Chapter 5: In This Life, It Wasn’t Meant To Be (final part)
"Xiao Lei and Xiao Lin," the hologram was set to continue, after Li Xingya was coaxed to sit down. The two youths glanced at it, but there was no care for the image of the man projected, simply greed and expectation. "I've raised you as my own these past twenty years and twenty two years. I may not have been the best father, too busy working and bringing in the money to see that I wasn't caring for you as much as I possibly should have. Still, you can't claim to have been neglected by me and I have ensured that your education is paid for until you graduate from university. But that is all I will do for you."
"What?" Xiao Lei questioned while his sister screamed;
"Is this for real?!"
"If you are doubting my words, don't bother," the hologram sneered, naturally not hearing their complaints, being a recording of the past. "You know perfectly well that I am not your father. Don't think just because you are in the privacy of your own bedrooms that others can't hear you talking! You should be blessed that I remained ignorant for so fucking long and thought you had as well. More fool me that I thought it would break your hearts if you learned the truth. But it seemed I worried too much. I apologise for being such an ugly fucker that you couldn't bear to acknowledge me as your legal father and would much rather be able to acknowledge your real father because at least he is good looking right?"
The youths simultaneously paled, turning almost as white as their mother had. Who knew that one simple conversation between them had literally stripped their pockets of gold and silver, leaving them lacking.
"What am I going to do about that post graduation course I wanted to do?" Xiao Lin complained, bitterly.
Once more Fa Xian felt compelled to speak up; if it were not for these white wolves, Jing Yi might have been able to know his father, instead of being kept ignorant and in the dark. He glanced at the boy that Fan Mei had felt necessary to bring with her, claiming that she did not feel it was safe, him being away from her side. Especially considering what was to come.
Fa Xian turned to speak to Li Xingya's offspring. "Fund the course yourself, after all, Shao Chen had to suffer and do so!" He glared at that child's father, Shao Bao, who would rather spend the money he had 'earned' working in Shao Fen's companies on his mistress and his affair than on his wife and son.
Zhou Anan and Shao Chen had the worst fate in this torrid triangle, suffering even more than he and Jing Yi. Zhou Anan came from an ordinary background, but was considered the flower of the university of which she and Shao Bao had attended. She had had many admirers, could have chosen any to be her spouse, but she had unwisely chosen Shao Bao. She had already become pregnant with Shao Chen when Fa Xian had first met her and should have been blossoming like a woman in love and with child should have done, only she had already begun to wilt thanks to an abusive tongue and a hard fist. Mother and son, very few could stand tall against this pair of vicious snakes.
As if Shao Fen had predicted their conversation, the hologram announced; "Oh and just to make it fair, I will pay off Shao Chen's education debts. After all, why should the elder brother be left out, hmm?" And just like that, Shao Fen declared the other party in the affair, his own older brother. Neglecting the wife and favouring the Concubine, it would have been like this in ancient times, only the Concubine his little brother's bride and she would have been drowned in a pig cage dropped in a lake had the affair been discovered. To this end, Shao Fen preemptively stirred the pot further; "Sister Anan, you know, if you want, you can ask my lawyer for a divorce. She promised to help you and there's more than enough money retained to cover it."
The little, plump, grey faced woman who had hidden in a corner all this time suddenly leapt free as if unburdened from her shackles and kowtowed before the lawyer. "Please help me petition a divorce!" She begged, tears running down her round face.
"Of course," the lawyer agreed without hesitation.
"You ungrateful little bitch!" Shao Bao screamed at her, raising his fist in threat. A security guard burst into the room and grappled with Shao Bao before he could reach and beat his poor wife. She stood up before him, shaking with nerves and anger as she confronted him and spat in his face.
