I Became the Rich Family’s Stepfather and Couldn’t Stop Laughing - Chapter 3

As he spoke, Xi Ling reached out and rested his hand on the railing, pointing from his high vantage point toward Nanny Tian’s right hand, which was adorned with a large gold ring.

The large gold ring was a brilliant yellow, the style was old-fashioned, and it was so exaggeratedly large that it looked like a heavy golden thumb ring, worth at least ten thousand yuan.

However, it wasn’t something that a wealthy family’s steward like Nanny Tian couldn’t afford. Moreover, the style wasn’t the kind Xi Ling would have chosen for her. The tall male police officer frowned slightly.

The female police officer, a step behind, hesitated and looked up to confirm with Xi Ling: “Is this gold ring yours?”

When she saw the face of the person upstairs, the female officer’s voice faltered. She had been wondering why so many reporters and paparazzi were circling the perimeter of the manor; so, this was Xi Ling’s home! However, what surprised her wasn’t just that.

She was usually busy with work and didn’t know much about the entertainment industry, unless it was someone like Xi Ling who had “gone viral.” Her best friend had sent her a compilation clip of Xi Ling’s “crashes” in a gossip thread yesterday.

She clearly remembered that although the little celebrity in the video had a decent figure, his face had been so greasy that he looked just like Zhu Ganglie (Pigsy). She never expected that after “removing the grease,” Xi Ling would look this good. What happened to the “puffy steamed bun” she was promised?

If it weren’t for his loud, colorful clothing style, which was too striking and unique, she almost wouldn’t have recognized him.

The difference before and after Xi Ling removed his makeup was too great. The female officer couldn’t help but be distracted for a moment, but she was immediately interrupted by Nanny Tian’s shrill denial.

“Don’t you dare frame me! This was a gift of filial piety from my daughter-in-law!” Nanny Tian said, covering her right hand as she spoke, while surreptitiously unfastening the bracelet on her sleeve, inwardly filled with regret.

Actually, at the very beginning, she hadn’t dared to wear the jewelry Xi Ling gifted her. After all, those transactions couldn’t see the light of day, and she was afraid of gossip causing unnecessary trouble.

But as time went on, with her holding all the power in the manor, her courage had gradually grown.

Another part of the reason was that all of Xi Ling’s spending was audited by a dedicated person. The safest way for him to “reward” her was to casually buy luxury items and give them to her. Nanny Tian found it difficult to offload these items too quickly, but seeing them piled up made her itch with desire, so she started wearing the less conspicuous ones.

Fortunately, she was only wearing one bracelet today. Taking advantage of the fact that both police officers were staring at Xi Ling and the child, Nanny Tian pretended to scratch an itch and raised her hand, dropping the bracelet into her underwear. She figured they wouldn’t dare to strip her naked to search her.

As for the other things she had fished out from “Xi Ling,” they had long been properly stashed away. Their transactions were meant to be kept from prying eyes, so it was impossible for any other evidence to remain.

Thinking of this, Nanny Tian’s tense nerves instantly calmed down.

She picked up her teacup and took a sip again, waiting until Xi Ling had walked right up to her before setting it down slowly: “Reporting to the police to arrest someone requires evidence. How does Madam intend to frame an old woman like me?”

Xi Ling looked at the old face, which was written full of confidence, and wanted to slap her twice, first left and then right. But clearly, a society ruled by law did not allow that.

He suppressed the fire in his heart and, according to what he had thought of earlier, spoke toward the body-worn camera on the male officer’s chest: “Let’s take it one item at a time.”

Xi Ling asked the nanny to show the police the pinch marks on the child’s waist. As expected, Nanny Tian used “being startled and slipping” as an excuse the first chance she got.

The nanny then took out the photos she had taken earlier. Nanny Tian immediately reddened her eyes: “Heaven and Earth bear witness! This child was raised by my own hands, closer than my own grandson. How could I have the heart to make him fall and get hurt on purpose?!”

Nanny Tian clutched her chest, appearing heartbroken: “Young Master was born prematurely and has developmental delays. He is three years old and still speaks unclearly and can’t walk steadily. But the doctor said I must make him walk and practice more; otherwise, how could I have the heart to do it!”

Before she finished speaking, Nanny Tian was already shedding tears. Plus, she had a kind-looking face, making her appear exceptionally persuasive.

The police wanted to question Huo Xingmian, who was in the nanny’s arms, but the cub had already been frightened into a rigid state. He shrank tightly into the nanny’s arms, not daring to move, and was completely unable to cooperate. Nanny Tian caught a glimpse of this from the corner of her eye and felt even more triumphant.

