This group carried a vast fortune and operated behind the scenes, with few knowing they were of Eastern descent. It's worth noting that the Chinese have always been known for their intelligence, with individuals displaying exceptional talent in various fields. However, the Chinese are also prone to internal strife, and at that time, foreigners were far less adept at intrigue and cunning than the Chinese!
When this group focused their efforts on dealing with foreigners, they thrived. The most astute among them realized that the Qing government was not worth their continued efforts, so they abandoned it and established their own independent regime.
Now, two hundred years later, these families have grown stronger and farther away from China. However, the ancestral precepts of these families have taught them to return to their roots, so although they do not have Chinese citizenship, they have always looked towards China and have their own assets there.
The Guan Yi family, and the Dong Qing family—no, the Dong Qing family—are all like this… Of course, there are other ancient families as well.
Coincidentally, both the butler's and the Dong family's ancestors were from Harmony City, though it wasn't called Harmony City back then. So, the heirs of these two families unexpectedly met and went to school in Harmony City in this way, and even got to know Chen Xu…
Therefore, Guan Yi did not believe that Chen Xu had the ability to catch up with her family, and she was the only direct heir of this generation and the future female head of the family. Therefore, her choice of a spouse was extremely strict, and after careful consideration, it was impossible for Chen Xu to be chosen.
Of course, she couldn't tell this rich woman about such things, because it was extremely confidential. Now she was living an ordinary life here, but at the same time, she had found a stand-in to impersonate her and work as a housekeeper in Cambridge, all to deal with the scions of those powerful families.
Just as the two of them were sighing, Chen Xu's voice suddenly came from behind: "Guan Yi, you haven't left yet?"
Guan Yi turned around, stepping aside to let Chen Xu see the wealthy woman behind her. At that moment, Guan Yi saw Chen Xu's expression as radiant as the sunset. He looked at the wealthy woman and uttered a single word. Hearing that word, even someone as composed as Guan Yi was so shocked she almost fainted.
Because Chen Xu called out, "Mom!"
Chapter 208 Daughter-in-law
Upon hearing the word "Mom," Guan Yi nearly fainted from shock, while Chen Xu was also a little dizzy seeing Guan Yi chatting so happily with his mother. As for Chen Xu's mother... she simply pointed at Chen Xu with some curiosity and said, "What, son, do you know each other?"
Guan Yi was the most surprised; she almost wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it!
Good heavens, the auntie she had been chatting with for so long, whom she thought was very kind and friendly, turned out to be Chen Xu's mother, her future... well, the mother-in-law she had imagined?
This is outrageous!
Thinking of this, Guan Yi's face flushed, and she quickly said, "Oh, I'm leaving now." Then she rushed out of the hospital without looking back, ignoring Chen Xu and Chen Xu's mother calling her from behind.
Chen Xu's mother found it a little strange, but she didn't think much of it and looked at Chen Xu, saying, "Was that your friend just now?"
Chen Xu himself was also puzzled as to how his mother got involved with Guan Yi, so he nodded and said, "Yes, her name is Guan Yi, and she is my good friend."
"She's pretty, and a nice person, what a lovely girl!" Chen Xu's mother didn't think much of it, looking at Chen Xu and saying, "Little rascal, what's wrong? I went to your dorm and your roommate said you were in the hospital? What happened?!" At this moment, Gao Xiaojie peeked out from behind, and Chen Xu's mother's eyes lit up... because she had seen Gao Xiaojie's picture before... She quickly grabbed Gao Xiaojie's hand and said, "You must be Gao Xiaojie? Oh my, you're much prettier in person than in the pictures online." Gao Xiaojie had actually been standing behind Chen Xu, and upon hearing this, she obediently came up and greeted, "Hello, Auntie." She acted as ladylike as could be... Actually, her heart was pounding wildly. After all, she knew that her relationship with Chen Xu was no longer so innocent; they had just been hugging and cuddling in the room, and now she suddenly saw his mother...
This feeling also terrified her!
It's well known that the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and between son-in-law and mother-in-law, is a perennial topic. Couples inevitably feel very nervous when meeting each other's mothers for the first time, especially the daughter-in-law meeting her mother-in-law… So, it's understandable that Gao Xiaojie would be quite surprised to suddenly meet Chen Xu's mother.
