Chapter 10 – Young Master dyed his hair Provence blue
“Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter. Your stepmother is really something, truly! She’s a talent!”
On the basketball court, Song Siyang laughed so hard that he bent over. Xie Heng, annoyed, kicked the basketball right at him. “Are you still laughing? Are we even friends?”
Song Siyang continued his triple mockery, “It’s because we’re friends that I’m laughing at you.
“Walnuts improve brain function, hahaha. She’s subtly implying you’re dumb!
“The key is you can’t even complain. If your dad finds out, he’d praise her for caring about you. Unbelievable…”
Xie Heng impatiently raised an eyebrow, “Your grades aren’t much better than mine, so shut up.”
Being called out for his grades, Song Siyang finally fell silent.
They lived in the same villa area and were in the same class. These two brothers in misfortune faced a hellish mode in every exam. The weird thing was, despite Xie Heng being as lazy as Song Siyang, Xie Heng’s grades were always better, resulting in Song Siyang getting scolded worse at home.
Xie Heng, in a bad mood, lost his energy after playing basketball for two hours.
Song Siyang lived in Area B of the villa complex. They parted ways at the intersection. Song Siyang patted his friend’s shoulder and reminded, “Your stepmother is pretty high-level. Be careful, really, don’t fall for her tricks.”
Xie Heng snorted, “High-level? She’s so obviously targeting me, it’s just my Dad who’s blind.”
“That’s exactly what’s impressive! Haven’t you watched palace dramas? If she were sneaky, it would be less worrisome. The fact that she’s doing it openly means she’s fearless!”
“…”
Xie Heng felt annoyed and didn’t want to talk.
He only complained to Song Siyang a little but didn’t say too much. If Song Siyang knew that Lu Xi was going to pretend to be his biological mother and had forged a paternity test report, Song Siyang’s reaction would be even more exaggerated.
Song Siyang : “Be careful not to be manipulated by your stepmother.”
When Xie Heng was unhappy, his entire jawline tightened, and he laughed defiantly, “Manipulate me? In her next life, maybe.”
He wasn’t just talking.
To show he wouldn’t be manipulated, even though he moved back home, he continued doing things his own way, escalating his rebellious behavior.
On Monday, he skipped school for a whole day.
The school called home, and the butler passed the phone to Lu Xi.
While eating freshly baked semi-cooked cheesecake from the home’s baker, she casually said, “Oh, don’t worry about him. He can go or not.”
The teacher frowned. This was too irresponsible, right? Before, whenever she called, it was the Xie family butler who answered, never so dismissively.
“And you are?”
Lu Xi calmly replied, “I’m his mother.”
“…”
The teacher hung up in a daze.
That can’t be right. She heard that Mrs. Xie passed away a long time ago. This voice was so young. Could it be… a stepmother?!
The teacher was shocked, her emotions complicated.
She had seen Mr. Xie before, tall, elegant, well-built, and wealthy. At thirty-eight, he didn’t have the typical rich middle-aged man’s big belly and greasiness. He was cold, austere, and celibate, with no rumors of messy relationships. Female teachers at the school always spoke highly of him.
Unexpectedly, even a man like him prefers young girls… Indeed, men will always be attracted to young women.
Poor Xie Heng, though, as his new stepmother seems quite formidable.
Lu Xi, the “formidable stepmother,” had just finished watching an entire drama series in one day and went to bed before ten o’clock.
Since her transmigration, her physical condition had weakened. It wasn’t an illness; it seemed to be related to that prophetic dream.
The first two days after dreaming were the most uncomfortable, but she gradually got better over the next few days, as if her body was expelling accumulated toxins.
At midnight, as the date on his phone changed to the next day, Xie Heng finally left the internet café.
Feeling refreshed, he took a taxi home, feeling very pleased with himself.
In the afternoon, he had received a call from home. It was Lu Xi’s voice asking when he planned to come back.
“None of your business. I’ll come back whenever I want. If you call again, I’ll block you.” After hanging up, she indeed did not call back, knowing it was futile. It seemed his threat had worked.
From now on, it should be like this—she needs to know he’s not easy to push around.
At night, the only light in the entire villa was the porch light at the entrance.
The front door had a smart lock. Xie Heng tried to open it as usual, but it emitted two error beeps.
[Sorry, door opening failed.]
Xie Heng : ?
Is the door broken?
He tried a few more times but it still didn’t work, so he had to ring the doorbell.
After a while, the screen at the entrance lit up, and the butler’s voice came through, “Young Master, you’re back.”
“It’s me! Uncle Chen, quickly open the door for me, this stupid door is broken.”
