Chapter 20: Zuo Qianhui's Resolve

Chen Yuyi glanced over and saw that it was Ding Jun, the man who had been thrown into the water by Bai Lang earlier that day. He narrowed his eyes slightly and lowered the hand he had just been about to raise.

Ding Jun hurried over and bowed deeply to Chen Yuyi. “Brother Yu, please forgive me. It was all the fault of my reckless cousin. I’ve already taught him a harsh lesson, and from now on, I won’t have such a cousin anymore!”

After being tossed into the water, Ding Jun had investigated the reason and realized he had made a grave mistake—he had offended someone he should never have offended. Although he was nothing more than a dog at Bai Lang’s side, Bai Lang himself treated this man with the utmost respect. To offend him was to risk his own life.

Afraid and desperate to make amends, Ding Jun broke Fan Wenbin’s leg and sent people everywhere to find Chen Yuyi, hoping to apologize in person. Unexpectedly, he truly found him, and now, both delighted and fearful, he stood before him.

“Jun!” Gao Feng, though somewhat puzzled, greeted Ding Jun warmly. Obviously, he knew Ding Jun and treated him with great respect; it was clear Ding Jun had benefited greatly from Bai Lang’s favor and was thriving in the outside world.

But Ding Jun ignored him completely, bowing low and waiting for Chen Yuyi’s rebuke. His gaze involuntarily swept across Shen Zhuyun, and he was struck by her beauty. He thought to himself, so Brother Yu is indeed extraordinary. The two beauties he saw in the daytime were already stunning, but this one was even more exquisite.

“Since you’re here, you can help me chase away the flies,” Chen Yuyi said coolly.

Flies?

Ding Jun was momentarily confused, glancing around, but soon understood.

He suddenly slapped Gao Feng hard across the face. “Damn it! How dare you buzz around Brother Yu? Are you looking for trouble? I’ll have your boss fire you right now!”

Gao Feng was knocked to the ground, stunned. Before he could recover, Ding Jun ordered his men to beat him up even more.

Gao Feng cried out, “Jun, don’t you remember me? We just had dinner together two days ago!”

“Dinner, my ass!” Ding Jun spat on him and kicked him twice more. “Get lost! Don’t let me see you again!”

Gao Feng gritted his teeth and crawled up from the ground, shooting a venomous look at Chen Yuyi as he left, as if trying to memorize his face.

Shen Zhuyun’s brows arched slightly, her cold face showing a hint of something unusual, but she said nothing.

“Brother Yu, this meal is on me. Order whatever you like, and I won’t disturb you any further.” Ding Jun was shrewd; he had no desire to become a fly himself.

Soon, he called the restaurant owner over to personally attend to Chen Yuyi and Shen Zhuyun.

Not far away, at another table, a young man in a black trench coat tapped his fingers lightly on the tabletop, his gaze drifting toward Chen Yuyi, a playful smile on his lips and a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “Interesting,” he murmured.

Beside his hand was a phone, displaying a photo of Chen Yuyi. After tapping his fingers for a while, he put the phone away, rose, and left the restaurant.

After Gao Feng was kicked out, he really was fired by the owner. He was furious, feeling outrageously unlucky—he hadn’t even managed to chat with the beautiful woman, and instead, he lost his job.

Thinking it was all because of that penniless kid, he kicked stones and cursed all the way home. Lost in thought, he suddenly bumped into someone and, without thinking, shoved the man, saying, “Are you blind? Watch where you’re going!”

But he felt as though his hands had pushed against a mountain—unmoving.

He looked up in confusion to see a man in a black trench coat, smiling faintly, his eyes glinting with a wicked light.

Upon meeting those eyes, Gao Feng became dazed.

“Do you want revenge? I’ll give you the chance,” the trench-coated man’s voice was strangely captivating, immediately scattering Gao Feng’s senses.

He took out a dagger and waved it before Gao Feng. “Go on, kill that boy!”

Gao Feng took the dagger mechanically and, with a leap, was already four or five meters away, vanishing into the night.

The trench-coated man’s lips curled. “The heavier the resentment, the easier it is for me to control. Let me send a pawn to test you first.”

...

The Zuo family mansion.

“Still haven’t found Miss?” Zuo Hongshan asked angrily.

His subordinates were terrified, none daring to step forward.

Ge Da, fingering his prayer beads, suddenly spoke. “Boss Shan, today is Madam’s memorial day. Do you think Miss might have gone to the cemetery?”

Zuo Hongshan slapped his forehead. “I can’t believe I forgot!”

“Come, to the cemetery!” He strode out.

At the Zuo family cemetery, the night was deep, the flames of candles flickering.

Zuo Qianhui, her breathtaking face streaked with tears, held a bottle of red wine and leaned against her mother’s gravestone.

