If Zhou Ji could really be persuaded by Duan Ye, then Zhou Ji wouldn’t be himself anymore.
He had a naturally impulsive temperament. After leaving Duan Ye’s place, it was as if a fire was burning within him. He was angry and ashamed of his parents’ behavior. He endured it to the extreme, but didn’t want to endure anymore. He called Zhou Chenglei’s assistant, confirmed the hotel they were staying at, and rushed over.
Ningcheng was small, and there weren’t many luxury hotels. Many facilities were incomplete and outdated.
In the suite, Zhou Chenglei was engrossed in reading the detailed information in his hands. It was a comprehensive dossier about Duan Ye.
From his date of birth to when he started school, and every exam result, everything was detailed within.
There were also records of Duan Ye’s social connections and his parents’ life experiences. The nineteen years of this young man’s life were all meticulously documented in this thin stack of papers.
When Zhou Ji entered, Zhou Chenglei was about to turn a page. He didn’t even lift his eyelids at the sound of the door being kicked open.
“Is this amusing to you?” Zhou Ji breathed heavily, glaring as if the person sitting behind this large desk wasn’t his own father, but an enemy.
Zhou Chenglei was surprised, yet not entirely so.
Duan Ye had shared this information with Zhou Ji so quickly out of concern for his brother, for his friend.
He didn’t want his concealment to create even greater and irreparable conflicts between Zhou Ji and Ning Zhiyu.
Seeing Zhou Chenglei’s calm expression, Zhou Ji took a deep breath, but couldn’t suppress his anger. He kicked over a nearby stool with a loud crash.
*Sigh*
Zhou Chenglei looked at his son and took off his glasses.
He didn’t know how many more years of tempering it would take to stand tall and support the family’s legacy.
Perhaps this is how it is between parents and children. When parents are young and full of energy, they focus wholeheartedly on their careers. By the time they realize they should nurture a relationship with their child and build a sense of trust, the child has grown up in the blink of an eye.
“I will decide my own matters.” Zhou Ji looked at him coldly. “You didn’t bother before, and there’s no need to suddenly play the role of good parents now. It’s unnecessary. I’ve said that I won’t go abroad. Did you really listen? Since you didn’t listen, there’s no need for you to presumptuously plan things for me. It’s hypocritical.”
Zhou Chenglei stared at his son. After a while, he spoke slowly, “Let’s not talk about this matter for now. You have a good relationship with that classmate Duan Ye, and I support you continuing to interact with him.”
Zhou Ji furrowed his brows.
Why bring up Duan Ye? What does Duan Ye have to do with this?
“Ridiculous.” Zhou Ji retorted, “I’m eighteen, not three. Do I need your permission to make friends?”
Zhou Chenglei wasn’t angered either. He stood up, came to his son’s side, and patted his shoulder. Patiently, he advised, “I know you have many friends, and a few childhood friends you’ve grown up with. But son, don’t take them too seriously. They all have their own family backgrounds, and in the future, they’ll prioritize their family interests. The situation in Yanjing is complex and ever-changing. Today they’re friends, tomorrow they might turn against each other for a project
“I hope you have your own core group, standing shoulder to shoulder, unified in interests,” Zhou Chenglei said in a deep voice. “You need such people around you, not just assistants, secretaries, or vice presidents. These people aren’t essential; they can be hired anytime.”
The current Zhou family was supported by the Zhao1 family in the past.
Zhou Chenglei’s father and Zhou Ji’s grandfather was also someone else’s core group. They fought side by side in their youth, achieved success, and only then did the upstart Zhou family emerge. The Zhou family remained the most stable ally of the Zhao family. Through Zhou Chenglei’s generation, the Zhou family finally gained a solid foundation and became a renowned household in others’ eyes. Apart from forming alliances through marriage, cultivating a rising star was also a method of an esteemed household.
But they weren’t doing charity work; they were inevitably supporting those who were truly loyal.
