Ch 11: Rebirth of the Tool Man in a Pampered Protagonist Novel

That is an extremely handsome man.

His thick, black eyebrows are straight and distinct, and his black hair at the temples flies arrogantly. His sharp and deep eyes, along with a tall nose and superior height, give him a handsome and imposing appearance.

But what catches people’s attention the most is his demeanor. Whether it’s his perfectly pressed suit without a single wrinkle or his meticulously groomed hair, they all reveal the strict and austere nature of this handsome man, even though he appears to be only around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old.

This is Xie Zheng, not just a prominent figure in Jiang City’s upper-class circles, but someone recognized as a conservative and strict person by the entire upper-class society.

He is the head of the Xie family in Beijing, a figure who can cause a stir with a single stomping of his feet at the young age of twenty-eight. He is also the adoptive father of Xie Wenxu, his fiancé.

Perhaps someone might find it strange: how can a 28-year-old young man be the father of a 20-year-old youth? Isn’t that too exaggerated and illogical? Who in their right mind would adopt such a grown-up son?

But if you know Xie Zheng’s story, the surprise would vanish.

Xie Zheng is indeed an exceptional man with a powerful family background. The descriptions of being wealthy, mature, and outstanding all apply to him. Many men and women in the upper-class society are infatuated with him.

However, in the end, not a single person is willing to marry him for real. Xie Zheng can only be admired from afar.

The reason is simple: Xie Zheng is a star of ill fortune…

It may sound superstitious, but that’s the truth. From childhood to adulthood, anyone who gets too close to Xie Zheng will experience various accidents and injuries within a short period of time. The level of disability is truly terrifying.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

As Xie Zheng grew up and began to engage in marriage arrangements, things became even more terrifying. He had four fiancées, and all four of them died in accidents shortly after the engagements!

Such shocking coincidences truly left no one doubting the terrifying notion of Xie Zheng being an ill-fated star.

From then on, those who wanted to curry favor with the Xie family quickly dismissed the idea. Even those who admired Xie Zheng were heartbroken, but they didn’t dare to risk their lives to gamble on whether they were lucky or not. Life is precious and should be cherished.

However, it’s unclear if it was due to these experiences, but Xie Zheng’s personality became extremely conservative and demanding.

He was meticulous in everything he did and showed no interest in external matters. All his energy and attention were focused on his work, making him the most outstanding head of the Xie family in generations.

There were people within the Xie family who opposed Xie Zheng becoming the head of the family due to his ill-fated star status. However, in the end, Xie Zheng dealt with them decisively, leaving those who didn’t agree no choice but to keep their grievances to themselves.

However, the Xie family worried that Xie Zheng might suddenly bring disaster upon himself and that without an heir, it would lead to internal conflicts within the family.

Therefore, they made a decision and adopted Xie Wenxu as his son from a collateral branch.

Although Xie Zheng didn’t pay much attention to his adopted son, Xie Wenxu held an extraordinary status in the upper-class society by virtue of being recognized as Xie Zheng’s “son.” He became the object of countless people’s flattery and admiration.

The Xie family and the Fang family were truly two different levels of existence.

The Xie family was the true aristocratic family.

Therefore, when Xie Wenxu expressed his liking for him and proposed their engagement, Fang Ziyang was caught between shock and delight. He thought that Xie Wenxu genuinely liked him, and his heart fell for him.

But later, he discovered that Xie Wenxu’s feelings were nothing but a huge joke!

And this Xie Zheng… He was the biggest supporter behind this joke.

Perhaps Xie Zheng didn’t do anything and was unaware of Xie Wenxu’s actions in private, but the power he bestowed upon Xie Wenxu was like a double-edged sword, enabling him to act recklessly. Despite his shrewdness, he couldn’t see the true nature of his own adopted son. To be so blind and oblivious made him an accomplice!

Fang Ziyang knew he shouldn’t direct his anger at Xie Zheng.

But he couldn’t truly separate the resentment because, without Xie Zheng’s power and indirectly turning a blind eye, how could Xie Wenxu have the ability to oppose him so relentlessly?

If it weren’t for Xie Zheng’s insistence on preserving the family’s reputation and prohibiting him from breaking off the engagement with Xie Wenxu, how could Xie Wenxu have come up with such sinister means to destroy him?

