Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  “No!” The old man was the first to object. After saying this, he coughed again.

  In the past, whenever he coughed, Xue Sheng would give in. However, today, Xue Sheng poured a cup of tea and passed it to him with a determined look.

  The old patriarch took a sip of tea and suppressed the itch in his throat. He then placed the teacup on the coffee table and sighed. “Son, I don’t have many years left to live. Can’t you guys split up after I go?”


  Xue Sheng said, “Dad, you also agree to let Xixi accompany Lu Chao for dinner?”


  The old man’s face darkened. “Of course not!”


  Xue Sheng’s heart warmed, but before he could speak, the old patriarch softened his tone. “However, it’s not impossible that Lu Chao is actually pursuing Xue Xi sincerely, and if so, he has to show this sincerity. A daughter from my family must marry him openly.”


  Xue Sheng clenched his jaw as his eyes turned cold.

  The old patriarch had doted on him the most since he was young. When he was young, his family was relatively poor. If he only had two eggs, his mother would give one to the second son and one to the old patriarch. Usually, the old patriarch would hide that and secretly give it to him.

  But in the end, he also thought too highly of the family’s interests.

  Xue Sheng did not want to say anything else. “Dad, let’s split up.”


  Xue Xi continued standing at the door.

  She lowered her eyes, but there was a hint of gentleness in her indifferent gaze.

  She actually did not feel a sense of belonging to this family, but at this moment, she truly felt that she had parents.

  Seeing how determined Xue Sheng was, the old patriarch was just about to say something to persuade him to stay when Xue Sheng’s brother suddenly said, “Yes, let’s split! Dad, let’s split up! It’s all Big Brother’s fault. If not for him, we would have made money by now after investing in this project! I want to split up!”


  The old patriarch was stunned. He looked at his younger son in disbelief. “You want to split up too?”


  The brother nodded. “Yes, Dad. I’m almost fifty years old and can be the head of my own household. Why do you still want me to listen to Big Brother?”


  The old man was stunned.

  Old Lady Xue snorted. “Old man, your two sons are already estranged. Why are you still forcing them to be together? Let’s just split the family up! However, you have to split the family assets into four portions. Give me one!”


  It seemed that both his sons and their wives had to be separated. As their father, he knew that this matter had to be settled even if he did not agree.

  He took a deep breath and said, “Alright. If you guys want to split up, then fine, I’ll make a fair division today!”


  At this point, he lowered his eyes. “The family’s shares are to be split into two portions. One belongs to the eldest, and the other is to be divided into three portions. I, my second son, and your mother will each have one. Do you agree?”


  The younger son immediately shouted, “Why should Big Brother take half?”


  The old lady also shouted, “That’s right! Why does he get to have so much?”


  The old patriarch patted the armrest. “The company was built by the present head of this family. All these years, the company has been able to develop to what it is today because of his efforts! Giving him half is not much!”


  The old lady shouted, “I don’t agree! This whole time we’re not separated, the money earned always goes to the whole family!”


  The younger son licked his lips and said, “That’s right, Dad. If that’s what you decide, I won’t agree either. Back then, our family had only a few thousand yuan and gave it to Big Brother to start a business. Back then, you didn’t give me a single cent!”


  The old patriarch shouted angrily, “You only knew how to play cards back then! Why would I have given money to you?”


  Alas, this second son was thick-skinned. “I don’t care. All the assets are under your name. Both Big Brother and I are your sons. You can’t be biased.”


  Just as the old patriarch was about to say something, Xue Sheng said, “Let’s split everything into four portions.”


  He did not want to take advantage of his family, so he split it in the fairest way.

  Upon hearing his words, the old patriarch took a deep breath. “Alright, we’ll split it into four portions. One for each person! The family’s funds are also to be divided into four portions. Other than this old mansion, the estates are also to be divided into four portions. Coincidentally, there are four sets of villas, and each person will have one. As for this old mansion, your mother and I will be staying there. The eldest will stay with us. The second will move out!”


  In fact, without Liu Yiqiu and Xue Yao’s provocation, Old Lady Xue would not be able to do anything.

  But when Xue Sheng’s brother heard this, he and Liu Yiqiu looked at each other and instantly understood each other’s intentions.

  The old patriarch and the old lady still had their own company shares. If they let their elder brother stay here, wouldn’t that also be passed to him?

  The younger son immediately walked to the old lady’s side and shook her shoulders. “Mom, I can’t leave you. I want to stay with you!”


  Liu Yiqiu shot Xue Yao a look. Xue Yao’s eyes turned red. “Grandma, I can’t bear to leave you.”


  After being coaxed by the two, the old lady said, “No, Ye Li and I don’t get along. That wretched girl, Xue Xi, doesn’t even treat me as a grandma. I want to stay with my younger son!”


  The old patriarch glared at her. “Then move out with him. I’ll stay with my eldest!”


  The old lady immediately switched to crying and throwing a tantrum. “That unfilial son wants to chase me away! Why is my life so bitter?!”


  Xue Sheng looked at the old patriarch. “Dad, I’ll leave this old house to you guys. Stop arguing. If you miss us, you can stay with me for a few days.”


  The old patriarch looked at the people in the living room who were crying and kicking up a fuss. His gaze then landed on Xue Sheng. The child who often followed behind him, that man who was so indomitable, now had white hair on his sideburns.

  His eldest son was also old.

  The Old Master’s eyes reddened. “Sure.”


  The few of them immediately found a lawyer and drafted an inheritance division agreement. After signing it, they passed it to the old patriarch. The old patriarch handed his share to Xue Sheng. “Son, I’ll leave this to you.”


  Xue Sheng wanted to reject him, but the old patriarch shoved the contract into his hands and turned to go upstairs.

  He was in his seventies and was once tall and hunched. The way he had his hands behind his back made one’s heart ache.

  Xue Sheng did not speak.

  Upstairs, Xue Sheng and Ye Li smiled and said to Xue Xi, “Our new home is a small villa. Although it’s smaller, it’s much more comfortable. Pack your things tonight and we’ll move out tomorrow morning!”


  Xue Xi nodded.

  She did not have a lot of things. She packed her luggage and started answering exercise questions.

  The next day, Ye Li passed her her breakfast and smiled. “Let Uncle Li drive you to your new house tonight. I’ll bring your luggage with me.”


  Xue Xi nodded.

  Outside, she saw her car parked outside. She got in and the car started.

  Xue Xi continued reading her English book. After reading for a while, she looked outside and realized that something was amiss.

  She lifted her head and saw her uncle smiling at her from the driver’s seat. “Niece, do me a favor and accompany Mr. Lu for a meal!”
……

  In the provision store.

  Xue Xi, who usually arrived at 7:20 AM, did not show up. Sitting behind the counter, Xiang Huai was not in the mood to read.