My Son Paid His Love Rival Ten Billion to Leave My Husband

Late at night, the coastline stretched dark and winding, only the port area lit by lights. Xie Zhaozhou’s already cold and sharp features were made even more pronounced by this lighting.

His dark eyes were like an impenetrable, deep seabed.

Song Li, holding the crew files, approached and was intimidated by the low pressure into softening his footsteps. Xie Zhaozhou was still looking down at his phone, so he didn’t dare speak and just stood to one side.

Xie Zhaozhou naturally wouldn’t completely believe Xie Yaoyao’s words, but he also couldn’t imagine what Ning Shixue and Mu Yuan were doing that would make Xie Yaoyao think they were hugging.

Xie Zhaozhou lowered his eyes and casually opened the live stream.

But what he didn’t expect was that Ning Shixue and the others had gone to the ice hockey rink, and filming was prohibited there. So, except for Xie Yaoyao, no one knew what had actually happened.

The live stream now only showed He Miao and the others.

“…”
Xie Zhaozhou’s Adam’s apple moved.
The pressure around him dropped even lower.
He switched to Weibo.

The program team had bought a trending search.
Under it, many people had posted screenshots from that morning when the guests went to the ski resort.

Ning Shixue had learned a bit of skiing from Xie Zhaozhou.
Yan Ting had also taught him and the kids for a few hours.

Feeling he could manage, he stopped bothering Yan Ting and took Xie Yaoyao to practice nearby.

The director had arranged for Mu Yuan to accompany them.

Ning Shixue accidentally fell.
Mu Yuan reached out to pull him up.
But the ground was too slippery, and Ning Shixue couldn’t steady himself.
Afraid he would fall again, Mu Yuan firmly held him from the side.

As Mu Yuan looked down, Ning Shixue happened to look up.
His lower eyelids curved in a smile.
His face was exceptionally bright.

Both were equally young, even full of youthful vigor.

The gloves they wore were the ones the program team had given out.
Every guest had them, and they were all red.
In this snowy landscape, they looked warm and striking.

Someone had even turned this moment into a poster.

[“I’m shipping it, shipping it. Suddenly reminds me of the movie Love Letter. This snowy weather is perfect for a dating show.”]

[“Sniff, what is this? A beautiful wife and a little wolfdog?”]

Song Li hesitated beside him, wanting to speak.
But he felt that if he spoke now, he might end up at the bottom of the sea along with this batch of goods tonight.
So he kept his mouth shut.

It wasn’t until Xie Zhaozhou turned off his phone and called him in a flat tone,
“Song Li.”

Song Li shivered inwardly, but maintained a calm exterior, standing at attention awaiting Xie Zhaozhou’s instructions.

Xie Zhaozhou paused, his dark eyes lifting.
“Do you think I’m old?”

Song Li, after all, was a trusted aide who had been by Xie Zhaozhou’s side for several years.
He was slightly stunned, then remembered the glimpse he had caught of Xie Zhaozhou’s screen and understood.

Men’s jealousy was way too scary.

But Xie Zhaozhou was only twenty-seven or twenty-eight.
Even if he was a bit older than Ning Shixue, what did that have to do with being old?

“Of course not,”
Song Li quickly replied.
He glanced at Xie Zhaozhou’s expression and cautiously added,
“Actually, you shouldn’t care what those people say…”

Xie Zhaozhou frowned and turned his head, his tone unfriendly.
“Do I care?”

“No, no,”
Song Li was speechless and quickly changed his tune.
“I meant, Young Master Ning has changed now. His heart is definitely only with you. He won’t get entangled with others.”

“So?”
Xie Zhaozhou’s eyes were cold, yet he wore a half-smile.
“What are you trying to say? You think I would, for him, be jealous of a high schooler?”

Song Li thought to himself, isn’t that the case?

Why else are you scrolling through Weibo late at night?

But he wisely didn’t say anything more.
He handed the crew files to Xie Zhaozhou and began his report.
“President Xie, the cause of the water leakage has been traced. It was due to inadequate inspection by several veteran crew members…”

Song Li told Xie Zhaozhou everything he had found out.

