Chapter 13 Mockery

Xu Jipeng immediately took out his phone and called one of Li Liang’s subordinates. “Boss, it’s Xiao Xu. When are you free? I’d like to treat you to a meal.” After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xu Jipeng inquired about the useless son-in-law of the Li family.

“That guy’s name is He Haoxuan. He’s always sloppily dressed, wearing beach shorts and slippers. In the Li family, he’s no better than a dog. They treat him terribly—there’s no way he gets any pocket money,” the man laughed.

Xu Jipeng hung up, bursting into delighted laughter. “Hahaha!”

The classmates in the private room looked at Xu Jipeng in surprise, unable to hide their curiosity.

“He Haoxuan, let me ask you, are you really the son-in-law who married into the Li family of Baili Group?” Xu Jipeng asked.

He Haoxuan raised his head and replied, “Yes.”

“What? Haoxuan, you’re married? And you married into their family?” Cao Dawei stared at He Haoxuan in disbelief. In their eyes, becoming a son-in-law who married in was a disgraceful thing. No matter how poor He Haoxuan was, he should have some pride.

“Ah, poverty forces people into such things,” Chen Hanfei sighed, but his face showed nothing but mockery. “Someone as poor as He Haoxuan would probably be a laborer for life if he hadn’t married in. Actually, even now he’s just a laborer. If he hadn’t married in, he might not even have that.”

A classmate asked, “Jipeng, didn’t you just say Baili Group is very powerful, worth a hundred million? Even if He Haoxuan had no pride, being the Li family’s son-in-law shouldn’t leave him this poor.”

“That’s right. Just look at him now—he isn’t just poor, he’s destitute,” several classmates nodded in agreement.

Ever since learning that He Haoxuan was a live-in son-in-law, Yi Xiaoyan’s gaze had never left him.

Xu Jipeng sneered, “You don’t know the half of it. In the Li family, He Haoxuan is treated worse than livestock. He doesn’t eat or sleep well, even the servants bully him. How could he not be poor? You all saw it—he’s so broke he can only wear beach shorts and slippers, can’t even afford a taxi, and has to ride a shared electric bike here.”

“He Haoxuan has no dignity. To get into a rich family, he actually became their lapdog. It’s disgraceful,” the classmates criticized.

Yi Xiaoyan’s face grew dim. She turned and was about to leave the room. She had come tonight hoping to see someone, and now she had—not only was he married, he’d sold himself for money. Her hopes were dashed. It was time to leave Qingshan City and head to Yancheng.

Suddenly, Cao Dawei asked, “Haoxuan, I heard last year your father was seriously ill and needed a hundred thousand for surgery. Was it the Li family who paid for it?”

Cao Dawei knew how poor He Haoxuan’s family was. They couldn’t have scraped together ten thousand, let alone a hundred thousand.

He Haoxuan nodded quietly. “Yes, the Li family saved my father’s life.”

He had never denied this, so when Song Li and the others mocked and scolded him, he could endure it. If not for that hundred thousand, he might never have seen his father again.

“No wonder you married in,” Cao Dawei sighed and fell silent.

Yi Xiaoyan, who had just reached the door, paused and quietly returned to her seat, her gaze once more settling on He Haoxuan, never wavering.

Chen Hanfei had been worried that He Haoxuan’s status as the Li family’s son-in-law would overshadow him in class. But hearing Xu Jipeng describe He Haoxuan as lower than a servant, his worries vanished.

“He Haoxuan, your family’s poor and you get bullied in the Li family, but at least you have food to eat. We’re classmates—we won’t look down on you. Just being alive is enough,” Chen Hanfei said insincerely.

But as soon as he spoke, the classmates’ gazes toward He Haoxuan changed completely.

Xu Jipeng sneered, “I thought He Haoxuan was something special, that Brother Qiang showed him respect. Turns out it was just a misunderstanding—they helped because he’s the Li family’s son-in-law. If they knew he was just their useless live-in son-in-law, they wouldn’t have bothered with him.”

“Xu Jipeng, that’s enough. Haoxuan married in to repay the Li family’s kindness. He’s already miserable enough. Why keep calling him useless?” Cao Dawei stood up, glaring at Xu Jipeng with anger.

“I’m not trying to put him down, just telling everyone the truth—He Haoxuan isn’t capable of much. If you need help in the future, don’t go to him; go to the class monitor,” Xu Jipeng said calmly. He was annoyed that, thanks to He Haoxuan’s big mouth, he’d had to pay for the meal.

The classmates all nodded. Earlier, thinking He Haoxuan was impressive, some had given him their business cards or phone numbers. Now they regretted it. If he ever couldn’t afford to eat and kept coming to borrow money, what would they do?

As dinner wound down, the classmates took their leave one after another.

Cao Dawei pulled He Haoxuan along to go outside. Xu Jipeng, seeing this, spat resentfully, “That CEO his wife is really beautiful—a flower stuck in a cow pat.”

Hearing this, Chen Hanfei pulled out his phone and searched for a photo of Li Qingying. His eyes widened, and he nearly drooled, “My god, He Haoxuan’s wife is this beautiful? That face, that figure—”

Outside, Cao Dawei threw an arm around He Haoxuan’s shoulders. “Brother, I know you’ve had your difficulties. I’ll never look down on you.”

“It’s all right, Dawei. I don’t care about that,” He Haoxuan smiled.

What did it matter if the world misunderstood him? As long as he was at peace with himself. Money meant nothing to him now. Family was all that mattered—if he lost that, no amount of money could bring it back.

“Come on, let’s go for another drink. I rode my e-bike here, you can ride with me,” Cao Dawei grinned.

He Haoxuan nodded. He was curious about Cao Dawei’s life now and wanted to help if he could.

Just as He Haoxuan was about to get on Cao Dawei’s little electric scooter, Yi Xiaoyan called out from behind, “He Haoxuan, wait!”

He turned to see her flushed from drink. “What is it?”

“I want to ask you again—why did you treat me that way back then?” Yi Xiaoyan stared at him, her eyes rimmed red.

He Haoxuan shook his head, unwilling to revisit old sorrows. The past was past, no point in dwelling on right or wrong. He was married now, and maybe Yi Xiaoyan had a boyfriend or husband, too.

“Yi Xiaoyan, how can you say that? If you hadn’t insulted Haoxuan first back then, why would he have said what he did?” Cao Dawei couldn’t hold back and shouted angrily.

“What? I insulted him first? What are you talking about?” Yi Xiaoyan looked utterly confused.

He Haoxuan sneered, “Yi Xiaoyan, drop the act. It’s all in the past—go on being your saintly self, and I’ll go on being a laborer. I’m not worthy of you.”

With that, he swung his leg over Cao Dawei’s scooter and urged him to drive.