SGSHE60

Between the previous car accident and this incident involving the medication, two mishaps in quick succession. Jing Yongyan realized the situation was far from simple.

And who stood to gain the most if something happened to Jing Heguang?

The name that came to Jing Yongyan’s mind is his younger son, Jing Jie.

Jing Yongyan knew his younger son harbored ambitions regarding the family business, the boy was ambitious. He had been torn about whether to hand the business over to Jing Jie, and if so, how much of it.

Six months ago, his answer had been: it depended on how well Jing Jie performed while gaining experience across the various companies.

If Jing Jie proved capable, he would entrust the bulk of the business to him, while the eldest son would simply hold shares and collect dividends. If Jing Jie lacked the ability, both sons would simply share the dividends.

Furthermore, Jing Yongyan wanted to gauge whether Jing Jie possessed the necessary steady character, so he had never explicitly stated his intention to let his younger son take over.

To his dismay, it now seemed highly likely that his younger son had done something utterly unacceptable.

Jing Yongyan was seething with rage, yet the possibility that the culprit might be his own younger son left him at a loss for words when speaking to his eldest son on the other end of the line.

***

On his end, Jing Heguang could hear the sound of Jing Yongyan’s heavy breathing.

Jing Heguang called out, “Dad?”

“I’m here.”

“Are you alright?” Jing Heguang was worried the shock might be too much for him. He hesitated over whether to show him the evidence he had gathered.

“I’m fine, just worried about you.” The voice on the phone paused before continuing, “I’ve made up my mind. We need to call the police. Tampering with your medication like that, they were trying to take your life!”

Regardless of whether the culprit turned out to be Jing Jie, Jing Yongyan decided to involve the police. This was no trivial matter, it was a fundamental issue of principle.

Jing Yongyan attributed his success to having always walked the straight and narrow path. People trusted him and were willing to do business with him because of his integrity.

And, to be honest, he felt a deep sense of disillusionment. If his younger son dared to lay a hand on his older son today, would he dare to lay a hand on him tomorrow?

While Jing Yongyan harbored suspicions about Jing Jie, on the other end of the line, Jing Heguang and Xi Xinghe assumed, based on Jing Yongyan’s tone, that he already knew who the real culprit was.

Jing Heguang said, “Dad, since you’ve decided to call the police, we have some recordings here. I’ll have Xinghe send them to your phone. Please don’t get too angry when you listen to them. Your health is what matters most.”

Hearing this, Jing Yongyan felt an even deeper ache of sympathy for his eldest son.

He scolded him over the phone, “You silly child! You had recordings all along, why didn’t you give them to me sooner? You were just waiting for them to swap your medication? If you’d accidentally taken it, what would that have meant for me? For Xinghe?”

“You can’t spend a thousand days guarding against a thief! You have such a kind heart, but does the other party ever appreciate even a shred of your goodness?”

Jing Heguang, who had merely wanted to secure some solid evidence: …

Well, while he couldn’t exactly claim to be a saint, the original owner, before the car accident, had indeed been an upright, noble young man of impeccable character.

Jing Heguang decided to simply accept the praise on the original owner’s behalf.

***

After exchanging a few more words, Jing Yongyan hung up the phone to listen to the recordings.

He had expected the recordings to serve as evidence against Jing Jie, but to his surprise, the voices inside didn’t belong to Jing Jie at all, they were Jiang Shi’s and Xi Xinghe’s!

Jing Yongyan didn’t use headphones. He played the audio directly through the speaker.

As he listened to the two voices, it became obvious. Xi Xinghe was pretending to be a country bumpkin to deceive Jiang Shi.

However, this deception wasn’t about tricking the other person into saying something specific, rather, it was about feigning gullibility to lure the other party into revealing their true colors.

Jiang Shi, who always maintained a flawless facade in front of Jing Yongyan, showed a completely different side of herself when dealing with this country bumpkin, who had married into a wealthy family. In the recording, Jiang Shi was actively manipulating Xi Xinghe into persuading his eldest son to go to the hospital.

