NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8
When I returned home in the evening, I sensed the somber atmosphere as soon as I entered the house.
Chu Muxi calmly greeted Chu Tianhao, who was seated on the sofa. “Father.”
“Welcome back,” Chu Tianhao replied, his tone still carrying some residual anger. “How was your day at college?”
“It was pleasant, quiet, and the teacher’s lecture was interesting,” Chu Muxi said with a shy smile.
Pretending not to pay any attention, he cast a glance at He Hui, who stood nearby. She averted her face, showing only one side to him.
Inwardly, Chu Muxi felt a sense of defeat, knowing that he had been reprimanded by Chu Tianhao. To antagonize He Hui, he intentionally greeted her, saying, “Hello, Aunt He.”
He Hui merely grumbled in response, still avoiding his gaze.
Chu Tianhao snorted and said, “What are you still doing here? Why don’t you go prepare dinner?”
He Hui nodded and replied, “Yes, I’ll start right away.” She avoided making eye contact with Chu Muxi and headed to the kitchen.
Her face was inflamed and painful. Although Chu Tianhao’s slap earlier had been less forceful, her pampered skin had become quite delicate. It had swelled significantly where she was struck.
Chu Tianhao, however, was indifferent and didn’t allow her to treat the swelling.
Unexpectedly, as He Hui passed by Chu Muxi, he let out a cry and asked loudly, as if startled, “Aunt He, what’s happened to your face? Why is it swollen?”
He Hui clenched her teeth and explained, “It’s due to an accidental collision.”
“It’s rather severe, Aunt He,” Chu Muxi responded with genuine concern. “At your age, you must take care of your health.”
Inwardly, He Hui cursed at him, suspecting that he was deliberately pointing out her age.
He Hui forced a smile and said, “Thank you for your concern, Xiao Xi.”
Chu Muxi’s expression became even more sincere. “Aunt He, you need to look after yourself so you can continue taking care of Father. After all, this family can’t do without you as the mistress. You have to help Father with his affairs.”
Chu Tianhao interjected, “She can manage herself. I don’t need her to manage my affairs.” He didn’t give He Hui any respect, showing his irritation openly.
Tears welled up in He Hui’s eyes, and she called out, “Tianhao…”
Chu Tianhao didn’t look at He Hui but focused on Chu Muxi. “Xiao Xi, come with me to the study.”
“Of course.” Chu Muxi obediently followed Chu Tianhao up the stairs. After a few steps, he suddenly turned and gave He Hui a cold, menacing smile.
Startled, He Hui took a big step back and stammered, “You—”
In an instant, Chu Muxi turned back, as though the previous interaction had been a mere illusion.
.
Realizing that Chu Tianhao had indeed taken the other party into the study, He Hui felt a sense of unease. The study was a place where even she had to request permission to enter with carefully prepared meals, let alone Chu Mubei, who still lacked the qualifications. He Hui felt a faint threat and quickly placed a call to Chu Mubei’s communication device.
“Where are you?”
“I’m at school,” Chu Mubei replied in a loud and sullen tone, the background noise indicating a noisy and unruly environment.
Exasperated, He Hui hissed, “Why are you still fooling around outside? If you don’t come back, that little brat will drive your mother out!”
Chu Mubei was currently having fun with enchanting Xiao Yao. Hearing this, he chuckled, “Mom, you overestimate that little brat. Just wait, I’ll handle him in a couple of days.”
His face was still somewhat swollen from Chu Tianhao’s beating, and he had already shifted the blame for this onto Chu Muxi, planning to tarnish his reputation.
He Hui only focused on the current predicament and pleaded anxiously, “Forget about that for now. Come back tonight and offer your father a sincere apology. Do you understand?”
Chu Mubei’s hand had already ventured beneath Xiao Yao’s skirt, and he replied dismissively, “Yes, don’t worry about it, I’ll deal with it. Now, let’s focus on more important things.”
The person beside him embraced Chu Mubei and whispering, “Young Master Chu, are you still busy?”
Chu Mubei rolled over and pressed the person down, scolding playfully, “Spare me the talk. I’m here to show you how to have fun.” He laughed mischievously.
.
On the other side, Chu Muxi continued to follow Chu Tianhao, displaying a demeanor of obedience and admiration.
Chu Tianhao turned around and noticed his child’s earnest expression. He couldn’t help but chuckle, remarking, “You’re already a grown-up, so why act like a child?”
Chu Muxi responded with a hint of coquettishness, saying, “No, as long as you’re here, I’ll always be your child.”
The warm display of affection through this coquettishness brought father and son closer than they had been in a long time.
Chu Mubei had barely been present in his upbringing since childhood. When they did meet, it was often to request this or that. In the past, he had been repelled by the label associated with the Shen family and disliked the way Shen Lan’s aristocratic status made him feel ashamed.
He had hurt Chu Muxi as a child, but no matter how much pain that caused, it couldn’t outweigh the interests he held in his hands.
When the incident occurred and He Hui’s mother and son were exposed, Chu Tianhao could no longer pretend. He believed that Chu Muxi was his son, so how could he side with the Shen family and accuse his own child’s father?
Chu Muxi had made a big fuss and distanced himself from Chu Tianhao. Still, Chu Tianhao aimed to manipulate his son into securing the Shen family’s assets. After a few deceitful words, Chu Muxi cut ties with the Shen family. However, behind his back, he continued to endure bullying from He Hui’s mother and son.
Chu Tianhao turned a blind eye and pretended not to see it.
In his previous life, Chu Muxi was deceived into thinking that Chu Tianhao loved his son the most. However, Chu Tianhao only loved himself and found true happiness when he had power and wealth at his disposal.
“As long as you know it,” Chu Tianhao said, taking a seat and gesturing to the chair opposite. “Since you’ve transferred to the performance department, stay there for now. I heard your grandpa is coming back soon.”
Chu Muxi wondered if this was the reason for their meeting in the study today. He nodded, still harboring a bit of discontent.
“He scolded me and using his seniority to show off. He hasn’t seen me for a long time. What about him?” He couldn’t help but express his dissatisfaction.
The worse his relationship with Shen Wu became, the more pleased Chu Tianhao felt. He responded with a touch of anger, “After all, he is your grandfather; show respect to your elders. But your grandfather is getting old, and there are some things he may not be able to handle.” He pushed a document across the table.
“Take a look at this.”
Chu Muxi reached out to pick it up and glanced at it. “Star BHWE-1? Is it the newly discovered small resource star?”
He recalled this. The Shen family had their own planet, which was quite distant from the central star. A new resource star had recently been discovered there. Initially, it didn’t attract much attention.
However, Chu Tianhao had gotten hold of a secret from somewhere, so he schemed to get Chu Muxi to acquire this resource star from Shen Wu. Because, on that star, there was something yet to be discovered—an entirely new type of energy stone!