When Lin Zhiyu and his party arrived at the Zhao family’s home, the Ruan family had also gathered together.
Mr. Ruan’s usually gloomy face had a rare hint of warmth as he looked at Ruan Jiaojiao, who was dressed as impeccably as ever. He trembled as he spoke, “Jiao… Hehe, Jiaojiao, from now on, our Ruan… Ruan family, hehe… depends on you.”
“Grandfather.”
Ruan Jiaojiao seldom visited the Ruan Manor anymore. With most of the servants dismissed, the once-elegant estate now felt empty and unkempt, with tall grass overtaking the lawn like a wasteland.
She spent most of her time in a luxurious villa near her school, fully equipped with servants and amenities, all provided by Marceau.
“Grandpa, what are you talking about? The Ruan family still depends on you. How can I know these things?”
Ruan Jiaojiao lowered her head meekly. “All I can do now is study hard and hope to graduate early so that I can help you.”
Mr. Ruan took a deep breath and looked at her seriously. “Your uncle is in prison for… economic crimes… Your third uncle too. Your fourth uncle still clings on, but he has also been… fired.”
“Your fifth uncle is even more… useless!”
“Our family now… depends on you and your fourth uncle to revive it. Jiaojiao… you can’t just be a wife.”
Instead, you must become a strong woman!
“Haha, Dad’s right; I am useless.” Ruan Yanwei, unaffected by the harsh words, took a long drag from his cigar with a smile.
But it was the last cigar he had saved, and he feared he would never get another.
Fourth Brother Ruan Yanzheng frowned but, having reprimanded Ruan Yanwei too many times before, remained silent.
He turned to Ruan Jiaojiao, who looked slightly burdened and said, “Jiaojiao, don’t stress too much now. Focus on your studies, observe how Marceau manages his company, gain experience, and build connections. Fourth Uncle believes that you have the potential to lead the Ruan family to a comeback.”
“Fourth Uncle, I’ll do my best.”
Ruan Jiaojiao lowered her eyes slightly, with an unclear meaning in her eyes.
Initially, she just wanted to live a pampered life. But now, her grandfather’s and fourth uncle’s words made her reconsider. Holding power in her own hands didn’t sound so bad.
If she could truly control everything, who in the world wouldn’t show her respect?
Even Lin Zhiyu and Xie Youzhou might regret it so deeply that they’d be left powerless!
Oh…
She eagerly anticipated that day.
Ruan Jiaojiao raised her eyes, smiling softly. “Grandpa, let’s talk about this more over dinner. Marceau arranged for a top chef to prepare tonight’s meal. I believe it’s nearly ready. Shall we head to the dining room?”
“Yes, Dad, let’s eat,” said Ruan Yanzheng as he pushed Mr. Ruan’s wheelchair toward the dining room.
The chef Marceau provided was indeed a master, though the food he prepared was once the Ruan family’s standard fare.
As they tasted these familiar flavors, the Ruan family members felt a wave of discomfort, memories of better days stirring unease in their hearts.
Because—
Kuda Bank, which held the mortgage on the Ruan Manor, had filed in court to foreclose on the property, intending to auction it soon.
As the largest shareholder of Kuda Bank, Xie Youzhou had no intention of shattering the Ruan family’s hopes this soon.
After all, offering a glimmer of hope and then crushing it was far more torturous the more it repeated.
But now that Ruan Jiaojiao had aligned with the Marceau Group, there was no longer a need to sustain that glimmer of hope.
…
After dinner at the Zhao family’s home, everyone chatted for a while.
Mother Zhao, looking healthier and more like her former self, had regained much of her gentle demeanor, though she was still somewhat frail.
She looked at Lin Zhiyu and the others with gratitude and loving care, her eyes flushed red as if she was looking at her children.
She kept feeding them with fruit.
Father Zhao, who’d insisted on toasting Lin Zhiyu and Xie Youzhou in gratitude, was drunk and carried to bed. No matter how much others tried to stop him, he refused to put down his glass, thanking them through tears that soon turned into sobs. Lin Zhiyu felt very sad when he heard it, and Lin Zhaoqiu burst into tears.
After ensuring her father was comfortable, Zhao Hua, her eyes red from tears, covered him with a blanket to prevent him from catching a cold.
Now, only Zhao’s mother and son and Lin Zhiyu and his two companions were sitting in the living room.
Zhao Hua didn’t want the atmosphere to become heavy. After all, things were getting better every day, and they had to look forward!
