Contractual Love: Mistaken for True - Chapter 50 - About Xu Xiaoyou

Ever since Papa Xu met Chen Zihan, he has felt uneasy. There has been something weighing on his mind for five years that he has never mentioned to anyone, not even to Mom Xu. She noticed something was off, as Papa Xu had been distracted lately, but whenever she asked him, he wouldn’t say a thing.

One day, Papa Xu decided to take a walk by himself. First, he wanted to reacquaint himself with the environment. It had been over twenty years since he last visited, and so much had changed. Second, he wanted to catch up with some old friends and see how they were doing.

Chen Zihan had just left Moding after the monthly shareholders’ meeting, which he, as the CEO, naturally had to attend. As he drove a short distance away from Moding, he noticed a familiar figure walking ahead. After thinking it over, he realized it was Xu Xiaoyou’s father. Why was he alone on the street? Mom Xia had mentioned that Papa Xu used to be from City S, so he must be out looking for friends. Since Chen Zihan had some time to spare and questions on his mind, he figured this was a perfect opportunity to talk to him.

Later that day, when Chen Zihan saw Papa Xu in the Xia family, he felt as if he had met him before, but couldn’t recall when or where.

“Uncle Xu, where are you headed?” Chen Zihan asked as he parked his car.

Seeing it was Chen Zihan, Papa Xu replied, “Just out for a stroll.”

“Let me accompany you,” Chen Zihan said, getting out of the car to walk alongside him.

Papa Xu glanced at him and finally nodded. They both understood they had things to discuss, but this wasn’t the right place for it. After walking for a while, Papa Xu noticed a café up ahead and suggested, “We’ve been walking for a while; let’s go in and take a break.”

Once they were seated, neither of them spoke for a while. Eventually, Papa Xu broke the silence, “You actually have something to say to me, don’t you?”

Chen Zihan smiled, “Well, Uncle, you might have something to say to me too.”

Papa Xu nodded. He had come out today to sort through his past alone. “I heard you have a twin brother?”

Chen Zihan nodded. Papa Xu’s question was certainly related to Ziyi. “Does Uncle know Ziyi?”

“I don’t know him, but I’ve seen him,” Papa Xu responded clearly.

“So what did you want to discuss?” Chen Zihan had a hunch that what Papa Xu was going to say next was about Xu Xiaoyou. Could it be about that matter? Did Papa Xu know?

“It’s about Xiaoyou. I wonder if you’re aware of the situation,” Papa Xu asked Chen Zihan.

“Uncle means…” Chen Zihan silently asked for a miracle; he hoped Papa Xu didn’t know about that incident. But contrary to his hopes, the truth was about to surface.

“Five years ago, your brother Chen Ziyi did something to Xiaoyou,” Papa Xu pointed out the crux of the matter. This incident had weighed heavily on his heart for a long time, and today he needed to get clarity.

“I’m sorry, Uncle. I apologize to you and Xiaoyou on behalf of Ziyi,” Chen Zihan realized that this was something that could no longer be hidden.

“So you do know about it,” Papa Xu said. “Since that’s the case, I hope to understand the full story behind this incident.”

Chen Zihan looked at Papa Xu. If Papa Xu knew it was Ziyi who did this, why wouldn’t he also know the details?

Papa Xu could see what Chen Zihan was thinking from his expression and said, “Although I know about this incident, I don’t understand what grievance Xiaoyou and your brother had that led him to do such a thing.”

Chen Zihan took a deep breath and replied slowly, “Xiaoyou and Ziyi have no grudge against each other.”

“Then why did he treat Xiaoyou that way?” Papa Xu was confused.

“Uncle, do you know Shen Mobai?” Chen Zihan asked.

Papa Xu nodded. “Yes, I know. He was together with Xiaoyou before.”

“Five years ago, when Shen Mobai was with Xiaoyou, his mother found out and tried every means to break them apart. Shen Mobai was very determined and argued with his aunt multiple times about it, even saying he would leave the family. At first, his aunt thought he was just saying that, but when he actually moved out, she realized the situation was serious. At that time, Uncle wasn’t in the country. Ziyi happened to be in City S for fun and heard his aunt mention Shen Mobai’s situation. He said he would take care of it.”

