Fracture

Behind Wei Ming stood a woman in her twenties, dressed simply and youthfully. Compared with Mother Wei's heavy makeup and extravagant clothes, she wore only light makeup, her fair face plump with youthful collagen. She had on an ivory cardigan and a pale skirt that draped beautifully. She was not stunning, but she was pleasant to look at, with the demure charm of a girl from a modest family.

She held a little boy of one or two in overalls in her arms, while holding the hand of a little girl around five or six.

Wei Ming had been handsome in his youth. Although he was now over fifty, he was tall and took good care of himself, so the four of them did not look particularly incongruous standing together. Shielding the young woman now, he actually looked like a father.

Shi Yuan thought, He really does have a son and a daughter. Pah! Shameless scumbag. Does he think the country's family planning policy revolves around him?

Even an outsider like him could not stomach Wei Ming's behavior, let alone Mother Wei, the woman directly affected. What went around came around. She had finally tasted the suffering Qi Ling had endured all those years ago.

Mother Wei's eyes were bloodshot, every word steeped in anguish. "I'm asking you a question, Wei Ming! What do you mean by standing in front of her?"

When she was young, she had been captivated by Wei Ming's good looks and insisted on marrying him despite his wife and child. After their marriage, afraid he would feel inferior before her father, she had handed him all the power she held and settled comfortably into life as a wealthy housewife.

Their life together might not have been sweet, but they had treated each other with respect. After Qi Ling died, that bastard had come looking for his father himself. To avoid becoming a laughingstock, they had grudgingly acknowledged him.

Zexuan hated that bastard and tormented him, and Wei Ming had never stood up for him. She had even secretly gloated over it. So his real darlings had been hidden away all along!

Wei Ming's brows knitted at her shrill interrogation. "It doesn't mean anything. This has nothing to do with her. Making a scene won't help."

Mother Wei said bitterly, "You only brought this whore and these two little bastards in front of me because Zexuan was arrested and the company is in chaos. You just couldn't wait anymore."

"Let me tell you, Wei Ming. I tore up our prenuptial agreement when my father passed away, but even if we divorce, we each get half the shares. And there's still my son! He's been arrested, not killed. You're already rushing over to turn against me? Go ahead! You think I'm afraid of you?"

Mother Wei had been elegant and dignified all her life, yet now she had been driven into behaving like a bitter, resentful wife.

The man said coldly to the wife who had spent over twenty years by his side, "Wei Wanwan! Have you made enough of a scene? I brought them here to come clean with you, but did I ever say I wanted a divorce?"

In truth, if someone had not threatened him, this would not have been the time to fall out with Wei Wanwan. Thinking of the email that had mysteriously appeared on his computer, along with the paternity test results for him and the two children, Wei Ming's mood soured further.

"That's right, sister. I'm not here to force you to divorce him. I only want to be with him openly. I don't mind having no official status." The young woman spoke with a faint Suzhou accent, her voice soft and gentle, without a hint of aggression, yet every word pierced the heart.

Wei Wanwan had been a pampered young lady her entire life. How could she tolerate being insulted by this woman? She would not bother with pretenses. Was she really going to let some whore bully her in the Wei Family's own home?

"Uncle Li, hold her down!"

The butler did not move. Wei Wanwan stared at him in disbelief. "You're on Wei Ming's side too?"

The butler said nothing. Furious enough to spit blood, Wei Wanwan marched forward herself and, before Wei Ming could react, landed two resounding slaps on the young woman's face. She tried to strike again, but Wei Ming yanked her away.

Wei Ming helped the sobbing woman up. Against her fair skin, the redness on both cheeks stood out even more.

A trace of heartache showed in Wei Ming's eyes. He snapped, "Wei Wanwan, do you look anything like a lady now?"

Mother Wei sneered. "Why should I look like a lady? My son's been locked up, and I don't even know whether he'll be charged with murder."

Halfway through, she shot a sidelong glance at Shi Yuan, who was watching the spectacle from the entrance, then continued, "My husband's cheating on me and bringing his illegitimate children into our home. I'm sure all of Capital City is laughing at me!"

"Wanwan, I've wronged you in this matter, but our interests are too deeply intertwined. Let's stop talking about divorce. What matters most right now is getting Zexuan out."

Seeing Mother Wei remain silent as though considering something, Wei Ming stopped provoking her. He lifted his eyes and said to Wei Zelin, "Zelin, come in too."

In all the time Shi Yuan had lived with the Wei Family, this was the first time he had seen Wei Ming speak so pleasantly to his eldest son. Usually, he would not even spare Wei Zelin a glance.

Shi Yuan tugged at Wei Zelin's sleeve, but Wei Zelin reached back, took his hand, and led him straight into the living room.

As Shi Yuan's fingers touched Wei Zelin's sleeve, he realized the clothes he wore looked familiar. Wei Zelin always wore white shirts, so he had not noticed at first. Only now, up close, did he realize it was the one he had bought. So Wei Zelin had picked it back up after all.

Wei Zelin led him to the sofa and only released his hand after they sat down together. Mother Wei was about to snap that neither of them deserved to sit in her presence, only to see Wei Ming take the child from the young woman's arms. The family of four sat down together in perfect harmony.

Mother Wei's face twisted with rage, but she still needed Wei Ming's help with Wei Zexuan, leaving her no choice but to submit to his leverage.

