The Sweetest Marriage Ch.202

Chapter 202 – The Truth of the Past

This time, Wei Chen’s heart was genuinely calm. Meeting Wei Zhenxiong was like encountering a stranger with only a few encounters. They exchanged a few words about unrelated matters, and then turned and left, not investing more emotions and feelings into it.

At this moment, Wei Chen truly let go.

Chen Li didn’t feel any unusual emotions from Wei Chen. The worry that had filled his heart disappeared. He asked Wei Chen, “Achen, are we going back now?”

As soon as Chen Li finished speaking, the phone in Wei Chen’s pocket rang. Wei Chen glanced at the caller ID—it was a call from the Wei family. After a moment of thought, Wei Chen knew why Grandfather Wei was making this call.

Most likely, it was about the project involving the Wei family in Beijing and the Chen family.

“Achen, you know about the project between the Wei family and the Chen family, right?” Grandfather Wei didn’t beat around the bush and stated his purpose directly.

“I know,” Wei Chen answered without any concealment.

“What do you think?” Grandfather Wei tapped the desk in the study rhythmically with his finger.

Wei Chen concisely expressed his opinion, “Defense.”

At this stage, it was the only approach their Wei family could implement. Compared to the formidable Chen family, the Wei family was insignificant in every aspect. So for now, they could only focus on defense, waiting for the right moment to seize the opportunity.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Grandfather Wei finally spoke, “When did you realize?” Even if Grandfather Wei tried to hide his emotions, there was some astonishment he couldn’t conceal. Even he, Grandfather Wei, didn’t know that the Chen family in Beijing had such ambitions toward the Wei family.

Of course, Grandfather Wei was wary of the Chen family, but it was the Chen family in Shanghai. But now, it seemed that the Chen family in Shanghai was just a pawn of the Chen family in Beijing—a pawn used to restrain their Wei family’s development.

When he heard from Wei Hua that the cooperation project between Wei Corporation and the Chen family was a trap set by the Chen family, Grandfather Wei found it unbelievable at first. Why would the Chen family go against them, the Wei family? Why would someone as influential as the Chen family target their Wei family?

Grandfather Wei was puzzled and could not fathom it. He could only summon Wei Zhenxiong back to Shanghai without any room for maneuver, entrust the management of Beijing’s industry to more capable young individuals, and prevent Wei Zhenxiong from having any more contact with the Chen family.

After doing all this, Grandfather Wei was completely in the dark. It took him a day to fully accept the situation. When his mind cleared, the first person he thought of was Wei Chen, his grandson in whom he had placed high hopes.

Indeed, Wei Chen did not disappoint him. He had even noticed the Chen family’s conspiracy earlier. He didn’t ask Wei Chen why he didn’t inform him earlier, after all, at that time, Wei Chen didn’t have any evidence. Even if he had said something, he wouldn’t have believed it. Grandfather Wei knew this about himself.

Wei Chen didn’t know that his grandfather’s mind had already been in turmoil. He vaguely mentioned a time, “Not long after arriving in the capital.”

Yes, the Chen family’s targeting of the Wei family was too sudden, too inexplicable. That’s why in the previous life, Wei Chen only truly understood why the Wei family fell so quickly after he had a car accident. It turned out that everything had been manipulated by the Chen family’s hands from a very early stage, including arranging for Chen Li to marry him.

In this life, Wei Chen was reborn and had memories from his previous life. So, he knew about the Chen family’s conspiracy and ambitions. However, he couldn’t say it outright. The concept of reincarnation was too bizarre. Who would believe it?

“So, there’s a reason you stayed in the capital?” Grandfather Wei asked. He had perhaps already guessed why Wei Chen insisted on developing in the capital. The dissatisfaction he felt towards Wei Chen disappeared instantly.

“Yes.” That was just one of the reasons. The other part of the reason was, of course, for Chen Li, to keep Chen Li away from that land filled with darkness and that cold family.

“I understand.” When Grandfather Wei finished speaking, he hung up the phone. However, he felt a lot of emotions. Wei Chen was still his excellent grandson, but he was no longer the head of the Wei family who was astute and decisive as before.

Sometimes, not accepting aging was just not feasible.

Housekeeper Zhang came in from the entrance and brought a cup of ginseng tea for Grandfather Wei. He saw Grandfather Wei leaning back on the chair, so he placed the ginseng tea on the desk and skillfully massaged Grandfather Wei’s temples.

“Old Zhang.” Grandfather Wei closed his eyes as if napping but said, “Among all these children, Achen is the most understanding of me. I’ve been feeling quite oppressed lately. I’m getting old and won’t be able to handle things much longer. It might be best to let Achen take over eventually. His capabilities now surpass mine by far. The young will surpass the old; that day has come.”

“Sir, indeed Young Master Chen is outstanding, but sir, you’re still in good health. You shouldn’t think too much.” Housekeeper Zhang noticed that the old master’s mood wasn’t very high and hurriedly consoled him.

“No need to console me.” Grandfather Wei waved his hand. “To be honest, I’m somewhat happy now. Achen has grown up and can stand on his own. I just don’t know how long I can stay here.”

“Sir, you shouldn’t have such random thoughts. You’ll definitely live to see Young Master Chen’s child born and watch him grow up.”

“A great-grandchild?” Grandfather Wei tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a self-deprecating smile. “Haven’t you seen how Achen is with Chen Li? Who will give me a great-grandchild? Chen Li?

