After I Cut Ties with My Family, They Still Knelt and Begged Me - Chapter 3:

Chapter 3: The Chen Family Will Pretend We Never Had a Son Like You

“You lowly country bumpkin. Your grades have always been terrible. You’re not even worth one of Zixuan’s fingers. Third place in the physics competition? Who are you trying to fool? Ghosts?”

“If you don’t return the admission spot to Zixuan today, I will never let you walk out of the Chen family!”

Now that ties had already been severed, Chen Qingya no longer needed to hide her hatred for Chen Zimo. Before, she would call him a “country bumpkin” behind closed doors. Now she could say it openly.

So what if she insulted him?

From this moment on, Chen Zimo was no longer a member of the Chen family.

“You say Chen Zixuan studies better than me? Hahaha! That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard all day!”

“The Chen family donates hundreds of thousands of yuan to No. 11 High School every year. Don’t tell me you don’t even know that Chen Zixuan hangs around with thugs at school, smokes, drinks, fights everywhere collecting protection money, gets girls pregnant and forces them to abort, and was caught cheating on exams?”

“If no one told you about this, then I guess those hundreds of thousands of yuan you donate every year are just feeding ungrateful wolves!”

“Hahaha! This is too hilarious!”

Chen Zimo laughed so hard he nearly choked, his mocking eyes sweeping over Chen Tinghao and Lin Jiangxue.

Chen Zixuan’s heart skipped a beat. Hatred flashed in his eyes, but his face showed nothing but grievance.

How dare he? How dare he?

Chen Zixuan roared inwardly.

Looks like I’ll have to teach him a proper lesson at school tomorrow. He dares provoke me. He’s asking to die.

Chen Tinghao’s face turned livid. As the head of a wealthy family worth tens of billions of yuan, he cared most about his reputation.

Besides, the adopted son Chen Zixuan had always been obedient and polite at home. He was being groomed as the future successor. How could he possibly fight, cheat, or force abortions?

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

“Chen Zimo, you disappoint me beyond saving!” Chen Tinghao snapped. “You’ve already been driven out of the Chen family and you’re still trying to slander Zixuan?”

Lin Jiangxue was even more unwilling to accept it. You can insult anyone else, but not my precious Zixuan.

For the more than ten years Chen Zimo had been missing, Chen Zixuan had been the obedient and sensible child after being adopted. He was the treasure of her heart.

If not for that incident, she would not have treated Chen Zimo so harshly.

“Zixuan is so obedient and sensible. How could he possibly be what you describe? You’re slandering him. You’re jealous. You can’t stand that Zixuan is better and more outstanding than you. How did I raise a child like you with no upbringing and no conscience? You’re simply disgraceful. You don’t deserve to inherit the Chen family’s wealth worth tens of billions of yuan. If I had known you were like this, I should never have brought you back two years ago!”

Chen Zimo could not help it. He burst out laughing.

Facing Lin Jiangxue’s expression full of insult and fury, he said word by word, “It would only take you one sentence to verify such small matters. What’s the point of me slandering him? Forget it. Believe it or not.”

He thought about it and realized there was no need.

No matter what he said, this family would not believe a single word.

But whatever Chen Zixuan said, they treated it like an imperial decree.

Since that was the case, he might as well handle serious business and disgust them a little more.

“You say I have no upbringing? No conscience? Ms. Lin Jiangxue, when you say that, doesn’t your conscience hurt?”

“Aren’t you afraid of retribution from heaven?”

“Other than admitting I’m your biological son in front of the officer, what else have you ever done?”

“Tell me. In these two years, have you ever hugged me? Have you ever called me your son?”

Boom.

Lin Jiangxue’s mind went blank. She could not say a word.

She stared at Chen Zimo, unable to refute him.

It was true. In two years, she had never truly acknowledged Chen Zimo as her son. She had never even patted his head or hugged him like she did Chen Zixuan, never once called him “good son.”

Chen Zimo pointed at Chen Zixuan in her arms, then at his own faded school uniform with sleeves that had grown too short.

“An outsider wears brand-name clothes and shoes worth thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan, while your biological son, the only legal heir of a wealthy family worth tens of billions of yuan, wears a cheap school uniform that’s turned white from washing and sleeves that are too short. Is this your so-called upbringing and conscience?”

Lin Jiangxue was about to argue when Chen Zimo continued, “Enough. I can recite your excuses by heart. You’re going to say I came from the countryside, don’t understand rules, lack knowledge, have a bunch of bad habits, and that I’m still young. That you need to observe my character and temper me so I can inherit the Chen family one day. Isn’t that it?”

“Heh. For two years, I wasn’t even allowed to say I belonged to the Chen family. My household registration was never transferred back from the orphanage.”

“You watched them insult me, beat me, refuse me food, and even watched your biological son apologize to a dog. And all of that was supposedly for my own good? To temper me, right?”

“And this is your conscience? Your upbringing as a mother?”

Lin Jiangxue stood frozen.

It was true. In her eyes, there was only Zixuan.

But so what?

Zixuan was ten thousand times better than Chen Zimo in her heart.

“Enough! Chen Zimo, how dare you talk back to me?” Lin Jiangxue felt that if he continued, her image as a “kind mother” would be completely destroyed.

