BDBE 12

Chapter 12 A Knot in the Heart

To be honest, Shen Wanchao didn’t really want to meet Han Zhen. 

The photo was too blurry, and before the other person’s identity was 100% confirmed, Shen Wanchao didn’t want to involve any innocent people. However, the information he received from various sources indicated that the other person in the photo was most likely this newly appointed secretary. 

So, if they didn’t meet, that was fine, but once they did, Shen Wanchao couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t treat Han Zhen without prejudice. 

Fortunately, he was a teenage boy now, and he could pretend to be rebellious and quiet to avoid communication. 

Shen Wanchao was thinking this when he saw Zhou Hui take a step forward, using his body to separate himself from Han Zhen. 

He couldn’t tell if Zhou Hui did it intentionally or not, but this action was very jarring to Shen Wanchao. 

It seemed like a subconscious action when someone deliberately tries to hide something. 

So Shen Wanchao changed his mind. 

“I have something to do and need to leave first. I’ll have Old Li take you home to rest later, okay?”

Before Zhou Hui could finish speaking, Shen Wanchao walked past him and shook hands with Han Zhen. 

The Omega smiled, revealing dimples at the corners of his mouth: “Hello, my name is Shen Chao, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

Sunlight fell on the slightly immature young man’s face, radiating warmth and gentleness. 

Han Zhen was only trying to curry favor with someone close to his boss as a subordinate, but he hadn’t expected such a warm response from Shen Wanchao. 

That smile was just too adorable… 

Han Zhen pushed up his glasses: “Uh, me too, President Zhou, let’s go, the meeting is almost over.”

Zhou Hui was startled out of his daze. He glanced at Shen Wanchao one last time before moving. He only got into his own car after seeing Shen Wanchao get into Old Li’s. 

Old Li was Zhou Hui’s personal driver; since he was taking Shen Wanchao home, the driving task fell to Han Zhen. 

Han Zhen started the car and drove off, his mind drifting back to the young man’s smile. 

Since he was the boss’s son, should he give him a gift next time they met to express his appreciation? 

Zhou Hui also thought about Shen Wanchao’s smile. 

Such a sweet smile, who had upset him? Zhou Hui felt a chill run down his spine. 

Han Zhen’s voice came from the front. 

“Mr. Zhou, Mr. Ruolin called this morning to ask if you have time to have dinner with him tonight.” 

Zhou Hui was speechless: “He called you to ask me to dinner?” 

Han Zhen maintained a serious and calm work attitude; he refrained from commenting on anyone around the boss, even those whose opinions were clearly expressed by the boss himself: “Yes, how should I reply to him?” 

Zhou Hui sighed, this time directed at Han Zhen: “You don’t need to worry about it, I’ll contact him myself.” 

“Alright.” Han Zhen expressionlessly continued staring straight ahead. 

A few seconds later, he remembered something and added, “Mr. Ruolin said he hopes you can dress nicely to meet him.” 

Zhou Hui took a deep breath and turned to look out the car window. The scenery outside was clearly beautiful, vibrant and bustling, but why were the people around him acting so strangely? 

That evening, Zhou Hui specially changed into a flashy dark blue suit with diamonds, and an hour before leaving work, he hired a stylist to give him a handsome perm, confident that he could finally barely meet the requirements of a certain gentleman before setting off for the restaurant. 

As he left, a junior intern whispered to the senior employee next to him: “Is the boss going on a blind date?”

The senior employee was confused: ” No, the boss has been married for many years. I remember his son is already running around.” 

Just then, Han Zhen passed by with freshly printed documents, and the senior employee called out to him: “Xiao Han, do you know where the boss is going?” 

Secretary Han adjusted his glasses, thought for a moment, and replied: “To pay his respects at the palace.” 

Half an hour later, Zhou Hui arrived at the rooftop restaurant and found the person he was meeting that evening in a window seat with a view. 

The man wore a pure white silk shirt, his temples were streaked with gray, and fine lines layered around his eyes. Time had left many marks on his face, but it had also given him the gift of experience, making his every move elegant and serene. 

Zhou Ruolin immediately stood up when he noticed Zhou Hui’s arrival in the reflection of the window. He opened his arms, and gave him a hug. 

“Dad,” Zhou Hui hugged him back, “If you wanted to invite me, you could have just called me. Why did you bother Xiao Han?”

Zhou Ruolin laughed and said, “You’re a busy CEO now, I was just afraid of disturbing your work.” 

