My Alleged Husband

Chapter 159: Chapter 143 Do Not Trample on Other’s Self-Esteem_1

Xiao Wei and Li Jiayuan went straight back to the Li Family home after leaving the restaurant. When they got back, Li Haixiao was holding Nian Jun, eating dinner. Seeing Li Jiayuan and Xiao Wei return so soon, he asked, ”Why are you back so early? Why didn’t you spend more time with Elder Sister Xia?”

Li Jiayuan really wanted to say outright: Spend time with who? Xia Jing and Zhang Zhentian were having a huge fight; how could we stay there to eat? We didn’t even have our meal before coming back, and here you are making light remarks.

Xiao Wei, seeing Li Jiayuan’s hesitant expression, softly spoke to Li Haixiao, ”Dad, Elder Sister Xia wasn’t feeling well today, and we didn’t want to bother her any further, so we came back early!”

Upon hearing this, Li Haixiao realized the situation and had nothing more to say. He asked Li Jiayuan and Xiao Wei, ”Have you two eaten yet? If not, come over and eat quickly. Look how happy Nian Jun is watching me eat...”

Only then did Li Jiayuan and Xiao Wei notice Nian Jun sitting beside them, smiling continuously at them! Li Jiayuan walked over and took Nian Jun from Li Haixiao’s arms, saying to him, ”Baby, did you miss Mommy? Do you recognize who this man is?”

Xiao Wei also started to play with Nian Jun. Seeing Xiao Wei beside him, Nian Jun began babbling, wanting Xiao Wei to hold him, which made Li Haixiao burst into laughter. Li Jiayuan was not pleased, she said to Nian Jun, ”Son, I am your mother, how can you be like this, even wanting Dad over your Mom?”

Xiao Wei was amused by Li Jiayuan’s words and said to her, ”Jiayuan, what are you saying? I’m his father, after all. What’s wrong if he wants me to hold him? It only shows he likes me more. Hand over my son for me to hold!”

”I won’t let you hold my son. Who knows if he’s the type to be ungrateful? Why did I give birth to him? Has he forgotten his mother now that he has his father? I have never seen such a child. Ever since he was born, I have been the one looking after him. You’ve only met him for how long, and he acts like this? I dare not have more children in the future. If every child is like him, will I end up alone?” Li Jiayuan held Nian Jun tightly, refusing to let go.

”Wife, just let me hold the child for a bit! I haven’t even had the chance to hold him today. You’ve been caring for him all this time, but now you can let me take care of him too. You can rest a little, right?” Xiao Wei looked pitifully at Li Jiayuan, who had no choice but to let him hold the child for a moment, after all, Xiao Wei was his biological father!

”Oh, alright, seeing you look so pitiful, I’ll reluctantly let you hold my son for a bit!” Li Jiayuan said to Xiao Wei.

Xiao Wei, overjoyed, immediately snatched the child from Li Jiayuan’s arms, leaving her stunned. Was he so eager to hold his son that he’d snatch him from my hands?

After Xiao Wei held Nian Jun for a while, the child fell asleep.

Xiao Wei felt it was time to discuss with Li Haixiao the idea of the whole family going to the United States.

Li Haixiao, seeing Xiao Wei’s hesitant look, said to him, ”Speak your mind; there’s no need to be coy or beat around the bush with me. We’re family. Whatever it is, let’s have an open and honest discussion!”

Xiao Wei, upon hearing Li Haixiao’s words, also felt there was no need to beat around the bush anymore. He spoke directly to Li Haixiao, ”Dad, I hope this time you can come to the United States with Jiayuan and Nian Jun!”

As soon as Xiao Wei uttered these words, Li Haixiao laughed. He said to Xiao Wei, ”Go to the United States? Xiao Wei, you think that with nothing to your name, how can you provide for the child and Jiayuan in the United States? How will you take care of the entire family? Can’t you be serious when you do things? Can’t you consider the pressure that the whole family has to bear before you say these things? Don’t think that just because you’ve been knocking around in the United States for a year, it’s become your turf. You should find your place instead of daydreaming here.”

