The villainous female supporting character beckons, and the aloof male lead kneels down to pamper he

Chapter 136 Indistinguishable!

Cheng Zheng stood in front of the desk, looking at his father with cold eyes, without saying a word.

It's obvious they're not taking this seriously.

Whether he agrees or not, he's determined to be with this person!

Cheng Huazhang could tell what his son was thinking from his expression. He sat down in the chair, picked up his teacup, took a sip, then put it down, his tone laced with suppressed anger:

"I told you to treat Xiao Shen like a little sister, and what have you done? You've started dating someone else!" He looked up at his son. "Didn't you want to get her out of the factory? What are you doing now? Slapping yourself in the face?"

Cheng Zheng finally spoke, firmly stating, "I'm serious about her, and it's impossible for us to separate."

"Seriously?" Cheng Huazhang sneered. "Everyone's watching our family now. Everyone knows Xiao Shen is your uncle's daughter. You're dating your cousin, even though you're not related by blood, but gossip is a powerful force! What will people think of our family? What will they think of Xiao Shen? Have you thought about that?"

"I've thought about it." Cheng Zheng looked at him calmly. "I don't care what others think of me. I only know that I love Shen Qing and I want to marry her. She's the same as me; she doesn't care about what others think either."

"That's because you two are selfish!"

Cheng Huazhang slammed his hand on the table, glaring angrily at his son. "Your grandfather is already old, and your uncle's scandal is already shameful enough. Now you're involved with Xiao Shen. Are you trying to drive your grandfather to his death?"

Cheng Zheng didn't even flinch: "That's the karma your parents created, why should we bear it for you? All you care about is what others think of you, right? Since your uncle could do such things back then, why should you care what others think now?"

"You—" Cheng Huazhang was choked and speechless, his chest heaving violently.

After a few seconds, he took a deep breath, softened his tone, and waved his hand, saying, "Fine, fine, I can't reason with you. I'll talk to Xiao Shen."

He then got up.

"You mustn't bother her." Cheng Zheng's voice suddenly turned cold and hard, his gaze sharp. "There's already a lot of gossip going around in the factory because of this. I don't want her to suffer any more pressure."

Cheng Huazhang didn't want to confront his son head-on, knowing that it would only result in both sides suffering losses.

My son has been stubborn since he was a child. Once he's made up his mind, nothing can change it.

He thought for a moment and changed his approach: "Then I'll give you some time to sort out your relationship."

Cheng Zheng didn't hesitate for a moment: "I've said it before, I will marry her."

Cheng Huazhang's expression changed as if he had just realized something, and his brows furrowed tightly: "Could it be that you have already...?"

"I'm not that kind of person," Cheng Zheng interrupted him, his expression frank and open.

"It's good that you know your limits," Cheng Huazhang breathed a sigh of relief, then advised, "Since you two are completely innocent, you can't hold Xiao Shen back. You have to think about her. Once she marries you, she'll have to endure the gossip and judgment of others for the rest of her life. Everyone knows her background isn't respectable. She's still young and can ignore what others think now, but what about later? Will her mind change? Will she regret her decision to be with you today? Will she resent you, hate you? What will you do then?"

Cheng Zheng suddenly laughed, but the laughter didn't reach his eyes; it carried a hint of mockery: "You've asked me so many questions, so please tell me, who made her do such a disgraceful thing? Who is the culprit? Who started it all?"

Cheng Huazhang was completely speechless.

"Dad, I'm not a teenager anymore. Your methods of persuasion won't fool me. In fact, I'm not buying it."

Cheng Zheng continued, "My aunt definitely won't agree to Shen Qing recognizing herself as a member of the Cheng family, so she wouldn't be my uncle's daughter or my cousin in name. There's nothing wrong with us being together."

Cheng Huazhang knew he couldn't win an argument with his son.

Since reasoning with them won't work, only one method remains.

He looked up at his son, his tone carrying a hint of warning: "Cheng Zheng, I gave you a chance."

