Just as she was thinking this, she saw Xie Heng lie down directly, stretching out his long legs and sprawling into a starfish position. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, then turned his head to look in her direction.
“Mom, Dad bullied me.”
The boy’s eyes were slightly red. Despite his tall stature, his voice was pitiful, like a stray puppy that had just been kicked. He spoke softly, “Aren’t you going to do something about him?”
He really sounded like he was about to cry.
Lu Xi put down the strawberry in her hand.
She couldn’t help but walk over, crouch down, and gently ruffle Xie Heng’s soft blue hair.
Because of the sweat, his hair was slightly damp.
Alright, even though she really wanted to see the rebellious son get beaten until he cried, seeing him looking so pitiful, his eyes red as he called out ‘Mom’ like he was really about to cry, she couldn’t help but find it both amusing and endearing.
She tried really hard to resist the urge to take out her phone and snap a picture.
After all, Xie Heng’s current appearance was truly worth commemorating.
Even though she couldn’t take a picture, nor could she post it on her social media… if she did, she’d get a hundred likes in less than an hour!
Lu Xi, despite sympathizing with Xie Heng, couldn’t help but tell the truth: “To be fair, your Dad didn’t actually hit you.”
At most, Xie Yizhao kicked his leg, nudged his butt, and tapped his shoulder.
Xie Yizhao even held back his strength.
Sometimes, Xie Yizhao just tripped him, making him fall—it was never serious.
Xie Yizhao stood beside them, looking down at his son who was lying on the ground acting spoiled, and shook his head.
Seeing him like this, he couldn’t help but recall when Xie Heng was just a little cub. His expression softened slightly. “You… when you fight, you forget everything. Just now, you clearly had the chance to grab my belt.”
Xie Heng was stunned.
Damn, he had been too focused earlier and completely forgot about grabbing the belt. He was too caught up in wanting to go head-to-head with his Dad.
His face turned red and then pale, and he simply shut his mouth, refusing to speak.
After a few seconds, Xie Heng raised his hand and muttered in a muffled voice, “Pull me up.”
Lu Xi was the closest to him, so she reached out to grab his hand.
But she couldn’t pull him up.
The boy was like a giant ginseng doll buried deep in the ground. She even felt a counterforce, as if he was pulling her down instead. If Xie Yizhao hadn’t caught her, she might have fallen over.
“I got this.”
Xie Yizhao patted the back of Lu Xi’s hand, then looked at Xie Heng and extended his hand toward him.
The moment he reached out, he easily pulled the boy up.
Xie Heng seized the opportunity. The instant he stood up, he swiftly reached out and yanked the black belt from his father’s waist. With a swift motion, he pulled it away.
“Alright! I got it! I beat you!” Xie Heng held up Xie Yizhao’s belt, lifted his chin, and grinned smugly.
Lu Xi was stunned.
That worked?!
She gave Xie Heng a strange look. “Xiao Heng, this isn’t exactly honorable, you know. You just pulled a sneak attack!”
Xie Heng was completely unapologetic. “I learned from my Dad. Besides, he never said the fight was over.”
Lu Xi thought about it and realized… he was right.
Then it hit her. She suddenly looked at the rebellious son with a peculiar expression.
She hadn’t expected him to actually learn from battle experience and start taking a more roundabout approach to victory.
Xie Heng put down the belt. “Dad, you’re not going to go back on this, are you?”
Xie Yizhao’s lips curled slightly. Since stepping into the martial arts hall, this was the first time he had shown any amusement toward Xie Heng. “No, you’re smart. This round is yours.”
Xie Heng blinked.
He muttered, “What do you mean ‘this round’? It totally is…”
But he couldn’t stop himself from laughing.
He clenched the belt in his hand, the corners of his lips curving upward in satisfaction.
Even though he couldn’t beat his Dad in a fight, this time—this time, he had won! And his Dad even acknowledged it.
Still… his Dad was ridiculously strong.