The night sea wind was cold and salty, freezing his knuckles.
Xie Zhaozhou put on his gloves, his expression growing more obscure.

The overall project manager, also the vice president of this overseas branch of the Xie Group, had followed Old Master Xie since he was young.
He was one of the few people Xie Zhaozhou trusted.

A project worth nearly a billion.
Everyone had been very careful, double-checking every link.
In the end, the problem occurred with just a few cargo ships.
It seemed too absurd.

Even Song Li couldn’t understand it.
These were all veteran employees.
Even if one person made a mistake, that could be understood.
Why did it suddenly seem like everyone had been possessed?

It was as if, no matter what they did, they were destined to end up here, losing everything.

Xie Zhaozhou half-lowered his eyes and said calmly,
“Let’s go.”

Song Li followed him off the deck.

Ning Shixue and Mu Yuan sparred a few rounds.

Mu Yuan lay on the ground, rubbing his face, a bit frustrated.

He had never lost so badly.

If Ning Shixue hadn’t insisted on letting him throw him once, he wouldn’t have found any openings in Ning Shixue at all.

It was hard even to get close.

“Let’s just stop here,”
Ning Shixue said, pulling him up.
Mu Yuan had been thrown like this; it would be too much to continue.

Mu Yuan was the one who had been thrown.
But his face was flushed as he apologetically said,
“Sorry, Teacher Ning. I didn’t teach you well.”

Ning Shixue: “…”

He had never seen anyone so honest.
After being beaten, he even apologized.

“You Earthlings are really polite.”

Except for the main antagonist.

They were still talking when someone suddenly reached out and pushed aside the curtain, then walked over towards them.

Mu Yuan’s expression shifted slightly.
He lowered his voice and told Ning Shixue,
“That’s Peng Fei, the captain of our ice hockey team.”

Peng Fei was twenty this year, taller than Mu Yuan, almost as tall as Xie Zhaozhou.
Despite the cold, he had taken off his hockey gear and was only wearing a vest underneath.
His arm muscles were bulging.

Ning Shixue wasn’t famous enough to be known by everyone.
Besides, the original host hadn’t acted in many films.
Peng Fei had just finished closed training yesterday and didn’t recognize him at all.

Peng Fei’s gaze fixed on Ning Shixue’s face.
He bumped Mu Yuan’s shoulder and asked,
“Who’s this?”

“A friend of mine,”
Mu Yuan said.

Unless the program team arranged a task, Ning Shixue probably wouldn’t come to the ice rink again.
He was a celebrity, after all.
To avoid trouble, he had worn a mask when he came and stayed away from people.

Ning Shixue didn’t want to be recognized, so Mu Yuan didn’t say much.

But Peng Fei pressed further,
“What are you guys doing here?”

Mu Yuan explained that he was teaching Ning Shixue Sanda.

Peng Fei stared at Ning Shixue’s pale, beautiful face.
He suddenly laughed, a cocky curl to his lip.
“How about I teach you instead?”

“It’s too late now,”
Mu Yuan said, raising his hand to stop him.
“Brother Ning and the others haven’t had dinner yet.”

Peng Fei, relying on his good physique and decent looks, had a messy private life.
He couldn’t take his eyes off anyone remotely attractive.

Let alone the fact that Ning Shixue was right in front of him.

Peng Fei ignored Mu Yuan completely and just asked Ning Shixue,
“How about it? Want me to teach you?”

Ning Shixue lifted his eyelashes, his voice very light.
“Sure.”

Peng Fei came over and grabbed for his shoulder.

Ning Shixue’s body couldn’t sustain prolonged combat.
After sparring with Mu Yuan earlier, his face was already very pale.
Peng Fei’s physique was too different from his.
He was struggling now.

Besides, Xie Yaoyao was still there.
He couldn’t be too ruthless.
If he lost control and drew blood, Xie Yaoyao would be scared.

Even so, Peng Fei was shocked.
He threw several punches in a row without touching Ning Shixue.
How was that possible?

His casual attitude vanished.
He grabbed for Ning Shixue’s shoulder again.
Ning Shixue’s shoulder hurt, and his face suddenly went even paler.
Mu Yuan stood up, wanting to help.

