Chapter 59

Ruan Xi was stunned for a moment, speechless.

There was no way he could explain to Shen Mozhi his obsession with Ruan Tang, nor could he tell Shen Mozhi that the System had decreed that only by continuously extracting energy from Ruan Tang could he live better.

“Why can’t we just live our own lives properly?” Shen Mozhi looked at him coldly. “Only by leaving behind the shadows and obsessions of the past can the future be better—that’s what you told me, isn’t it?”

He didn’t know how Ruan Xi had turned from the little angel of his childhood into what he was now.

But as a normal person, he truly couldn’t understand Ruan Xi’s insane persistence in clinging to someone who didn’t give a damn about him and was living his own life just fine.

Ruan Tang had already moved on, so why did Ruan Xi have to keep trapping himself in the past?

Hearing his words, Ruan Xi felt a chill run through him. His face pale, he forced a dry laugh. “I’m sorry, Mozhi. I was just too angry, I panicked and said nonsense. I was wrong.”

Shen Mozhi was his last hope and support.

He absolutely could not let Shen Mozhi know that it was Ruan Tang who had said those words to him back then, and that it was also Ruan Tang who had saved him... it was just that Ruan Tang had long forgotten all of it.

He was the despicable one who had shamelessly used the System to steal Ruan Tang’s identity, impersonating Shen Mozhi’s savior.

He couldn’t lose Shen Mozhi.

Shen Mozhi gave him a deep look but said nothing. Although he was extremely disappointed in Ruan Xi, he was a man of his word. Whenever he recalled how, after being rescued by Ruan Xi as a child, he had held his hand tightly and made a promise to marry him and protect him when they grew up.

He couldn’t say anything more.

The debt of gratitude to Ruan Xi would make him feel indebted to Ruan Xi for life.

...

After Ruan Tang had gotten the people from Auston, he directly led a large group and charged into the Ruan Family.

Ever since his break with Ruan Ming, Ruan Tang had not contacted anyone from the Ruan Family for a long time, and he had rejected all invitations from the Ruan Family.

Today, the Ruan Family seemed to be holding some kind of banquet, an important occasion, and it looked very lively.

“… F-fifth Young Master… why are you back? And with so many people?” The security guard, seeing Ruan Tang’s dark expression and the armed guards with him, as if he had come to make trouble, was startled and hurried forward to ask.

Ruan Tang paid him no attention at all. He led Auston’s personal guards straight into the Ruan Family’s banquet hall.

He would no longer give the Ruan Family any face at all. Ruan Ming and Xia Ruzhi had harmed his mother, elder brother, and elder sister to such an extent—no matter the occasion, he would never let them have an easy time.

Right now, the Ruan Family was holding a full-month celebration for the youngest son of Ruan Ming’s third son—Xia Ruzhi’s eldest son, Ruan Zhuoxu.

The hands of the gilded grandfather clock in the hall swung slowly; it was a time of great liveliness, with guests chatting and laughing.

At that moment, Ruan Tang directly charged in with Auston’s guards. The Ruan Family’s people found it difficult to stop him and could only follow behind Ruan Tang in great embarrassment.

Seeing Ruan Tang’s current stance, they were afraid to act or not act. All were somewhat frightened: “Master, the Fifth Young Master…”

“Why have you suddenly come back?” Ruan Ming, seeing this son who had ignored him for many days, was taken aback. Looking at his stance, before he could even think about what Ruan Tang intended to do, he had already put on the airs of a father.

Ruan Tang looked at this father of his and let out a cold laugh, retorting, “What? Am I not allowed to come back?”

Everything in the Ruan Family had been built with the flesh and blood of his mother, elder brother, and elder sister. None of Ruan Ming’s other children had the right to return here—and he would not be without that right.

Ruan Ming had not expected Ruan Tang to be so disrespectful to him in public, so arrogant to such a degree. He gasped sharply.

He hadn’t expected that this son, already eccentric and stubborn, would become even more arrogant and unrestrained after marriage.

As the other main character of today’s banquet, Ruan Zhuoxu, before Ruan Ming could speak, smiled and smoothed things over, but his words secretly accused Ruan Tang of being unfilial. “Fifth Brother, this is your home. How could we not let you return? You don’t know how worried and anxious Mother and Father have been while you’ve been away, throwing a tantrum and ignoring them.”

He smiled on the surface, but in reality he was extremely dissatisfied with Ruan Tang, the younger brother born to Ruan Ming’s first wife. He thought Ruan Tang had been gloomy and cold since childhood, unlikable. Most importantly, because Ruan Tang was born to Tang Yun, Ruan Zhuoxu could never forget the days when, as a child when Tang Yun was still the matriarch, he couldn’t even call his own father “Father,” but had to call him “Master,” and was gossiped about behind his back.

While Ruan Tang had been a legitimate child from birth.

Even though the other was just an Omega of no consequence, he was still jealous.

“I’m not here for you. You have no say here!” Ruan Tang gave him a cold look, without the slightest desire to waste words with him.

Ruan Ming had many illegitimate children; before Ruan Tang was even born, there were already three.