Lu Xi didn’t fully grasp it, but Xie Heng could feel it in his bones. In those brief twenty or so minutes, his Dad hadn’t even been serious. Every move he made was measured. If he had actually gone all out, Xie Heng would have been flat on the ground in no time.
First off, his Dad was way stronger than him.
As the saying goes, sheer strength can overpower skill.
Plus, it was clear that his Dad had trained systematically. His moves had structure and rhythm—unlike Xie Heng, who was just swinging wildly based on instinct and experience.
Xie Heng felt a little frustrated again.
It seemed like he wouldn’t be able to beat his Dad anytime soon.
After Xie Heng took a shower and changed his clothes, Xie Yizhao—despite barely sweating—also went to shower.
By the time the three of them left the training room, the moon was already high in the sky.
Xie Heng walked behind them, lost in thought. Though he wasn’t usually talkative, he seemed even quieter than usual.
At that moment, a man who looked about thirty-five came down from upstairs. When he saw Xie Yizhao, he immediately smiled. “Senior Brother, what brings you here today?”
Lu Xi couldn’t help but blink.
Senior Brother?
What kind of title was that?
Xie Heng snapped out of his thoughts and curiously looked at the man.
Xie Yizhao seemed slightly resigned to the title. He tugged at the corner of his lips and nodded. “Just bringing my family here to have some fun.”
Gao Song was very warm and friendly. When he saw Lu Xi, he hesitated for a second before quickly realizing who she was and greeted her with a cheerful “Sister-in-law.” Then, he turned to Xie Heng and smiled. “You must be Xiao Heng. You’ve grown taller, already a young man now.”
Xie Heng had met him before—he had come to pay respects to his father during New Year’s. He gave a small, polite smile in response.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Xie Yizhao, Gao Song bid them farewell, and the family of three left the martial arts hall.
Even after getting into the car and heading home, Xie Heng was still pondering—what did he mean by calling his Dad ‘Senior Brother’?
Lu Xi was curious too.
And her way of solving problems was to ask directly.
“Who was that guy just now? And why did he call you Senior Brother?”
Hearing her question, Xie Heng didn’t turn around, but he definitely perked up his ears.
Xie Yizhao had already guessed she wouldn’t be able to resist asking. He chuckled lightly and replied, “Because he’s my junior.”
Lu Xi almost burst out laughing—what kind of answer was that?
She couldn’t help but give him a glare, feeling a little annoyed. She pinched his arm and said, “Don’t joke around. You didn’t actually join some sect, did you?”
Xie Heng’s train of thought was the same as Lu Xi’s. Hearing such an old-fashioned term as ‘sect’ immediately made him think of the martial arts and cultivation novels he’d read. He casually chimed in, “Shaolin, perhaps?”
Xie Yizhao shot him a glance, unimpressed, then raised his hand and smacked the boy on the back of his head.
If he’d really joined Shaolin, would he still have this rebellious son shortening his lifespan1?
Clearing his throat, Xie Yizhao turned his head and met Lu Xi’s bright apricot eyes. Only then did he smile and explain in a low voice, “Years ago, I trained under a master and learned some martial arts.” After a pause, he added meaningfully, “I didn’t join any sect.”
Lu Xi stuck out her tongue.
Alright, maybe she had been overthinking it.
But now she had even more questions. Just as she was about to speak, Xie Yizhao’s phone rang.
When he picked it up, Lu Xi caught a glimpse of the name on the screen—
Yin Zongming.
She immediately realized it must be about Xiao Feiyuan.
Xie Yizhao glanced at her before answering the call.
He didn’t say much, mostly listening while the other person spoke. Every now and then, he responded with a word or two. After about three or four minutes, he pinched the bridge of his nose and said in a detached tone, “CEO Yin, you’ve had a tough time as well. It’s good that your son is fine this time, but in the future, you should be more careful. The wrong friends can ruin an entire family.”
After hanging up, he looked up and locked eyes with Xie Heng.
The latter stiffened slightly and quickly looked away. He muttered stubbornly, “What are you looking at me for? I haven’t hung out with those useless friends in ages.”
Xie Yizhao : “Good.”
