The Gentle Stepfather, The Furious Father

Cao Cheng declined his stepmother's invitation.

Though he could tell Aunt Ren's offer was genuine—not just empty politeness. There was both a desire to nurture him and genuine care behind it.

But working a job? Absolutely not.

After a lifetime of chasing dreams, wasn't he entitled to some rest?

Aunt Ren wasn’t offended.

In the end, she smiled warmly, her voice gentle: "If you don’t want to join the family business, that’s fine. I know plenty of people in Zhonghai. If there’s a company you like, I can pull some strings for you."

She understood kids—not all of them wanted to work under their parents’ wings.

Take the second child in their family, for example.

From childhood, she’d been obsessed with martial arts and weapons, and now she worked in high-risk criminal investigations, dealing with cases and corpses every day.

Aunt Ren didn’t quite get it, but she respected it.

"Thanks, Mom."

"We’re family, no need for formalities." Aunt Ren’s smile was tender, her eyes full of affection. Who wouldn’t adore a handsome, tall, and charismatic young man like him?

……

"What did your mom talk to you about?" Father Cao later cornered Cao Cheng, curiosity getting the better of him.

Except—

Why was there so much resentment in Father Cao’s eyes?

"Nothing much. She just asked about those aunties you used to know in Zhonghai," Cao Cheng said solemnly.

"..."

The resentment in Father Cao’s eyes intensified, even flashing with a hint of negativity.

Father Cao narrowed his eyes. "What did you tell her?"

Cao Cheng replied, "Of course I defended you."

Father Cao grinned. "That’s my boy. How’d you defend me?"

"I said… it was all those aunties making the moves. They were the shameless ones. You just never refused, never initiated, never took responsibility."

"Goddammit—!"

[Ding~ Negative emotions +502]

Father Cao was floored.

But seeing the teasing smirk on his son’s face, he realized—this brat was messing with him!

Damn it.

Nearly gave me a heart attack!

Whack!

He swung a slap at Cao Cheng’s head.

Cao Cheng dodged, shouting, "Keep your hands to yourself! Hit me, and I’ll tell her you had over eighty aunties back in the—mmph!!"

Father Cao clamped a hand over his mouth.

Through gritted teeth, he hissed, "You little liar, it was nowhere near eighty!"

"Though I’m flattered you think your old man was that much of a stud."

"But lying? Not cool."

Cao Cheng pried his father’s hand away. "Sixty or seventy, then?"

"No! Ten, tops."

"Pfft." Cao Cheng rolled his eyes. "You actually admit that?"

Father Cao huffed. "Ten. That’s it."

Cao Cheng countered, "In the time you were gone, more than ten women asked me about you."

Hearing this, Father Cao’s face lit up with pride. Still got it, huh? Kid, you’ve got a lot to learn.

Leaning in, he whispered eagerly, "Oh? Which aunties were asking?"

"Aunt Wang kept pestering me. Her daughter said she muttered your name 785 times in her sleep. You owe her a lot of money or something?"

"??"

[Ding~ Negative emotions…]

Father Cao whipped out his belt and chased Cao Cheng around the house.

In the end, Aunt Ren intervened, saving Cao Cheng’s hide.

Dropping her usual gentleness, she scolded Father Cao sharply: "What’s wrong with you, hitting a child at your age? Is this how you teach him? Can’t you just talk properly?"

"Exactly," Cao Cheng chimed in, nodding.

Father Cao gnashed his teeth.

Aunt Ren smoothed Cao Cheng’s hair, her tone softening again. "Don’t worry, I’m here. He won’t dare touch you."

"Mom, you’re the best!"

"This kid… such a sweet talker." She shot him an affectionate eye-roll.

Turning back to Father Cao, her expression hardened. "Well? Explain yourself."

Father Cao stammered, at a loss.

If he told the truth, it’d be a disaster.

Sure, they’d had an open conversation about his past, and Aunt Ren knew—but knowing and being reminded were two different things.

Some things were better left unsaid.

But Cao Cheng, ever the traitor, blurted out: "It was about the Sanjiang—"

Ahem!

Father Cao coughed loudly.

"—Sanjiang—"

Cough cough cough!

"—San—"

COUGH!

Cao Cheng gave him a deadpan look. "Not letting me talk, huh?"

Aunt Ren glared. "What’s with the coughing? Let him finish."

Father Cao forced a laugh. "Never mind, it’s nothing serious. I promise I won’t hit him again. Let’s just drop it. From now on, he’s my dad."

"..."

"..."

He shot Cao Cheng a desperate look.

Cao Cheng raised an eyebrow. A silent negotiation ensued.

Ten grand.

Five!

Eight.

Deal.

Money wasn’t the point—winning was.

