254: Happy Birthday (5)

Happy Birthday (5)

After looking at the email he received, Li Jirong couldn't contain his anger. He charged toward Li Junjie and grabbed his collar before pulling it harshly.2

"Jie, you unfilial child!" He hissed that sentence with an ugly expression on his face.

Li Junjie made no attempt to struggle and only looked at his father calmly. "If you don't want anyone to find out, you should at least keep your affair private. You are dating several women simultaneously and going to public places; you are only asking to be blackmailed."

Overwhelmed by his anger, Li Jirong clenched his fist and threw it at Li Junjie's face. Again, the younger man did not try to avoid it. He received the punch straight in his face and staggered backward from the force. 

"Who is it? Who did you hire to investigate me? How dare you! I really have raised a bunch of white-eyed wolves in this house!" Li Jirong roared before landing a kick on his son's leg this time, prompting him to kneel on one foot. Still not satisfied, he added another kick to Li Junjie's back and lay him flat on the ground.

"Hahaha, I thought you had turned into a mature person. But it seems I will have to discipline you once again." Li Jirong smiled sinisterly before walking to his closet and taking out a belt from inside it.

Li Junjie could guess what would happen next. His face and back were throbbing with pain, but he endured it silently and waited for the inevitable.

Li Jirong whipped the belt in his hand to the floor, producing a loud, sharp-sounding sound. It brought back the old memories, and Li Junjie's whole body tensed, surprising even himself.

He let out a self-deprecating laugh. Even if his body had grown up and his mind matured, his body was still honest. 

Li Junjie gritted his teeth, trying to push away the traumatic experience playing on the behind of his mind far away. He didn't have time to be scared now. His family's fate depended on him now. What would happen to his mother and her sisters if he back down now?

Even that timid girl was doing her best. The girl who used to cry easily and hide behind him. He bet she was also scared and suffered greatly, but she tried to persuade everyone rather than blaming someone. Li Junjie probably wouldn't take this initiative if it were not for her.

What kind of useless man would he be if he got scared of this? After talking big in front of Li Caiyi, it would be lame if he gave up.

"Stand up." Li Jirong commanded coldly.

Li Junjie slowly picked himself up, albeit with some difficulty. He was pretty athletic, but he was an indoor person through and through. He hated rigorous activity and disliked conflicts that had to be resolved with violence.

"You'll know what will happen next, right? If you apologize now, then I'll spare you. But never think about doing this stuff again."

Li Junjie scoffed. He was really fed up with all of this. 

"When everything doesn't go your way, you'll resort to violence and verbal abuse. Then, you will wonder why your children disrespect you and are unfilial towards you. Is it some kind of joke?"

Li Jirong's eyes narrowed down dangerously. "It seems we won't be able to see eye to eye on this. Don't blame me for anything that happens after this. You are asking for a beating!"

Li Jirong raised his hand above his head, trying to whip the belt toward him. But this time, Li Junjie dodged to the side. He didn't think he could actually avoid it, so his eyes widened slightly when he made it.

'What, it's not as scary as I thought,' Li Junjie thought. 

It enraged Li Jirong when he saw Li Junjie move to avoid it. "Stand still and receive your punishment. You'll need to be disciplined a lot!"

"If you were me, would you just sit still and let another person whip you like a horse? You are asking for the impossible here." Li Junjie replied, which only infuriated the older man more. He shouted something about filial piety and something like that, but Li Junjie had stopped listening to him.

"Father, you forgot that you have no choice here. Either I exposed your abuse towards me throughout the year or be ready to have your scandal revealed. You must know that your mistress is playing with several other men if you have seen the email. The identity of those men isn't low-profile, and you are doomed if you come across some of them."

Li Junjie paused briefly before continuing, "Birds of the same feather flock together. You cheated on my mother without knowing your girlfriend is also cheating on you. You reaped what you sowed. 

Imagine how many people would bore resentment to you two if all these came into the light of day. Even if you flee to a foreign country and return, your life wouldn't ever be the same again. Now you choose which one you like me to use to blackmail you?"

"Jie, y-you…" Li Jirong's breath was labored from the accumulated anger inside his chest. He felt like he could cough blood soon. 

"Father, choose how you want to be blackmailed. Give the right to inheritance to me, and I'll convince Mother to divorce you. Your marriage will end in a good name, and no harm will come your way."

Li Jirong flinched a bit when Su Suyin was mentioned, then his countenance became even darker. "You little brat. What did you tell your mother?"

"Why are you looking at me like it is my fault? It's all your fault, and you alone should take responsibility for this. Don't involve Mother or anyone else."

"Did you tell your mother about all this?" Li Jirong asked again. This time with a bit of urgency in his tone, as if he was anxious about something.

"....I did." 

Li Jirong's face paled upon hearing that. His hand, which used to grip the belt, gradually lost its strength before it fell limply to his side. Among all reactions he expected from his father, this one was the most unexpected. 

He thought Li Jirong would be indifferent about it or blame it on someone else instead, but he looked surprisingly disturbed by it. It was as though he cared about what Su Suyin would think about his affair.

Li Junjie couldn't help but snort mockingly. After everything he had done to his mother, what was he trying to pull here? He couldn't stand this man's hypocrisy. It made him sick to the stomach.

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