“Old Zhang, I know what you want to say. Let Achen divorce Chen Li and marry someone from a reputable family, right? You think I haven’t tried that before? However, you are not unaware of how smart Achen is, I was a little careless, and he slipped away from my hands. He even told me he’d be back in three years. Could that girl wait for Achen for three years?” Grandfather Wei said, a hint of regret now apparent on his face.

If he had known about the Chen family’s ambitions earlier, he would never have agreed to the marriage proposal from the Chen family. Even if, at that time, the Chen family’s proposal was tied to a project that greatly benefited him.

But what was the use of regret? Achen was doing so well and was excellent in everything now. However, when it came to Chen Li, that careless and indifferent demeanor he showed made him somewhat apprehensive about Achen and Chen Li’s marriage.

He feared that by disrupting Wei Chen and Chen Li’s marriage, he would lose Achen and consequently lose an excellent heir for the Wei family.

“Alas!”

Grandfather Wei couldn’t help but sigh. The current situation was something he hadn’t foreseen. He never imagined that Wei Chen would fall in love with Chen Li and be so resolute about it.

Housekeeper Zhang remained silent, standing behind Grandfather Wei, gently massaging his forehead. His gaze was clear and uncomplicated.

*

Night fell, and a light drizzle began outside, bringing a bit of dampness to the dry air.

It was now 1:00 AM. In the bedroom, Chen Li had already fallen into a deep sleep, emitting soft snores.

The living room light was on, and Wei Chen sat on the couch, supporting his head, lost in thought.

On the coffee table beside him, a few sheets of A4 paper were scattered, densely filled with words. An envelope lay next to the A4 sheets.

The contents of this envelope were not the equity transfer letter Wei Hua had given. Instead, it was another set of documents—the transcript of the kidnapping case from fifteen years ago, narrated by the surviving kidnapper from the crime scene.

This transcript was exactly five pages long, detailing why they kidnapped the young masters of the Chen and Wei families and revealing the hidden truths behind the kidnapping case.

The kidnappers had always targeted Chen Li from start to finish. Wei Chen was just an accidental capture and wasn’t originally on their list of targets. However, upon learning that Wei Chen was the son of the Wei family, they saw a financial opportunity and decided not to release him.

So, why did the kidnappers want to kidnap Chen Li? Chen Li was just an illegitimate child, considered a fool in everyone’s eyes, with no status or position within the Chen family. What would the kidnappers gain by kidnapping Chen Li?

To answer this, one needs to talk about the mastermind behind the kidnappers.

The mastermind behind this was none other than Mrs. Chen at that time, Chen Qing’s mother, Du Lixun.

Du Lixun instructed the kidnappers to abduct Chen Li but instructed them to claim that they had kidnapped both Chen Li and Chen Qing.

Chen Qing was the only child of the Chen family, and his kidnapping naturally garnered high attention from the Chen family. However, Du Lixun’s motive wasn’t about money; she wanted to get rid of Chen Li.

According to what Du Lixun and the kidnappers said, after kidnapping Chen Li and Chen Qing, they would record a video of killing Chen Li. Publicly, this would be portrayed as eliminating an illegitimate child who didn’t belong in the family. The kidnappers threatened the Chen family to follow their instructions; otherwise, they would do the same to Chen Qing. In reality, it was Du Lixun’s method to eliminate Chen Li.

Chen Li was an illegitimate son of Du Lixun’s husband. Du Lixun could have prevented Chen Li from entering the Chen family, but at that time, Chen Shihuai’s attitude was very firm, insisting on keeping Chen Li. Due to Chen Shihuai’s influence, Du Lixun couldn’t do anything overtly. Hence, she hired someone to kidnap Chen Li and used the kidnappers to kill him.

At that time, Chen Li was just a five or six-year-old child.

Wei Chen’s appearance was an accident; Du Lixun didn’t expect Wei Chen to be abducted along with Chen Li.

The events that followed were mostly similar to what Wei Chen remembered. As for why Chen Li was the one kidnapped while the Chen family publicly stated it was Chen Qing who was kidnapped, the kidnapper’s confession naturally didn’t contain this information, and Wei Chen had to figure it out for himself.

However, this issue wasn’t difficult to understand. The reason lay in the fact that Chen Li took a bullet for him.

Chen Li saved Wei Chen’s life by taking a bullet for him. Saving a life was an enormous favor, and Wei Chen, being the grandson most valued by Grandfather Wei and the future heir of the Wei family, was deeply indebted to Chen Li. It was certain that in the future, Chen Li would have great influence over Wei Chen, thanks to this life-saving favor.

In reality, Wei Chen had indeed been manipulated by the Chen family because of this favor, all because of this supposed affection.

Having understood everything, Wei Chen fiercely slammed his hand on the coffee table, his anger boiling over. He felt a tightness in his chest, every breath feeling like a knife, cutting into him painfully.

His eyes were tinged with a reddish hue as he looked at the documents, akin to looking at someone he held a deep grudge against. In the next moment, all the A4 papers turned into shreds in Wei Chen’s hands.

Yet, at this moment, Wei Chen was inexplicably grateful, even more grateful than when he learned about his rebirth.

Grateful that he had appeared in the backyard of the Chen family that day, grateful that he had played with Chen Li that day, grateful that his identity had made those two kidnappers greedy. Thanks to all this, Chen Li survived that wicked woman’s heinous plan.

But despite his gratitude, he still couldn’t fill the anger and pain in his heart at this moment.

His Li Li, why did he always have to endure such twisted darkness?

“Achen…”

A slightly sleepy voice rang out, and Wei Chen looked towards it. Chen Li stood by the bedroom door, his eyes still a little drowsy, filled with worry.

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