âThatâs too little, your smile is a priceless treasure. Itâs at least worth one hundred yuan!â
Xie Zhongxing blinked a few times and commented softly, âThen Iâll be able to smile until you go bankrupt.âQin Zhongyue disagreed, âOthers can go bankrupt, but my family wonât ever go bankrupt.âAs he said this, he reached into his pocket and then cried out, âFuck, I forgot to bring cash!âXie Zhongxing lightly coughed, âI was just joking with you, you donât need to give me money. Iâm not someone who sells my smiles anyway.âQin Zhongyue refuted with a look of seriousness, âYouâre not selling smiles, youâre selling happiness, and youâre also increasing the flow of funds on my end, raising its value in the process and indirectly promoting our countryâs economic growth! You are a noble consumer! As long as you smile often, our countryâs GDP will immediately surpass that of the United States!âXie Zhongyue was unable to hold back. The corners of his lips rose, âThatâs too exaggerated.âQin Zhongyueâs 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, âSmile again and let me take a picture. I want to print it out and stick it onto the wall in my room.âXie Zhongxing, ââŚâŚ..âHe looked at Qin Zhongyue strangely and changed the subject, âLetâs go back to class.âXie Zhongxing had taken the initiative to end this topic and Qin Zhongyueâs attention was successfully diverted, âXie Guoxu is waiting for you at the classroom but youâre sending yourself over?âXie Zhongxingâs tone was light, âIâm not afraid of him.âQin Zhongyue: âThatâs true. With me around, he wouldnât dare hit you.âXie 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, âWhat do you want? Let me warn you, you better stay away from him. I wonât be polite if you get any closer!âAs he said that, he even waved his fist that was the size of a sandbag.Qin Zhongyueâs build was large so it looked quite intimidating.Xie Guoxu stopped in his tracks. His complexion was dark and when his expression wasnât too good, it made him look particularly fierce. He did his best to soften his tone, âXing Xing, letâs have a chat, okay?âXie Zhongxing walked out from behind Qin Zhongyue, âSure. I also have questions I want to ask you.âOver the past few days, news about Xie Zhongxingâs affairs had travelled all over the school and almost no one didnât 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 didnât feel comfortable being watched by so many people but he was an adult man almost in his forties so he couldnât 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, âCan this little classmate leave for a moment? Your father would like to talk to you alone.âQin Zhongyue was the first to refuse, âNo way, Iâm not leaving! Who knows if youâll hit him!âXie Zhongxing said, âHeâs staying here. Not leaving.âQin Zhongyue looked at Xie Guoxu triumphantly after hearing this.Xie Guoxu had no other choice but to pretend that he couldnât see Qin Zhongyue. He slowly organised his words, âXing Xing, you should clear things up with that reporter and let them know that itâs all a misunderstanding. Iâm your father, Iâve raised you for eighteen years. How could I ever want to hurt you? You saying that Iâm selling you off to that Uncle Ni is ridiculous. He has a proper business, how could I be selling you off? I wonât 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?âXie Zhongxing closely examined his eyes and suddenly found that he couldnât find any similarities in their features. The jut in his throat bobbed and he quietly asked, âTell me, am I actually Xie Qingheâs son?âXie 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, âHow could you be his son? Youâre my son! You have nothing to do with him, donât listen to that reporterâs nonsense.âQin Zhongyue interjected, âThis 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.âXie Guoxuâs expression immediately changed, and he could no longer control his anger, âDo what paternity test?! If he wasnât my son, would I have raised him for eighteen years?! Who would be willing to raise another personâs son?!âQin Zhongyue mused, âThe 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?âXie Zhongxing smiled coldly, âSo the house youâre living in right now was bought using my fatherâs compensation money? Is that right?âXie Guoxuâs face convulsed, âI told you not to listen to other peopleâs nonsense! What compensation money, thereâs nothing of that sort! And youâre not his son, youâre my son!â
After losing control of his emotions for a moment, he forced himself to calm down and his words softened again, âXing Xing, donât 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 didnât know your results were this good. If I knew, I most definitely wouldnât 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?âXie Zhongxing shook his head, âForget it. Not one of your words is truthful.âXie Guoxu, âEverything Iâm 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.âXie Zhongxing spoke calmly, âAs you said, it doesnât 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, itâs better to say that I myself fought hard to live until this age.ââWhen I was sick, you were reluctant to even give me cold medications, leaving me to endure through it on my own. And if I couldnât recover? You wouldnât have cared anyway.ââWhen 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, couldâve fallen into the well?ââYou have never bought clothes or shoes for me. If not for the nine years of compulsory education, you probably wouldnât have even let me attend school.