This is a case of not killing the innocent, yet the innocent dies because of you.

He wouldn’t seek revenge against Xie Zheng, but he also didn’t hold any favorable feelings towards him.

The engagement with Xie Wenxu had to be terminated. However, relying solely on Xie Wenxu’s resistance seemed unlikely. In front of Xie Zheng, Xie Wenxu was like a quail, a coward who didn’t dare to defy his adoptive father’s words. Xie Zheng’s authority was absolutely inviolable.

Therefore, he had to make his own efforts as well.

…

With these thoughts in mind, Fang Ziyang’s expression suddenly changed, and a joyful smile appeared on his face as he opened the car door and stepped out.

“Uncle Xie, what are you doing here?”

His expression was one of surprise, and his voice was filled with delight, like a teenager experiencing the budding of affection upon meeting someone very important.

But Xie Zheng is supposed to be a rigid and strict person, right? He will start from here. Fang Ziyang wanted to see how Xie Zheng would tolerate him, the “prospective daughter-in-law” who had feelings for his fiancé’s father.

The reputation of the Xie family in Jing City was not to be desecrated.

Fang Ziyang made an effort to display a shy and joyful demeanor of a young teenager, his eyes revealing hidden affection.

Stopping at a distance of half a meter from Xie Zheng, he appeared as if he wanted to get closer but cautiously refrained from doing so. His tone carried a sense of anticipation and nervousness.

“Uncle Xie, this is the way to my house. Did you… Did you come here specifically to see me?”

It was fortunate that he had a bold nature in his past life. Although he felt some fear towards Xie Zheng, considering him as Xie Wenxu’s adoptive father, despite the significant age difference for such a title, he treated him with respect and tried to please him as an elder.

Hence, his display of affectionate surprise now wasn’t too surprising. It was just a few extra attempts to make Xie Zheng aware of their “bond.”

And as expected.

The hidden “bond” in Fang Ziyang’s tone and demeanor might have been difficult for an ordinary person to perceive, but for Xie Zheng, he almost instantly sensed something unusual.

Xie Zheng’s brows subtly furrowed.

However, he didn’t answer Fang Ziyang’s question. Instead, he stared at Fang Ziyang with deep and sharp eyes, exuding an intimidating sternness that could make people feel uneasy. “I’ve seen your livestream.”

So what’s your point?

What’s the big deal about him seeing my livestream?

Fang Ziyang couldn’t immediately grasp the meaning behind Xie Zheng’s words.

In his previous life, Xie Zheng died quite early. After he and Xie Wenxu broke off their engagement, it wasn’t long before Xie Zheng had a car accident. Considering the time, he hadn’t seen Xie Zheng in almost 10 years. They didn’t spend much time together before.

So just with this sentence, Fang Ziyang didn’t immediately understand the implied meaning.

During this moment of confusion, Xie Zheng’s furrowed brows deepened, and his gaze towards Fang Ziyang became more scrutinizing and aggressively intrusive.

This intense aggression, even someone like Fang Ziyang who had experienced a lot, couldn’t help but feel immense pressure…

He inexplicably felt an urge to escape, but he forced himself to remain calm, wearing a youthful and timid expression, as if he had done something wrong but didn’t know what it was.

“Uncle Xie, did I say something wrong during my livestream? Is that why you came to find me… to reprimand me?”

He didn’t finish his sentence, but the meaning was definitely understood.

Fang Ziyang’s face was filled with unease, but his demeanor seemed more like he was extremely afraid of being scolded by the person in front of him. The hidden affection in his eyes seemed to have leaked out unintentionally due to this sudden tension, making it hard to ignore.

This display would make any man believe that the young man before him seemed to admire him.

However, Xie Zheng didn’t have any particular reaction. He didn’t seem moved in the slightest by the realization that his adopted son’s fiancé might have other feelings towards him. It was as if it didn’t concern him at all.

But his overall demeanor seemed to have become more serious and stern, his sharp black eyes seemingly capable of seeing through everything.

“Put away your tricks and don’t play games in front of me,” he said, his voice colder.

Splash.

Fang Ziyang felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, instantly stiffening his body.

