Who Wouldn't Want to Be a Wealthy Stepparent? - Chapter 14

Cheng Leyan watched with his own eyes as that crystal-clear tear meandered its way down into Rong Wangzhi’s clothes.

His mood was bizarre: it felt as if he were watching a hundred-yuan bill slip away into the man’s shirt.

The visual was eerie.

Why does this boss always trigger such strange physical reactions after getting “made up”?

And the path that tear took… isn’t that a bit of a violation of the laws of physics?

419: Violating physics? Not really. My previous hosts always cried like that. They also had fan-like eyelashes and lips that begged to be kissed.

Gosh, the more it spoke, the more the system suspected a former colleague from the R-18 department was at work here, even if the person didn’t look the part.

Cheng Leyan felt thirsty and went to get some water, then brought a hot towel for Mrs. Rong, who had just finished her crying session.

Mrs. Rong wiped her face, her emotions stabilizing slightly. She asked urgently, “Shedding tears is a good sign, right? Does it mean Wangzhi can actually hear us?”

Cheng Leyan replied, “Mom, to be honest, many people in a vegetative state have these reactions. Some even scratch themselves. Some who wake up describe being able to hear their relatives’ voices. But whether he wakes up, or when, remains an unknown.”

Mrs. Rong murmured, “True.”

She was naturally strong-willed and recovered quickly. She first called for medical staff to come and check on him, then watched the surveillance footage with Cheng Leyan. It was the same situation as before: the screen went black for ten seconds, and after that, Cheng Leyan was seen shouting in shock.

Cheng Leyan picked up a makeup remover wipe, intending to clean off Rong Wangzhi’s eye makeup. However, even after scrubbing for ages, the eyeliner, eyeshadow, and tear bags remained as if they were welded to his face, completely unmoving.

The whole thing was incredibly surreal.

Cheng Leyan said with a solemn expression, “Mom, Mr. Rong must be haunted by a specific brand of ghost. Like a MAC ghost, a Mao Geping ghost, or a 3CE ghost! By the way, did you call Master Liu?”

Mrs. Rong: “I did. Master Liu is currently practicing ‘Silent Zen.’ He only gave one piece of commentary: ‘All phenomena are illusory.'”

Cheng Leyan was blank: “What does that mean?”

Mrs. Rong replied calmly, “I don’t know either. But we don’t need to understand. Since he gave a commentary, it means it’s not a major problem. If it were serious, Master Liu would have told us to pay to break the curse.”

Cheng Leyan felt a sense of awe: This master is so pure and unpretentious.

But seeing Mrs. Rong so calm allowed Cheng Leyan to relax a bit as well.

Mrs. Rong turned her gaze toward Zhuozhuo.

Since Auntie Zhang went to jail, Zhuozhuo’s appetite at home had risen steadily. In just this short time, the toddler’s cheeks had become chubby and rounded. Previously, he always looked timid and wanted to shrink into a ball when facing others, but now he was much more open.

Most importantly, there was light in his eyes.

Seeing Zhuozhuo improve bit by bit, Mrs. Rong’s eyes filled with tears of joy. She suppressed the urge to hug the child and said seriously, “Cheng Leyan, you’ve taken excellent care of Zhuozhuo. I thank you on behalf of Wangzhi.”

Cheng Leyan smiled, “Mom, don’t be so polite; it’s my job. You have no idea—Zhuozhuo’s vocabulary is already over 1,500 words. Our Zhuozhuo is a little genius!”

Zhuozhuo couldn’t help but puff out his little chest.

Mrs. Rong smiled from ear to ear. “Yes, our Zhuozhuo is a little genius.”

The conversation eventually drifted to Rong Wangzhi: “Oh, our Wangzhi was very smart too. He could recite over a dozen poems by the time he was two. And he was so sensible as a child. Once when I was sick, he refused to go to kindergarten, insisting on staying to take care of me…”

She began to talk incessantly, recounting his childhood like cherished treasures.

