Only after visiting Jing University did Wang Cheng call Zheng Jingen and settle a time to meet. Zheng Jingen did not mind. He then told his father that Wang Cheng had arrived. When Father Zheng learned that his younger son, missing for twenty-five years, had already come to the capital, he finally could not remain calm. His unusual behavior was immediately noticed by Mother Zheng, who even teased him for acting like an inexperienced young man.
“Because I prepared a surprise for you.” Father Zheng knew his excitement did not fit his usual image, so he revealed a little. Mother Zheng did not notice anything unusual. In previous years, Father Zheng often prepared gifts for her or took her somewhere pleasant to relax, so she assumed this time was the same. She was curious, but not especially expectant.
“Mom, this surprise is something Dad and I prepared together. It is absolutely worth looking forward to,” Zheng Jingen added when he saw that Father Zheng’s hint had failed. He hoped to make his mother take it seriously enough to prepare herself mentally.
Seeing her son speak so solemnly, Mother Zheng thought of one possibility for an instant, but quickly shook her head and dismissed what she considered impossible. She had hoped for so many years and been disappointed again and again that she no longer dared expect anything. Still, she did not want to dampen her husband and son’s enthusiasm.
“All right. Then Mom will look forward to it.”
“By the way, Little Sister is part of the surprise too. Have her take tomorrow off so we can all go together,” Zheng Jingen said.
“What kind of gift is so mysterious that we have to go out for it?” Mother Zheng asked in surprise.
Father Zheng cut in. “Wife, you can relax completely. The surprise Jingen and I prepared definitely won’t disappoint you. This time, you really can look forward to it.”
Mother Zheng’s heart jumped. She felt there was another meaning hidden in her husband’s words.
Every Monday was the Zheng family’s family-dinner day. Everyone had to come home for dinner. If someone failed to return, the old man would be unhappy, so no matter how busy they were, everyone arrived on time unless they genuinely could not get away, in which case they called ahead.
That day happened to be Monday. Aside from Zheng Ru, the married daughter of the family, everyone else was present, and the normally spacious Zheng residence immediately became lively. Once the dishes were served, Mother Zheng, distracted by her thoughts, accidentally spilled a little soup while serving herself.
“What’s wrong with Second Sister-in-law today? You’re normally never this absent-minded. Did something upset you again?” Feng Yuying remarked when she saw it.
She was the wife of Zheng Shengming, the eldest son of the Zheng family. Open and covert conflict among the three branches was nothing unusual, but everyone knew the old man disliked seeing it, so they never argued openly in front of him. Quiet needling and rivalry, however, happened often.
“Even the best horse can stumble, and anyone can slip up. Thank you for your concern, Eldest Sister-in-law.” Compared with Feng Yuying, Mother Zheng remained gracious and composed, making Feng Yuying look petty by contrast. Mother Zheng herself came from an established family, so provocations like this barely bothered her.
Feng Yuying was immediately choked into silence. The sarcastic remarks she had been preparing could no longer find an opening.
The others quietly breathed easier, especially Feng Yuying’s husband, Zheng Shengming. His wife was simply too competitive. She clearly could not beat Mother Zheng at verbal sparring, yet she still loved making cutting remarks. If Mother Zheng were the type to take offense and complain to Father Zheng, he knew his father would almost certainly side with the second branch. The Zheng family was one of the capital’s major clans. The family head, Zheng Heng, held a high-ranking position, and his children had followed his path into politics. The Zheng family was not powerful enough to cover the sky with one hand, but in the capital it was still one of the foremost political families.
Zheng Jingen’s father, Zheng Shengchuan, ranked second among the Zheng brothers. He was honest and steady by nature and disliked fighting for advantage, completely unlike his father, Zheng Heng. Because of that, he had never been Zheng Heng’s favorite son, and among the three brothers he did not hold the highest official position. But as Zheng Jingen grew up and his intelligence became increasingly obvious, he gradually became the leading figure of the Zheng family’s younger generation. The sons of the eldest and younger branches looked comparatively ordinary under his brilliance.
