After deciding to formally return to the Zheng family, Wang Cheng called several people. The first were naturally his parents. Although they had already supported his decision, he still needed to tell them. Neither said much about his choice, only that they were relieved he had finally thought it through.
The second person was Mother Zheng, but Wang Cheng did not call her. He sent a message instead. He hesitated for a long time before deciding to do it. At first he had planned to call Zheng Jingen, but then he remembered how excited Mother Zheng had been when she got his number at the restaurant, along with the messages she had sent him last night and again that morning, so he changed his mind.
Mother Zheng now carried her phone everywhere. She had never had that habit before. She disliked keeping a phone on her because of radiation and rarely needed to make calls, so she normally left it in her room. Ever since exchanging numbers with Wang Cheng, however, that changed.
The instant the notification sounded, Mother Zheng immediately stopped paying attention to Tong Yunfang, who was talking to her, and pulled out her phone right in front of her. The moment she saw the sender’s name, her eyes lit up.
“Second Sister-in-law, what is it?” Tong Yunfang looked at her in surprise. It was the first time she had ever seen her usually subdued sister-in-law look so bright and happy. Back when Tong Yunfang was still dating Zheng Shengyi, the second branch’s younger son had already gone missing. By the time she married into the Zheng family, the cheerful Mother Zheng of earlier years was already gone.
“He sent me a message.” Mother Zheng was visibly excited.
“Who is ‘he’?”
Tong Yunfang had no idea what she meant.
Mother Zheng did not answer. She opened the message, and the very first word on the screen made her freeze as though struck by lightning.
Tong Yunfang called her twice without getting a response, then instinctively glanced at the screen. The first word was “Mom.” At first she assumed the message came from Jingen or Jingxue, but when she saw the sender’s name, she froze too. “This…”
Wang Cheng?
Who was that, and why was he calling Second Sister-in-law “Mom”?
Mother Zheng came back to herself. She immediately covered her mouth as hot tears welled up and spilled from her eyes. Grabbing Tong Yunfang’s hand, her cheeks flushed with excitement. “Yunfang, he called me Mom. He finally called me Mom. I thought I would have to wait a very, very long time.”
A shocking possibility suddenly occurred to Tong Yunfang. “Second Sister-in-law, this person… could he be your younger son who went missing twenty-five years ago? You found him?”
Mother Zheng did not answer. Her eyes stayed fixed on the message, happy tears continuing to fall.
Tong Yunfang already knew the answer. Beyond the shock, she genuinely felt happy for her sister-in-law.
That evening, Mother Zheng immediately shared Wang Cheng’s message with her husband, son, and daughter. She asked excitedly whether calling her Mom meant he had agreed to return to the Zheng family. Father Zheng told her not to get carried away. It was a good sign that their younger son was willing to call her Mom, but they could not pressure him too hard. Mother Zheng thought that made sense and stopped bringing it up.
Tong Yunfang told Zheng Shengyi what had happened during the day. Although Zheng Shengyi was surprised, he still warned his wife not to tell anyone yet. Since his second brother and sister-in-law had not announced it, they clearly had their reasons. Everyone knew the Zheng family’s internal situation. Since they had already decided to stand with the second branch, some things could not be leaked casually.
Wang Cheng stood beneath Tianding Tower in the capital’s commercial center. The skyscraper was one of the city’s landmarks. It had sixty-six floors and was not the tallest building in the capital, but its location in the prosperous business district made every inch of land extraordinarily expensive.
Why was he here? That story started with what happened yesterday. After he sent the message, Father and Mother Zheng were both delighted. Zheng Jingen later called to tell him they would quickly choose a suitable day to bring him formally back to the Zheng family. Wang Cheng himself did not care much about ceremonies, but since he would have to enter the Zheng household sooner or later, he let them arrange it.
Just after that decision was made, Wang Ning’an called. Previously he had only known Wang Cheng was in the capital to handle something, not what. So he called home and managed to draw out a few clues. The matter was connected to the Zheng family, which meant he could not simply ignore it. Mama Wang had not told him Chu Yifeng was with Wang Cheng. Wang Ning’an was worried his younger brother might be taken advantage of.
