Middle-aged tycoon: Twins come knocking on his door when he goes home for Chinese New Year

After a few glasses of baijiu, the atmosphere at the dinner table became much more lively.

Alcohol can sometimes be a really good thing.

It allows people to express what they usually keep to themselves, and it can also slightly reduce the barriers between people.

Zhang Ruoran and her two children ate quickly, and soon put down their chopsticks, saying they were full and wanted to get some fresh air.

In fact, Li Ze knew in his heart that Ruoran and Menghan didn't want to see him; they couldn't eat just looking at his face.

As for Mengli, she was simply dragged away by her mother and younger brother.

Soon, only Li Ze and his three brothers-in-law remained at the folding round table.

Although Zhang Jianmin, Li Ze's uncle, still had a stern face and seemed indifferent to him.

However, after drinking a few cups of wine from Li Zejing, the eldest brother Zhang Jianguo and the second brother Zhang Jianjun looked much better.

At least, she no longer glared at him like she did at the beginning, and was willing to exchange a few warm words with Li Ze.

Li Ze, holding a wine glass, tactfully filled his elder brother's glass, then tentatively asked:

"Brother, it's been so many years."

"Is everything alright at home?"

"Your car looks nice too. Business must be booming these past two years, right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jianguo's face revealed a hint of pride.

He picked up his glass, took a sip, smacked his lips, and said with a hint of drunkenness:

"Li Ze, you have no idea what has happened while you were gone."

"I've always been contracting projects and doing building materials business."

"Although it's a bit tough, the market has been good these past few years, and the profits are decent."

"In total, I've earned about ten million."

"Not only did I build a house in the town, but I also bought a large house in Wuhan with cash, right next to the Third Ring Road."

Upon hearing the number "ten million or so," Li Ze feigned surprise and admiration, giving a thumbs-up.

"Wow, around ten million?"

"Wow, you've really struck it rich, brother! Around here, that's practically being the richest person in the world!"

"Amazing, truly amazing!"

Zhang Jianguo felt quite pleased with the flattery, but he didn't forget to give Li Ze a warning.

He pointed at Li Ze with his chopsticks, sighed, and said:

"Just so you know."

"I'll tell you the truth."

"If you hadn't left back then, if you had been willing to work for me."

"With your brains and my connections, let's join forces."

"Over the past eighteen years, I dare not say anything else, but it would be no problem for you to receive seven or eight million."

"Tell me, isn't that much better than going to America and washing dishes or delivering takeout there?"

"Even if you bring back five million now, you'll only be catching the tail end."

Li Ze nodded repeatedly, looking as if he had learned something:

"Yes, yes, brother is right."

"I was indeed short-sighted back then and missed a great opportunity."

"I will need your continued guidance and support in the future."

Seeing Li Ze's meek and submissive demeanor, Zhang Jianguo felt much better.

But the pride on his face didn't last long; soon, his excitement faded.

Instead, a deep sorrow appeared.

Zhang Jianguo slammed his wine glass down on the table and let out a long sigh:

"well……"

"Actually, Li Ze..."

You'll understand when you get to my age.

"Whether it's a lot of money or a little, sometimes it's really not that useful."

"If I could, I would rather use all the money I have now, all of that ten million or so, to make my daughter happy, even for just one day."

Upon hearing the word "daughter," a vague image flashed through Li Ze's mind.

He remembered.

When he left, his elder brother's family had a daughter named Zhang Zixuan.

Back then, she was just a tiny little thing crawling all over the place, only two years old, with delicate and beautiful features, and was especially cute.

Before Li Ze left, he hugged her and bought her candy.

Eighteen years have passed in the blink of an eye.

"Is that Zixuan?"

Li Ze asked:

"That child must be about twenty years old now, right?"

"Time flies, you've grown into a young woman."

Zhang Jianguo nodded, his eyes becoming somewhat cloudy:

"That's right, I'm twenty."

"That child was so wonderful when he was little. He always smiled at everyone he met, and he was so clever and quick-witted."

"When I looked at her then, I felt so happy. They say a daughter is her father's little cotton-padded jacket, and I think that's true too."

"I work hard to earn money so that I can give her the best."

At this point, Zhang Jianguo took another large gulp of his drink, his voice choked with emotion:

"But... this child stopped being able to do it after entering high school."

