Chapter 6: The Second-Generation Live-In Son-in-Law
“Holy shit—”
The perfectly enunciated national essence burst straight out of Yu Bai’s mouth.
Gu Yang watched him suddenly break out like he’d come down with some acute illness and tapped his own head with a finger to show concern.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. Just remembered something. Go on.” Yu Bai quickly shook his head and made a zipping motion across his lips.
Gu Yang didn’t think much of it and continued reading his gossip.
[That Yu Zhou was actually born to the live-in son-in-law and the white moonlight he had back in high school. The live-in son-in-law had a goddess he fell in love with at first sight in high school. The reason he wanted to push this marriage through—restoring the family line after three generations is one reason.]
Gu Yang read the following words in a flat, emotionless tone:
[For Liu Chaoyin, not being able to be with Zhou Qinqin back then was the greatest regret of his life. His love for her was so unforgettable that even if they had no fate to be together in this lifetime, he still hoped their children could continue that unfinished bond.]
[Hahaha.]
“Damn, do you think what Gu Yang just said is true?”
There were quite a few people from Class Eleven present, and the group chat instantly became lively again.
“‘Restoring the clan after three generations’… my god, that’s such a niche term.”
“Is Ying Jiayi’s dad shameless or what?”
“I remember Liu Chaoyin voluntarily married into the Ying family, and he even promised that the child would take the Ying surname. That’s why the Ying family supported him into the position of group CEO. He’s only been sitting in that seat for a few months and already his ambitions are swelling, scheming like this. Really something that can’t be brought to the table.”
“Cheng Zishi, he’s still your elder. Can’t you watch your mouth a little? At the end of the day it’s someone else’s family matter. Our Miss Ying isn’t going to thank you for scolding her own father for her.”
“Stop fanning the flames, Ye Chen. Even a house dog knows to bark for its owner. You’re howling here and yapping there—people just want to kick you to death when they see you.”
“Cheng Zishi, you—”
“Aiya, why are you arguing? We’re all classmates. Don’t hurt the harmony ^_^. And besides, shouldn’t we be more concerned about Little Ying right now?”
“…Can you all shut up? If you really want to chat, start your own group. Don’t block my eyes.”
After typing that, Ying Jiayi stopped looking at her phone. Her face was icy, showing no sign of wavering.
But in reality, she was nowhere near that strong. The shock was so overwhelming that her mind went blank. None of the emotions had even had time to surge up yet, but her body was already reacting instinctively with nausea and the urge to vomit.
What kind of person could be so selfish as to use his own daughter’s entire future to make up for his past regrets?
And by doing this, where did that leave her mother?
…No. No.
What Gu Yang said wasn’t necessarily true!
Their two families weren’t even that close. On what grounds could he know more than she did?
Others in the group chat were questioning the plausibility too.
“Wait, is what Gu Yang said real or fake?”
“Yeah, I was thinking the same. What do you think? @Shen Mingjun”
Being called out like that made Shen Mingjun grind his teeth. Yet he was so spineless he couldn’t even curse back.
Because at least, everything from noon today—every single bit of it—was true!
“Gu Yang’s brain has never been normal. And you guys actually believe what he says. Speechless.”
“Hey hey, we’re all classmates. No personal attacks. I’ll have to penalize you ^_^”
The next second, Shen Mingjun, who had been furiously typing a long paragraph, realized he couldn’t send it.
Damn it. That bastard He Ming’an had actually muted him.
Yu Bai, sticking to his principle of praising even stinky feet, chimed in: “Our class monitor is truly mighty (seal clapping.jpg)”
Shen Mingjun was furious, his face flushed red. His family’s company had close dealings with Yu Bai’s, so he couldn’t afford to fall out with him. He didn’t dare confront He Ming’an either. All his resentment poured onto the culprit—Gu Yang.
Objectively speaking, his family background didn’t rank high in this class. But purely in terms of academics, he stood out. If you really got down to it, weren’t they all here to study? On the surface he didn’t show it, but deep down he always carried a faint sense of superiority, looking down on these people who were just coasting along.
