Cheng Leyan really didn’t expect that Zhuozhuo would actually speak up when he was pushed to the limit. He was overjoyed and immediately picked Zhuozhuo up, pinching his voice to say, “Our Zhuozhuo is amazing! Our Zhuozhuo finally spoke today! You spoke so well, Zhuozhuo, maybe you’ll become a great speaker in the future, right?”

He even turned back to call Mama Rong, “Mom, did you hear that? Zhuozhuo spoke!”

Zhuozhuo, upon seeing Cheng Leyan, visibly breathed a sigh of relief, then pouted in grievance, and tears started streaming down his face.

When other kids cry, like Zihan, they cry their hearts out, with countless screams that make people’s blood pressure rise. Zhuozhuo, on the other hand, cries silently, with big, round tears rolling down his cheeks.

Cheng Leyan almost died of heartache, his face darkened, and he turned to Zihan, saying, “Give it back!”

His aura was intimidating, and Zihan was a bit scared, stubbornly saying, “It’s mine! Grandma, grandma, it’s clearly mine.” Saying this, he hid behind a woman.

The woman was about fifty years old, her face showing signs of aging, but she had put on a youthful makeup, with foundation as thick as plaster. She held Zihan’s hand, rolled her eyes, and said, “No manners. Sister-in-law, what kind of thing did you find for your son to ward off bad luck?”

That pretentious voice…

So it was her who called Zhuozhuo a “thief” earlier!

Cheng Leyan’s anger flared up again.

Mama Rong walked over in high heels, unceremoniously scolding, “Li Lili, are you sick? I think you’re the one who’s not a thing. Rong Zihan, give the toy back to Zhuozhuo!”

Yes, that person was indeed the second wife, Li Lili.

She said sarcastically, “Sister-in-law, this toy is clearly Zihan’s. I just bought it a few days ago, and I have the record on my phone. Luckily, there’s a record, or it would be hard to explain. Oh dear, sister-in-law, your grandson has become a thief, how are you going to discipline him?”

She seemed quite pleased with herself, then took out her phone to show the record to Mama Rong.

Mama Rong took her phone, her brows furrowing even deeper, and looked at Cheng Leyan.

Cheng Leyan glanced at the fluffy tail keychain in Zihan’s hand. It wasn’t something he bought; he remembered everything he bought for Zhuozhuo. He had never bought this.

But he absolutely didn’t have the slightest doubt about Zhuozhuo.

He gently said to Zhuozhuo, “Zhuozhuo, don’t worry, stepdad definitely believes you.”

Then he asked Mama Rong, “Mom, I didn’t buy this for Zhuozhuo, did you?”

Mama Rong hesitated for two seconds, “I didn’t either.”

Li Lili was even happier, “This is a classic accessory from J&P, a small keychain costs twelve thousand. Sister-in-law, the amount is enough to call the police. Oh, calling the police would be interesting.”

Zihan was also very proud, making a face at Zhuozhuo, “Thief, thief! Grandma, call the police and catch the thief!”

Zhuozhuo, who had calmed down a bit, became anxious again, reaching out to shake Cheng Leyan’s arm, then grabbed Cheng Leyan’s hand and kissed his palm.

Just like the magic kiss Zhuozhuo gave Rong Wangzhi every day.

Cheng Leyan immediately understood, “Dad bought it for you before, you didn’t take it with you, so it was left at the old residence, and you found it in the children’s room yesterday, right?”

Zhuozhuo nodded vigorously with tears in his eyes.

Li Lili rolled her eyes again, “Oh, whatever he says is true? Is there any evidence? Show me the evidence!”

Cheng Leyan asked again, “Zhuozhuo, do you remember which day Dad gave it to you?”

If this question were asked to other kids, they probably couldn’t give a definite answer, but Zhuozhuo was exceptionally intelligent, a genius baby, so Cheng Leyan still asked. Sure enough, Zhuozhuo nodded, then drew two numbers in Cheng Leyan’s palm, 4 and 2.

It was April 2nd, a year ago.

Cheng Leyan said to Mama Rong, “Mom, is Wangzhi’s assistant still working at Rong’s? Ask if they remember, and check Wangzhi’s schedule and bills from April 2nd last year. If not, check a few days earlier. Also, ask J&P if they can find the purchase record.”