Chen Xu was also puzzled. The main problem was, how could he dare tell her what had just happened on his end? Chen Xu had been hiding the fact that Miwad had caused him trouble. He hadn't dared to tell his family at all. Because if his parents found out, they would definitely force him to drop out of school, or at least arrange for a few bodyguards like Guan Yi had done.
So Chen Xu quickly changed the subject, scratching his head and saying, "I came to the hospital to experience life because I have a cold. Mom, what brings you here? Where's Dad?"
When Chen Xu asked about her husband, her mother's face immediately darkened. She huffed, "Your dad's in Hokkaido! Hmph. The company there assigned him a female translator, a little Japanese devil. She looks so innocent in her kimono, but guess what? Hmph!" Chen Xu felt awkward, wondering if her father had committed some serious offense. If he had, it wouldn't be a big deal… but if her mother caught him, it would be a huge problem!
So Chen Xu smiled apologetically and said, "Mom, Dad was just doing it for work... He didn't do anything wrong, did he?"
It was only then that Chen Xu's mother realized there was a stranger standing next to her. Actually, she wasn't exactly a stranger; she had known about Gao Xiaojie for a long time. She and her son had created a groundbreaking game that made them, as parents, incredibly proud! And Gao Xiaojie was beautiful. Chen Xu's parents both thought she was a perfect match; who knew she might become their daughter-in-law someday?
So Chen Xu's mother couldn't say anything more about her husband. Smiling, she took Gao Xiaojie's hand and said, "Our daughter is so beautiful. You and our Xiao Xu..."
"Mom!" Chen Xu immediately understood what the woman meant, and drawled, "Mom, we're classmates, just ordinary classmates! Don't be so gossipy, okay?!" Then he said to Gao Xiaojie, "That's just how my mom is, don't mind her. Oh right, don't you have something to do? I'll take you home."
Hearing him say that, Gao Xiaojie knew he didn't want her to feel awkward, and to be honest, she was also in a dilemma. To be honest, although her relationship with Chen Xu was somewhat ambiguous, they weren't officially boyfriend and girlfriend yet, so meeting his parents now was really too early. But she also wanted to make a good impression, at least to leave a good first impression.
However, the thought only flashed through her mind for a moment. She knew that staying there was indeed very awkward; she didn't even dare to breathe loudly, and this wasn't the way to leave a good impression. So she quickly said, "Okay, I'll be going now. Goodbye, Auntie."
Seeing Gao Xiaojie leave, Chen Xu breathed a sigh of relief. After leading his mother to sit down in the ward, he asked, "Mom, what happened to Dad? Did he really make some kind of mistake?"
Chen Xu's mother rolled her eyes: "How should I know? He said he didn't do anything wrong, but if he didn't, how come there's a woman's lipstick mark on his underwear? Humph, anyway, I don't care anymore. Let him play if he wants, it's none of my business! I came back first, and he can have even more fun then. That's his dream place! Hokkaido! Hot springs! Humph!"
Chen Xu felt a headache coming on as soon as he heard that.
Japan, ah, its service industry is world-renowned for its development. My dad used to love downloading Japanese adult videos. His favorite actress was Maria Takagi. He was very sad when she retired, saying he'd definitely get her to make a clear, uncensored film when he made money… I wonder if his wish came true in Japan…
But after all, they were his parents, so he couldn't let them argue. Chen Xu chuckled and told his mother to calm down first, then secretly ran to the side and dialed his father's number.
"Dad? What are you doing? Mom's here with me."
"Huh? Where did your mom go? She left without a word yesterday, it scared me to death! I'm at the airport now, getting ready to go back to China. Thank goodness, is your mom alright? Why did she leave without a word?"
Chen Xu thought to himself, "Dad, you're not even aware of this, are you?" So he lowered his voice and said very quickly, "Mom said she found a lipstick stain on your underwear!"
