Chapter 50: Lineage (Three)

  "I have already cut off my relationship with your biological mother, and if you recognize her from now on, you will no longer be a member of the Chen family. If you are willing to cling to wealth and nobility, and humiliate yourself by acknowledging the Fang family, then you will also have nothing to do with me, Chen Shuishan." Chen Shuishan coughed up a mouthful of blood, but didn't care at all, staring at her sternly.

  That streak of blood on his pale lips looked particularly gruesome.

  "I swear, I, Chen Zheng, take an oath to heaven that in this life and this world, I will never acknowledge the Fang family or Chen Yu as my relatives. My parents are Chen Jin and Tian Meixiang." Chen Zheng solemnly took the oath.

  "A gentleman's word is his bond!"

  "A gentleman's word is his bond!"

  Chen Shuishan's eyes finally showed some comfort, "You must remember that starving to death is a small matter, losing one's integrity is a big matter! Our family is poor and humble, you must work hard to make a name for yourself, don't let your ambitions fade away. A woman's reputation is her most valuable possession, if she loses it, even a thousand good deeds can't redeem her. If you lose your integrity, then you will no longer be a member of the Chen family."

  After all, Chen Huashi was still worried that she had the blood of her parents in her bones and would do something shameful in the future. From a young age, he personally taught her, using the Four Books and Five Classics to enlighten her, and often used the Analects of Confucius for Women to instruct her.

  "Grandfather can rest assured that no matter where Chen Zheng is, he will definitely conduct himself with strict integrity and absolutely not do anything that would tarnish his reputation."

  "What if it's forced by circumstances?"

  "To die of hunger is a small matter, but to lose one's integrity is a big matter. If worst comes to worst, I'll die to prove my will and sacrifice my life for righteousness!" She vowed resolutely.

  "Good, this is my good child of the Chen family." The usually stern Chen Huisheng finally had a hint of a smile, as if all the hardships he had endured over the years were worth it. His expression became dazed again, and past events floated before his eyes one by one.

  Since his daughter's downfall, he felt ashamed to see old friends again. He took his son and daughter-in-law to hide in a humble city, using self-punishment to atone for his sins. Today's Chen Zheng indeed did not disappoint his many years of teaching, he can finally rest assured.

  Chen Zheng would never forget that clear morning, the old man lying in bed had stopped breathing, a deposit book quietly lay on the bedside table, inside was 30,000 yuan, at this moment she finally understood why the old man had always refused to go to the hospital, it was just to leave her with enough money for her future studies and living expenses, so that she wouldn't be forced by circumstances to take a desperate path.

  The dearest person left, and from then on she would be alone forever. But she still didn't shed a single tear, and remained extremely calm from start to finish, taking care of the aftermath before returning to school for classes, working part-time jobs in her free time, completely unaffected by this event. The people around her were gossiping, saying that this girl was too cold-blooded, but no one knew that when she dreamed at midnight, she would often whisper...

  "Grandpa!" Fang Zixuan called out softly, waking up from her nightmare.

  "What's wrong with you again?" Fang Zikai, who was sitting next to her and had been sleeping soundly on her shoulder, was startled awake by her sudden movement, his sleepiness completely gone. He rolled his eyes at her in annoyance.

  Fang Zixuan furrowed her brow, trying to adapt to everything in front of her. This was the hospital corridor, where the Fang family's children were all sitting obediently on one side, waiting for news, while Old Lady Fang was still being treated. The adults were talking in hushed tones and didn't notice the commotion here. Fang Ziyin was playing with her phone when she heard her voice and glanced over, revealing a sarcastic smile.

  She rubbed her brow, suddenly feeling tired. Chen Zheng's life had been deeply carved into her bones. Chen Shuishi's teachings to her, even if she changed bodies, still remained in her blood. Her almost crazy attention to fame allowed her to calmly face anything, but under Feng Yannan's slander, she lost her reason.

  When Feng Yannan spoke ill of her, she was filled with the severe expression of her grandfather and those words "Starving to death is a small matter, losing one's integrity is a big matter".

  After all, she still can't identify with the identity of Fang Zi Xuan. Even though she has been living as Fang Zi Xuan for two years, she still doesn't consider her family members as her own relatives. She slowly looked around and suddenly smiled slightly. What's the big deal? Emotions are originally fragile things that can't withstand a blow. She doesn't need this kind of human weakness.

  Since her grandfather passed away, she has been alone, with no relatives, friends or lover, only accompanied by work. She doesn't feel lonely, perhaps others may think so, but she is used to this feeling of solitude and keeps a safe distance from everyone.

  Later, due to her profession, she saw too many cases of family members turning against each other because of relocation and inheritance disputes, as well as people who had ruined their lives by blindly trusting friends. There were also many loving couples who turned ruthless and killed each other. What's trustworthy about relatives, friends, and loved ones?

  She watched them insult and fight each other uncontrollably on the court, they were once the most trusted people to each other, is there anyone in this world worth trusting?

  Of course not, never betray what's in your mind, no matter when and where, or what kind of situation you encounter, only by being self-reliant can you survive without getting hurt.

  "Mrs. Fang had a minor stroke, but after emergency treatment, she's fine now. Let her rest more and don't provoke her into anger." The one who rescued Mrs. Fang was the deputy director, who had a good relationship with Fang Jianbin, the fourth son of the Fang family. At this moment, he was comforting the Fang family with a relaxed expression.

  "What about my mother, will she have any sequelae?" Fang Jianlan asked hastily. It is said that many patients who have had a stroke are paralyzed in bed and cannot take care of themselves. Madam Fang has always been particular about her demeanor, if she becomes paralyzed or has a crooked mouth and slanted eyes, how can the old lady accept it?

  "It's still hard to say, we have to wait until the old lady wakes up to know, but you sent her over in time, under normal circumstances, there may not be any aftereffects, even if there are, they won't be too serious, and after a period of recovery, it's very likely that she'll recover completely."

  Everyone finally let out a sigh of relief.

  "Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law are really too much, I don't know what they're making a fuss about, turning Old Lady's birthday banquet into... almost turning a happy occasion into a bad one..." Although Zhang Yun was sighing, anyone could hear the tone of gloating in her voice.

  Fang Jianlan gave her a disapproving look, "Third Aunt, just say less."

  Although she also resented her second brother and sister-in-law, she couldn't tolerate Zhang Yun, an outsider, gloating over their misfortune. Moreover, what Zhang Yun said was really unpleasant to hear. In the past, before she got married, she didn't like this sharp-tongued and arrogant third sister-in-law. These years, while in America, she had been closer to her second brother's family, relatively speaking, leaning more towards their side. However, as for Fang Zichen's personality, she wasn't too fond of it, always feeling that this niece was a bit pretentious.

  PS: Double update tonight!