himself had done before like a knife.
What he was trying to make Huo Beixing do now was exactly what he himself had once done to An Yi.
But there were indeed people in this world who were alike, and just as surely there were also people who were different.
What you hold dear, others may sneer at with disdain.
Perhaps because the person before him was foolish, he had forgotten that before all this, Huo Er had been a carefree, willful young master of loose morals.
While feeling both helpless and bitter, An Shaofeng also felt angry. If Huo Beixing were not foolish, then his heart would never stay fixed only on An Yi.
Huo Beixing was a ticking time bomb, and the Huo family was a pit of fire. They would never welcome a male daughter-in-law.
“As long as I’m alive for even one more day, I’ll think of ways to make you divorce!”
Something caught Huo Beixing’s eye from the corner of his vision. Without drawing attention, he subtly adjusted his sitting posture, lowered his previously tilted head, and placed his hands on his legs.
“I know young people only act according to their own wishes. But now I don’t really have any concerns left either, so I also have to act according to my own wishes. In your eyes, you’re not worthy of my An Yi. An Yi deserves something better. I advise you to give up that thought as soon as possible…”
Seeing that he didn’t respond, An Shaofeng grew more and more worked up. “There’s no possibility for the two of you. You’d better—”
Huo Beixing put on a pitiful look. “But we have love.”
An Shaofeng snapped back, “Even if you have love it’s useless, you’d better—”
“Dad, what are you saying?!”
An Yi’s voice rang out from behind them, and An Shaofeng stiffened on the spot.
An Yi had just come downstairs when he heard An Shaofeng using such a severe tone to scold Huo Beixing. Meanwhile, Huo Beixing sat on the sofa with his head lowered, silent, not talking back, just taking it.
But Huo Dabao was only an eight-year-old in mind. No matter what he had done, was there really any need to use such a harsh tone? Huo Beixing normally didn’t cause much trouble at home. What could he possibly have done here?
An Yi hurried down the stairs, glanced at Huo Beixing, who sat there looking like a pitiful big dog.
“Dad, what happened? Why are you talking to him like that? He’s mentally impaired right now. If there’s something he doesn’t understand, then teach him. Whatever it is, you can say it properly.”
An Shaofeng looked as if he had just been struck over the head with a club. “I was only…”
An Yi pressed, “What happened?”
An Shaofeng found himself unable to speak, like a mute person who had swallowed bitter coptis. If he said it was because of divorce, then he’d have to admit he had been left speechless after being argued into a corner by this brat. And now that An Yi was asking, he couldn’t exactly come right out and say he had been trying to get them divorced.
Seeing him remain silent, An Yi’s brows drew together. He had just been about to ask why An Shaofeng had been so harsh to Huo Beixing, when in the next instant Huo Beixing stood up and grabbed An Yi’s hand. “Forget it, wife. It must be because I didn’t do something well enough and made Dad angry.”
Then he lowered his head sadly.
An Shaofeng: !
You’re a full-grown young man in your prime—have you no shame at all?!
Looking at Huo Beixing putting on that act, An Shaofeng practically wanted to kick him right there.
But seeing the vicious look in An Shaofeng’s eyes, An Yi stepped in front of Huo Beixing protectively. “Dad, this isn’t right. How can you treat him like this?”
An Shaofeng: ……
How exactly had he treated him?!
Pointing at Huo Beixing, he said, “Ask this brat yourself what exactly I did to him!”
An Yi turned to look at Huo Beixing.
Huo Beixing shook his head in a wounded way. “Dad didn’t do anything to me. He was just educating me, that’s all.”
The word was educating, yet he somehow managed to say it in a way that sounded like abuse.
An Yi: “Dad!”
An Shaofeng: ……
Fine! Just fine!
An Shaofeng looked past An Yi to Huo Beixing, only to see the latter arch his brows and reveal a smug grin.
Hee~~
An Shaofeng felt a jolt in his heart. “Has this brat gotten better?”
Huo Beixing’s heart skipped. Before An Yi could turn around, he quickly switched to a foolish expression.
An Yi turned back to look at him.
Huo Beixing’s eyes were full of sincerity.
I’m not, I didn’t, don’t listen to him talking nonsense.
Seeing his simple, pure look, An Yi didn’t think any deeper about it. “Dad, please don’t make things hard for him.”
Even if you beat him to death, An Yi never would have imagined that a wealthy family could also have a gender-swapped version of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflict.
For a moment, it felt as if heart disease might be provoked right out of An Shaofeng, yet he had no way to explain himself. All he could do was swallow his broken teeth back into his stomach.
