Chapter 8

“Yan Zhimo! I see you’ve grown bold enough to spread your wings. Now you even dare insult your own father!” Yan Zuyi slapped the table and stood, glaring with eyes as wide as bronze bells as he pointed at Yan Zhimo’s nose and cursed him.

Jian Anmian’s heart trembled in fright. His large eyes innocently turned toward Yan Zhimo.

Yan Zhimo reassuringly stroked Jian Anmian’s head, lowered his gaze, and took a sip of tea. “You’re overthinking it. I was expressing my concern for you.”

Yan Zuyi sneered. “Concern for me? Heh. I think you can’t wait for me to die! You unfilial son!”

Bai Murou hurriedly helped Yan Zuyi sit down and gently stroked his chest. In a soft voice, she said, “Zuyi, calm down. Be careful not to harm your health. Zhimo is your biological son. How could he think such a thing about you? Wouldn’t that make him a heartless, ungrateful wretch? You must have misunderstood him. Zhimo is merely clumsy with words and doesn’t know how to express himself. He still cares about you in his heart.”

Yan Zhimo coldly stared at the stepmother who was only a few years older than him. Suppressing his disgust, he addressed her as Auntie. “Auntie, if you don’t know how to speak properly, you can remain silent instead of indirectly fanning the flames.”

Bai Murou froze, and her eyes instantly reddened. She leaned weakly against Yan Zuyi, looking ready to cry. “Zhimo, Auntie didn’t mean it that way. You’ve misunderstood me. Auntie was only trying to speak up for you. How could you say something like that to me?”

Yan Zuyi instantly became even angrier. “Yan Zhimo! Is that any way to speak to your mother? Apologize to her immediately!”

Yan Zhihai held his chopsticks and looked at them helplessly. He awkwardly opened his mouth, wanting to say something but unable to get any words out.

Yan Zhixing and Yan Zhiyue held their bowls and buried themselves in eating as though they had never eaten before in their lives. They looked ready to devour the table along with the food.

Yan Chengyu, on the other hand, held his bowl and chopsticks while enthusiastically watching the commotion as he ate. Since it had nothing to do with him, he happily stayed out of it, behaving as though this farce were happening in his neighbor’s house rather than his own.

After fanning the flames beside Yan Zuyi, Bai Murou ran over to Jian Anmian with tearful eyes and crouched beside him. She weakly took Jian Anmian’s hand, only to look down and discover that his [stolen content]hand was actually even more slender and delicate than hers. Fuck. She discreetly covered it with her own. Her long lashes trembled twice, and tears slowly began to fall. “Xiao Jian, I’m so sorry. This is your first visit, yet you’ve already witnessed our family embarrassing itself. Please don’t blame them. No matter who is at fault, it is ultimately all my fault for failing to care for this family properly. I hope this won’t affect your mood.”

Jian Anmian looked bewildered. “…”

If they wanted to argue, they could argue. What did any of it have to do with him?

“If you want to cry, then cry properly. Why are you touching him? How filthy.” Yan Zhimo coldly pulled Jian Anmian’s hand from Bai Murou’s grasp, then used a wet wipe to clean each of his fingers meticulously.

“Zhimo… How can you say that about Auntie? You’ve made Auntie so sad.” Bai Murou was furious, but she still had to maintain her delicate, tear-streaked crying. She nearly ground her teeth to pieces.

Luo Manxiang surveyed the room and decided the timing was right. She promptly stepped forward to smooth things over. “All right, that’s enough. Zhimo, you’ve gone too far. How can you speak to your father like that? Hurry and apologize to him! And Mom, please calm down too. You said yourself that Zhimo is clumsy with words and doesn’t know how to speak properly. We’re all family. Zhimo can apologize, and we’ll consider the matter settled. All right?”

Yan Zhimo sneered inwardly. Luo Manxiang was calling a woman several years younger than herself “Mom.” It was impressive that she could force the word out.

Yan Zhimo ignored her and turned toward Jian Anmian instead. He asked gently, “Mianmian, what do you think?”

“Huh?” Jian Anmian was dumbfounded. “Think about what?”

“Mianmian, what do you think I should do?” Yan Zhimo gazed at him tenderly as though Jian Anmian were his entire world. “Whatever you tell me to do, I’ll do.”

Jian Anmian: “…”

He only wanted to quietly watch the drama. Why did they keep dragging him into it?!

Jian Anmian hesitantly said, “Then… Mr. Yan, perhaps you should apologize?”

Otherwise, they probably wouldn’t be able to finish this meal.

Yan Zhimo immediately said without the slightest hesitation, “I’m sorry, Dad, Auntie. I made you angry.”

Bai Murou’s face flushed bright red, purely from frustration.

