MCFEM C17

Chapter 17: Told You, If the Quality’s No Good, Don’t Have Kids…

Wow.

On the surface they looked so proper, but this really was… something else.

Then again, maybe it was because there had already been too many explosive scandals these past few days. Aside from inwardly cursing that wife-beaters deserved death, Yu Bai didn’t even feel very shocked anymore.

【Every time the husband got drunk, he’d raise his hand at her. He even shamelessly brought home a son born of another woman. No wonder Mrs. Nie finally snapped—on Nie Ying’s coming-of-age day, she handed him a DNA test report as his birthday gift, her revenge on father and son alike.】

【If you ask me, she was still being too gentle. Money’s no object for them—why not just print hundreds of copies and hand them out right there at the banquet? One for every guest. It’s not like she’d be the one most humiliated.】

The entire class was stunned.

Damn, so that’s how it’s going to be.

Gu Yang, truly, only you could deliver this kind of script.

With a sharp crack, Nie Ying crushed the glass in his hand, face black with fury. Blueberry juice mixed with shards dripped down, slicing several bloody cuts into his palm.

The man across from him, who had just been trying to strike up a polite conversation, froze. He had never witnessed anything like this before. Helpless, he glanced pleadingly at Mr. Nie.

“What’s wrong with these glasses? Who’s responsible for procurement?” Nie Runhua’s face didn’t so much as twitch. One of the assistants, quick on the uptake, immediately stepped forward to apologize. Then, spotting Nie Ying’s bleeding hand, he made a great fuss, changing the subject while scurrying to fetch the medical kit to bandage him.

“Born with divine strength, huh,” Yu Bai muttered under his breath.

“He’s already triggered? This is just the beginning,” Ye Chen grinned like a cat that got the cream. “I can feel it—there’s definitely going to be a huge scene tonight. Skipping my uncle’s funeral to be here won’t have been for nothing.”

Yu Bai: “…”

Our Class 11 really is a gathering of talents.

【After all, even at his advanced age, Old Master Nie was still vigorous, holding the reins of the corporation firmly in his grasp. Nie Runhua and his younger brother had been locked in a perpetual struggle for control. But Nie Runhua had never managed to produce a child—and for the older generation, lacking an heir was no small problem.】

【Because of this thorn in his heart, his attitude toward Mrs. Nie had always been terrible. To him, she was nothing but a hen that couldn’t lay eggs.】

【But the truth is, he was the one who was useless.】

Nie Ying’s fist clenched tight.

The assistant hadn’t yet finished picking out the shards, but the boy’s grip forced the glass deeper, cutting his hand worse. The assistant let out a heartfelt cry of dismay, though inwardly he was cursing him for being such an idiot.

【His size isn’t even as long as a lipstick sample, and when things weren’t going well, he needed pills. Afterward, Mrs. Nie would have to soothe him like a child, cooing that even five minutes was great.】

【Even so, he refused to go to the hospital to see if the problem was his. Instead, he chased women constantly—from girls in their twenties to widows in their fifties who’d borne three children. Like a breeding stud, any female he saw, he wanted to “pair” with.】

F-fifties?

Yu Bai hadn’t expected the man to be this hardcore, and his eyes went wide.

Was that even still possible? Don’t torment the elderly, please!

Also—just how big is a lipstick sample, anyway?

【Finally, he managed to knock up one of the household maids. But because the quality was so poor, she needed endless progesterone shots, and even with the best medical team on standby, the child was only barely carried to term.】

【See? I told you, if the quality’s no good, don’t have kids. And look—what did he end up producing? A Nie Ying, who goes around making life hell for others.】

【Even after getting his heir, he still puts on airs in front of Mrs. Nie. But she already knows exactly what kind of pathetic man he is. Why not just drop the act, hold hands in bed, and be “good sisters” instead?】

“Pfft.” Ye Chen couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

Gu Yang’s inner voice—absolutely ruthless.

It was a pity Nie Runhua couldn’t hear any of it. Otherwise, just imagining how his sanctimonious face would crumble was delicious entertainment.

And really, knowing such secrets, watching the man continue to strut around pretending—it gave the whole performance an extra layer of dark humor.

But for Nie Ying, trapped in the middle of the storm, there was no such amusement. His eyes burned with murderous fury, as though he wanted to tear a piece of flesh from Gu Yang himself.

“What are you staring at my dear brother for?” Gu Qingxu, standing loyally at his friend’s side, couldn’t help needling him. “Just because he didn’t give you face that day and stood up for some special-admission student? Still holding a grudge?”

Nie Ying’s smile was thin and cold. “Funny, I don’t remember telling you about that. You sure seem awfully interested in him.”

Gu Qingxu cast a glance at Gu Yang, who was chatting casually nearby, and replied airily, “Of course I’m keeping a close eye on him. Otherwise, who knows when he might slip through my fingers?”

He had quietly dug into all the special-admission students who’d been close to Gu Yang lately, and what he’d found had been quite a surprise.

“Anyway,” he added, “your uncle’s thrown such a grand birthday banquet for you. You’re supposed to be the star of the night. Drop the man-eating glare—everyone’s watching.”

He couldn’t resist another sigh. “And look at this spread. Even the chef tonight—he’s impossible to book. I tried on short notice before and couldn’t get him. Your father really did go all out for you.”

“He’s only got me. If he doesn’t work himself for me, who else?” Nie Ying scoffed, regaining a shred of confidence.

The assistant kept a professional smile as he finished tying off the bandage and drew back his hands. Outwardly deferential, inwardly he muttered: Old heavens above, what’s all this about “effort”? All the work for this birthday banquet had been his. The boss just moved his lips.