Xie Heng fell silent.
Meanwhile, Lu Xi’s attention had been drawn to the phone call. She was intrigued and asked Xie Yizhao how the Yin family had handled the situation.
This time, Xie Yizhao didn’t keep her in suspense and told her directly.
Yin Zongming was decisive. Taking Xie Yizhao’s advice, he had his house searched, and after finding nothing suspicious, he immediately handed the people over to the police.
Not just Xiao Feiyuan, but also his own incompetent second son, Yin Xiang. They were both sent in for investigation.
Fortunately, Zhou Yueheng had been present. As a media tycoon and a friend of the Yin family, he would do his best to keep the matter under wraps.
Luckily, the results showed that only Xiao Feiyuan had an issue.
Even his hair samples tested positive, indicating that he had been using for at least six months.
Thinking of that distinct smell, Lu Xi frowned. He had probably started back in university…
He even admitted to using before heading to the party, not during it.
The legal process would take over from here. There might be compulsory measures, but no matter what, Xiao Feiyuan had completely offended Yin Zongming. His future was doomed.
Lu Xi had only three words for him : Serves him right.
He deserved it.
Regardless of how the Yin family would deal with him, Lu Xi had to admit that Yin Zongming was quite ruthless. If his son had been involved, turning his son in would have cleared his own name, but the damage to Yin Xiang would have been significant.
After some thought, Lu Xi said, “CEO Yin didn’t cover for his son. His values are pretty solid.”
Xie Yizhao chuckled. He didn’t think Yin Zongming did it out of moral righteousness. He cleared his throat and said, “Maybe. But if it were me, I would’ve done the same.”
The blue-haired brat, who had been enjoying the gossip, suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
Goosebumps rose on his arms.
He scoffed and quickly regained his cocky tone. “Forget it. You won’t get the chance. I don’t even smoke.”
He hadn’t been to a bar in ages.
Places like that didn’t interest him anymore.
After that day, Xie Heng couldn’t help but feel a newfound respect for his Dad.
Before, it had been psychological. Now, it was physical—real fear.
He had considered bringing up his dream of becoming a cop with Xie Yizhao. But now, he abandoned the idea.
If he couldn’t even win a fight against his Dad, what right did he have to talk about dreams?
Life soon returned to normal. Work for some, school for others, and slacking off for the rest.
Two weeks passed.
Yet, Xie Heng still couldn’t get over how powerless he had been under his Dad’s hands that day. But since there was no immediate solution, he soon found himself facing a new dilemma.
Christmas was coming.
With stores and social media plastered with advertisements, the whole world seemed to be reminding him—it was time to spend money on a gift for Ms. Lu.
Xie Heng had studied Lu Xi’s preferences.
Besides clothes and bags, she liked jewelry.
Clothing required trying on, and as for bags—his current budget wasn’t even close to the price range of the ones in her wardrobe.
Xie Heng spent three days choosing, even consulting his deskmate’s connections and gathering opinions from over twenty girls in the class.
In the end, he settled on a pearl necklace.
A single Australian white pearl, set with diamonds, 15.2mm in size. Even as a straight guy with no knowledge of jewelry, he found it absolutely stunning.
Especially the diamond design—it happened to form the shape of a Christmas tree, with the pearl like a gift adorning it.
Ms. Lu would look amazing wearing it.
She would definitely be the most dazzling Mom in the crowd.
Now, there was only one problem.
The necklace cost 210,000 yuan, but he only had around 150,000. There was no way he could make another 60,000 in just a few days.
After some thought, Xie Heng opened an app and pulled Song Siyang and Xu Jiaming into a group chat.
A minute later, the two received a message.
Xie Heng : [I urgently need money. If you’re my bros, give me 50,000 yuan. I’ll pay you back as soon as I have it! I swear on my parents’ honor.]
Song Siyang : [?? Brother Heng, did someone hack your account?]
- Shaolin is a Chinese martial arts developed by Shaolin Temple, so all the practitioners are monks… which means they can’t marry or have children. ↩︎