Upon hearing that final sentence, Jing Yongyan was so furious he nearly smashed his phone.

This was the woman who had shared his bed for over twenty years; he had always believed Jiang Shi to be a good mother, yet here she was, plotting to take his eldest son’s life!

“Call the police! Get the police on the line!” Jing Yongyan barked the order at his secretary, his neck stiff with rage.

The secretary dialed the police and, following Jing Yongyan’s instructions, reported the location of the Jing family villa.

Ten-odd minutes later, Jing Yongyan returned to the villa, dragging his suitcase behind him.

He strode into the courtyard with a dark expression. The gardener, who was weeding the lawn, looked on in bewilderment. Wasn’t the boss supposed to be away on a business trip today? Why was he back already?

As he entered the living room, auntie Wang let out a surprised sound of astonishment.

Jing Yongyan handed his suitcase to her and hurried up to the second floor.

He stopped at the door of Jing Heguang’s room and knocked.

“Dad’s back!”

***

Only upon recognizing Jing Yongyan’s voice did Jing Heguang open the door.

Jing Yongyan anxiously scanned Jing Heguang from head to toe; seeing that he was unharmed, he finally let out a breath of relief.

Although nothing was said aloud, Jing Heguang understood his father’s state of mind: I was scared to death.

Seeing his father’s deep concern, Jing Heguang said, “Dad, Xinghe and I realized the medicine had been tampered with the moment it happened. You don’t need to worry.”

Jing Yongyan said angrily, “You should have told me sooner! Were you just waiting for someone to harm you? You didn’t inherit a shred of my shrewdness!”

Xi Xinghe felt a lingering sense of fear as he listened.

But upon further reflection, the fear vanished. After all, Jing Heguang didn’t take the medicine in the first place!

Still, the fact that Jing Heguang didn’t take the medicine didn’t excuse the attempt to harm him. Xi Xinghe spoke up: “Dad, we were only speculating, we didn’t have direct evidence. Just looking at the fact that Aunt Jiang asked me to persuade Heguang to see a doctor, well, one could say she was worried about him. It was only after what happened today that we became certain!”

Jing Yongyan thought it over and realized he couldn’t really blame his son.

He had slept beside Jiang Shi for over twenty years without ever truly seeing into her heart. How could his son, a young man, have been expected to figure it out?

Jing Yongyan let out a bitter sigh and stomped his foot hard, blaming himself: “I was just blind!”

The stomp was loud enough to be heard downstairs.

Jiang Shi, who had just stepped out of the room, heard the noise from upstairs and asked with a hint of concern, “Heguang? What’s wrong? Why is there such a commotion up there?”

It wasn’t Jing Heguang who answered her, but a furious Jing Yongyan.

Jing Yongyan roared, “Come up here!”

***

Hearing Jing Yongyan’s voice, Jiang Shi panicked for a split second. But she quickly forced herself to calm down, reminding herself that she had deleted the surveillance footage and left behind no fingerprints or other traces.

Even if she had been found out, she couldn’t afford to panic. As long as she kept her cool, she might still find a way out.

As she walked upstairs, Jiang Shi asked in a puzzled tone, “What is it? You came back halfway through…and shouting like that, did something happen to Heguang?”

Jing Yongyan couldn’t believe she was still putting on an act. He snatched the medicine bottle from Jing Heguang’s hand and clutched it tightly in a fit of rage.

When Jiang Shi reached the top of the stairs and stepped closer, Jing Yongyan shoved the bottle right in front of her face and growled through gritted teeth, “Look at what good thing you’ve done!”

Jiang Shi’s eyes widened, bewildered. “What did I do?”

Jing Yongyan sneered, took out his phone, and played the recorded conversation.

Listening to the conversation, Jiang Shi’s composure crumbled for the first time. Furious, she glared fiercely at Xi Xinghe!