Mama Rong nodded and immediately went to make arrangements. Li Lili sneered, “Hmph, stubborn as a mule.”

Rong Zihan was beside her, “Stubborn, stubborn!” The brat was also very pleased with himself.

A few minutes later, Mama Rong received a message. A senior assistant had gone through the schedule records and stated that on that day, they had accompanied Rong Wangzhi to a business banquet, passing by the J&P flagship store. She remembered clearly that the boss had bought such a keychain.

Li Lili rolled her eyes again, “Made up, right? Who would believe that? The senior assistant is your person, just talking nonsense.”

Then a message came from J&P’s concierge department, stating that President Rong had indeed purchased this item last year, and there were points records to check.

Li Lili still had something to say, “So what, that only proves you have one, how does it prove this is yours?”

At this moment, two servants helped Rong’s Grandma over.

Rong’s Grandma walked briskly, faster than the servants, and when she got close, she directly threw a keychain on the ground forcefully, angrily saying, “Li Lili, this is what I just asked Aunt Zhao to find from your place! Others don’t dare to search your place, but I dare! Look clearly, this is the one you bought, why do you say our Zhuozhuo is a thief? Can your mouth not speak human words?!”

This time, the evidence was irrefutable.

Zhuozhuo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But he didn’t feel happy, the little cub felt wronged, especially wronged. It seemed that having his stepdad hold him, and his grandma and great-grandma protect him, made him feel even more wronged.

Cheng Leyan gently patted Zhuozhuo’s back, looked at Li Lili, and coldly said, “Return the item and apologize.”

Li Lili’s face was extremely unpleasant, she tugged at the corner of her mouth, said nothing, and pulled Zihan.

Zihan didn’t want to return it at all, pouted and started to howl, but it was all bark and no bite, not a single tear. Li Lili glared at him fiercely, “If you keep making a fuss, I’ll call your dad!”

Zihan immediately went silent, stopped howling, walked over to Zhuozhuo, returned the item, and said, “Sorry.”

Cheng Leyan looked at Li Lili and repeated, “Apologize.”

Li Lili: “Huh? Why should I apologize? I’m an elder, why should I apologize to a three-year-old? Besides, the items are the same, isn’t it normal for me to think so? It was just a misunderstanding, and you’re making a big deal out of it.”

Cheng Leyan almost wanted to give her a big slap.

He had worked as a game booster for a long time, and trash-talking was his specialty. At this moment, he passionately opened his mic, “Elder? What kind of elder are you? Even tofu has a brain, but you don’t. Shake your brain juice evenly before talking to me! You’re like Shakespeare without the spear, the grass boat borrowing arrows borrowed you, if you were a flower, cows wouldn’t dare to poop.”

No one had ever spoken to her like this, Li Lili’s eyes widened, almost fainting from anger, pointing at Cheng Leyan, “You, you, you—”

Cheng Leyan: “What about me? Which of my words hurt you, hurry up and tell me, so I can say it again. Trash, disgusting, which big sister is responsible for cleaning, hurry up and sweep her away, letting such a big piece of trash stand here, it’s an eyesore.”

He passionately ranted for two minutes.

Mama Rong almost wanted to applaud him.

In the end, she suppressed the urge to cheer, silently took out her phone, and transferred him ten thousand yuan.

Li Lili’s combat power was not on the same level as Cheng Leyan’s, she couldn’t win the argument, and was so angry that she almost blacked out, directly looking at Rong’s Grandma, “Mom, what kind of thing is he to dare to scold me, Mom, you have to stand up for me!”

Rong’s Grandma coldly looked at her, “Stand up, I have to stand up today, stand up for Zhuozhuo! A life for a life, a debt must be paid, if you wronged someone, of course, you have to apologize. Li Lili, apologize!”

Li Lili looked aggrieved, as if she was the one being bullied, “Mom, you’re so biased! You were biased towards big brother and sister-in-law before, after Wangzhi was born, you were biased towards Wangzhi, and now with Zhuozhuo and Zihan, you’re biased towards Zhuozhuo. Dad even left 3% of the shares to Zhuozhuo, not to Zihan, you’re all biased towards big brother’s family, it’s not fair at all! Mom, Zhuozhuo isn’t even a child of the Rong family, Zihan is your own great-grandson, carrying your bloodline, how can you treat Zihan like this?”