There were some things she couldn’t guarantee, but regarding this “little waste” she had raised, she could easily manipulate him. Even if he wanted to say something, one glare from her would be enough to scare the little waste until he cried and fainted.

Little did she expect that Xi Ling had no intention of entangling himself too much in the child abuse charge; he also knew that it was impossible to pin a conviction on this old, cunning fox with just this.

Xi Ling cleared his throat and assumed the air of an superior from a television drama: “Stop with this crying and whining. Did I say you abused a child? Why are you jumping up and down like this—is there a ghost in your heart?”

Although Xi Ling’s attitude was a bit exaggerated, he successfully established the “vibe,” though the slightly Northeastern accent made the female officer’s jaw drop.

Had he removed a voice changer along with his makeup?

She clearly remembered that in the “crashed” video, “Xi Ling” had deliberately used a bubbly, nasal voice, paired with his greasy face and hair, making him look greasy all over.

In reality, Xi Ling listened to his Northeastern coworkers say “Ling-za” every single day and had been subtly influenced without realizing it. He had always felt his Mandarin was very standard.

Xi Ling continued: “As a nanny specifically hired to take care of the child, you ended up causing the child to be covered in injuries. That is truly a dereliction of duty…”

Before Xi Ling could finish, Nanny Tian shouted: “I am a person from the main manor; you have no right to fire me!”

“Your salary comes from the manor’s accounts. I can’t fire you? Even if you were sent from the main manor, you can’t either. I ask the two police officers to help testify to how derelict Nanny Tian has been in her duties. This is the first thing.” Xi Ling said, holding up a finger.

The original owner had “passed away,” and he had transmigrated here, so he naturally had to turn over a new leaf. Even if he could send this old hag to prison, he had to make a clean break first.

Although there was no solid evidence of child abuse, he had to pin the charge of dereliction and neglect on her to prevent the main manor or his “cheap” husband from making noise about it later.

Nanny Tian’s eyes nearly popped out of her head at his words.

Not only because she couldn’t continue to make money, but also because she would be able to retire in another five years. The Huo family’s benefits were excellent, especially for someone like her who had worked for the Huo family her whole life the pension was over ten thousand, and lifelong medical treatment under the Huo Group was free…

Nanny Tian’s heart ached at the thought of the generous benefits she had lost. But then she thought about the luxury jewelry worth millions she had already fished from “Xi Ling,” and felt it wasn’t a total loss. Afraid that she would trigger a heart attack, Nanny Tian immediately comforted herself.

Little did she expect Xi Ling to hold up another finger and continue: “Second, I need you to make a trip to the Yun Gui Li Du residential complex. There is a house there under the name of Nanny Tian’s grandson. Someone secretly told me that Nanny Tian hid the stolen goods there.”

Nanny Tian had hidden it so tightly that even her daughter-in-law didn’t know she had bought a small house in her grandson’s name; her excuse to her son was that she was saving up her savings to buy a school-district house for the child… At these words, she was terrified. Before she could deny it, she clutched her chest in extreme pain and collapsed onto the floor.

Xi Ling watched coldly from the sidelines. He felt not a shred of sympathy for Nanny Tian, who was having a heart attack. What does a goose say? Deserved!

As for who the person who “secretly told” him was sorry, that’s inconvenient to disclose. He, Xi Ling, was just a wealthy victim who accidentally discovered the true face of his old servant.

After a period of chaos in the manor, the police took Nanny Tian, who had suffered a sudden illness, to the hospital, while also launching an investigation into the address provided by Xi Ling.

Originally, Xi Ling and the cub needed to go to the police station to record their statements, but since neither Xi Ling nor the cub had eaten, and the flowers of the motherland couldn’t go hungry, he negotiated with the police to eat first and let the traumatized cub recover a bit before going.

The nannies in the manor who had contact with Nanny Tian also had to go to the police station in batches to record statements. However, Xi Ling wasn’t worried at all; after all, Nanny Tian’s two “brushes” had been used to hoodwink people.

The nannies only knew Nanny Tian had been favored before, but weren’t clear on how many rewards the original owner had gifted her in private. It was a transaction known only to the two of them; as long as Xi Ling denied it flatly, Nanny Tian would be a confirmed thief the kind who stole a massive amount, starting at three years and capping at ten.

Once the police left, Xi Ling lifted his robes and ran to the dining room. His stomach was hungry and impatient!

Before running off, he didn’t forget to call the cub: “Take the child with you to eat.”