Zhou Chenglei had attempted this approach in his early years too, but perhaps his luck wasn’t great; he didn’t find the right individuals with both suitability and capability.
And now…
Zhou Chenglei’s gaze was profound. This trip to Ningcheng was an unexpected gain. As a father, he naturally understood his son’s potential. His son had talent, but naïve. Maintaining the family business was easy, but achieving new brilliance would be somewhat challenging. How many people in this world could resist an uncertain amount on a check? Not to mention others, even the personal assistants who had been with him for many years admitted they couldn’t resist. But that boy who wasn’t even nineteen yet didn’t spare a glance.
Yes, youthful and arrogant, but out of a hundred young people, how many could achieve this?
Zhou Chenglei is also quite experienced; over the years, he’s seen all sorts of things. He could tell that Duan Ye didn’t struggle or hesitate. Duan Ye truly values the ‘bond of friendship’ more than that check.
Zhou Ji listened quietly.
As he listened, he started to smile, his expression mocking. “Cut the act. I’m not you, not like all of you. Not everything revolves around self-interest for me. He’s my friend, my brother. Ning Zhiyu is someone I care about. Whoever hurts them, exploits them, I’ll fight with all I’ve got.
“You all have what you value: status, money, power. I have mine too. No one can harm those I hold dear.”
Zhou Ji looked at Zhou Chenglei, “Dad, you’ve grown older. That’s why you’re afraid. In the past, you ignored me, didn’t care. Now you’ve become a strict, caring father. I might be young, but I’m not without leverage. My leverage is myself. If you and Mom aren’t afraid of hurting me, of losing me, you can go ahead and try harming them. I’m not one of those weaklings who’d give up the people I cherish just because my parents threatened me. What kind of person I am, how stubborn I can be, you know best, don’t you?”
Parents and children can also be in opposition.
Zhou Ji wasn’t acting recklessly; on the contrary, even in his anger, he retained a hint of clarity.
His leverage is himself. As long as he’s their child, they must tread carefully.
And caution is the beginning of compromise.
He wouldn’t allow anyone to harm his friends or the girl he likes.
Zhou Chenglei initially smiled, but after pondering these words, his smile faded, and he looked at his son expressionlessly.
Zhou Ji tugged at the corner of his mouth, hands in his pockets, and left the hotel room.
Before, they held the dominant position, making him do whatever they wanted. But now, it’s different; he’s grown up, and he has people to protect. From now on, he will take the lead.
The next day, Ning Zhiyu was picked up by Jiang Yumo to eat and sleep at Jiang’s house.
Both Father Jiang and Mother Jiang almost treat Ning Zhiyu as half a daughter now. The most obvious difference is that when Ning Zhiyu used to come, they wouldn’t let her do anything and treated her as a guest. But now, Mother Jiang would call Ning Zhiyu to peel green beans together, and Father Jiang would ask her to fetch beer from the fridge when Jiang Yumo went to the bathroom.
That’s how elders are. When they truly feel close and consider the other person as their own child, they would let them do tasks.
In the Jiang family, Duan Ye is like this, and Ning Zhiyu is also like this.
As night falls, Jiang Yumo turns on the air conditioning and sits cross-legged on the floor with Ning Zhiyu, reading comics. Today, they have something important to do—tallying Ning Zhiyu’s assets!
Jiang Yumo holds her face and exclaims dramatically, “Our Xiao Ning is amazing. She has assets. Unlike me…”
Still a member of the working class.
Still needing to reach out to parents for tuition, living expenses TVT.
Comparison between people is a curse. With Ning Zhiyu around, Jiang Yumo feels inadequate.
Ning Zhiyu playfully scratches her, “Have you counted yet?”
“Of course! I want to know how much savings you have. That would motivate me. When I go to college, I want to find a part-time job.”
Two girls sit shoulder to shoulder. Ning Zhiyu has a passbook of her own. During her school semesters at Fifth High School, she would receive a scholarship, and she’d also get money loaded onto her meal card each semester. Ning Zhiyu was frugal throughout her three years of high school and hardly spent any money. This passbook has around ten to twenty thousand yuan.