Cheng Leyan initially wanted to retort, but was shocked to the core by the last part: What’s going on, Zhuozhuo isn’t a child of the Rong family?

Zhuozhuo isn’t Rong Wangzhi’s biological child!?

His first reaction was to cover Zhuozhuo’s ears, but he saw that Zhuozhuo’s expression didn’t change, clearly aware of this matter.

He then looked at Mama Rong, who gently nodded at him.

Ah! Zhuozhuo isn’t Rong Wangzhi’s biological child!

He was still in shock over this, when the old lady was already furious, “You still have the nerve to talk about bias? Li Lili, are you sure you want me to bring up those old debts? I was indeed biased, but the ones I was biased towards were clearly you two! How many holes have I filled for you! I was wrong, when you made a scene at the old man’s funeral for Zhuozhuo’s 3% shares, I should have kicked you two out together!”

She was really angry, Mama Rong was scared, quickly went over to support her, helping her calm down.

Li Lili still wanted to say more, when a man in his fifties, clearly overweight, quickly walked over, directly slapped her, and shouted, “Do you want to anger Mom to death!”

Then he gave Zihan two slaps on the butt, “You too, always making your great-grandma angry, hurry up and apologize!”

Then he smiled at Rong’s Grandma, “Mom, you can scold her, but don’t scold me, okay?”

This was Rong Wangzhi’s Second Uncle, Rong Zhixian.

Li Lili’s face was red on one side, she incredulously covered her face, shouting, “Rong Zhixian, you dare to hit me!?” She directly pounced on him, her fingernails scratching his face and neck, leaving several bloody marks.

Rong Zihan also started wailing, the brat howling, “I already apologized, why are you hitting me,” and started kicking Rong Zhixian’s leg with all his might.

Rong Zhixian was being scratched by his wife and kicked by his grandson, his two fists couldn’t handle four hands, and he was in a mess, the scene was chaotic.

Mama Rong quickly supported Rong’s Grandma to move back, afraid she might get accidentally hit. A servant asked, “Should we pull them apart?” The old lady sternly said, “Pull what, let them fight! Nian Nian, you step back too.”

Mama Rong: “Okay!” She almost wanted to record the scene with her phone.

Zhuozhuo, who had been buried in Cheng Leyan’s arms, now looked up to watch the brawl, his face still with tear stains, but his eyes wide open in disbelief.

Cheng Leyan: “Our Zhuozhuo won’t participate in such activities in the future.”

A farce.

Later, when the fight finally calmed down, Mama Rong supported the old lady back to rest, and Cheng Leyan also took Zhuozhuo back to the suite.

Zhuozhuo had cried, his eyes a bit red, so he took Zhuozhuo to wash his face, carefully wiping his face and hands with a warm towel. The little cub was still shocked by the chaotic scene, his mouth pursed, revealing two particularly small dimples.

Cheng Leyan said, “Baby, haven’t seen such a scene before, right?”

Zhuozhuo shook his head. Really hadn’t seen it, greatly shocked.

Cheng Leyan: “Want to see it again?”

Zhuozhuo was a bit conflicted. In the end, he followed his instincts and nodded.

Cheng Leyan chuckled. Indeed, watching gossip is human nature. He patted Zhuozhuo’s head, “You haven’t given Dad a magic kiss since you woke up today.”

Zhuozhuo nodded, and together with Cheng Leyan, walked to Rong Wangzhi’s bedside, leaving a magic kiss in his palm.

Rong Wangzhi’s “hiss hand” buff hadn’t expired yet, but Zhuozhuo, having seen a series of dad’s pouty lips and other expressions, was now unfazed.

Cheng Leyan: “There was always something going on, so I didn’t have time to read today’s news to my husband. Let’s read it now.”

So he began to read, “Mafia boss on the run for 16 years, became a chef, exposed because his pizza was too delicious and made it to the newspaper.

“Granddaughter replaced Guanyin with Ultraman, grandma unknowingly worshipped for a month…”

He read a long string of silly news.