Among them, the one he despised most was Gu Yang.
Yet because of this person, he could barely lift his head in class. Even if no one said anything to his face, Shen Mingjun felt that every whisper was mocking him.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind. He went into his contacts and found someone he’d saved as “Little Chen.”
The chat window was filled with messages from the other party, calling him “Young Master” with excessive enthusiasm.
This person was an employee at his family’s company. Shen Mingjun had added him earlier after being flattered, then ignored him. Who knew he’d come in handy now?
The Shen family company specialized in public opinion and PR. Gu Yang dared to make him lose face—how could he not return the favor properly?
While he was typing, Zhou Yinyin tugged at his sleeve and reminded him softly, “Mingjun, your cousin is walking this way. Don’t keep your head down on your phone. Say hello.”
“Can you stop calling him ‘cousin’ over and over? If you like him that much, anyone would think he’s your real son,” Shen Mingjun snapped sarcastically, already irritated.
In the direction Zhou Yinyin indicated, a refined and handsome boy in a blue-and-white school uniform was chatting cheerfully with a man in a suit.
Yu Zhou.
The son of his mother’s younger sister. A few months younger than him, in the same grade. By seniority he counted as his cousin, but they rarely interacted, so their relationship was only average.
Shen Mingjun hadn’t had much of an opinion about this cousin before—after all, they only saw each other a few times a year. It was just that Yu Zhou’s grades were far better than his, and Shen Shan often used him as a stick to beat him with.
Yu Zhou saw him too and nodded with a smile, but didn’t stop to exchange pleasantries. Instead, he followed the suited man forward impatiently.
They were heading toward Ying Jiayi and Gu Yang.
Though he’d been angry a moment ago about losing face, watching Yu Zhou’s back now, a twisted sense of delight rose in Shen Mingjun’s heart. He almost couldn’t hold back his laughter.
Only someone who had fallen into that pit personally would know just how deep it was.
He was waiting for Yu Zhou to lose face in front of Gu Yang!
Trying to climb into a wealthy family—where did he get such confidence?
Shameless.
[That white moonlight of the live-in son-in-law actually sounds quite interesting. She shouldn’t have only this little screen time, right?]
The voice, full of curiosity, sounded again like a life-harvesting demon. Shen Mingjun’s heart skipped a beat, an ominous premonition suddenly surging up.
[Hm? This can even be dragged onto Shen Mingjun?]
Shen Mingjun’s hand trembled; he nearly coughed up blood.
What the hell? If you’re spilling Yu Zhou’s dirt, just spill it—why drag him into it?
Gu Yang skimmed through at a glance: [By that logic, doesn’t that Yu Zhou make him Shen Mingjun’s half-brother—same father, different mothers?]
Huh?
Huh???
The onlookers were utterly baffled. It jumped so abruptly that no one could piece together what was going on.
Shen Mingjun was stunned.
What was this nonsense? Weren’t he and Yu Zhou cousins? Since when were they half-brothers? Wasn’t their blood connection on their mothers’ side?
In the confusion, his eyes met Ying Jiayi’s equally blank gaze. Neither of them looked away for a long time.
“Jiayi, honestly, child, didn’t I tell you to come find me?” The suited man walked up to Ying Jiayi. Though his words sounded like reproach, his tone was gentle and doting.
“This is Yu Zhou, the son of our high school classmate. He’s been to our house before. I don’t know if you still remember.”
Yu Zhou wore a slight smile and greeted Ying Jiayi politely.
“He hasn’t attended this kind of occasion before, so I thought you could look after him,” Liu Chaoyin said with a smile. “You’re the same age, after all. You should get along.”
In an instant, countless anxious gazes fell upon the boy. Ying Jiayi’s face darkened immediately.
At the same time, the familiar inner voice sounded again. Gu Yang raised an eyebrow.
[Oh? So this is that second-generation live-in son-in-law?]
