TUMZ Chapter 28
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Zhuang Hanxue wasn’t lying. He had already made preparations—secretly sneaking down to the pharmacy to buy a set of protection and some lubricant, all ready to have a passionate time with Qiu Zheyan.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and a long drought is finally met with sweet rain.
It would be amazing—just thinking about it made him happy.
His heart burned with anticipation.
But who would have thought that in the afternoon, his mom would suddenly call him and summon him: "Your dad is back, did you know? Come with me to see him."
What a disaster out of nowhere! Zhuang Hanxue let out a disappointed “Huh?” as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.
His mom said, “Huh what?”
Zhuang Hanxue quickly tried to recover, saying, “No, Mom, I’m just not ready yet.”
His mom asked, “Ready for what?”
Zhuang Hanxue replied sneakily, “I haven’t investigated that homewrecker and her son properly yet. Shouldn’t we gather more information before making a move? A-And I don’t hit women…”
His mom laughed, “We’re not going there to fight. No matter how cunning that little bitch is, she’s still in the palm of my hand.”
So, Zhuang Hanxue tidied himself up and headed out to see his dad and his dad’s mistress.
Honestly, Zhuang Hanxue was amazed—his parents were both in their early sixties, yet they were still so full of drama. His dad even managed to have a younger brother who was almost young enough to be his own son. Truly, the old man still had it in him.
His parents didn’t live together.
They were going to his dad’s place, where he lived with the mistress.
The mistress was some TV anchor named Jiang Xueqing—an actual graduate from a prestigious university. If they did the math, she had taken a year off during college to have a child, then graduated and started working at the TV station. His dad had a particular taste—even when looking for mistresses, he had high standards. It wasn’t just about being young and beautiful; they also had to be educated and well-spoken. He had a thing for poor but pretty elite university girls. Sometimes, he would even send them to etiquette classes for some extra polishing. But until now, he had never ended up with a child—this time, he really went big.
When they arrived, it was Jiang Xueqing who answered the door.
She was wearing a deep vine-green cheongsam made of Xiangyun silk, which made her fair skin look as delicate as snow. The dress hugged her curvaceous figure, and her long, raven-black hair was loosely pinned at the back of her head with a jade hairpin. She wore pearl earrings and a top-quality glassy jade bracelet on her wrist, with no other accessories. Her face was bare, without any makeup.
She slightly bowed her head, looking as graceful as a lotus bending under the weight of raindrops.
This woman was demure and quiet. Her facial features weren’t stunning, but she had an intellectual and artistic aura.
Zhuang Hanxue understood.
His dad, along with many uncles and older men in the wealthy circle, had a thing for literary, artsy women. Not too seductive—just elegant enough to bring along to social gatherings as a classy decoration.
His mom asked in a commanding tone, “Where’s Zhuang Hongyi?”
Jiang Xueqing obediently replied, “Mr. Zhuang is waiting for you in the living room.”
Zhuang Hanxue entered.
His dad was sitting in his seat, casually browsing financial news on a tablet. Hearing the commotion, he looked up and greeted them with perfect composure:
“Oh, you’re here.”
His mom nodded, her face dark and displeased.
His dad looked at him and said, "You're still the same as ever. Before, you left without a word and disappeared without a trace. Now you come back like nothing happened, still just as thick-skinned."
Zhuang Hanxue replied, "I sent postcards home, didn’t I?"
Every year, after receiving his year-end bonus, he would go on a trip. Of course, he would take photos, turn them into postcards, and send them home—just enough to let his parents know he was still alive, but not enough to reveal where he was actually living.
His dad asked, "You seemed to be having a great time out there. What made you willing to come back?"
Zhuang Hanxue immediately thought of Qiu Zheyan. If not for his little Qiu, he wouldn’t have come back at all. But he lied and said, "I’ve had my fun out there…"
His dad let out a cold snort, neither believing nor denying it.
His mom, displeased, snapped, "What’s your problem? The kid must have had a tough time outside, and now that he’s back, you’re just nitpicking? What, now that you have a new precious son, you don’t want this one anymore?"
His dad rubbed his temples and said, "I never said that."
Meanwhile, Jiang Xueqing was carefully pouring tea and serving water, calm and composed.
Zhuang Hanxue found the whole scene quite amusing. He glanced around left and right before whispering to his mom, "She looks like a waitress."
His mom sneered, "Isn’t she? A waitress for your dad’s sex life."
His dad raised an eyebrow but didn’t refute it.
Zhuang Hanxue said blankly, "Dad, I thought you’d stand up for this woman."
His dad, shameless as ever, responded matter-of-factly, "She’s a mistress. Isn’t it only natural for her to get scolded by your mom?"
