Chapter 43: Confidence
When Mu Lichuan heard these words, a heavy sneer flashed across his face. As expected, it was exactly as he had thought, his father's "heart" had long been biased in who-knows-what direction. In that case, playing the pig to eat the tiger couldn't be used anymore.
[扮猪吃老虎 (bàn zhū chī lǎo hǔ): lit. play the pig to eat the tiger; fig. pretend to be weak to catch someone off guard.]
"Pfft..." Just as he was about to speak, a mocking voice sounded from within him. "It seems without my help, you’ve had a rather tough time."
Mu Lichuan laughed, but there wasn’t the slightest trace of amusement in his eyes. "Father, I refuse to marry Mo Shanshan! Much less participate in some so-called engagement ceremony. As for my younger brother... everyone knows exactly where your favoritism lies."
"You—!" "You—!" Both Mu Changnian and Mu Xiaolin’s expressions turned extremely ugly. As for Mo Shanshan, it seemed she had long expected Mu Lichuan to say this, as her expression remained mostly unchanged.
"Mu Lichuan, how dare you defy the patriarch’s will?" Someone, eager to curry favor, shouted loudly in the tense silence.
Mu Lichuan straightened his collar, his gaze icy as he looked at the crowd. "So what if I defy him? A man who only dotes on his illegitimate son, why should I spare him any face?"
Mu Changnian was practically fuming with rage. At that moment, Mu Xiwang entered from outside. "Mu Changnian, how can the marriage of the Mu family’s young master be treated so carelessly?"
"Father!" Mu Changnian’s face twisted as if he had eaten something foul upon seeing his father intervene. "The girl is fond of Lichuan, how can I stand in the way of love?"
"Stand in the way of love? Anyone who didn’t know better would think he’s your real son, and I’m the one you picked up off the street." Mu Lichuan’s tone was full of defiance, bolstered by the "spirit" inside him, which gave him unwavering confidence.
Even if Mu Lichuan released the dark energy, he believed he could escape unscathed. After all, their personalities were strikingly similar.
"Shut your mouth! Who gave you the right to speak here?" Mu Changnian radiated a chilling fury, his eyes fixed on his eldest son as if he wanted to tear him apart.
At these words, Mu Lichuan laughed, but his eyes were frosty. "How amusing, Patriarch Mu. I'm the eldest son of the Mu family, the future heir. How is it that in your words, I don’t even have the right to defend myself? Grandfather, tell me, does the Mu family patriarch deserve his position?"
Since he had abandoned and suppressed him first, what did it matter if he left the Mu family? He had the ability to carve out his own path in Chuan City - no, in this entire country.
"From today onward, Mu Changnian is no longer the patriarch of the Mu family. All his authority within the family is revoked!" Mu Xiwang declared, his face dark. Things had been progressing well, yet somehow, they had spiraled into such a farce.
Mu Xiaolin had originally planned to rely on his father, even intending to expose the hidden cameras in their residence. But now, because of the Mu family’s elder, all his plans turned to ashes.
"If that’s the case, then from today onward, I, Mu Xiaolin, have nothing to do with the Mu family!" The young man stood tall, his eyes glowing with a bloody light - clearly, the dark energy within him was beyond his control.
Mu Lichuan noticed the energy slowly spreading from him. "Xiao Mo!"
Just as Mu Xiwang braced himself for the worst, he realized the dark energy around Mu Xiaolin remained confined to his own body, showing no signs of spreading. Instantly, he calmed.
"How is this possible? Did you do this?" Mu Xiaolin charged at Mu Lichuan, clearly intending to kill him with his dark energy. "Why are you unharmed?"
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