Transmigrated into a wealthy family's stepmother, I raised the villain into a sweet child.

Jinxi played with him for a while, and Zhou Yanqian sat on Jinxi's lap, clinging to her and refusing to get off. He even stopped watching cartoons and played games with her instead.

Jinxi is quite receptive to Zanzan's clingy tactics, even though Zanzan usually acts like "don't touch me" or "stay away from me."

It's actually just a small donut.

Zhou Linxu came downstairs and had just sat down next to them when his phone rang.

He glanced at it; it was Secretary Wen calling.

Jinxi glanced at it, picked up the remote control next to her, and turned the TV volume down a bit.

Zhou Linxu answered the phone and hummed in agreement: "Whatever."

"not see."

"Let the lawyer handle it."

As Jinxi listened, she couldn't help but glance at them.

Zhou Linxu's expression remained unchanged, revealing nothing.

Zhou Yanqian was focused on playing the game, and seeing that Xiao Xi's fingers weren't moving, he raised his chin and asked, "Why aren't you moving?"

Jinxi snapped out of her daze and said seriously, "I'm just giving you a chance, aren't I? Use your brain!"

As she spoke, she hugged him tighter. The boy's bottom was so slippery that he couldn't sit still and was about to slide off her knees.

Zhou Yanqian immediately understood, muttering to himself, "I don't need you to give me a chance! I'm already good enough!"

Jinxi: "Mmm."

Zhou Yanqian was furious. This Xiao Xi was just giving him the runaround again!

He was determined to show her what he was capable of!

Jinxi watched as Zanzan played the game very seriously, then turned to look at Zhou Linxu, who had already finished his phone call.

Jinxi asked, "What's wrong?"

Although Zhou Linxu's expression didn't change much, there was still a hint of annoyance in his eyes.

Hearing Jinxi's reply, he didn't speak immediately, but only glanced at Zanzan in her arms.

Jinxi understood; she needed to find a time when the child wasn't around.

Zhou Linxu added, "I have to go on a short business trip tomorrow."

Jinxi nodded: "Okay, when are you coming back?"

"Friday," Zhou Linxu said. "I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon. I have meetings on Wednesday and Thursday, so I probably won't be back until Friday afternoon."

Zhou Yanqian glanced at him and suddenly felt that Xiao Xu was still quite pitiful.

Although he has been resting at home a lot during this period, it's because he injured his leg.

My leg has only been healed for a few days, and I have to go on a business trip again.

Tsk tsk tsk, that's really tragic!

Zhou Yanqian continued playing the game, shaking his head, when he heard Zhou Linxu ask, "It's in the next city, do you want to go?"

Jinxi asked, "Why would we go to your meeting?"

"I'm not driving all day," Zhou Linxu said. "I've been saying we should go out and have fun, but I've been delayed because of my leg injury. Are you coming with me this time? How many more days can you guys have to play?"

Jinxi thought about it and still refused: "Never mind, Zanzan has to go to kindergarten on Wednesday."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanqian quickly said, "Actually, you don't have to go."

Jinxi tapped his little head: "Is playing all you can think about? If you go to school for four more days, you can play for two months."

It'll be another four days, won't it be until the end of the month?

Zhou Yanqian pouted and continued playing the game, not wanting to pay any attention to Xiao Xi.

He really couldn't understand why he had to go back to kindergarten, or even primary school; he wouldn't want to go back anyway.

He's not truly illiterate, so why does he need to read it again?

The thought of studying hard to get into a good high school and a good university in the future made me realize that I couldn't let Xiao Xi and Xiao Xu down, nor could I let Gu Mingzheng laugh at me.

Zhou Yanqian's mood while playing the game was now tinged with a sense of "tragic heroism".

Jinxi added, "Besides, I had an interview scheduled for Friday, and I just confirmed the time. It wouldn't be good to cancel at the last minute."

Zhou Linxu nodded slightly: "Okay, next time."

Jin Xi also felt, "There will be time later."

Jinxi bounced Zanzan on her lap: "Baby, go see if Auntie's fried chicken is done. If it is, bring it over so we can try it."

