novelraw Chapter 404
Chapter 404
The entire room fell silent at the sound of the old patriarch’s cane striking the floor.
Zhao Chengle, Zhao Jianghe, and Lu Yunqing all tensed up. The weight of his authority was undeniable.
“Chengle,” the old man began slowly.
Zhao Chengle braced himself, expecting to be scolded. Yet, he didn’t think he had done anything wrong. In his mind, his father and “Auntie” weren’t to blame for falling in love. Love was uncontrollable, and Auntie had even risked her life for his father. If he ever met such a gentle, kind, and devoted woman, he would do everything to cherish her too.
Coming from a family like theirs, it was rare to find true love. Wasn’t it right to hold on to it when you did?
Besides, his mother was already getting the lion’s share in the divorce settlement. Why did she have to take everything? What would happen to his father and Auntie afterward? The Zhao family would surely turn on them, try to tear them apart, and force his father to reconcile with his mother.
They were already at this point—was there really any need to drag it out? He didn’t want to see his mother full of resentment or his father wallowing in misery.
“Grandfather,” Zhao Chengle said, “my father has treated my mother well for so many years. Is it really unforgivable to make one mistake? After all, no one is perfect.”
The old man’s voice remained calm. “I’m not here to preach. I’m here to make you choose.”
“What?” Zhao Chengle blinked, caught off guard. “I’m an adult now. I don’t need to choose between my parents.”
The old man didn’t waste a second. “Here’s your choice: If you support your father keeping even 10% of the assets, you will lose all inheritance rights to anything your mother holds, including the Qin family’s portion. But if you support your mother and ensure your father leaves with nothing, everything she gains—including the Qin family’s assets—will be yours. Now, choose.”
[Haha, Grandpa, you’re brilliant! Let him choose—his dad or his mom. Let this ungrateful brat face the consequences of his decision.]
Sure enough, the moment the patriarch spoke, not only did Zhao Chengle’s face darken, but so did Zhao Jianghe’s and Lu Yunqing’s.
[Zhao Jianghe’s reaction makes sense—it’s his son’s interests at stake. But you, mistress, why the long face? Oh, I get it now. You thought even if Zhao Jianghe lost everything, his son could make up for it later. But if the son loses everything too, both father and son would have to grovel before the Zhao family. So, you’re not such a pure-hearted white lotus after all—you’ve calculated everything pretty quickly.]
Zhao Chengle, flustered and angry, felt humiliated. He thought his grandfather was insulting him, assuming he could be swayed by money. How could he possibly be that kind of person?
“Grandfather, I’ve always respected you as a fair and righteous elder. How can you force me to make such a choice? They’re both my parents—I don’t want to hurt either of them!” Zhao Chengle’s eyes reddened. “My father has already promised compensation. Isn’t that enough? Does it have to go to such extremes, cutting ties completely and forcing me to take sides with my mother? This is too much!”
Zhao Jianghe tried to intervene. “Dad, this is my fault. Don’t take it out on Chengle. You’re making him choose between me and Ah Yu—that’s too cruel for a child.”
“He’s no child. He’s an adult. And adults have the right to distinguish right from wrong and make their own choices,” the old man said coldly.
Zhao Chengle, stubborn as ever, retorted, “I am distinguishing right from wrong! I think my father made mistakes, but they’re not unforgivable. That woman saved him, and if he wants to be with her, is that really so terrible? If my parents have no love left, would forcing them to stay together be any better?”
The old man’s expression grew colder as he stared at Zhao Chengle. “I won’t deny that, from your perspective, you may think what you’re saying makes sense. But in the Qin family, we have one rule: we protect our own. We are unconditionally loyal to our family. If someone from our family doesn’t stand by us, what’s the point of keeping them around? Remember this, boy—you can either remain the Qin family’s grandson or you can stop being part of this family altogether. We recently cut ties with a biological grandson—we don’t need you as a grandson-in-law either. If you dare to disrespect or hurt your mother, then you can consider yourself disowned!”
“Old Master!” Grandma Lu, who had been quietly observing, grew anxious. She cherished all her grandchildren and hated to see things escalate this far.
The old man raised his hand to silence her. “Stay out of this. On this matter, Chengle’s mother is the only victim. As a Zhao family daughter-in-law and his mother, she has never taken a single misstep. You cannot bully her just because she doesn’t meet your expectations. I’m still alive, and no one is allowed to treat my child like this.”
“Dad…” Tears streamed down Qin Wu Gu’s face.
The old man turned to the two Zhao men, whose faces had turned pale. “If you can’t empathize with my daughter’s pain, why should I care whether you think the punishment is too harsh? Regarding the divorce, my decision is final. If my daughter says Zhao Jianghe leaves with nothing, then he leaves with nothing. Unless, of course, the Zhao family wants to go up against the Qin family!”
Zhao Jianghe’s face turned ghostly white.
Qin Wu Gu, who had initially wanted to show leniency, now felt emboldened. With her father standing firm and her brothers supporting her, why should she let herself be wronged? Let them call her unreasonable—she didn’t care. She would make Zhao Jianghe suffer to ease the anger in her heart.
“And you!” The old man turned to Zhao Chengle, who now looked just as pale as his father. “I’m giving you a choice right now. Do you still want to fight for your father?”
Qin Wu Gu also looked at her son, her heart heavy with sorrow.
Zhao Chengle, gritting his teeth, muttered, “Grandfather, do I even have a choice? You’ve already decided my father will leave with nothing!”
“Oh, you have a choice,” the old man said mockingly. “Support your father, and maybe the court will rule differently. But the Qin family will not budge. Now, choose!”
Zhao Chengle visibly trembled.
Lu Yunqing tugged at Qin Wu Gu’s arm, as if silently pleading with her to de-escalate. After all, Zhao Chengle was her son.
Ji Fei, observing this farce, couldn’t help but feel disgusted by Lu Yunqing’s audacity to continue acting as a “friend” while shamelessly involving herself in the drama.
Suddenly, Ji Fei’s eyes sparkled with mischief, and a sly grin spread across her face. Without hesitation, she said, “Hey, you shameless mistress! How dare you cling to our Fifth Aunt after causing all this chaos? Where do you get the nerve?”