Zhuang Hanxue: "…"
His dad continued, "By the time I found out, the kid was already secretly being raised and had started elementary school. What was I supposed to do, kill them? For now, I don’t plan on bringing the child home. He takes his mother’s surname, not mine."
Zhuang Hanxue sneaked a glance at Jiang Xueqing. Not even a twitch. This woman was seriously deep.
"But I originally thought Hanxue wasn’t coming back," his dad said. "So, of course, I needed to find an heir."
His mom straightened up and said, "Well, Hanxue is back now."
Zhuang Hanxue felt a shiver run down his spine, his knees going weak. He had only come back to scam some money to support his little Qiu—not to take over a company! He quickly said, "But I’m useless, aren’t I?"
His mom shot him a sharp glare, and Zhuang Hanxue shut up immediately.
His dad nodded calmly, speaking with complete logic, "Yes, my original succession order was Hanchen, then Hanxue, followed by Haoxuan and Xiuwen."
"Haoxuan" was his older sister’s son, Zhuang Haoxuan. "Xiuwen" was his newly discovered half-brother.
"But Haoxuan is still too young, while Xiuwen has already come of age."
"Lingling, we’re not young anymore. I’m already at retirement age. Isn’t it reasonable for me to look for someone to take over?"
His mom crossed her arms and shot back without hesitation, "Half of this company is mine, Zhuang Hongyi. If it weren’t for me investing money and effort back then, do you think you’d have what you have today? Trying to give my money to a bastard? Not a chance!"
His dad sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I never said I would. But back then, I thought Hanxue wasn’t coming back, so I had no choice but to train the other kid. Now that Hanxue is back, by order of succession, it should still be him."
Zhuang Hanxue felt increasingly uneasy. His stomach dropped. He blurted out in panic, "Dad, am I really up for this? I swear I’m not! Please don’t have high expectations of me! Don’t think that just because I spent years outside, I’ve somehow improved—I haven’t improved at all! I only gained wrinkles, not brains!"
His mom smacked him on the back of the head. "What kind of idiot talks himself down like that?"
Zhuang Hanxue rubbed the sore spot, pouting. "But I’m just telling the truth…"
His dad said, "I know you. But don’t underestimate yourself too much. You’re not smart, but you’re not completely useless either. With some training, you’ll do fine. You just need to maintain the business, that’s all. I know you don’t like working, so after you have a son, we’ll train him properly. Once he grows up, he’ll take over, and you can relax."
A… son?!
Zhuang Hanxue thought of Qiu Zheyan. In this lifetime, let alone a son—he didn’t even want kids at all.
Why raise kids? He had no interest in doing that!
But given the atmosphere right now, he obviously couldn't say that out loud.
His father frowned deeply at his cowering, pathetic look. “Hancheng is still the best. Too bad that rebellious bastard is the most defiant. You, at least, are somewhat obedient.”
Zhuang Hanxue asked hesitantly, “Dad, are you really going to hand the company over to me?”
His father shot him a cold glance. “If you don’t want to work, why did you come back? You might as well have died out there and never returned. Since you’re back, you’re my son, Zhuang Hongyi’s son.”
Zhuang Hanxue, like a chick encountering a tiger, didn’t dare make a sound.
Too terrifying.
He turned to glance at his mother, but she was also looking at him coldly.
At this moment, this seemingly estranged couple had reached a consensus.
A deep sense of foreboding settled in Zhuang Hanxue’s heart.
He realized that his parents had likely been devoid of love for a long time. Their marriage was nothing more than a business partnership—one where they coexisted for the sake of mutual benefits.
His mother wasn’t angry because his father had an affair—if that were the case, she would’ve been furious for decades. No, what made her truly mad was the fact that his father had an illegitimate child who threatened her financial interests.
As long as the money remained, their cooperative relationship would never truly collapse.
Once the matter was settled, Zhuang Hanxue left with his mother.
She arranged for her driver to take him home before heading off to meet her lover.
Zhuang Hanxue, too, was in a terrible mood.
He had originally thought today would be a dramatic spectacle—confronting mistresses and scumbags. He’d been eager to watch the show. But in the end, the one getting hit with a huge burden was him! He had hoped to delay things a little longer…
Wailing internally, he needed to see Xiao Qiu to heal his soul.
Zhuang Hanxue immediately called Qiu Zheyan. “Xiao Qiu, will you still be here tomorrow? I’m coming to see you. I miss you so much.”
Qiu Zheyan asked, “Lazybone, what happened to you?”
Hearing his gentle voice, Zhuang Hanxue couldn’t hold back anymore. He went ahead and told Qiu Zheyan about his family’s affairs. “...The first time I found out my dad was cheating was when I was in first grade. But according to my brother, my dad had already been keeping mistresses long before I was even born. Lots of them.”
“I was absolutely shocked back then. I thought my mom was so pitiful. But then I found out… she was no better.”