"My mother had the right of you all along!" She yelled, the emotions suppressed for so many years bursting to the forefront. "I should never have married you! Shao Chen begged me to leave you, so many times, but I thought it was better for a child to have two parents at first and then I just didn't know how. But now I do! Shao Chen received his licence to practice medicine two months ago, do you know that? Oh, but then you were too busy doing nasty things between that bitch's legs weren't you! I despise you! But look on the bright side, the four of you can be one happy, shameless family together! Oh, I shouldn't forget my kind, loving mother-in-law and weak father-in-law in the equation!" Having found her voice, digging out where it was once buried, Zhou Anan found herself unable to stop. "Sure enough, when the lower beam is crooked, the upper one will be as well. You sure raised a wonderful son! One that uses fists to win arguments and force to have sex whenever he wants!" She turned to glance slyly at Li Xingya. "Oh you didn't know that he continued to have sex with me, even though he was doing you as well! I even got pregnant twice, but that made him unhappy so he beat the foetuses from me! That was probably so you did not find out that far from being faithful to either one of us, he simply has no control over his temper or lower half! So you can have him for all I care and you can serve Mother-in-law in my place. Just be sure to be aware, she doesn't like sweet and sour sauces and only wants the fatty meat of the pig. Of course, if you make a mistake, she'll be sure to let you know."
Out of breath, she inhaled and exhaled heavily a few times, as everyone listened to her tirade in utter silence. Little Jing Yi turned to Fan Mei and whispered; "Grandmother, what is going on?"
"Just pretend that this is a play," she whispered back, regretting her decision to bring him here a little bit. "Take it as a lesson of what a good man does not do, dear heart." Jing Yi nodded as if filled with sagely wisdom and calmly returned to observe. Fa Xian couldn't help but smile beneath his hand. Sometimes he was so much like his father had been at the same age.
In the meantime, the lawyer had summoned one of her assistants and asked that young woman to guide Zhou Anan into another room and serve her tea. The older woman definitely needed it, she would likely break down in a moment and the lawyer did not wish for her soon to be ex-husband to see this. Let him witness her strong before they separated forever. She would make sure Zhou Anan never had to face this waste of space piece of shit ever again!
"Well I never!" Old Madam Shao crossed her arms and huffed as if indignant. Well, she had never liked Zhou Anan. The woman hadn't been able cook, hadn't been able to clean, too reliant on house-bots to be a good wife to her son. So what if she had a degree? If it hadn't been for her lessons, that woman would still be useless! And then blaming her poor son for straying on top. He was a handsome man, it couldn't have been helped, especially as the woman had very quickly lost her pretty appearance after the wedding. Not that she thought much of Li Xingya, but it was no wonder her children were so attractive, they took after their real father! It explained why her ugly second child managed to produce such excellent offspring.
Her eyes happened to glance over at the ten year old child her own mother had adopted and hadn't informed her about it. That boy was not as good looking as Xiao Lei, but there was something familiar about his obsidian eyes... what was she thinking? Her mother was so old! There was no way! She chuckled to herself as her son and other daughter-in-law settled once more in their seats.
"Let's get on with this," she announced as if she were some matriarch sitting on high and looking down upon her descendants. "Surely Shao Fen left something for me, I am his mother after all. And what about Shao Bao, blood is thicker than water, Shao Fen surely recognised this!"
The lawyer raised a lone eyebrow, but remained silent, simply continuing the holographic recording made by her client.
This time, Shao Fen was directing his wishes towards his brother, who unlike his mother, was not so optimistic. But then, who else would inherit his companies and run them. Granted, he only had limited experience, but he had worked for a few of Shao Fen's businesses.
Fa Xian felt a sneer twist his features as he imagined just what Shao Bao was thinking. Yes indeed the man had worked in many positions throughout Shao Fen's company, but that had not happened due to Shao Fen wishing him to gain experience, but to the reduce the damage the incompetent man had on those businesses! Shao Bao had begged for a small position in Shao Fen's company at first, having been laid off from his original place of work sometime before and Shao Fen had obliged as many of his contacts had been about respecting one's juniors while serving one's seniors; family and filial duty was so important to most people in the Empire. Shao Fen could not afford to lose face in front of those people, so had reluctantly given him a job.
Only Shao Bao was soon dissatisfaction with his small position and wanted more. Shao Fen felt as if he had no choice but to be lenient towards his older brother; it could not be easy lowering oneself in their little brother's shadow. He gave Shao Bao a chance, saying such pretty words like he believed that Shao Bao could handle much greater responsibility, that the small position and only been in order to settle him in and Shao Bao was pleased with his words. Only he became conceited, flaunting his relationship with the boss, using this to sexually harass some female staff members and undermine weak targets. Shao Fen had to relocate Shao Bao to another company in order to pacify his staff or find his company and himself at the centre of a law suit. He told Shao Bao that he'd needed his help in that company. That he could only trust him. What a joke!
