Chapter 130: My Mother Won’t Shoulder This Burden

Xiao Qijie’s face is unfamiliar to most people, but Xiao Dingbang’s popularity is no worse than that of a first-rate actor. He is tall, handsome, has a great temperament, and he appears on the covers of various financial magazines all the time, so naturally he is the center of attention everywhere he goes.

When he and Xiao Qijie stepped onto the set, the director froze for a while before he greeted them disbelievingly and said, “Mr. Xiao, you’re here to see Xue Miao and Xiao Jiashu, right? Their break room is over there, I’ll take you there.”

Not far away, a few actors were poking their heads in the air, scrolling through their cell phones from time to time, and then exchanging words. Obviously, they had already found out about Xue Miao’s scandal that had gone viral on the internet, and thought that Xiao Qijie and Xiao Dingbang were here for this. Both of them had solemn expressions, and there was a gloomy aura lingering all over their bodies. At first glance, they seemed like they were holding back their anger, and it can be seen that nine out of ten of those rumors are true.

Xue Miao is miserable now, and the road to her comeback has been blocked before it could turn red, it would be very difficult to live in the future! There is also Xiao Jiashu, he may not be able to get top-level resources in the future. Xiao Qijie and Xiao Dingbang cannot tolerate a bastard whose father is unknown.

The arrival of the Xiao family’s father and son made everyone’s brain imagine countless scenarios. Some people wanted to watch the excitement, some wanted to listen to gossip, and others secretly gloated. If it were not for the two people’s strong popularity and very unpleasant faces, they would have been surrounded.

The director trembled as he walked towards Xue Miao’s lounge, his heart kept drumming in his chest. If the news on the Internet is true, he may not be able to shoot this movie. For an artist who is entangled in negative news, he must be mentally prepared for the movie to be boycotted by the audience, but the producers are not stupid, who is willing to take this risk in vain?

The main scenes are almost completed and if they change their cast, what would this situation be called? The more the director thought about it, the worse his headache became. He wanted to have the courage to have a look at the Xiao family’s father and son, but he saw Liu Yilei striding over with a bright smile, “Uncle Xiao, Xiao Ge, why are you here?”

He looked surprised and confused, as if he really did not know where they came from.

Xiao Dingbang nodded at him with a cold attitude, but Xiao Qijie forced out a smile and said with concern, “Xiao Lei, are you still used to staying in the crew? Let’s go to dinner later when we have time.”

How did Liu Yilei know the Xiao family? And it seems that the relationship is very close? The director’s gaze towards Liu Yilei has completely changed.

As if unconscious, Liu Yilei smiled and said, “Okay, I haven’t seen Uncle Xiao for a long time. I missed you so much. Are you here to see Aunt Xue and Xiao Jiashu?”

Xiao Qijie’s mild expression immediately hardened, and he held back his anger for a while before nodding, “That’s right, we have things to do, so we’ll leave now and contact you later.”

“Okay, take care Uncle Xiao, take care Xiao Ge.” Liu Yilei watched the two leave, turning his face but his expression became devious.

—

Xiao Jiashu didn’t expect his father and elder brother to arrive as soon as the news broke, and he was at a loss.  He met them at the door with a pale face, but as soon as he opened his mouth to say hello, Xiao Qijie raised his hand to slap him, but Ji Mian held his wrist in time.

The atmosphere was very stiff as the two sized each other up. Xiao Dingbang said in a deep voice, “Go inside to talk, don’t let outsiders see a joke.”

The director’s spine was cold, and he hurriedly shrank his neck and slipped away, but in his heart he was more convinced of that rumor. If Xiao Jiashu is really Xiao Qijie’s own son, will the other side come and hit people? Damn, he was cuckolded for twenty years, even when he was a dignified person, who would be able to stand this?

Seeing the director come out of the lounge, someone immediately came forward to inquire about the gossip, the director neither denied nor admitted anything, and only waved his hand to shoo people away, but the silent attitude has said it all. The mother and son pair, Xue Miao and Xiao Jiashu seem to be in a mess.

“Mr. Xiao if you have something to say, don’t go on hitting people first.” Ji Mian said without being condescending.

