Chapter 81: I Won't Tell Anyone!

“Darling, make a pot of tea.” Yu Zhile patted Qin Haiyu’s thigh, then gestured for Old Liu to take a seat, calling out, “Dad, Old Liu is here to see you!”

Mom scolded, “Call him Uncle Liu! Where are your manners?”

Old Liu sat down, frozen like a wooden statue.

He stared at Qin Haiyu, convinced that this young woman looked exactly like that female celebrity from the New Year’s Eve gala!

In that instant, everything fell into place for him. But he was still a little incredulous as he asked, “Teacher Pan, what did you say your son’s name was?”

Before Mom could answer, Yu Zhile smiled politely, “You can call me Zhile, or Ah Le, or even Xiao Yu—whichever you prefer.”

Gulp.

Old Liu swallowed hard.

Zhile? Ah Le?

So that fellow named Yu Zhile wasn’t Old Yu’s old friend from back home? He was actually Old Yu’s son? So that female celebrity Qin Haiyu was Old Yu’s daughter-in-law? And that support sign Old Yu bought back then wasn’t for chasing stars?

At that moment, Old Liu felt as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt on a clear day!

He’d been living in this neighborhood and friends with Old Yu for five or six years now, and he thought he knew the man well enough. But never had he imagined that Old Yu was the ultimate master of hidden depths!

He felt as if his heart had been hit with ten thousand critical blows.

And to think, he’d always believed Old Yu was just obsessed with saving face, which was why, after winning five cases of milk in the chess tournament, he’d given them all away—then, playing the magnanimous friend, brought his granddaughter over to deliver a single case to Old Yu, to quench his thirst and show off his own championship.

And to think, after winning the chess championship and taking home 5,888 yuan in cash, he’d planned to slip Old Yu two or three thousand to make up for those New Year’s Eve gala tickets!

Only to be hit with such a blow the moment he stepped inside!

Suddenly, the entire truth surfaced…

That expensive luxury car Old Yu drove—worth over a million—wasn’t rented, but actually belonged to his son! When Old Yu said his son and daughter-in-law could easily make a few million a month, he wasn’t boasting or competing; he was simply stating a fact! The chess tournament that had suddenly sprung up in their community had been organized by Old Yu’s daughter-in-law! Her picture was right there on the milk cartons!

Now, thinking back, everything made perfect sense! No wonder the hostess had called Old Yu by name at the tournament and told him to go home for dinner!

He felt utterly betrayed…

Old Yu hadn’t just deceived his friendship; he’d wounded Old Liu’s pride as well.

His chubby little granddaughter suddenly nudged his leg and asked, “Grandpa, why aren’t you moving?”

“Oh, I—I’m just thinking about something.”

Snapping back to reality, Old Liu slipped his trembling hand into his pocket, clutching that stack of cash, and decided not to give Old Yu a single cent!

Infuriating! Utterly demoralizing! That old fox was too cunning!

Thinking back to how he’d often bragged in front of Old Yu about his son’s great job at a state-owned enterprise, he now felt a burning sense of shame and wished he could just crawl into a hole.

Yu Zhile was rinsing the teacups, his wife brewing the tea, while Mom questioned Old Liu’s chubby granddaughter, “Liu Yingying, have you finished your homework? School starts tomorrow!”

Liu Yingying replied proudly, “I finished it! I did it all on the first day of break!”

Qin Haiyu asked curiously, “Mom, is she one of your students?”

Mom replied, “No, she’s just in second grade. I teach third and fourth, but I’ve tutored her plenty in the past.”

At the mention of tutoring, Old Liu felt another pang of exhaustion. He remembered how, for the sake of pride, he’d once insisted to his son that he mustn’t take advantage of a friend’s wife and had grandly declared that the tutoring fees for his granddaughter—taught by an old friend’s wife—shouldn’t be skimped on!

Now, realizing the true gap between their families, he was almost moved to tears.

He didn’t know how to face this reality. Fleeing seemed the best option, so he stammered, “Well… um, I just remembered something I need to take care of, so… I’d better not disturb you all any longer.”

Qin Haiyu poured out the tea, and Yu Zhile said warmly, “Uncle Liu, the tea is ready. Stay a while and have a cup before you go.”

Liu Yingying chimed in, “Grandpa, didn’t you tell Grandma you’d bring me to visit Teacher Pan’s house and play chess with Grandpa Yu? We’re supposed to go home later!”

“….”

What a pigheaded granddaughter!

Old Liu cleared his throat and said, “Just remembered something else I need to handle, but it’s not urgent. I’ll have some tea first, then go.”

Just then, Old Yu finally walked out of the bathroom, and seeing his son and daughter-in-law both sitting in the living room, he was stunned.

If his daughter-in-law hadn’t avoided the guest, then Old Liu must have figured it all out.

No wonder Old Liu looked as if his wife had run off with someone else!

Old Yu gave a cough and said, “Old Liu, looks like you’ve probably guessed it! All right, no more secrets. This is my son, Yu Zhile. This is my daughter-in-law, Qin Haiyu. As long as you know, just keep it to yourself—don’t let anyone else know or we’ll have people crowding our front door.”

At this, Yu Zhile looked astonished, “Dad, didn’t you already tell everyone the truth on the night you watched the gala together?”

Old Yu explained, “I didn’t actually say a word that night!”

“Uh…” Yu Zhile said awkwardly, “I thought you’d already revealed everything, so I didn’t have your daughter-in-law avoid the guest.”

Old Liu picked up his teacup with trembling hands, took a sip of hot tea, and gave Old Yu a look of utter disdain. “Impressive! Your son and daughter-in-law are so successful, and you kept it hidden for so long!”

Old Yu spread his hands, “I didn’t hide it! I’ve always been dropping hints, showing off in subtle ways, but you all just thought I was bragging—nobody believed me!”

“…”

Old Liu was speechless.

He’d thought everyone was just making things up—but it turned out, all the things Old Yu had bragged about had come true!

The world is truly unfair.

Little chubby Liu Yingying didn’t quite follow what was going on. All she knew was that the beautiful big sister in front of her looked just like the one on the yogurt box, and she hadn’t made the connection to any sort of celebrity.

Yu’s mother could only sigh and said, “Old Liu, he didn’t mean to keep it from you. It’s just that my son and daughter-in-law’s careers are a bit unusual, so we kept it quiet to avoid attention.”

Old Liu replied with a heavy heart, “I understand, don’t worry—I won’t tell anyone.”

After sitting for a while, Old Liu—who had originally planned to play a few games of chess with Old Yu—took his granddaughter and left for home.

He pulled out his phone, thinking that since Old Yu’s daughter-in-law was a singer and celebrity, she must make a lot of money! So could it be that Old Yu’s son was some pampered pretty boy kept by a star?

That thought made him feel a bit better—at least it didn’t sting so much.

But, still curious, he searched the name “Yu Zhile” on his phone. After all, these days, anyone even remotely famous would have plenty of information online.

And what he found made Old Liu even more despairing.