"My dear older brother," Shao Fen no longer spoke flowery words of appeasement, his tone heavy with sarcasm and dislike. "What can I give you that you haven't already taken for yourself? My companies can no longer afford you, Shao Bao. So, you're fired! You don't have to work any notice period. Severance pay will be sent directly to your account. Don't expect too much, your antics have cost me millions over the years with hush money and fines for various matters. Oh and the next time you 'accidentally' feel up Wang Jie's arse, bear in mind that her father is a boss in the underground mafia would you. I lost a section of the Elysium meteoroid belt to stop him from taking your head in retribution. Idiot." Shao Bao turned white and suddenly found it hard to swallow, somehow to deep in his own self-wallowing to notice that Li Xingya was staring daggers at him. After all, at least Zhou Anan had been his wife!
"And that leaves my mother and my father," the hologram paused after spitting out these titles as if they were distasteful before sighing. "The law states that I must take care of you in your golden years of retirement. You have a few decades left before that, but don't worry. I won't make you wait. I repurchased Lan Se Moon."
Fa Xian couldn't help the chuckle that escaped from his throat. Ah Shao Fen, Fa Xian's eyes curved to crescent moons as he shared the man's warped humour. Lan Se Moon had originally been the small moon that Shao Dong had inherited from a relative, the moon was part of a cluster of moons floating around an uninhabitable planet, and that was good for nothing more than farming. The same moon they'd grown up on, while schooled upon its larger and more valuable neighbour Hong Se Moon. Lan Se Moon had also been the place that Fan Yong had so longed to forget about!
After Shao Fen appeared within the listings for the top 1000 richest individuals, breaking in at a respectable 807th, Fan Yong had seen her golden ticket and wished to cash it in. She convinced (told) Shao Dong to sell the moon for a good price and uprooted the whole family, being herself, her husband, her son and pregnant daughter-in-law and headed straight for the gates of Shao Fen's city villa, where she made a very loud fuss. Pouring tales of woe on how an unscrupulous person took advantage of his father's generous nature and tricked him out of a lot of money and they were forced to sell the moon to pay their debts! The crowds about her felt sympathetic and as much as he had vowed never to have anything more to do with this family, Shao Fen was forced to allow them in, where they took root and festered. It was then that Li Xingya met Shao Bao and suddenly found her own husband lacking in looks. It was then that Shao Fen was forced to give Shao Bao a job and allow him to take advantage of him.
With that family living under his roof, was it any wonder that Shao Fen threw himself deeper into his businesses, neglecting his wife and later his 'children' and allowing Shao Bao and Li Xingya free reign to indulge in their sinful affair. Of course, that said, his true fault lie not so much in the neglect, for Fa Xian believed the affair would have happened anyway, just that pretentious couple would have been a little more discreet. Shao Fen's biggest mistake was to not make sure the family's stayed under separate roofs from the start... no perhaps his only blame was to be born to a shameless mother and a cowardly father.
"No!" Fan Yong screeched, while Shao Dong's eyes actually lit up brightly in pure joy. Fa Xian was surprised, but then perhaps it was not a surprise really. That moon had been Shao Dong's treasure once, to give it up due to his domineering wife's want of an easy life bathed in luxury whilst living as a parasite must have actually wounded whatever pride remained in him. "No! I don't want it! I won't return to that moon! You cannot make me!"
Naturally the hologram could not heed her protests. "In addition, there will be a monthly stipend to do with as you please, however it will only be sent to you while you are enjoying retirement on the moon. If for any reason, you decide to live elsewhere, you know to work and such, then the stipend will not be paid. The moon's deed will be held by my lawyer for the next one hundred years whether you choose to retire there or not. It will then pass to the Fa family."
"Fa family?" Shao Dong looked a little confused. He had indeed been pleased that he might get Lan Se Moon back, but he wanted to then pass it on to his own son, to Shao Bao, as an heirloom. It seemed Shao Fen had had other ideas.