The nanny holding the cub behind him had a dreamlike expression. Even though the police had come and gone, and they would all have to go record their statements that afternoon, Auntie Bai still felt it was a bit surreal. Had this vicious male Madam really turned over a new leaf?

And the cub in her arms buried his little head deep in her embrace, his small brows furrowing tightly in a place where no one could see.

The chefs were very sensible. Upon learning that Xi Ling wanted to eat Nanny Tian’s lunch, they made an emergency batch of another portion, which perfectly made up for the drawback of high-end cuisine being plentiful but in small quantities.

Putting the two together was just enough for Xi Ling and the cub to eat together.

Xi Ling had a hearty meal and felt almost like he was in heaven. If it weren’t for the nannies and the cub on the scene, he would have run wild in the manor to let off steam.

What excited him wasn’t the meal, but that he, Xi Ling, would get to live this wealthy life of rolling in piles of money from now on.

“Awesome” just one word!

Woo-hoo~ Oh yeah~ Hehehehehe!

Xi Ling couldn’t help but let his lips fly up again. The cub, sitting opposite and chewing slowly, peeked over and saw the other person smiling until his teeth were visible.

His clean, white, and neat teeth were dazzling in the sunlight.

The stepfather… is he really that happy?

Huo Xingmian confirmed this point, but his heart didn’t relax in the slightest. He continued to chew every bite fifteen times before swallowing.

But what was different was that whether it was Wagyu beef, lobster, or squab, it was the first time he had tasted such deliciousness. The task of chewing fifteen times was no longer a painful torture.

Xi Ling was drinking freshly squeezed pomegranate juice to settle his stuffed stomach when the phone in his bathrobe pocket suddenly rang.

The cub sitting opposite was startled again, his head shrinking back immediately to hide in the nanny’s arms, like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring.

Xi Ling recalled that this cub had probably been handed to Nanny Tian the moment he was born, and every day he could remember had been lived under her abuse and torture. Even though he had transmigrated and wouldn’t continue the violence, the shadow of the past three years would likely linger for a long time.

Even a heart of stone couldn’t withstand such a pitiful cub. Xi Ling suddenly felt the top-tier ingredients he had just devoured weren’t so fragrant anymore. While taking out his phone, he mentally performed a set of military exercises on Nanny Tian.

The caller ID on the screen read “Fu Hao,” the original owner’s agent.

“Xi Ling, where have you gotten to? The final group of official photos for the parenting show is already being shot,” Fu Hao said with an air of intimacy and familiarity, “It’s time for you, our big-name headliner, to make your appearance.”

Although Xi Ling had only been in the circle for a year and a half, he was already Fu Hao’s ace artist one had to know that being “black-red” (notorious but famous) was also a form of fame.

Xi Ling’s negative traffic helped him promote other artists he managed, and his wealthy background provided a steady stream of profits. Facing such a rare “God of Wealth” (who was also a fool), he naturally had to coax him well.

Xi Ling frowned, recalling the parenting show the original owner had signed up for to try and clear his name.

However, after participating in the parenting show, the original owner not only failed to clear his name but received a basketful of abuse. The black trending search #XiLingGetOutOfEntertainmentCircle# hung there for over half a month, becoming a record-breaking negative “top-tier” star.

Huo Xingmian had nearly been blinded due to the negligence of the unscrupulous production team. Although he was sent abroad for treatment immediately, it still caused irreversible damage to Huo Xingmian’s vision.

Not to mention these terrible consequences, what Xi Ling couldn’t understand most was: he was so rich now, why did he still have to go work in the entertainment industry?

Was the Hästens mattress uncomfortable to sleep on, or was white truffle not enough to keep him full? There were so many ways to spend money, why go out of his way to get scolded? Xi Ling couldn’t understand it at all.

“I’m not going to the parenting show; help me cancel it,” Xi Ling said directly.

Fu Hao immediately figured it was because Xi Ling had lost a great deal of face on the program yesterday. Now, everyone knew that the wealthy marriage he had boasted about not only contained a three-year-old stepson, but his wealthy husband had even blocked his phone number.

However, Fu Hao didn’t care how embarrassing Xi Ling was. If he didn’t participate in the program, where would he fish for profits? Fu Hao was about to use reverse psychology: “The paparazzi are squatting at the manor gate waiting…”

Before he could finish, the phone was slammed shut.

Xi Ling lifted his eyebrows comfortably and immediately set the phone to silent mode.

The original owner had signed a thick stack of prenuptial agreements, which, while placing many restrictions on his marriage, were extremely clear about one thing: all expenses for “Xi Ling’s” food, clothing, housing, transportation, and career would be covered by the Huo family without limit.