Wang Cheng also had things he wanted to tell him. Since Big Brother still had work, Wang Cheng came to him instead. Chu Yifeng had been called back by his family. There was no need to guess what for, and Wang Cheng had not intended to make him accompany him anyway. Even after seeing plenty of the capital’s prosperity, the building in front of him was still impressive. Shanhai City simply could not compare. A company able to rent several floors in a place like this as office space was clearly powerful. Shenghui Group’s strength was not to be underestimated, and Wang Ning’an had much more room to display his abilities here.
Because Wang Ning’an had already notified reception, the front-desk employee was not surprised when Wang Cheng gave his name. After making an internal call, a woman in high heels soon came over to meet him. She introduced herself as Wang Ning’an’s secretary. Her surname was Jiang.
Secretary Jiang took him to Wang Ning’an’s office, then left.
Wang Cheng was a little surprised by how luxurious the office was. Big Brother rarely discussed work when he called home, so Wang Cheng did not even know what position he currently held at Shenghui Pharmaceuticals. Looking at this office, it definitely was not low.
“Big Brother, how do I feel like you got promoted again in the blink of an eye? You’re moving like a rocket. Secretary Jiang just called you Vice President Wang. Don’t tell me you’re actually a vice president now?” It had only been a few months. Wang Cheng admired his brother more and more. He knew he could never advance like this himself.
“The title doesn’t matter. Didn’t you come because you had something to tell me? Wait a little. Lunch break starts in twenty minutes.” Wang Ning’an never handled personal matters during work hours.
Wang Cheng knew that, which was why he deliberately chose a time just before lunch. Before coming, he had even prepared an elaborate meal with all of his brother’s favorite dishes. Big Brother could not cook and had never hired someone to cook for him, so he had probably been living on takeout for months.
While waiting for him to finish work, Wang Cheng did not sit idle. Wang Ning’an had a bookshelf in his office filled with books. Like Chu Yifeng’s collection, most were professional texts, including quite a few English-language books. What surprised Wang Cheng was the presence of several magazines and newspapers as well.
He casually picked up a magazine and flipped through it. Sure enough, it was about pharmaceuticals. If someone forced him to read material like this every day, he would probably lose his mind in less than three days.
Twenty minutes was not long, but in that short time Wang Cheng got a clear sense of how busy Wang Ning’an was. Secretary Jiang knocked on the door several times. Then Wang Cheng noticed something else: this female secretary seemed interested in his brother.
She wore a fitted women’s business suit that hugged her upper body and emphasized her ample chest, with a skirt ending high on her thighs and a pair of long, fair legs visible below. She was already fairly tall, and with seven- or eight-centimeter heels she looked even more statuesque, curvy in all the right places. She was undeniably a bombshell.
Based on Wang Cheng’s experience, his brother would never be interested in a woman like this. She drew too much attention, and bringing someone so conspicuous home did not strike him as peaceful family material.
Sure enough, Wang Ning’an remained completely unmoved by her attempts to charm him.
Secretary Jiang did not seem surprised. When the vice president gave no response, she sensibly withdrew. Anyone who had reached her position had at least some ability to read the room. Pestering a superior would only make him dislike her and might even get her transferred, which would be a terrible loss. Wang Ning’an might only be a vice president for now, but the chairman himself had singled him out, and his future was obviously bright. Quite a few women in the company had competed fiercely for the chance to become his secretary.
After lunch break began, Secretary Jiang knocked again.
Wang Ning’an told her she could leave for lunch. Secretary Jiang glanced at Wang Cheng, who was already arranging the food containers on the coffee table, and felt curious, but she did not dare ask.
Ever since the vice president transferred to headquarters, plenty of women had tried to curry favor with him, but none had succeeded. They had never seen him interact privately with any woman either. Yet today a man had brought him lunch and was even allowed to remain in his office during working hours. That was a first.