Zhou Hui sat down opposite him, snorted, and said with an ambiguous meaning, “I’m not Shen Xiaotu¹, it is just going to work, can’t I even find time to send a message to my family?” 

Even Shen Wanchao rarely saw Zhou Hui like this. His dissatisfaction and resentment were written on his face. 

Zhou Ruolin reminded him, “Look at your resentment, you’re like a concubine in the cold palace.” 

Zhou Hui knew that with his current age and status, he shouldn’t be acting like this, but at this moment, the person in front of him was one of his closest relatives, and facing his Omega father, he always unconsciously showed his most real and childlike side. 

“Is there a difference?” Zhou Hui shrugged. 

Zhou Ruolin didn’t want the topic to slide into simple complaints, so he didn’t respond to him, but instead said, “I came to see you today to talk about Xiao Wan, is he still abroad? When does he plan to come back?”

Zhou Hui picked up the water on the table, took a sip, and didn’t answer. 

Zhou Ruolin dropped a bombshell: “I heard from Wen Hua that you’re planning to divorce Xiao Wan?” 

“Cough cough!” Zhou Hui almost choked on his water. He reached for a handkerchief to wipe his mouth. “He told you so quickly?” 

Zhou Hui and Wen Hua were childhood friends, and Wen Hua’s father was Zhou Ruolin’s friend since university, so Zhou Hui knew he couldn’t hide this from Zhou Ruolin. However, he overestimated Wen Hua’s professional ethics; how could he go around talking about his client’s private affairs? 

At this moment, Wen Hua, who had just left the law firm, sneezed. 

Hmm? A cold? 

Zhou Ruolin was old, but his eyes were still clear. He stared at Zhou Hui for a moment, and the son immediately gave in. 

Zhou Hui explained, “I drank too much that day and didn’t think before I spoke.” 

Zhou Ruolin remained noncommittal and continued to ask, “Are you still upset with Xiao Wan for forgetting your birthday?”

Zhou Hui lowered his eyes, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the chair. He forced a smile “How could that be? I’m not like that kid Zhou Mingchen. Birthdays are such a small thing, it doesn’t matter whether I celebrate them or not.”

Zhou Ruolin sighed, “You know what I’m talking about.”

Zhou Hui stopped pretending, and the smile on his face vanished completely. 

The father and son fell into a long silence until the waiter came to serve the food. Only then did Zhou Ruolin tell him to eat first and talk about it after they finished eating. 

But now that the matter had been brought up, even if Zhou Ruolin wanted to let it go, Zhou Hui couldn’t immediately withdraw from the conversation, and he couldn’t even taste the food.

Last autumn, Zhou Hui had an accident. 

While on a business trip, he fell from a height, fracturing his tibia. After two weeks in the hospital, he returned home to recuperate for several months. 

Immediately after the injury, Zhou Hui contacted Shen Wanchao, but before they could even discuss anything, Shen Wanchao, busy filming, abruptly hung up. 

So Zhou Hui became stubborn; he forbade his family from telling Shen Wanchao about his injury, determined to see when the latter would remember him. 

As a result, Shen Wanchao still didn’t know Zhou Hui had been injured. 

Zhou Hui even celebrated his birthday during his injury period. 

That day, he received gifts and blessings from everyone around him, some of whom he didn’t even recognize, but none from Shen Wanchao. 

Not even a phone call. 

After the meal, Zhou Hui acted as if nothing had happened, and asked his dad if he wanted to go shopping downstairs. 

Zhou Ruolin originally wanted to say something, but Zhou Hui’s obvious resistance to deeper conversation made him unable to speak.

As an elder, he naturally hoped the two children could live together for a long time. He also knew that Zhou Hui harbored resentment towards Shen Wanchao, which wouldn’t be resolved quickly. 

In his view, while Shen Wanchao had made mistakes, they weren’t irredeemable crimes, and a peaceful resolution was best. It was just that the two had spent little time together over the years and lacked communication, which had led to the current situation. 

Well, since Zhou Hui said he had no plans to divorce for the time being, he wouldn’t interfere too much. 

Let them fight it out. With a sigh, Zhou Ruolin put on a smile and followed his now independent son. He cheerfully said, “I just saw a watch I liked downstairs, can you buy it for me?” 

“I will buy it.” Zhou Hui smiled helplessly, “Even if you wanted to buy the whole store today, I’d have to accompany you to the end.” 

… 

The next day, just as Qi Xiao had predicted, Shen Wanchao’s fever subsided, and he went to school on time. 