"Wei Ze... Zelin, come sit here with me."

She was no fool. She knew to draw Wei Zelin over to her side against Wei Ming, unaware that Wei Ming had the same idea-and had been the first to summon Wei Zelin.

"Zelin, the company's been unstable these past few days. You can't keep taking it easy. You need to help your dad at the company."

After thinking it over, Shi Yuan realized this meant Wei Ming intended to promote Wei Zelin. Bringing his mistress and illegitimate children home was his way of challenging Mother Wei. Wei Zexuan would probably be the one left in the most awkward position. After all, he was locked up, not dead, and the Wei Family had influence at the police station. He would likely be back in a few days, and then things would get even messier.

Mother Wei nearly spat blood from anger, but she still had to save her son. Remembering that another crucial person was sitting in the living room, she tried to curve her lips into a kindly smile. Her expression was too ugly to recover so quickly, however, and forcing a smile only made it look grotesque.

"Yuan, you're married to Zelin, so Zexuan is your younger brother too. I spoiled him until he developed a child's temper, but he'd never dare kill anyone. He was only teasing you. Come to the police station with me later and write a letter forgiving him, all right?"

The living room fell utterly silent. Not one person answered her. Even Wei Ming, his father, said nothing, showing no anxiety or urgency at all.

Anger welled up inside Mother Wei, but she was afraid Shi Yuan might decide he had nothing left to lose. If, instead of testifying that Wei Zexuan had no intent to kill, he accused him of attempted murder, wouldn't everything be ruined?

Suppressing her revulsion, Mother Wei arranged a meal for them. Wei Ming even had the gall to bring his mistress to the table. Unable to afford offending anyone now, Mother Wei finished eating as quickly as possible and went upstairs, leaving them to do whatever they liked downstairs.

Shi Yuan had never eaten a single meal in the Flower House in peace. Once Mother Wei left, he wanted to slip away too.

"Don't leave just yet," Wei Ming called after them.

"Zelin, I know you hate me, but back then I had neither money nor power. Wei Wanwan and her father threatened me. If I hadn't married her, I didn't know whether I could keep you and your mother alive. I truly had no choice." Wei Ming spoke with heartfelt sincerity.

"As for why I later turned a blind eye to your situation, you can figure that out yourself. That mother and son looked down on you, and Wei Zexuan is a complete bastard. If I'd stood up for you, wouldn't your life in the Wei Family have been even worse?"

Wei Zelin surpassed even his father when it came to putting on an act. With a bitter smile, he said, "Dad, I know things haven't been easy for you over the years. I've never blamed you."

Who present believed that? Yet even if they did not, they had to pretend they did, for greed and self-interest.

Wei Ming let out a long sigh. "We father and son have finally gotten a little satisfaction. Wei Wanwan doesn't dare fall out with me now. From now on, we'll stick together, and I'll make sure to protect you.

"And Yuan, although Zexuan is my son, I certainly won't shield him when he treats human life so lightly. I hear you're on good terms with Director Ren. With that connection, Wei Wanwan's people won't dare trouble you."

The more Shi Yuan listened, the stranger it sounded. Was Wei Ming trying to goad him into pressing charges against Wei Zexuan?

He looked up at Wei Zelin without saying a word.

Wei Ming could tell neither of them wanted to stay. Since he was gathering allies against Wei Wanwan, he sensibly let them leave. He even specifically instructed the butler to find them another place to live. What kind of arrangement was it for the Wei Family's eldest young master to live in the servants' quarters? Shi Yuan was quite pleased. At least he would not have to climb the stairs every day.

Their new residence was a small four-story villa with an elevator inside. There were five more villas like it nearby.

The Wei Family was a prominent clan that had endured for generations. Originally, all the surrounding hills had belonged to them, forming a vast estate covering a thousand mu. During the turmoil at the end of the Republic of China era, the family's head at the time had decisively handed all their land over to the state. Once things stabilized, they bought it back and developed it into an upscale residential area, keeping the largest section for themselves.

Every holiday, members of the Wei Family returned to honor their ancestors and reunite. This cluster of small villas was used to accommodate visiting relatives on those occasions.

The butler let Wei Zelin choose whichever he liked, so he picked the one closest to the main gate.

The two politely declined the butler's offer to help them move. They did not have much anyway, and two healthy young men finished carrying everything over in two trips.

Shi Yuan felt no sense of belonging to the Wei Family. Living here was no different from living in the servants' quarters. He picked a room at random on the first floor and settled in, and Wei Zelin followed his lead, taking a room downstairs too.

The servants' quarters were behind the Flower House, farthest from the main gate and across the grounds from the small villas. Meals became a problem. Although Wei Ming had told them to eat at the Flower House every day, the thought of that table full of scumbags and bitter women made Shi Yuan fear indigestion.

The villa's first-floor kitchen was fully equipped, so he and Wei Zelin agreed to buy groceries and cook dinner at home each evening. They said they would split the costs, but regardless of who brought the groceries home, neither ever mentioned the money.

Neither was a good cook. Shi Yuan had never cooked at all and had only ever washed dishes at home. Wei Zelin was a little better; at least he knew how to make instant noodles.

Shi Yuan had more free time while recovering at home. Feeling awkward about always waiting for Wei Zelin to come back from work and cook for him, he began learning to cook. He followed online instructional videos, starting with simple dishes, and the results were at least edible.