In his previous life, Ye Zhou had a rather good temperament and was extremely humble when dealing with investors, but that was due to the demands of work and the constraints of life. Before entering society, he had not been a stranger to fights.
After becoming a director, he became more restrained, but occasionally when encountering difficult people, he would never back down. If the other party didn’t start a fight, he wouldn’t either, but if they did, Ye Zhou wouldn’t hold back.
At this moment, seeing someone laying hands on Jiang Tingyuan, Ye Zhou naturally wouldn’t stand idly by.
Ye Zhou landed a punch, directly stunning the middle-aged man. Taking advantage of the man’s lack of response, he followed up with a kick to his buttocks, causing the man to stagger.
He was usually gentle, but when it came to fighting, Ye Zhou not only hit hard but was also ruthless. Seeing the middle-aged man’s unstable footing, just as he was about to regain his balance, Ye Zhou sneakily extended a foot.
The middle-aged man, who had barely steadied himself, was tripped by Ye Zhou and lost his balance completely, falling face-first to the ground with a dull thud.
With the middle-aged man’s fall, the previously lively room was stunned into silence by Ye Zhou’s actions, plunging into a deathly hush, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
Ye Zhou didn’t care about the others. He directly pulled Mr. Jiang behind him and carefully examined his condition. Satisfied that he was unharmed, he nodded approvingly.
He patted Mr. Jiang’s shoulder in a reassuring manner. “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
“…” Being protected behind him, Jiang Tingyuan, who wasn’t afraid at all and even felt like laughing, replied, “Okay.”
While the two talked, the others in the room finally recovered from their shock. The woman closest to the middle-aged man shrieked, pointing at Ye Zhou, “Who are you?!”
Ye Zhou grinned, pointing first at Mr. Jiang and then at himself, “Me? I’m his boyfriend.”
The people present, who just recovered from their previous shock, were dumbfounded again by Ye Zhou’s words, and Ye Zhou once again enjoyed a hard-earned moment of silence.
Ye Zhou bent down, half-squatting in front of the middle-aged man, and asked, “To start like this on our first meeting is quite awkward.”
“But isn’t it also inappropriate to resort to violence upon first meeting?”
The middle-aged man’s head was buzzing, and he moved his lips for a long time but couldn’t utter a word, tremblingly pointing at Ye Zhou.
After being helped up, the middle-aged man took some time to recover. He ignored Ye Zhou and instead turned to Jiang Tingyuan, saying, “You rejected the marriage with the Qiao family’s daughter just because of this thing?”
Ye Zhou looked at him as if he were an idiot. Before Jiang Tingyuan could speak, he raised his hand towards the man.
The middle-aged man who had just been punched by him instinctively flinched. Seeing his cooperation, Ye Zhou burst out laughing, “Don’t be afraid. Unlike you, I won’t resort to violence if something can be resolved through words. Don’t worry.”
The middle-aged man, mocked by him, looked both angry and flustered as he pointed at Ye Zhou and shouted at Jiang Tingyuan, “You’re just going to let him humiliate your father like this?!”
Knowing that this entire family was no good, Ye Zhou had come prepared with thorns today. Upon hearing that this man was actually Jiang Tingyuan’s father, he was instantly amused.
Although no one in the Jiang family was a good person, the most worthless of them all was Father Jiang. He was Grandfather Jiang’s youngest and only son. He had two older sisters, and when he was born, Grandmother Jiang had suffered a premature delivery, and the child barely survived.
As a result, the old lady doted on this sickly and weak son, spoiling him into a profligate who only knew how to indulge in food, drink, and pleasure, unable to discern right from wrong.
Apart from having a special talent with women, Father Jiang had no business acumen. Fortunately, although he was incompetent, he did manage to produce a capable son.
Old Master Jiang was thoroughly disappointed in this son, so he devoted himself to nurturing his grandson. When his grandson grew up, Old Master Jiang directly handed over the family business to his grandson, Jiang Tingyuan. He left only a small portion of non-transferable shares to his son, allowing him to receive some dividends each year to avoid starvation.
After all, Jiang Tingyuan was his own son. Although he was a bit indifferent in nature, he was upright and had his own principles, so he would never withhold his father’s dividends.
Originally, as long as Father Jiang didn’t cause any trouble, the dividends left by Old Master Jiang would have been enough for him to live out the rest of his life comfortably. But Father Jiang was unwilling to accept this arrangement. From the moment his father bypassed him and handed over the family business to Jiang Tingyuan, although he didn’t voice it, Father Jiang harbored resentment in his heart.
As Old Man Jiang’s only son, he had assumed that once the old man passed away, he would be the next heir of the Jiang family. However, it wasn’t until the will was announced that Father Jiang realized the old man had only left him a few measly shares.
He, the father, was still alive, but the old man had already skipped over him and handed the family assets to his son. What did that mean? Was it implying that he, as a father, was inferior to a mere kid?
Whenever Father Jiang thought about having to rely on his eldest son’s approval for his future livelihood, he felt deeply uncomfortable.
Compared to the distant Jiang Tingyuan, who grew up under his grandfather’s care, Father Jiang naturally preferred Jiang Yu, who was raised under his own care.
Although Father Jiang had a chaotic private life in his youth, fathering one illegitimate child after another, his most beloved was undoubtedly Jiang Yu, the son he had watched grow up from a young age.
Father Jiang had high hopes for him, and the fact that he was willing to dip into his years of savings to help Jiang Yu start a company spoke volumes. His sole expectation was for this younger son to help him wrest the Jiang family business from Jiang Tingyuan’s grasp, allowing him to live out his days as a leisurely retired emperor.