"She became quiet, locked herself in her room all day, and was always depressed."

"At first I thought it was just because of the pressure of studying, so I didn't take it too seriously."

"But after the college entrance exam, the situation became more and more serious."

"Sometimes she won't eat or drink for a whole day, sometimes she'll suddenly start crying and screaming, and even..."

Zhang Jianguo couldn't bring himself to say the word; he simply pointed to his wrist and shook his head.

"Later, I took her to a large hospital for a checkup."

"The doctor said it's severe depression."

"I've taken the medication and seen a psychologist, but I'm not getting better."

"She was admitted to a good university, but the diagnosis came back very serious, so I simply arranged for her to take a leave of absence and stay at home to recover."

"Even if I earn a lot of money now, seeing my child like that, I can't feel good about it."

Hearing this, even the usually quiet Zhang Jianmin, the younger brother, couldn't help but chime in:

"That's true, kids these days have it so tough."

"My son is in high school now, and he's the same way."

"I have to get up at five or six in the morning and go to bed at eleven or twelve at night. When I get back, I just collapse into bed and have no energy at all."

"This pressure is too much; it's ruining perfectly good children."

The atmosphere at the table suddenly became heavy.

Li Ze listened quietly, but his mind was racing.

depression.

This is indeed a very thorny issue, and many people don't understand it, thinking it's just being dramatic.

But in fact, it is a very painful physiological condition.

However, this is not a terminal illness for Li Ze.

While he was in America, he casually acquired a top-tier biomedical company.

This company has recently developed a new, effective drug for major depressive disorder.

Combined with that kind of deep neuromodulation therapy, the cure rate is very high.

This drug is not yet available in China, but it is already quite well-known in high-end medical circles abroad.

Li Ze glanced at his elder brother, who had a worried look on his face, but didn't rush to say what he had said.

After all, he had just defined his public persona as "an overseas Chinese who returned to China after making a little money".

It would be a bit too far-fetched to suddenly claim that you have a miracle cure for intractable diseases.

Li Ze simply nodded and echoed the sentiments about how difficult it was for the children and how parents should show more concern.

But in his heart, he had already silently made a mental note of it.

After the New Year, I'll find a suitable opportunity, even if it's just to make up a reason, to get that special medicine over for Zixuan to try.

Or we could simply arrange for my uncle's family to take a trip to America and get their illness treated there.

This can be considered a small compensation from his uncle, who disappeared eighteen years ago, to the Zhang family.

……

Just as the men were sighing and lamenting inside the house.

The open space outside the courtyard presents a completely different scene.

The moon is very round tonight, hanging on the treetops and illuminating the countryside brightly.

It was very quiet around, with only the occasional mooing of cows coming from the distant cowshed and the clucking of hens moving around in the henhouse.

Zhang Ruoran, wearing that old down jacket, stood on the edge of the field.

Li Menghan and Li Mengli stood on either side of her.

Li Menghan kicked at the clods of dirt under her feet and said stubbornly:

"Mom, I was just about to say that."

"I don't care how much money he makes outside, whether it's five million or fifty million."

"I will absolutely not accept any help from him."

"I can do odd jobs while I'm at school, and I can also deliver food during winter and summer vacations."

"I'll be able to do an internship and earn money when I'm a junior in college."

"I can afford my tuition and living expenses on my own soon, I don't need his dirty money."

"I want to show him that we can still live a good life without him as our father."

Upon hearing this, Li Mengli, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but roll her eyes.

She crossed her arms and looked at her younger brother with a gloating expression.

"Oh my, our little man has such backbone."

"Okay, little brother, if you don't fight me for it, then I'll have two portions of money all by myself."

"I'll use his money to buy nice clothes, new bags, travel everywhere, and eat fancy meals."

"You can just stay home eating steamed buns and look at my posts on social media with envy!"

At this point, Li Mengli turned her head, took Zhang Ruoran's hand, and shook it:

"And then, I'm going to use the money my dad gave me to buy my mom lots and lots of gifts!"

"Buy the best cosmetics, buy the warmest down jacket."

"Oh, and I also helped Mom pay off the mortgage!"

"That way, Mom can save her monthly salary for herself."

