Chapter 580: Chapter 210: Li Yuan Gets Lectured, Startup Base Begins Operations_2

This beautiful evening shouldn’t be wasted on meaningless chit-chat.

Xia Zhijin was an extremely innocent girl who simply didn’t know how to refuse, especially when the ones she was talking to were Xia Qin and Li Zixia.

When Xia Qin heard Li Yuan’s voice, she glared at her philandering scoundrel of a son. Then, taking Xia Zhijin’s hand, her expression softened into a gentle smile as she spoke, "Zhijin, it’s getting late. You should wash up and get some rest."

Xia Zhijin felt an inexplicable wave of relief, and her voice was suddenly much lighter. "Okay, Auntie!"

After Xia Zhijin went to the bathroom to wash up, Empress Dowager Xia’s expression immediately changed. She turned to Li Yuan with a very serious look on her face.

"Li Yuan, come out with me."

Hearing Empress Dowager Xia’s serious tone, Li Yuan’s heart lurched with a sense of foreboding.

He muttered, "Mom, I’ve been tired all day, and I’m about to go to sleep. Can’t whatever it is wait until tomorrow?"

Xia Qin snorted coldly. "No. If we don’t clear this up now, I won’t be able to sleep a wink."

"Stop with the nonsense and get over here. I have a few questions for you."

Li Yuan gave a sheepish smile. "Uh, okay then."

Xia Qin marched straight out the door and into the hallway by the staircase. She looked sternly at Li Yuan, who was following close behind. Her voice was as chilling and piercing as a midwinter wind, making Li Yuan shiver involuntarily. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"So, what exactly is going on?"

"Mom, I don’t know what you’re talking about," Li Yuan habitually deflected. His heart skipped a beat, however, as he already had a sinking feeling about what Empress Dowager Xia was going to ask.

Sure enough, he heard Xia Qin’s mocking sneer. "Li Yuan, you scoundrel! Is this what your father and I taught you? To go astray at such a young age and emulate those despicable men?

"How do you plan to handle things with those three girls?

"If you don’t handle this well and something terrible happens, your father and I... we wouldn’t want to live anymore."

As she spoke, Xia Qin started to cry, pointing at Li Yuan’s nose as she berated him. "You little scoundrel! Have you forgotten what happened to your cousin Xia Yuanyuan? You’re juggling several girlfriends at the same time! If they find out, what if one of them can’t handle it and does something drastic? You would ruin their life and your own! You could end up in jail, and this family would be torn apart...

"Wasn’t that girl from yesterday, Zhong Tingyue, pretty enough for you? Are you still not satisfied?

"And this girl today... she has such a good personality, she looks like a Heavenly Immortal, and she lost her parents when she was young, raising her toddler brother all by herself. How could you be so heartless as to lead her on? If something were to happen to her, could you bear the responsibility?

"Li Yuan, you’ve gone to university, and you can earn money now; you’re a man. But if I had known you would turn out like this, I’d rather you were still that quiet, unknown boy. At least then, you wouldn’t be toying with girls’ feelings...

"And what about that girl from high school you were pursuing, the one with the surname Bai? Zixia said you’ve already met her parents?

"Li Yuan, you scoundrel, what am I supposed to say to you? I’ve only been home for a month, and you seem determined to anger me to death, don’t you?"

Listening to Xia Qin’s tearful, fierce scolding, Li Yuan felt somewhat dazed. He suddenly realized he and his mother saw things from completely different perspectives. Especially after the tragedy with his cousin, Xia Yuanyuan, she probably had a trauma response to this kind of situation.

Empress Dowager Xia’s worries weren’t baseless. He understood them, it was just...

Back then, driven by lust, my only goal was to be a scumbag. How could I have possibly considered all of this?

Li Yuan looked at his still-crying mother and comforted her earnestly. "Mom, don’t worry. I’ll handle my relationships properly."

Xia Qin looked coldly at Li Yuan, frowning. "Then tell me, how are you going to handle it?"

Li Yuan smiled sheepishly. "Mom, I’ll figure something out. Just don’t worry about it. I promise they’ll all be fine."

Frowning, Xia Qin snorted. "If you weren’t my son, I couldn’t be bothered with you. I’m telling you, I don’t care about the other details, but you had better not cause some kind of tragedy. Otherwise, I won’t let you off easy."

"Yesterday’s Zhong Tingyue and today’s Xia Zhijin are both wonderful girls. You’re incredibly lucky to have even one of them. You absolutely cannot hurt them too deeply or push them to do something desperate..."

Li Yuan braced himself and nodded. "I know, Mom. Don’t worry."

After giving Li Yuan a severe tongue-lashing, Xia Qin’s anger had subsided somewhat. She glared at him one last time and asked, "And your high school classmate, are you planning on bringing her home for me to meet as well?"

Li Yuan nodded awkwardly. "Mom, you have to treat them all equally, right? If you’re meeting two, you might as well meet all three. I plan on bringing her over tomorrow night for you to meet."

Xia Qin glared at Li Yuan and snorted. "You have the nerve to talk about treating them equally. Just wait until they find out the truth. They’ll probably tear you to pieces."

"Your father and I have been honest, decent people our entire lives. How did we end up with such a philandering scoundrel for a son?"

Li Yuan chuckled. "Mom, could it be that the son you gave birth to is just so outstanding that all these wonderful girls are fighting to be with me?"

Xia Qin gave Li Yuan a surprised look, frowning. "Yuan, when did you become such a slick talker?"

Li Yuan arched an eyebrow and grinned. "Have I? I’m still the same old me."

Xia Qin shook her head. "No, you weren’t like this before. You used to be so honest, without all these devious thoughts."