ââUntil this age, the money you have spent on me probably doesnât exceed five thousand. Five thousand over eighteen years. Thatâs less than three hundred a year. It must be very easy for you to raise a child.ââIf I wasnât your child, all of this would make sense. It would make sense why you treated Xie Ziâan and I so differently.âXie Zhongxingâs tone turned heavily, âDonât call yourself my father anymore. You donât deserve that title.âXie Guoxu couldnât refute him. He argued loudly with a red face, âThatâs your motherâs business. Iâm busy with work every day, I donât have time for that!âXie Zhongxing: âShut up, I donât want to hear your lies anymore. I wonât tell the reporters that itâs a misunderstanding. You wanting me to drop out of school is a fact. Also, if you really did take my fatherâs compensation money, I will sue you and make you spit it all back out.âAs soon as those words were spoken, Xie Guoxuâs eyes turned red, âYou white-eyed wolf!âJust as he was about to get physical, Qin Zhongyue charged over and threw out a heavy kick, kicking Xie Guoxu onto the ground!âYouâre terrible! How dare you abuse him like that?!âQin 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 Zhongyueâs 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, âEnough, stop hitting him.âQin Zhongyue stopped and looked down at him. The rim of his eyes turned even redder, âI never expected you to have lived this kind of life.âIf he had knownâŚ.if he had known about thisâŚ..He really didnât try to understand the Xie Zhongxing in his previous life. No, it wasnât that he didnât 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 didnât 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, ââŚâŚ..âHe himself didnât even cry.Xie Zhongxing took out a packet of tissues and used one to wipe his tears, âDonât cry.âQin Zhongyueâs voice was sullen, âI donât want to either but my eyes arenât listening to me. I canât do anything about it.âXie Zhongxing comforted him, âDonât cry, thereâs nothing to cry about. There are a lot of people watching you.âQin Zhongyue turned away, quietly wiped his eyes and then turned and looked angrily at Xie Guoxu, âItâs all this guyâs fault, making me embarrass myself! Didnât you say that youâre going to sue him? Iâll find the best lawyer for you and make him go completely bankrupt!âXie Guoxu who was left stunned from the earlier beating didnât 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 didnât look at him. He comfortingly patted Qin Zhongyueâs back, âCalm down.âQin Zhongyue thought about how humiliating he was in front of Xie Zhongxing and felt a little embarrassed, âIâve already calmed down.âHe then said, âYou should hurry and forget about what I looked like just now. I havenât cried once in my life! It was only this one time!âXie Zhongxing stared at him, his beautiful eyes curving into charming crescents. His voice was light and it carried a pleasant tone, âI know. Iâve already forgotten.âQin 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, âI wonât let others hurt you again.âXie Zhongxing quietly looked at him. From his angle, he could see Qin Zhongyueâs bright red ears.He seems to blush easily, Xie Zhongxing thought.But itâs very cute.Xie Zhongxing smiled again. This time, Qin Zhongyue didnât 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, âArenât you trying for a baby? Yet youâre still smoking?âHuang Jingnan said, âNot trying anymore.âLi Gui asked, âThen Brother Xiang agreed?âHuang Jingnan answered calmly, âHe cheated.âLi Gui: ââŚâŚâŚâThe air suddenly turned awkward.Huang Jingnan spoke first, âBrother Cage asked us to continue reporting on the school dropping out incident. Do you have any thoughts?âLi Gui thought for a moment, âThere are many viewers calling the hotline right now, wanting to know who Xie Zhongxingâs biological mother is. I think we can consider investigating in this direction. It will be a hot topic.ââOur 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. Itâll just be for us two.âWhen Huang Jingnan heard this, a smile rose on her face, âLetâs 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. Letâs go and investigate them further.âLi Gui looked at her with eyes filled with admiration, âYou even went out of your way to have that done? Youâre amazing.âHuang Jingnan looked at him and extinguished her cigarette, âStop trying to flatter me. Pack up and letâs go.âLi Gui also put out his cigarette and chased after Huang Jingnan.The two of them didnât 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, âAre you here for a consultation on employment opportunities?âThe sign outside Old Niâs office said âEmployment Consultationâ. 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, âYes, my sister just graduated from university and hasnât been able to find a job. Her standards are high but her abilities donât quite match up. I donât know what to do.âWhen the young man heard this, he was delighted inside, âThen youâve come to the right place. We provide professional employment counsellingâŚâŚâHe 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, âYour 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.âHuang Jingnan and Li Gui exchanged a look and then proceeded to look interested, âReally? Donât lie to me! Several hundred thousand in a year?âThe young man said, âWhy would I be lying to you? I know people who have earned that much!âHuang Jingnan rudely asked, âYouâre not getting me to sell my body are you?