The Counterattack of a Wealthy Family's Substitute

Yao Yingxi was startled, her body trembled violently, and she stared at the closed door, unable to come to her senses for a long time.

Xi Yuanchen left the bedroom without changing his clothes.

He walked into the study and stood on the balcony, holding a bottle of wine in his hand.

Xi Yuanchen lit a cigarette between his index and middle fingers while pouring wine into a glass.

He lowered his eyes, put the lit cigarette in his mouth, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke. Nicotine entered his throat, spreading throughout his limbs and bones, numbing his mind and heart.

In that brief moment, he merged the person he remembered so vividly with Yao Yingxi.

But how could that be? He smiled bitterly. How could someone who's gone ever reappear?

When Yao Yingxi came out of the shower, Xi Yuanchen had not yet returned to the bedroom.

She was uneasy and didn't know what she had done wrong to make Xi Yuanchen so angry.

Yao Yingxi, wearing fluffy pajamas, came out of the bathroom and closed the door.

Because she is prone to feeling cold, she turned the heating on very high in her home.

Seeing that the living room was empty, Yao Yingxi walked straight to the door of the study and hesitated for a while.

He knocked on the door: "Knock knock..."

She knocked twice, but no one answered the door.

"Has Mr. Xi gone out?"

She muttered to herself as she opened the study door.

Upon seeing the figure standing on the study balcony, she frowned slightly.

Even with the windows open on such a cold day, and the heating on, she still felt bone-chillingly cold. Xi Yuanchen, wearing only a bathrobe, was standing on the balcony in the wind – a completely reckless act.

But she only dared to be angry in silence and didn't dare to say anything.

Yao Yingxi called out, "Mr. Xi."

Xi Yuanchen remained motionless and did not respond.

Yao Yingxi shrank back and walked step by step toward the balcony.

The balcony was littered with cigarette butts. She frowned as she approached Xi Yuanchen and noticed an empty bottle of red wine next to him.

Xi Yuanchen stood there staring ahead, it was unclear whether he was asleep or lost in thought.

"Mr. Xi."

Yao Yingxi called out again.

Hearing the noise, Xi Yuanchen turned around and saw Yao Yingxi in front of him. In a daze, Xi Yuanchen pulled her into his arms.

Yao Yingxi fell into his arms without warning. Xi Yuanchen reeked of cigarette smoke, making it hard for her to breathe.

Before she could break free from Xi Yuanchen's embrace, he grabbed her chin and forced her to raise her head.

The kiss landed heavily, urgently and intensely, as if trying to confirm something.

Yao Yingxi's mind went blank; she was being led by Xi Yuanchen.

Xi Yuanchen hugged her tightly, pressing her close to him, as if he wanted to tighten her around his bones.

He moved into the study while kissing her, then stepped on the door and closed it.

As Xi Yuanchen led her into a sea of ​​desire, Yao Yingxi instinctively pressed her body against him, responding awkwardly.

The two fell onto the bed, and her clothes had been stripped off by Xi Yuanchen at some point.

Yao Yingxi's eyes were glazed over, and she gripped Xi Yuanchen's shoulders, calling out softly, "Mr. Xi."

Along with the sound, Xi Yuanchen made a move.

Without giving Yao Yingxi any chance to react, it pounded on her urgently and without gentleness.

……

When Yao Yingxi woke up, it was snowing heavily outside, and the ground was a mess. Her face flushed red, and she got out of bed, threw off the covers, put on her pajamas from the night before, and left through the tattered fabric.

Xi Yuanchen was not seen in the living room.

Yao Yingxi knew without even thinking that Xi Yuanchen would be at work at this time.

She went back to her room, took a shower, and came out intending to make a bowl of noodles in the kitchen when her phone rang.

Seeing that the number on the screen was unfamiliar, she frowned and swiped to answer: "Hello."

"You're up? I ordered takeout."

If the voice wasn't familiar, Yao Yingxi would never have imagined that Xi Yuanchen would call her personally.

"Mr. Xi?"

Xi Yuanchen gave a faint "hmm" on the phone and then hung up.

She held her phone in front of her, intending to put it down, when she saw a news article pop up on her phone's home screen.

The content is news about the trial of Xu Hengyuan and He Qinfang.

……

Yao Yingxi arrived at the court early in the morning. She sat in the audience and also saw Xu Xinya.

Because she arrived late, there were some reporters standing in front of her. She adjusted the scarf around her neck, which was big enough to bury half of her face in.

The judge came up with a book, just like in the movies.

He Qinfang and Xu Hengyuan were then taken to court by uniformed police officers.

In a short time, Xu Hengyuan and He Qinfang have aged a lot.

Gone is their previous pampered life. They wear prison uniforms, their hair is cut short or shaved, and they are no different from ordinary people.

The judge opened the courtroom, asked everyone to stand up, and then sat down again.

Because neither of the defendants hired a lawyer.

The police read aloud the various things the two men had done, as well as the car accident they had planned more than a decade ago.

Sitting in the audience, Yao Yingxi gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands, her eyes bloodshot.

The judge, standing on the high platform, announced: "This court finds the defendant Xu Hengyuan guilty of murder and bribery for instructing the deceased Fan Jun to run over and kill Yao Juan with his car, staging it as an ordinary accident; and for bribing local government officials with a huge sum of money."

"Therefore, in accordance with Chinese law, Xu Hengyuan is deprived of his property and stripped of his political rights for life."

"The defendant He Qinfang participated in the case, and according to Chinese law, the defendant He Qinfang is sentenced to ten years in prison."

During the trial, Xu Hengyuan and He Qinfang stood there numbly, neither crying nor making a fuss.

Xu Xinya cried, gritting her teeth as she stared intently at everything in the courtroom.

With a heavy heart, Yao Yingxi left the courthouse and stopped a car to walk into the cemetery.

She stood in front of the rectangular tombstone, holding a bouquet of white chrysanthemums in her hands.

A black-and-white photograph was pasted on the tombstone. Although there was no color, it was not difficult to see that the person in the photo had delicate features that were very similar to Yao Yingxi in front of him.

"Mom, I'm here to see you."

Yao Yingxi squatted on the ground, tears welling in her eyes, but a smile on her lips.

"Mom, I have good news for you. I've avenged you. Those who killed you have all been arrested and are in jail."

"The court also pronounced its verdict today: Xu Hengyuan will be sentenced to life imprisonment, and he will spend the rest of his life in prison."

Yao Yingxi laughed and then tears fell down her face: "Mom, don't you think Xu Hengyuan is pathetic? He Qinfang was there for him through the hardships of starting a business, so it's no wonder he's scattered like monkeys when the tree falls."

"The woman he kept on the side, the son she bore wasn't his. If only..."

"If he hadn't betrayed you and killed you back then, you wouldn't be in this state today."

Yao Yingxi touched Yao Juan's tombstone, and then her emotions surged, her expression sharp: "So, he deserved it, he deserved all this retribution."

"Mom, do you know? I hate Xu Hengyuan. I hate him. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't have left me."

Tears streamed down her face as Yao Yingxi sobbed, "But I have to thank you."