Zhao Qian’s attempt to stir trouble didn’t anger Zhao Dong.
At that moment, Zhao Dong’s brows were furrowed, too preoccupied with larger concerns to soothe his sister’s petty emotions.
He was thinking of bigger matters.
Was it Xie Qian?
Zhao Dong feared it was the Xie family.
Angering a teenager wasn’t daunting. Young people were impulsive but lacked real power, posing no true threat to Zhao Dong. Despite Xie Qian’s clear indifference to Zhao Qian, Zhao Dong remained undeterred, scheming to push his sister closer to him.
But if the Xie family had taken a stance, Zhao Dong had to take it seriously.
First, Zhao Qian’s trip to Beijing came up empty. Now, her transfer to the provincial key school was rejected. Zhao Dong couldn’t help but suspect.
After bringing Zhao Qian home, he sent a lavish gift to the Jiang family. Jiang Youjia naturally refused it, and Zhao Dong didn’t press. Narrow-minded yet bold, with thick skin, Zhao Dong booked the earliest flight to Beijing.
The Xie family’s doors weren’t open to just anyone.
Xie Qian’s three uncles were inaccessible to Zhao Dong.
But Xie San, with a tangible company, was the only Xie family member Zhao Dong could reach.
Zhao Dong’s audacity and action would’ve stunned even Wen Ying. He went straight to Xie San’s company. When told he had no appointment with Mr. Xie, Zhao Dong claimed he’d offended Mr. Xie’s son and was there to apologize.
Mr. Xie had only one son.
Saying he’d wronged Xie Qian, Zhao Dong ensured the staff couldn’t dismiss him outright—they had to consult Mr. Xie.
Zhao Dong handed over his business card, proving he wasn’t some random nobody.
This was his gambit: bearing thorns to beg forgiveness.
If Mr. Xie agreed to see him, Zhao Dong would find a way to leave an impression—good or bad. As long as Mr. Xie engaged, he’d have an opening.
Zhao Dong was all-in, prepared to make grand apologies and lavish reparations. But the Xie family’s dynamics were more complex than he’d anticipated. He assumed Mr. Xie would punish him to vent for Xie Qian, unaware that father and son were at odds.
Mr. Xie, known as Third Master Xie, or Xie Jinghu, had recently been scolded by his elder brother, Xie Yuping. The family blamed him for wronging Xie Qian and his mother, ignoring his own difficulties.
Xie Jinghu knew he’d erred. The mother and two children sent abroad weren’t the result of succumbing to fleeting temptation but a “historical legacy.”
If you traced the timeline, his wife, Zou Weijun, was the later arrival.
Xie Jinghu’s fault lay in reconnecting with his old love after marriage, failing to resist temptation. His ex, abroad for years, had raised their child alone, a child already several years old by the time Xie Jinghu learned of it. Had they not parted due to her move abroad, he wouldn’t have met Zou Weijun.
Old feelings lingered, needing only a spark to reignite.
One reunion led to another. When his ex became pregnant again, Xie Jinghu had to take responsibility.
Beyond this ex, Xie Jinghu considered himself faithful, with no other lovers.
His predicament was that his ex accepted Zou Weijun’s existence, never pushing for his divorce, and felt guilty for rekindling their romance, always treading carefully.
But secrets don’t stay hidden. Managing two women, Xie Jinghu couldn’t shield Zou Weijun from the truth: he’d fathered two children with his ex, one born after his marriage to Zou Weijun, only two years younger than Xie Qian. Their loving marriage was a facade. Zou Weijun’s mental state collapsed, and she developed depression.
Xie Jinghu didn’t want a divorce.
When he met Zou Weijun, he was a modestly successful entrepreneur, but his business wasn’t yet stable or scaled.
The company now generating wealth was founded after marrying Zou Weijun, post-Xie Qian’s birth, before reconnecting with his ex. In those affectionate early years, Xie Jinghu didn’t guard against Zou Weijun, so some company shares were in her name.
Later, reconnecting with his ex and succumbing to old passions, he wronged Zou Weijun. Guilt led him to transfer more assets to her name.
Back then, he hadn’t foreseen their relationship deteriorating to separation.
Deep down, he knew Zou Weijun loved him more than he loved her. Shares and assets, regardless of whose name they were in, didn’t matter—she’d never leave him.
Those favored often feel untouchable.
Xie Jinghu wasn’t wrong. Even knowing about the other woman, Zou Weijun never considered divorce—she was trapped in her own spiral, which led to her illness.
Even now, Xie Jinghu didn’t want a divorce. He wasn’t entirely devoid of affection for Zou Weijun. The Xie family recognized only her and Xie Qian, not the overseas mother and children. Xie Jinghu didn’t want to alienate his entire family.
Moreover, Zou Weijun held significant shares and assets. A divorce would trigger property division, threatening his control over the company.
He couldn’t afford to divorce, nor did he want to. A tycoon like Xie Jinghu, in this matter, was no different from any middle-aged man facing a divorce—a grueling, bone-deep battle.
He hoped Zou Weijun’s condition would stabilize, allowing them to talk calmly.
If she could turn a blind eye again, he’d ensure she remained the envied “Mrs. Xie San.”
His plan was sound. Zou Weijun’s pain turned inward, never toward divorce.
But Xie Qian, growing older, defied him, openly supporting his mother’s divorce.
Recently, Xie Qian had persuaded Xie Yuping to let him take Zou Weijun to Rong City, planning to stay there for years, not returning to Beijing.
Xie Yuping warned Xie Jinghu not to disturb them.
Separation now—divorce next?
Xie Qian, still a high schooler, was already openly opposing him. In a few years, Xie Jinghu feared he’d lose all control over his son. With Xie Yuping and the family backing Xie Qian, Xie Jinghu felt like the lone outcast, facing his family alone, insecure.
When vast interests were at stake, even family ties soured.
The family adored Xie Qian. Xie Jinghu’s fatherly love was split three ways; Xie Qian once got a third, now less, as he openly challenged him.
If Zhao Dong claimed Xie Qian sent him, Xie Jinghu would’ve ignored it.
But Zhao Dong said he’d offended Xie Qian and came to apologize. Intrigued, Xie Jinghu told his secretary, “Let him up. Let’s hear what he has to say.”
