The Taming of the Ruffian Hero

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Ever since Lin Wenxi changed his name to Chen Yuanxi and officially became a member of the Chens, the security guards and the women he called “aunt” who did household work at the Chen mansion did not dare ignore his requests anymore.

At the Chen mansion, Chen Yuanxi never ate any food that was cooked specially for him. He only had the dishes that Chen Tianjiao picked whenever he had dinner with Chen Tianjiao. It embarrassed Deng Yifei. She humbly had to talk to her stepson repeatedly about this. Her stepson was not only very polite and obedient to her, but he would also help her do things without her having to ask. However, the only thing that bothered her was that he was suspicious about the food and even the clothes she provided him. He always showed his suspicion in front of Chen Tianjiao, so Chen Tianjiao also began to suspect Deng Yifei. This made Deng Yifei angry, but she did not dare say anything.

“Aunt, it’s not that I want to do this, but it’s because Sister Wanxin threatened to kill me before. I was afraid of her when we were at the university, and now I’m even more worried.” Chen Yuanxi once told Deng Yifei. This made Deng Yifei hate him more.

Her daughter did not admit to it, but Chen Yuanxi insisted he had been threatened. Since Deng Yifei could not find any evidence to prove who was lying and she did not dare tell this to Chen Tianjiao, she had to put up with it. Only now did she remember what Chen Wanxin had said, “Lin Wenxi looks as obedient as a cat, but he is actually a tiger!”

It seemed that not only was he a tiger but an extremely fierce tiger.

The mother and the daughter thought of using Mo Qian, who had cruelly killed Lin Ziwei, to deal with this tiger. Mo Qian had discredited Lin Ziwei using Lin Wenxi’s video. Although Lin Ziwei had clarified this matter quickly with effective measures, this made some of his loyal friends in the officialdom betray him, giving Mo Qian a chance to get rid of him.

Before long, Mo Qian was invited to the Chen mansion.

Since officially returning to the Chens, Lin Wenxi had attended the same occasions as Mo Qian but never shared a dinner table.

Chen Tianjiao strongly objected to Mo Qian’s visit at this moment. Since the first day he took Chen Yuanxi as his son, he had decided to give the family’s overseas business to him. They did not have any powerful people to support them there, and if they wanted to do business well, they needed good business opportunities, and they had to be insightful and business-minded. It was also important to arrange everything properly. He planned to have Chen Yuanxi gain experience there. Chen Tianjiao only knew one thing about what Mo Qian had done to Lin Wenxi, which was plotting and seducing him to shoot the disgraceful video in order to deal with Lin Ziwei. When Lin Wenxi returned to the Chens, Chen Tianjiao was annoyed about it for a long time. Back then, they were fighting against Lin Ziwei, and what Mo Qian had done was the most critical step to win the battle. He could not be blamed, considering the big picture.

Chen Tianjiao thought it would be a good chance to hone Chen Yuanxi’s ability.

Chen Tianjiao had no idea how much Chen Yuanxi knew about the relationship between Mo Qian and the Chens. He could take Mo Qian’s visit as an opportunity to judge something about Chen Yuanxi. Furthermore, he wanted to see if his son would give the game away. In the past two months, aside from embarrassing his step-mother secretly, he seemed to get on well with Chen Wanxin. Nobody could imagine that he had tried to stab Wanxin with a dagger as she claimed. He was respectful to the uncles and aunts who worked for their family. He did all the basic tasks Chen Tianjiao had asked him to do in an orderly manner and with great execution.

Lin Ziwei did not seem to have any feelings.

The only thing that made Chen Tianjiao feel that his son was a man of flesh and blood was that he would occasionally ask about his mother Huang Xiya.

Each time, Chen Tianjiao would have the urge to come up and hug his only son, just like he had embraced his girlfriend, Huang Xiya, years ago.

Chen Yuanxi felt extremely sick when he saw Mo Qian. He was so disgusted with him that he felt that his dislike for him even exceeded his anger and fear of him. He frowned slightly while reaching out to shake hands with Mo Qian. “Nice to meet you! Uncle Mo! I have come to know how capable you are. I would appreciate your help in the future,” he said.

“I didn’t know you were Mr. Chen’s son back then, and we worked for different people. I did those because I was loyal to the Chens. I’m sorry, young master! Please forgive me,” Mo Qian said respectfully as he held up his wine glass.

Chen Yuanxi held up his wine glass as well and answered. “People who do great things don’t hold on to such trifles. People who pay attention to great manners don’t care about being accused of breaking etiquette. Even the uncultured man, Fankuai, knew this, so, of course, I can understand what you did. Since both of us are working for the Chens, I won’t be mad at you for that. With this glass of wine, the score between us will be settled.”

Both of them then raised their glasses and drank.

“Oh! I just remembered! Have you punished Zhang Dong, the man who got you into trouble?” Chen Wanxin held up her teacup gracefully and took a sip. She raised her head slightly, observing the expression of her unwanted brother.

“Zhang Dong was just following our orders. If I punish him, who will work for us?” Chen Yuanxi said with a smile. Chen Yuanxi felt a surge of anger but suppressed it. Zhang Dong was hateful, but she did not have to get anyone else to deal with him. She could do this herself.

Chen Yunxi had just returned to the Chens, so he knew he could not tell right from wrong in many things. Therefore, he decided to stick to one rule, which was: anything Chen Wanxin and her mother wanted him to do, he would find an excuse not to do it, and anyone Chen Wanxin wanted him to punish, he would suspend the case temporarily.

“Punish him to warn others. Wenxi, you have just come back to our family, so you should build your authority as soon as possible,” Chen Wanxin said with a smile.