The other two mistresses had given birth to the second and fourth sons respectively, while Xia Ruzhi’s son Ruan Zhuoxu was the third.

In the past, although Ruan Tang had not been particularly close to them, he hadn’t been harsh to them to this extent, because he understood in his heart that no matter what these people were like, it was actually Ruan Ming who had created this mess; Ruan Ming was the root of everything, the real culprit.

These siblings of his also had no choice in being born.

But after learning that it was Xia Ruzhi who had harmed his family—

Ruan Tang could no longer show any kindness to Xia Ruzhi’s children. Everything Xia Ruzhi did was for herself and her children. Ruan Zhuoxu and Ruan Xi had enjoyed everything that should have belonged to Ruan Yang and Ruan Yue—that was their original sin.

And as for the name Ruan Zhuoxu, now that he thought about it, it had long contained Xia Ruzhi’s ambitious calculations—

His eldest brother was called Ruan Yang; “Xu” and “Yang” shared the same meaning, and “Zhuo” meant surpassing, being superior.

This despicable mistress Xia Ruzhi had had ill intentions from the very start.

Watching Xia Ruzhi, dressed in splendid attire, elegant and dignified, smiling radiantly as she was supported by her daughter-in-law, looking immensely proud and pleased, Ruan Tang found it unbearably glaring.

He could not suppress the anger and hatred in his heart at all.

Everything that family now possessed should have belonged to his mother, elder brother, and elder sister.

The people attending the banquet, seeing Ruan Tang’s serious demeanor as he even brought people with him, guessed that they were about to get some juicy gossip about the Ruan Family, and they swallowed nervously.

They all turned to look at Ruan Tang and Ruan Zhuoxu.

Ruan Zhuoxu hadn’t expected that Ruan Tang’s change after marriage would be so drastic, so tough and arrogant to this extent, not giving him, the elder brother and future head of the family, any face at all. His face turned extremely ugly. “You—”

But because Ruan Ming was still there, and he was not the family head and couldn’t directly order Ruan Tang out, he couldn’t even curse properly.

“How dare you speak to your elder brother like that?” Ruan Ming, seeing that his family was about to lose face again and become the joke of the entire Imperial Star, was furious.

But seeing Ruan Tang had brought so many personal guards, considering that he still wanted this son, and knowing that Ruan Tang’s temper was stubborn—the harder you pushed, the more he would make you lose face—Ruan Ming decided not to have a complete falling out, nor did he want to make a scene on such an occasion. After much deliberation, he swallowed his anger and put on a fatherly demeanor: “This is your home. Today is your nephew’s full-month banquet; you should have come back. But to come in such a rush, without prior notice, and with so many people… Those who know would say you’re coming home, but those who don’t might think you’re here to settle a vendetta.”

He thought that by lowering his stance like this, Ruan Tang would naturally know when to stop and consider the bigger picture.

But unexpectedly, Ruan Tang didn’t give him any face at all.

“Is he my brother? He’s nothing but an illegitimate child born from a despicable third party.” Ruan Tang looked at him coldly, his eyes red, no longer the gentle, calm person he usually was. “And Marshal Ruan, you’re absolutely right—today, I am indeed here to settle a vendetta!”

With these words, he had essentially torn all pretense with the Ruan Family, Ruan Ming, and Ruan Zhuoxu.

Suddenly, the entire hall fell silent.

Everyone in the Imperial Star knew about the Ruan Family’s dirty laundry, but no one brought it up openly.

But now, with Ruan Tang, the son of the first wife, tearing off all pretense, some people couldn’t help but cast gossipy looks at Ruan Zhuoxu and Xia Ruzhi, mother and son.

Xia Ruzhi’s face turned extremely pale. After being Madam Ruan for so many years, she never expected that after all this time, someone would still call her a mistress to her face.

Ruan Ming was so angry he nearly passed out: “You—”

Ruan Zhuoxu clenched his fists. Looking at the son of the first wife, whose face was full of hatred, and at the pointing fingers around them, he was the first to regain his composure and twist the facts: “Ruan Tang, I know you resent Father for divorcing your mother and marrying mine. But that was unavoidable. Your mother suddenly fell seriously ill and could no longer support the Ruan Family or Father. Over the years, even after the divorce, Father has always supported the First Madam and has us call her Mrs. Tang… And as a stepmother, my mother may not have treated you exceptionally well, but you never lacked for anything you were entitled to, and you grew up safe and sound.”

He completely avoided the fact that Xia Ruzhi had been a mistress and that he was an illegitimate child.

“Even if you feel it’s unfair, a stepmother can only do so much. After all, you’re not her biological child; she can’t treat you exactly like her own.” Ruan Zhuoxu had mastered his mother’s skill of spewing high-sounding principles. “I understand that you might have the extreme thought that if your mother were still Madam Ruan, your life would be much better than it is now. But have you considered this?”