Cheng Zheng's lips curled into a cold smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "You're not trying to break up this loving couple, are you? Do you want to transfer her away, or get rid of me?"

He paused, took a step forward, placed his hands on the desk, and looked down at his father behind the desk.

His gaze was sharp as a knife, carrying a sharpness he had never shown before Cheng Huazhang, each word distinct and clear:

"Dad, don't make me hate you."

Cheng Huazhang was taken aback by his imposing presence and subconsciously leaned back.

Suddenly, he realized that without his notice, his son had grown to a point where he could no longer underestimate him.

He was overcome with emotion and fell silent.

Cheng Zheng straightened up, his tone softening slightly, but still carrying an undeniable force:

"From childhood to adulthood, I've never asked you for anything, nor have I ever asked you for any help. I only ask that you stop interfering in this matter."

Cheng Huazhang opened his mouth, his mind filled with countless thoughts, and for a moment he didn't know what to say. Somewhat tired, he leaned back in his chair.

Silence filled the study.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out downstairs.

"Brother! Sister-in-law! Come out here! We need to settle our scores today!"

It was Zhang Mei's voice.

Cheng Huazhang frowned, pushed open the door, and went out.

Cheng Zheng followed behind him.

Downstairs in the living room, Zhang Mei stood with her hands on her hips in the doorway, her face showing a reckless, defiant look.

The old man calmed her down temporarily yesterday, but she felt increasingly uneasy afterward.

The old man clearly had the ability to help her get a promotion and help Cheng Hao solve his job problem, but he just didn't do anything about it before. Now that something has happened, he's finally offering his incentive.

If she lets it go and continues living with Cheng Huaiguo, once time passes and the matter is over, she won't be able to use this as leverage against Cheng Jia anymore!

She should take advantage of the current rumors and the fact that everyone is paying attention to this matter to make a big fuss and gain more benefits!

Another reason is that she can't swallow this insult.

The thought of that little vixen Shen Qing made her feel a pang of discomfort, like a cat scratching at her heart.

I hate it!

The older woman seduced her man, and the younger woman seduced her son. Just yesterday, she said she was going to find some thugs to teach Shen Qing a lesson and make her suffer, but her son actually disagreed.

Don't let her touch Shen Qing.

She was so angry!

Since Cheng Zheng likes Shen Qing, then she should come to the eldest son's house and cause a ruckus, making their house a complete mess and breaking up that illicit couple!

With her around, that vixen can forget about marrying into a family and enjoying a life of luxury!

"Come out! All of you, come out! Don't stay silent! You have to give me an explanation today!"

Zhang Mei shouted at the top of her lungs.

Gao Jie got up from the sofa, walked a few steps to her, and also put her hands on her hips.

"Zhang Mei, what do you mean?"

Gao Jie's voice trembled with anger, "My husband has been cleaning up your man's messes for twenty years, that's more than enough! How dare you come to our house demanding an explanation?"

"How am I shameless?" Zhang Mei sneered, took a step forward, and began counting on her fingers:

"When Cheng Huaiguo went to Yuncheng on a business trip, I remember my older brother was also there on official business! He openly allowed his younger brother to have an affair with a vixen, failing in his duties as an older brother! That's one thing!"

"After the incident, he knew about it but chose to help cover it up! That's the second point!"

"All these years, my older brother has been sending money to support that illegitimate daughter. Where does that leave me? Where does that leave my Haozi? That's the third point!"

"My elder brother even brought his illegitimate daughter to Beijing! Cheng Zheng is even dating her and wants to marry her, without considering my feelings at all! That's the fourth point!"

"And—" she paused, her voice becoming even sharper, "that illegitimate daughter is a little vixen, seducing Cheng Zheng and then Cheng Hao, damaging the bond between these cousins! If you, elder brother and sister-in-law, don't do anything about it, then it's your fault!"

She spoke each sentence with conviction, appearing completely self-righteous.

Gao Jie was so angry after hearing her blaming remarks that she almost fainted.

"Yes, yes, the whole world has wronged you!"

