At night, when Zhou WenLi returned home, she ran into Han ShuYi, who was just about to head to his room.
The words of HuMing involuntarily echoed in her mind. She found it peculiar—what could Han ShuYi possess that HuMing so desperately desired?
With this thought in mind, Zhou WenLi decided not to hide anything.
“ShuYi,” she called out, stopping him in his tracks.
Han ShuYi turned his head, his expression puzzled as he looked at his mother. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
“I met HuMing today.”
Those few words left Han ShuYi momentarily stunned.
Although he knew his mother was aware of HuMing's existence, he hadn't expected her to take the initiative to meet him.
But did she know who HuMing truly was?
The thought made Han ShuYi wary. Looking at his mother, he couldn’t help but feel something was off about her expression.
“Mom, what did HuMing say to you? If he did, I suggest you don’t believe a word of it. After all, he’s not Han HuMing”
"ShuYi, I can tell at a glance whether he’s HuMing or not. And he hasn’t spoken ill of you. Don’t get so worked up." Zhou WenLi sighed softly. Seeing Han ShuYi's reaction, she knew that the relationship between the two children had already fallen apart.
All she wanted now was for their conflict to cease.
Han ShuYi froze, struggling to process this information. In his mind, HuMing had already declared war on him. Why hadn’t HuMing seized the opportunity to tarnish his reputation?
His brows knitted tightly as his thoughts churned.
Zhou WenLi observed his reaction and continued, “ShuYi, I don’t know what caused the rift between you and HuMing. But he’s only trying to retrieve something from you. What is it? Can you tell me?”
Her instincts told her this "something" was of great importance to HuMing.
Han ShuYi’s expression darkened further.
He hadn’t expected his mother to confront him about this—or to defend HuMing. His frustration boiled over as he shouted, “There’s nothing on me that belongs to him!”
“Then why is he targeting you? Why did he reappear after only a few months of absence? If it wasn’t for something crucial, I doubt he’d even be here.”
Zhou WenLi’s calm assessment struck a nerve.
To Han ShuYi, her words sounded like a betrayal of trust. Everything had unraveled ever since HuMing risked his life to save him!
Even now, he couldn’t believe that bastard Lee Tian had the audacity to record everything and expose him. That video had shattered everything!
“Mom, I’m your son. You should trust me! HuMing is an outsider—he’s trying to destroy our family. Can’t you see that?”
Han ShuYi launched into a tirade, painting HuMing as a villain bent on ruining their harmony.
Zhou WenLi silently observed him.
In her memories, Han ShuYi had always maintained a gentlemanly demeanor—polite, poised, the epitome of a refined young man.
The agitated figure before her, almost unrecognizable, was a far cry from that image. This enraged, near-maniacal side of him left her shaken.
The boy in front of her, nearly driven mad, was the real him.
Even so, he was still her son, and she had a responsibility to guide him.
“ShuYi, no matter what the issue is, you and HuMing need to resolve it.”
“It’s not me refusing to resolve it—it’s him forcing this issue! He’s out to ruin me! Without him, I’d be revered as the best student council president in our school’s history. But his return has destroyed everything!”
Han ShuYi’s fists clenched as veins bulged on his temples. His fury was palpable.
Zhou WenLi watched him in silence, unable to find the words to console him. Before leaving, she left him with a parting remark.
“ShuYi, I believe HuMing isn’t the monster you make him out to be. Whatever he’s after, give it back. Our family doesn’t need it.”
Her words ignited an inferno within Han ShuYi.
‘Why don’t you believe me? You trusted me completely when I first returned—why now? Why are you siding with HuMing? Stop pretending to be so virtuous!’
In that moment, Han ShuYi’s resentment extended even to Zhou WenLi.
They were clearly the real family, and yet, HuMing, an outsider with no blood relation, was the one they trusted. Why didn’t they believe him?
Han ShuYi couldn’t understand, and his resentment towards HuMing grew to its peak.
‘If HuMing dies, everything will go back to normal!’
At this thought, a sinister smile appeared on Han ShuYi's face. The person would arrive tomorrow, and he would make Hu Ming pay the price!
“Liang Feng, how’s the company doing lately?”
“Pretty well. We’re considered a major player in the city now. I rarely miss any major events, and our rapid rise has garnered both admiration and caution. Some fear us, but even more want to collaborate with us.”
Liang Feng’s report brought a satisfied smile to HuMing’s face. Keeping Liang Feng on board had proven to be a wise decision.
But this time, HuMing had called Liang Feng with a special request.
“The children at the orphanage are your responsibility now. If someone is plotting against me, they won’t hesitate to use the kids as leverage.”
“No problem. I actually started making arrangements for that last week.”
“Good. One more thing—I need a gun.”
The atmosphere on the other end of the line grew tense.
“…Understood. I’ll arrange it,” Liang Feng replied without hesitation, aware of the dangers HuMing faced.
In truth, they had no idea who their true opponent was. All they could do was follow the trail leading back to Han ShuYi.
Staring out the window, HuMing didn’t hang up the call.
“Han ShuYi thinks he knows all my tricks. Well, it’s time to show him just how deep my schemes can go.”