Just when everyone had forgotten about this matter, it erupted without any warning.
On this day, as He Ziyun returned ho carrying his drawing board, he noticed sothing was off with the atmosphere at ho. However, he didn’t think too much of it. Just as he was about to walk through the living room and head upstairs to his room, a cup was thrown towards his face. The cup hit him, then fell to the ground with the sound of shattering porcelain.
"He Ziyun, you still have the gall to co ho? What terrible deeds did I commit in my past life to give birth to a debt collector like you? It’s bad enough you waste your days just painting, but I was willing to support you for a lifeti. And what did you do! You’re going to bring down the entire He family. How formidable you are, He Ziyun. Tell , what debt do I owe you that makes you treat like this? Tell !"
While speaking, He Father threw several more cups, and the sound of shattering porcelain continued incessantly in the living room.
This ti, even the stepmother, who usually liked to put on airs, didn’t speak up for He Ziyun.
He Ziyun clenched and relaxed his hand placed at his side repeatedly. Only after seeing that He Father had gradually stopped throwing things did He Ziyun finally get a chance to speak, "What exactly happened? I don’t even know what’s going on." He Ziyun didn’t finish his sentence, but the aning was clear: I don’t even know what happened, and you’re blaming everything on . Isn’t that unreasonable?
He Father grew even angrier at He Ziyun’s words. He took a few big steps towards He Ziyun and slapped him across the face. He Ziyun didn’t dodge, and He Father didn’t hold back, so the slap landed solidly on He Ziyun’s face, almost instantly leaving four bright red fingerprints and causing a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.
"You still dare to talk back to , claiming you don’t know? Fine, I’ll enlighten you today. I ask you, are you crazy for having taken people to beat Nie Wei, even breaking his hand? Now, the Nie Family is going against us. Our family background is already not as good as the Nie Family, and business at ho has been sluggish these past two years. We’ve been struggling to hold on, and yet you’ve managed to stir up such a formidable adversary for . How much do you hate that you would do sothing like this? Have I ever deprived you of food or clothing to make you bear such a grudge against ?"
With every sentence He Father spoke, he hit He Ziyun, raining blows without regard for where they landed. For a while, the room resounded only with He Father’s voice and the sounds of hitting.
Finally, when He Father was too tired and sore to continue hitting, he stopped. He Ziyun’s face was bruised and swollen beyond recognition.
"He Ziyun, if the He family falls because of you, you’ll be the biggest sinner of our family. Even in death, you wouldn’t have the face to see our ancestors! I don’t care what thods you use; this crisis that arose because of you must be resolved by you. Whether it’s murder or arson or begging on your knees, you must make the Nie Family back down. If you can’t do it, then get out of the He family. This family will no longer have a son like you. Soone co and throw him out; until he resolves this matter, he is not to co back ho." He Father shouted loudly.
The servant who heard this approached He Ziyun and made a gesture of invitation with his hand.
He Ziyun raised his head to look at He Father, who saw him as an enemy, at his indifferent younger brother, and at his resentful stepmother. He also glanced at the house where he had grown up and at the old servant in front of him asking him to leave. He tried to pull the corner of his mouth into a smile but accidentally touched a wound, causing the smile that had yet to form to disappear.
"Please leave."
Seeing that He Ziyun had no intention of leaving, the servant spoke up.
This ti, He Ziyun didn’t stay any longer. He left the ho where he had lived for over twenty years with his drawing board and drawing materials.
At the mont he walked out of the He family’s gate, He Ziyun thought he would feel very sad. But even when the gate closed behind him, his heart felt nothing. It was as if a piece was missing from his chest, leaving him with no feeling at all. Perhaps it was because he knew in his heart that this day would inevitably co, he only felt a slight sense of loss without any pain.
He Ziyun looked up at the reddish-orange sky, squinting slightly, feeling montarily lost; under the vast heavens and earth, he didn’t even know where he belonged.
As for apologizing to Nie Wei, he never even considered it from the start.
He Ziyun took one last look at the gates of the He family before turning and leaving.
Back at the He family, having driven He Ziyun out, He Father sat back down on the couch, panting heavily. His wife and youngest son sat on the other two sofas, and no one in the living room spoke a word.
Once He Father had completely cald down, the stepmother made him another cup of tea, handed it to him, and softly asked, "Will Ziyun go to apologize to the Nie Family? If he doesn’t apologize, will our family really..." The stepmother looked at He Father, trailing off.
"I’ve already cut off all his bank cards. If he wants to live a good life, he’ll have to yield. How could I not know my own son? I’ve never let him suffer since he was a child. He’ll definitely compromise." He Father confidently said.
As for whether the Nie Family would really let the He family off because of He Ziyun’s apology, He Father didn’t say.
They were businessn, and also hunters. Why would they release the prey already in their mouths? He Father understood this, but he still vented his anger on He Ziyun. All he needed was soone to take his frustration out on, and it didn’t matter who that person was. It just happened to be He Ziyun, so he could be more ruthless.
He Ziyun went to check into a hotel, only to encounter a problem when paying.
"I’m sorry, sir, this card didn’t go through. Would you consider trying another card?" The receptionist tried her best not to look oddly at He Ziyun.
He Ziyun took back the card handed to him, staring at it for quite a while before putting it back in under the receptionist’s gaze. "No, thank you," He Ziyun said cautiously, trying not to pull at the corners of his mouth.
This card couldn’t be used anymore, let alone the others. Xu Ke clutched his wallet tightly, a bitter smile appearing on his face.
Even though they were father and son, they were worse than strangers.
How did He Ziyun’s life beco such a failure?
Though the night breeze was slightly chilly, it easily pierced through a person’s clothes. As the wind blew, He Ziyun rubbed his arms. No matter what, he couldn’t sleep outside tonight, or he’d end up catching a cold by morning.
He Ziyun thought for a mont and decided to call a friend he was fairly close with to see if the friend could take him in.
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