Xu Qingshi had just heard Xu Heming's words. The thought of his father saying he wanted to send him to the Zhou family made him feel incredibly wronged.

It wasn't as if his father didn't know that he disliked the Zhou family.

But now, because he would soon have other younger brothers and sisters, his father no longer liked him and was even sending him away to the Zhou family. At this thought, Xu Qingshi's little shoulders slumped.

He looked incredibly pitiful.

Xu Qingshi thought to himself that rather than letting his father drive him away, it would be better to leave on his own accord. At least that way, his father wouldn't hate him, right?

However, as Xu Qingshi walked away, he could not help but look back at Xu Heming, praying in his heart that Xu Heming would speak up and ask him to stay.

Standing to the side, Xu Heming pursed his lips. He hadn't expected Xu Qingshi to return at this exact moment.

He expected even less for Xu Qingshi to hear those words. But with Zhou Changfeng present, it was hard for him to backtrack and say he was only speaking out of anger.

Zhou Changfeng only felt his scalp tingle. His original intention was to have Xu Heming marry Zhou Yuying. How did it suddenly turn into sending Xu Qingshi back to the Zhou family?

He thought about how much his wife doted on their son. Given that Xu Qingshi and Zhou Xingzhi had fought today and caused such injuries, his wife probably wouldn't treat this child well.

"Your Highness, Qingshi is a child of your Xu family. It wouldn't look right for me to take him back," Zhou Changfeng said uncomfortably.

At this moment, he no longer dared to bring up the matter of Xu Heming marrying Zhou Yuying.

"It does not matter. If Eldest Young Master Zhou likes, I don't mind letting him take your surname Zhou. After all, half the blood flowing in his veins belongs to your Zhou family," Xu Heming said coldly.

Hearing this, Xu Qingshi felt even more depressed.

Now, he no longer wanted to stay and hear what Xu Heming and Zhou Changfeng had to say.

He quickly fled the scene.

Worried that something might happen to Xu Qingshi, Li Zhiwei quickly followed him.

"Qingshi, don't be sad. Your father might have some difficulties he cannot speak of." Seeing Xu Qingshi's little shoulders twitching as he sobbed, Li Zhiwei felt a pang of heartache and quickly offered words of comfort.

"Stop pretending to be a good person in front of me," Xu Qingshi glared at Li Zhiwei angrily.

He felt extremely sad. He liked her so much and defended her at every turn, yet now, his father was actually driving him away because of her.

Hearing this, Li Zhiwei's heart sank.

Even if she wanted to say this matter had nothing to do with her, Xu Qingshi wouldn't believe it, right?

Thinking of this, Li Zhiwei herself felt that she wasn't entirely innocent.

"Qingshi, there must be some misunderstanding here. Your father definitely had a reason for saying that. Please don't be anxious, alright?" Li Zhiwei thought about it; Xu Heming wasn't the type of irresponsible father. Besides, Xu Qingshi was the heir of Prince An's Manor. How could he truly be sent to the Zhou family?

"He said it himself!" Xu Qingshi said sadly.

"Qingshi, sometimes adults have no other choice. What he says might not be what he truly wants you to do." Li Zhiwei didn't know how to explain to Xu Qingshi that adults were sometimes quite helpless too.

"Do you want to lie to me too? I know that once Father marries you, you will have other children." At this point, Xu Qingshi began to sob. It wasn't as if he hadn't heard what others had been saying to him.

It was just that he always believed Li Zhiwei genuinely protected him. After all, back at the academy, if it hadn't been for Li Zhiwei, he definitely would have been hurt.

But now, because of her, his father was making him go to the Zhou family, which he hated the most.

This was something he was entirely unwilling to accept, no matter what.

"Qingshi, listen to me. Your father telling you to go to the Zhou family might be for a reason. After all, the Zhou family is your biological mother's maiden home. Technically, they are your blood relatives." Li Zhiwei didn't know the situation in the Zhou family, but she felt that the Zhou family shouldn't mistreat Xu Qingshi.

"They are not my relatives!" Xu Qingshi said with dissatisfaction.

"It's alright, just treat it as going over there for a visit. If you're not happy, just come back." After thinking it over, this was the only comforting thing Li Zhiwei could come up with.

"Easy for you to say. Father doesn't want me anymore." At this thought, Xu Qingshi's tears could not help but fall again.

"How could that be? You have always been the treasure in your father's heart. Besides, you still have your grandmother, don't you? If your father isn't willing to let you return to Prince An's Manor, then come find me at the Li family." Li Zhiwei thought for a moment before saying this.

Anyway, it wasn't as if the Li family couldn't afford to raise a child.

"Then can I go back to the Li family with you now?" Xu Qingshi looked at Li Zhiwei and asked carefully.

"Right now, probably not. I'm afraid you still have to make a trip to the Zhou family." Li Zhiwei shook her head. She didn't know what Xu Heming's plans were, but she was about to marry Prince An. If she prevented Xu Qingshi from going to the Zhou family, others would gossip about her.

After all, the Zhou family were Xu Qingshi's maternal relatives. If they wanted to see the child, why shouldn't he be allowed to go?

"I understand." Xu Qingshi lowered his head, feeling that all of this was just an excuse from Li Zhiwei. She and his father were exactly the same; they both wanted to treat him like a little piece of baggage and toss him away.

"Take a few more people with you when you go. If you get bullied, have them step in to protect you." Li Zhiwei thought about it, and this seemed like the most thorough solution.

"I understand." Xu Qingshi only felt a heavy suffocating feeling in his chest.

When Zhou Changfeng brought Xu Qingshi back, the uncle and nephew entered the Zhou family estate one after the other.

Following behind Xu Qingshi were Moyu and two servant boys.

There was also a hidden guard in the shadows, Qingyuan.

Zhou Changfeng's wife, Lady Qin, was currently pacing back and forth anxiously in the courtyard.

When her son was brought back, his face and body were covered in injuries, which had terrified her.

Upon asking, she found out that this was the result of a fight with Xu Qingshi.

Lady Qin felt incredibly furious.

Xu Qingshi was the son of the Zhou family's eldest sister. How could he lay hands on his own cousin?

Even though Xu Qingshi was the heir of Prince An's Manor, in Lady Qin's eyes, he still shouldn't have beaten her son.

"My lord, you've finally returned!" Seeing Zhou Changfeng walking in front, Lady Qin hurriedly went to greet him.

She was just about to ask how this matter had been handled.

Then she saw Xu Qingshi following behind Zhou Changfeng and immediately scolded him angrily, "You little brat, you still have the nerve to come to our Zhou family!"

Lady Qin assumed that Xu Qingshi had come to the estate to apologize.

After all, Xu Qingshi's injuries were mostly on his body; nothing could be seen on his face.

Moreover, Lady Qin's heart ached for her son. She wouldn't think he deserved to be beaten by Xu Qingshi just because Xu Qingshi was two years younger.

"Enough, keep your voice down!" Zhou Changfeng said to Lady Qin with some exhaustion.

"Zhou Changfeng, you better explain to me properly, what is he doing here?" Believing herself to be in the right, Lady Qin deliberately wanted to suppress Xu Qingshi and purposefully raised her volume.