This had become part of his routine.

Whether Rong Wangzhi liked silly news or not, he didn’t know, but after reading for a while, Zhuozhuo’s mood gradually stabilized, and who knew which news hit his funny bone, the little cub’s face showed a smile.

Cheng Leyan just held Zhuozhuo, leaning against Rong Wangzhi’s bed, sitting on the carpet, and asked, “Zhuozhuo, when you were wronged earlier, were you scared, angry, and wronged? Did you want to break the law?”

Zhuozhuo nodded, then shook his head.

Cheng Leyan laughed, “Very angry, but didn’t want to break the law? Our Zhuozhuo is amazing. Zhuozhuo, stepdad knows, being wronged feels terrible. Stepdad was wronged before too.”

He began to tell his story, “Back then, I was just in elementary school, collected bottles for a month, and used the money to buy a pen, said to be imported, very expensive, 39 yuan. Our class monitor saw it and insisted I stole it from him. I said I bought it myself, he said I was lying, I couldn’t afford it, I didn’t even have five yuan in my pocket.

“At that time, I didn’t have five yuan, not even one yuan. I didn’t want to say the money came from collecting bottles, so I couldn’t explain where the money came from. The class monitor was very smug, saying I was indeed a thief.

“I was so angry, my chest was about to explode. Really, my mind was full of dark thoughts, the kind that would land me in jail if I acted on them. But in the end, I didn’t retaliate against the class monitor. Zhuozhuo, do you know why?”

Zhuozhuo looked at him seriously, waiting for him to continue.

Cheng Leyan said, “The teacher called my dad, told him I stole something. I was scared to death, afraid my dad would scold me, more afraid he wouldn’t believe me. But he didn’t. My dad didn’t doubt me for a second, he said my son couldn’t possibly steal, absolutely not. He even argued with the teacher, who got angry and told my dad to take me and leave.

Zhuozhuo, hearing this, couldn’t help but nervously grab Cheng Leyan’s hand.

Cheng Leyan: “Later, my dad took my backpack and left with me. I remember it was an afternoon, the sun was very bright, very hot. My dad didn’t ask where the money came from, just asked if I remembered where I bought the pen. I took him to the stationery store. My dad asked to see the surveillance, but the owner said they didn’t have any. Surveillance wasn’t that common back then.

“My dad took me along the street, asking each store if they had surveillance. Finally, we found one with a camera at the entrance, but they wouldn’t let us see it.

“My dad begged the owner, explained the situation, and finally, they agreed. My dad watched the surveillance for a long time, finally finding me, seeing me come out of the stationery store, happily holding the new pen. He took the surveillance to the principal. Later, our class teacher and the class monitor apologized to me in front of the whole school during the flag-raising ceremony.”

Cheng Leyan finished, looking gently at Zhuozhuo, “Baby, after that, I was never afraid of being wronged again, because I knew, at least in this world, there was one person who wouldn’t doubt me, not even a little, he would stand firmly by my side, and he would do everything he could to help me solve the problem. Even if it meant going from store to store, asking person to person.”

“Zhuozhuo, this is my first time being a dad, I actually don’t know how to be one, but I was a kid once. I just stick to one thing: what kind of father I needed back then, that’s what I’ll be for you.

“So, remember, you have me now, I won’t doubt you, not even a little, I’ll always stand firmly by your side, I’ll try all the solutions for you. As long as I’m here, you can always rely on me. I’ll be your support, I’ll do it well, better than any solution in the ‘Criminal Law’.

“Zhuozhuo, do you believe me?”

Zhuozhuo started crying again. Couldn’t control it.

But this time it wasn’t because of grievance, not because of sadness, he didn’t know why, he just couldn’t control the tears from falling.

He thought he wasn’t a tin man, he couldn’t be a tin man, he didn’t have a steel heart.

But, he had a stepdad now. With a stepdad, could he—could he not have a steel heart?

The last thing he did was nod frantically and confusedly, then hug his stepdad, burying his head in his embrace.

Cheng Leyan held him tightly, letting the child cry for a while, venting his emotions, then said, “I also want to praise Zhuozhuo. Zhuozhuo baby, you did great today, you bravely defended what was yours, and you remembered the time you received the gift, very impressive.

