9: Chapter 9 Blind and deaf parents, actually plotting to poison me?

[Do these blind and foolish parents actually think that moving this Venerable One from one doghouse to another and tossing a few worthless small favors...]

[...would make this Venerable One weep with gratitude and forgive their actions from the previous life?]

[Delusional!]

Wang Xiaoyun's smile froze.

[In the previous life, this Venerable One lived in a basement for an entire lifetime.]

[The environment was pitch-black, damp, and freezing cold, with centipedes crawling out of cracks in the wall, mold growing on the bedding, and even the air carried the stench of decay.]

[Meanwhile, your beloved precious Fake Young Master lived in this very room.]

[Spacious and bright, warm in winter and cool in summer, filled with your carefully chosen pampering.]

[In this life, you merely bestowed the room he lived in for eighteen years upon this Venerable One, and you expect to gain this Venerable One's forgiveness?]

[You expect this Venerable One to forget the injustice suffered in the previous life?]

[What a joke.]

The voice pack's tone grew colder and colder, as if wrapped in frost that hadn't melted for ten thousand years.

[Even setting aside the blood debts of the previous life! Speaking strictly about this lifetime alone!]

[That Fake Young Master enjoyed eighteen years of wealth and glory that should have belonged to this Venerable One. Eighteen years of luxury, eighteen years of doting affection, eighteen years of meticulous cultivation.]

[And what about this Venerable One? Wandering outside for eighteen years, sleeping in the wind and dining on dust, living under someone else's roof, enduring cold stares, and barely having enough to eat.]

[Now, you bestowing his room upon this Venerable One is nothing more than returning what belonged to its rightful owner! And it's eighteen years late!]

[It is already generous of this Venerable One not to hate you, yet you expect gratitude?]

[Keep—dreaming!!!]

Chen Fan opened his mouth, for once refraining from snarky inner comments.

Although the voice pack's words were as sarcastic and arrogant as ever in tone...

...for some reason, he felt there was something else mixed inside.

It wasn't anger, nor was it hatred.

Rather, it was something buried very, very deep, almost barely audible...

A sense of hurt?

He shook his head, pushing the weird thought aside.

No matter how much malice the voice pack held toward these cheap parents, Chen Fan wasn't the voice pack.

He had his own eyes and his own judgment.

Were his parents good to him right now? Yes.

Was the room good? Yes.

Then that was enough.

As for the Fake Young Master taking his place and enjoying eighteen years of luxury...

Saying he didn't care at all would be lying.

While he was chewing cold steamed buns in an urban village, the other guy was eating Australian lobster in a large villa.

While he was freezing and unable to sleep in a rented room, the Fake Young Master was covered under a down duvet in this room.

While he was...

Who wouldn't feel bitter hearing about such a stark contrast? How could anyone feel balanced about it?

If they hadn't been switched at birth back then, he wouldn't have had to endure these eighteen years of hardship at all.

But he also knew that this was fate.

Fate was something that sometimes just made no sense.

Dwelling on it again and again served no fucking purpose other than making himself feel bad.

Being switched wasn't the Fake Young Master's fault, nor was it his parents' fault.

Blaming heaven and earth was pointless; living his current life well was what really mattered.

One must be content.

Now that his parents were good to him and he could live the rest of his life as a wealthy second-generation heir without worrying about food or drink, he was content.

Let the past be water under the bridge!

Chen Fan quietly poured himself a bowl of chicken soup for the soul, and his mindset stabilized again.

What he didn't know was...

...Wang Xiaoyun and her husband were standing right behind him, hearing every single word of this "inner monologue."

The couple fell silent in unison.

What kind of life had their adopted son lived all these years?

Fine clothes, delicious food, top-tier education, and their meticulous care.

What about their biological son?

Eating near-expired instant noodles in a rented room, sleeping on moldy bedding, where even going to school was a luxury.

Just thinking about these contrasts made them breathless.

And this was supposed to be their biological son's life.

Every single thing their adopted son enjoyed should have belonged to him.

Wang Xiaoyun's eyes turned red again, her heart twisted like a knife.

Chen Jianguo also sighed quietly, feeling as uncomfortable as if a ball of cotton was stuffed in his chest.

They both understood the sense of unfairness in their son's heart.