She had cried for so long without receiving an apology, but the moment this little seductress told Yan Zhimo to apologize, he did it without the slightest hesitation. What kind of person behaved like this?!

Yan Zuyi had evidently thought the same thing. Looking as though he had eaten excrement, he muttered, “What kind of attitude is that…?”

Luo Manxiang pressed down her upturned lips. Only after everyone had finished speaking did she hypocritically urge them, “All right, all right. Everyone, eat! The food is getting cold.”

Yan Zhimo called over the chef and carefully asked about the ingredients in every dish. After confirming that Jian Anmian could eat several of them, he stood and placed separate portions of those dishes in front of Jian Anmian.

“Thank you, Mr. Yan…” Embarrassed by how attentively he was being cared for, Jian Anmian hurriedly picked up some food and placed it in Yan Zhimo’s bowl as well.

Yan Zhimo stroked Jian Anmian’s head. Although he was deeply pleased inside, his expression remained entirely composed. “Eat your own food. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Jian Anmian truly was hungry, so he stopped being overly polite and lowered his head to concentrate on eating.

Seeing their interaction, Yan Zuyi completely lost his appetite. He set down his chopsticks with a clack, leaned back in his chair, and cleared his throat. Then he slowly said, “The main reason I called you back this time was to discuss your marriage.”

Yan Zhimo ignored him. Seeing that Jian Anmian’s food was dry, he unauthorized copystood and poured him a glass of juice that was safe for him to drink.

Yan Zuyi repeatedly slammed the table. “Yan Zhimo! Are you even listening to me?!”

Yan Zhimo clicked his tongue. “Unlike you, I’m not deaf. I can hear you. Just say what you want.”

“Yan Zhimo, you—” Yan Zuyi drew a deep breath. Knowing they would never finish this conversation if they continued arguing, he barely suppressed his rage. With his aged face dark and his tone rigid, he said, “Marriage is an important matter. Why didn’t you discuss it with us? Marrying a man is already bad enough, yet you chose something like this… Divorce him immediately. Marriage between a man and a woman is the proper way. Continuing the family line is perfectly natural! These are rules passed down by our ancestors. If you’re with a man, who will bear children for the Yan family? Can you face our ancestors? Can you face this country and society? Hurry and divorce him. The young lady from the Rong family turned twenty-two this year and just graduated from university. She has always been very interested in you. The Rong family is developing well and is far stronger than the Qin family. Miss Rong is an outstanding graduate of a prestigious university. She’s gentle, refined, educated, and sensible—far better than the person you’re with now!”

Yan Zhimo said expressionlessly, “I’m not having children, nor do I need any.”

Yan Zuyi exploded with anger. “Listen to what you’re saying! What man doesn’t have children? Why else did I bring you into this world? Look at your older brother. He’s so obedient. I was the one who introduced your sister-in-law to him, and look—their child is already this old! Having that child is the only thing your brother has ever done that made me happy. Then look at you. You’re already thirty, yet you don’t even have a child. Who will care for you in your old age and arrange your funeral after you die? If you had listened to me earlier, your child would already be ten years old! You must divorce him today!”

Yan Zhihai’s back was rigid and hunched. His lowered head concealed his expression, but the hand holding his chopsticks trembled faintly, gripping them so tightly that the veins stood out.

Jian Anmian thought that the protagonist gong had wanted to divorce him recently, and now the scumbag father disapproved of their marriage as well. It appeared this divorce was inevitable.

However, in the next second, Yan Zhimo set down his bowl and chopsticks with another sharp clack. He shoved his chair aside and stood, pulling Jian Anmian—who had been secretly watching the drama—to his feet. He coldly swept his gaze over everyone’s varied expressions, sneered, and tapped the tabletop with his fingertips. Then he slowly and icily enunciated each word. “I’ll make myself clear today. I’m staying in this marriage!”

Jian Anmian: “…???”

Yan Zuyi sprang to his feet in a towering rage. His trembling finger pointed at Yan Zhimo, his entire face turning purplish red as his eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. “What do you mean? You refuse to divorce him?”

Under Jian Anmian’s utterly bewildered gaze, Yan Zhimo forcibly interlocked their fingers. He raised their joined hands and curled his lips into a provocative smile at Yan Zuyi. “That’s right. I’m not divorcing him! Not only am I refusing to divorce him, but he’s the only one I’ll ever want in this lifetime! I dare any of you to say another word!”

Jian Anmian: “…”

Mr. Protagonist Gong, I advise you not to make such absolute declarations while you’re emotional. In the novel, it was precisely because the protagonist shou was the only person you ever wanted in this lifetime that your lifetime ended up being so short.

Also… had he once again avoided being tormented?

Jian Anmian was completely dumbfounded.

Could this plot possibly go any further off the rails?