The Sweetest Marriage Ch.239

Chapter 239 – Heart Attack

As the night fell heavily, a full moon ascended into the sky, its faint halo seeming to bestow a sacred light upon it, blessing this united day.

Because of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the main residence of the Chen family was bustling today. Chen Yunsheng returned to the Chen family’s main residence with his family.

However, before the meal began, Chen Yunsheng was summoned to the study by Chen Shihuai. Naturally, the topic was about the last time Chen Yunsheng went to the capital to see Chen Yunlan.

Since that incident occurred, Chen Yunlan had never returned home, and in the initial years, Chen Shihuai didn’t even know where Chen Yunlan was or what he was doing. He was in a state of complete unreachability, as if he had evaporated from this world.

If it weren’t for later seeing in the newspaper that Chen Yunlan had cut ties with Sun Ruocheng, Chen Shihuai might have even guessed that Chen Yunlan had taken his own life.

In the following years, Chen Yunlan’s reputation grew louder on the international stage, and Chen Shihuai only learned about Chen Yunlan’s well-being through these reports.

In the years that followed, Chen Shihuai finally managed to establish contact with Chen Yunlan. Perhaps time had healed the wounds in Chen Yunlan’s heart, as he was willing to talk to him on the phone, but he always hung up impatiently in the end.

It was from this phone call that Chen Shihuai learned what kind of life Chen Yunlan had been leading all these years—promiscuity with people of the same sex, accepting anyone who came, completely erasing the image of the elegant young master of the Chen family. He had become a notorious player in high society.

In reality, the upper echelons of society had no secrets, and Chen Yunlan had never hidden himself. He was even quite open about it. Therefore, while his reputation as an artist continued to grow, he had also become infamous in high society, with his name becoming synonymous with promiscuity.

At this point, Chen Shihuai realized that Chen Yunlan had not forgiven him. Chen Yunlan was exacting revenge on him in a way that degraded himself.

Not only did Chen Shihuai condemn Chen Yunlan’s behavior in their phone calls, but these conversations often ended on unfriendly terms. Chen Shihuai understood Chen Yunlan’s psychology. Back then, using the excuse of homosexuality tarnishing the family’s reputation, he had forcibly broken up Chen Yunlan and his lover. Now, Chen Yunlan was using promiscuity as a homosexual to forever keep the Chen family as a topic of discussion among others, completely sullying the family’s reputation.

Chen Yunlan was Chen Shihuai’s most beloved son, and he had considered severing their father-son relationship, but this thought was quickly overwhelmed whenever it arose.

He still couldn’t let go of this son, not only because Chen Yunlan was his beloved son but also because of the convenience that Chen Yunlan’s international reputation brought to the Chen family on certain occasions.

“Please have a seat,” Chen Shihuai said as Chen Yunsheng sat across from him, skillfully brewing tea.

Chen Yunsheng quickly reached out, saying, “Dad, let me do it.”

Chen Shihuai shook his head, saying, “Just sit. Let me handle it.” As he spoke, the aroma of tea filled the study.

Nervously, Chen Yunsheng accepted the teacup handed to him by Chen Shihuai and found the rising tea aroma a bit scalding.

“Did you meet Yunlan when you went to the capital this time?” Chen Shihuai’s expression remained unreadable, his tone indifferent.

Chen Yunsheng nodded, with a hint of annoyance in his voice, evidently recalling the scene where they parted ways in disagreement. “Yes, I met him, and he’s still the same. I asked him to come back, but he refused.”

This response was expected by Chen Shihuai. He lightly blew away the steam from the teacup and glanced at Chen Yunsheng. “Chen Li isn’t your child, is he?”

“Dad, how can he not be my child…?” Chen Yunsheng hastily explained, “When I brought him home back then, didn’t we have a paternity test done?”