Xi Ling felt he was a walking infinite black card, and his cheap husband was a human ATM. He had the qualifications to nip all troublesome matters in the bud.

He felt smug for a moment, then immediately turned his attention back to the pitiful cub: “Don’t be afraid, it was just a work call. Keep eating slowly.”

The little ball opposite him slowly gripped the small spoon, looked at Xi Ling timidly, and then lowered his head again, eating in small bites like a stray little milk cat that was fearful and defensive yet unable to resist the temptation of delicious food.

Xi Ling continued to slurp his sweet pomegranate juice while mentally sorting through the plot that had been forcefully crammed into his brain.

When he first arrived, the body being resurrected had left him feeling dizzy. His brain had been too busy with ecstatic joy to bother with anything else, but only after a hearty meal did his brain recover to normal functioning.

However, a plot of nearly a million words wasn’t so easy to sort out, and as a vicious cannon fodder who caused Huo Xingmian to blacken, his scenes were few and fragmented.

It wasn’t until the cub finished eating that Xi Ling flipped out another useful piece of information, mentioned in a flashback after Huo Xingmian blackened:

【Born motherless, later his father unexpectedly passed away on his birthday, turning his birthday into the anniversary of his death…】

Xi Ling’s heart tightened. The ATM he had just acquired was actually a limited-time item?

Xi Ling immediately searched his brain, and hard work pays off for the greedy; he finally found information related to his cheap husband’s will

Although Huo Xingmian wasn’t recognized by the Huo family and couldn’t get a share of the Huo family’s family trust fund or Huo family shares, his cheap husband wasn’t a playboy relying on ancestral property. He had his own business empire and countless private assets; all this money was to be inherited by his only son, Huo Xingmian.

As for the wealthy male spouse who had signed a prenuptial agreement, as a surviving spouse, he could only receive a support fee of five million yuan a year. If he remarried, he wouldn’t get a single cent.

But Huo Xingmian hadn’t reached the age of eighteen at that time and needed a guardian. Logically, the wealthy stepfather was undoubtedly the number one candidate, and the original owner could have continued his luxurious life. But Huo Xingmian had voluntarily chosen Nanny Tian, the nanny who had taken care of him since childhood.

The original owner was extremely dissatisfied, even causing a scene at the funeral hall and taking his anger out on Huo Xingmian, doing countless stupid things that were humiliating and caused him to be hated, which the young Huo Xingmian recorded deeply in his heart.

Xi Ling looked blank, scratched the back of his head, and slowly typed a question mark in his heart: Five million a year… is also called “only”?

Xi Ling was in the middle of this question while following the driver to the garage, with the nanny holding the cub behind him. The four of them were about to head to the police station to record their statements.

Before he could complain about the original owner being unsatisfied and greedy an annual salary of five million wasn’t enough… the elevator door in front of him dinged open.

The moment he stepped out of the elevator, Xi Ling was nearly dazzled by the brilliant supercars that stretched out of sight.

Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren, Bugatti Veyron… not a single one of the cheapest ones was under five million…

Ultraman and cars were the eternal original intention of most men, and Xi Ling was no exception.

Seeing a garage full of top-tier supercars, Xi Ling couldn’t move his feet, and his eyes became fixed, as if his soul had been hooked by an elf.

Originally, Xi Ling had planned to walk away from the plot and hide beautifully on a five-million-yuan annual salary after his “ATM” went to the dogs, but now he suddenly felt it was a pity.

Not for the luxury cars totaling hundreds of millions, but simply because he couldn’t bear to part with the child! Xi Ling thought with a thick skin.

He took a deep breath, walked forward, reached out his hand, which was trembling with excitement, and gently touched the heart-stopping, flowing arc of the car body.

Xi Ling gasped, drooling, and waved his hand broadly at the driver: “Install a child safety seat in the passenger seat of every single one.”

After saying this, he turned back to look at the cub in the nanny’s arms, his tone firm: “In the future, wherever there is a supercar for Dad to drive, there is a passenger seat for you to sit in. Even if we aren’t biological father and son, we can be closer than biological father and son!”

The cub was a bit sleepy, his head tilted slightly, looking especially dull and adorable, like a soul-less, exquisite doll.

He paused for a moment after hearing this, then blinked his watery, big eyes in confusion, appearing as if he didn’t understand at all.

It wasn’t until he buried his head back in the nanny’s arms that his dark, swirling pupils suddenly dimmed.

The stepfather seems to be having a new kind of insanity…

Not sure, let me keep watching.