âThe young man waved his hand, âHow could you make money with that? Donât worry, it doesnât involve selling your body. Iâll let my boss tell you the details.âAfter 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 Niâs office building, they didnât appear all that relaxed.Li Gui said with some difficulty, âWhat was that?âHuang Jingnan took a look at the contract, âIt has become an actual industry?âLi Guo asked, âWhat do we do? Do you still want to report on it?âHuang Jingnan said, âOf course.âLi Gui: âXie Guoxu also has a contract, right?âHuang Jingnan: âHe wonât take it out.âLi Gui: âThen should we let Xie Zhongxing know?âHuang Jingnan didnât speak.Li Gui continued, âThat 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.âHuang Jingnan thought for a moment and said, âLetâs tell him. We need him to go back and get the contract.âIt 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 didnât 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, âI only wanted a big headline, but I didnât expect it to be this big of an issue. That Xie Guoxu sure is brave.âAfter expressing this, he quickly called Qin Zhongyue.Qin Zhongyue was so shocked by this news; he was stunned for a long time. He didnât know how to tell Xie Zhongxing this news.Xie Zhongxing noticed this constipated expression of his. During their lunch break, he casually asked, âIs something bothering you?âQin Zhongyue glanced at him and then proceeded to raise his head.Xie Zhongxing, ââŚâŚ..âHe stood up and lowered his head to look down at Qin Zhongyueâs face, âWhat are you doing?âThe moment he finished asking this, he saw the tears in his eyes, ââŚâŚ.âXie Zhongxing said, âEven if you raise your head, the tears wonât flow back in.âQin Zhongyue immediately straightened his head back and tried his best to hold back his tears.Xie Zhongxing asked, âSomething happened?âJust as Qin Zhongyue was about to speak, Zhong Yimingâs voice rang out first, âXie Zhongxing, letâs go eat.âZhong Yiming looked at Qin Zhongyue, pursed his lips slightly and said softly, âDo you need me to save a seat for you?âXie Zhongxing paused for a moment and responded, âNo need. You can go first.âZhong Yimingâs 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, âCan you tell me now?âQin Zhongyue cautiously took in his expression and said tearfully, âI do have something I want to tell you but Iâm worried that you canât take it.âXie Zhongxing said, âSince Iâm not a special services agent, you think my heart isnât strong enough?âQin Zhongyue burst into tears, âYouâve really suffered!âHe hugged Xie Zhongxing and used his palms to slap Xie Zhongxingâs back with great force.
Xie Zhongxing, ââŚâŚâŚâQin 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, âLightly please. I donât know whether Iâve suffered but I do know that I am currently about to die.âQin Zhongyue immediately backed away, âBrother Cage called me this morning.âXie Zhongxingâs eyes flickered faintly, and he lowered his eyes, âWhat did he say?âQin Zhongyue found it hard to put it into words.Xie Zhongxing spoke calmly, âGo on. Iâm not as weak as you think.âQin Zhongyue organised his words before finally saying, âItâs just that, that reporter sister went to that Uncle Niâs place to investigate and found out that the nature of his businessâŚ..is actually to cultivate swindlers.âXie Zhongxing frowned slightly, âWhat do you mean?âQin Zhongyue, âWell, 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 someoneâs mistress. After deceiving the other party out of a car or a house, you withdraw and run. If youâre good-looking and clever, you would be arranged to be a wealthy familyâs nannyâŚâŚa-and seduce themâŚ.âQin Zhongyueâs words suddenly stopped.FuckâŚ.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 hairâŚ.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: ââŚ.âFuck!His wifeyâs life was too miserable!!!Qin Zhongyue once again began to shed tears. He hugged Xie Zhongxing again, mumbling something Xie Zhongxing couldnât make out clearly. Xie Zhongxing only felt that he was being choked by a giant gorilla, âLightly pleaseâŚ.âQin Zhongyue backed away and sniffled, âYouâve suffered. Youâve really suffered.âSeeing him like this, Xie Zhongxing could only go along with him, âEn, Iâve suffered.âQin Zhongyue once again promised earnestly, âI will protect you well. You just have to study hard, get admitted into Tsinghua or Peking University and succeed in life!âFortunately, he came. Xie Zhongxing wouldnât need to become a swindler now.Qin Zhongyue had said this many times already. Although Xie Zhongxing probably didnât take it seriously the first time, but after it had been said many times, he could definitely feel Qin Zhongyueâs sincerity.His heart felt extremely warm, and his voice also softened, âI know. I will.âWhen Qin Zhongyue returned home in the evening, he gave Qin Xiangqian a call.Qin Xiangqian immediately answered the call and asked, âWhatâs wrong? Did something happen?âQin Zhongyue said sincerely, âDad, I give you my thanks.âQin Xiangqian, â?âQin Zhongyue, âYou rescued a pure and innocent young man!âQin Xiangqianâs expression was numb, ââŚ..Are you talking about yourself?âQin Zhongyueâs tone was filled with emotion, âNo. I am just really thankful that you didnât have impure thoughts towards an innocent and beautiful young man. You are a true gentleman! Dad, I love you!âQin Xiangqian, ââŚ..âWho 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 thingâŚ.?