Chapter 181 Sad and Hateful
After listening to Zhang Chengxuan’s soliloquy, Qi Yu realized that there was a way to turn this matter around. He asked instead, “Rather than pulling me down, wouldn’t you want more to punish those who put you in the dark?”
Zhang Chengxuan lowered his head and said, “I’m the one who trapped myself in the dark.”
The other party’s tone was full of self-loathing and it made Qi Yu’s heart tremble. Zhang Chengxuan once hoped for his approval and longed to be his “opponent” but now, the other party no longer wanted these things.
Because Zhang Chengxuan himself knew that having done such a thing as this, Qi Yu could no longer forgive or trust him.
Unattainable, unreachable — better to drag him down and perish together…
Qi Yu’s brain turned sharply and he adjusted his negotiation strategy. He said slowly, “Zhang Chengxuan, didn’t I tell you before that I have a twin brother? You say you envy me, but I envy my brother…Unlike me, he’s just an ordinary college student. His biggest worry every day is probably what he’s going to eat next… When I was a child, we went swimming together, because of the teacher’s negligence, my brother almost drowned. I had been playing by myself at the time and hadn’t noticed him. When my mother found out, it wasn’t only the teacher she held accountable, she scolded me as well me. She said that since I’m the older brother, no matter where I was, I had to protect my younger brother.”
“When she scolded me, I thought it was completely unfair. I was also a child and needed to be paid attention to but because I was born a few minutes earlier than my younger brother, I had no choice but to be the adult… This sense of responsibility has been with me since I could remember. Until now, my brother can be carefree and free to pursue the life he wants but I can’t.”
Qi Yu didn’t dare to act too hastily. After a pause, seeing that the other party didn’t respond, he continued tactfully, “My parents divorced when my brother and I were ten. After that, I lived with my father. While he worked, I stayed at home by myself. Whenever I followed after my dad, someone would say to me, ‘oh, you’re Qi Yuancheng’s son. You have to study hard and help help share your father’s burdens in the future’… Applying to Stafford, studying economics and managing the business are all just responsibilities I need to assume.”
“Since last summer vacation, my dad asked me get in experience managing the company. Every day I faced business intrigues and everyone I met were all just feigning civility. I had to pretend to be a mature and stable adult, all the time thinking if this person was trying to take advantage of me, if this person was trying to plot against me. I couldn’t say one wrong thing or do one wrong move, because the slightest mistake could land me in a situation like this…”
Zhang Chengxuan smiled bitterly. “So, do you regret trusting me now?”
The other party finally responded. It showed that had been listening carefully and had already been drawn into his own story.
Qi Yu breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, but instead of answering Zhang Chengxuan’s question, he sighed and continued, “Actually, this has happened more than once. The first time I was kidnapped was when I was eight years old. The kidnappers also took me to a some place similar. They had knives and they looked at me like demons. I didn’t dare to do anything except to secretly cry. I was even afraid they’d be pissed if I breathed too loudly. I thought they would stab me and I would never see my parents again…”
“You keep saying I’m high up in the clouds but I don’t feel that way at all. I just feel so tired every day… Heh, rather than being the heir to a consortium, I’d rather live a simpler life, study what I want, love who I love… I like music, geography; I like the romantic starry skies. But I don’t have time to do any of those. Do you remember, you asked me to go to the park during my sophomore year? I liked your thoughtfulness and enthusiasm. I really want to be friends with you. But my teacher told me that with my status, even if I made friends, it would only be an exchange of interests.”
“……Your teacher?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“En, my personal teacher, the ‘think tank’ you were suspecting I had before. Actually, I don’t have any sort of think tank working for me. From beginning to end, he was the only one. He taught me a lot of things, principles and rules in business. He also taught me how to hold on to my principles and aspirations in this complex environment… At first, wasn’t supportive of me making friends with you. He said that the environment you grew up in was too complicated and he was worried that I wouldn’t be a match for you.”
Itjcu Jtfcuzejc jrxfv yjmx, “Po atja’r atf mjrf, kts vlv sbe tfiq wf ijra sfjg?”
Hl Te: “Dfmjerf ktfc sbe mjwf ab wf obg tfiq. Mgbw ktja sbe abiv wf, P mbeiv tfjg sbeg mbcmfgc obg sbeg wbatfg jcv sbeg vfrlgf ab yf glv bo atf bglulcji fcnlgbcwfca. Ycf’r fcnlgbcwfca mjc wjxf j qfgrbc yea la mjc jirb mtjcuf j qfgrbc. Ktbeut P atbeuta sbe wluta tjnf eiafglbg wbalnfr lc jqqgbjmtlcu wf, P yfilfnfv sbe vfolclafis kfgfc’a rbwfbcf fnli… Qtfc la mjwf ab tfiqlcu sbe, P mjgfv wbgf jybea ralmxlcu ab ws bkc qglcmlqifr bo yflcu j vfmfca qfgrbc atjc mbcrlvfglcu atf ealilajgljc ujlcr jcv ibrrfr. P jw kliilcu ab yfilfnf lc atf ubbvcfrr bo tewjc cjaegf; P’w kliilcu ab yfilfnf wbgf lc j mijrrwjaf’r oglfcvrtlq atjc lc jcs vfwfgla jcv yfcfola.”
