Night Rose

Zhou Ruian.

This person was clearly his biological father, but he couldn't help but chew on that name repeatedly before he could swallow the curses he hadn't uttered.

"My child, you're back." Zhou Ruian stretched out his hands, looking affectionate, as if he wanted to hug his eldest son.

Zhou Ruian has aged considerably. Silver strands have begun to grow at his temples, wrinkles have gathered on his face, and his cheeks are drooping slightly, giving him an aged appearance.

He looked quite energetic in the photos I saw in the newspaper before, but he probably got sick recently because of Zhou Chengzhuo's antics, and his energy and spirit suddenly gave out.

Zhou Zheng thought: This is what he deserves.

Zhou Ruian's open arms went unanswered, and an awkward atmosphere spread rapidly.

"Young Master, come in. Don't forget what I told you, you have to finish this meal for it to count." Wu Ting reminded him softly, giving him a push from behind, shoving Zhou Zheng, who was standing like a wooden statue, forward.

As soon as Zhou Zheng took a step, he followed his heart and walked forward. He also wanted to see how much torment Zhou Ruian was going through now, and whether he was suffering even a fraction of what his mother had gone through back then.

Zhou Ruian lowered his arms. He wasn't embarrassed at all, having done too much acting and no one was taking his place. "Come on, your aunt has prepared a delicious meal for you."

"No need to pretend to be a loving father and son. Everyone knows you abandoned your eldest son a long time ago," Zhou Zheng said in a low voice.

Zhou Ruian's arm stiffened, but his expression remained unchanged. Looking at Zhou Zheng's attire, which resembled his own youthful style, he nodded in satisfaction.

He turned to Wu Ting and said, "Secretary Wu, you did a good job. My son is a stubborn fellow; he didn't cause you any trouble, did he?"

"Like father, like son. President Zhou is decisive and efficient in his business, so it's normal for his son to have a strong personality," Wu Ting replied.

Zhou Ruian smiled, placed his hand on Wu Ting's shoulder, and pressed down heavily. "You did a good job on this. You can keep the project. You are my most capable assistant. I don't trust anyone else with this task."

"Thank you, Mr. Zhou." Wu Ting lowered her eyelashes, showing little reaction.

The villa's door closed, and Wu Ting stared at the door that symbolized authority. He loosened his tie, let out a cold snort, and turned to leave.

When Zhou Zheng returned to this familiar villa after nine years, the hairs on his body almost stood on end.

The servants in the villa had been replaced; they were no longer the people he knew from back then.

The servants didn't recognize Zhou Zheng either, and they all looked at him with curious eyes, waiting for him to leave so that gossip would start spreading in private.

"Xiao Zhuo, aren't you coming down yet?" Zhou Ruian called out to the housekeeper with dissatisfaction.

The butler glanced upstairs. "Madam has gone to call the young master."

"How long have you been shouting like this!" Zhou Ruian said coldly.

The butler had no choice but to tell the truth, "Young Master... he's not feeling well and said he didn't want to come down for dinner. Madam is in his room with him and said she wants to eat with him."

Zhou Zheng understood; the mother and son didn't want to see him, or rather, they were afraid to see him.

"Tell him that if he doesn't come down, his living expenses for this month will be cut off, and he can forget about driving any of those luxury cars in the garage!" Zhou Ruian said angrily.

The butler readily agreed and took the elevator upstairs to deliver the message.

Not long after, a woman appeared, supporting a boy who was leaning on a cane.

After many years, Zhou Zheng saw Zhou Ruian's new wife and his second son, Zhou Chengzhuo, up close once again.

Zhou Ruian's new wife's surname is Liao, and her name is Liao Yun. She is quite attractive and still has a refined air despite being middle-aged.

She wore an expensive silk cheongsam, with a genuine fur shawl draped over her arm. A heavy jade pendant hung around her neck, and an expensive bracelet adorned her wrist.

Zhou Chengzhuo's clothes were loose and baggy, probably to follow the current trend. He didn't dress properly and had a cane under his arm. He tried to appear calm as he walked, but in reality, every step was painful and he was sweating.

Liao Yun helped Zhou Chengzhuo sit down at the dining table and explained to Zhou Ruian with a smile, "Brother Ruian, Zhuo'er said he wanted to come down to eat, but I was worried that his legs were not good and it would be inconvenient for him, so I didn't let him come down."

As she spoke, her gaze swept over Zhou Zheng beside her, and her lips twitched. The first time she met Zhou Zheng, he was still a handsome young boy. Now, he stood before her in a sharp suit, his gaze piercing, so intense that she dared not look him in the eye.

Moreover, Zhou Zheng looks too much like Zhou Ruian when he was young, and she is afraid that Zhou Ruian will look down on Zhou Chengzhuo even more because of this.

Since Zhou Chengzhuo's serious injury, the two have been arguing constantly. They both knew the real reason why they called Zhou Zheng back this time.

Liao Yun argued with him a lot, but Zhou Ruian was determined to bring Zhou Zheng back!

"This is your Aunt Liao," Zhou Ruian introduced him. "You don't remember her, do you? You met her when you were little."

Zhou Zheng didn't speak. How could he not remember this woman? After his mother passed away, she pretended to be innocent and used cake to lure him into calling her "Mom."

Her face is like powder, but her heart is like a snake or a scorpion.

"I remember, your mistress." Zhou Zheng smiled wryly.

The expressions on the faces of the three people present immediately changed.

Zhou Chengzhuo, leaning on his crutch, slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "You motherless bastard, how dare you call my mother a mistress! You're asking for it!"

He struggled to walk over, but Liao Yun quickly stopped him, her face turning pale with fright. "What nonsense are you talking about?!"

"Did you hear that? He said your son is a bastard, and you have no objection to that? Then what did your mistress give birth to? Not even as good as a bastard? Hahahaha!" Zhou Zheng laughed coldly.

Zhou Ruian raised his hand and slapped Zhou Chengzhuo across the face, the force of which was so great that it knocked him onto the sofa and pressed on his wound.

Zhou Chengzhuo was in so much pain that he covered his lower body, and sweat poured out.

"Ryan! Zhuo'er is your son! You can't treat him like this! His injuries haven't healed yet!" Liao Yun started crying again.

Zhou Ruian's head started to ache again. In the past, when Liao Yun cried, he only thought it was the charm of a beautiful woman shedding tears. But now, when she cried, the sound of her crying was annoying!

"Enough! You've spoiled our son rotten! Zhou Zheng is my child, who gives him the right to spout nonsense? Or do you agree with this unfilial son's words?"

Liao Yun shook her head repeatedly, pitifully throwing herself at Zhou Chengzhuo, "He may not be good with words, but he's not a bad person. He only said those things to protect me. Brother Rui'an, please forgive him."

Zhou Chengzhuo doesn't look much like Zhou Ruian. He inherited Liao Yun's feminine beauty, with a fair and clean face. Now, there's a handprint on his face that's particularly noticeable.

He gritted his teeth and stared intently at Zhou Zheng, who was not far away.

This person is back to fight him for the inheritance; he will absolutely not agree!

"Alright! Let's eat," Zhou Ruian shouted.

Liao Yun quickly helped Zhou Chengzhuo stand up. "Zhuo'er, are you alright? Does it hurt? Did your wound reopen?"

"It doesn't hurt!" Zhou Chengzhuo endured the pain, not wanting to show weakness in front of Zhou Zheng.

Little did they know that the way he walked with his legs tucked together was already quite unsightly.