Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Outrageous Origins

In the end, the root of Gong Jin Yuan’s tragedy still lay with that extraordinary old man of the Gong family.

Gong Hao Ming’s father was Old Master Gong’s eldest son and the only child left behind by his first wife.

In theory, that status should have been enough for him to stand firm in the Gong family earlier than anyone else. However, Old Master Gong’s first wife had been literally angered to death by his wild, absurd lifestyle.

After the legal Madam passed away, the second wife, who used to be the mistress, took her place, and there was still a whole crowd of lovers outside watching like hungry tigers.

As Old Master Gong’s most legal and reasonable heir, yet also alone and unprotected, Gong Chang Jun naturally became the living target everyone focused on attacking. From childhood, he was surrounded by open and hidden attacks and suffered all kinds of bullying.

In such a terrible environment, people usually grow into one of two types. One type is like Jiang Yi Ming, full of ambition, eyes always on the top spot above their head, climbing up without stop like some overpowered hero. The other type is scared out of their wits, living every day in fear, as sensitive and timid as a frightened bird.

Unfortunately, Gong Chang Jun belonged to the second type.

[This father is really trash among trash. When his wife and child were bullied, he just watched coldly. When he was being cheated on himself, he also kept his mouth shut. He enjoys his wife’s love and protection and his children’s admiration and closeness, but at key moments he hides faster than anyone.]

Of course, the ones who suffered the most from all this were still Gong Jin Yuan and the “mom” she talked about, especially Gong Jin Yuan herself.

[Poor sister. Right now, she cannot even imagine that the reason Madam Gong has hated her since she was little is because she is not actually Gong Chang Jun’s blood.]

The Du family members: Oh-ho!

Xi Jing Yue had already noticed the words “green hat” earlier, so this result did not surprise him much.

But Du An Rao’s next line still shocked him.

[She is Old Master Gong and Madam Gong’s daughter.]

“What?” Du He Xuan was so startled that he almost dropped the plate in his hands.

Father Du and Mother Du, along with Du Yu Xi who had just come back with snacks, could not help sucking in sharp breaths of cold air.

[Huh? Strange, why do I feel like I just heard Second Brother’s voice?]

Du An Rao turned her head and glanced around. Du He Xuan hurriedly turned his back to her and tugged down the brim of his cap to cover his face.

Xi Jing Yue, sensing something, glanced over to where Du He Xuan was, a trace of understanding flashing in his eyes.

Luckily, Du An Rao did not dwell on it for long. After she confirmed that there was no sign of Du He Xuan around, she quickly pulled back her gaze and continued watching the Gong siblings argue. The more she watched, the more confused she became.

[What on earth did Madam Gong see in Gong Chang Jun? Did she like his lack of backbone, his cowardice, or the way he is so selfish and fake that he volunteered to be the guy who takes responsibility for another man’s child?]

[You have to know, he saw clearly with his own eyes how Old Master Gong used a family banquet as a chance to drug his wife, and he knew exactly whose child she was carrying. Yet he did nothing to stop it. When Madam Gong wanted to abort the baby, he even sweet-talked her and promised he would treat this child as his own.]

[But in truth, he was only worried that Old Master Gong still had an interest in his wife and would get angry if he found out she had aborted his own flesh and blood. On top of that, this was Madam Gong’s first pregnancy. He was afraid that if she went through with the abortion and had aftereffects, she would not be able to give birth to his own children later and might leave him.]

Du An Rao’s face looked like one of those old grandpas on the subway staring at their phone. The Du family members were even more shocked. Without discussing it beforehand, they all cursed in their hearts at the same time: Tch, scumbag!

[And that is exactly how it turned out. After giving birth to Gong Jin Yuan, Madam Gong gave birth to Gong Hao Ming. One child was the so-called crystallization of love, and the other was a living proof of shame. It is easy to imagine how Gong Jin Yuan was treated growing up.]

The Du family members remembered the way Du An Rao had just summed up Miss Gong’s family, then looked at how the siblings were dealing with each other now. They had to admit, it really was a perfect fit.

By this time, the quarrel on Gong Hao Ming’s side had already reached a boiling point. He seemed to be very sensitive about Gong Jin Yuan’s identity as his sister. In his anger and shame, he suddenly splashed the wine in his glass all over Gong Jin Yuan’s face.

Gong Jin Yuan seemed to have expected it. Other than flinching a little when the wine hit her, she quickly recovered her calm. She raised a hand to wipe her face and kept her eyes fixed on Gong Hao Ming.

The moment the wine left his hand, Gong Hao Ming regretted it. But his group of friends were still with him. If he showed weakness now, they would laugh at him even more. In the end, he could only curse in a loud but hollow voice: “Psycho!” and then turn around and leave.

The people around him, seeing that there was no more drama to watch, pointed and whispered at Gong Jin Yuan from a distance, then left one by one, laughing and joking.

The whole time, not a single person tried to go near Gong Jin Yuan, much less reach out to help her.

Watching all this, Du An Rao felt her anger rising and stood up, itching to move.

[She is so pitiful. If only someone could help her right now, so at least she would not have to stand there all alone.]

The moment that thought appeared, Du He Xuan, who had been standing off to the side reflecting on his actions, moved faster than his brain. He stepped forward first and held out a folded handkerchief to Gong Jin Yuan.

Gong Jin Yuan froze. Du An Rao, who had already taken a few steps forward, also hit the brakes and quietly walked back.

When she had faced Gong Hao Ming’s useless rage and the jeers of his friends just now, Gong Jin Yuan had stayed calm, or even indifferent. Yet now this small square of cloth had stunned her. She did not come back to herself until Du He Xuan called her once as “Miss”.

“Thank you.”

Gong Jin Yuan took the handkerchief and quickly wiped her face. Then she took off the heavy black-framed glasses from her face and carefully wiped them clean too.

Seeing her this close, Du He Xuan realized that she was not ugly at all. Her face was a small oval that could fit in a hand. Her large, bright phoenix eyes were beautiful. When the glasses covered them, she looked a bit rustic and cold, like she kept people away. Without that barrier, she suddenly seemed much gentler and more innocent.

What Du He Xuan did not know was that while he was studying Gong Jin Yuan, she was secretly checking him out too.

He was about one meter eighty, tall and well built. Even though he was wearing a waiter’s uniform, he somehow gave off the air of someone who had been pampered since childhood. His voice also sounded pleasant. It was a pity that he was wearing both a mask and a cap, so she could not see his face. In such a noisy, lively place, he really looked like some kind of suspicious person.

Thinking this way, Gong Jin Yuan still could not help laughing. So what if he looked suspicious? What did she even have on her that was worth anyone plotting for?

Du He Xuan was a bit confused by her sudden smile. Right then he heard his precious little sister sigh with relief.

[There really are still more good people in this world. This waiter guy is so cool! Beasts like Old Master Gong and Gong Chang Jun and that ungrateful wolf of a little brother, Gong Hao Ming, really are the minority. Let’s not even talk about them.]

Du He Xuan’s eyes lit up. He wanted to straighten his back and proudly take this round of praise that came from putting him up and tearing them down.

The next second, he heard Du An Rao mutter again.

[But is it just me, or does this waiter guy’s back look a lot like my second brother?]

Du He Xuan: !!!

The Du family members: …

Xi Jing Yue, who had already seen through the truth long ago: “Pfft…”