Li Menghan glared at her sister angrily and pointed at her, saying:

"Sister! How could you give in so easily?"

"You've been corrupted by sweet talk!"

"Have you forgotten how much our mother suffered? How could you take her money?"

Li Mengli pouted and poked her younger brother's forehead:

"You little fool."

"It is precisely because we know how much our mother has suffered that we should accept our father's money."

"Think about it, that's what he owes us, what he owes Mom."

"If you don't want it, he might just spend the money on other women."

"You should take it as a matter of course and use his money to ease our mother's burden and let her live a better life."

"This is the greatest filial piety, do you understand?"

Li Menghan was stunned by her sister's twisted logic. She opened her mouth, but surprisingly, it seemed to make some sense.

At this moment, Zhang Ruoran sighed and interrupted the siblings' argument:

"Alright, you two, stop arguing."

She turned to look at her daughter, her eyes filled with a complex emotion:

"Speaking of which, Mengli, why do you seem to have accepted your father so easily?"

"Have you truly accepted him from the bottom of your heart?"

Li Mengli thought for a moment, then put away her playful expression and said seriously:

"How should I put it..."

"Actually, I've always wanted to have a father."

"Of course, I used to think he was a very bad person, a villain who abandoned his wife and children, just like you, Mom."

"But after spending time with him today, I feel that Dad isn't actually that bad..."

"He looked at me with gentle eyes, he helped us move things very hard, and he didn't seem like the kind of greasy old man who goes out partying."

Zhang Ruoran was silent for a moment, then looked at the moon in the distance and said softly:

"Actually... your father is a really good person at heart."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have insisted on marrying him despite my family's objections."

"When he was young, he was warm-hearted, energetic, and really good to me."

Hearing her mother praise her father, Li Mengli's eyes lit up:

"So, Mom, you've forgiven Dad?"

Zhang Ruoran shook her head, her tone becoming firm again:

"One thing at a time."

"The past is the past, the present is the present."

"From the moment he cruelly left me, he was no longer the Li Ze he used to be."

"These wounds from eighteen years ago cannot be healed with just an apology."

Zhang Ruoran patted the two children's heads and said earnestly:

"However, Mengli, your idea just now was not wrong."

"He is your father, and he has an obligation to raise you."

"It's perfectly natural for you to use his money. You don't need to feel indebted or embarrassed."

"Menghan, don't be so hostile towards your father."

"Just like your sister said, the money your dad earned was meant to be left to you."

"You'll inherit my and your father's wealth sooner or later."

"If you're not going to spend this money, are you really going to leave it to outsiders?"

Li Mengli quickly raised her hand to interject:

"Mom, don't forget I'm here!"

"I want to inherit it too!"

Zhang Ruoran smiled:

"Yes, yes, I will never forget my daughter, Lili."

Li Menghan looked at his mother and sister. Although the knot in his heart had not been completely untied, he was not an ungrateful person.

He said sullenly:

"Alright."

"Since you've said that, Mom..."

"Use it if you want, I don't object."

"But I have my own principles. Anyway, I can earn my own money now, so I won't spend his money for now."

Looking at her son's stubborn expression, Zhang Ruoran couldn't tell whether she was angry or relieved.

I just feel that this kid's stubbornness is exactly the same as his father's when he was young.

"Alright, that's enough for now."

Zhang Ruoran tightened her clothes:

"Now that your father is back, no matter what, it's a good thing for this family."

"It's getting late. We're going to visit your grandparents' graves early tomorrow morning."

"Go to the car and get your toiletries. Go to bed early, you need to get up early tomorrow."

The two children nodded and answered in unison:

"Okay, Mom."

After saying that, Li Mengli pulled her still-awkward younger brother and ran into the house.

Zhang Ruoran watched the child go inside, then stood there for a while.

The night breeze was a bit cool, which made her more awake.

She sighed, turned and walked towards the Volkswagen, intending to get something from the car and also to have some peace and quiet.

Just as Zhang Ruoran reached the car, she suddenly stopped.

Because there was also a person standing next to the black Audi.

Li Ze had come out at some point and was leaning against the car door, a lit cigarette between his fingers, quietly watching her.

Under the moonlight, their eyes met in the air.

Volkswagen vs. Audi.

Ex-wife to ex-husband.

For a moment, no one spoke.