“His aunt understood our family’s influence and always thought Xiaoyou was clinging to Shen Mobai. She urged Ziyi to teach Xiaoyou a lesson so that she would learn to behave. Ziyi didn’t think much of it at the time. He originally planned just to scare Xiaoyou, but when he saw how well Shen Mobai treated her, which was unlike what his aunt had described, he decided to persuade her to accept Xiaoyou. Little did he know, his aunt deceived Ziyi.”

“She had Ziyi’s friend Ah Meng kidnap Xiaoyou in Ziyi’s name and abandoned her in the mountains, telling her to fend for herself. After taking her to the mountain, Ah Meng increasingly felt that something was off. Ziyi had said he would no longer be involved, so why was it changing? He tried to call Ziyi, but Ziyi didn’t answer his phone. Those guys thought it was no big deal to leave Xiaoyou in the mountains overnight, so they all left.”

“I only heard about this from Ah Meng the next day. By then, Shen Mobai had already been sent abroad by his aunt. I couldn’t find Shen Mobai, so I went to the hospital alone and saw her outside the emergency room.”

Chen Zihan could never forget that scene-the girl lying all alone on the hospital bed, her face pale. The doctor had informed him that she had gotten her period and had also caught a cold from being caught in the rain, which led to an infection. It was very likely that she would never be able to have children. If she ever found out that a young girl like her couldn’t bear children, it would be devastating. Therefore, he begged the doctor to ensure that she would never know about this.

After Chen Ziyi passed away, Chen Zihan had sought out Madam Shen, but she denied any involvement. He realized that who would admit to such a thing?

Papa Xu sighed, bringing to light what he had suspected. Five years ago, he had asked friends in City S to investigate the truth behind this incident, but they had yielded no results. It turned out that Chen Zihan had quietly arranged everything behind the scenes.

After Chen Zihan and Papa Xu left the café, a woman also exited shortly afterward-it was Xu Xiaoyou. So, you have this hidden past. I wonder how Xia Chen would perceive you if I told him.

As Xu Xiaoyou neared the end of her workday, she received a call from Dissie, reminding her not to forget to come for a fitting for the bridesmaid dress tomorrow. If it hadn’t been for Dissie’s call, she would have almost forgotten that she had promised to be her bridesmaid; after all, Dissie was getting married the day after tomorrow. Time really flew.

When she returned home, Xia Chen was already back, but he seemed like he was about to head out again. Checking the time, it was already six o’clock. Where could he be going at this hour?

As he packed his things, Xia Chen said, “I have a dinner to attend tonight. I can’t skip it. I’m sorry, sweetheart, I can’t go with you back to the Xia Family. Just wait for me; I’ll come and pick you up later.” Xia Chen leaned over to give Xu Xiaoyou a kiss on the cheek.

“Make sure to come back early, alright? And please drink less,” Xu Xiaoyou replied. She knew how they loved to drink at these gatherings; Xia Chen always came home drunk after dining out.

“I promise I won’t drink, okay? It’s for our baby to be born healthy,” Xia Chen said, hugging Xu Xiaoyou before leaving.

Not long after Xia Chen departed, Xu Xiaoyou made her way to the Xia Family. Papa Xu and Mom Xu still lived there. She had initially planned to move them to her place, but Mom Xu had disagreed. Therefore, Xu Xiaoyou visited them whenever she had free time.

Ever since Papa Xu had seen Chen Zihan, he had locked himself in his room. Xu Xiaoyou had knocked on the door several times, but he refused to open it. Mom Xu found it strange, wondering how he could have changed so much after just one outing.

“Mom, maybe Dad’s just tired. It’s nothing,” Xu Xiaoyou reassured her as she helped Mom Xu downstairs.

“What’s taking your senior brother so long? Why isn’t he down yet?” Mom Xu asked, noticing that his expression had not been good when he returned. Who had he run into? What had happened?

“It’s nothing, Mom. Dad is probably just tired,” Xu Xiaoyou replied.

Mom Xu nodded and said, “Well then, let’s start eating.”

Halfway through dinner, Papa Xu came downstairs, but he seemed like he was about to head out. Mom Xu asked, “It’s so late now, where are you going?”

“I have some matters to attend to. I’ll be back shortly.” Papa Xu replied without looking back and walked out.

“What could he possibly need to do?” Mom Xu wondered, sensing something was off. Papa Xu rarely went out at night, and today he seemed particularly strange.