“Your mother met with misfortune over twenty years ago, and she was just a commoner with no family background. But my mother is the daughter of the noble Xia Family… The Ruan Family is what it is today because of how much my mother and my maternal family contributed. My mother’s role in diplomatic relations as the lady of the house was crucial. Everything my mother enjoys, she deserves.” Ruan Zhuoxu had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and his words rang with righteousness.

But between the lines, every word was meant to smear Ruan Tang. “And you—Mrs. Tang met with misfortune when you were so young. My mother raised you to be this big. If not for merit, then at least for effort… I don’t know where you got such deep resentment, or who influenced you, to hate us so much that you forget the kindness of upbringing?”

His voice was loud, his words extremely polished and righteous.

As an elder brother, his brainwashing skills surpassed Ruan Xi’s by several times. The onlookers, who had been eagerly watching the drama of the original wife’s son tearing into the mistress and her illegitimate child, gradually began to waver and feel some doubt.

It was true that Xia Ruzhi was a mistress, but Ruan Ming’s womanizing was known to all. In the early years, among his lovers, there were more than just Xia Ruzhi who had borne illegitimate children during his marriage. And Xia Ruzhi wasn’t Ruan Ming’s first mistress, so why did Ruan Tang target only her?

It must be because Xia Ruzhi became Madam Ruan and Ruan Zhuoxu was the heir, so he was just bitter.

But strictly speaking, when Tang Yun fell ill, Ruan Tang was so young. Even as a stepmother, Xia Ruzhi had raised him to adulthood. Even if she wasn’t as attentive as with her own children, he never went hungry or lacked clothes.

Considering that Ruan Tang had taken so many assets from the Ruan Family when he got married, and Ruan Ming had invested a lot in the foundation set up for Tang Yun and her three children to support them for life, it was clear that even if the Ruan Family wasn’t particularly good to Ruan Tang, they hadn’t mistreated him.

Ruan Tang’s current behavior, as if influenced by Auston, so wilful, violent, and arrogant, really made him look like an ungrateful wretch with poor character.

Quite a few people had been brainwashed by Ruan Zhuoxu into sympathizing with Xia Ruzhi.

The affairs of the Ruan Family were really a case where even an upright official finds it hard to settle family matters—each side had their own reasoning, and it was impossible to tell who was right.

“Xiaoxu…” Xia Ruzhi quickly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, putting on a white lotus act as she looked at her eldest son.

Previously, because of Ruan Xi’s affairs, her reputation had suffered greatly. Fortunately, she had this articulate eldest son, so she had this chance to whitewash herself.

Ruan Zhuoxu gently supported her and called out, “Mother…”

Ruan Tang watched their mother-son affection and the subtle, scornful glances from the people around him. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—Ruan Zhuoxu was so skilled at twisting facts, so confidently using him to whitewash his own image; truly a master of manipulation.

But now, he was not the same person he used to be. No matter how skilled their tactics, they couldn’t affect him in the slightest.

The path he was walking now was the most dangerous in the world. Any day, he might fail and lose his life. Did he still care about a good reputation or not?

He just wanted, like Auston, to settle his grievances and take revenge, living freely and happily.

“Clap, clap, clap—”

Ruan Tang let out a cold laugh and directly applauded Ruan Zhuoxu and Xia Ruzhi’s performance. “Nice act. Why don’t you keep going?”

“You unfilial son! How far do you intend to take this? You’re successful now, arrogant, chairman of the Omega Protection Association—but you need to know that family is always family, and relatives are always relatives.” Ruan Ming was furious. He no longer cared about appearances and scolded, “Apologize to Aunt Xia immediately!”

Seeing this, Xia Ruzhi also wanted to display her virtuous and white lotus side, using Ruan Tang to clear her name. She stepped forward, approaching Ruan Tang with a gentle, motherly demeanor: “Xiaotang, I watched you grow up. Though I may not see you as my own flesh and blood, I do regard you as a nephew… Seeing you like this, my heart truly aches…”

This was her old trick; Ruan Tang couldn’t really do anything to her anyway.

But she never expected that the Ruan Tang of now was not the Ruan Tang of the past.

Seeing the enemy who had harmed his entire family approaching him, Ruan Tang was enraged. He grabbed Xia Ruzhi’s hair and, with all his strength, punched her right in her fake white lotus face.

In the past, when Xia Ruzhi annoyed him, he hadn’t taken it seriously, thinking it didn’t do him any real harm, and that Xia Ruzhi herself was also a pitiful victim of Ruan Ming’s womanizing.

But now, after learning that his mother, elder brother, and elder sister were all harmed by her—

Ruan Tang had no intention of being polite to her.

“Aaaah—” Xia Ruzhi hadn’t expected he would actually lay hands on her, and she let out a miserable scream.

But Ruan Tang refused to let her go. He punched her face several more times.

Ruan Ming and Ruan Zhuoxu reacted immediately and rushed forward to rescue Xia Ruzhi.

But they were directly blocked by Auston’s personal guards, who wouldn’t let them approach Ruan Tang even half a step.

The sudden turn of events startled everyone present. They looked at Ruan Tang in disbelief, almost thinking that after spending so much time with Auston, he had been infected by him, or had taken his medicine, and had also become prone to violence.