Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Support and Discard HimYun Shifei noticed Zhao Haishuang’s smile stiffen for just a moment.

    But she pretended not to see it.

    She couldn’t show fear or cowardice!

    Yun Shifei kept repeating this to herself in her mind.

    She didn’t realize that her nervousness had been sensed by Cheng Lie.

    The young man glanced at her sideways, noticing her composed face but the unconscious tight fists she was clenching.

    To someone unaware, it might seem as though she was preparing to attend a perilous banquet.

    He couldn’t suppress a light sneer—so timid, she could barely manage her own life, yet she wanted to protect him?

    She had no idea that he didn’t need her protection at all.

    Still, he was somewhat curious to see what Yun Shifei planned to do in a moment.

    Originally, Zhao Haishuang hadn’t prepared food for one extra person. Now, with Yun Shifei saying she wanted to stay for dinner, Zhao Haishuang had no choice but to instruct the kitchen to prepare two additional dishes.

    She silently cursed Yun Shifei for being so clueless.

    She had only said it out of politeness, why did Yun Shifei agree to stay for dinner?

    Such an oblivious girl. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    During dinner, Yun Shifei sat next to Cheng Lie.

    Zhao Haishuang warmly encouraged Yun Shifei to eat more.

    Yun Shifei politely thanked Zhao Haishuang and then helped Cheng Lie by placing a few pieces of food onto his plate.

    Cheng Guomin noticed and couldn’t help but say, "Shifei, you don’t need to help Xiao Lie with his food; he can eat by himself."

    Yun Shifei hesitated slightly before replying to Cheng Guomin, "But... Uncle, Cheng Lie’s hand is injured, so it’s not very convenient for him to pick up food."

    Upon hearing Yun Shifei’s words, Zhao Haishuang’s brow visibly twitched, and Cheng Huai frowned slightly.

    Last night, Cheng Guomin came back late from a drinking event and hadn’t seen the injury on Cheng Lie’s hand.

    They had initially decided that if he didn’t notice today, they would simply pretend it hadn’t happened.

    If he did notice, they’d say Cheng Lie accidentally injured himself while sharpening pencils.

    After all, Cheng Lie wasn’t observant enough to uncover the truth on his own.

    But unexpectedly, it was Yun Shifei who brought this issue up.

    After Yun Shifei finished speaking, Cheng Guomin finally noticed the injury on Cheng Lie’s wrist, and his face darkened.

    He shot a glance at Zhao Haishuang, "How did Xiao Lie’s hand get hurt?"

    "Ah... Xiao Lie loves drawing, and while sharpening a pencil, he slipped and accidentally cut himself," Zhao Haishuang quickly explained.

    "Aunt... did you see Xiao Lie’s hand getting injured like this yourself?" Yun Shifei hadn’t realized that Cheng Guomin was unaware of Cheng Lie’s injury, but she adjusted quickly.

    She blinked, looking earnest yet puzzled, intent on pursuing the matter further.

    For some reason, Zhao Haishuang felt as though Yun Shifei could see right through her mind, making her slightly panicked. Still, she responded, "Yes, I happened to see it."

    After all, all the servants in the house listened to her. At that time, Cheng Guomin wasn’t around, and no one would step forward to contradict whatever she said.

    Except for Cheng Lie himself.

    Her gaze landed on Cheng Lie.

    He was quietly eating his meal with his hand wrapped in gauze, seemingly indifferent to the disputes around him.

    This reassured her greatly.

    No matter how much she lied, no one would expose her.

    "Oh, so Aunt saw it happen. Then it must be true. I was just wondering how Cheng Lie could cut such a deep wound on his wrist by himself. But since Aunt says she saw it firsthand, it must be true.

    Aunt, you should buy a pencil sharpener for Cheng Lie next time. They’re not expensive, and it would help prevent accidents like this," Yun Shifei said.

    Zhao Haishuang stared directly at Yun Shifei.

