Chapter 13: Li Junsheng Possessed by the Spirit of a Green Tea? Ma Yulian Is About to Explode with Rage

Li Guojun moved so swiftly that Chen Dazhu and his son had no time to react at all. Now, seeing the proof they were about to obtain torn to shreds, Chen Dazhu immediately shot Li Guojun a vicious glare. He shoved Li Guojun aside, trying to see if the fragments could somehow be pieced together. Li Junsheng stood by, observing without missing the fleeting glimpse of Chen Dazhu’s true face. It was merely a piece of proof, yet it almost stripped away his hypocritical facade!

Chen Dazhu seethed with fury at Li Guojun, wishing he could kill him, but his expression betrayed little; it was instead Chen Zhiyuan who charged forward, grabbing Li Guojun by the collar, trying to lift him up—only to awkwardly discover he was not as heavy as Li Guojun. In the end, all he could muster was a furious roar.

“Li Guojun, what the hell gives you the right to tear up the transfer proof for the job?”

Recalling how smug Chen Zhiyuan had been moments before, Li Guojun now felt a measure of satisfaction seeing him lose his temper.

“The proof is destroyed and no longer counts. Try acting arrogant with me again!” Li Guojun had long disliked Chen Zhiyuan. After his mother ran off with another man, Ma Yulian, claiming she owed Chen Dazhu a debt of gratitude, had often welcomed Chen Zhiyuan into their home to care for him. Before Chen Zhiyuan arrived, Li Guojun was the favored child. But after, Ma Yulian always told Li Guojun to let him have his way! That was one thing in the past, but now Chen Zhiyuan even wanted to steal his good job—over his dead body!

Ma Yulian was furious as well. She had swallowed her pride for the sake of that proof, and now Li Guojun had torn it up. That meant all the suffering she had endured was for nothing! The thought made her burn with anger, and she slapped Li Guojun across the face.

With a sharp crack, Li Guojun’s face was whipped to the side, Ma Yulian’s carefully manicured nails leaving a scratch on his cheek. Li Guojun never imagined that the mother who usually doted on him would slap him in the face for an outsider! Yesterday he’d been slapped by Li Junsheng, today by Ma Yulian!

Li Junsheng immediately pushed Ma Yulian aside, standing up for Li Guojun.

“Ma Yulian, what are you doing! It was bad enough you wanted him to give up his job to someone else, but now you’re hitting your own son for an outsider? He’s your flesh and blood!”

He glanced at Li Guojun’s face and continued to rebuke Ma Yulian.

“Look what you’ve done to the boy, his face is scratched up! I told you I regretted agreeing to this, that I wouldn’t do this for Chen Dazhu, but you insisted. Now look at the mess you’ve made—are you happy now?”

Ma Yulian withdrew her hand and stared coldly at Li Guojun. Li Guojun, too, glared at Ma Yulian with the look of an enemy, both blaming each other for the mess. The look in Li Guojun’s eyes made Li Junsheng recall his previous life: when Li Guojun learned he had transferred the job to Chen Zhiyuan and could not get it back, he had hated him just the same. No matter how many times he explained to his eldest son that he’d been drunk and hadn’t meant to do it, neither his son nor daughter-in-law ever forgave him. Even when he grew sick and old, their resentment never relented—they even mistreated him!

In this life, he had given Ma Yulian a chance to repent, but she had set her heart on helping Chen Dazhu and his son. There was nothing else to be done; let her taste what it’s like to be resented by her son and daughter-in-law, unable to clear her name! In his previous life, after he transferred the job to Chen Zhiyuan, even the neighbors thought him a fool and gossiped about him behind his back—he couldn’t even walk tall outside his own door. But this time, all the neighbors were listening outside, and it was Ma Yulian who was plotting to give away his job for Chen Dazhu. Let her feel what it’s like to be the subject of village gossip.

Li Guojun ran his hand over his burning, stinging cheek, feeling only a profound chill in his heart. He stared at Ma Yulian and spat out with a bitter laugh, “Ma Yulian! Am I really your son? The way you side with Chen Zhiyuan, he must be your real child, right?”

“I knew something was off with you and Chen Zhiyuan. Ever since his mother left, you rushed to bring him into our home, taking care of him, making sure he had the best of everything whenever he came over.”

Li Guojun’s words flew out unchecked, but Ma Yulian was genuinely panicked. After all, she did have an improper relationship with Chen Dazhu, and now was not the time for Li Guojun to expose it. Flustered, Ma Yulian lashed out at Li Guojun in fury.

“Li Guojun, I’m your mother! Is this how you talk to your own mother? It’s just a job! If I hadn’t given birth to you, you wouldn’t even have that! Now you dare shout at me over a job? Is this how you repay my kindness?”

Li Junsheng, standing off to the side, rubbed his brow. Here we go again—Ma Yulian was resorting to emotional blackmail with her own son. Li Guojun, for reasons unknown, only glared at Ma Yulian in fury, not uttering a word in retort.

It was Wang Xiuhua who sneered at Ma Yulian. “Don’t bother with those empty words. If Chen Zhiyuan isn’t your own flesh and blood, why are you so good to him?”

“Seems Guojun hit a nerve, didn’t he? Otherwise, how do you explain your favoritism for an outsider?”

Chen Dazhu, clearly not wanting anyone to know about his relationship with Ma Yulian, stepped in as the peacemaker.

“Enough, everyone. Old Li, Yulian, and I have been friends for many years. They saw me struggling to raise Zhiyuan alone and just wanted to help out.”

Li Guojun snorted in disdain, clearly not buying Chen Dazhu’s excuse. This wasn’t just about helping out with a child—his mother treated Chen Zhiyuan better than her own son!

Wang Xiuhua folded her arms, her tone mocking. “Helping out is one thing, but treating an outsider better than your own son is another. Why not open the door and let the neighbors judge for themselves?”

“Mother, if you say Chen Zhiyuan isn’t your son and we’re making this all up, then don’t give Grandpa’s job to him.”

For the first time, Chen Dazhu felt utterly helpless; there was simply no explaining this away now. The proof had been destroyed—he really should never have come today!

For Chen Zhiyuan, being called out by Li Guojun and his wife over and over, “his mother ran off,” cut deep. Driven to the edge, he pointed at Li Guojun and cursed his ancestors.

“You’re just jealous your mom doesn’t like you, so you bark like a dog at me?”

The scene devolved into utter chaos.

No amount of explanation or denial could cover up the fact that Ma Yulian treated Chen Zhiyuan better than her own son. Resigned, Ma Yulian steeled herself.

“Enough! All of you, stop it! Oldest, do you ever reflect on why I treat Zhiyuan so well?”

“Besides, the job’s already transferred—what’s done is done. I’ve given it away, and that’s final. Stop making a scene!”

“Your Uncle Chen once saved my life and never asked for anything in return, not once. Now he finally asks me for this one favor, and you all make things so difficult for me. Can’t you, your wife, and your father see reason?”