Chapter 135: The Father Who Exploited His Child Star (Arc End)

Xie Hui, who knew his son’s habits all too well, responded before Xie Chu could even finish speaking.

“I know. You didn’t finish the chicken soup tonight—I’ll use it to make noodles for you tomorrow morning.”

Since he was little, Xie Chu had always hated waste. If there was leftover soup, he’d save it to cook noodles with for the next meal.

Though Xie Chu was usually discreet, a video of him fighting someone at the boxing gym was still leaked online by a staff member.

This time, Xie Chu didn’t bother to issue a public statement. Still, his agent arranged for internet trolls posing as regular users to explain the situation clearly.

Yes, he had hit someone—but those who had previously stirred up public hatred by insulting Xie Chu’s father online had been hired by Xia Li.

Most netizens found it despicable to involve someone’s family, especially an elderly man known for his kindness and lifelong dedication to charity.

Soon after, without Xie Chu or his team lifting a finger, Xia Li was blacklisted from the industry by the authorities.

Over the years, the charitable donations made by Xie Chu and his father far exceeded public expectations. That massive sum had long caught the attention of those in power.

When a revered elderly philanthropist was being dragged through the mud, those in charge were not about to sit back and watch.

To spare his son any guilt or burden, Xie Hui pretended the whole time as if he knew nothing.

Later, he continued to accompany Xie Chu, who steadily rose through the ranks of the entertainment industry.

From a fresh face, he grew into one of the most respected actors of his generation.

He was known for his good temper, humility, lack of diva behavior, and superb acting skills. He was even invited onto the central national channel multiple times, earning widespread praise as a rising star.

No matter how much his fame grew, Xie Chu remained grounded and always kept his father’s teachings in mind.

In interviews, he often expressed that everything he had achieved was thanks to his father—his greatest influence, and the most important person in his life.

Xie Hui eventually realized his son had no plans to marry. It seemed he intended to dedicate his entire life to acting.

Worried this might conflict with the values of the Entruster of this world—someone likely to hold more traditional views—Xie Hui once brought the question to the System Space:

Should he nudge things a little? After all, the Entruster might believe that not leaving behind descendants was a kind of failure.

To his surprise, the Entruster replied gently: he just wanted Xie Chu to be happy.

Whether or not he married didn’t matter anymore.

“Back in my past life,” the Entruster had said, “when things turned out the way they did with my child, I was filled with regret. I regretted not stopping when he resisted. I regretted that I personally laid the groundwork for his tragedy.”

“I never imagined that my child—just the son of an ordinary farmer—would turn out to be so remarkable. Appearing on the central channel… that’s truly something.”

After hearing this, Xie Hui finally relaxed. He hadn’t wanted to force his son into marriage—but as someone tasked with fulfilling the Entruster’s wishes, he couldn’t act on personal feelings. Now that the Entruster had voiced his approval, Xie Hui felt completely at ease.

As expected, Xie Chu never showed any intention of marrying. He remained single until the very end of Xie Hui’s life in that world.

On the day he passed, Xie Hui lay on his sickbed, struggling to lift a hand to stroke his son’s hair. By then, Xie Chu had already started to go gray.

“Dad’s not leaving you… just a little tired…”

At that age, even walking a few extra steps left Xie Hui breathless. Lying there, looking at the child he had raised kneeling by the bed in tears, he grew even more gentle, carefully brushing back his hair as if committing him to memory one last time.

This child hadn’t married, hadn’t built a family of his own. Their bond had grown so deep that Xie Hui worried how he’d cope after he was gone.

“Dad’s not leaving… Dad’s going to heaven to keep watching over you. I’ll be watching closely… to see how brilliant my Chu Chu becomes… even without me there.”

With that final whisper, Xie Hui’s consciousness began to fade. Once his eyes closed completely, he returned to the System Space.

“Thank you. Goodbye.”

The Entruster of that world lingered for a moment, then bowed sincerely and departed.

The System, as always, had already begun binding the merit from this mission to Xie Chu’s soul. It didn’t need prompting anymore—everything was handled smoothly.

But as it worked, it asked, half-curious:

“Host, everyone who comes here has merit. So why do they still suffer such tragic outcomes?”

Xie Hui replied calmly as he watched the light of merit bind to the soul.

“Because the merit they carry and the merit I earn from completing these tasks aren’t the same. Their merit attaches to their soul, but it doesn’t change their fate in reincarnation.”

“Their merit only allows them to meet me—gives them one chance to make up for past regrets. That’s all. When they reincarnate, everyone starts on equal footing. Those who committed evil are already filtered out.”

“As for the merit I convert from energy—after passing through the Main God’s system, it becomes luck. Rather than calling it merit, I’d say what I carry is fortune.”

