Green Tea Enters The Story Of Abuse [Book] Chapter 2
byChapter 2 Life Must Go On, And So Must Grudges.
An Yu was actually a little far from the bed and couldn’t see if An Shi’s eyelashes were trembling.
But that wasn’t important.
In the past, An Shi and An Ming had often done bad things and framed the Original Host. What goes around comes around.
An Shi, who was pretending to be asleep, fell silent.
He instinctively closed his eyes even tighter.
This scene was witnessed clearly by Mother An, whose eyes were streaming with tears.
Afterward, An Shi, who was playing the ghost, was rewarded with a slap from his biological father.
Mother An, who was fiercely protective of her cub, started arguing with Father An.
It was only after An Shi tearfully admitted his mistake and offered words of persuasion that the couple stopped their sonic attacks on each other.
An Shi glared at the culprit: “Are you satisfied now?”
Not satisfied. It wasn’t an action movie, so it wasn’t exciting. An Yu pursed his lips, gathered his courage, and said, “Big Brother, stop making trouble.”
He wore plain pajamas, his hair was dark, and his cheeks were fair and tender, making him look utterly innocent.
One side of An Shi’s cheek stung painfully, and his eyebrows shot up: “How dare you talk back!”
An Yu retreated outside the door and complained timidly, “Mom’s face was white with fright just now.”
An Shi fell silent.
An Yu: “Dad was too.”
An Shi fell silent.
An Yu: “It’s because he loves you deeply that he disciplines you strictly. Otherwise, how could he bear to lay a finger on you?”
Mother An was grieving over An Shi’s antics, and Father An regretted hitting him.
They both loved their eldest son the most and usually couldn’t bear to say a harsh word, let alone strike him.
An Yu’s words were comforting.
Father An, feeling guilty for having struck his son, immediately stiffened and glared at An Shi: “Look at your younger brother, how sensible he is!”
An Shi, who was being told he was inferior to An Yu for the first time, fell silent.
An Yu spoke even more sensibly: “Dad, you and Big Brother should have a good talk.”
He left, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.
In the corridor, there were many servants who had rushed over after hearing the commotion.
Some arrived late and were confused.
An Yu kindly explained: “Big Brother is fine. He probably has pre-wedding jitters and was just faking suicide to scare people.”
The servants exchanged glances: Faking suicide? That’s not just pre-wedding jitters…
Sometimes, a single sentence was enough. An Yu didn’t say anything more.
In the original novel, An Shi coerced and tempted the Original Host into agreeing to the substitute marriage.
The first time, the Original Host refused.
The second time, the Original Host didn’t want to agree but was afraid of angering An Shi, so he pushed the responsibility, saying he would only substitute if his parents had no objections.
He knew that the Xing Family’s excellent match would never be passed on to him.
But An Shi ran to Father An and Mother An, claiming that the Original Host had said he wanted to marry Xing Zhan.
He also claimed that, as the elder brother, he was willing to give this good opportunity to his younger brother.
That night, the Original Host was scolded by Father An and Mother An until midnight, telling him not to harbor unrealistic fantasies.
The servants watched the entire spectacle and mocked the Original Host for being a toad trying to eat swan meat.
Only after that did An Shi stage his suicide attempt by taking pills.
After the Original Host substituted in the marriage, countless people inquired why the An Family’s groom had been switched.
The servants spread the story about the Original Host wanting to eat swan meat.
The news of An Shi’s suicide attempt also circulated.
Father An and Mother An went along with the narrative, claiming that the Original Host had long plotted to steal An Shi’s marriage and had forced An Shi to give up the position by threatening suicide.
The Original Host couldn’t defend himself, and his reputation was ruined beyond recovery.
An Shi, meanwhile, became the good brother who loved his sibling.
An Yu planted the seed among the servants and returned to his bedroom.
He discussed with the Little Orange Cat: “A cuckoo occupying the nest and bullying your little brother—we can’t let this go.”
The “little brother” An Yu referred to was the Original Host.
The Little Orange Cat: “Meow~”
An Yu: “Shall we take everything back, alright?”
The Little Orange Cat: “Meow~”
Its eyes were bright and clear.
An Yu rubbed his nose: “Alright, I have selfish motives. I can’t be the fish on the chopping block while others are the butchers.”
He was now the Original Host.
Life must go on, and so must grudges.
The grievances the Original Host suffered and the things he deserved were right there.
An Yu would calculate every single detail and take them back.
Now that An Shi had faked suicide, and the wedding was the day after tomorrow, Father An and Mother An would surely pressure him into substituting.
An Yu had avoided the “toad trying to eat swan meat” label, but he had already decided to substitute in the marriage.
If he stayed here, he would have no usable resources and would be constantly guarded against and suppressed by Father An.
Later on, he would most likely be thrown out for a political marriage.