However, Xie Zheng seemed as if he hadn’t noticed, his deep voice continuing, “I won’t bother with your livestream anymore, and I won’t interfere in whatever conflicts you and Xie Wenxu have. But I need to tell you something: as the fiancé of the Xie family, you need to be mindful of your words and actions. You represent not only the Fang family but also the face of the Xie family.”

After finishing his words, Xie Zheng signaled his secretary to hand over a business card, his expression serious. “I didn’t come here today to scold you. If Xie Wenxu fails to handle the trending video issue promptly, I will punish him. But as the fiancé of the Xie family, you need to have the awareness of a member of the Xie family.”

“On the business card is the contact information of my personal assistant. If you encounter any similar situations in the future that your father can’t handle, call Assistant Li. He will handle any emergencies without you needing to personally intervene.”

For someone as conservative and strict as Xie Zheng, nothing is more important than the family’s reputation.

He doesn’t care about the character of his adopted son’s fiancé or the emotional entanglements between them.

While Fang Ziyang’s tactics to turn the tables in his livestream were sharp and decisive, engaging in public conflicts with others is considered a cheap behavior in the eyes of the aristocratic families. The upper class simply needs to give orders, and things will be taken care of.

Xie Zheng has never been one to meddle in his adopted son’s affairs, but this trending video incident has brought shame to the Xie family as well.

Since Xie Wenxu failed to handle the matter with his fiancé properly, Xie Zheng, in his nominal role as the “father,” had to make time to personally intervene. After all, it concerns the reputation of the Xie family, and no matter how annoyed he may be, he has to take it seriously.

However, given Xie Zheng’s personality, it is absolutely impossible for him to act like a patient and gentle elder teaching his younger generation to improve. He has only come personally to make a statement and let Fang Ziyang understand one thing.

As the future member of the Xie family, Fang Ziyang can expect support from the Xie family, including teaching and punishing Xie Wenxu for his failure to assist his fiancé in this situation.

However, at the same time, Fang Ziyang must be careful with his words and actions to avoid further tarnishing the reputation of the Xie family.

Calm and rational.

That’s who Xie Zheng is.

Attempting to deceive someone like him is indeed futile, as he sees through everything.

But if Xie Zheng is truly so capable, why didn’t he see through the things Xie Wenxu did to him in their past life? Why didn’t he step forward and defend himself? Why didn’t he protect the reputation of the Xie family back then?

It’s ironic that he appears now, revealing himself to be such a hypocrite.

Suddenly, Fang Ziyang smiled. The innocent and youthful expression he had just moments ago disappeared, replaced by a seductive and dangerous smile, akin to that of a poppy flower.

The clear eyes that once held a ripple of unsettling emotions now seemed to carry a captivating charm, as the corners of Fang Ziyang’s lips curved into an indescribable allure. Yet deep within his eyes remained an unshakeable coldness.

“So, Uncle Xie, are you saying that I have brought shame to the Xie family? If that’s the case, why don’t you take charge and annul the engagement between me and Xie Wenxu? After all, Ziyang has a bad temper, and who knows when he might bring further disgrace to the Xie family in the future.”

His voice was calm, with a hint of detachment.

Xie Zheng’s stern expression suddenly grew serious at Fang Ziyang’s words, clearly showing his displeasure.

The Xie family’s engagement was not to be taken lightly.

However, Fang Ziyang obviously didn’t expect an answer from him.

Seeing the man’s expression, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of disdain. At only 28 years old, did he really think he was some wise elder sitting on a high pedestal? Always appearing serious and old-fashioned, as if he were immune to facial paralysis, pretending to be solemn and righteous.

The Xie family’s engagement couldn’t be annulled just because he said so. Who gave him the right?

Today, he would make these people understand what it meant to provoke someone with a fiery temperament. He would throw the reputation of the Xie family into the mud and trample on it!

Fang Ziyang’s smile became provocative.

“It seems that Uncle Xie isn’t too pleased with my suggestion? Well, if that’s the case, don’t blame Ziyang for being too willful.”

As he finished speaking, Xie Zheng suddenly felt a gust of wind and found himself pushed against the body of the black Maybach. A pair of delicate, fair arms hooked around his neck, and moist, slippery lips made contact with his.

Xie Zheng, who had always remained unyielding in the face of any situation, finally had a change of expression. His entire body stiffened, and his eyes revealed a look of incredulity.

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