The conversation in the group chat got more and more outrageous, and someone couldn’t help but start complaining, even their complaints were quite interesting.
[Fuck, as soon as I joined the group, I tripped over my pants.]
[Come on, everyone put your pants back on, let’s talk seriously. Has anyone seen the trending topic? It’s a real-life drama from a wealthy family! Absolutely thrilling!]
The group chat suddenly went quiet as everyone switched to checking the trending topics on Weibo.
Curious, Zhu Tong handed the phone back to the class monitor, took out his own phone, and looked at the trending topics. He was stunned when he saw the headline.
—A wealthy father switches his legitimate child and illegitimate child for seventeen years.
Before Zhu Tong could click on it, he already had a bad feeling.
Shao Ming leaned over and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Zhu Tong tilted the phone screen towards Shao Ming and clicked on the trending topic to view it together.
The news revealed that the founder of a well-known enterprise in A City, suspicious of his wife having an affair, swapped their legitimate child with his illegitimate child after his wife gave birth, causing the legitimate wife to raise the illegitimate child.
The headline didn’t mention names, but netizens quickly identified the founder.
It was revealed to be Xia Weiyi, the president of the Xia Conglomerate in A City.
Within ten minutes of the news breaking, the repost count had already surpassed 200,000.
Netizens began to dig deeper, soon even posting photos.
People were saying all sorts of things online.
[I’ve seen favoritism, but this is next level. Swapping the legitimate child for an illegitimate one? This is like a real-life ‘Civet Cat for Crown Prince1a folk story about swapping a civet cat (who can transform into human) with the crown prince.‘ story, and it was the father’s doing? This is insane! The legal wife is really pitiful.]
[The legal wife isn’t completely innocent either, right? Didn’t it say the husband suspected her of having an affair? Seems like there was no real love in this rich marriage.]
[So, the marriage was just a façade, and both were playing their own games?]
[But whose child was the legal wife really carrying? No matter what, swapping the children is too much. What happened to the swapped child?]
“……”
The discussions were heated online, and the school was no different.
Today marked the end of the final exams, and even the most studious students couldn’t avoid a brief period of relaxation, so almost everyone in the classroom was glued to their phones.
Students at Gongshui No. 1 High School had a stronger sense of involvement in this news than others.
“A City’s Xia family… is it the one I’m thinking of?”
“No way? How could it be? It must be a coincidence.”
Soon, someone glanced towards the back of the classroom, wanting to ask but feeling too embarrassed to do so.
Zhu Tong didn’t care about others’ reactions – he only focused on Shao Ming. “Who do you think leaked this news?”
Shao Ming countered, “Who do you think?”
“……”
Besides Xiang Shuyi, he couldn’t think of anyone else.
But why would she do this?
It seemed like a desperate all-or-nothing gamble, injuring 1000 enemies and 800 of yours. Even if it led to divorce or a falling out, the Xiang family wouldn’t expose this before successfully divorcing. They aimed for Xia Weiyi’s complete downfall without dragging themselves into the mud. If it were the Xiang family, they would have distanced themselves first.
But Xiang Shuyi didn’t care.
She exposed everything, not caring about others’ opinions or fearing being cursed. The only thing she kept tightly hidden was the identity of the “legitimate child.”
Shao Ming suddenly said, “Do you think I should be touched by this?”
Zhu Tong: “……”
Zhu Tong felt a bit uncomfortable.
The person being cursed, humiliated, and condemned online, as if nailed to a pillar of shame, was Shao Ming’s biological mother.
If they were just strangers, if Xiang Shuyi treated Shao Ming like Xia Weiyi, merely as a pawn, Shao Ming might have found this news amusing.
But in this situation, it was evident that Xiang Shuyi was making every effort to clear a path for Shao Ming’s peace, even at great personal cost.
Whether there was affection or not, bearing the burden of someone else’s sacrifices was no easy task.
Zhu Tong suddenly grasped Shao Ming’s hand.
Shao Ming’s heart stirred slightly, and he smiled at him, “I’m fine. She did indeed help me a lot.”
