Translator: Lonelytree
When Zhuo Guojian heard his eldest son say that Xiao Lingyu had agreed to the invitation, his eyes were filled with disdain. His expression was indifferent as he coldly snorted, "I knew this would work. After we throw her enough money and benefits, she'll be tempted to work with us."
"But Dad, Xiao Lingyu had decided to have dinner at the Gu Family Hotel!" Zhou Huaming said. Their purpose in inviting Xiao Lingyu was to bribe and entice her. But how could they do that under the eyes of their enemy? It was basically giving the Gu Family something to use against them. Furthermore, having dinner at their sworn enemy's place was already a big insult to them.
Xiao Lingyu had to be doing it on purpose. However, for now, they could only compromise.
"What?" Zhou Guojian was surprised, and then a hint of anger appeared on his face. He held the dragon head of the walking stick and slammed the stick to the ground. He growled, "How dare this woman treats the Zhou Family like this? Is she doing this for the Gu Family?"
Zhou Guojian cursed loudly. His old eyes glowed darkly. Then, he said in a calmer voice, "Go with it for now. Our priority is to save Wei 'Er, but once that is over, hmph..."
Zhou Huaming nodded and replied, "Dad, I have the same idea."
"Good, I'm glad that you can look ahead." Zhou Guojian nodded and said, "Huaming, you'll need to suffer for the family this time." A firm determination appeared in the old man's eyes. "For Wei 'Er, no matter how the woman and the Gu Family humiliate you, you have to endure it. Our plan depends on it. Wei 'Er is the lifeblood of the Zhou Family. We need him for the family's future. You also need him to look after you when you're old." Zhou Goujian reminded Zhou Huaming to do his best to save Zhou Hongwei.
After all, Zhou Hongwei was the Zhou Family's only grandson.
Zhou Huaming smiled bitterly inside. He had two daughters, and his third brother had two daughters. In these past years, the two brothers had tried their best to produce a son, but it was to no avail. Both he and his third brother had many mistresses, but they either couldn't get pregnant or gave birth to more daughters.
There were women who came to the Zhou Family carrying boys. They claimed the boys were part of the Zhou Family.
The first thing the Zhou Family did was to do a paternity test. The result was clear. None of them was telling the truth. As the men got older, they lost their energy. They poured their hope on Zhou Hongwei.
If Zhou Hongwei could give birth to three sons, then each of the brothers would adopt one. Every branch would have an heir. However, strangely enough, while Zhou Hongwei had many girlfriends, none of them got pregnant. The Zhou Family secretly sent out people to check, but they couldn't find anything. However, Zhou Hongwei was still young.
The key issue now was to rescue Zhou Hongwei. Otherwise, with his list of crimes, the man would be sentenced to years in prison. When he came out of prison, he would be too old for marriages and children.
Therefore, the three brothers had to do everything to help Zhou Hongwei. However, Old Master Zhou's repeated warnings made Zhou Huaming's heart chill. It meant that his father doubted his intentions.
Zhou Huaming told Zhou Jianguo. "Father, I know that. Even third brother knows that!" They still needed to depend on Zhou Hongwei in the future.
Zhuo Guojian frowned. "How is the situation with your third brother?"
Zhou Huaming said truthfully, "He said they hadn't found anything. Third brother has handled everything cleanly, and they won't be able to find anything."
"That's good!" Zhou Guojian nodded his head in satisfaction. "Once his name is cleared, he will be able to rise faster in the political career. And that means Wei 'Er will have a stronger backing."
"Dad, you're right!"Zhou Huaming replied.
"Therefore, this time, you need to hang in there!" Zhou Guojian reminded his eldest son again. "Even if they break your teeth and ruin your face, you have to stomach everything! We can take revenge after this thing blows over!"
"Yes, father." Zhou Huaming said.
...
As Xiao Lingyu drove her brother back to Taoyuan Village, Xiao Lingye looked at the newly paved road, and he sighed. "They sure work fast. After this road is done, we can travel between the village and town in ten minutes by car. That's unimaginable in the past!"
Xiao Lingyu laughed. "That's the power of money." The road would be done in a few more days.
"Sis, Mom said that Mr. Gong wanted to build a house in our village. Has the house been built?" Xiao Lingye asked, "Since the road is almost done, the house must be done already." It had been almost twenty days since Xiao Lingye last returned home, so he didn't know many latest updates.
Xiao Lingyu explained, "The house is built already. It was done a few days ago. Even the renovation is done. Now they only need to let the place air for a few days. Then, once the furniture arrives, the owners can move in." The house was built using non-chemical compounds, so people could move in immediately.
Xiao Lingye asked with interest, "Sis, is the house beautiful? I heard the rich like to live in villas with European styles. In the cities, a villa is worth tens of millions. However, it won't cost that absurd amount in the countryside, right?"
Like his sister, Xiao Lingye had good results since he was young. He had gone to big cities to participate in various competitions. He knew more about capitalism than most villagers.
Xiao Lingyu said with a smile, "If you're so curious, you can go take a look for yourself."
To be honest, the house was quite ordinary. It was built with green bricks and glazed tiles and had a large courtyard. Of course, in the eyes of the people of Taoyuan Village, it was already very grand.
...
"Tianhao, the roads have been repaired and the house built." Li Yuanhang said, "After some time, we can send some furniture over, and then the old master can move in."
Gong Tianhao frowned and asked curiously, "So fast? What about the paint smell and so on?"
Li Yuanhang expected this question because he had the same question earlier. He got the explanation from the local builders.
