But Shen Zhaoli was very calm, speaking as though he was merely an observer. He noticed the shocked expression on Wen Jiao’s face, so he smiled at her, gently saying, "Do you want to know how our lives got better?" Wen Jiao opened her mouth but was unable to speak. The wind was blowing against her body, and it was a bit cold. She wanted to hug Shen Zhaoli, but she could only stare into his eyes, motionless. She was afraid of being too forward. When Shen Zhaoli was ten, he became the king of the slum kids. He led a group of kids with different skin tones, scavenging for relatively intact meat from the garbage of the wealthy, reprocessing and selling it to customers in the slums. This was a local delicacy and a resource fought over in the slums. Shen Zhaoli had fought many times with a bunch of kids over a few pieces of so-called meat. He was only ten, far from the height and strength of those older youths. But he fought as if his life depended on it, going all out in every fight. Over time, those youths grew afraid of him and gradually stopped troubling him. Later on, at 12, Shen Zhaoli started working as a doorman in an underground casino. He was handsome, and the wealthy patrons all liked him. They praised his looks and coveted him. While Shen Zhaoli had to protect himself, he saved enough money to treat his mother’s illness and pay for his own education. At 15, he was accepted into Ivy. His journey was perilous, and no one knew. All these burdens were shouldered by Shen Zhaoli alone. Only his mother, looking at the acceptance letter, shed tears of joy. The lives of mother and son were about to change. His mother cried and hugged him, repeatedly saying sorry. She said how sorry she was that he had to suffer so much with her. Shen Zhaoli had never resented his mother; they had relied on each other for many years, and Zhaoli knew how hard it had been for her. Now she was too sick to get out of bed because of him. "I swore to my mother that I would finish my studies as soon as possible and find a way to save money for her treatment. We would be able to move out of the slums soon. I wouldn’t let her live in such a place for the rest of her life, my mother does not deserve to suffer so much, but then... Shen Shu appeared." Shen Zhaoli didn’t care at all about who his father was. What was there to care about? He was nothing but a faithless man who abandoned his wife and child. However, when that refined man from high society appeared in their cramped and dilapidated home, Shen Zhaoli saw tears in his mother’s eyes. Thɪs chapter is updated by nοvelfire.net He didn’t ask anything but had already guessed the man’s identity. And as Shen Shu approached him, naturally assuming the patriarchal posture, he looked at Shen Zhaoli and said in a deep voice, "Are you Ali?" Shen Zhaoli guessed his gaze must have been very fierce at that moment, which made Shen Shu’s expression change dramatically, frowning at him. "Get lost!" The young man forced out the words through his teeth, his tone cold and sharp. He would rather toil to death, or struggle for survival in the mud for the rest of his life, than to see this so-called father. But his mother sobbed and called out his name, "Ali... don’t talk like that! This is your father!" "I don’t have a father!" For the first time, Shen Zhaoli talked back harshly to his mother, seething with anger, "I never had one before, and I never will in the future." His mother wept even harder. Looking at his mother, Shen Shu seemed surprised that a woman once noted for her exceptional beauty had now become so haggard. He frowned and said, "You’ve suffered. Let me take you away, you need treatment." "Nobody is allowed to take my mother away!" Shen Zhaoli’s eyes were bloodshot with rage as he glared at Shen Shu, his eyes full of hostility, "Get out of here now! And don’t ever show your face in front of me again!" "I’ve heard you got into a prestigious university." Shen Shu began to speak, but it was a completely unrelated matter, "You’re smart and outstanding, you are worthy of being my son." Shen Zhaoli sneered and picked up a stool nearby, hurling it at Shen Shu, "Shut your mouth! Who wants to be your son! Get lost! Leave at once!" Of course, their first meeting ended in discord. Shen Zhaoli was young and proud at that time, how could he tolerate his father being such a despicable man. He wanted to take his mother and leave right away, to move away immediately. But his mother just covered her face and wept. She said that since Shen Shu had found this place, no matter where we went, he would be able to find us. Ali, you can’t defeat him; he is the decision-maker of Lixing Group, his power is overwhelming. For the first time, Shen Zhaoli heard these four words from his mother’s mouth. In the past, when they washed clothes for the high society and treasured their kitchen waste as if it was gold, his mother had never used these words to describe any of those people. Shen Zhaoli was not resigned. He looked up information on Shen Shu but found no trace of him on the internet. Yet Lixing Group was the pinnacle of power in Xiangjiang. His mother was right; that was not someone he could defeat. His mother loved him. So later, everything went as Shen Shu had wished, towards the so-called ’right track.’ His mother was taken away by his subordinates, sent to the best sanatorium. And Shen Zhaoli, he stood in front of Shen Shu, looking at the absolute superior immersed in darkness. "You are smart, this choice is right for both you and your mother," Shen Shu said blandly, "The doctor said she had fallen into a deep coma, and if she had been taken to the hospital any later, she would have lost her life." Shen Zhaoli’s breathing became difficult, he clenched his fists unwillingly and looked at Shen Shu, "What the hell do you want!" "I don’t want anything," Shen Shu smiled and shook his head, "Ali, there’s no need to be so tense, I have no ill intentions towards you, you are my child, I hope I can make it up to you, even though I know that what I can provide now is not enough to compensate for the hurt you’ve suffered all these years." What sanctimonious words. But Shen Zhaoli had no choice, in the face of absolute power, there was no other way but to compromise, so he said, "I don’t need compensation, but please take good care of my mother, that’s what you owe her." Shen Shu paused for a moment, then said, "I and your mother... it’s not what you think. When we were together, my wife had already passed away, she was not a third party, and our relationship was not immoral." Shen Zhaoli did not care about that, all he cared about was whether his mother could receive proper treatment. "You don’t need to explain this to me," Shen Zhaoli said coldly, "If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving..." "From now on, your surname is Shen," Shen Shu forcefully interrupted Shen Zhaoli, declaring, "Your mother calls you Ali, from now on, your name will be Shen Zhaoli."