“I have nothing to say to you,” Xiao Qijie retracted his hand and glared at his son, “Stop filming this play, pack up immediately, and go home with me. I told your mother a long time ago that there weren’t any good things in the entertainment industry. You have only been in the circle for some time, and you already got involved with a man. I almost lost my face because of you…”

Discovering that his father was not here for the scandals, but because of his sexuality, Xiao Jiashu became even more nervous. He wanted to hide behind Ji Ge, but when he saw their looks of hatred towards Ji Ge, he quickly stood in front of him, mustering the courage to bare his teeth, like a little lion defending his territory.

No one can take him away today, and no one can bully Ji Ge! If anyone dares to touch a single strand of Ji Ge’s hair, he will fight with them!

Ji Mian who had a slightly stony expression suddenly coughed, and almost bursted into laughter, he hugged Xiaoshu from behind, his eyes were incredibly gentle.

Xiao Qijie and Xiao Dingbang’s faces became even uglier, and when they were about to separate the two, they saw Xue Miao walking out of the cubicle with a file bag, an icy smile hanging from the corner of her mouth, “You’re here? Have a seat.” She nodded in greeting and raised two fingers after taking her seat by herself.

Xiu Changyu immediately took out a cigarette, lit it and put it between her fingers. Xue Miao also did not say anything, she lowered her eyes and inhaled two puffs of smoke, her expression was very calm. It’s really hard to get into the entertainment industry without a strong heart. She has been popular for so many years, what devils and snakes hasn’t she seen? She really wants to cry and scream at Xiao Qijie, but then even she will look down on herself.

She dusted off the ash and said slowly, “Why are you here? The scandal on the Internet or the relationship between Xiaoshu and Ji Mian?”

“What scandal on the Internet?” Xiao Dingbang said solemnly.

“It seems to be for Xiaoshu.” Xue Miao smiled softly, her bright red lips holding a bright yellow cigarette holder, her lazy and careless posture was very charming. Xiao Qijie glanced at her almost greedily, then took out his mobile phone to read the news, his already ugly face turned paler and paler.

“When you and I first started to fall in love, there were always people pointing at me behind my back, calling me a cheater and wishing death upon me. You brought me home, your family never accepted me, they all thought I had ruined your marriage with Hong Ying, and that I had caused her early death, I didn’t listen to any of it. I thought it was because they misunderstood people in the entertainment industry for so long that they always had a prejudice against me. So I just behaved well and abided by my duties. Isn’t there an old quote in China that says ‘time reveals a person’s heart’? What kind of person Xue Miao is, they wouldn’t know now but as time goes by, they will know. However, I have worked hard for 20 years. Nobody except Dingbang changed their perspective about me. I always thought it was because your Xiao family was too hard-hearted, but it wasn’t because of that.”

Xue Miao took out her phone, clicked on the web page of a media outlet, pointed to the old photos and asked, “Can you tell me who the woman in this photo is?” The photo was taken in front of some skyscraper that was very famous in China, but was burned down in 20XX because of a fire, and that was the year before Hong Ying, Xiao Dingbang’s mother, passed away.

Xiao Qijie did not speak for a long time, but Xiao Dingbang snapped his head around to look at him and said in a deep voice, “This woman is not Aunt Xue?” From the figure and dress, he always thought that was Aunt Xue.

Xiao Jiashu looked around and was confused. What’s all this? Wasn’t this photo fabricated by the media? Why would mother keep interrogating father?

Ji Mian rubbed his lover’s head and whispered, “Why don’t we go out first and let your father and your mother talk alone?”

“Yes, Xiaoshu, you go out first, Dingbang, Changyu, all of you go out.” Xiao Qijie’s voice was as stiff as if it had just thawed after being frozen.

“I’m not going out, I have the right to know these things.” Xiao Jiashu slowly shook his head. He had a premonition that this matter would, no, perhaps had already caused great harm to his mother, so he must stay and support her.

Xue Miao glanced at her son, and her heart ached dully. She regretted the choice she had made, but because of her son’s presence, she felt that all of the pain was no big deal.

If Xiao Jiashu didn’t want to go out, how could Xiao Dingbang? He stared at the photo for a while, then continued to ask, “Dad, who is this woman?” He must figure out this issue today.

Xiao Qijie pursed his lips and looked at Xue Miao with a pleading look in his eyes.

Xue Miao sneered, “Who told you the news that Xiaoshu and Ji Mian fell in love? Is it Chen Tian?” She looked at Xiao Dingbang with a slightly mocking tone, “Dingbang, I’m afraid you don’t know, the woman in the photo is Chen Manni, your father’s mistress back then.” Chen Tian is Chen Manni’s own brother, and was Xiao Qijie’s special assistant who has been employed for many years.