“Why do you think I allowed you to bring Chen Li, this illegitimate child, back?” Chen Shihuai slammed the teacup onto the table, causing the tea to splash out onto the wooden surface. His gaze, however, remained sharp as he looked at Chen Yunsheng.

“Dad, you knew back then?” Chen Yunsheng had thought that the whole affair had been executed flawlessly, and even Chen Yunlan had believed his own child had died. He hadn’t imagined that he hadn’t been able to deceive his father’s discerning eyes.

“Chen Li is the child Yunlan gave birth to back then, right?” Chen Shihuai got straight to the point.

Chen Yunsheng knew he couldn’t hide the truth from his father, so he confessed, “When Yunlan gave birth to Chen Li, there happened to be a baby in the hospital who had suffocated due to difficult childbirth. I bought that baby and brought it to Yunlan, making him think it was his child. Later, that baby stopped breathing in Yunlan’s arms, and he believed his child had died. Then, I took a sample of Yunlan’s hair and Chen Li’s hair and had a paternity test done, falsely claiming that Chen Li was my illegitimate child. That’s how I brought Chen Li back to the Chen family.”

“Yunsheng, I don’t believe you’re a softhearted person,” Chen Shihuai said. He knew Chen Yunsheng well; this son of his was not the kind of person to spare a baby.

“Chen Li has the same blood type as Xiao Yu.” Under Chen Shihuai’s probing gaze, Chen Yunsheng revealed the reason why he had kept Chen Li.

Chen Shihuai fell silent for a moment and finally said, “I understand now. You did the right thing.”

“Dad, I did it for Xiao Yu too,” Chen Yunsheng said. If it weren’t for Chen Yu, he would have killed Chen Li years ago, sparing himself from all the complications.

“I know,” Chen Shihuai nodded in understanding. “It’s time for dinner. Let’s go downstairs.”

As they were about to get up, Chen Yunsheng rushed to assist Chen Shihuai. They descended the stairs together.

…

Inside the house, the atmosphere was lively, but Chen Qing sat alone on the swing in the backyard, gazing at the full moon in the sky, lost in thought.

The sound of a text message interrupted Chen Qing’s reverie, and he quickly retrieved his phone. It was a Mid-Autumn Festival greeting from Wu Zikang.

Chen Qing immediately tossed the message into the trash without even a glance. Since the fake painting incident, he had grown fed up with Wu Zikang. While in the capital, no matter how many times Wu Zikang had invited him to meet up, Chen Qing had always declined, citing a busy schedule.

Chen Qing thought he had made his refusals quite clear. Wu Zikang should have taken the hint and distanced himself.

However, Chen Qing had underestimated Wu Zikang’s audacity. Regardless of how many times he was rejected, Wu Zikang would send a message inquiring about any upcoming events, and if Chen Qing blocked one number, a new one would appear the next day. After a few rounds of this, Chen Qing became too tired to bother blocking them, and whenever he received a message from Wu Zikang, he would simply delete it, leaving no room for any communication.

It was Wu Zikang’s persistent behavior that gradually revealed his true nature to Chen Qing.

Rather than trying to salvage their friendship, Wu Zikang seemed more interested in the influence and connections he could gain through the Chen family.

As a result, Chen Qing had lost interest in Wu Zikang. His personality was such that he couldn’t tolerate people who showed up in his life for specific ulterior motives.

Wu Zikang seemed to have noticed this, as he had been sending fewer messages lately. However, during holidays and special occasions, he would still send well-wishes, as if conducting a mass text operation, all aimed at gauging Chen Qing’s attitude.

“Hey, what are you thinking about, big brother?” A clear female voice rang out from behind Chen Qing, and a slender hand rested on his shoulder.

Chen Qing snapped back to reality and turned to look at Chen Yu, who was wearing just a dress. He frowned and said, “Why are you wearing so little? What if you catch a cold? Don’t you even know how to take care of your own health?”