This time, she became the top scholar in the city, and the various rewards she received add up to more than a hundred thousand yuan!
Jiang Yumo counts the numbers and sighs, “Now I truly believe in that saying—’There’s a golden house in books2.’ The ancients didn’t deceive me. Look at you now, you have nearly two hundred thousand yuan in savings! You could use it for the down payment on a house in the provincial capital. You’re amazing!”
“However, there are many places where money is needed later on.” Ning Zhiyu counted on her fingers, “But I’m not worried. I’m already an adult, and there will be more ways to earn money in the future,” her eyes gleamed, “Yumo, I’m really, really happy. I always feel like I’m getting closer to the life I want.”
It turns out, this is the feeling of firmly holding onto one’s own destiny.
That’s great.
“Yes, indeed~ You’re a little wealthy woman now!” Jiang Yumo bumped her shoulder, also very happy for her, “I heard that tutoring pays well these days. You’re still a student of such a good university, and Yanjing is a big place. There should be many ways to make money~ After you graduate, you might become even more impressive! You might even earn a six-figure salary someday…”
Jiang Yumo thought back to the original plot once again.
In the original plot, Ning Zhiyu had a bright future. She did indeed have a high-paying job and managed to buy a two-bedroom apartment in Yanjing with her own abilities.
It’s really… fantastic!!
Thinking about her friend being so amazing, Jiang Yumo felt proud. This was her friend after all.
“A six-figure salary?” Ning Zhiyu chuckled at her teasing, “Well then, I’ll have to work hard and strive for you to mooch off my little nest before you turn thirty, how about that? Oh, it seems like I’ll need to buy a bigger house, Yan Qing and Mengting will have to come over too~”
Jiang Yumo hugged her arm, “Deal! I’m coming over to your place for meals in the future, your spicy stir-fried clams will always be number one in my heart!”
The two of them talked and laughed, filled with boundless anticipation for the future.
However, not long after, Ning Zhiyu’s gaze dimmed. She lowered her head to look at her cards and savings passbook, then suddenly murmured softly, “Yumo.”
Jiang Yumo, who was arranging the bed sheets, heard her call and turned to look, “Hmm?”
Ning Zhiyu didn’t say anything more.
Jiang Yumo sensed her mood and quickly got off the bed, sitting beside her again. She cautiously asked, “Zhiyu, have you and Zhou Ji… not reconciled yet?”
These two had been quarreling for nearly half a month now.
Friends have also been affected, but even so, Jiang Yumo wouldn’t pry into anything from Ning Zhiyu here. She feels that Ning Zhiyu must have her own thoughts. During this period, neither she nor Yan Qing nor Sun Mengting have inquired about anything, nor have they advised Ning Zhiyu to reconcile with Zhou Ji.
“Don’t you find it terrifying?” Ning Zhiyu hugged her knees, her gaze vacant as she spoke.
“What?” Jiang Yumo didn’t quite understand and moved closer to her.
“Everyone has to be responsible for their own future. Isn’t it scary to have to bear someone else’s as well?” Ning Zhiyu seemed to be pouring her heart out, almost talking to herself, “I know his family background is good, better than all of us. I also know he has many paths to choose from, whether to go abroad or not, his future will be very bright. I shouldn’t be so serious about this.”
“However, deep within me, I don’t think so, or rather, I feel scared. He can stay in the country, he can stay in Yanjing, but not because of me, and not for me…” Ning Zhiyu raised their head and looked at Jiang Yumo, “Can you understand what I mean when I say this? I don’t actually insist on him going abroad, really.”
“But I just…” Ning Zhiyu lowered her head, her voice soft, “I can’t handle it.”
Jiang Yumo stared at Ning Zhiyu in a daze.
- it’s the same surname as Zhao Zheng but has nothing to do with him ↩︎
- a Chinese proverb meaning that knowledge and education have the potential to bring great wealth and prosperity. ↩︎