But before Mu Yuan could move, Ning Shixue’s cold, pale fingers gripped Peng Fei’s wrist.
With a sudden jerk, he flipped Peng Fei to the ground.
Peng Fei even cried out in pain.

Ning Shixue’s face was completely drained of color.

Peng Fei’s jaw tightened.
He felt humiliated.
He couldn’t even beat this sickly guy?

Was he crazy?

Mu Yuan thought Peng Fei had gone too far.
If it hadn’t been Ning Shixue fighting him just now, someone else might have gotten hurt.

“Brother Peng,”
Mu Yuan’s tone was firmer as he stepped in front of Ning Shixue.
“It’s about time to eat. Let’s stop here.”

It was snowing outside, and it was almost seven in the evening.
It would be late by the time they got back for dinner.
Mu Yuan asked Ning Shixue,
“Teacher Ning, do you want to eat here?”

Ning Shixue didn’t mind either way.

Peng Fei also grabbed his coat and went with them.

He was wearing a short black down jacket, the same style as Mu Yuan.
Walking ahead of Ning Shixue and the others to lead the way.
Xie Yaoyao’s big, dark eyes looked up, and alarm bells instantly went off in his head.

Little black pig!

There was a horned devil embroidered on the back of Peng Fei’s jacket.
It was black, but this devil was round and plump.
At first glance, it wasn’t much different from a little black pig.

Xie Yaoyao nervously clutched a few of Ning Shixue’s fingers.

No wonder Big Daddy had told him to follow the baby.
The little black pig had indeed come to steal the baby from them!

Ning Shixue was very puzzled.
Although Xie Yaoyao was usually clingy, today he was exceptionally clingy.
He practically wanted to hang on him.
Even walking, he wanted to hug his leg.

Ning Shixue could barely move, and Xie Yaoyao still wouldn’t let go.
He had to pick Xie Yaoyao up.

Xie Yaoyao immediately raised his chubby little arms and tightly wrapped them around Ning Shixue’s neck, as if afraid someone might take him away.

Mu Yuan took them to a small restaurant nearby.
Outside, it was freezing.
Lifting the door curtain and stepping inside, their bodies instantly warmed up.
Ning Shixue couldn’t help rubbing his cold fingertips.

“Xiao Mu’s here,”
the owner, familiar with Mu Yuan, greeted them with a smile.
“Come, sit down.”

Ning Shixue went to a sheltered corner to sit.

The owner served them stir-fried lamb with scallions and spicy blood curd.
Since they had a child with them, Mu Yuan also ordered a few lighter dishes and even got a bowl of the owner’s homemade yogurt for Xie Yaoyao.

“Thank you, gege,”
Xie Yaoyao said, swinging his little feet.

Peng Fei had thought Xie Yaoyao was Ning Shixue’s younger brother.
He didn’t like kids and ignored Xie Yaoyao.
But he couldn’t help striking up a conversation with Ning Shixue.
“Where are you guys from?”

He had definitely never seen Ning Shixue in the northern city before.

“We’re from Yan City,”
Ning Shixue said.

Ning Shixue was only now recovering.
His face wasn’t so pale anymore.
He lowered his head and took a sip of hot soup.
His long, thick eyelashes drooped.
His lips were also red again.

Peng Fei didn’t hold a grudge about being thrown by Ning Shixue earlier.
He even found it quite exciting.

He and Mu Yuan ordered a few bottles of beer.
His gaze stuck more and more to Ning Shixue.
Mu Yuan’s expression soured.
He kicked Peng Fei under the table, but Peng Fei seemed not to feel it.

“Teacher Ning,”
Mu Yuan stood up.
“Let’s switch seats.”

He hadn’t wanted Peng Fei to come eat with them in the first place.
But Peng Fei was his captain, after all.
He couldn’t refuse.

Peng Fei was also going the same way as them.

“How many days are you staying in the northern city?”
Peng Fei leaned closer to Ning Shixue, even trying to put his arm around his shoulder.
“Why are you going back so early? Send your little brother back, and I’ll show you around?”