Chen Yun sat down beside Chen Qing with a mischievous smile, her slender legs swaying playfully. She grinned and said, “Big brother, don’t worry. I’m much healthier now. Besides, it’s not cold in Shanghai. If I wear more, I might even get heatstroke.”

Indeed, compared to the chilly autumn winds in the capital, Shanghai in the south was still dealing with lingering summer heat. Even the nighttime breeze carried a warm touch.

“Even if it’s not cold, you still need to take care of yourself!” Chen Qing couldn’t help but remind her.

Chen Yu stuck out her tongue. “Okay, okay, I know. Why are you fussier than Mom?”

“I’m just concerned about you,” Chen Qing emphasized, wearing a stern expression.

“Big brother, speaking of which, do you have a girlfriend? Is she pretty?” Chen Yu quickly changed the topic to avoid further nagging from Chen Qing.

Chen Qing shook his head. “Not yet.”

Chen Yu immediately looked disappointed. “How is that possible? Doesn’t B University have any beautiful girls?”

Chen Qing lightly flicked Chen Yu’s head. “What are you thinking? I don’t have time for dating right now. There’s still so much knowledge I need to acquire. How about you? Do you have a boyfriend?”

Chen Yu shook her head repeatedly. “With such an outstanding brother like you as a reference, where can I find a man worthy of my attention?” She quickly flattered Chen Qing.

Chen Qing arrogantly acknowledged, “Indeed, I suppose you’ll have a hard time finding a boyfriend with me around.”

Chen Yu chimed in, “Yes, yes!”

At that moment, a servant approached and informed them that it was time to return for dinner, as the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was about to begin.

The siblings both hopped down from the swing, but as Chen Yu landed on the ground, she suddenly clutched her chest in pain. A sharp, intense pain radiated from her heart, causing her to collapse on the grass.

Chen Qing was horrified and shouted at the startled servant, “What are you standing around for? Hurry and call the family doctor!”

The servant, belatedly realizing the situation, rushed off to summon the doctor.

Chen Qing also took out his phone and dialed 120 for emergency assistance. Then he crouched down, clutching Chen Yu’s hand, and anxiously asked, “Xiao Yu, how are you feeling? Can you hang on?”

At that moment, Chen Yu stuck out her tongue and leaped to her feet with a lively spirit. “Big brother, I was just joking, and you actually believed me.”

“You little rascal,” Chen Qing felt like he had just come back to life. He reached out to grab Chen Yu, intending to give her a playful slap. However, when the slap landed, it had no force behind it, indicating that it was more bark than bite.

The two siblings playfully returned to the dining room, where the family doctor arrived in haste. Upon seeing Chen Yu sitting perfectly fine, he muttered under his breath, “Why call me when there’s nothing wrong?”

It was Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family reunions, and he had his own family to attend to. But he had been summoned in a hurry, told that the young miss had a heart attack. However, upon arriving, he found the young lady in perfect health, leaving him rather disgruntled. His quiet complaint was only natural.

Unfortunately, Chen Yu overheard his remark and immediately walked up to him. Without saying a word, she slapped the doctor firmly across the face, producing a crisp sound that reverberated in the dining room.

“You’re just another one of the Chen family’s lapdogs. Even if you were called over for something as trivial as this, you should come crawling to us! I’ll pretend I didn’t hear your words today, but if I ever catch you using foul language again, this one slap will be the least of your worries,” Chen Yu hissed, glaring at the family doctor.

The family doctor didn’t expect to receive such a disrespectful reprimand, and he was clearly offended. Without a word, he dropped his medical kit, turned on his heel, and declared, “Since it’s so easy to be your Chen family’s dog, then you can find someone else. I quit!” With that, he left.

Chen Yu was infuriated by the doctor’s attitude, and her chest heaved with anger. Suddenly, a sharp pain radiated from her heart, and her face turned deathly pale.

This time, it was indeed a real heart attack.

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**TN

Damn, the Chen family is really disgusting. Poor Li Li.