Chen Xu had expected his father to be filled with remorse after he said that, but to his surprise, a roar came from the other end of the line: "Damn it! That bastard Sun Qizhong ruined my life! Son, go tell your mother, the lipstick stain on that underwear is your Uncle Sun's, damn it! That son of a bitch went out for a night of debauchery. He got drunk by a few Japanese girls and ended up bringing his underwear back with his head on it. He was throwing up and making a scene, and I had to take care of him. That underwear probably fell off at that time. If you don't believe me, tell your mother to think carefully. I never wear briefs. My underwear is always boxer shorts! Ask him if the underwear he saw was briefs?!"
Chen Xu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and relayed his father's words to his mother. The old lady thought for a moment, then remained silent, but her expression softened, showing a hint of sudden realization. She then beckoned to Chen Xu and took the phone from him.
This finally put Chen Xu's mind at ease. He knew his mother wouldn't cause any more trouble. It turned out it was all a misunderstanding. His mother was really something, making such a mistake. It seemed he was blinded by his own involvement. After a brief phone conversation to clear up the misunderstanding, Chen Xu's mother suddenly said, "By the way, Chen, I saw Gao Xiaojie at the hospital just now. She's much prettier in person than in the photos! Hehe, it seems our son has a chance, not bad at all. I even considered giving her my watch. Consider it a gift from the future mother-in-law to her daughter-in-law."
Chen Xu broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. His father was even more sweaty, shouting so loudly that Chen Xu could hear him from a great distance: "Damn! Honey, are you serious?! This is the first time you've met her?! That watch of yours is so expensive! Actually, let me tell you, Xiao Xu has a classmate who's very pretty, and they're really close! Last time I went there, I saw them acting all lovey-dovey! Hmm, what's that girl's name again? Right, it's Guan Yi!"
"Guan Yi?! She's Guan Yi?!" Chen Xu's mother was so shocked she almost dropped her phone, staring at Chen Xu in disbelief: "Son, that's Guan Yi, one of my future daughter-in-law candidates?!"
"What daughter-in-law?!" Chen Xu was almost driven to the brink of madness by this couple. How could these two, at their age, be so gossipy? Sigh, how pathetic! How truly pathetic! How did I end up with such awful parents?!
But Chen Xu's mother didn't think so. She thought about the scene when she saw Guan Yi earlier and asked, "This Guan Yi is a good girl. Hmm, was she in your hospital room just now?"
Chen Xu didn't understand what she meant, but nodded in agreement.
"No wonder..." Chen Xu's mother murmured, "Could it be that this girl... her family is very rich?!"
"They must be very rich, right?" Chen Xu scratched his head. "I don't know either."
Chen Xu's mother began to have doubts. She whispered into the phone, "Old Chen, it's that Guan Yi. Go and investigate her family situation. I feel like something's off."
"Mom, what are you doing?!" Chen Xu was getting annoyed. What did his mother mean by this? Investigating others? Did she think that now that the family had a little money, he needed to check up on his girlfriend's family background?! So Chen Xu said unhappily, "Mom, if you keep doing this, I'll get angry. I know my own friends. Regardless of their background or family circumstances, does that mean you look down on people just because they're poor? You weren't like this before!"
"Sit down!" Chen Xu's mother waved her hand, her face full of disdain. "Who do you think you are? Do you think our family is the kind that snobs? I just wanted to confirm something, and look at you, so impulsive! You deserve a spanking!"
After Chen Xu was nearly choked by her words, his mother took a breath and said, "Son, it seems I've come at just the right time. To be honest, you must have a special relationship with Gao Xiaojie and Guan Yi, right?"
Chen Xu naturally denied this firmly, shaking his head like a rattle-drum, saying, "No, absolutely not!"
"Still lying! I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice, do you think I can't tell?!" Chen Xu's mother rolled her eyes at her son and said, "Gao Xiaojie is one thing, but Guan Yi... Don't look at your mother like that. I've said before, our family isn't the kind of people who like to climb the social ladder or are materialistic. To be honest, I just talked to Guan Yi, and I think she's quite nice. If we're being honest, hmph, maybe it's you who's not good enough for her, not the other way around!"