Ning Shixue’s moist peach blossom eyes were still curved.
But the depths of his eyes gradually turned completely cold.

His knuckles were icy, devoid of any warmth.
He raised his hand, about to grab Peng Fei’s wrist on his shoulder.

Mu Yuan also couldn’t take it anymore.
He wanted to stop him, to tell him that this person had a boyfriend, could he keep his hands to himself.

But before he could.

Xie Yaoyao, walking ahead of Ning Shixue like a little ball, turned his head.
His fair, tender cheeks were red from the cold.
Suddenly, he called out to Ning Shixue in a clear, round, milky voice,
“Baba!”

His voice was crisp.
Peng Fei sobered up instantly.
Ning Shixue was also stunned for a moment.

Xie Yaoyao rarely called him ‘baba.’

Peng Fei stepped back a few paces, embarrassed.
“You’re married?”

Ning Shixue looked to be in his early twenties.
He hadn’t even imagined Ning Shixue was already married with a child.
If it was just a boyfriend, he wouldn’t care.
But married made him a bit…

The hostility in Ning Shixue’s eyes subsided.
He put his hands under Xie Yaoyao’s armpits and held him in front of his chest.
“Xie Xingxing, did you forget to say hello to this uncle just now?”

Xie Yaoyao’s milky voice rang out clearly again.
“Hello, uncle!”

Peng Fei: “…”

Peng Fei’s face darkened.
How come Mu Yuan was ‘gege’ and he was ‘uncle’?
Damn kid.
He was only twenty.
No one had ever called him uncle before in his life.

He finally left with a dark face.

“Sorry about that, Teacher Ning,”
Mu Yuan apologized to Ning Shixue again after Peng Fei left.

Ning Shixue shook his head.

The other guests were still at Mu Yuan’s house.
Ning Shixue also took Xie Yaoyao back.
When they arrived, He Lin and the others had already finished eating.
Grandma Mu was watching TV.

Several little ones were sitting beside her.

Xie Yaoyao also climbed onto the kang and sat next to Ji Xiao.
The two soft little ones leaned against each other.

“What wrong?”
Ji Xiao, being sensitive, noticed Xie Yaoyao seemed preoccupied and asked very quietly.

Xie Yaoyao propped his chubby face in his hands and sighed.
Even if he told Little Mantou, Little Mantou couldn’t beat the little black pig.
Even Xie Yaoyao the Great Demon King had no way.

Xie Zhaozhou wasn’t there.
Ning Shixue had also been out for several hours.
The live stream’s popularity had plummeted.
It only picked up a bit in the evening when Ning Shixue and the others returned.

Yan Ting was a doctoral supervisor.
Several of his students were writing their graduation theses.
He had to go open a video meeting with them that night and had already left.
Tang He’an accompanied him back.
Tang Haohao also insisted on going with them.

Editing papers wasn’t convenient for live streaming either.
Another group of guests was gone from the live stream.

Actually, the footage for these few episodes was almost enough.
Just streaming warmly for a while like this was fine.

But the director was greedy.
He set his sights on Ji Xiao again.

He suddenly remembered that viewers had asked in the bullet comments if Ji Xiao had a photographic memory.
Otherwise, why was his memory so good?
He thought this was a bit far-fetched, but it was also a selling point.

He crooked his finger at Ji Xiao and asked in a high-pitched voice,
“Xiaoxiao, can uncle ask you a few questions?”

Ji Qing had been distracted these past few days.
Xie Zhaozhou had come on the show with Ning Shixue.
Xie Hanzhou had become a complete laughingstock.
No one thought Ning Shixue was chasing him anymore.

He was also getting dragged into the criticism.

At first, he was just annoyed.
Now, he was only left with panic.
Xie Hanzhou wasn’t contacting him anymore.
His messages went unanswered.
When he called Xie Hanzhou, he found he had been blocked.

Ji Qing’s knuckles were white from gripping.
He didn’t want to be kept, but now that Xie Hanzhou wasn’t keeping him anymore, what could he do?

Originally, after this show ended, he had another show to attend.
No contract had been signed, but they had agreed he would go.