Zhang Chengxuan’s breathing had turned loud and jarring.
Qi Yu heard the change in his state and continued, “You just asked me if I had any regrets and it would be a lie to say that I don’t have any. My mother has not been in good health recently and I’m the only one my father can count on to help him. If something were to happen to me, who know how worried they would be… But instead of saying that I regret believing in you, I should say that I regret not thoroughly thinking things through. Before entering that stairwell, I hesitated whether to call my bodyguard first. But thinking it was you, you who made me let my guard down…”
From the near the wall, a sod was heard. Zhang Chengxuan was crying.
Qi Yu did not let up, proceeding to further move his emotions. “Zhang Chengxuan, even if you’ve continuously lied to me, even if you have used me, deep down in my heart, I am still willing to believe you.”
Zhang Chengxuan choked and said, “Don’t say anymore…”
Qi Yu cooperated, falling silent. Only Zhang Chengxuan’s muffled sobs were left in the empty factory building.
Qi Yu waited and waited, waited for Zhang Chengxuan to calm down after crying. He then continued, “I don’t know why you did such a thing, but I think you must have your own troubles…”
“The situation of the Lizao Group is very bad…” Zhang Chengxuan took a few deep breaths. As though talking to himself, he confided to Qi Yu, “My second uncle is a bastard whose specialties are dining, wining, whoring and gambling. And he’s not the only one gambling. For the past two years, he’s also turned my eldest uncle’s head into becoming addicted to gambling. The two of them have lost at least a hundred million gambling in Macau. At present, all the companies under the group are all messed up. Except for FIA, which is managed by my father, all the other companies are losing money… Frankly speaking, my dad is the only one in the Zhang family whose doing any proper work. But he’s just FIA’s CEO. FIA belongs to Lizao and as long Lizao has shares in FIA, anyone can stick their nose in it. The one who controls most of them is my second uncle…”
Qi Yu said tentatively, “Do none of them treat you well? I remember you told me before that the Zhang Family treats you quite badly.”
Zhang Chengxuan: “Actually, my dad treats me well and he has plans to train me. But I am Zhang Youfa’s flesh and blood after all… That’s right, them brothers are all fighting each other. I stand with my dad but he’s afraid I’m a inexperienced white-eyed wolf. He used all sorts of things to test me. It was my dad who provided all that evidence related to Zhang Chenghuan; he asked me to give it to you. He wanted to use your strength to destroy my second uncle’s influence in FIA first.”
Qi Yu: “So that’s how it is…”
No wonder Zhang Chengxuan, an illegitimate child who “isn’t given much important”, managed to get ahold of those things. After listening to his explanation, the doubts he had back then were all cleared up.
Zhang Chengxuan: “This year, my dad managed to broker the cooperation between FIA and HZ. The second uncle no longer has any money to spend so he turned his sights on this. He keeps nagging for money and messes things up by giving senseless directions. It didn’t take long after Lin Huan agreed to cooperate with us that he found out that Lizao’s just rubbish covered in jade and gold. He gave an ultimatum, this conference by New Bird is our last chance. If we can’t secure this cooperation, he will withdraw his investment. Once he withdraws, Lizao won’t have enough funds to support the development of FIA – HZ. Moreover, we just learned that the Tianbao Group might become a shareholder in the Siyuan Group. If we fail this time, FIA will plummet…”
Qi Yu: “So you guys came up with this idea?”
Zhang Chengxuan: “En, when you guys sent Zhang Chenghuan to jail, my second uncle held a grudge. When he learned that we were going to compete with you again this time, he said he was going to simply kidnap you. Not only would it make you give up your cooperation with New Bird, but it would also stabilize Lin Huan. It was killing two birds with one stone. My dad had no objection. If its something that can benefit the company, they can still agree with each other. But it was going to be too easy to suspect the Zhang Family being behind this kidnapping, so they arranged for me to be kidnapped as well. By pretending that FIA was also a victim, it would reduces suspicion.”
Qi Yu asked, “How is he going to make us give up the cooperation with New Bird? Wouldn’t a direct threat be easily exposed?”
Zhang Chengxuan: “Actually, your kidnapping when you were eight and the one in August last year, were all orchestrated by my second uncle. I heard him bragging about it. He has contacts with all sorts of people and he’s familiar with this sort of thing… … He said, if your dad was smart, he would know what to do as soon as he gave it some thought. When the time comes, you would voluntarily give up your cooperation. The police won’t be able to find any evidence and after we’re rescued, FIA won’t have anything to do with it.”
When Qi Yu heard that been behind the three kidnappings, he gritted his teeth, pushing down on his inner fury. He asked Zhang Chengxuan, “Since you’re cooperating with this kidnapping, those kidnappers just now…didn’t really beat you up just now, did they?”
Zhang Chengxuan was silent for a couple of seconds before saying, “They should have only received instructions from the middleman. In order to prevent the police from finding out anything afterwards, their task was to kidnap me and you.”
