The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 420: Xuan Yang: This Family

Chapter 420: Xuan Yang: This Family

In the frosty atmosphere that enveloped them, both men remained rigid, their words piercing the silence like sharp icicles. Xuan Muchen’s remark about Xuan Yang’s father, Xuan Muyang, hung in the air like a bitter chill.

The barb was a double edged sword, for Xuan Muyang was indeed a stain on the family name, a fact known all too well to both men. Frankly, it was a fact known to all with common sense in Jinghua.

Xuan Yang refused to succumb to the ignorance and pretenses that pervaded the Xuan Mansion. He had found something more genuine in Nanshan Estate—love, anger, passion, and everything in between.

His relationship cultivated with Xu Feng and Xuan Jian was tumultuous yet sincere, a far cry from the hollow pretense of familial unity back home.

In the Xuan Mansion, his father’s philandering ways and his mother’s complicity in the pursuit of power, poisoned the very essence of their household.

There was no love, no companionship, only a relentless quest for status at any cost. Even the grandfather sitting across from him, though more restrained in his indiscretions, had a murky past filled with debauchery and indiscretion.

Yet, Xuan Yang refused to follow in their footsteps entirely. While he may have embraced unconventional relationships, his love for Xu Feng and Xuan Jian was genuine and he would not waver...

...No matter what new ploy Lady Xuan would come up with. He had endured nearly 6 weeks at this point. If needed, he could endure a lifetime.

If being labeled a "degenerate" for loving a man AND a ger was the price to pay, then so be it. But he refused to sink to the depths of depravity that defined his father’s legacy.

With a polite smile that failed to reach his eyes, Xuan Yang countered his grandfather’s veiled comparison with a pointed retort.

His words, though tinged with exaggeration, conveyed a clear message: he would not be shackled by the sins of his father, nor would he aid in preserving the facade of respectability that masked the family’s darker truths.

Not anymore, he had achieved much for the family, and they still wanted more from him. Their desires were unending, and they couldn’t trap him anymore.

"If there were even one more degenerate half as shameful as our great patriarch in the Xuan family," Xuan Yang remarked, his voice carrying the weight of defiance,

"We would likely be burned by all the people and nobles of our great Donghua." The statement served as both a rebuke and a warning for Xuan Muchen, but he wasn’t done.

"It’s not like the spittle flung his way can restrain your son’s actions, fire will have to do."

The words were harsh, but the meaning behind them was even harsher. ’Don’t compare me to your son. That is a curse worse than death.’ Also, ’I know your son is continuing to tarnish our good name, and I won’t help you fix our reputation this time.’

The tension in the room was at an all time high, the silence stretching taut between them like a drawn bowstring. Across the table, Xuan Muchen’s posture was rigid, his eyes fixed on his grandson with a mixture of appraisal and amusement.

Xuan Yang met his gaze head on, his own stance mirroring the clear victory on the board before them.

As descendants of the snake bloodline, both men possessed a natural coldness that set them apart from other immortal bloodline carriers.

Despite his grandfather’s presence, Xuan Yang knew that his own bloodline was far greater, strengthened by the events of the past year and the support of both Xu Feng and Xuan Jian.

Xuan Yang felt the primal urge to assert his dominance, to prove himself the stronger of the two, leaving his adversaries scattered in his wake.

But as Xuan Muchen began to laugh—a hearty, booming sound that filled the room—Xuan Yang’s curiosity was piqued. "What’s so funny?" he inquired, his tone tinged with a bit of impatience.

He cared little for his grandfather’s amusement at that moment; all he desired was the spoils of their game and to go home—although those were two separate battles.

"Not even a year, and marriage has made you bolder," Xuan Muchen chuckled, his voice laced with both admiration and skepticism. "The ger has done wonders for you. I cannot see your level of growth, but I can tell you have grown, and your blood seems to be more potent."

The words hung in the air, laden with implications and unspoken questions. But Xuan Yang remained silent, refusing to be drawn into his grandfather’s games.

Whether it was a veiled threat or a genuine observation, he would not reveal the depths of his power—not when Xu Feng’s brother, Xu Zeng, still loomed on the periphery, a potential pawn in his family’s schemes.

Xu Feng couldn’t be harmed by anyone anymore, but the was still Xu Zeng who shared blood with his brother.

Instead of engaging, Xuan Yang met his grandfather’s gaze with a steely resolve, his silence was deafening.

In that moment, he knew that victory was his, not just in the game they played, but in the battle for Xu Feng’s dreams.

The laughter faded into the stillness of the room, Xuan Yang felt a sense of triumph wash over him.

"You want me to support your business ventures, I will." Xuan Muchen answered with displeasure, "I will say this again, business is not for a scholar. Even if you put this business in your ger’s name, he was highly ranked for the Xiucai exam. I do not care for outsiders, but—"

"Xu Feng is not an outsider to me." Xuan Yang cut in without an ounce of shame. "Not only is he not an outsider, but neither is Xuan Jian, they are both my closest family."

Xuan Muchen’s face was frozen, not like a pensive gaze, but as if he had truly malfunctioned. Yes, Xuan Yang was talking back more and more. His letters home were not kind in the least, but this was... this was too much.

"You would choose strangers over the Xuan family?"