This country bumpkin had been playing her for a fool!

Xi Xinghe’s face paled, Jiang Shi’s gaze sent a chill down his spine.

Thus, Xi Xinghe hid behind Jing Heguang, concealing himself completely.

His stepmother was terrifying. He’d completely fooled the shrewd man, he’d better not go out and stir up trouble!

Jing Heguang noticed Jiang Shi’s gaze. Seeing Xi Xinghe hiding behind him, he wanted to pat Xi Xinghe on the shoulder to offer silent comfort.

However, Xi Xinghe was too close, and Jing Heguang ended up patting…his butt.

Xi Xinghe patted Jing Heguang’s hand on his butt and whispered, “What are you doing!”

Xi Xinghe was a little tired: just as the true culprit’s sinister face was being exposed, Jing Heguang started acting like a scoundrel again. Didn’t he know his place?

Since Xi Xinghe was hiding, Jiang Shi naturally couldn’t go past Jing Yongyan and Jing Heguang to beat him up.

The annoyance on Jiang Shi’s face slowly disappeared, replaced by calm. She said, “I did it. I just never imagined that the hunter would get pecked in the eye by a chick.”

Jiang Shi considered herself the one who had successfully married into a wealthy family, while Xi Xinghe was someone of similar status but far less intelligent.

Because of their potential shared identity, Jiang Shi hadn’t been as wary of Xi Xinghe.

But one wrong step led to eternal regret! Jiang Shi’s regrets were now too late.

Jiang Shi looked at Jing Yongyan, her eyes brimming with undisguised mockery and hatred.

Upon hearing her openly admit it, Jing Yongyan became even more agitated and distraught than she was.

His eyes turning red, Jing Yongyan demanded, “Why did you do this? For all these years, Heguang has looked up to you as a mother, he is even closer to you than he is to me. Do you have any conscience at all? Was this all part of a scheme from the very beginning?”

Jiang Shi scoffed, “What scheme? Wanting to have a child of my own, is that a scheme? Why should I sacrifice my whole life for someone else’s child? Do I look like a fool?”

“He and Xiao Jie are both your children, yet you only ever cared about him. You even arranged for Xiao Jie to marry that country bumpkin, so why shouldn’t I scheme?” Jiang Shi pointed disdainfully in the direction where Xi Xinghe was standing.

“If I didn’t scheme, my Xiao Jie would have been wronged. I schemed because you were playing favorites.” Jiang Shi jabbed her well-manicured finger into Jing Yongyan’s chest. “Your favoritism was so blatant, I couldn’t stand it anymore!”

Jing Yongyan swatted her hand away. “The matter regarding the children came from the Old Master. Both boys were young back then, I didn’t want them fighting each other as brothers in the future, so I agreed to it.”

“Don’t use Xiao Jie as an excuse. If the kids didn’t hit it off and didn’t want to marry, do you really think someone with my personality would have forced them into it?”

“As for the family fortune, what I earned, I can give it to whomever I want. That’s right, I am partial! I told you before we married that my eldest son would inherit the family business. You agreed to that yourself, that’s why we went ahead and got the marriage certificate.”

Jing Yongyan didn’t feel he was in the wrong, after all, he had made his terms very clear from the start.

However, Jiang Shi found his words laughable. “So, the last twenty-plus years were all for nothing? You thought only of that first son of yours, so what does that make me? And the son I bore, is he worthless, too?”

At the mention of their twenty years of marriage, Jiang Shi’s eyes also turned red. At first, she hadn’t given it much thought. She simply felt that Jing Yongyan was a decent man with a promising future.

Jing Yongyan certainly had a lot going for him back then, and she didn’t deny that she had been attracted to his circumstances.

However, as they lived together, feelings inevitably developed. She wanted a child, yet Jing Yongyan didn’t. Unwilling to accept that, Jiang Shi took matters into her own hands to conceive.