Li Yuanhang said with a smile, "Tianhao, we employ rural builders this time, and they use natural materials. For example, instead of plywood, they used solid wood cut directly from the forest. The house has a natural scent, and there is no need for a waiting period for the chemical stuff to aerate."
Hearing Li Yuanhang's explanation, Gong Tianhao was expressionless and only nodded slightly. He said, "Buy a set of mahogany furniture and send it over. Also, prepare grandpa's things. We'll go take a look ourselves in a few days."
"Okay!" Li Yuanhang nodded and replied. Then, as if he thought of something, he asked, "Tianhao, have you discussed this with the old master?" They had prepared everything, but the person in question still didn't know about it.
Once Li Yuanhang asked that question, Gong Tianhao's expression froze.
Li Yuanhang asked suspiciously, "Tianhao, have you not talked to the old master about this?" This was not good. The old master was very stubborn. If he didn't want to move to Taoyuan Village, there was nothing they could do.
Gong Tianhao immediately stood up, picked up the suit on the hanger, slung it over his wrist, and prepared to leave.
Li Yuanhang immediately asked, "Tianhao, where are you going? There are still some documents that haven't been signed yet."
"I'm going home!" Gong Tianhao replied, "I'll come back to sign the documents in the afternoon!" The business contracts weren't more important than his grandfather.
Li Yuanhang hesitated and asked, "Tianhao, do you need me to go with you?"
The pair of grandfather and grandson had very similar temperaments. They were both stubborn and overbearing. They would share less than three sentences before getting into a big fight. Of course, it always ended with Gong Tianhao compromising.
If Li Yuanhang was here, at least he could act as a mediator.
Gong Tianhao stopped in his tracks and shook his head. "There's no need!"
When Gong Tianhao returned home, he saw his second grandfather's oldest son, Gong Jianjun, with his eldest wife, Bai Lianhua, and their eldest son. They were arguing with the guards at the courtyard gate.
Gong Jianjun was dressed in a straight black suit. He looked refined and polite, but he was black-hearted.
Bai Lianhua was tall and dressed like a noblewoman. She looked noble and elegant. Just like her name, she was a real white lotus.
Gong Jianjun and Bai Lianhua were from the second Gong Family branch. They were always jealous of the family's main branch. The main branch had few members but all the power.
The second branch wanted that power. The main branch only had one grandson, Gong Tianhao. Once this grandson was gone, the second branch would gain all the money and asset of the Gong Family. Therefore, when Gong Tianhao was young, he was already the target of many assassinations. Thankfully, Gong Tianhao was lucky and smart. He also had his grandfather's protection. Once Old Master Gong found out, he warned his second brother's family severely. "If something happened to my eldest grandson, all of you will die with him!"
Old Master Gong was former military, so he was strict and imposing.
The second branch finally stopped. Then, they switched policy. They would play to Old Master Gong's emotions. Old Master Gong's second brother often brought his children and grandchildren to come to accompany the old man. He had his grandchildren befriend Gong Tianhao.
This policy worked. Old Master Gong became closer to the second branch and would help them from time to time.
However, the second branch had never ceased to try to consume the Gong Family. Thankfully, they knew Old Master Gong's bottom line. As long as it didn't affect Gong Tianhao's safety, Old Master Gong would give them whatever they wanted.
There were changes when Gong Tianhao came of age and assumed power.
Gong Jianjun had always wanted his son, Gong Tianlong, to replace Gong Tianhao and become the only Young Master Gong.
At this moment, they were barred outside the courtyard.
Bai Lianhua was so anxious that her face was flushed red. She pointed at the guards and cursed loudly, "Do you know who I am? I am the eldest daughter-in-law of the Gong family and the only mistress of the Gong family. I want to go and meet Old Master Gong. How dare you stop us? When I see the Old Master, I'll have him fire all of you!"
The two guards stood at the gate, holding guns. No matter what Gong Jianjun or Bai Lianhua said, they didn't move. However, once Gong Jianjun or Bai Lianhua took a step forward, the guns would be pointed at them. Gong Jianjun wanted to try his luck. The guards fired. The first shot was a warning. However, it scared Gong Jianjun and Bai Lianhua so much that they wobbled to the ground. They moved away and scolded and insulted the guards from a distance. The guards were unfazed.
"Beep, Beep..."
When Gong Jianjun and Bai Lianhua heard the car honk, they were shocked. When they saw that it was Gong Tianhao's car, they immediately took a few steps back. Their expressions changed slightly.
"Eldest young master!" The two guards saluted Gong Tianhao and opened the gate.
Gong Tianhao rolled down the car window. His deep dark eyes looked at Gong Jianjun and Bai Lianhua. There was no warmth in them.
He warned them directly, "Gong Jianjun, Bai Lianhua, if I see you guys making a scene outside my house again, the Bai Corporation will suffer more than a shake."
Bai Lianhua was shocked and said in surprise, "It's you! You are the one behind the chaos at the Bai Corporation!" She was angry and scolded, "Gong Tianhao, how can you do this? Do you know how much effort my family has used to build up the company? They almost lost everything because of you. Do you want the Bai Family to go bankrupt?"
"Bingo!" Gong Tianhao smiled.
Bai Lianhua was stunned. Then, her face turned white and red. She was angry and anxious. Gong Tianhao couldn't be clearer.
She roared, "How dare you! The old man will punish you once he finds out!"
Gong Tianhao glared fiendishly at her, which shut her up nicely. "Bai Lianhua, I better not hear your shrieking at this place again." Then, he drove away.
The two were left behind stomping angrily.