Father An had a guilty conscience and wouldn’t possibly send him to a good family, trapping him for the rest of his life.
Going to the Xing Family was different.
The Xing Family was immensely wealthy and powerful.
Originally, Father An needed an introduction just to meet Xing Zhan, and his reach, no matter how long, couldn’t extend into the Xing Family.
In the original novel, Xing Zhan became disheartened and retired, which gave Zhao Xiuyuan a chance to rise.
What was the point of being disheartened?
Xing Zhan’s personality was cold, but he was clear about favors and grudges.
Using the original plot as a reference, An Yu planned to make Xing Zhan owe him a huge favor.
It wouldn’t be excessive to leverage that favor later.
While the person and the cat were sleeping head-to-head, An Shi was trying hard to persuade his parents to let An Yu take his place:
“Xing Zhan has imprisoned his own father to seize the family assets, and I hear he has human lives on his hands.”
“I’m not good at placating people. What if I accidentally offend him and he takes it out on you?”
“An Yu is good-looking and has a good temperament. He is the one suited for someone like Xing Zhan…”
Father An raised his voice: “An Yu is out of the question!”
He had long planned An Yu’s future.
Later, he would carefully select a family and send him off; in any case, An Yu shouldn’t expect a good life this lifetime.
An Shi: “Why not? He listens to you the most. If he goes, the family benefits just the same.”
Father An snapped: “I said no means no!”
An Shi stiffened his neck: “I won’t marry him even if I die! You say you love me the most, yet you harm me…”
Mother An signaled Father An not to get agitated.
An Shi looked at her hopefully.
Mother An sighed: “If he marries Xing Zhan, where will you find another match comparable to Xing Zhan?”
An Shi: “Xing Zhan is not a good person!”
Mother An: “An Yu marrying into the family means he becomes another master of the Xing Family. You will have to look up to him for the next few decades. Are you willing to accept that?”
An Shi pulled a long face and remained silent.
Mother An: “This marriage is so rushed because Xing Zhan owes you. Based on that, you can live comfortably in the Xing Family for the rest of your life.”
And as for the An Family, as long as the Xing Family existed, everyone would have to defer to them.
Not to mention the future.
Ever since this marriage was settled, which of those outsiders hadn’t fawned over her?
Thinking that she would be perpetually revered after marrying into the Xing Family, Mother An’s heart warmed, and she warned: “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
An Shi felt impatient. What “living comfortably”? This was clearly selling a son for glory.
It was called a political marriage, but he would be living in the Xing Family—it was like marrying out.
Marrying up meant swallowing a needle, and he was marrying to bring good fortune to the sick.
People would laugh him to death.
If the old man of the Xing Family died soon, wouldn’t the Xing Family treat him like a Calamity Star?
The family already had a ready-made Calamity Star, and he was one of their own. His life would be worse than a dog’s.
An Shi thought of Xing Zhan, and then of Zhao Xiuyuan.
He had only seen a photo of Xing Zhan.
In the picture, the man’s eyes were deep and cold, as if they could see into one’s bones, and the rumors about Xing Zhan were terrifying.
Zhao Xiuyuan’s looks were no worse than Xing Zhan’s, he was ambitious and kind-hearted, and he would achieve success sooner or later.
An Shi had already planned to have the family support Zhao Xiuyuan in the future.
Zhao Xiuyuan would remember this favor for a lifetime and would always be a step below him.
To be cherished and respected or to be despised and trampled—even an idiot would choose the former.
As for An Yu, his face was passable, but he was stubborn, foolish, and lacked social awareness, making him utterly unlikable.
Since he was a substitute bride, he would definitely be disliked and would just be a decoration after marrying in.
Was it possible for him to lord it over An Shi?
On the contrary, An Shi would become Xing Zhan’s brother-in-law, enjoying freedom and a noble status.
An Shi stated firmly: “I will absolutely not regret it. I am not marrying Xing Zhan.”
The next day, Father An coldly informed An Yu: “You will marry Xing Zhan in place of your elder brother.”
An Yu shook his head in shock: “Such a good match, only Big Brother is worthy of it.”
If An Yu had been overjoyed and carried away, Father An would never have allowed him to marry.
He softened his expression: “Your elder brother is superior to you in every way; finding a good match is not difficult for him. But you…”
Over the years, An Yu had been obedient like a dog. Even if he married into the Xing Family, he would surely do whatever he was told.
An Yu thought to himself: You, on the other hand, are utterly shameless, selling someone off and expecting them to be grateful.
Shamelessness was fine.
One didn’t have to be a gentleman when dealing with the shameless.
In An Yu’s pants pocket, the phone’s recording function had already been activated.
Afraid the recording wouldn’t be clear, he “indignantly” raised his voice: “Dad, don’t lie to me! Big Brother broke his promise and backed out of the marriage, even faking suicide. You can’t bear to part with him, so you’re pushing me out…”