Once there were two children in the household, Jing Yongyan’s bias became apparent, that was precisely when Jiang Shi began to loathe Jing Heguang.

Seeing that she showed absolutely no remorse, Jing Yongyan flew into a rage, no longer caring about saving face.

“You have the nerve to say that? You were the one who agreed not to have children after marriage! And you were the one who changed your mind later!”

“Do you have any idea how Xiao Jie came to be? You pierce the condom! You think I didn’t know?!”

Jing Heguang listened, his gaze turning somewhat vacant.

Poked holes in the condom? It couldn’t mean what he thought it meant, literally puncturing a prophylactic? Jiang Shi was certainly…bold.

Xi Xinghe was stunned as well.

He had only ever seen this kind of scenario involving scum men. Some men were obsessed with having children, if their wives refused, they would do it behind their backs — it was incredibly low-class behavior.

At this moment, Xi Xinghe could only marvel: if you live long enough, you really do see it all.

Xi Xinghe embraced Jing Heguang, wrapping his arms around his waist from behind, and craned his neck to peek out, his curiosity piqued.

Jing Heguang grasped his hand, feeling like they were onlookers eating a juicy melon, and one that was far too juicy.

Jiang Shi, her face ripped off by Jing Yongyan, angrily lunged forward and scratched his face.

Jing Yongyan grabbed her arm, equally furious.

He blocked her path while yelling, “Jiang Shi, you’ve gone mad!”

“Let me tell you, I can tolerate many things you’ve done. If I’m biased, you can come at me, but you silently harmed the child, that’s going too far!”

“Jiang Shi, do you act like a human being? Do you think you’ve done right by the child’s love and care? Do you know how foolish I thought the child was when Heguang told me to consider Xiao Jie?”

Jiang Shi retorted angrily, “You’re heartless! Since you, Jing Yongyan, only care about that dead one, why don’t you die with her?!”

Jiang Shi thought some things would change after marriage. After all, she was young and beautiful, and genuinely liked this man, she hadn’t neglected the family.

But she hadn’t expected Jing Yongyan to be so stubborn, refusing to let her have a child. He even threatened divorce if she did!

Finally, she shamelessly decided to have the child, pretending it was an accident, thinking Jing Yongyan didn’t know.

But…he actually knew…

Jiang Shi scratched him until she cried.

Jing Yongyan’s face was streaked with marks.

One sat on the ground, the other stood, both silent.

Jing Heguang twitched his ears, sensing he heard something.

Then he realized the sound was a police siren.

Jiang Shi heard the sirens too. Her eyes widened, and she looked up at Jing Yongyan in disbelief: “You’re so cruel?”

Jing Yongyan, who had originally planned to send his youngest son to jail to learn a lesson, now looked at Jiang Shi’s desperate gaze.

He opened his mouth and said, “Yes, I am cruel. This is not the first time you know me, Jing Yongyan. You broke the law and harmed others, so you must go to jail.”

Jing Heguang clearly saw his trembling hand resting on the handrail.

***

Amidst the wailing sirens, Jiang Shi, the medicine bottle, and the nanny who was changing the dressing were all taken away.

In the courtyard, the three looked at the lush green lawn.

Jing Yongyan kicked at the grass: “Ugly! I’ll tear it all down another day!”

Under the sunlight, Jing Heguang suddenly felt a sting in his eyes.

He blinked, and then saw patches of green appear in the once black and white yard, along with the brilliant sunlight reflecting off the ground.

Jing Heguang squinted, shielding his eyes with his hand. He said, “The lawn is quite a beautiful green, but the light outside is too bright!”

Hearing this, Jing Yongyan’s phone fell to the ground with a thud.

Xi Xinghe excitedly hugged Jing Heguang: “Ahh!! Heguang, you can see the yard?!”

Author’s Note: I finished writing about the stepmother, and then I realized there’s a younger brother too, ahhh!

But the younger brother should have an easier time writing, since he’s a bit slow. sighε=(?ο｀*)))