She took a deep breath and began firing off, "Zhang Mei, what does it have to do with my husband that your man can't control his lower body? Did my husband take off his pants? Did my husband put that thing in there? I can't expect my husband to put a chain on his crotch, can I? Besides, just because my husband doesn't have his own job doesn't mean he doesn't have his own responsibilities. Does he have to watch over your man every day? What kind of logic is that?!"

"And what's wrong with you? How much money did my family spend raising your man's daughter? Money doesn't grow on trees! How are you going to calculate that? Are you going to pay it back?"

"Cheng Hao's trip abroad was only possible because I acted as his middleman, squeezing out someone else's spot! And your selection as head nurse at the hospital was also thanks to my husband, Cheng Hao, putting in a good word for you with his connections! Otherwise, with your qualifications, you'd have to work your way up to at least ten more years!"

"Over the years, whatever good food and drink we had, we always made sure it was for your family first, and we never complained! And now, you're turning around and settling scores with us!"

Gao Jie took a breath, stared at Zhang Mei, and continued, enunciating each word clearly:

"I've seen shameless people, but I've never seen anyone as shameless as you!"

Zhang Mei's expression stiffened for a moment after being scolded, then she forced a shameless smile.

"That, that's what I deserve!"

"Who told your man to be my husband's older brother? An elder brother is like a father, so he should take care of us! Besides, the old man has favored your family all these years, and you've gotten all the benefits. You've only spared a little for us, and you think that's a huge favor? If it weren't for you, would our family be in this mess today?"

"Owe you?" Gao Jie trembled with anger, her face turned pale, her fingers clenched and unclenched repeatedly, her chest heaving violently, and several times she opened her mouth but was too angry to utter a single word.

Just then, footsteps came from the stairs.

Cheng Huazhang and Cheng Zheng walked down one after the other.

Zhang Mei's eyes lit up, and she immediately changed her tune: "Brother, you've come at the perfect time! You have to give me an explanation!"

Cheng Huazhang had heard her tirade. Although he found it incomprehensible, he was a man and couldn't argue with her like a woman. Too lazy to deal with it, he simply deflected her attack with a swift and subtle retort:

"Sister-in-law, I admit that I made a mistake in helping Huaiguo keep your affair a secret, and I apologize for that. However, I agreed to keep it from you because I was considering your feelings, but I didn't expect it to hurt you even more. From now on, I will not interfere in your marital affairs."

With just a few words, he completely absolved Zhang Mei of all accusations.

Zhang Mei paused for a moment, then turned her attention to Cheng Zheng, raising her voice slightly: "Fine, brother, for your sake, I won't say anything else, but Cheng Zheng dating Shen Qing is absolutely unacceptable!"

"That little vixen seduced Cheng Zheng and then Cheng Hao. A woman like that has questionable character. If we let her into the family, she'll be constantly stirring up trouble between the brothers. Will there ever be any peace at home?"

"Furthermore, she's becoming my nephew's wife and calling me 'auntie,' isn't that a blatant slap in the face? So I disagree, absolutely disagree!"

Zhang Mei's words struck a chord with Cheng Huazhang and Gao Jie.

They disagreed as well.

Since Zhang Mei had stepped forward to play the villain, the couple silently fell silent, their eyes both turning to their son.

Cheng Zheng stood at the top of the stairs, his whole body shrouded in an invisible layer of frost.

He listened with his eyes downcast to Zhang Mei's barrage of words, his face expressionless, but his jawline tightened and his thin lips pressed together.

Only after Zhang Mei finally finished speaking did he raise his eyes, his gaze falling on Zhang Mei's face.

"Since everything stemmed from my relationship with my uncle—"

He paused, a cold, detached smile curving his lips.

"Then I'll sever ties with my uncle."

"What...what did you say?" Zhang Mei's eyes widened, as if she hadn't heard clearly, or as if she had heard clearly but couldn't believe it.

Sever ties?

Gao Jie and Cheng Huazhang were also stunned.

Cheng Zheng's gaze slowly swept over his parents again, and he said in a calm voice, "Or I can sever ties with you."