There was even fried chicken today! It was such a feast that Zhou Yanqian thought it was Chinese New Year.

Turns out it's a birthday celebration, haha.

Normally, Xiao Xi and Xiao Xu strictly control the amount of food he eats, but today he ate as much as he wanted.

Zhou Yanqian said reservedly, "Then I'll go take a look. Don't play the game, I'll continue playing later."

Jinxi lifted him off her lap: "Don't worry, you can play with him now, go on."

Zhou Yanqian went to the kitchen with his hands behind his back. As soon as he left, Daju and Dali swaggered after him.

After he went to the kitchen, Zhou Linxu said, "Zhou Chen's case is about to go to trial."

Jin Xi asked, "When?"

Zhou Linxu replied, "This Saturday."

Jin Xi then asked, "Will you be appearing in court?"

Zhou Linxu shook his head: "No, I've handed this matter over to my lawyers. Zhou Jiansheng and his team have also been contacting various people to see if they can reduce Zhou Chen's liability."

Jinxi pursed her lips and remained silent, so Zhou Linxu continued, "I'm away on a business trip these few days, and they won't be able to find me. They'll most likely come looking for you or Zanzan."

"Looking for me?" Jinxi asked, puzzled. "What good would it do you to look for me?"

Zhou Linxu took a deep breath, leaned back on the sofa, and said softly, "Threatening me to drop the lawsuit is the same thing you did when you went to the kindergarten to find Zan Zan."

They love this kind of thing, always trying to control this and that, but in reality, they can't control any of them.

Jin Xi pursed her lips, and Zhou Linxu continued, "So I was thinking of having you come with me on this business trip."

More importantly, being together as a family means you can know what's going on right away.

"Hiding like this isn't a solution," Jinxi said. "Your dad... he really is a good father."

After much hesitation, she finally asked a question that lingered in her mind: "Is Zhou Chen really just a stepson?"

Zhou Linxu sensed the disgust in her words, and he gave a helpless smile: "Yes, we did a paternity test from the beginning."

Jinxi gave a thumbs up: "It has to be you."

But this made her even more confused. Why was she being treated better than her own son?

Zhou Linxu said, "I'll have Goldman Sachs hire a few bodyguards tomorrow. Take them with you when you go out."

"Okay," Jinxi readily agreed, "I understand."

Zhou Linxu looked at her: "I thought you would refuse."

"Why would I refuse?" Jin Xi said. "If they really come looking for me, they definitely won't go alone; they'll bring a whole bunch of people with them. No matter how strong I am, I can't fight against so many people!"

Jinxi isn't really stupid, and she has Zanzan by her side.

Zhou Linxu smiled and said, "I will handle it as soon as possible."

Although he said that, Jinxi knew that he had been manipulating things for a long time.

She looked at Zhou Linxu. There wasn't much description of Zhou Linxu in the novel. When he appeared, he was almost forty years old. Every time he appeared, he had an imposing presence that made people feel intimidated.

Even when facing Zan Zan, he is a stern father who never smiles.

Before she met Zhou Linxu, she also had some questions. He had brought Zan Zan back despite the pressure, yet he didn't seem to care about him at all.

In reality, Zhou Linxu wasn't indifferent; he just had too many other things to do. He had investigated the original owner of the body and knew that she was an easy person to manipulate, so he assumed that Zan Zan could be well taken care of.

When he finished dealing with the troubles outside and went to see Zan Zan again, there was already a rift between the father and son. Moreover, after listening to what Zhou Linxu had said to Zan Zan before, she really couldn't blame Zan Zan for not wanting to talk to him.

His opening remarks were designed to spit out something that would leave someone speechless.

But now things are better. Zhou Linxu has learned to be more tactful. Although the father and son are still at odds, the atmosphere is much better than at the beginning.

"Xiao Xi, Xiao Xi?" Zhou Linxu called her twice.

Jinxi snapped out of her daze and asked, "What's wrong?"

"What are you thinking about?" Zhou Linxu asked. "You're not answering me."

Jin Xi said, "I was just thinking, these past years must have been very tough."

Zhou Linxu was stunned. This was Jin Xi's answer, which he had never expected.