“Mom, I really want to go with you now. Brother Yu is already married—what do I have left to cling to? I thought meeting him was my greatest happiness, that he was the only man I could rely on, but now it’s all just a dream. Isn’t this the greatest irony?”

She raised the bottle and gulped down two mouthfuls, choking since she didn’t know how to drink, her face flushed, laughing bitterly.

“Don’t let Dad’s usual tenderness fool you. His business is more important than his daughter. He even forgot your memorial day. He never understands me, never tries to, only knows how to strengthen his power. Though our family seems to lack nothing, we’re missing the most vital thing—a real home, warmth.”

Zuo Qianhui poured the wine onto the ground. “Sometimes I wonder why I wasn’t born into an ordinary family, living happily and simply together. Compared to this life of apparent luxury, wouldn’t it be much warmer and happier?”

“Qianhui!” Zuo Hongshan’s heart settled when he saw his daughter was really there.

He strode forward and pulled her into his arms, his eyes tinged with sadness as he gazed at his wife’s tombstone.

“Dad, you finally came!” Zuo Qianhui’s tears flowed freely.

“Qianhui, I’m sorry. There’s just so much on my plate. You silly girl, at least remind your dad next time. Don’t come out alone, you had me sending people everywhere to find you!” Zuo Hongshan pinched her nose and wiped her tears away with his big hands. At this moment, he was nothing like a tycoon, but simply a good father.

His subordinates sensibly withdrew to a distance.

After paying his respects to his wife, Zuo Hongshan said, “Don’t think I forgot your mother just because I didn’t come today. Have I ever brought another woman home all these years? No one can replace your mother in my heart. I owe everything I have to her loyalty, so she’ll always live in my heart! Don’t blame me, alright?”

Zuo Qianhui nestled in his arms. “Now, except for you, I have no one left to rely on. Even if I blame you, you’ll always be my father!”

Zuo Hongshan sensed his daughter’s unusual mood and frowned. “What’s wrong? Has someone bullied you?”

“No.” Zuo Qianhui looked slightly uneasy.

“Is it that Chen Yuyi boy?” Zuo Hongshan’s eyes darkened.

“No, Dad, don’t jump to conclusions. He hasn’t bullied me. I just found out he’s married, and I’m a bit upset,” Zuo Qianhui admitted, biting her lip.

Surprisingly, Zuo Hongshan laughed heartily. “You’re here drinking alone at your mother’s grave just for that? You really are my silly daughter!”

Zuo Qianhui looked at her father in confusion, unable to understand his reaction.

“Qianhui, do you really like that boy?” Zuo Hongshan suddenly asked seriously.

Zuo Qianhui blushed and nodded, a trace of sadness in her eyes. “What’s the use of liking him? He’s married, and his wife is very beautiful.”

“If you like him, go after him! You’re my daughter—if you want wind, you get wind, if you want rain, you get rain. Why shrink from this? Besides, Chen Yuyi has won my favor. I’d love for him to become my son-in-law!”

“But he’s already married,” Zuo Qianhui said softly.

“Ha! Qianhui, you don’t know the whole story!” Zuo Hongshan smiled mysteriously.

Zuo Qianhui’s eyes flashed with surprise as she looked at him.

“Alright, I won’t tease you. I only got this information today after much effort. Chen Yuyi did get a marriage certificate, but it’s a marriage in name only, with a three-year limit!”

Zuo Qianhui trembled. “Dad, what did you say?”

“I don’t know everything that happened, but his marriage is just a transaction. Do you know who his wife is? Miss Shen, the eldest daughter of the Shen family—a family that used to be prominent, though it’s fallen now. My information says Miss Shen probably wanted to escape her family’s arrangements, so she made a fake marriage agreement with the boy, and there are even signed contracts. But that’s not important. What matters is, there’s nothing real between them—so, girl, you still have a chance!”

Zuo Qianhui’s eyes lit up. “Dad, is all this true?”

“Sweetheart, when have I ever lied to you? I used all my resources to get this news, which shows how much I value you and that boy!”

“So, Brother Yu has no feelings for Miss Shen?”

“Listen, don’t blame me for warning you—Miss Shen, in terms of temperament and looks, might even surpass you. You can’t take her lightly!”

Zuo Qianhui’s thoughts whirled; she nodded, saying nothing.

Zuo Hongshan shook his head. “What a pity the Shen family doesn’t know any of this. If they did, who knows what they’d think? Chen Yuyi is a gem, and it’s laughable they treat him as a weed. But that suits me fine—if Chen Yuyi joins our family, we’ll honor him above all.”

Hearing this, Zuo Qianhui was filled with joy, her tears replaced by smiles. She secretly resolved not to lose to Miss Shen.

Suddenly, a cold wind rose, and two candle flames were snuffed out.

“Zuo Hongshan, do you think you’re worthy to pay respects to Huiru?” A sinister voice echoed from nowhere...