Chapter 151
Peng Huijing quickly said, “Dad, Hanyu already knows he was wrong. Do we really have to make him kneel?”
Grandpa Zhang remained silent, staring coldly at her. A palpable pressure descended, making it hard for her to breathe, let alone raise her head. She couldn’t bear to see her son kneel before Su Xiaoxiao, a village girl. She was forced to smile and turned to Su Xiaoxiao, saying, “Xiaoxiao, look at your Brother Hanyu…”
“He’s not my brother!” Su Xiaoxiao interrupted her abruptly. How could anyone consider themselves her brother so easily? If she accepted this, she’d feel uncomfortable calling Yexun her brother in the future.
Peng Huijing’s face froze, unsure how to respond.
Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes shifted towards Zhang Hanyu. She realized that he didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping his mother. It was as if he didn’t care about embarrassing himself as long as he didn’t lose face. Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but think, what a disappointment.
Raising a son like this was worse than having him die as a baby.
She couldn’t help but vent her frustration silently.
But Peng Huijing quickly regained her composure, continuing with a smile, “Xiaoxiao, you see, both you and Hanyu are quite young. At your age, it’s easy to be impulsive, and I’m sure you’ve felt that way before. Hanyu has already learned from his mistake. Do you think you could put an end to the bet you made? There’s no need to continue with it.”
Her words were polite and well-phrased, but Su Xiaoxiao didn’t pay much attention to her pretentiousness. “No, I’m quite petty. Once I make a decision, I stick to it. No one can take advantage of me.”
Peng Huijing’s mouth twitched, and she was seething with anger, though she didn’t dare show it.
Zhang Xiyue, who had been standing by, couldn’t stand it any longer and stamped her foot. “Grandfather, why do you insist on making my brother apologize in such a humiliating way? Last time, he stood outside the mansion gate for half a day and an entire night to apologize. The entire mansion was laughing at us. My childhood friends, who used to adore me, are now treating me differently and with disdain. Our position in the mansion has plummeted.”
“Isn’t it your own fault for losing face? I’ve advised you countless times to manage Hanyu well, but neither you nor your mother took my advice seriously. Our family doesn’t prioritize males over females, but you and your mother still pamper Hanyu more than you should. You two are more conservative in your thinking than I and Zhiyuan. If you want to pamper him, then be prepared to lose face. If we can’t control you two, the Zhang family deserves to lose face as well!” Grandpa Zhang scolded angrily.
Peng Huijing’s face became very awkward. Her eyes flickered, and she quickly lowered her head to hide the growing frustration in her eyes.
Were sons and daughters really the same? Daughters would eventually marry into other families, and their children would bear a different surname. Who would think that having sons and daughters was no different? It was just self-deception.
Moreover, families like the Zhang needed sons to support the family’s reputation. In the end, it was because they are still fixated on that woman, the bitch who gave birth to a son.
Grandpa Zhang didn’t notice Peng Huijing’s reaction. He continued to focus on Zhang Hanyu, who was still dragging his feet instead of apologizing.
“With a personality like yours, not daring to take responsibility, you really don’t resemble anyone in the Zhang family. If it weren’t for your mother protecting you so tightly at the hospital, I would have suspected that you were switched at birth,” He said angrily, and his voice full of sarcasm.
“Dad!”
“Grandfather!”
The three of them were frightened, worried that Grandpa Zhang might have lost his temper and thrown Zhang Hanyu out of the house.
For Peng Huijing, her biggest pride was giving birth to a grandson for the Zhang family. As for Zhang Hanyu and Zhang Xiyue, they were most proud of being surnamed Zhang. They knew very well that if they left the Zhang family, they would be nothing.
“Grandfather, I will apologize to her! I’ll do it right away!” Zhang Hanyu suppressed the urge to grit his teeth and managed to make his voice sound humble and guilty. But no one in the room really believed his sincerity.
Zhang Hanyu walked up to Su Xiaoxiao and stared at her soft and obedient face, wishing he could tear off her facade. But in the end, he had to settle for kneeling in front of her.
“I’m sorry! I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been biased against you, looked down on you, or hoped for these things to be resolved. I hope we can get along well in the future.” Zhang Hanyu’s words sounded pleasing, but the bitterness in his heart was undeniable. He was suppressing his frustration and anger, which made him taste the bitterness of blood.
“Alright, let’s put this behind us.” Su Xiaoxiao responded crisply, her beautiful almond eyes shimmering with soft, sweet smiles. However, her words were just for the moment. She knew that she could never get along well with Zhang Hanyu in her life. At the moment, she only wanted to spare Grandpa Zhang and Grandma Wang from the awkward situation.
Zhang Hanyu looked at Grandpa Zhang, seeking his approval.
“Hmph, now that Xiaoxiao has generously forgiven you, you can get up.” Grandpa Zhang waved his hand, then smiled at Su Xiaoxiao. “You’re too soft, Xiaoxiao. From now on, don’t let others think they can easily take advantage of you. If someone bullies you, make sure to tell me and your Grandma Wang. We’ll stand up for you. Your brother is indeed remarkable. I heard he was promoted to deputy production team commander on his return to the team this time. Young people have great potential.”
He had talked to Zhang Zhiyuan about Su Hongchen and believed that he was indeed a promising young talent. If he could continue to win the national martial arts competition next spring and the spring after next, and achieve merit in a mission, it would be reasonable to transfer him to the Beijing. What was most important was that, by then, when Xiaoxiao visited again, she wouldn’t have to split her time between the two cities.