Rong Wangzhi, in his coma, felt a slight stir in his heart.

Ms. Zheng had never spoken of these past trivialities in front of him.

He mostly felt respect for his mother; they weren’t particularly close in daily life, usually communicating through his assistant sending her jewelry. His personality was closed off and indifferent, while Ms. Zheng was fiery and energetic. Mother and son had seemingly never truly entered each other’s hearts.

It felt as though, until this moment, a stone had finally been thrown into the middle of the long-stagnant lake of their relationship.

Ms. Zheng was speaking with excitement while Cheng Leyan acted as her hype-man, not forgetting to chip in with details about Zhuozhuo. Finally, Ms. Zheng was beaming: “This is genetics! Our Zhuozhuo is exactly like Wangzhi was!”

Rong Wangzhi: …Thank you, but there is no such thing as non-biological hereditary traits.

However, knowing he had become a vegetable, his biggest worry was Zhuozhuo. Hearing that everything with the boy was improving, Rong Wangzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

On this point, he was truly grateful to Cheng Leyan.

If the day ever came when he really woke up, a divorce was a must, but he would definitely compensate Cheng Leyan with a massive sum of money as thanks for taking care of Zhuozhuo.

By the way, who is still tapping that electronic wooden fish?

Is it Cheng Leyan?

So annoying.

Stop it.

I’ll pay you to stop.

The next second, Mrs. Rong: “Oh, what is Zhuozhuo tapping? An electronic wooden fish? Does it work? Here, let me tap it for my son too.”

Cheng Leyan: “Yes, exactly! One tap to cure all ills, two taps for happiness, three taps for family peace!”

Mrs. Rong: Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.

Tapping with all her might.

Rong Wangzhi: …Why do you three look so much like a family!

Why am I the one who doesn’t fit in!

The group was playing as if they were in a game of “Taiko no Tatsujin,” actually finding joy in it.

Amidst the laughter, Butler Li knocked on the door and said, “Madam, Eldest Young Madam, the mother of that tutor you fired, Xiang Jinglin, is here.”

Zhuozhuo, who was just laughing, reflexively shrank back at the mention of the name “Xiang Jinglin.”

Cheng Leyan simply picked him up. “How did she get in?” Security here was very tight.

Butler Li: “A family in the neighborhood is looking for a nanny. she applied and came in under the guise of an interview. I suspect her resume is fake.”

Cheng Leyan: “Wow, she really put all her brainpower into this! What does she want?”

Mrs. Rong also knew about Xiang Jinglin’s situation, her brows furrowing. “How dare she come here!?”

Butler Li looked troubled. “The old lady is downstairs, claiming she wants justice for her son and wants his previous salary back. Madam, the main issue is that she looks quite elderly and keeps talking about her high blood pressure and heart condition. The security and property management are here, but no one dares to touch her.”

Cheng Leyan understood instantly. “Using that tactic, huh. Fine, I’ll go meet her. Baby, you stay upstairs, don’t come down.”

Zhuozhuo, however, grabbed Cheng Leyan’s hand and shook it insistently.

He wanted to go. He couldn’t shrink back now and let his step-father protect him forever. He hoped to be able to protect his step-father one day.

He was a tin man; he had to protect his step-father.

Cheng Leyan said brightly, “Fine then, let’s all go. Caregiver, come push the wheelchair. Bring Mr. Rong down too.”

Mrs. Rong was puzzled. “What are we bringing Wangzhi down for?”

Rong Wangzhi was also confused. He was a vegetable what use could he possibly be in this situation?

Then he heard Cheng Leyan say, “In case that old lady flops onto the ground to extort us, we’ll use Mr. Rong! We’ll just place Mr. Rong on the ground to counter-extort her. Only a vegetable has the power to fight an old lady in a floor-flopping contest.”

Mrs. Rong: “…”

Rong Wangzhi: “…”

Rong Wangzhi: You’re dreaming. There’s no way Ms. Zheng would let you do that. I’m her flesh and blood.