At lunchtime, Shen Wanchao, Zhou Mingchen, and Fang Chi went to the cafeteria together as usual. They randomly found a few empty seats next to each other, but Shen Wanchao felt something was wrong. 

After giving the last piece of fatty meat in his bowl to Zhou Mingchen, Shen Wanchao finally realized what was wrong. 

Of the three, Fang Chi was the most outgoing and talkative, always fond of telling corny jokes and sharing trivial anecdotes. 

But today, Fang Chi just ate without saying a word. 

Shen Wanchao nudged Zhou Mingchen with his elbow. 

However, Zhou Mingchen was even more oblivious. He looked up and asked Shen Wanchao without tact, “What?” 

Shen Wanchao gave him several meaningful glances, but they were all ignored. Finally, he had to speak up himself: 

“Fang Chi, are you unhappy?” 

Only then did Zhou Mingchen feel his good bro’s gloomy mood. 

Fang Chi, who was busy eating, was caught off guard by Shen Wanchao’s sudden question and nearly choked on his rice. After a fit of coughing, he managed to drink a few sips of soup before recovering. 

Shen Wanchao handed him some tissues, feeling a little ashamed that his sudden question had caused Tony distress. 

“You guys noticed…” Fang Chi wiped his mouth and smiled sheepishly. 

Zhou Mingchen glanced at him: Well, I really didn’t notice… 

“What’s wrong?” Shen Wanchao asked with concern. 

Fang Chi sighed and, without hesitation, confided his troubles.

It turned out that Fang Chi’s father had been pestering his mother to remarry him, but his mother had clearly rejected her ex-husband long ago. 

However, Fang Chi’s father didn’t take his mother’s rejection to heart and instead intensified his pursuit. 

Last Sunday, under the pretext of taking Xiao Tian Tian to the amusement park, he actually took the opportunity to detain her, demanding that Fang’s mother agree to remarry him before she could see her daughter again. 

At this point, Fang Chi clenched his fist angrily, “The only reason he wants to remarry my mom is because our old house near the school is going to be demolished; it’s not his true intention.” 

But Fang Chi was still a sixteen-year-old boy who needed to go to school. Even though he was angry, he naturally was powerless and helpless about his parents’ situation. 

He lowered his head, which was just beginning to sprout stubble, “My mom told me to ignore this, but how can I pretend nothing happened and go to school as usual? It’s just a pity I don’t know what to do.” 

Shen Wanchao was shocked; he did not expect a person to be so shameless as to use his own daughter as a bargaining chip to achieve his goal. 

“Damn it.” 

Zhou Mingchen had seen Xiao Tian Tian many times and had a good impression of the girl. Upon hearing this, he immediately became angry. 

But he couldn’t say anything more; he wasn’t good at comforting people and didn’t know what to do. 

Shen Wanchao thought for a moment and earnestly suggested, “The most urgent thing is to find a way to bring your sister back. Otherwise, you’ll be at his mercy every step of the way, and you might have to compromise on many things.” 

“But what should I do?” Fang Chi asked. 

After a moment of contemplation, Shen Wanchao first asked Fang Chi about his relationship with his father. Fang Chi said that he didn’t like him, but his father would buy him clothes and shoes during holidays, and they were on good terms. 

Then, after asking him if he knew his father’s current address and receiving an affirmative answer, Shen Wanchao offered a potentially feasible solution: 

“Go directly to his house, lie and say that you also support your parents’ remarriage, and then act accordingly to take your sister away.” 

Zhou Mingchen questioned, “Isn’t that too direct? What if his father doesn’t want him to see his sister?” 

Shen Wanchao explained, “If Fang Chi’s mother were to ask to meet, he would definitely be wary, but Fang Chi’s relationship with his father isn’t that bad, and if Fang Chi says he supports his parents’ remarriage, he will very likely not to think too much about it.” 

As he said this, Shen Wanchao glanced at Fang Chi and noticed that the light in his eyes had returned; the caution of an adult instantly returned. 

Shen Wanchao rubbed his nose and reminded him, “Ahem, I was just suggesting. After all, this is your family matter, so you should think it over carefully.” 

“Bang!” 

Suddenly, Zhou Mingchen slammed his hand on the table; he made up his mind before Fang Chi, the person involved, could even voice his opinion: “Okay, after school today, the two of us will go with you to rescue your sister.” 

Fang Chi was overjoyed, his eyes shone like a fanboy’s as he looked at Zhou Mingchen: “My Chen! Brother Chen is awesome!” 

Shen Wanchao: ? ? ? 

Wait, “Us,” who is Us? 

1. Little Rabbit ↩︎