To be honest, Sheng Mingyang had never thought much of Qiao Shiyue back then. He approached her with ulterior motives. And wasn’t Qiao Shiyue getting close to him just to benefit the Qiao family? Now that he was down on his luck, he came to Qiao Shiyue, hoping she’d lend him a hand. If she could help him through this tough spot, once he turned things around, he’d repay her double. But in the end, he couldn’t even get past the gate of the Qiao family villa. “Our young lady said she’s worried the prospective son-in-law might misunderstand, so she can’t meet with you. The prospective son-in-law would get jealous.” Sheng Mingyang’s face turned ashen with rage. Back when Qiao Shiyue followed him around to all sorts of events, she’d never mentioned that fiancé of hers. Now she was using that fiancé to brush him off. What a damn joke. Damn it. Sheng Mingyang was seething with resentment, and his hatred for Lin Qingyu grew even stronger. If she hadn’t deliberately screwed them over, how could they have ended up like this? He went to find his old buddies, the ones he used to hang out with all the time, but every single one of them avoided him like the plague. One or two who had a shred of loyalty gave him twenty thousand yuan. Sheng Mingyang stared at the twenty thousand yuan sitting on the table, veins bulging on his forehead. Back in the day, that amount was just what he’d tip a waitress in a private room. Now his so-called good brothers, seeing him in trouble, were humiliating him like this. He wanted to throw the money right back in their faces, but given the predicament he and his father were in, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and pocket it. Someday, he’d pay back today’s humiliation tenfold. When Sheng Sinian saw Sheng Mingyang storm back with a sour face, he quickly asked, “What did the Qiao family say?” “I didn’t even get through their gate,” Sheng Mingyang said angrily. Sheng Sinian let out a deep sigh, his eyes narrowing slightly. Sheng Mingyang added, “When it comes down to it, this whole mess is your fault. Go find that woman, apologize to her, beg for her forgiveness. Maybe she’ll take care of us, and we won’t have to worry about food or clothes anymore.” His life right now was worse than death. He couldn’t cruise around in a convertible every day, couldn’t attend all kinds of parties, couldn’t go out drinking and partying with friends—he was suffering too much. Sheng Sinian snapped, “That’s your mother.” “Mother? Is she worthy? Since I was born, has she ever raised me for a single day? Has she ever held me once? How is she fit to be my mother? She refused to breastfeed me because she was afraid it would ruin her figure. She wouldn’t even admit she was a married woman, wouldn’t spare me a glance, and just dumped me at the old mansion, ignoring me for eighteen whole years. How much did she hate me? What did I ever do wrong? Why did she treat me like that? Wasn’t I respectful enough to her when I came back? Wasn’t I good enough to her? Why did she give birth to me and then refuse to raise me? And now, why is she screwing us over? How much does she hate us? Is my very existence a mistake?” Sheng Mingyang broke down, shouting hysterically. Sheng Sinian stood frozen, stunned, and asked incredulously, “Who told you all that nonsense?” “Isn’t it true? Did I say anything wrong? Before my eighteenth birthday, I could only catch a glimpse of her from afar. Did she ever come to see me on her own?” Sheng Sinian looked at Sheng Mingyang, whose face was still streaked with tears. He closed his eyes wearily, took a deep breath, and felt a deep regret. Back then, he’d been too young and arrogant, truly believing that in a marriage, it was either the east wind overpowering the west wind, or the west wind overpowering the east wind.