Secretary Jiang did not know Wang Cheng was the vice president’s younger brother, and Wang Ning’an had not told her. While eating with colleagues, someone mentioned Wang Cheng. Handsome men always attracted attention, so Secretary Jiang casually brought him up. Everyone immediately began guessing what relationship the two men had.
Inside the office, Wang Ning’an had not eaten Wang Cheng’s cooking in a long time. Since Wang Cheng had deliberately prepared dishes he liked, his appetite was excellent.
“What is going on between you and the Zheng family?”
Wang Cheng thought for a moment, hesitated two seconds, then asked, “Big Brother, did you already know I wasn’t Mom and Dad’s biological son?” Wang Ning’an paused mid-movement and looked up at him in surprise. “Mom and Dad told you? Are your biological parents from the Zheng family?”
“You really did know.” Wang Cheng was not disappointed. His brother was intelligent and two years older than him, so noticing something was normal. Keeping it from him was normal too. “You guessed right. The Zheng family found me. They’ve confirmed that I’m the son they lost twenty-five years ago. The whole matter caused a stir in Guanjia Village some time ago.”
“What did Mom and Dad say?”
“They support whatever I decide.”
“Then that’s fine. I’ve heard about the Zheng family. A political clan like theirs comes with complications. If you plan to return, prepare yourself mentally.”
Wang Ning’an was rational as always, but his attitude was the same as Papa and Mama Wang’s. No matter who Wang Cheng’s biological parents were, he would always be their family. That would never change.
“Why does everyone keep telling me that? You all make the Zheng family sound like a dragon’s den and a tiger’s lair.”
Wang Ning’an raised an eyebrow. “Everyone? Who else said that?”
“Uh… just a friend I know. He’s from the capital too.”
Wang Cheng had not expected his brother to catch that so quickly and could only answer vaguely.
Wang Ning’an glanced at him. “Which friend?”
Wang Cheng’s mind raced. “Big Brother, you probably don’t know him. He was my high-school roommate. His family lives in the capital. He came to our class reunion last time, and that’s when we got back in touch. Since I’m in his territory now, I couldn’t exactly come without saying hello.”
He had indeed planned to tell Huang Tong’an that he had come to the capital, though he had intended to wait until the Zheng family matter settled down. Mentioning him a little earlier made no difference.
Wang Ning’an finished all the food Wang Cheng had brought. Lunch break was only an hour, and eating took just half of it. Wang Cheng did not leave immediately. The brothers rarely saw each other, and after this meeting, who knew when the next would be? So they sat together and talked for a while longer.
Wang Cheng was actually quite interested in his brother’s work. Wang Ning’an did not hide it from him and explained whatever he was free to discuss. Anyone who saw the scene would probably be surprised. Wang Ning’an was usually a stern superior who often wore a serious expression, spoke little, and never discussed his private life. Even so, many female employees admired him. He was wealthy, capable, and handsome. If he had been easier to approach, even more women would probably chase him.
During the conversation, a call came in. Wang Ning’an glanced at his phone and a very slight change crossed his expression. He told Wang Cheng to wait, then got up and entered the office’s private lounge. Wang Cheng noticed the change and was somewhat surprised, but before he could think about it, the office door was pushed open without ceremony and a woman walked in carrying something.
The woman was dressed fashionably, but unlike Secretary Jiang’s overtly glamorous beauty, hers was the polished elegance of a wealthy young lady from a good family. In simple terms, she looked every inch a rich, beautiful heiress. Walking into someone’s office without knocking was rather rude, but her appearance made it easy to overlook the flaw.
“Who are you?”
Before Wang Cheng could ask her, she spoke first. From her manner, it was obvious this was not her first time in the office. Wang Cheng did not answer. His gaze fell to what she was carrying. It looked like an insulated lunch box. He immediately understood.
The woman followed his gaze to the lunch box in her hand, paused, then finally noticed the food containers on the coffee table and the lingering aroma of lunch in the office. Her expression changed at once.