The Zhou estate covered almost two thousand square meters, including its courtyards and gardens. Although it was winter, there were still plenty of flowers and plants in the garden, many of which Wang Cheng’s grandfather had planted himself. Once people reached a certain age, they often developed a taste for leisurely living. His grandfather’s greatest hobby was tending these flowers and plants. There were also quite a few tall evergreens.
It was too cold to stay outside for long, so the two soon went back indoors. Butler Zhou took Wang Cheng upstairs for another look. There were plenty of rooms on the upper floor. Apart from bedrooms and guest rooms, most were intended for recreation. His room was right beside Mother Zheng’s.
The corridors twisted and turned, but after walking through once, Wang Cheng had roughly memorized the layout. He told Butler Zhou to get back to work and said he would look around on his own. The butler agreed with a smile.
Once the butler left, Wang Cheng wandered about by himself. The second floor was where the Zhou family lived. There were rooms on the third floor too, but no one stayed in them.
After making a circuit, Wang Cheng arrived at his own room. Servants had already cleaned and prepared it. According to Butler Zhou, his grandfather had ordered it done. The furnishings were fairly simple, with everything a person needed but lacking a little lived-in warmth. Mother Zheng’s room was to its left, and his grandfather’s was beyond hers.
As Wang Cheng came out of the room, he almost collided with someone at a corner of the corridor. Before he could speak, the other person snapped, “Watch where you’re going!” Then he realized who it was and gave a cold snort. It was Zhao Chenlin. Since Wang Cheng’s arrival, his status in the Zhou family had plummeted. Between old grudges and new ones, he had no intention of being pleasant.
“So it’s my little cousin.”
Wang Cheng greeted him in an exceptionally good mood.
“Who’s your cousin? Don’t go claiming relatives at random. I don’t have a cousin like you.” Zhao Chenlin gave him a contemptuous look without a moment’s thought. For days he had been hearing people say that his grandfather was preparing to announce Wang Cheng as the future successor of Zhou Group at the banquet. His mood had been terrible. Now that he had suddenly run into the culprit, he could not restrain himself.
Wang Cheng nodded. “I see. I’ll be sure to pass that message along to Grandpa for you.”
“You!” Zhao Chenlin stared at him wide-eyed.
As Wang Cheng passed him, he patted his shoulder. “If you want Zhou Group, maybe start by making up for what you’re lacking in those two Qs.”
Elio’s Notes: The “two Qs” refer to IQ (intelligence quotient) and EQ (emotional quotient). Wang Cheng is taking a jab at both Zhao Chenlin’s intelligence and his people skills.
What were those two Qs supposed to mean?
Zhao Chenlin did not understand, but he knew it could not be anything good. His expression darkened as he watched Wang Cheng stroll downstairs. He punched the spotless white wall.
Mother Zheng asked Wang Cheng to stay with her at the Zhou residence. He had promised he would, so even though the location had changed, he had no choice but to agree. He tried calling Chu Yifeng to let him know he would not return that night, but the call would not connect. Eventually the phone was even switched off. When he called David, he learned that Chu Yifeng’s father had come to see him that day. David did not know what the two had discussed, but Chu Yifeng had left with his father and still had not come back.
At that moment, the Chu residence was suffused with tension. The phone Wang Cheng could not reach lay shattered into pieces across the living-room floor.
Chu Yifeng sat casually in an armchair. Diagonally opposite him, Old Master Chu was so furious that his chest heaved. All because Chu Yifeng had said, “Wang Cheng and I are lovers.” It would have been one thing for everyone to understand it without saying it aloud, but Chu Yifeng just had to announce it. He was clearly determined to lay his cards on the table and invite a beating.
When Old Master Chu swung his cane, he accidentally smashed one of his favorite teapots. It happened just as Wang Cheng was calling Chu Yifeng. From the expression on his grandson’s face, the old master guessed the caller was his lover. His cane swept across with deadly accuracy, sending the phone flying to the floor where it smashed to pieces. The old master then issued an ultimatum.
“If you don’t break up with him, you’re not going to the Zhou family banquet tomorrow.”
It was Wang Cheng’s first birthday banquet, and Chu Yifeng certainly intended to celebrate it with him. The old master’s words sounded imposing, but the threat itself carried little weight. The person it was directed at paid no attention.
Chu Li watched his father and son confront each other from the sidelines, perfectly relaxed. As Chu Yifeng’s father, he did not actually object to his son choosing a male or female partner. As for heirs, technology had advanced so far that the twenty-first century was not like ancient times, when people attached such enormous importance to carrying on the family line. Besides, Chu Yifeng was hardly the only member of the younger generation of the Chu family.
Chu Yifeng brushed off his trousers and stood, looking Old Master Chu straight in the eye with an imposing air. “Grandpa, whether I attend the banquet isn’t up to you. I’m not Dad. Your methods don’t work on me.”