Fa Xian cleared his throat and smiled at his former guardians. "Yes, the Fa family," he said in warm tones. "That would be me and my son, Fa Jing Yi." He looked warmly at the little boy who grinned brightly in return and Fa Xian felt both the love of his affection and the pain that he resembled his other father so, so much. Shao Fen used to grin in such an open way when he was happy. At first that expression had been so rare, neither of them had ever much to smile about as children, but supporting each other as Fa Xian worked while taking care of Shao Fen, who attended university in order to lead them towards a better future, the joyful times had increased. When Shao Fen graduated, when he was promoted, when he gained his first client, his first million... Fa Xian had been there for all of that. And Shao Fen had taken care of him when he'd fallen sick with a cold, when he'd panicked after losing his job as the restaurant had closed, when he'd wanted to go back to school to improve his pitiful grades.
And then later, when he'd ominously puked continuously for several days and had to be hospitalised only for them both to find that by some miracle, their affair had born fruit. It should have been impossible, a man falling pregnant, not that two men had never had children before. That was what the artificial womb was for, to nurture the child created by the fusing of two parental cells. But Fa Xian should not have been able to conceive.
"My treasure," Shao Fen had said, awed, as he gently stroked Fa Xian's stomach later that day. "The monk predicted you would gift me a treasure and he was indeed right."
"You are not freaked out?" Fa Xian had replied, admitting to himself that he was more than a little panicked.
"Never," Shao Fen had responded warmly. "This little one is of you and of me. It's perfect."
"Still, what should we do?" Keeping the child would undo so much of what Shao Fen had built, caught having an affair, even if it had happened partially due to his own cheating wife. So Shao Fen had contacted the only person he'd ever trusted, Grandmother Fan. And it had been she who had raised Fa Jing Yi for the past ten years. Not because she agreed with their choices, but that she regretted her own. If she could have relived this life again, she would have taken Shao Fen and Fa Xian from the toxic household her daughter had formed. She would have sought the law to sever the relationship between her daughter, son-in-law and the children, then maybe, just maybe their lives would have been so much more smooth sailing.
Even then, Shao Fen did not blame her and gifted her enough money and property to see her live well for her remaining days and then some. He also left a smaller inheritance to his two uncles, who were hard working, family men and never did anything to harm him and had even tried to give red envelopes to his 'children' every new year, even though they'd not much to share.
As for the businesses, naturally he'd chosen two trustworthy individuals along with Fa Xian to be executors to the estate, all of which would then go to his one and only son upon reaching his majority. There were enticements and benefits if those people kept his trust and for Fa Xian...
"I told you I had a dream, Xian'er," this recording was just for the man who had served him as a loyal subordinate, as a companion and as a lover. All the others had been dismissed, but there would naturally be protests, lawyers sought out to try to overturn the will and Fan Yong would even attempt to get sympathy from the press, but her quest would back fire. She would retire upon Lan Se Moon with her husband, her tail tucked between her legs as public opinion slated her as an evil mother, even as her son was named a disgusting excuse for a man and Li Xingya, a harlot and vamp, a woman without shame. Women warned their sons to stay away from women like her, while daughters were told they would be disowned if they ever turned out like her. Li Xingya could only hide in a remote villa owned by her parents and hope the storm would pass. Shao Bao did not go with her. As for the three Shao children, Shao Chen would become a respectable and renowned doctor and he would remain a filial son, but Shao Xiao Lin and Shao Xiao Lei would vanish into obscurity. Fa Xian never learned what happened to them. Perhaps they lived well, perhaps they did not. But they had nothing to do with him any longer.
"I had this dream Xian'er. I dreamed that we were married, that I was your husband and you were my wife. I told you this, but I did not tell you that I also dreamed of our treasure. That part of the dream came to fruition and it may be far to late, but if though it's not technically legal and it can't be recorded in the official records, will you marry me?"
A marriage certificate appeared before Fa Xian's blurred eyes, produced by the lawyer. It already contained Shao Fen's signature and just waited for his own. It couldn't be witnessed as one of the two would be spouses was no longer alive, but Fa Xian signed it anyway.
At least in death, they could be married as husband and wife.
"We weren't meant to be in this life," Shao Fen had said him as he took his last breaths, "so, in the next life, come find me, we'll try once more?"
"I will."
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