Although Father Zheng had never received much attention from his own father, Zheng Jingen had won back plenty of face for him. The old man was very satisfied with this grandson and often compared him with the other cousins. But in a political family like the Zhengs, competition was even stronger than in ordinary households. Everyone wanted the old man’s approval. Who would be happy to be constantly used as a negative comparison?
They could envy Zheng Jingen, but they could not openly target his branch without restraint. Zheng Jingen himself was one reason, and Mother Zheng was another important reason.
Mother Zheng’s full name was Zhou Hui. She was the beloved goddaughter of Zhou Shichang, chairman of Zhou Group. Even after she had been married for many years, Zhou Shichang still doted on her. The Zheng family might have power and influence, but its rise to its current position had unquestionably benefited from Zhou Shichang’s financial support.
With Zhou Shichang backing the second branch, that branch held an exceptional position within the Zheng family. Zheng Heng’s partiality toward them was certainly connected to this. There was also another secret involved, but that secret was taboo within the Zheng family. Zheng Heng had once sternly warned everyone never to mention it again. No one dared touch the old man’s sore spot, so they could only keep the secret buried in their hearts. After dinner, the three branches returned to their own rooms. The old man stopped Father Zheng, who had been about to accompany his wife and children upstairs.
“Shengchuan, come to the study with me.”
“Yes, Father.” Father Zheng gestured for the other three to go upstairs first, then followed the old man away. Everyone who saw it wore different expressions, privately guessing why the old man had summoned him.
“Brother, why did Grandpa call Dad to the study?” Zheng Jingxue asked, looking up at Zheng Jingen, who stood two steps above her.
“What are you asking about adult matters for?” Zheng Jingen tapped her lightly on the head.
Zheng Jingxue pouted. “Brother, I’m not a child anymore.” She was already an adult and knew at least some of what happened in the family.
“In my eyes, you’re still a child. By the way, clear your schedule tomorrow. We’re going out for lunch.”
“Oh.” Her family almost never asked her to miss school simply to eat outside. Zheng Jingxue knew her brother must have arranged something else and did not press further.
“Shengchuan, are you and Jingen hiding something from me? Your elder brother has already mentioned it once.” The moment they entered the study, the old man went straight to the point.
Father Zheng hesitated briefly, then decided to tell the truth. His father would find out sooner or later anyway. “Father, there is something. Jingen found his younger brother.”
For a moment, the old man did not react. He had spent most of his life navigating officialdom, and very little could still stir his emotions. Hearing this so suddenly, he had clearly never expected the father and son’s secretive behavior to concern the grandson who had disappeared more than twenty years ago.
“What happened? Have you investigated it thoroughly?” The old man’s gaze darkened and his expression became serious. He was worried there might be another layer to the matter. The Zheng family was no ordinary household, and many people in the capital watched them closely. His greatest concern was that someone might be using this to set a trap for the Zheng family.
Father Zheng briefly explained the investigation Zheng Jingen had carried out, enough to rule out any conspiracy. “Father, Jingen has already arranged to meet him tomorrow. I’m planning to take Xiaohui to see him.”
“Since you already have a plan, I won’t say much. But it would still be best to do a DNA test. You may believe him, but others may not. At least a report would silence gossip.”
Father Zheng understood exactly what his father meant. Only proof that Wang Cheng truly was his son could shut down anyone looking for an excuse to interfere.
“Don’t worry, Father. The test results are already back. He really is Xiaohui’s and my son.”
“That’s good. When are you planning to tell your father-in-law?” the old man asked.
“We haven’t decided yet. Jingen said his personality is quite independent and he has strong opinions of his own. His current parents have treated him very well. Whether he is willing to return to the Zheng family is still uncertain, so Jingen and I want to wait until after we meet him.”