“……”
Zhu Tong thought they would rather not have such help.
“So what should we do now?”
“Well…” Shao Ming pondered, “Let’s just sit back and eat the melons.”
Zhu Tong said in a strange tone, “You want to eat your own melon?”
Shao Ming replied, “This is just the beginning.”
Zhu Tong frowned lightly.
Shao Ming reached out and smoothed his forehead, “Alright, don’t worry. We have something to do tomorrow.”
Zhu Tong, with thoughts racing, asked instinctively, “What is it?”
Shao Ming: “……”
Zhu Tong suddenly remembered.
They were going back to A City tomorrow.
All his worries dissipated, and he perked up, “When are we leaving tomorrow?”
Shao Ming pinched his cheek and said, “Little Young Master, you have the potential to be a scumbag, forgetting what was said right after.”
Zhu Tong smiled, his spirits lifted, “We’ll leave first thing in the morning then.”
Shao Ming laughed, “Don’t worry, everything’s arranged. We’ll deal with it as it comes.”
Zhu Tong: “……”
Feeling a bit guilty, he quietly defended himself, “I didn’t forget.”
He was just too preoccupied to react immediately.
Shao Ming, playing the victim, said, “No excuses, I’m hurt, and you need to comfort me.”
Zhu Tong: “……How do I comfort you?”
Shao Ming leaned in and whispered a few words in his ear. Zhu Tong’s face turned a deep red, the blush spreading to his ears and even his neck. He nervously glanced around and then looked at Shao Ming, “Don’t say that in the classroom.”
Shao Ming pretended to be hurt, “Can’t I?”
“……”
Zhu Tong’s heart softened immediately. He stiffly nodded, “Fine.”
Shao Ming felt incredibly warm inside.
He noticed the now dark screen of Zhu Tong’s phone in his hand, his eyes darkening for a moment before he quickly concealed his emotions.
In the first-year building, the trending topic was also the hot discussion among the students.
Xia Yang had been frequently taking leaves lately, making this exam particularly challenging for him. He felt both angry and frustrated but didn’t dare to show any of these negative emotions.
He brushed off classmates’ inquiries, whether they were out of concern or meant to provoke him.
Finally, after the exam ended, he went to the office to request leave and planned to leave school early. Upon returning to the classroom, he noticed the strange looks his classmates were giving him.
In a corner of the classroom, a few students were whispering to each other.
“Xia Yang’s dad is named Xia Weiyi, right? I saw him write it down last time when we had to fill out some forms.”
“Is that news real? Xia Yang isn’t his mom’s biological child?”
“The paternity test results were posted, so it must be true. If it weren’t, someone would’ve come out to clarify by now.”
“Not only is he not biological, but they don’t even know who his real mom is!”
“So, does that mean Xia Yang is an illegitimate child?”
“What do you mean ‘becomes’ an illegitimate child? He always was one!”
“Who are you calling an illegitimate child?!”
A sullen voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. They all looked up to see Xia Yang with a very unpleasant expression.
Xia Yang angrily demanded, “Who told you to spread such nonsense!”
Perhaps because Xia Yang had always been polite and mild-mannered, no one had ever seen him lose his temper. Startled by his outburst, the group took a moment to react before one of them explained, “We’re not making it up… Xia Yang, you don’t know? Your parents’ divorce is all over the trending topics.”
Xia Yang frowned, “What trending topics?”
Someone handed him a phone, “Here, see for yourself.”
Xia Yang took the phone, glanced at the headline and the introductory text, and then scrolled down to read the comments. His face grew paler and paler.
His eyes were filled with disbelief as he saw the outrageous comments online.
Yes, they must be talking nonsense!
How could he possibly be an illegitimate child?!
He suddenly threw the phone aside and ran out of the classroom.
“Fuck, my phone!”
With a loud bang, the phone hit the desk.
The person who had kindly handed him the phone looked heartbroken and couldn’t help but complain, “How rude! Guess he really is an illegitimate child.”
