Chapter Twelve: Guess Whether Your Old Man Believes It or Not

“Mom! Save me!”

Seeing Qing Zhong, Changyuan Jiang immediately spotted his savior.

“Zhengguo Jiang!”

Qing Zhong, who had just returned from a business trip and rushed to the office, twitched at the corner of her eye upon witnessing the scene, her anger flaring instantly.

“I’m flying all over for the company every day, and this is how you treat my son at home?”

What followed was a chaotic scene: Zhengguo Jiang pulling on Changyuan Jiang’s ear, and Qing Zhong tugging at Zhengguo’s ear in return.

The two of them cried out in pain alternately, which only doubled the torment for Changyuan.

“Ouch, ouch, Dad, listen to my excuses… No, wait, listen to my explanation.”

“We were studying, not messing around.”

“Studying? Do you think I’d believe that?”

Zhengguo bared his teeth, refusing to let go. The brat was growing more and more unruly; if he wasn’t disciplined properly, chaos would reign.

Changyuan covered his ears, on the verge of tears. The original owner of this body had a notorious reputation—causing trouble outside and terrorizing the family at home.

Because of this, Zhengguo didn’t believe a single word he said.

“If you don’t believe me, go check inside the room. It’s absolutely spotless, and there are study materials in the private theater.”

“Didn’t you hear your son’s promise? If you don’t let go now, you’re sleeping on the sofa tonight!”

As soon as Qing Zhong finished speaking, Zhengguo instantly released his grip like a quail beaten by wind and frost, immediately switching to a pleading expression.

“Wife, darling, don’t be like this. I’m listening to you.”

Once again, Zhengguo failed at parenting.

The Jiang family was a classic example of a strict father and a loving mother, yet Zhengguo was a husband controlled by his wife. If Qing Zhong told him to go east, he wouldn’t dare go west. If she told him to chase chickens, he wouldn’t dare hit a dog.

This dynamic created the original owner’s unruly temperament. Of course, the blame couldn’t be placed entirely on Qing Zhong.

In the early days of the company, Zhengguo and Qing Zhong devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the business, leaving very little time to accompany the original owner.

They spoiled him, but with a sense of guilt.

“Son, have you eaten?”

“Yes, Mom. Have you eaten?”

Qing Zhong’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she beamed happily, turning to flaunt.

“Hey, husband, did you see that? Our son is caring about me.”

“I saw it. My wife’s charm hasn’t faded at all; everyone thinks about her.”

Zhengguo’s tone was tinged with jealousy. He had taken care of the kid at home for so many days, yet the brat hadn’t shown him a shred of concern.

Upon entering, Zhengguo paused. Except for a few garbage bags beside the overflowing trash bin, the house was genuinely clean.

Could it be that the brat was actually studying?

The next moment, Zhengguo dismissed his own hopeful fantasy.

As the saying goes, a leopard can’t change its spots. If that brat could study, even a boar could give birth to piglets.

Changyuan eagerly approached Qing Zhong from behind, placing his hands on her shoulders to massage.

“Mom, I’ve been a bit short on pocket money lately…”

“You’ve spent fifty thousand in less than half a month?!”

Zhengguo, who had just sat down, sprang up with a start, instinctively pulling out a Seven Wolves cigarette, prompting Changyuan to instinctively shield his backside.

“I hired a top student from our school for tutoring. She asked for a high fee; what was I supposed to do?”

Changyuan was still a bit frustrated about this. He had thought Chen Xiang wouldn’t mention the tutoring fee, so he chose to forget about it.

Unexpectedly, when she left, Chen Xiang opened her delicate hand and, with a sharp tone, demanded, “Young Master Jiang, where’s my twentyfold tutoring fee?”

The tutoring fee was three thousand, and only half had been paid. With just over thirty thousand left in his pocket, he had no choice but to turn to Mom for emergency help.

As for Dad?

Not only would Dad refuse, but he’d also add some punishment.

Qing Zhong raised an eyebrow. A woman’s intuition told her her son was different from before.

She gave Zhengguo a look, signaling him to stay quiet and listen to their son first.

“The tutoring fee outside wouldn’t cost more than a few thousand. Son, were you scammed?”

“No, I wasn’t. It’s mainly because there are too many of us…”

Then Changyuan spilled the whole story about all his friends wanting to study together, except he didn’t mention the war with Gu Qing.

At three thousand per person, twenty times that amount was actually quite a bargain.

After hearing this, Qing Zhong and Zhengguo exchanged glances, each seeing horror reflected in the other’s eyes.

Their son… was actually going to study?

Qing Zhong touched Changyuan’s forehead—not with relief or joy, but with worry.

“Son, are you in some kind of trouble?”

“Husband, maybe we should take our son to the hospital tomorrow?”

Despite their indulgence, both Qing Zhong and Zhengguo shared the same view about their son’s sudden change.

Pigs won’t climb trees, and their son couldn’t possibly study on his own!

Changyuan impatiently pulled down his mother’s hand, speechless at his father opening the door for his mother, and his mother now being home.

All he wanted was to be a quiet and diligent young man. Why was it so difficult?

“Mom! I promise you, if I don’t get into university, I’ll take your surname.”

“You little brat, itchy butt, huh?”

Zhengguo slapped the Seven Wolves cigarette in his hand, lamenting how such a troublemaker had emerged from the Jiang family.

Even if he took his mother’s surname, it was unacceptable. After all, he was his only son—the sole heir.

Changyuan’s serious expression stirred something in Qing Zhong’s heart. Though her son often caused chaos, he wouldn’t joke about this.

“You step aside.”

Qing Zhong pushed Zhengguo away and looked seriously at Changyuan.

“Son, tell Mom, why did you suddenly decide to study?”

“Look at the question you’re asking, Mom. Our family’s vast business empire will have to be inherited by me in the future.”

“When I was younger, I could fool around. But if I keep slacking off, won’t I ruin the family business? Then how can I continue enjoying the rich life?”

Changyuan’s confident words made the couple gulp, yet… they felt a glimmer of hope.

The reason was ridiculous, but it was at least a decent excuse.

They just didn’t know how sincere their son’s newfound zeal was.

“Alright, Mom supports you. Here’s this card; if it’s not enough, come to me again.”

“Thank you, Mom! I love you the most.”

Changyuan took the card excitedly and went off to throw out the trash, while Zhengguo sat down with a worried frown.

“Just spoil him. In a few days, he’ll start causing trouble again. Who knows? This might just be an excuse.”

“Whether it’s an excuse or not, why don’t we wait and see? Besides, since our son wants to study seriously, shouldn’t we support him as parents?”

Zhengguo was silenced by her retort. He had wished countless times that his son would straighten up—not just to save face, but to ease his own anxiety.

Yet what greeted him were countless disappointments, and despair only held back by their unbreakable blood ties.

When Changyuan returned to wash up and sleep, the couple sneaked into the private theater. Seeing the scattered chairs and piles of study materials, they stood shocked in place.

After a long while, they quietly returned to the bedroom.

“Husband, tomorrow you should hire a part-time helper to cook dinner for our son and his classmates.”

“Mm, takeout isn’t healthy. We should hire a few more.”

Whether Changyuan was truly improving or just putting on a show to get pocket money, the couple decided to support him all the way.

What if—

What if their son really turned over a new leaf?

Meanwhile, the Jiang household enjoyed peaceful days, but the rumors about Changyuan and Chen Xiang were spiraling out of control.