Chen Manni is a famous pianist in China and the wife of Xiao Qijie’s best friend Liu Guang. Due to a failed investment, Liu Guang could not afford the huge debt and committed suicide by jumping off a building, leaving behind a son, Liu Yilei. Xiao Qijie has been taking good care of his mother and son for many years, which is something everyone knows, and does not question, after all, the interaction between the two is open and honest, and never ambiguous in public.

Even Xiao Dingbang was told by Xiao Qijie from time to time that he must take good care of Liu Yilei. It is not easy for them to be orphaned and widowed. Liu Yilei can only get to his present position and pay off the huge debts owed by Liu Guang because of Xiao Dingbang’s care. He always thought this man was uncle’s son but it turned out that…

Xiao Dingbang stared straight at his father and said in a deep voice, “Dad, is everything Aunt Xue said true?

Xiao Qijie shook his head and was about to deny it but Xue Miao had already poured out the information in the file bag, and the photos were scattered all over the place. They were all intimate photos of Xiao Qijie and Chen Manni, there were overseas vacations, there were also overnight stays in the hotel, each one clearly identifiable. The two were still very young and looked compatible, so if people who didn’t know about them saw them, they would think that they were a loving couple.

But then Xiao Dingbang’s mother was still suffering from a serious illness, and had prayed again and again that her husband would change his mind. As long as she is given a little hope, she can live. But she could no longer wait for her husband, so she gave up.

Xiao Qijie stared stiffly at these photos, his head blank. The secret that had been covered up for so many years was finally discovered, and he now felt no different from a condemned man on death row. He raised his head and looked at Xue Miao with red eyes. There were a thousand words he wanted to say, but they were blocked in his throat.

Xiao Jiashu picked up a photo and looked at it carefully, his face full of disbelief. Ji Mian put him in his arms and patted him gently, with a sigh between his lips.

Xue Miao’s heart has completely died, and even has the leisure to smoke two mouthfuls of cigarettes. “Dingbang, the woman who cheated with your dad has always been Chen Manni, not me. I’m so fucking stupid. I thought everyone misunderstood me and that as long as I was a good daughter-in-law and mother to your Xiao family, sooner or later I will be able to get everyone’s understanding. Xiao Qijie cheated, and your whole family knows about it, right? But he hid it very well, you never knew who that person was, and then he got hot-headed and married me, so I took the blame for Chen Manni. When I kept explaining to you that I was not a third party, you probably despised me in your heart, right? That I was a whore who made a name for herself? If I were a fucking whore, would I be here today? When my son was kidnapped, Xiao Qijie was listening to Chen Manni’s recital, his phone was on silent, and he couldn’t be reached for hours! When my son was abroad with a high fever, Xiao Qijie was spending his birthday with Liu Yilei. How happy was their family of three?”

She put the burning cigarette butt on one of the photos, in which Xiao Qijie hugged Liu Yilei and Chen Manni and their mother and son, smiling gently and kindly. On the table in front of them, there was a beautiful birthday cake with the words “14 years old” on it. Liu Yilei’s birthday was on September 21. On that day, Xiao Jiashu, who was only ten years old, had just arrived in the United States and could not adapt to the environment. He had a high fever for three days in a row. Xue Miao took a plane for more than ten hours to visit her son in the United States. Before leaving, she asked Xiao Qijie if he would go, he said that the company had important matters that couldn’t be left alone.

She cried for a long time in front of her son’s hospital bed, and the memory was engraved so deep that she can never forget it. She thought that her husband was so indifferent and her stepson was so ruthless because she wasn’t good enough. But in the end, she was just carrying the guilt for others. The only thing she did wrong was two things, first was looking away; and second was marrying the wrong person.

The cigarette butt burned the photo, as if it was a branding iron pressed directly on Xiao Qijie’s heart. He struggled to adjust his breathing and explained, “Miaomiao, I really didn’t know that Xiaoshu was that sick. I asked Chen Tian, he said it was nothing serious, just a little cough. I ……”

Seeing his son’s hurt gaze, he suddenly couldn’t say anything. Yes, Chen Tian is Chen Manni’s younger brother, how could he take good care of Xiaoshu.

“Miaomiao, I fell in love with you at first sight, and immediately broke up with Chen Manni. With you, my private life has always been very clean, you have to believe me!” Xiao Qijie saw the photos on the table, some from twenty years ago, there were also recent ones, his voice gradually disappeared. Even he himself couldn’t believe it as he was saying it, let alone others?