After all, the moment he revealed the truth of the situation, Huo Beixing would definitely seize the chance to play pitiful again, then start talking about how much he liked An Yi, and An Yi would end up standing even more firmly on his side.
And what An Shaofeng could never have guessed was that the word divorce had now become Huo Beixing’s trigger word. The moment it was brought up, he would immediately seize on it and make sure divorce stayed at the forefront of An Yi’s mind.
That was not the kind of thing he would ever do.
Seeing An Shaofeng still acting as if he had done nothing wrong, An Yi grew a little unhappy. After all, what bad intentions could Huo Dabao possibly have? Yet he was being criticized like this.
Pulling Huo Beixing by the hand, An Yi headed for the door. “Dad, we’ll head back for today. We’ll come again next time.”
An Shaofeng was dumbfounded and hurried forward a step. “Yiyi!”
An Yi said, “I’ll come see you and Mom again when I have time.”
With that, he led Huo Beixing out, looking every bit like a good husband taking his wife home after the wife had been wronged by the mother-in-law.
As Huo Beixing left, he turned back to look at An Shaofeng.
Hee~~
An Shaofeng: ……
Beast!!!!!!!
The driver had been waiting outside the whole time. Seeing the two of them come out, he got out and opened the car door. An Yi politely thanked him and got in with Huo Beixing, intending to go home.
Since the act had begun, they might as well carry it through to the end.
Huo Beixing maintained his wounded expression.
At this moment, he was nothing more than a little boy with a broken heart.
Looking at him, An Yi said with some difficulty, “Huo Beixing, don’t take it to heart. Actually, my dad doesn’t have bad intentions, it’s just that sometimes…”
Huo Beixing shook his head. “It’s okay, wife. I understand.”
Hearing that only made An Yi feel even more heartache. He reached out and held Huo Beixing’s hand.
“Wife, is it because there’s something wrong with me, so Dad doesn’t like me?”
The moment he heard that, An Yi felt deeply guilty. He had never expected that by taking him back to the An house for a meal, he would let him suffer such a huge grievance.
“No, that’s not it. You’re doing very well.”
“Then wife, do you like me?”
“Of course I do.”
Huo Beixing stretched out his hand, and An Yi leaned forward. The two of them embraced.
“As long as wife likes me, that’s enough.”
An Yi patted his back.
“Will wife always like me?”
“Of course. I’ll always like you.”
At that same moment, through the rearview mirror, the driver could clearly see Huo Beixing’s smug expression.
“……”
After returning home, Huo Beixing got his wish and clung to An Yi for quite a long time, only stopping when it was finally time to sleep.
Early the next morning, taking advantage of An Yi being out, Huo Beixing had Uncle Zhong contact his personal lawyer and bring him over.
When the lawyer arrived, he honestly hadn’t seen this great boss in a long while, and he couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous.
“What can I do for you, President Huo?”
Huo Beixing said, “Draft a will for me.”
Lawyer: !
The sky had fallen! His boss had some terminal illness! The company was about to collapse!!!
Seeing the lawyer’s expression, Huo Beixing said, “I’m not sick, and I’m not going to have some accident. I just want to draft a will in advance.”
The lawyer wiped his tears.
“What are you crying for?”
“I thought I was about to lose my job.”
Huo Beixing: ……
Following Huo Beixing’s instructions, the lawyer began drafting the will. What surprised him, however, was that fully ninety percent of Huo Beixing’s personal assets were being left to someone named An Yi.
The lawyer thought back—it was the male wife their boss had married.
But all the rumors about their boss were that he was wildly promiscuous. Those news stories had practically written him up as a pervert. Yet now, judging by this, he seemed rather devoted, leaving a vast fortune of staggering value to his male spouse.
If anyone ever said again that President Huo was a philanderer, the lawyer would be the first to object.
Once the draft was complete, he let Huo Beixing read it over.
“If President Huo doesn’t see any issues with it, then the will will become legally effective after notarization.”
Huo Beixing said, “There’s no problem. Very good.”
Curious, the lawyer asked, “President Huo, have you told Mr. An Yi about this will?”
“Why would I tell him?”
Lawyer: ?
So he’d know, and treat you even better and become even more devoted to you in the future, obviously.
A smile curved onto Huo Beixing’s lips. “If I told him, then where would the surprise be? If I really die someday, when he’s grieving and finds out he’s gotten a huge amount of money, it should at least give him some comfort. Even if it only lessens his sorrow a little, that still counts.”
Lawyer: ……
God damn! No wonder he used to be a playboy. Even when dying, he still has to go out with one last surprise.
Suddenly, the lawyer understood the true essence of one phrase.
Romance until death, never yielding?