The director had suddenly messaged his agent, saying they had found someone else and he didn’t need to go.
After all, his current reputation was far worse than before.
A search on Weibo brought up ridicule.

Some people even called him a white lotus.
Now that Ning Shixue wasn’t chasing Xie Hanzhou anymore, what was he playing pitiful for on the show?

When the director called Ji Xiao over, Ji Qing didn’t hear him.
It wasn’t until the director started asking Ji Xiao questions that he suddenly snapped back to reality.

[“??? What’s up with Ji Qing?”]

[“I feel like he’s been off since President Xie came.”]

[“I don’t want to conspiracy-theorize, but didn’t those gossip accounts say Ning Shixue married an old man? Could it really have nothing to do with Ji Qing? How come as soon as Xie Hanzhou came, that trending search suddenly appeared?”]

Ji Qing’s fans were still very combative.
Otherwise, the original host wouldn’t have been called a homewrecker for years.

[“??? What are you being sarcastic about? Who was a D-list nobody before? So idle they had nothing to do??? Ji Qing just finished filming a movie. He’s swamped with work. How could he have had time to care about who Ning Shixue married???”]

[“I won’t say who’s stirring the pot. Some people are proper actors, unlike certain no-names who rely on their husbands.”]

The bullet comments were starting to get heated again.

The director was still questioning Ji Xiao.
He picked a few things Ji Xiao had seen on the show.
He deliberately asked about details that were hard to notice.
Like how many polar bears were featured at the end of that documentary, or how many mushrooms were collected in that other one.

These were numbers mentioned in the shows.
But who would normally remember that kind of thing?

Ji Xiao’s eyes were blank for a moment.
Just as the director thought he wouldn’t speak, Ji Xiao finally whispered,
“Six polar bears, thirty-seven mushrooms.”

The bullet comments were shocked.

[“???”]

[“Holy crap, you’re kidding, right? He actually remembers????”]

The director was also stunned.
He hadn’t expected it to work.
He immediately got excited.
These questions weren’t impossible to remember.
He wanted to find some harder ones to ask Ji Xiao.

But Ji Qing had already picked Ji Xiao up.

Ji Xiao was naturally timid.
The director had only called him over to ask questions.
His little face was pale from nervousness.
As soon as Ji Qing came, he burrowed into his arms.
It was impossible to ask him anything more.

The director almost couldn’t hold back a curse.
But Ji Qing was indeed quite popular.
He didn’t want to offend him.

So he had to let it go.

The bullet comments were dying of curiosity.
But Ji Xiao was clearly scared.
No one wanted to make things hard for the kid.

“Director Meng, I’ll take Xiaoxiao back now,”
Ji Qing said, putting Ji Xiao’s coat on him and picking him up.

Ji Xiao was still lying in his arms, his eyes red-rimmed.

The director nodded reluctantly.
He was indeed anxious.
Ji Xiao had been startled by him.
He found a staff member to see Ji Qing and the others off.
“It’s snowing. Walk slowly on the way.”

Ji Qing and the others were staying in the farmyard that night.
It wasn’t until Ji Xiao was in familiar surroundings that he finally rubbed his eyes, no longer looking like he was about to cry.

But when he looked up, Ji Qing’s face was horribly dark.
Ji Xiao shuddered.

“What exactly do you want?”
Ji Qing’s eyes were red, full of suppressed emotion.
“When I want you to perform, you won’t. Now that I don’t want you to, you go sticking yourself in people’s faces!

“Do you think I haven’t been cursed at enough?!”

Ji Xiao’s little hands were trembling from fear.
But he ran over, grabbed the tissue box, and handed it to Ji Qing.
His eyes also reddened as he said shakily,
“Uncle, don’t cry.”

Xie Yaoyao and the others were still watching TV with Grandma Mu.
Grandma Mu was crying, tears and snot streaming down her face.

It was a melodramatic wealthy family drama.
It had reached the point where the main couple was forced to break up.
The evil wealthy family mother-in-law had arranged to meet the female lead at a restaurant.

She was made up exquisitely, like Liao Yanwan, almost ageless.
She threw a bank card in front of the female lead and said arrogantly,
“Here’s five million. Leave my son!”