When Xia Chen received a call from Papa Xu, he left the hotel immediately. The tone of Papa Xu’s voice suggested that he wanted to discuss something important, so Xia Chen didn’t want to delay.

When he arrived at the location Papa Xu had mentioned, he found Papa Xu already seated there. Xia Chen approached, greeted him, and then sat down across from him.

“Dad, what did you want to talk about?” Xia Chen asked after ordering a cup of coffee.

“I ran into Chen Zihan today and chatted with him briefly. I learned some things about Xiaoyou,” Papa Xu said, pausing to gauge Xia Chen’s reaction. Not seeing any significant response, he continued, “I want to know how much you know about Xiaoyou’s past.”

Xia Chen was puzzled by Papa Xu’s question. What had Zihan told him that he didn’t already know? Or was there something Zihan was keeping from him?

“Dad, I know some things about Xiaoyou, but I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”

“Do you know that Xiaoyou was kidnapped five years ago?” Papa Xu asked.

Xia Chen nodded. “She mentioned it to Mom, who later told me. I tried to investigate what happened, but I couldn’t find out who did it. Do you know who was responsible, Dad?”

Papa Xu sighed. “I’ve looked into it as well, but I couldn’t find anything. However, today Chen Zihan told me who was behind it.”

“Who?” Xia Chen asked anxiously. Who could be so cruel as to treat a girl like that, leaving her alone in the mountains, drenched in rain?

“It was a friend of Chen Ziyi’s; specifically, it was someone hired by Madam Shen.”

Xia Chen couldn’t believe it. Madam Shen? Why would she do such a thing? Just because Xiaoyou had been with Shen Mobai? That was no justification for treating her that way. “Dad, are you sure?”

Papa Xu nodded. “That’s what Chen Zihan told me directly. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him yourself.”

Xia Chen immediately called Chen Zihan in front of Papa Xu, asking about the incident. After a moment of silence, Chen Zihan said, “Xia Chen, I’m really sorry for keeping this from you. I’m sorry.”

Xia Chen hung up the phone weakly. When he first learned about Xu Xiaoyou’s situation, he had promised her that he would find the person responsible and deal with them in the same way. But why was it Madam Shen who had orchestrated this, and why was it a friend of Chen Ziyi who carried it out? Why were they all connected? What would happen if Xiaoyou found out about this?

Papa Xu sighed and continued, “Do you know that Xiaoyou can’t have children?” He was preparing himself for the worst; if Xia Chen were to abandon Xiaoyou because of this, he would be sure to give him a stern talking-to.

Xia Chen looked at Papa Xu, realizing that he knew about this matter too. “Dad, I found out about it shortly after Xiaoyou and I got married. Mom knows about it too, but we’ve kept it from Xiaoyou. So, I hope you won’t tell her.”

Papa Xu felt a wave of relief wash over him. Since they had known for so long and hadn’t done anything drastic, it seemed Xia Chen truly cared for Xiaoyou, and it appeared that Xiaoyou had made the right choice in being with him.

“I wasn’t planning on telling Xiaoyou. I thought you both were unaware of it. Since you’ve known all along, I’m relieved,” Papa Xu said earnestly. “Xiaoyou is my only child. I’ve cherished her since she was a little girl, and now I’m entrusting her to you. You need to take good care of her, understand?”

Xia Chen responded seriously, “Don’t worry, Dad. I will take good care of Xiaoyou.”

Xia Chen and Papa Xu returned home together, and Xu Xiaoyou found it odd that their relationship seemed to have improved suddenly. Just a few days ago, Papa Xu had said he wanted to test Xia Chen for a while, and now they were joking and laughing together.

Once they were home, Xu Xiaoyou asked Xia Chen about what had happened. Xia Chen smiled but didn’t answer. Xu Xiaoyou pretended to be annoyed, and Xia Chen pulled her into an embrace, saying, “Dad said I should take good care of you. He agrees to me being his son-in-law now. Aren’t you happy?”

“What?!” Xu Xiaoyou playfully pushed Xia Chen away, confused. “Did Dad talk to you?” She wondered how things had resolved so quickly.

“Yes.” Xia Chen didn’t hide the truth.

“What else did you two talk about?” Papa Xu had seemed upset when he left, yet now he was back in a good mood. Surely they must have discussed something more.

“Not much else.” Xia Chen leaned down and kissed her on the lips, then said, “Dad mentioned that he wants to be a grandfather soon. We need to work hard, my wife!”