“And our Zhuozhuo baby spoke today! Zhuozhuo, can you repeat that sentence? You said ‘mine’. Can you repeat it again?”

Zhuozhuo’s face turned red, he lifted his head from Cheng Leyan’s embrace, opened his mouth, tried hard, and finally uttered two words, “Wo, de.”

Cheng Leyan was very happy, immediately showering him with praise, as if Zhuozhuo could win a Nobel Prize, then said, “Zhuozhuo, can you say anything else?”

This time, Zhuozhuo tried for a long time, but in the end, couldn’t say anything else. The little cub was a bit disappointed, his head drooping.

Cheng Leyan ruffled his hair, “Our Zhuozhuo is already amazing! No need to rush, take it slow. Ah, let’s go knock the electronic wooden fish for your dad! Today’s wooden fish hasn’t been knocked yet.”

Zhuozhuo nodded, and the two began their joyful “knock knock knock” activity.

Lunch was brought by the butler. Zhuozhuo always had a habit of napping, and after lunch, he quickly fell asleep.

The little cub, covered with a green dinosaur blanket, slept soundly.

Meanwhile, 419 set off fireworks in Cheng Leyan’s mind: [Host, the main task “Change the fate of this world and the villain Rong Jishi” is 20% complete!!]

At the same time, a notification of a 100 yuan deposit came from his phone.

Cheng Leyan let out a breath.

Great, getting further and further from that future!

Cheng Leyan: [System Father, is there a “Future Guide”?]

419: [Here it is!]

This time, the “Future Guide” was similar to the previous one, still in the style of the original “Prisoner of Love”, and it went like this:

[Jiang Weiran woke up, feeling a splitting headache. He wanted to reach up and press his head, but found his wrists tightly shackled by iron cuffs.

A faint fruity scent wafted in.

There was someone else in the room.

He lifted his head, looking towards the corner, trying hard to discern.

Someone was sitting in the shadows. That person was wearing a suit, legs crossed, something in his fingers.

It was Rong Jishi.

He was… smoking an e-cigarette.

He actually, he actually was smoking an e-cigarette at this time.

“Rong Jishi, are you fucking crazy!?” Jiang Weiran shouted, struggling hard, “This is against the ‘Criminal Law’, do you know that! You always look at the ‘Criminal Law’, is this how you look at it!?”

Hearing this, Rong Jishi smiled.

He casually picked up a book from the table beside him, it was the ‘Criminal Law’.

But the person who taught him to read this book had long passed away, and the words spoken no longer mattered.

He forcefully tore the book, scattering the pages into the air.

Like a snowfall falling down.

Jiang Weiran’s eyes showed fear, he cursed again, but Rong Jishi turned a deaf ear. The air was filled with the sweet fruity scent of the e-cigarette.

Later, when the e-cigarette was finished, Rong Jishi got up and walked over, looking down at him. After a while, he reached out and pinched his chin.

He said, “Mine.”

He leaned closer, gently stroking the other’s hair, repeating in a voice almost like a sweet whisper, over and over:

“Mine, mine, mine.”]

Cheng Leyan: … He almost spat out old blood.

Ahhhhh!

There are too many things wrong with this!

Zhuozhuo, are you slapping my face!? You’re definitely slapping my face!

Not smoking cigarettes or cigars, but you picked up vaping!?

Do you have to smoke something?

What kind of villain vapes, unheard of, don’t you think there’s something wrong with that???

Clearly a handsome guy, but holding an e-cigarette and puffing away, all the style points are gone, Zhuozhuo!

And what is that “when the e-cigarette was finished”? How can it be finished so quickly, did it run out of battery?! Do you have to find a place to charge it later?

And what’s with the ‘Criminal Law’!

You really do look at the ‘Criminal Law’ all the time, but you read it to learn how to break it!?

And casually tearing it up, scattering pages everywhere, how can a book be so easy to tear, are you a shredder!?

And then there’s the constant repetition of “mine”…

Thinking about how Zhuozhuo only managed to say those two words today…

No way, no way, could it be that the wheel of fate has started turning, stepdad changed your fate, and as a result, you can only say those two words for the rest of your life?

No, please!!

Lastly, why did your stepdad die young again!