But he really loved Xue Miao, regardless of everything. He would not have taken care of Chen Manni and her son for so many years if he had not worried that Chen Manni would tell Xue Miao about their relationship and make her dislike him or even stay away from him. He did it to protect his family.

But now, seeing his heart-broken ex-wife and his two shocked and disappointed sons, he suddenly understood what a big mistake he had made.When he learned that his son had gotten involved with a man, he was furious at first, and then wondered if he could seize this opportunity to make peace with Miaomiao? As long as he takes care of his son’s affairs, Miaomiao will definitely forgive him and will stay at home for the sake of their son’s education and will not get involved in the entertainment industry. 

However, he never expected that the media would reveal the secret he had taken the trouble to cover up for more than 20 years. It put him in such an embarrassing and desperate situation. He just loved Xue Miao too much, that’s why he was bound by Chen Manni, but he was not a fool, he would soon be able to figure out who actually sent these so-called black materials to the media.

“Miaomiao, I’m sorry!” Besides these words, Xiao Qijie didn’t know what else he could say.

“The person you should be most sorry for shouldn’t be Xiaoshu and me, it should be Hong Ying and Dingbang.” Xue Miao looked at Xiao Dingbang and finally smiled gently, “Dingbang, under the premise of misunderstanding that I killed your mother, you still managed to let go of the past with me and still took care of Xiaoshu, auntie should thank you, you have been a competent and good big brother.”

Xiao Dingbang waved his hand, his gaze darkened. He was still digesting these things, and his heart was so full of mixed feelings that it was hard to express. If Xiaoshu hadn’t been kidnapped because of him, he was afraid that he would still hate Aunt Xue, but it turned out that all this time Aunt Xue had been innocent, and Xiaoshu had even suffered cold treatment for so many years. In the Xiao family, no one could understand the mother and son pair, and his maternal family, the Hong family, was even more murderous when they were mentioned. If he hadn’t stopped them, the Hong family would have struck out at them.

On the other hand, Chen Manni and Liu Yilei have received the best care. They even used the Xiao family and Hong family’s contacts to pay off hundreds of millions of debts at one stroke, and they have also become prosperous in the art and entertainment circles respectively…Thinking of this, Xiao Dingbang really wanted to grab Xiao Qijie by the collar and ask him if he still had a heart.

Xue Miao didn’t mind at all, and said with a chuckle, “Fortunately, I have the foresight to divorce you, otherwise I will still be kept in the dark. Xiao Qijie, I was unlucky to meet you, anyways, we are already divorced, let’s go our separate ways in the future. Xiaoshu and Ji Mian’s affairs were allowed by me and you are not qualified to take care of it. If you want to take care of it, you can take care of Chen Manni and Liu Yilei. If they’re behind this, I will make them lose their reputation, hurry back to find someone to help them with PR, or it will be too late.”

Xiao Qijie can’t afford to care about Liu Yilei’s mother and son. He wants to kneel down to Xue Miao. He would rather Xue Miao hate him than let her look like she didn’t care about anything. He was about to pull Xue Miao’s hand, but he was dragged to the cubicle by Xiu Changyu by his tie and beaten up severely.

Xiao Jiashu cupped the photo of his father and Chen Mani’s mother and son and shed tears, his heart was so sad. To his father, he and his mother were the outsiders, right? That home, he never wanted to go back.

Ji Mian kept wiping his tears away and said softly, “Don’t be sad, if you are, mom will only be sadder, she needs your comfort now.”

Thinking of his mother, Xiao Jiashu immediately became strong, wiped away his tears, held Xue Miao in his arms, and patted her, “Mom, it’s okay, you still have me, I will take good care of you in the future. I asked Ji Ge to buy a large villa, our family will move in to live together, we’ll raise dogs and cats. During the day, you’ll be busy filming, and at night, you would go home to play with the dogs and cats. You do not look old at all, so you can also find a handsome uncle to marry in the future. Didn’t you ask me if I agree with you remarrying? I agree, as long as that person loves you as much as I do, I’ll raise both of my hands and feet to agree.”

Xue Miao was brought to tears and laughter by her son’s words, she rubbed his head and said, “Why didn’t you buy a big villa for me to live in, but let Ji Mian buy it? Do you really think you’re a little daughter-in-law?”