If it had been the System from when they first bonded, Xie Hui likely wouldn’t have bothered explaining.

But after so many lifetimes together, the once-abstract cluster of light had evolved—gradually taking on human features based on his preferences, becoming more and more like the children he had once raised.

And so, when Xie Hui looked at it, his tone softened. He was even willing to waste time helping it understand.

“Let’s meet the next Entruster.”

“Understood, Host.”

The System, having efficiently wrapped up its previous task, brought in the next person.

The man who entered wore coarse linen garments, and at first glance, Xie Hui assumed he was a servant from ancient times. His back was slightly stooped, and when Xie Hui looked at him, the man offered a cautious, almost fawning smile.

“You’re the one who can help me fulfill my wish?”

“Yes,” Xie Hui replied. “Time will be rewound to before everything happened. If you have any regrets from your past life, tell me. I’ll help you set things right.”

Hearing this, the old man slowly sat down. A soft smile appeared on his face—as if a heavy burden he had been carrying finally eased.

“I’ve been waiting for you… for a long time.”

Xie Hui rubbed his nose and gave a light cough, suddenly feeling a rare twinge of guilt.

It was true—he’d arrived a little late. In the previous world, he had lingered, reluctant to leave Xie Chu behind, worried his son might feel alone after his departure.

“While I waited… I saw a lot. Perhaps I’m the archetypal ‘villainous adoptive father’ from one of those female lead rebirth novels.”

Entrusters, while awaiting their guide, could view the key moments of their lives. Since there was no returning from this place, nothing remained hidden.

Xie Hui blinked, a little thrown by hearing such modern phrasing from someone who looked like a man from centuries past.

“The doctor said my daughter-in-law couldn’t conceive,” the old man continued. “So I told my adopted son to take a concubine.”

“Then my daughter-in-law came back to life, pointed at my nose, and cursed me. Said we weren’t royalty, so why the obsession with an heir.”

He let out a helpless sigh and shook his head.

When he’d first arrived here, he had still been seething with resentment—still haunted by the injustice of starving to death at the hands of the very child he had raised. But over time, much of that anger had worn away. Now, it only brought bitter laughter.

“We really don’t have an imperial lineage to pass down. I’m just an ordinary steward. The family I served fell from grace—their crime was grave, and the entire household was sentenced to execution. But before the end, the old master told me the boy was the last of their bloodline. He begged me to protect him.”

“The old madam, before her death, also pleaded. She said if their family line ended, she wouldn’t have the face to meet her husband in the afterlife.”

“To save that child, I exchanged him for my own. My five-year-old son died in his place.”

“To honor the wishes of my old master and madam, I spent all my life’s savings on a betrothal gift—to marry him a wife and preserve the family line.”

“In poor families, what is marriage for if not children? That girl’s family took my silver to save her mother and brother… and later, she blamed me. Blamed me for letting my son take a concubine.”

Though his voice was steady, the old man’s breathing grew uneven as he spoke.

“She wasn’t married into our family—she was sold. Her family demanded so much silver, it was clear what they intended. Her mother said outright that if needed, she could even serve as a maid.”

“And I heard she always knew she couldn’t have children but hid it from me. If I’d known that, do you think I’d have spent all that silver to make her my daughter-in-law?”

Xie Hui didn’t comment. The Entruster wasn’t wrong—and maybe the so-called heroine wasn’t either. The fault didn’t lie with either of them, but with the world they were born into. In the end, everyone was a victim of a cruel, feudal system.

“So,” he asked quietly, “what do you want me to do?”

The old man fell silent. He thought for a long time, but nothing came to mind—nothing that felt worth asking.

He had repaid the kindness of his old master in full. And as for that adopted son, he couldn’t bring himself to seek revenge… but he couldn’t forgive him either, not enough to waste this one chance on him.

In the end, that child had blamed him for ruining his life—for making him lose the woman he loved most.

The more the old man thought about it, the angrier he became. It hadn’t been his idea to force the boy to have children—it was the dying wish of his parents. Yet the blame had fallen on him.

He had poured his entire life into that child. And in the end, he was cast aside like refuse—locked in a shabby house and left to die of hunger in old age.

Xie Hui, seeing the blank confusion in the man’s eyes, poured a cup of tea and gently slid it toward him. He didn’t press—just gave a quiet reminder.

“There must be something in your heart you can’t let go of. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here.”

The old man took a sip. And suddenly—he remembered.

He saw his own son. The child he’d pushed away. That day, he had worn silk robes for the first and last time in his life, tears streaming down his face, clutching his father’s leg and begging:

“I’ll be good… Please don’t abandon me…”

The old man set down his teacup with trembling fingers.

“Please… help me raise my own son. Forget the adopted one. I don’t want him anymore.”

(Arc End)