Chu Li cleared his throat. Why did his son have to use him as the example?
Old Master Chu was nearly beside himself with rage, but what his grandson said was true. Unlike the others, this eldest grandson had not grown up at his side and had never really been subjected to his authority. Financially and professionally, he was not dependent on the old master either. Given those circumstances, how could a naturally aloof and independent man like Chu Yifeng be expected to obey his grandfather?
That the strictly disciplined Chu family had managed to produce an oddity like Chu Yifeng was quite extraordinary. It was also the last fact Old Master Chu wanted to admit.
“If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.” Chu Yifeng waved casually and headed for the door.
“Don’t let him leave! Stop him!” Old Master Chu roared at the challenge to his authority. The person who answered his order, however, was not Chu Li.
Chu Hong had just entered from outside when he heard the old master’s powerful shout. He froze for a moment, then saw his eldest nephew striding toward him and acted almost reflexively. He was the perfect example of a man raised under Old Master Chu’s iron-fisted discipline.
Chu Yifeng avoided his grasp, and uncle and nephew began exchanging blows at the entrance. Not all of Chu Yifeng’s fighting skills had come from the Chu family. Because of his background, his maternal grandfather had sent him to study taekwondo and other martial arts from childhood. In his teens, Chu Yifeng had also gone off with others to do some extremely dangerous things. By the time he returned, none of the younger generation of the Chu family could match him.
Chu Hong was older and more experienced, but age was catching up with him. After several dozen exchanges, he gradually began to lose ground. Old Master Chu immediately ordered the bodyguards to join in. Several were retired special forces soldiers with considerable skill, but unlike Chu Hong, they did not dare fight Chu Yifeng in earnest. In the end, they could only watch him leave.
By the time Old Master Chu came outside, there was no one left to see.
Chu Li came up beside him and said with obvious satisfaction at his misfortune, “Dad, I think you should give it up. Once he’s chosen someone, a few words from you aren’t going to change his mind. If you really push him too far, he might take his lover overseas and never come back.”
His son’s base of operations was abroad. That was exactly what made Old Master Chu grind his teeth in frustration while being unable to do much about it. Spending his entire life overseas without returning was a real possibility.
Old Master Chu raised his cane to hit him, and Chu Li hurriedly backed away, keeping two meters between them. The old man snapped, “You’re his father. Getting your son back onto the proper path is your responsibility. I don’t care what method you use. I’m leaving it to you. If you fail, I’ll start dealing with all those women buzzing around you.”
Chu Li frowned. “Dad, that’s completely unreasonable.”
Old Master Chu’s eyebrows shot up. “You want to argue about what’s reasonable with me?”
Chu Li instantly heard the threat in his father’s voice. This was outright coercion. If he refused, his father would dig up his dirty laundry. The tactic would undoubtedly work. He had so many skeletons in his closet that if they were laid out one by one, the old master might die of rage.
It was already evening when Wang Cheng finally received Chu Yifeng’s call. Chu Yifeng was calling from David’s phone. He did not say what had happened at the Chu residence, only told Wang Cheng not to worry and to concentrate on preparing for tomorrow’s birthday banquet.
“Are you really all right? Then how did your phone get broken?” Wang Cheng had a feeling Chu Yifeng might have come clean about their relationship with his family.
A laugh as light as a feather came through the phone. “Worried about me? Don’t worry. I’ll definitely be there for your birthday banquet tomorrow.”
Wang Cheng coughed. “I probably won’t be able to see you during the day tomorrow. Mom’s taking me to Master Paul’s to try on my formalwear, and there are other banquet arrangements too. My schedule is already full, so I thought I’d let you know.”
“Then I’ll see you at the banquet.”
“Remember to buy a new phone.” Wang Cheng had no desire to find himself unable to contact him again.
Chu Yifeng promised he would. They chatted a while longer before hanging up.
Wang Cheng turned off his phone screen and was just about to go downstairs when a text notification arrived. He opened the message and stared. “…”
Back at the villa, Chu Yifeng was preparing to return the phone to David when it received a text too. The message was from Wang Cheng and contained nothing but a string of ellipses. He promptly called to ask about it.
“What was that text about?”
Wang Cheng’s voice sounded weak. “I just got a message that came from your phone number. Guess what it said.”
“What?”
“Let’s break up.”
“…”
“It literally says the five Chinese characters for ‘Let’s break up.’ Your family is ridiculous. How did they come up with a trick that even a three-year-old wouldn’t use?” Wang Cheng had always imagined the Chu family as a stern military household whose members would naturally be anything but ordinary. Yet this one text had overturned his entire impression. It was just… just too childish. Hahaha! Chu Yifeng laughed aloud. “Did you reply?”
“I did.”
“What did you say?”
“Okay.”
Chu Yifeng could already imagine Old Master Chu’s expression when he saw Wang Cheng’s reply. Only his grandfather, who occasionally revealed the nature of an old prankster, would do something like this.