Xiao Jiashu was dumbfounded. He has never thought about this problem. Ji Ge is his lover. Isn’t it natural that he depends on him?

Ji Mian laughed lowly. If it weren’t for the wrong occasion, he really wanted to hold Xiaoshu in his arms and kiss him until he was satisfied.

Seeing the three warm-hearted people, Xiao Dingbang felt as if he was the outsider that couldn’t get in no matter what. However, this is his family, even if the mouth does not say anything, he has long accepted Aunt Xue and Xiaoshu. If Xiaoshu hadn’t been kidnapped, and Aunt Xue had never blamed him, he would still hate them now, right? What was father thinking? Why let them bear all this?

A great sense of guilt blocked his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe. He had originally come to bring Xiaoshu home and was ready to order him to break up with Ji Mian, but now, he seems to have lost the qualification to discipline Xiaoshu. No, he should say that the whole Xiao family, including father, no longer had the right to ask about Aunt Xue and Xiaoshu.

Thinking of this he walked to the cubicle and said lightly, “Uncle Xiu, don’t fight, we have to catch a three o’clock flight.” If it wasn’t for filial piety, he would have wanted to punch his father a few times for his mother.

“I’ve never seen anybody more shameless than you, Xiao Qijie, you are not allowed to approach Miaomiao and Xiaoshu in the future, or I will beat you once I see you!” Only then did Xiu Changyu stop.

Xiao Qijie tidied up his messy suit jacket and said in a hoarse voice, “Xiaoshu is my son, why are you forbidding me to see him?”

“For so many years, have you ever taken care of Xiaoshu? I’m afraid you’ve given more to Liu Yilei than Xiaoshu, right? You even let Chen Manni’s brother take care of Xiaoshu instead of you, what in the world are you thinking? Xiaoshu is lucky they didn’t get him killed! By the way, have you investigated the kidnapping case carefully? Is it possible that Chen Tian and Chen Manni were the ones who collaborated with each other?” Xiu Changyu just said this casually, but Xiao Qijie stiffened.

Xiao Dingbang’s eyes flashed with anger, but he didn’t say anything. He urged, “Father, it’s time to go.” He used to call him Dad¹, but this time he couldn’t say it.

Xiao Qijie walked outside in a daze, saw Xiao Jiashu and Ji Mian, and immediately said, “Break up with him immediately!”

“Father, are you still qualified to manage Xiaoshu?” Xiao Dingbang’s voice was slightly cold.

Xue Miao directly exploded, “Xiao Qijie, fucking hurry up and get the hell out of here, don’t come in front of Xiaoshu to show your authority as a father, you don’t deserve it!  Believe it or not, I will publish the newspaper to sever the father-son relationship between you and Xiaoshu!²”

Xiao Qijie knows that Xue Miao is not the kind of person who’s all bark and no bite, she can be as hard as iron if she needs to. That’s why he was so afraid of her finding out about him and Chen Manni, but in the end, the paper couldn’t hold the fire, and the family he thought he could easily get back was now lost forever.

He suddenly had a lot of tears in his eyes, and looked at Xue Miao and Xiaoshu imploringly, but saw that one of them stared back coldly and the other hung his head to avoid it, neither of them wanted to talk to him anymore.

“I’m leaving,” he said humbly, “Miaomiao, Xiaoshu will always be my son, and you will always be my wife. I really love you, really, I was just too afraid of losing you that I made mistakes again.”

“Go away, don’t talk nonsense.” Xue Miao raised two fingers, and Xiu Changyu immediately handed a cigarette. She lowered her eyes and lit a cigarette with an indifferent air.

Xiao Qijie did not know what to say when facing the cold her. He tried to reach out to touch his son’s head, but he avoided him and could only shake his head with a bitter smile.
The father and son came and went in a hurry,  leaving only one place of information and photos³, Xue Miao stepped on one of the group photos and said coldly, “Post on Weibo to clarify, this old lady won’t carry the pot anymore.”

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Footnotes:

1. 父亲 (father, fùqīn) and 爸爸 (dad, bàbà), as you can see the latter sounds more affectionate than the former.
2. Originally a ? but it fits better with a ! in English.
3. Idk what the fuck this means lmaoo.

Chapter title is similar to the last line but more literally it goes like: This old mother of mine will no longer carry the pot.

TLer Notes:

This was a crazy chapter, so many big reveals happening every other paragraph. Poor Xiaoshu and Dingbang taking on the brunt of the stupid decisions the adults had made.

2/3

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