"Very true." Long Meng nodded and took another sip of tea before putting her cup down once again. "Young Master Hui, we all know that Wei Lan is a bad influence. Now that she's close to that female bodyguard and her boy, it's not surprising that she already corrupted them to turn against you."

"Her boy?" Long Hui's voice was low and threatening. "That's my boy too, Grandaunt Meng."

"Son, don't follow your father's footsteps. Illegitimate children aren't worth it. They're nothing but innately damaged fruits born from immorality. They'll never be as good as pure fruits like you, a legitimate child, born from a proper and legal marriage," Zheng Suyin lectured her son.

Long Hui frowned, his already clenched fists tightened even more. "Damaged fruits? What do you mean by that, Mother? Are you saying that my son Long Jun, your grandson, is damaged?!"

"Watch your tone. Is that how you speak to your own mother? Grandson? I will never admit an illegitimate child born from such a lowly woman as my grandson!"

Bam!

The two women flinched when Long Hui slammed both his hands on the table, causing the china tableware to jump, clinking and clanking in a dangerous manner. Nothing broke, but some tea spilled on the table.

"How dare you act like that in front of your mother and grandaunt?! Have you forgotten your manners after siring a bastard?!" Zheng Suyin was enraged.

But Long Hui was even more enraged. "Whether you like it or not, Long Jun is MY SON!!! Half of him came from me!!! He's my flesh and blood so I will NEVER abandon him!!! I'll fight to the end to get him from Ying—from Jiang Ying Yue! I'll raise my own son because I'm his only father!!! Nobody else!!! Not Jin Liwei and certainly not that snake Lin Yehan!!!"

He was breathing heavily after saying his piece.

The two women looked shocked seeing him lose his temper. Zheng Suyin was the first one to recover. She raised her chin and managed to look down on her son, even though he was towering over them right now.

"Are you done?"

Long Hui finally realized the disrespect he showed to his parent and elder. However, he didn't apologize. He meant what he said. Long Jun was his son. He wouldn't tolerate anyone insulting his son just because Long Jun was illegitimate, even his own mother, Zheng Suyin. In this aspect, Long Hui was very similar to his father, Long Tengfei.

"Ahem! Why don't you sit back down, Young Master Hui?" Long Meng said in a diplomatic tone. "Aiya. Both of you are mother and son. There is no need to clash against each other. We are all on the same team here."

Long Hui sat back down and lowered his eyes. He still didn't apologize but it was obvious that he already calmed down.

Zheng Suyin sniffed coldly but didn't force him to apologize.

Long Meng sighed in relief.

All of them took a sip of tea, ignoring the spillage on the table. Silence once again descended in the room for almost a couple of minutes.

Long Meng cleared her throat, interrupting the uncomfortable silence. "Young Master Hui, I commend you for your kind and honourable heart! Such a responsible man to think of your child! Indeed, you are the only one worthy to become the next head of the Long Industries and the clan."

She watched as the tight expressions of both Zheng Suyin and Long Hui eased up after hearing her compliments. Indeed, the two of them were mother and son. Long Meng inwardly released a sigh of relief.

"Young Master Hui, I understand your strong sense of responsibility towards your child. However, I also agree with your mother to a certain extent. That child is, without a doubt, a bas—was born out of marriage," Long Meng corrected herself after receiving a fierce glare from Long Hui.

She felt indignant that a brat like him would disrespect her, an elder, but this wasn't the time to act on her own feelings. Thus, she swallowed her own pride for the greater good of the Long clan. To her and their allies, Long Hui was the eldest son of Long Tengfei from the first marriage. Therefore, he was the rightful heir and the only one suitable to become the next head of the clan and the family business.

"You know how it is in our circles," she continued. "Even if you have acknowledged that child, he would never be accepted by everyone, especially those who are from our fellow aristocratic clans. That poor child would be bullied and made fun of for being a bas—illegitimate. And when your wife gives birth to your legitimate child, his position will only become even more precarious. Also, it's unfair to your wife to bring a child from the outside. Your fiancée is from a respectable and aristocratic family like ours. It's a great disrespect to her and her family to force her to raise a child that isn't hers."

Zheng Suyin nodded, impressed at the elder's persuasive words. She stayed quiet, allowing Long Meng to talk sense to her son.

Long Hui also remained quiet. His expression showed that he was in deep thought, pondering over his elder's words. A furrow formed between his brows.

Encouraged by his expression, Long Meng appealed to Long Hui's paternal emotions in order to force her points home. "You love your son, don't you, Young Master Hui? Then isn't it best to protect that poor child from suffering? It is enough that you acknowledge him as your flesh and blood son and give financial support so that he could at least live a good life and have a decent future. There is no need to bring him to our side and allow him to suffer from being bullied because nobody but you accept him."

Long Hui's frown deepened.

The two women waited for his response.

After waiting almost five minutes, Zheng Suyin ran out of patience. "Son, your grandaunt is right. Drop the custody case."

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