The butler coughed awkwardly, “Sorry, Young Master, Madam has instructed that if you come home after ten-thirty, the door won’t be opened for you.”
Xie Heng was stunned, gritting his teeth in anger.
She’s really something, going to such lengths to keep him out! Fine, he’ll remember this grudge.
“What about my Dad? Does he know about this?!”
Butler : “…Master suggested changing the time to ten o’clock.”
Xie Heng : … This is really his biological father, the two of them ganging up on him!
He glared at the front door, wishing he had superpowers to kick it open.
But he had money.
With cash in his pocket, he could stay at any high-end hotel he wanted.
Xie Heng turned to leave but suddenly stopped.
No, if he left now, wouldn’t that mean he was conceding, letting that woman have her way?
He turned back, arrogantly raising his chin, “Tell her to come out and say it to my face.”
The butler couldn’t bear it, but he had to follow orders, “Sorry, Young Master, Nadam is already asleep. She told you to sleep in the garage tonight, which I’ve already prepared.”
Xie Heng was about to explode with anger.
She’s definitely doing this on purpose. She’s indeed a master at palace intrigue!
On the screen, the young man’s handsome face was so gloomy it seemed like water could drip off it. Even through a door, his anger was palpable.
With Young Master’s quick temper, it would be a miracle if he obediently slept in the garage. The butler worried he might sneak out at night and hesitated about whether to secretly let him in since Madam was already asleep…
Xie Heng irritably ruffled his hair. “Hmph, the garage it is. This Young Master can endure anything!”
“…”
The butler was utterly surprised.
Ever since Madam arrived, Young Master had become increasingly obedient.
A temporary bedroom was set up in the garage, but the environment was nowhere near as good as in the villa. However, Xie Heng was too preoccupied with his grievances to care about this.
Lying on the narrow folding bed, his 1.85-meter frame was quite cramped.
Xie Heng made a decision.
Tomorrow, he was going to make a big move to show that woman what he was capable of.
Early the next morning, the butler found the garage empty. Xie Heng didn’t return until lunchtime. He asked where Lu Xi was, then headed straight to the dining room, dramatically pulling out a chair and clearing his throat loudly after sitting down.
Lu Xi looked up and saw his head full of dazzling blue hair, shining brightly in the sunlight.
She frowned, looking thoughtful, and glanced at the smug young man, hesitant to speak.
Xie Heng was immensely pleased with himself. He raised an eyebrow. “I just dyed it. What do you think? Provence blue, the trendiest color this year!”
Lu Xi stared at his flowing blue hair for a full three minutes.
Xie Heng was extremely proud.
How about that? He managed to shock her, didn’t he?
If he weren’t afraid of making her faint again, he’d continue to taunt her, but he had already achieved his goal. Lu Xi was stunned and couldn’t speak.
Lu Xi slowly began, “You went out early in the morning just to dye your hair?”
“Of course,” Xie Heng proudly touched the hair by his ear. “I dye it whenever I want. As long as I’m happy, maybe I’ll dye it red next time.”
Lu Xi slightly furrowed her brow. “What’s this color called again…”
Xie Heng repeated proudly, “Pro-vence-blue.”
She pursed her lips, lightly tapping her long index finger on the table, and said expressionlessly, “Come upstairs with me.”
Xie Heng instinctively shrank back. “Why? If you have something to say, just say it here.”
Did she want to take him upstairs to a place without servants to beat him? Did she think he was stupid?
“Come upstairs. I have something for you.” Lu Xi walked ahead, looking relaxed, her profile catching the sunlight, as youthful as cream. She glanced back at him. “What’s the matter, scared?”
Xie Heng choked, snorted, straightened his back, and followed nonchalantly.
“This Young Master is afraid of no one,” he muttered softly.
Lu Xi led him to the walk-in closet on the third floor, which was connected to her bedroom. Usually, she could enter directly from the bedroom to change clothes, which was very convenient.
Xie Heng stopped at the door.
He was utterly confused. Why bring him to such a private place? He had seen the servants help Lu Xi organize her clothes; it was a huge task. Lu Xi was fanatical about clothes, incredibly picky, and had bought so many that the closet was overflowing.
Was she planning to make him do hard labor?
“What did you bring me here for?”
Lu Xi said, “To try on clothes.” She paused, then suddenly smiled happily. “No, I should say, to do a makeover.”
Xie Heng: “…” He didn’t understand but was greatly shocked. However, he thought he should run.
Lu Xi suddenly grabbed the hood of his hoodie and pulled him in backward.
???
Xie Heng, the 1.85-meter school bully : … Tall and strong, but helpless.
Was he being bullied at home?