“All right, the cut’s making me uncomfortable. I’m going to rest a bit inside. You all enjoy yourselves—I’ll be back out when it’s time to cut the cake.”

Clapping Gu Qingxu on the shoulder, Nie Ying strode off like his feet were on fire, disappearing into the house.

On the surface Gu Qingxu didn’t react, but inwardly he was perplexed.

Normally, the boy fought like a lunatic, almost as if he didn’t feel pain. What had gotten into him today?

Upstairs, Nie Ying splashed his face in the bathroom. Water dripped steadily down, soaking the bandages that had just been carefully wrapped, and the sting of his wounds sharpened.

That pain calmed his frenzied mind a little.

Stepping back out, he almost collided with Mrs. Nie, who was crossing the hall.

“Mother.” Nie Ying lowered his head, clutching his hand, words dying in his throat.

The usually arrogant, defiant boy actually looked… awkward.

“Mm.” Mrs. Nie nodded slightly. “Isn’t today your birthday? What are you doing standing here alone?”

Nie Ying opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

He wanted so badly to ask: Since you know it’s my birthday, why won’t you stand by my side, celebrate with me?

Every year since he was little, he had asked the same question. Every year, the woman’s response was the same: distant, polite refusal.

Even today, on this day that was supposed to matter most, she wore black from head to toe, unwilling to change clothes for him.

And this year—he didn’t even dare ask.

Gu Yang’s words haunted him like a nightmare, repeating again and again.

Telling him he wasn’t the child of this elegant, noble woman before him.

That he was just the son of some lowly maid.

The thought made him want to laugh, bitterly, insanely.

Impossible. How dare Gu Yang smear him with such filth?

He was Nie Runhua’s only son, born in his father’s later years, destined heir to the entire Nie Corporation. His starting line in life was leagues ahead of everyone else’s.

Of course he looked down on those special-admission nobodies, especially people like Song Yinxing—so smug just because he had a little talent. He’d even had the nerve to meddle and call the police, humiliating him in front of Mrs. Nie when he’d been dragged to the station.

As if someone like that—someone destined to work for scraps his whole life, never earning in a lifetime what Nie Ying burned through in pocket money—had any right to defy him.

So yes, he let his lackeys rough him up. Watching the proud top student forced to his knees for the sake of a mere ten thousand yuan—now that was amusing.

“Mother, I…” His throat bobbed painfully as he tried to force the words out.

These past days he’d had countless chances to ask. But he hadn’t dared.

He shouldn’t believe it. If he never asked, then the lie would vanish. The fear would go away.

“Just as well,” Mrs. Nie said, smiling faintly for once. “I’ve prepared a birthday gift for you. Come here.”

That smile he’d longed for—it landed now like a death sentence.

Exactly as Gu Yang had predicted. Everything was unfolding according to his inner voice.

Terror swallowed him whole, though he couldn’t even name what he feared.

His feet were nailed to the floor.

Mrs. Nie looked at him with a strange light in her eyes, her smile deepening. “So, you already know.”

Her words shattered his eardrums, leaving only a heavy ringing. He couldn’t even tell which way was up.

“I was wondering why you kept trying to say something lately.” Mrs. Nie’s lips curved again. She seemed genuinely amused, as though her dead heart had rippled back to life.

“That’s right. You are not my son.”

She reached into a cabinet and, with almost tender hands, drew out the report. “Here. Take it.”

Nie Ying slapped the document away, face stricken. “This isn’t real. I don’t believe it!”

“I am your son—”

“You are not.”

Three flat words, and his world collapsed.

For days afterward, he shut himself in his room, spiraling. He refused school. Anyone who tried to talk sense into him was answered with something hurled across the room.

But the thing he feared most kept drawing closer, second by second.

His father dragged him out at last. The endless guest list, names upon names—it felt like every one of them had come to sneer at him.

And now—his judgment had come.

“How could I not be your child?” Nie Ying looked at the woman before him, forcing out the words. “There are no other children in our family.”

“Are you saying—you never had a child?”

Mrs. Nie didn’t answer, only let silence stand.

“You mean to tell me you’re just a hen that can’t lay eggs?”

She hadn’t expected him to fling that at her. It took her a long time before she finally said, “You really are his son. Even the way you spit poison is just like him.”

“But as long as you’re his son, that’s enough. That way you can stay here in this mansion, enjoy everything that comes with being Young Master Nie.”

Her lack of denial only made him more frantic. “What proof do you have that I’m not your child? All these years, you’ve treated me like air. Aside from arranging schools, even parent-teacher conferences you sent assistants. You never looked at me!”

“You think I’m just some useless delinquent? Did you ever consider it’s because you never cared? I smoked, I fought, I got dragged into the station—all just to make you look at me!”

His words grew hoarse, his eyes red. But Mrs. Nie remained unmoved.

He stared at her, face twisted into a mocking, desperate smile. “You won’t even want your own child? What kind of mother does that?”

At last, Mrs. Nie’s expression shifted. She looked pale, as though struck, at this son in name only. “Heartless. That’s what you are.”

“You already know the truth, and just to protect your pride, you won’t even face your real mother.”

“And me—what about me? All these years, while that beast Nie Runhua buried himself in work or other women, did I ever let you lack for anything?”

Her voice shook as she hardened her resolve. “Fine. If you insist on tearing the veil, then I’ll grant your wish.”

She yanked the drawer open wide. Out tumbled a whole stack of identical documents.

Scooping them up in her arms, she marched straight to the balcony. While Nie Ying stood stunned, she scattered them all into the night air.

“Let me give you one more gift.”