    This girl—though her words seemed to show trust, there was still a trace of skepticism hidden in her tone.

    Moreover, why did she suddenly say such things? She hadn’t brought them up before, but specifically waited until Cheng Guomin was present.

    Was she intentionally saying this for Cheng Guomin to hear?

    This made Zhao Haishuang scrutinize Yun Shifei more closely.

    However, the girl before her had a calm expression, tinged with concern, as if genuinely worried about Cheng Lie rather than targeting her.

    Was Zhao Haishuang overthinking it?

    She couldn’t be sure.

    Yet, considering Yun Shifei’s intelligence, it was hard to believe she would act subtly just to target her.

    She treated Yun Shifei so well, and openly displayed care for Cheng Lie in front of everyone—why would Yun Shifei target her?

    Zhao Haishuang ultimately convinced herself that she was overthinking.

    Equally gloomy was Cheng Huai, who watched Yun Shifei closely.

    Observing Yun Shifei’s concerned yet puzzled expression, his eyes narrowed like a snake flicking its tongue.

    Yun Sisi’s sister—was she truly na?ve or just pretending?

    Judging from her past behavior, it seemed more likely she was truly na?ve.

    So this time, he didn’t take Yun Shifei seriously either.

    The only person not examining Yun Shifei was Cheng Guomin.

    His face was grim, suppressing a simmering anger.

    After Yun Shifei left, he called Cheng Lie over, looked at the injury on his wrist, and then sent him back to his room.

    Three people remained in the living room.

    Cheng Guomin glared at Zhao Haishuang, then at Cheng Huai.

    "Was Xiao Lie’s injury your doing?"

    Moments earlier, with Yun Shifei present, he hadn’t wanted to explode before an outsider.

    Now that Yun Shifei was gone, he immediately confronted Zhao Haishuang and Cheng Huai.

    "Guomin, is this really what you think of me?" Zhao Haishuang sounded a little aggrieved.

    "Are you trying to tell me that kind of wound was self-inflicted?"

    "It was..."

    "Was my foot!" Cheng Guomin kicked over the tea table in front of him.

    Crash—

    Fine porcelain teaware shattered across the floor.

    Zhao Haishuang couldn’t help but furrow her brow.

    "Have you ever heard of someone cutting their wrist while sharpening a pencil? If they do it, it’s usually a finger that gets hurt—not the wrist."

    "You’re talking about normal people. Isn’t Xiao Lie sick?"

    "Shut up." Cheng Guomin stood up and glowered, "You still won’t admit it was your doing?"

    A man who had built his fortune through business was known for his volatile temper.

    Under his intimidation, Zhao Haishuang felt genuine fear and nearly broke into tears.

    Unable to stand it, Cheng Huai intervened, speaking to Cheng Guomin, "Dad, stop scolding Mom. I did it."

    "Ah Huai!" Zhao Haishuang called out to him.

    Cheng Huai ignored her.

    "Dad, Mom is your lawful wife, and I’m your legitimate son. Why are you neglecting us in favor of spoiling that illegitimate child? I don’t understand—what’s wrong with me?" Cheng Huai stared fiercely at Cheng Guomin, demanding an explanation.

    Cheng Guomin, faced with Cheng Huai’s questioning, seemed to lose some of his momentum.

    "He’s sick..."

    "Sick? Then I’ll fall sick tomorrow too. Will you love me the same way?"

    "Ah Huai!" Cheng Guomin shouted, falling into silence for a long time before finally saying, "You’re my biological son. How could I not love you? But don’t forget how his mother died."

    At those words, Zhao Haishuang and Cheng Huai fell silent.

    They hadn’t forgotten—not how Cheng Lie’s mother died, nor why Cheng Lie had become what he was.

    "Keeping him close is safer than leaving him somewhere out of sight."

    Out of sight could mean anything—who knows how he would grow up, and whether he would seek revenge against them in the future.

    But keeping him close, they could ensure he was ruined.