"Really?!" Chen Xu was quite dismissive. To be honest, he had become somewhat arrogant, but not in a derogatory way. Rather, it was a natural consequence of reaching a certain status and position, which broadened his horizons and elevated his demeanor. The saying "living in luxury cultivates a refined air" perfectly encapsulates this idea.
Given Chen Xu's current status at SMMH, even the daughter of the US president wouldn't be unworthy of him.
However, Chen Xu's mother shook her head. Of course, she didn't know Chen Xu's online identity, but as Chen Xu's friend, she couldn't possibly be unaware of the rabies killer in Chen Xu's family. After all, Chen Xu only discovered the rabies killer after experiencing a student contracting rabies during his university years. As for how they discovered it, although Chen Xu's parents were very curious, they didn't ask... They also guessed that this matter might be related to that SMMH.
With Chen Xu's family's current assets, he could find any woman he wanted. Now, Chen Xu's parents are out all day, afraid to come home, dreading matchmakers. Neighbors, former colleagues, and so on... all try to sell their daughters, making it difficult for them to refuse. They can only say they can't interfere in their son's love life, but the suitors keep coming.
Now that Chen Xu has acknowledged Guan Yi as his good friend, she couldn't possibly be unaware of Chen Xu's family situation. The fact that she still says Chen Xu isn't good enough for her suggests that this girl's family is probably exceptionally wealthy!
Not only are they rich, they must also have status!
Chen Xu's mother glanced at her son but didn't say anything.
Just then, the ward door was suddenly pushed open with a "bang," and Zhong Ziyu walked in with a man in a suit. Without thinking much, he said, "Old Chen, I heard you were ambushed? How are you? Did you lose any limbs?!"
Chapter 209 Psychologist
Zhong Ziyu looked travel-worn; apparently, he went to Beijing for business recently. It's understandable; thanks to the phenomenal web game "My Home, My House," Zhong Ziyu's "community network" is seeing ever-increasing traffic and user numbers. While the game's paid items annoy some players, these items don't directly affect game balance; they're just decorations. Most players now prefer farming, so the resulting traffic is terrifying.
Of course, this game has already started to be copied, but the biggest slice of the pie has been taken by community networks, and other games don't have such a large user base.
Logically speaking, Zhong Ziyu should be Chen Xu's cash cow, since their interests are intertwined. But now, Chen Xu would rather strangle him to death!
Were we ambushed? Thank goodness you didn't say you got shot, boss! My mom's here! You can't let her worry, okay?!
So Chen Xu frantically tried to signal to Zhong Ziyu with his eyes. Zhong Ziyu saw him blinking rapidly but didn't understand what he meant. However, he was also an extremely shrewd person and knew that the best thing to do now was not to say anything. So he chuckled and turned around to introduce, "Oh, this is my old classmate, Dr. Wang Xiao, whom I met on the plane. He is..."
“I’ll say it myself.” The man in the black suit, who had a very meticulous appearance, coughed and suddenly interjected, “I’m a psychologist who was fired.”
"Fried squid?"
Zhong Ziyu looked a little embarrassed and quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Old Wang has a bit of an eccentric temper, but he's a good person. He's very knowledgeable in psychology. Uh, this is..."
Chen Xu quickly introduced them to each other. When Zhong Ziyu heard that it was Chen Xu's mother, she immediately understood what Chen Xu meant. She thought to herself that it was fortunate that she hadn't said some things earlier, and quickly said, "Hello, Auntie! Wow, Auntie, you're so young! If Old Chen hadn't introduced you, I would have thought you were his older sister!"
That bastard is so glib!
Sure enough, Chen Xu's mother was quite pleased with these words. Chen Xu watched as this bastard Zhong Ziyu actually tried to kiss his mother's hand during their conversation. How could he tolerate this? He shoved the scoundrel away, but Zhong Ziyu was still shouting, "I was just looking at my watch. Looking at my watch... Auntie, your watch is amazing! Patek Philippe, Sachel Kin? Could he have made it himself? But I really can't remember any Patek Philippe designers whose initials are SK."
Chen Xu's mother's face beamed with joy. "Do you know the purpose of brand names? The purpose of brand names is to let others discover them unexpectedly, and then cheer and exclaim in admiration! Otherwise, brand names would lose most of their meaning."