“Regarding this matter, personally, I am the one who most wants him to be punished. However, taking the interests of the whole family into consideration, I’m the one who least wants him to be punished. To use my personal anger to deal with a person who has contributed a lot to the Chens, that is something I, Chen Yuanxi, cannot do!

“Sister, ever since I came to the Chens, you have always cared for me and helped me, but it seems you have now failed to consider something. That is, what will the consequences be if we punish Zhang Dong?” Chen Yuanxi continued, ignoring what Chen Wanxin had said.

“First, not only will I not be able to gain any authority, but I will be thought of as a narrow-minded person who seeks revenge for the smallest grievance. Then, people would not want to follow me. Second, what Zhang Dong did to me was reported by the media, but my adopted father had cleared it up for me. I think only everyone present today knows what happened. Moreover, dad will be bitterly grieved. If I punish Zhang Dong, the rumors about that matter will spread everywhere. How humiliating will it be to me and dad? And even you and aunt will feel disgraced. Sister, didn’t you think about these things? Or did you think that I was not smart enough, so you wanted to teach me on purpose?” Chen Yuanxi asked.

Chen Tianjiao’s eyes became cold as he stared at Deng Yifei.

Chen Wanxin was shocked. She had wanted to use Chen Yuanxi to vent her anger. First, she would suppress Zhang Dong, who seemed a little afraid of Chen Yuanxi. Second, she wanted to humiliate Chen Yuanxi by spreading the rumors among her family members. She had not expected that Chen Yuanxi would see through her and give her a way out quietly. She squeezed out a smile and said, “Wenxi, I actually wanted to remind you not to keep a personal grudge against Zhang Dong.”

“Not only am I not mad at him about that, but I also want him to be my bodyguard when I go abroad,” Chen Yuanxi said with a smile.

“You should think it over before making a decision,” Mo Qian said with a smile.

“It doesn’t matter. Sister, what did you call me just now? Can you say it again?” Chen Yuanxi looked at Chen Wanxin with a smile.

“I called you Yuanxi.” Chen Wanxin understood what he meant. However, the word ‘Yuan’ seemed to get stuck in her throat. Now she knew why Lin Wenxi named himself ‘Yuanxi.’

“Can you call me that again? I feel so warm.” Chen Yuanxi raised his wine glass to Chen Wanxin.

“Yuanxi. It’s a good name.” Chen Wanxin held up her wine glass as well. She really wished the glass held boiling water instead of wine! Then she would pour it onto this hateful person’s face without hesitation.

“Thank you. Sister, your voice is also melodious.” Chen Yuanxi raised his wine glass and drank. He was a little drunk. He knew very well how much he could drink. Zhao Yuan had always drunk for him when other people toasted him, so it never got this bad. Eventually, even Zheng Kai, who had always complained because Zhao Yuan drank for him, began to drink for him. Thinking of this, Chen Yuanxi laughed bitterly inside.

The traces of a smile appeared on Chen Tianjiao’s face.

“I’ll punish myself with this glass of wine,” Chen Yuanxi said to Chen Tianjiao, holding up his wine glass seriously.

“Why?” Chen Tianjiao asked in a low voice.

“Dad, as your son, I’m not smart enough! Otherwise, even though Uncle Mo and Zhang Dong set me up, I wouldn’t have fallen for it easily. I trusted people too easily, and I was too emotional without knowing how to protect myself. I should be blamed for that. Dad, I will remember to be cautious when I’m out, and I won’t embarrass you anymore!” With that, Chen Yuanxi raised his wine glass with tears in his eyes.

From the time Chen Tianjiao officially announced Chen Yuanxi as his son, Chen Yuanxi had never said something like this to him. Chen Tianjiao was so excited, he immediately raised his wine glass. “My son, you’re still too young. Everything will be okay if you’re more careful in the future,” he said.

“In his mind, who is his father? My dad or Lin Ziwei? Is he Chen Yuanxi, or Lin Wenxi?” Chen Wanxin was a little confused now.

Mo Qian hurriedly raised his wine glass to Chen Yuanxi. He said he should be blamed for ruining his young master’s reputation. Chen Yuanxi made a toast in return, saying that he was flattered to have Mo Qian making a toast to him.

The family dinner ended with a relaxed atmosphere. Before the war even began, Chen Wanxin had already lost. She had not won any battle against Chen Yuanxi these past two months. It was quite different from when they were at Jifu University. What had changed him so much? Was it hatred or kinship? No! It could only be hatred! He was still Lin Wenxi, and he hated the Chens! How could they keep such a dangerous person at home, by their side? What was his weakness? It seems he had none… except for Zhao Yuan.

Mo Qian’s feelings were mixed as well.

Chen Tianjiao requested to meet him in his study, asking him what he thought of Chen Yuanxi. Mo Qian had to admit that Chen Yuanxi had performed perfectly. However, because of this, it seemed even more suspicious. “Hmph! I should keep such people at the Chens,” Mo Qian thought coldly. “The Lins and the Chens.” He picked up two kiwis and crushed them both.

Chen Yuanxi had no freedom at all. Chen Tianjiao was focused on making arrangements for him to go abroad, and he was not allowed to go out easily. It could even be considered house arrest. He neither protested nor resented. He only occasionally stood by the window and looked at those two under the rain shed on the street in the distance.

He knew Zhao Yuan’s whereabouts very well.

Initially, Zhao Yuan and Zheng Kai only stayed at the gate of the Chen mansion, trying to find a chance to meet him or even take him away. However, they did not find such a chance in the past two months.

Later on, with the final exam coming up, so many things had to be done at the university. However, Zhao Yuan still came here every weekend. Sometimes, Zheng Kai would come with him, sometimes not.

Chen Yuanxi knew it was time to put an end to it.