Qi Yu said in shock, “So they really beat you up?”
Zhang Chengxuan made a “en”.
Qi Yu was flabbergasted. In order to kidnap him, the Zhang Brothers were even willing to sacrifice their own flesh-and-blood son. It was simply inhumane…
After a while, Zhang Chengxuan added, “But don’t worry, the kidnappers shouldn’t be out to kill us. If we die, the nature of this crime will be different… The middleman might have possibly just asked them to delay until my second uncle and the others achieve their goals. They should then let us go.”
Should…Possibly…
Qi Yu could heard that Zhang Chengxuan himself was a little unsure about what he said.
His heart jumped to his throat. He asked, “How can you be sure that those kidnappers will really follow the rules? They beat you up so badly and they’ve got knives on them. So, what if?”
Zhang Chengxuan was silent.
Qi Yu continued, “Besides, you telling me all this now, it’s like…”
He originally wanted to say that Zhang Chengxuan telling him all this was equivalent to him confessing to him and the Zhang Family’s crimes. But after thinking about it, verbal statements were no guarantee. Just because Zhang Chengxuan was telling him these know doesn’t mean he’ll tell it the same way when he’s interrogated by the police. If he words it another way, this would be a case of Rashomon. This won’t be any use as evidence.
Qi Yu said in a roundabout way, “This is a criminal offense, after all. If any evidence is found, you’ll be charged as an accomplice. We’re graduating in half a year. With a diploma from Stafford, there’s no where you can’t go. For these, are you willing to throw away even your own future?”
“Future? Heh…” Zhang Chengxuan chuckled and said faintly, “Me, an illegitimate child who can’t ever be seen — Zhang Youfa refuses to recognize me but my father recognizes me. What else can I ask for? You said just now that your father only has you to help him. Actually, my father is the same. He’s impotent. He has no children and is a little paranoid on top of that. When it’s good, he sincerely hugs me and calls me his son. He also gives me money, just like a real father… When it’s bad, he whips me and beats me with a belt. He doesn’t consider me his flesh and blood and he thinks I’ll leave sooner or later… I hate his badness but I am also grateful for his goodness… After my second uncle came up with this kidnapping idea and my dad asked me to trick you, I refused. I said that there were bodyguards around you all the time and that you might not believe me. My dad slapped me and called me a good-for-nothing, saying I wouldn’t know unless I tried…What I’m most afraid is calling me useless. Qi Yu, you’ve always had a father; you can’t know how I feel… If he shuns me and doesn’t want me anymore, I won’t even have a father…”
Qi Yu was shocked by Zhang Chengxuan’s remarks, finding it hateful and sad.
He tried to make excuses for the other party, “In this way, aren’t you still being forced? No matter how your father treats you, you hve to at least leave a way out for yourself. What if you’re really found out? Since your father and your second uncle aren’t on good terms now, you might as well think about how to put all the blame on your second uncle, right? You’re being coerced into committing a crime. The police won’t convict you and your father will finally believe that you’re loyal to him…”
He could hear Zhang Chengxuan adjusting his position. He didn’t speak for a long time, as if he were really starting to think about Qi Yu’s proposal.
Just then, a strange noise came from outside.
The author has something to say: [Little Theater]
Qi Yu: He’s different from me. He’s just an ordinary college student.
Qi Feng: Ordinary? I am the campus idol of F University!
Qi Yu: When he was a child, he almost drowned and my mother scolded me.
Qi Feng: What? Was there such a thing?
Qi Yu: Shut up! You’re not even doing anything, can’t you just let me borrow you to make up a story?
Qi Feng: You, you liar! …Use whatever you want!
(There was no drowning incident. But I did have a similar experience, so the emotions were real. My brother never opens his mouth to tell his family about his grievances.)
Wow, his family sucks 😔
Ty for the chapter ❤️
Zhang Chengxuan’s family experiences really do suck. I think for him even if he regrets what he did, it truly must feel like a last resort for him. I hope our Little Fish gets saved 😭 Thank you for the update!
This really is the family where money is redder than blood…
I also feel for all the oldest siblings. It’s an absolute nightmare to be one. I’m the youngest, but that doesn’t stop me from seeing how awful it must have been for my oldest brother as he grew up. Everything was about him taking care of his little brother and little sister. He was the oldest and his responsibility was that. He liked a toy but we broke it? He had to put up with it. We wanted to do some shenanigans? He had to bear the blame. We played too much and hurt ourselves? He was the one who didn’t pay attention to us. Then me and my second brother were closer to each other than we were to him since we are just one year apart and my elest is 5years older. We always banded together and did all sorts of bad things. Oldest always suffered. Especially since he had to tell us to ‘be careful’ and ‘can’t do that it’s dangerous’ etc, we didn’t like him. Now that I’m so much older I really would love to knock some sense into young me. Some children grow out of this phase, especially if their burden is put on their shoulders only until maturity. Others are forever hurt by it and can’t come out of the unjustice they suffered. And I don’t blame them
It’s just that it’s not healthy to dwell on bad things and you can’t turn back time to fix your decisions. Even if those involved apologise they could not undo what they’ve done. 😮💨