“That’s why I think my messed-up worldview is entirely my parents’ fault.”
“My brother said that at first, my mom fought with my dad over it. But to get back at him, she also started seeing other men. Eventually, she started enjoying it, and she stopped caring about my dad’s affairs. My dad, strangely enough, didn’t mind my mom having lovers either.”
“They just kept competing with each other, bringing home new lovers—but never getting a divorce. Never splitting up. They even agreed not to have kids with other people.”
“I just don’t get it. They used to fight all the time, and I used to pray for them to get divorced.”
“But as they got older, they stopped fighting.”
“When I tried to persuade my mom to divorce, she scolded me.”
Qiu Zheyan, having finally caught a glimpse of the chaos within Zhuang Hanxue’s family, commented, “In other countries, they’d probably call that an open marriage. They date other people but don’t bring them home.”
Zhuang Hanxue scoffed. “That sounds fancy, but I don’t believe marriages like that can last. How can a marriage have room for a third party?”
Qiu Zheyan reassured him, “You’re right. I’d never look at anyone else. I only like you.”
Seizing the moment, he asked, “When exactly are you coming to see me? I spent three thousand yuan on a fancy hotel, and you’re not even coming.”
Zhuang Hanxue quickly said, “Give me the receipt, and I’ll get the company to reimburse it. No reason not to take advantage of that.”
Qiu Zheyan replied, “It’s not about the money… I just want to see you, be close to you. I miss you so much.”
Hearing this, Zhuang Hanxue’s worries momentarily vanished. His face flushed slightly. “I… I miss you too…”
Qiu Zheyan asked, “Is there any hotel in this city that isn’t owned by your family?”
Zhuang Hanxue named a few budget hotel chains. “Just pick one. No need to book anything expensive.”
Qiu Zheyan, considering his rich-boy background, said, “I was just worried you wouldn’t be comfortable.”
Zhuang Hanxue, completely baffled, said, “Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve lived in all sorts of places. You know the tiny dump I used to rent? It was practically a dog kennel, and I still lived there. I’m easy to take care of, so don’t treat me like some spoiled young master.”
Qiu Zheyan sighed inwardly. You are a spoiled young master, aren’t you?
He hadn’t known before, but now that he did, he couldn’t treat Zhuang Hanxue the same way as before.
Before, he’d thought Zhuang Hanxue was just lazy and aimless. Turns out, he was a rich young master born with a silver spoon in his mouth—someone who had everything others spent their entire lives struggling for. No wonder he was so laid-back, lacking the drive to fight for anything.
Zhuang Hanxue said, “Tomorrow at noon during my lunch break, I’ll sneak out to see you. Just book a room.”
After a moment, Qiu Zheyan asked, “Zhuang Hanxue, think carefully—are you forgetting something?”
Zhuang Hanxue seriously thought about it and replied, “Nope. I can go see you.”
“…Alright.” Qiu Zheyan chuckled. “I’ll book the room. But if you bail on me, next time I catch you, I’ll ○ you to death.”
Zhuang Hanxue: “…”
Thinking about their upcoming rendezvous, Zhuang Hanxue could barely contain his excitement.
The next day, as soon as the clock hit noon, he sneaked out of the office during his two-hour lunch break.
He hadn’t been gone long when his father arrived at his office and asked his secretary, “Where is that brat?”
The secretary replied, “Second Young Master said he went out for lunch.”
Meanwhile, Zhuang Hanxue had already arrived at the hotel.
Qiu Zheyan was waiting for him.
As soon as they saw each other, they closed the door and started stripping, wasting no time. They even took a shower together.
Qiu Zheyan gazed at him with burning eyes. “When I see you in these clothes, I just want to strip them off you myself.”
It was a new kind of thrill.
They were lovers, yet it felt like they were having a secret affair.
Even their kisses became short and urgent, so intense it was almost scalding.
Clothes and shoes were tossed haphazardly all over the floor.
Zhuang Hanxue’s phone, which was in his jacket pocket, suddenly rang.
At that moment, he was feeling so good his knees were weak. He had no time to care about anything else.
Wasn’t this lunchtime? He’d only just gotten back to the company, and he wasn’t even responsible for approving documents yet. Who could be calling him?
So he ignored it.
Qiu Zheyan asked, “Aren’t you going to answer?”
“No.”
Qiu Zheyan kissed him and asked, “What if it’s something important?”
Zhuang Hanxue, dazed, replied, “What could be more important than this? Just pretend I’m not here.”
The ringing stopped.
But half a minute later, the phone rang again, persistently.
Annoyed, Zhuang Hanxue grumbled, “Who the hell is it? So annoying!”
He grabbed his pants, shook them out, and his phone tumbled onto the bed.
One glance at the caller ID—just one word: Dad.
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