Chasing You Like a Tenacious Falcon

Monday.

Zuo Yunxuan had already enrolled in school, transferring to an elite elementary school in Liangxi Town.

Hou Qiaoling had prepared to return to the country and settled in Liangxi Town, determined to stay and compete with Xu Zhiyi.

Her son's school was excellent, with expensive tuition fees.

As a student transferring from abroad, Zuo Yunxuan was initially very popular at the school.

But today, as soon as he entered the classroom, he noticed the atmosphere was different. His classmates didn’t welcome him as usual, nor did they eagerly ask about his experiences at his previous school abroad.

Everyone was looking at him with strange, judgmental eyes.

This made Zuo Yunxuan extremely uncomfortable.

As he sat down, the tallest and strongest boy in the class walked over and shoved his desk over.

Zuo Yunxuan stood up and pushed him back, shouting, "What are you doing, you fat pig?"

"Fat pig?" The boy laughed. "You think just because you changed countries and schools, you can act like the boss now?"

Zuo Yunxuan frowned. "I *am* the boss!"

He had always told his classmates that he was very popular abroad, that he was the boss at his previous school, and that even the older students didn’t dare mess with him.

But at that moment, the entire class burst into laughter.

"Still pretending? You can’t even lie convincingly!"

"I’m dying of laughter, he’s so ridiculous."

"In first grade, he got beaten up by seniors. In second grade, he got beaten up by older girls. He spent three years abroad getting bullied from start to finish. When was he ever the boss?"

"Haha! And this kid is sneaky too. I heard the older girl beat him up because he was secretly taking pictures of her!"

"Gross! All the girls in our class should be careful. This guy isn’t some boss; he’s a potential criminal!"

"He’s not wrong, though. He *is* famous in the overseas Chinese elementary school circles—infamous!"

"..."

Zuo Yunxuan’s pupils contracted violently, and he felt utterly hopeless.

How did they know about these things? No one should have known!

Who would go to the trouble of digging up his past in another country?

But Zuo Yunxuan was only ten years old and couldn’t think too deeply about it. All he knew was that he had been exposed, and the authority he had worked so hard to build at this school had crumbled overnight.

For several days after that, Zuo Yunxuan came home with bruises and cuts.

He went from being the "boss" of the class to being everyone’s punching bag.

Hou Qiaoling, who had been busy with her own struggles, now had to pay attention to her son’s situation at school. But no matter how much she asked, the only answer she got was that he was being bullied because his past abroad had been exposed.

No one knew who had exposed it!

And the students weren’t being directed by anyone; they were simply retaliating against Zuo Yunxuan for lying to them and for acting so high and mighty when he first transferred.

Finally, on Friday, Zuo Yunxuan came home early, reeking of something foul.

Hou Qiaoling was horrified and covered her nose. "Son, what’s that smell on you?"

Zuo Yunxuan, who had already cried once, burst into tears again. "When I was in the bathroom, they... they threw firecrackers into the toilet... and it... it exploded... with poop!"

Hou Qiaoling’s mind went blank, and she couldn’t help but scream. "Ah! Go wash up right now! Ah!!"

...

Zuo Zhiyu had been even busier these days and hadn’t had time to deal with what was happening at home.

The public backlash had erupted, and the history of Zuo Group had been dug up, from twenty years ago to the present. Someone had even created a timeline, analyzing how Zuo Zhiyu had schemed his way to the top.

He was labeled a freeloader, a usurper who had abandoned his first wife’s daughter and then brought her back just to mistreat her.

This topic could keep people chatting for hours at the dinner table.

Zuo Zhiyu was becoming the laughingstock of Liangxi Town!

It felt like he had returned to the past, where everyone pointed fingers and looked down on him.

A useless freeloader who got rich off a woman!

Meanwhile, the name Quan Zhisui suddenly spread through the upper circles. Whether they were self-made entrepreneurs or those who already had some capital, they were all successful now.

Hearing that surname still gave them pause, reminding them of the woman who had been as radiant as a rose.

So she was Quan Feng’s daughter!

...

That day, at the Zuo family dinner table.

Zuo Zichen kept his head down, eating while wondering if he should move into the school dormitory.

Zuo Zhiyu sat at the head of the table, frowning the entire time, his mood at rock bottom.

Zuo Zhaoyuan and Zhang Liufang were still doting on their grandson, acting like two old fools.

Hou Qiaoling seized the opportunity to speak up. "Husband, our son is being bullied at school. I’ve told you so many times. Can’t you do something about it? If nothing else, let’s transfer him to another school."

Zuo Zhiyu was already at his wit’s end and snapped, "Transfer again? Isn’t that a hassle? The tuition is so expensive. No transfers. He’ll stay there and tough it out!"

Hou Qiaoling protested, "But the bullying is really bad!"

Since they were at the dinner table, she didn’t specify how bad it was, but the stench seemed to linger, making her lose her appetite.

Xu Zhiyi chuckled. "Oh, bullying? Isn’t it because your son’s been doing shady things and got caught? Like secretly taking pictures or playing with snakes and rats? Isn’t that disgusting? He’s so young and already acting like a creep!"

Hou ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‍Qiaoling glared at her. "What’s it to you? Stop spewing nonsense!"

Zuo Zhiyu slammed his hand on the table. "Enough! Don’t you see what’s happening outside? Zuo Group is being torn apart in the media, and you two are still arguing!"

Hou Qiaoling was puzzled. "What’s happening outside? What’s going on?"

She hadn’t had time to read the news, having been preoccupied with her son’s situation, especially that ominous text message that had left her on edge.

Zhang Liufang cursed, "It’s all because of that Quan Feng! Even in death, she won’t leave us alone! She’s haunting us from the grave!"

Zuo Zhaoyuan also started ranting. "All kinds of rumors are spreading now. What do they mean, ‘living off a woman’? When that woman was alive, she wouldn’t give us a single cent. She was downright evil!"

"Exactly!" Zhang Liufang chimed in. "She had so much money but never thought to share it with us, her elders. All she cared about was investments. What does a woman need to know about that? If she had assets, they should’ve gone to her husband and son. And she always acted so superior!"

Zuo Zhiyu didn’t say anything, but it was clear he shared the same sentiment.

Xu Zhiyi glanced at them and rolled her eyes. "If you’re so brave, why don’t you say all this to Quan Zhisui’s face instead of just talking here?"

Zhang Liufang snapped, "And what about you, you little tramp? You climbed into my son’s bed while your so-called friend was pregnant! If it weren’t for the fact that you gave birth to a son, do you think you’d ever have been allowed into the Zuo family?"

Xu Zhiyi was furious. "Oh, please! The Zuo family? We’ve all known each other for seventeen years. Everyone knows Zuo Group originally belonged to the Quan family!"

Zuo Zichen looked up in shock. "Mom, were you really friends with Quan Zhisui’s mom?"

Xu Zhiyi waved her hand irritably. "No! We were classmates!"

Having her past exposed so publicly made her extremely uncomfortable.

Zuo Zhaoyuan threw his chopsticks down in anger. "What does it matter if it’s the Quan family or the Zuo family? Even if Quan Feng made money, it was her dowry. Once she married in, it belonged to the Zuo family!"

Zuo Zichen looked around at everyone, feeling his entire worldview shatter. He was on the verge of passing out.

This was the first time he had heard any of this. So all these years, the Zuo family’s lavish lifestyle had been funded by Quan Zhisui’s mother’s legacy?