“Then handle it as you see fit. But it would still be best to persuade him to come back.”
“For Xiaohui’s sake, I’ll do my best.”
The old man did not say it outright, but Father Zheng understood what he meant. Whether Wang Cheng returned to the Zheng family could affect the fate of certain people. If they learned Wang Cheng existed, there was no telling what they might do, so the matter had to remain secret for now. That was also why Zheng Jingen had kept quiet before.
After being publicly humiliated by Wang Cheng, Wei Wei skipped class that same day and went out partying wildly with a group of friends. He did not return home until after ten at night, only to be scolded by Zheng Ru, who had not yet gone to bed. She had only one son and had always hoped he would amount to something. As a daughter who had married out of the family, the only way she could draw her father’s attention was through her son. That very morning she had even told him to go to the Zheng residence and make himself visible to his maternal grandfather, yet he had stayed out fooling around until now.
“Which bar did you go to today? Look at you, reeking of alcohol. How are you supposed to make your grandfather like you this way?” Zheng Ru looked at her disappointing son with frustration.
“Grandpa, Grandpa, that’s all you ever talk about!” Wei Wei was already irritated and finally shouted. “Do you even know your son got humiliated at school today in front of everyone? I’m already annoyed enough!”
This was the first time her son had complained about something at school. Zheng Ru knew Wei Wei liked using the Zheng family name outside, including at school. Although he was not a direct Zheng descendant, he was still the family’s maternal grandson. Even if his standing inside the Zheng family was low, outsiders usually gave him some face.
“What happened? Did someone bully you?” Zheng Ru immediately pressed. She was fiercely protective. She could scold her own son, but no one else was allowed to say a word against him.
Before Wei Wei could answer, Wei Qiqi’s voice came down from upstairs. Zheng Ru looked up and saw her daughter coming down.
“Qiqi, you know what happened?”
“Of course. Brother made a huge name for himself at school today. Unfortunately, while other people get famous for good things, his fame was pure embarrassment. My classmates even dragged me into it because of him,” Wei Qiqi complained. Though the two were biological siblings, both were rather self-centered.
“What kind of thing is that to say about your own brother?” Zheng Ru frowned.
Wei Qiqi became unhappy. “I’m telling the truth. Mom, you don’t know this, but Brother has been chasing a Jing University campus beauty named Wang Ziyu. She already rejected him, but he refused to give up. Today her older brother came to school to see her. Brother thought the man was her boyfriend and made a huge scene in the cafeteria. He even tried to fight him. The other guy was completely fine, while Brother ended up falling in front of everyone. Then the truth came out. I don’t even want to describe the scene. It was too embarrassing.”
“Wei Qiqi, shut up.”
If she had not said anything, Wei Wei might have forgotten it. The moment she brought it up, everything that happened in the cafeteria came rushing back, and his anger flared again.
Hearing that her son had been humiliated at school, Zheng Ru’s face darkened. “Who are that campus beauty and her brother? My Zheng family’s grandson is not someone other people can bully.”
“They’re from Shanhai City. I think they’re from the countryside,” Wei Wei immediately answered. Before pursuing Wang Ziyu, he had specifically asked around about her family background. He did not know the details, but he knew they were an ordinary family.
At the words “Shanhai City,” Zheng Ru froze for a moment.
“Wasn’t Shanhai City the place Jingen kept traveling to for work recently?” Wei Kai said as he came downstairs after hearing the voices below. He had just caught his son’s last sentence and found it equally strange.
“Right, Mom, I just remembered something.” His father’s words suddenly made something click for Wei Wei. “Wang Ziyu’s brother looks a little like Zheng Jingen.”
When they had been facing each other directly, Wei Wei had not noticed. But when Wang Cheng left, Wei Wei happened to catch his profile. From the side, the resemblance between the two really was strong. Zheng Ru stared in surprise.