As for Jiang Tingyuan’s life or death, he felt he had already done his filial duty by raising him to adulthood. One’s path in life must be walked independently – whether he lived or died was none of his concern.
While reading the book, Ye Zhou disliked Father Jiang’s character. Now that he had transmigrated into this world and fell in love with Jiang Tingyuan, he could no longer remain detached.
Ye Zhou felt a tinge of regret – had he known this man was Father Jiang, he should have hit him even harder earlier.
With this thought, Ye Zhou glanced at Father Jiang, whose left cheek was swollen, yet he still carried an imperious air, and an idea suddenly struck him.
Ye Zhou looked at Jiang Tingyuan with feigned horror, then at Father Jiang, his voice full of regret and helplessness.
“You… you’re Jiang-ge’s father…?”
Father Jiang had been seething with anger, preparing to demand an explanation from his eldest son. Caught off guard by Ye Zhou’s regretful demeanor, he seemed to have found an outlet for his pent-up frustration.
He let out a non-committal cold snort, slowly shifting his gaze from his eldest son to Ye Zhou, appraising him like a piece of merchandise.
Ye Zhou didn’t mind at all. Under his gaze, he even trembled appropriately, fully embodying the phrase ‘trembling in fear,’ as if terrified that Father Jiang might dislike him.
This act clearly satisfied Father Jiang’s bruised ego after being trampled underfoot. He straightened his traditional Chinese jacket and replied indifferently, “That’s right, I’m Jiang Tingyuan’s father.”
His actions and words exuded the full authority of a patriarch.
Ye Zhou cautiously took two steps forward, as if intending to shake his hand. His demeanor was extremely humble, as if he feared being disliked by Father Jiang in the next second.
Father Jiang had just been hit by him, so he instinctively stepped back two paces when Ye Zhou approached.
When Father Jiang regained his senses, he felt his face reddening, unable to maintain composure. Seeing Ye Zhou’s outstretched hand, he didn’t reciprocate the gesture, instead rudely putting his hands behind his back.
“You… you’re really Jiang-ge’s father?”
Ye Zhou persisted, desperately hoping to get a denial from him.
Father Jiang’s eyes held even more contempt, letting out a disdainful snort from his nose. He looked down at Ye Zhou condescendingly. “He’s standing right there, can’t you just ask him yourself if I’m his father!”
Ye Zhou turned around genuinely and anxiously asked Mr. Jiang behind him, “Jiang-ge, is this… really uncle?”
Father Jiang might not have noticed Ye Zhou’s unusual behavior, but Jiang Tingyuan knew him too well. Observing his current demeanor and unconscious little movements, he could tell the little guy was brewing trouble.
However, as long as Ye Zhou’s actions didn’t compromise his own safety, Jiang Tingyuan never objected to whatever he wanted to do.
Moreover, from the moment Ye Zhou stepped through the door, his intention to defend him had been evident, and seeing the person he loved go to such lengths to protect him warmed Jiang Tingyuan’s heart, even if it didn’t show on his face.
Today, he had brought Ye Zhou to meet his family, but not these people – he had intended to take Ye Zhou to the old residence to see his grandfather.
From a young age, Jiang Tingyuan’s familial bonds were rather thin. The only person he considered family was his grandfather. His father, mother, uncles, and aunts had never been included in that circle.
Of course, now he had Ye Zhou as well.
When he was at home, Jiang Tingyuan received a call from the butler, inquiring if he would return this year to pay respects to his grandfather.
Jiang Tingyuan originally planned to bring Ye Zhou to see his grandfather, but upon arrival, he found the room already filled with people.
Father Jiang started by declaring that he and Jiang Yu’s mother had already gotten their marriage certificate, and today was for Jiang Yu to formally acknowledge his lineage. He shamelessly ordered Jiang Tingyuan to help Jiang Yu pay off his outstanding debts.
According to Father Jiang, not only should Jiang Tingyuan help Jiang Yu pay off debts, but he should also waive the few million owed to him, and then arrange for Jiang Yu to be taken care of within the Jiang Group.
From beginning to end, Jiang Tingyuan remained calm, looking at his father as if he were a fool.
He let him ramble on, trying to appeal to emotion, and when that didn’t work, attempting to exert paternal authority, prattling on for twenty or thirty minutes.
When Father Jiang was parched from all his ranting, the silent Jiang Tingyuan uttered just two words that infuriated him to the brink:
“No way.”
Under the instigation of his young wife, Father Jiang’s anger reached its peak, and in a fit of rage, he struck out at Jiang Tingyuan – leading to the scene Ye Zhou witnessed upon entering.
Father Jiang’s intention was to discipline Jiang Tingyuan, but before his slap could even land, someone beat him to it, punching him in the face. Before he could react, a kick followed, tripping him to the ground.
After receiving Jiang Tingyuan’s affirmation, Ye Zhou slowly sighed and respectfully approached Father Jiang, giving him a deep bow.
His voice filled with remorse, he apologized profusely, “I’m so sorry, Uncle.”
“I apologize for my earlier actions and sincerely hope for your forgiveness.”
His apology sounded quite genuine, but Father Jiang would never look kindly upon him. Another disdainful snort came from his nostrils, and before he could say anything, a tremendous force came hurtling at him from the front.
Father Jiang then felt his arm being gripped, and the next thing he knew, the world spun, and a few seconds later, he was slammed onto the ground with a resounding ‘thud’.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events. How could the person pleading for forgiveness just a second ago have suddenly executed a shoulder throw?
Ye Zhou took two steps back and bowed deeply to Father Jiang again, regretfully saying, “I truly apologize, Uncle.”
“I didn’t hit hard enough earlier, so let me make it up to you now.”
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