She took out her certificates and transcripts and asked Lin Zhiyu and Lin Zhaoqiu for praise.
Just like a child.
Zhao Hua was the same age as Ruan Jiaojiao and would be nineteen years old by the end of January.
But one of them was in the first year of high school, continuing the studies that she was once forced to give up. She was struggling to swim in the sea of questions, and pimples appeared on her face due to the pressure of studying.
Meanwhile, Ruan Jiaojiao was already engaged and making headlines worldwide, pursued by wealthy admirers.
But while their lives diverged, each despised what the other stood for.
Ruan Jiaojiao looked down on Zhao Hua’s rustic and ridiculous daily life, but Zhao Hua did not envy Ruan Jiaojiao’s current glory.
Even though the affairs between the Zhao and Ruan families were no longer a secret, some people who disliked Zhao Hua deliberately found fault with her and even used Ruan Jiaojiao’s bright future of studying at the world-renowned H University and being engaged to a top-tier first-generation rich man to belittle Zhao Hua.
Zhao Hua was not envious either.
She just wants to cherish her current life. Everything now was something that she couldn’t have imagined before. Why should she envy others’ success?
What’s more, it was someone like Ruan Jiaojiao.
After another hour of chatting, Lin Zhiyu and his friends were ready to leave. But Zhao Hua quickly stopped them.
“Brother Zhiyu, wait! I’ll go pick some vegetables for you to take home!”
Mother Zhao chuckled at her daughter’s eagerness and joined her. “Don’t worry, your brother Zhiyu won’t fly away, mom will go with you.”
Turning to the others, she explained with a smile, “My daughter loves growing vegetables. I used to keep them in pots, but now we have a little backyard plot. They’re all pesticide-free, so you must take some home.”
“Let’s go see Xiaohua’s garden together,” Lin Zhiyu said, smiling as he stood. “I’ve never harvested vegetables myself.”
“Yes, yes,” Mother Zhao chimed in, “these plants are such a joy to see—more beautiful than flowers.”
The group walked to the backyard, chatting and laughing, to find a large patch of fresh vegetables.
There were cabbages, radishes, yams—all seasonal produce.
Zhao Hua was bending over and sticking out her butt to pull out radishes. When she saw several people coming over, she was stunned, and then she jumped up and laughed.
“Come, help me pick some radishes!”
Laughing, Lin Zhaoqiu sang, “Hey ho, let’s pull the radish~”
“Hahaha…”
The group burst into laughter, a warm feeling of joy filling the evening air.
Back at home that evening, Lin’s father prepared a four-course meal with the organic vegetables from the Zhao family’s garden.
Lin Zhiyu and Lin Zhaoqiu both ate very well.
Afterward, Lin Zhiyu prepared to go out.
“Zhiyu, where are you headed so late?” Father Lin asked, enjoying the last bit of pickled cabbage.
“Dad, I’m going to see Xiaoyou.”
Lin Zhiyu smiled as he left, clearly in a great mood.
Lin Zhaoqiu said sourly: “That Xie Youzhou is so annoying. Now my Ge is his gege! He spends way more time with my Ge than I do.”
There was a big difference!
Father Lin: “…”
Suddenly he felt that the cabbage in his mouth was not as fragrant.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhiyu quietly drove out of the neighborhood.
Xie Youzhou had some business to handle tonight and was staying at a private, secure property rather than returning home.
Though Lin Zhiyu never asked about where he was, Xie Youzhou was extremely self-conscious and informed Lin Zhiyu of his whereabouts.
After all, he was a married man now, so of course he would listen to his wife in everything from now on!
However, he never dared to call out the word “wife” aloud. He could only call Lin Zhiyu that quietly in his heart.
Hey-hey!
Tonight, Xie Youzhou’s work involved preventing the Marceau Group from becoming a resource for the Ruan family’s potential resurgence.
His earlier strategy of withholding critical evidence against both the Marceau and Wright Groups had been a way to create mutual conflict, ensuring that both sides were too preoccupied to collapse.
But now, he had a new plan: to “support” the Wright Group and the emerging Sufiat Group in taking down Marceau.
Xie Youzhou was confident that with his help, Wright could dismantle Marceau’s political and police alliances, as well as secure the evidence he needed to destabilize the Marceau Group.
Xie Youzhou’s ten fingers flew up and down, typing the code quickly.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Could his takeout have arrived already?