Chen Xu rolled his eyes and asked who Sachel Kin was. Zhong Ziyu whispered, "SK is Patek Philippe's most famous and ace designer right now. Patek Philippe watches are all handmade, inside and out. SK is now semi-retired. The watches he makes are now priceless and unavailable!"
Chen Xu looked at his mother strangely. His mother smiled and said, "That's not surprising. SK is semi-retired now. He bought a farm in New Zealand. But one day, he was accidentally bitten by a raccoon. Your father healed him. To repay him, he made me a watch."
Tsk. Just like Zhong Ziyu again. Chen Xu pulled the kid over and said with a smile, "Mom, this guy got rabies from being bitten by his dog before. He only survived thanks to his dad."
Chen Xu's mother was taken aback. Then she shook her head and smiled, "That really was luck."
The group chatted for a few minutes, and the atmosphere quickly became harmonious. However, the guy named Wang Xiaodi, wearing a black suit, was remarkably taciturn. He sat there for a long time without saying a word.
After chatting for a while, Chen Xu's mother got up to leave, not letting Chen Xu see her off, but letting him stay with the two young people.
Only then did Chen Xu breathe a sigh of relief, grabbing Zhong Ziyu by the neck and yelling, "You bastard! You almost killed me! My mom doesn't know what happened to me, I didn't dare tell her!"
"I know, I know! I just stopped myself from saying anything at the last minute!" Zhong Ziyu exclaimed. "But Old Chen, are you really alright? You don't seem to be injured. But have you been left with any psychological trauma? I specially invited Old Wang over for you this time. He's a psychology expert! Let him take a look at you, otherwise, if you become impotent for life, don't blame me for not warning you."
Chen Xu cursed Zhong Ziyu to death, then shook hands with Wang Xiao. His hands were large and firm, and his expression remained perpetually poker-faced. Most people would find it difficult to get along with him.
Zhong Ziyu lowered his voice in a lewd manner: "Old Wang is a top student from Harvard University..." Actually, there was no point in him lowering his voice like that, because there were only three people in the room, and they could all hear what he said. Who was he trying to hide?
Wang Xiao gave him a cold look and said, "I'm not from Harvard. At least not now. I've already fired them."
"Fired Harvard?" Chen Xu felt a little dizzy.
“That’s how it is.” Wang Xiao sat down and put his briefcase aside, his expression calm as he said, “A female classmate of mine from my hometown was raped there by the son of a councilor. Everyone knows that the beast did it, but no one has any proof. The girl eventually got a sum of money and didn’t want to make a fuss. But I couldn’t stand it, so I did something to that guy.”
"What kind of trickery?!"
“I hypnotized him, and then, while he was hypnotized, I suggested to him that I cut off his penis. That way, when he woke up, he wouldn’t find any scars on his body, but he would never be able to get an erection again in his next life.”
Chen Xu broke out in a cold sweat. "This is possible?!"
In fact, this method is one of the simplest ways to use hypnosis to harm people. Of course, it's not something easily taught in books, since this method is too simple and covert.
A man's sexual organs are actually quite vulnerable, greatly affected by both physiological and psychological factors. If a man is hypnotized and given strong suggestions during hypnosis, making him feel like he's about to be castrated, once the intensity of the suggestion reaches a certain level, he will actually believe he's about to be castrated. Then, the act is carried out, making him believe he's being violated. At this point, his subconscious will form a psychological state of being castrated. Therefore, after the hypnosis ends, this person is very likely to experience thought-related sexual dysfunction later in life…
However, although Wang Xiao's actions were creative, they were eventually discovered. A more skilled psychologist helped the man recover the deleted memory from his mind. Although this couldn't restore his sexual function, it did uncover what Wang Xiao had done.
So Wang Xiao left the United States and returned to China. On her way from Beijing, she ran into her old classmate Zhong Ziyu, so they came together.
"I heard you killed someone?" Zhong Ziyu looked at Chen Xu. "I ran into Uncle Guan, and he told me. You killed more than a dozen people by yourself? You're pretty tough!" Chen Xu smiled noncommittally, then asked, "By the way, what's the background of Guan Yi's family? Are they very rich?"