Xiao Wei felt very displeased after listening to what Li Haixiao had said. He responded to Li Haixiao, ”Dad, so I’m nothing in your eyes, someone who’s inherently worthless, right? And you accuse me of daydreaming. Haha, do you remember when your company was on the brink of collapse one year ago, there was a company from the United States that invested in your business? Do you think a development like your company’s could get investment from any powerful foreign company without any reason? Isn’t it because I was the major shareholder behind that company? I saved your company, and this is how you talk to me? You look down on me so much, I really regret having once saved your company’s life...”

Li Haixiao, hearing these words from Xiao Wei, had a moment of stupor. What did it mean that ”the investor of the company back then was him”? He refused to believe that Xiao Wei could achieve so much in just one short year; Li Haixiao just couldn’t believe that Xiao Wei could have accomplished such a feat within a year. But reality was cruel, and in a year, Xiao Wei had not only started a business, but the company’s performance was also booming, never stagnating.

”If you really have such a big achievement, why didn’t you say so when you returned? Why wait until now to mention it? You mustn’t be trying to deceive us into going to the United States to suffer hardships, are you?” Li Haixiao said disdainfully, as he did not believe Xiao Wei could have made such an accomplishment.

Xiao Wei, also at the end of his rope, laughed coldly and said to Li Haixiao, ”The reason I didn’t say anything when I came back is that I didn’t want money to be the reason you’d be willing to go to the United States with me. I always thought you truly entrusted Jiayuan to my care and sincerely hoped we could have a happy, joyful life as a family. But I didn’t expect that in your eyes, there’s only money. Are you that afraid of suffering? If you don’t believe what I’m saying today, you can investigate. That big company in the United States was established by me. Elder Sister Xia knows about it, and even Jiayuan doesn’t know. I’m telling you this today because I hope you will let Jiayuan, Nian Jun, and yourself join me in America, not to exchange for your humiliation of me! Remember this: Never trample a person’s dignity under your feet, for one day, you might lose your own dignity completely because of it!”

Li Jiayuan was also stunned listening at the side. She thought if what Xiao Wei was saying was true, then his lack of contact, no messages, no phone calls for a whole year, could be understandable. Everyone knows how hard it is to start a company and that one small misstep could lead to bankruptcy. However, she couldn’t understand why Xiao Wei would rather tell Xia Jing about these things than his own wife.

”Xiao Wei, I want you to know that every word I say to you isn’t meant to trample on your self-esteem. I only hope you understand that anything you do needs time, and it’s not something that can be achieved by merely boasting!” Li Haixiao said awkwardly, finding an excuse to say to Xiao Wei.

”Some people are like that; they make mistakes, yet still don’t forget to find excuses to gloss over their wrongs. I really don’t know how such people can live for so long?” Xiao Wei said very disrespectfully to Li Haixiao.

”Xiao Wei, when you talk and act, always leave room for maneuver, and don’t go too far. After all, I’m still an elder to you. Is this how you talk to your elders? Where are your manners? I forgot. You’ve been an orphan since you were young, with no adult guidance, so it’s understandable that you would talk to an elder this way!”

”Sorry, whether I have manners or not is none of your business. Even if I lack manners, it’s still better than someone who stoops to any level for the sake of a deal, right? Someone who would rather see their daughter’s family fall apart just to secure a partnership. Such a father is really rare in this world, don’t you think? Isn’t that right, Father-in-law!”

Li Haixiao was so angered by Xiao Wei he was at a loss for words. Li Jiayuan watched as an old man and a young man argued back and forth, she was truly at her wit’s end. How come after Xia Jing and Zhang Zhentian argued, her father started quarreling with her husband?

Without another word, Li Haixiao turned and walked away. Xiao Wei pulled out a chair and sat down at the dining table, watching Li Haixiao’s retreating back with a continuous stream of cold laughter.

Xia Jing suddenly felt that this Xiao Wei was very strange to her. The Xiao Wei of the past wasn’t like this, so how did he change so much after a year?