The female lead was like a delicate little white flower, sitting across from her.

Ning Shixue hugged his knees, a blanket draped over them, watching with them.
He found it hard to watch.
What a cliché, outdated plot.

But he didn’t expect that in the next second, the delicate female lead suddenly smirked, a very sarcastic smile.
She picked up the card and threw it back, saying disdainfully,
“Inflation is so high now. Who are you trying to bribe with five million? You’d need at least a billion.”

Ning Shixue: “…”

My mistake.
The female lead was playing on another level.

Xie Yaoyao watched intently.
His little face was a bit confused.
What was this grandma throwing on the table?

It looked like a card.

After this episode ended, Ning Shixue took him back to the hotel.
They had done well at the ski resort today and could stay at the hotel for another night.

While Ning Shixue was showering, Xie Yaoyao secretly glanced at him.
Seeing that Ning Shixue wasn’t paying attention, his chubby little feet pattered quickly on the floor.
He hid in the playroom and called Xie Zhaozhou, saying anxiously,
“Big Daddy, Big Daddy.”

Xie Zhaozhou hadn’t slept in over twenty hours.
He wanted to resolve things here as quickly as possible.
He hadn’t had time to sleep yet.
He answered the call.
“What is it?”

“I want money,”
Xie Yaoyao said without any pretense.

Xie Zhaozhou: “…”

Xie Yaoyao usually had the old butler buy whatever he wanted.
After all, he was only three and a half.
He couldn’t even count properly.
Of course, he wouldn’t buy things himself.

Xie Zhaozhou’s voice was calm.
“How much?”

Xie Yaoyao dropped another bombshell.
“One billion.”

Xie Zhaozhou: “…”

Xie Zhaozhou’s body wasn’t made of iron.
It was late at night, and he was a bit tired.
But now he was wide awake from this filial shock.
He didn’t have time to ask more and transferred a thousand yuan to Xie Yaoyao.

The child’s watch beeped.
Xie Yaoyao poked at the zeros with his finger to count them.
There were a lot of zeros.
He didn’t know how many it was.
But Big Daddy wouldn’t lie to him.
It must be one billion.

He also found a few Ultraman cards.
These cards looked about the same size as the one on TV.

Then he went back to find the baby to sleep.

He was supposed to follow the baby every step of the way.
He had left for a few minutes just now.
That wouldn’t do.

Xie Zhaozhou wouldn’t be back for a while.
But the filming schedule couldn’t be delayed any further.
When they woke up early the next morning, the weather looked good.
The director planned to proceed as originally intended and take the guests to play on the snowy mountain.

Mu Na had a bit of a cold and couldn’t go today.
The director found someone from the ice hockey team to come instead.

When Peng Fei looked up and saw Ning Shixue, he was dumbfounded.
He knew a program team was filming a show at Mu Yuan’s house.
But he didn’t watch shows and didn’t care at all.
He never imagined Ning Shixue was a celebrity.

After meeting the guests, he frantically searched on his phone.
Only then did he learn what had happened while he was at training camp.

He didn’t recognize Ning Shixue.
But he recognized Xie Zhaozhou.
His legs instantly went weak.

He wouldn’t dare, even if he had the nerve, to mess with Xie Zhaozhou’s person.

Suddenly, someone poked his leg.

He was startled.
Looking up, he saw no one.
He instinctively looked down.

Then he met Xie Yaoyao’s fair, tender face.

Xie Yaoyao’s little face was serious as he said to him,
“You come. I want to talk to you.”

The bullet comments didn’t know what had happened.
But with Xie Yaoyao’s soft, chubby face and this mature tone, they almost laughed out loud.

[“Baby, tell auntie what you want to talk about?”]

Xie Yaoyao was wearing a thick down jacket, bundled into a little ball.
He took Peng Fei to a place away from the other guests.
Then he made Peng Fei crouch down.

Peng Fei, baffled, crouched down.

Xie Yaoyao raised his chubby little hand, his soft face full of gravity.
He slapped an Ultraman card into Peng Fei’s palm and said seriously in his milky voice,
“Here’s one billion. Leave my baba!”