CHAPTER 582: CHAPTER 582: COMING TO THE DOOR

He Ziyun was doing well at Xu Ke’s place. The scars on his face gradually disappeared with the help of ointment, returning to its former appearance. However, something had ultimately changed. Xu Ke could no longer see the little sun in He Ziyun’s eyes. His gaze had become much more silent, and the smile on his face carried a touch of bitterness.

He Ziyun felt deeply grateful to Xu Ke and Ariel for taking him in. There is truth in the saying that adversity reveals true feelings. Whenever he thought about the day he was kicked out of the He family, He Ziyun felt he should do what he could to repay Xu Ke and Ariel. Therefore, he took on most of the household chores.

Although Xu Ke and Ariel had told him he didn’t need to do this, when they saw his persistence, they finally let him be.

On this day, the three of them had just finished lunch, and He Ziyun was cleaning when the doorbell rang after a long silence.

Since He Ziyun moved in, Xu Ke and Ariel had almost given up housekeeping and takeout services. Now hearing the doorbell, the two of them didn’t react at first. It was He Ziyun who reacted first, wearing an apron to answer the door.

The door opened, and the people inside and outside the door looked at each other, and no one spoke.

"He Ziyun, who is it outside?" Ariel craned her neck and shouted toward the door, while Xu Ke stood up from the sofa and walked toward the door.

The visitors at the door were none other than He Ziyun’s father and his stepmother.

"Who are you? What do you want at my house? I don’t know you," Xu Ke said, looking at the two people from behind He Ziyun.

He Ziyun’s father looked Xu Ke up and down, not responding, but instead looked at He Ziyun with disgust and anger.

"What is wrong with you? I told you to apologize to the Nie family, and this is how you apologize? Not answering calls, not replying to messages, and living with someone. Where is your shame?" He Ziyun’s father reprimanded loudly.

He Ziyun said nothing but looked earnestly and stubbornly at his father.

Under He Ziyun’s gaze, his father’s voice gradually lowered.

"Ziyun, you’re not young anymore. You should take responsibility. The issues between the He family and the Nie Family started because of you. One could say that the He family’s crisis was brought about by you. Your father hasn’t slept well for several nights trying to save the company. Can you bear to see him work himself to exhaustion for your sake?" He Ziyun’s stepmother interjected appropriately.

"This crisis is your doing, so I don’t care how you manage it. You must resolve it. I will not allow you to keep dodging. Today, you must come with me to the Nie family, apologize to Nie Wei, and seek his forgiveness. If he doesn’t forgive you and won’t relent, none of my estate will go to you after I die," He Ziyun’s father said, pointing at his son’s nose.

Xu Ke stood to the side, frowning but not interjecting. After all, it was their family matter. He was an outsider, and it would be inappropriate to chime in, so he stood by He Ziyun without saying anything but didn’t leave either.

He Ziyun’s father looked at him in silence.

After about three seconds, He Ziyun finally spoke, "You’ve probably forgotten that you married into our family. The assets you have now initially belonged to my mother, and my mother only had one child—me."

Upon hearing He Ziyun’s words, his father’s mind went blank, his finger trembling as he pointed at He Ziyun. "Who told you that, who?"

"No one told me. I remember on my own. I remember how my mother died, how she entered this house. I remember everything that has happened over the years, but I was silent because you are my father. I didn’t want to lose my only family in this world, but now it seems I was deluding myself this whole time," He Ziyun said with a curl of his lips that held no humor.

"What do you mean by these words?" His father felt a sense of unease, as if something was slipping from his grasp.

"Exactly what it sounds like," He Ziyun replied, expressionless.

"I don’t care what you mean; today, you must come with me," his father said and attempted to grab He Ziyun, only for Xu Ke to intercept him.

"Didn’t you hear him? He doesn’t want to go with you," Xu Ke said calmly to He Ziyun’s father.

"This is a family matter; it doesn’t concern an outsider like you. Keep your nose out of it," He Ziyun’s father said with a sinister glance at Xu Ke, raising his hand to grab He Ziyun once again, but Xu Ke blocked it once more.

"What’s wrong with you? Can’t you understand human language? This is a family matter, none of your business," he snarled.

"He’s not an outsider." As soon as He Ziyun’s father finished speaking, He Ziyun’s voice rang out powerfully: "Compared to you, he’s the one who is truly my family."

"Ziyun, what nonsense are you spouting? Apologize to your father immediately. Even though he hit you, it was because what you did this time was too outrageous, causing trouble for the He family. He lost control out of anger. Are you really going to estrange yourself from your father over this little thing and upset him over an insignificant friend? Your father has raised you for so many years. Are you really going to disregard all the effort and care he has put into you because of this trivial matter?" his stepmother said earnestly to He Ziyun.

"Ha." Hearing his stepmother’s words, He Ziyun chuckled softly, then took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on the nearby wall before speaking, "No wonder my mom lost to you back then; you took everything from her. It seems in hindsight, she indeed can’t be blamed. If she had been more shameless or had a glib tongue, would things be different now?" This appeared to be a rhetorical question or a musing to himself.

"In our earlier confrontations, you tolerated me, just as I tolerated you. Now, it’s better to take this opportunity to clear the air," He Ziyun said.

He Ziyun’s words sent a jolt through his father’s heart, electrifying him momentarily, but this feeling passed swiftly as He Ziyun’s voice continued, leaving little time for his father to wonder where this ominous feeling was coming from.

"Let’s be clear; it isn’t you who have been supporting me all these years but me supporting you. Perhaps you don’t know, but before my mother passed away, she already left a will. Everything in the He family belongs to me. So, these years, it’s my deceased mother supporting me, and it’s my deceased mother supporting your entire family. If I owe thanks, it’s to my mother, not to any of you," He Ziyun announced nonchalantly, dropping a bombshell in front of his father.

"What did you say?" His father’s face turned pale as he took a hurried step forward and swiftly grabbed He Ziyun’s wrist.