“Your father and I brought you back from the orphanage. We let you live in a big villa, fed you, clothed you, and sent you to the best high school. And instead of being grateful, you complain I treated you badly?”

“You show no respect to your elders, hit your sister, slander your brother, and to cover your own crimes you heartlessly pushed him down the stairs. Do you even have the Chen family in your heart? Do you even see me as your mother?”

“Heh.” Chen Zimo sneered. “Lin Jiangxue, I call you Mom and you really think that flatters you? If not for three paternity tests, would you have brought me back? As for feeding and clothing me? The Chen family, worth tens of billions of yuan, is truly frugal and charitable. You donate hundreds of thousands of yuan a year to the adopted son’s school and buy him clothes worth thousands or tens of thousands, while your biological son wears a faded uniform and rubber shoes that cost 15 yuan a pair. Ms. Lin Jiangxue, tell me.”

He paused, then continued, “The adopted son wears designer brands. In two years since I came back, have you ever bought me clothes? Bought me shoes?”

“As for housing, heh. I lived in your basement. It wasn’t even as good as my room at the orphanage. At least that broken place had a window.”

“And the funniest part is you keep saying you sent me to school. Ms. Lin Jiangxue, I entered No. 11 High School as the top student and was exempted from tuition. When exactly did you ever pay my tuition? I don’t recall it.”

Chen Tinghao and Lin Jiangxue were speechless.

“At least tell me, which class am I in? How are my grades? In these two years, how many parent-teacher meetings did you attend as my mother?”

With every sentence Chen Zimo spoke, their faces grew paler.

It was true. Since Chen Zimo returned, they had never cared about his daily life. They did not even know which class he was in or how his grades were.

They had simply assumed that since he came from the countryside, his grades must be poor. How could he compare to Chen Zixuan?

Even Lin Jiangxue, who had little affection for him, felt ashamed at that moment.

“Wuwuwu! Brother, it’s all my fault. I’ve always been sick and I’m an outsider. I took away Dad and Mom’s love from you. They were just afraid I’d get hurt and my condition would worsen, so they treated you this way. It’s definitely not that they don’t love you.”

“If Brother feels wronged, you can hit me or scold me. I won’t fight back. Even if you drive me away, I won’t blame you, as long as Brother is happy.”

Chen Tinghao and Lin Jiangxue had been filled with shame, but hearing their adopted son speak, they immediately threw it away and pulled him into their arms.

“Zixuan is still the most sensible. You know how to care for Dad and Mom. We’ve never treated you as an outsider. We’ve raised you as our own son.”

“Don’t worry. Your health is weak. We will hire the best doctors in the world to treat you. As long as we are alive, no one will drive you out of this house.”

Chen Tinghao then turned and scolded Chen Zimo. “Look at how sensible Zixuan is. Even now he’s speaking up for you and caring about you. Look at yourself. You cheated and refused to admit your mistake. You heartlessly pushed Zixuan down the stairs. Now you’re using severing ties to threaten me. We do not have a son like you. Why don’t you just die!”

Third Sister Chen Qingya, who disliked Chen Zimo the most and had long wanted to drive this country bumpkin out, said coldly, “Dad, Mom, Chen Zimo refuses to repent and talks back to his parents. Look how obedient and sensible Zixuan is.”

“Chen Zimo is just using leaving home to threaten you. I say we drive him out. Only when he admits cheating and returns the Qingbei admission spot to Zixuan should he be allowed back.”

“Zixuan is my real younger brother. And you should be expelled from the Chen family.”

Hearing this, Chen Zixuan was overjoyed.

His goal had been achieved. He was ecstatic inside, though his face showed sorrow again.

“Third Sister, don’t drive Brother Chen Zimo away. Although he often steals things from home and even damaged Mom’s wedding dress and Dad’s priceless jade pendant, I believe he didn’t do it on purpose. He just wanted attention. If you drive him out, how will he survive?”

How will he survive?

Chen Zimo had lived just fine before entering the Chen family.

Even as an orphan, he had his own room with a window.

Chen Tinghao and Lin Jiangxue had felt a trace of guilt, but when they thought of the damaged wedding dress and the priceless jade pendant, anger surged again.

The wedding dress had been custom-made in F Country by a master designer over twenty years ago when they married. Every accessory and every diamond on it symbolized their love. Today it was worth tens of millions of yuan.

As for the mutton-fat jade pendant, Chen Tinghao had worn it since childhood. It was priceless and his favorite possession.

Such treasures had been ruined by Chen Zimo.

What chilled them even more was that Chen Zimo had refused to admit fault and even tried to frame Zixuan.

Chen Tinghao snorted coldly. “Fine. Chen Zimo, just as your mother said. Get out of the Chen family. When you come to your senses and return the Qingbei admission spot to Zixuan, then you can come back.”

“If you still refuse to repent, then never come back.”

“The Chen family will pretend we never had a son like you.”

Hearing this, Chen Zimo was secretly delighted.

Wasn’t this like leaving with an imperial decree?

What a good deal.

“Don’t worry. Even if I die in this life, I will never return to the Chen family.”

Under everyone’s astonished gaze, Chen Zimo turned and walked away, as if he had made an irreversible decision.