Father Cao quickly backpedaled: "Actually, it was about that purple tea. This brat had some stashed away and never shared it with me."

Smooth liar. Just like his son.

Cao Cheng shrugged. "It only showed up after you left."

"Bull." Father Cao side-eyed him.

That earlier resentment? Yeah, it was about the tea.

He’d never even tasted it before.

If Cao Cheng hadn’t brought some this time, he’d still be in the dark.

He’d spent half an hour sulking in the bathroom.

Ungrateful little—

Earlier, the fourth sibling had given Aunt Ren 10 grams, assuming Father Cao had already tried it. Neither mentioned it, creating this whole misunderstanding.

Speaking of the tea—

Aunt Ren said, "Cao Cheng, this must’ve been hard to get. You went through a lot of trouble, didn’t you? Let me cover the cost. I appreciate the thought."

"It’s pricey, but not in money—in favors." Cao Cheng smiled. "I’ll handle the payback myself."

"Silly boy." She ruffled his hair. "No need to be polite with me. If they need anything, just tell me."

"Will do." He didn’t refuse. Might come in handy later.

The father-son duo chatted a while longer.

First, Cao Cheng collected his 8k hush money.

Every penny counted.

He asked about his older sisters, but Father Cao was clueless.

Pathetic. Half a year wasted.

One thing Father Cao did reveal: the girls weren’t Aunt Ren’s biological children, but they were blood-related.

Cao Cheng wasn’t surprised. The timeline hadn’t added up earlier—he’d just assumed Father Cao was exaggerating.

First, he claimed they met in an ancient town.

Now he said they’d known each other for twenty years.

Was there a single honest word in that man’s mouth?

As for the details, Father Cao just shook his head. Either he didn’t know or couldn’t say.

If he knew, he’d have blabbed already. Secrets weren’t his strong suit.

……

……

There was another family dinner that evening.

Second Sister didn’t show, citing overtime.

No idea if it was true.

Whatever.

Family’s about understanding, right?

Besides,

The absence of one person didn’t dampen the mealtime atmosphere at all—if anything, it grew even livelier.

The eldest sister remained as motherly as ever.

Yet, beneath that gentle and warm demeanor, Cao Cheng sensed something off about her.

This girl’s a tough nut to crack.

Hmm.

When we say "something off," it’s not that she’s bad—just that there’s a clear undercurrent of rejection, though not a hint of it shows on the surface. It’s almost like she’s playing some kind of mind game.

Unlike the second sister, who’s blunt as a hammer.

Or the third and fourth sisters, who wear their hearts on their sleeves.

Even Aunt Ren is the same—her emotions are straightforward. Her warmth is genuine, her domineering side equally real. She’s an authentic middle-aged woman, every laugh and scowl unfiltered.

But this eldest sister? Different story.

After observing her, Cao Cheng could say with certainty: she’s mimicking her mother’s every move, mastering about 80-90% of it—and only the good parts at that. Gentle, warm, elegant—true to her name, she looks the spitting image on the outside.

In fact, she’s an upgraded version of her mother, with not a trace of negativity visible.

But here’s the thing…

It’s like she’s wearing layer upon layer of masks.

In one word: fake!

But Cao Cheng’s instincts are sharp.

Peeling back the surface, he could tell—she’s messed up.

She has no sense of self.

……

After the meal, Father Cao and Aunt Ren left.

Before going, Aunt Ren pulled Cao Cheng aside for another long, tender chat, as if she had endless things to say.

Cao Cheng could feel it—Aunt Ren genuinely adored him.

Sigh.

This damn charm of his, irresistible to all ages.

It was the same back in Zhonghai—too popular for his own good.

He’d been gone for a full day now. He wondered… would Aunt Wang miss him?

Hah!

……

Far away in Zhonghai, Aunt Wang sneezed several times in a row.

As she wrapped dumplings, she grumbled, “That little bastard Cao Cheng must be talking trash about me behind my back. Better not come back, or else… just wait till I give him an earful. I’m on fire these days—unstoppable, unbeatable. Pfft~~”

“Mom!” Sister Zhou’s voice carried from the living room. “You’re cooking—why are you spitting?”

“Since when do you get to tell me what to do? I don’t need your backseat driving. Don’t like it? Don’t eat.” Aunt Wang’s dominance was unchecked. With Cao Cheng gone, no one in the compound could rein her in. Her authority had reached new heights.

“……”

“Tch. I raised you and your brother with my own blood, sweat, and tears, and now you’re judging me? You’re worse than that little rascal Cao Cheng. At least he bought me a crate of milk and some fruit once…”

“……”

“Honestly, what was the point of raising you…”

“……”

Aunt Wang was a force of nature, ranting nonstop for half an hour without pause. Only when the dumplings were boiled and served did her mouth finally shut.

And the house fell into silence.