This left Sheng Xinhao feeling extremely anxious.
Truth be told, Sheng Xinhao wasn’t absolutely fixated on securing his position, but he did feel compelled to ensure the Sheng family’s continued prosperity.
The only one who could sustain the Sheng family’s success was the eldest son, Sheng Zexi.
Yet, that boy treated him like an enemy. Despite being father and son, they had never even managed to sit down and have a proper conversation.
Over the past two years, under the constant scolding of the elderly Sang couple, Sheng Xinhao had gradually come to realize that he might have made some mistakes.
But to swallow his pride and apologize to his own son—a junior—was something he truly couldn’t bring himself to do.
He had always believed that the choices he made for Sheng Zexi were undoubtedly the right ones.
And that rebellious boy, so defiant, so opposed to him—acting recklessly, he would surely regret it someday.
Like the matter of which military district to enlist in, or the issue of marriage…
But as it turned out, the one who had been wrong was him.
Now, Sheng Xinhao frequently visited the Sang family.
He hoped the Sang elders could put in a good word for him in front of Sheng Zexi.
So, even if every visit ended with him being berated, he kept coming.
This morning, catching the scent of medicine wafting from the kitchen again, Sheng Xinhao grew restless and stepped out.
Familiar with the route, he soon arrived at the Sang residence.
Yet, to his surprise, after knocking and pushing the door open, he looked up to see a little boy, no older than three, who looked exactly like his eldest son, Sheng Zexi, had at that age.
No one could fathom the emotions that surged through Sheng Xinhao in that moment.
Xingxing frowned slightly as he studied the man before him.
Sheng Xinhao thought: The resemblance is uncanny.
Xingxing stared at the man and asked, “Do you know my dad?”
Sheng Xinhao: !!!
What had the boy just said?
Oh—he had just mentioned Zexi… and this child said Zexi was his father?
So, this was his eldest son’s child?
Right, he remembered—back then, when that woman came to the capital to pay respects to Awan, her belly had been very large. Calculating the time, the child would indeed be around this age.
A child appearing in the Sang household, looking so much like his eldest son—who else could it be but his grandson?
Wait.
He recalled his eldest son mentioning back then that his daughter-in-law was pregnant with twins.
So…
Just then, another sweet, childish voice chimed in.
“Brother, who is it?”
Yueyue had set down her toy doll and toddled over on her short legs.
Xingxing shielded Yueyue behind him and looked up at Sheng Xinhao. “Who are you? What do you want?”
Sheng Xinhao’s eyes fell on another little girl, the same age as the boy, and everything clicked.
So, his daughter-in-law had been carrying a pair of twins back then—a boy and a girl?
Dragon-phoenix twins—that was incredibly auspicious!
Though Sheng Xinhao wasn’t particularly superstitious, even he knew dragon-phoenix twins were a rare blessing.
And these two little ones were simply adorable.
Not only were they exceptionally good-looking, but they also radiated intelligence and liveliness.
They were his grandchildren—the future of the Sheng family!
Sheng Xinhao’s heart instantly softened.
Kneeling slowly in front of Xingxing and Yueyue, his voice grew gentle. “Sheng Zexi is my son. If you’re his children, then you’re my grandchildren. I’m your grandpa.”
“By the way, what are your names? When did you arrive in the capital?”
His grandchildren had come to the capital, and he hadn’t even known.
If he had known they were coming, he would have prepared gifts for them.
He had no idea what they liked.
Sheng Xinhao’s emotions surged instantly, and his eyes reddened as he looked at Xingxing and Yueyue.
At that moment, Xingxing and Yueyue seemed to recall something simultaneously.
Yueyue was the first to exclaim in realization, “Oh, so you’re that bad grandpa!”
“It’s you! The one who doesn’t like Mom and abandoned Dad!”
Xingxing and Yueyue were precocious, so they knew that besides having maternal grandparents, children also had paternal grandparents.
Their maternal grandparents, Yao Chunhua and Grandpa Gu, were very kind to them.
So, back then, Xingxing and Yueyue had wondered—where were their paternal grandparents?
The two little ones had asked several people about it.
First, they asked their dad, since grandpa and grandma were his parents.
“Your grandma has already passed away,” Sheng Zexi had said. Knowing his children were sharp, he didn’t avoid topics like life and death with them.
“When we go to the capital later, I’ll take you to pay respects to her.”
And just a few days ago, their great-grandmother had indeed taken them to visit their grandma’s grave.
“As for your grandpa…” When it came to this person, Sheng Zexi’s face turned cold.
“You don’t have a grandpa. Your grandpa abandoned me and doesn’t like your mom, so you don’t have one.”
This was later confirmed by their great-grandparents.
“Your grandpa? He’s a muddle-headed fool. After your real grandma passed, he remarried, and then he treated your dad poorly and disliked your mom. So, just pretend he doesn’t exist.”
Xingxing and Yueyue had also asked their mother, Gu Jianing.
At the time, Gu Jianing had said:
“There’s no rule saying everyone has to like everyone else.”
“In this world, it’s impossible to be liked by everyone.”
“Some people like me, and some don’t.”
“But whether someone likes me or not doesn’t affect my life.”
“As long as we’re living well ourselves, that’s what matters.”
“If Grandpa doesn’t like me, then I don’t like him either.”
Back then, Xingxing and Yueyue had thought: Their mom was so wonderful, and so many people loved her.
Yet their grandpa didn’t like her?
Then clearly, the problem wasn’t with Mom.
And Dad…
Sure, Dad could be strict with them sometimes, but most of the time, he was good to them—everything he did was for their sake.
So, Dad wasn’t the problem either.
That meant the problem had to be Grandpa.
Without needing to discuss it, Xingxing and Yueyue concluded: He was a bad grandpa.
Once they knew he was bad, they stopped looking for him.
But now, to their surprise, the bad grandpa had come knocking on their door.
The moment they realized who he was, Xingxing and Yueyue immediately went on guard, their big eyes filled with wariness.
Bad grandpa?
Sheng Xinhao had never expected this. After introducing himself, he had hoped the children would rush into his arms joyfully and call him “Grandpa” sweetly.
Instead, he was met with “bad grandpa” and the unmistakable wariness in their eyes.
To be honest, in that instant, Sheng Xinhao was deeply hurt.
His heart shattered into pieces.
“Did your dad say that? That I’m bad?” he asked, a mix of anger and grievance in his voice.
So, in his eldest son’s heart… he was the villain?
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