The next second, Mrs. Rong: “Quick, quick! Push Wangzhi out! Let’s go together! If that old lady tries to pull something, we’ll put Wangzhi in front and see who dares to make a move!”

Rong Wangzhi: “…”

Today, his eyes were truly opened to a new side of his mother.

Rong Wangzhi was in disbelief, but it didn’t stop the others from efficiently putting him in a wheelchair and heading downstairs in a grand procession.

At the villa entrance, a white-haired, wrinkled old lady was sitting on the ground.

Last time, Cheng Leyan was so disgusted by Xiang Jinglin’s abuse of the toddler that he didn’t want to let it go. He had posted the recording to the BBS of Xiang Jinglin’s university.

He didn’t name names, but it was quickly decoded. The rich girl Xiang Jinglin was pursuing blocked him immediately. Months of effort went down the drain, and his dream of marrying into wealth was shattered.

Xiang Jinglin was furious, so Mrs. Xiang stepped in, saying they had to get the money back.

Now, the old lady was slapping her thighs and wailing at the top of her lungs, “Scammers! They tricked my son into working for free for a month! So rich and yet such scammers! Having so much money and being so immoral!”

This was a high-end neighborhood; the residents were either rich or powerful. Neighbors were already starting to peer over curiously.

Mrs. Rong’s face burned with embarrassment. “What are you howling for? Is what your son did even human!? Bullying a child—he’s worse than a beast! Butler Li, play the recording of her son!”

The old lady didn’t care at all. “It’s all fake! You made it up to trick people! My son didn’t do it! You’re framing my son! My son worked here for two months—why won’t you pay his salary? Why? Even if I take this to the central government, I’m in the right!”

She then began pulling her hair and rolling around on the ground, wailing about “bullying” and “rich people oppressing a poor widow and orphan” and “working without getting paid.”

Mrs. Rong came from a distinguished background and had lived a pampered life for years. She had truly never seen this kind of shameless, play-dumb, “sticky” behavior. She was stunned: “What are you doing? Get up, you…”

There was no way the old lady was getting up. She even rolled toward Mrs. Rong, trying to grab her skirt.

Cheng Leyan handed Zhuozhuo to Butler Li and reached out to shield Mrs. Rong behind him.

419 was getting angry too: Host, Host! What do we do?!

Cheng Leyan: Don’t worry, I have experience.

419: Huh? What kind of related job did you have for this?

Cheng Leyan: I once worked at a supermarket, specifically in charge of giving out free eggs to the elderly. Watch me perform.

He pulled out his phone, aimed the camera at the rolling old lady, and instantly changed his vibe, shouting joyfully: “Oh, the livestream is live! Welcome to the stream, babies! Please use your lucky hands to give the host some free likes. Follow the host so you don’t get lost; this is the first step of our destiny.

“A baby asked what we’re streaming today? Today, babies, the host is streaming this old lady. Look at this rolling and tantrum-throwing. She’s doing such a good job!”

Mrs. Xiang never expected Cheng Leyan to start a livestream!

And of her!

The old lady nearly fainted from rage.

She stared at Cheng Leyan viciously. “You’re doing this on purpose to spite me, aren’t you?”

She then decisively flopped flat on the ground, closed her eyes, and started moaning, “Oh, my heart hurts! I can’t breathe! Someone call an ambulance! I’m going to die here today!”

Cheng Leyan: “Extorting me, huh? I have surveillance here, and I didn’t touch you.”

The old lady ignored him, just howling about her chest pain.

So she really went with that move.

Cheng Leyan first told Butler Li to call the police, then shot a look at Mrs. Rong and shouted, “Husband!? What’s wrong, Husband?? Are you feeling unwell too?”

Mrs. Rong gritted her teeth and made a decision: Fine!! I’m sacrificing my son! Wangzhi, it’s your turn!

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