Put anyone in his position, who could feel balanced?

Jealousy was normal, having a grudge was normal, and not forgiving them was normal too.

It didn't matter.

It didn't matter if he didn't forgive them.

They didn't expect their son to accept them overnight.

All they could do was treat him twice as well starting right now.

If one day wasn't enough, then one month; if one month wasn't enough, then one year.

Absolute sincerity can move even stone and metal.

That frozen heart would melt sooner or later.

It definitely would!!!

Right at this moment...

*Gurgle~~~*

A loud stomach rumble broke the silent atmosphere in the room.

Chen Fan scratched his head awkwardly, his face flushing slightly as he said,

"Um... from acknowledging my family this morning until now, I haven't eaten anything."

"I'm a bit hungry."

"..."

Wang Xiaoyun was stunned for a moment.

Then she burst into laughter through her tears, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said,

"Oh dear, Mom was so flustered she completely forgot!"

"Come, come, come! The kitchen prepared the meal long ago, just waiting for you."

"..."

Chen Jianguo followed behind and gave a wink to a servant waiting nearby.

Understanding the gesture, the servant dashed toward the kitchen.

Two and a half minutes later.

Chen Fan sat at the long mahogany dining table capable of seating twelve people.

Looking at the table packed full of dishes in front of him, saliva secreted wildly.

Squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, crab meat lion's head meatballs, steamed crab meat lion's head meatballs, sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli, a steaming cup of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall...

...and seven or eight other dishes he couldn't even name.

Every dish was exquisitely plated, full of color and fragrance.

Chen Fan's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.

Compared to this table of food, the takeout bento boxes he ate before were practically pig slop!

No! Not even pig slop—pig feed!

Just as he was getting ready to feast—

[Wait.]

The voice pack suddenly spoke up, its tone carrying three parts surprise and seven parts vigilance.

Chen Fan's chopsticks paused.

What now???

[Something's wrong.]

[This is extremely wrong.]

[In the previous life, your family enjoyed harmony with the Fake Young Master in the dining room, while this Venerable One could only eat your leftover scraps.]

[Not allowed at the table, not allowed to pick up food! This Venerable One had to wait until you finished eating before rummaging through the kitchen for a few bites of ice-cold rice.]

[Going hungry one meal and full the next, even bleeding in the stomach without anyone sparing a glance.]

[Yet in this life, starting off with a full table of delicacies? Inviting this Venerable One to take a seat?]

The voice pack fell silent for two and a half seconds.

Then, with an extremely certain tone, it reached a conclusion.

[There is trickery.]

[Eighty percent chance these dishes are poisoned.]

Chen Fan: ???

[This Venerable One understands.]

[On the surface, you act like loving parents, but in reality, you want to use a table of good food to dull this Venerable One's guard.]

[The food is laced with slow-acting poison. Eating it won't take effect immediately, but over time, this Venerable One will perish silently and unnoticed.]

[Heh. The despicable methods of Mortals truly are endless.]

Chen Fan: "..."

Hao Ge! Have you been reading too many pirated palace intrigue novels bought from street stalls?!

Even poisoning came up?! ￣□￣｜｜

Wang Xiaoyun and her husband experienced non-stop twitching at the corners of their mouths.

The couple looked at each other, both seeing the same helplessness on each other's face.

*Sigh* ε=(´ο｀*)))

This brat's persecution mania is acting up again!

We are his biological parents, not sworn enemies! Is there any need for us to poison his food?

What would we gain?

Gain him cursing us in his mind even more harshly?

Wang Xiaoyun took a deep breath, deciding to clear her dear son's doubts with practical action.

She pulled back a chair, sat down, picked up chopsticks, took a bite from every single dish first, and ate them all in front of Chen Fan.

After eating, she even opened her mouth intentionally to show her dear son.

Chen Jianguo followed suit immediately, picking up the cup of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, scooping out a spoonful, slurping it down, and smacking his lips before showing Chen Fan the bottom of the bowl.

What the couple wanted to express was very clear:

See, it's not poisoned, right?

Looking at this scene, Chen Fan had a head full of Nick Young question mark memes???

What???

What kind of weird custom is this?

Is this how rich families eat before a meal?

The legendary wealthy family dining etiquette?

Or some high-society sense of ritual that he doesn't understand???