Ever since Xie Jinghu’s affair with Sara Zhuo was exposed, he kept making moves that neither his family nor outsiders could understand. Outsiders smirked and enjoyed the drama, while the Xie family were driven half-mad by him.
Sara Zhuo never fought for anything because she never needed to fight.
Xie Jinghu always charged ahead for her. Why would she ever have to stand in the front line?
If she could, Sara Zhuo would have happily stayed hidden behind Xie Jinghu forever. Now the situation had changed, and the decisive ruthlessness she displayed shocked even Xie Jinghu himself.
After their old flame reignited, Sara Zhuo had acted carefree and easy-going, letting Xie Jinghu decide everything. That performance had lulled him into forgetting how resolute she used to be.
More than twenty years ago, when the Zhuo family collapsed, Sara Zhuo dumped Xie Jinghu without hesitation, fled abroad, and married the old overseas Chinese tycoon faster than anyone could react. This woman had always known exactly what she needed most.
Bringing Zhuo Chen and Zhuo Yue back to China crossed the Xie family’s red line and would definitely annoy Xie Jinghu. Yet Sara Zhuo had no choice. She could soothe his anger later. Her real fear was that if she did not bring the children back, Xie Jinghu might simply walk away and “return to the family”. Then all future happiness would have nothing to do with her, and she would become the ultimate laughing-stock.
Over the years, Xie Jinghu had indeed given Sara Zhuo plenty of assets, transferred 20% of Silan Biotech to Zhuo Chen, and bought property for Zhuo Yue. So what? None of it could compare to the value of Jinhu Group.
Once she made her decision, decisive Sara did not wait for Xie Jinghu to recover. She hung up on him straight away.
When he called back, her phone was unreachable.
He tried Zhuo Chen and Zhuo Yue next.
Zhuo Chen was in a difficult position.
A dutiful son could not bear to see his mother hurt. He supported Sara Zhuo’s decision one hundred percent.
Zhuo Yue was completely on Xie Jinghu’s side, but she was only a minor and powerless.
“Daddy, please don’t fight with Mummy.”
Zhuo Yue sounded timid. Xie Jinghu could not bring himself to scold such an obedient daughter.
Sara Zhuo wasted no time. She said she was taking the children back to China and started packing that very day.
Zhuo Yue still had school. Zhuo Chen had not yet graduated from university.
Money solved everything. Zhuo Yue could transfer to an international school in China. Zhuo Chen would simply take a semester off.
The Zhuo mansion employed drivers, gardeners, maids, a chef, a housekeeper, and several bodyguards. Everyone else could be left behind, but bodyguards were essential. Sara notified them and chose two Chinese bodyguards to accompany her.
Foreign bodyguards would attract too much attention in China. Chinese ones were perfect.
One of the Chinese bodyguards had worked for Sara Zhuo for nearly ten years and had obtained foreign citizenship with her help.
Even if Sara Zhuo said she was going to the moon, that veteran bodyguard would follow.
The newer Chinese bodyguard had not been with her long. At first Sara had not relied on him much, but he was ex-reconnaissance, highly skilled, and had once foiled a planned kidnapping of Zhuo Yue. That merit earned him her swift trust.
Earning Sara Zhuo’s trust was no easy feat. Besides outstanding professional ability, she ran thorough background checks on everyone who worked closely with her.
The new bodyguard’s background matched exactly what he had claimed: after leaving the army he had struggled, failed at business in China, heard money was easier abroad, got a work visa, and left.
Hearing they were suddenly returning to China, the new bodyguard scratched his head. “So sudden?”
The veteran bodyguard rolled his eyes. “You should be grateful you’re still useful. Look at the foreign bodyguards staying behind. They’ll all be fired.”
Even the bodyguards thought the decision abrupt. Zhao Qian, who lived with the Zhuos, was stunned.
When Zhao Qian asked Zhuo Yue why they were returning, Zhuo Yue shot back, “Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted? If you don’t want to come, you can stay.”
Zhao Qian hurriedly shook her head. “Don’t leave me behind. If you all go, I’m going too.”
She made an excuse to pack in her room, then secretly called her brother Zhao Dong.
Zhao Dong was shocked. “The Zhuo family is packing already?”
“Bro, you didn’t know?”
Zhao Qian grew uneasy.
She vaguely felt something big had happened that everyone in the Zhuo family knew about except her.
If even her brother did not know, she would panic even more.
Luckily Zhao Dong did know. Shortening the distance had been his idea to Sara Zhuo in the first place.
He just had not expected her to act so quickly.
This woman really was extraordinary.
Zhao Dong reassured his sister. “Of course I know. Don’t worry, come back with the Zhuo family.”
Come back, how?
This year Zhao Qian was supposed to start university too.
With her aunt’s help, she could have attended a decent school abroad.
Now that the Zhuo family was returning to China after the gaokao was already over, what about her?
“Don’t worry about any of that. I’ll take care of everything.”
Zhuo Chen and Zhuo Yue’s futures were handled by Sara Zhuo.
Even someone as slow-witted as Zhao Qian had a shrewd brother watching her back.
No one was looking out for Xie Jinghu. No one was making arrangements for him. When he realised he could not stop Sara Zhuo from returning, he grew frantic.
He had just promised the Xie family in front of everyone that he would live properly from now on, only to be immediately slapped in the face by his mistress.
Xie Jinghu wanted to say this had nothing to do with him, but he doubted his eldest brother Xie Yuping would believe it.
Fearing Xie Yuping would force him to transfer more shares or that Zou Weijun would file for divorce in fury, Xie Jinghu swallowed his pride and quietly tipped Xie Yuping off.
As expected, Xie Yuping did not buy it. “Third, you have disappointed me too much. One minute you make promises, the next you and that woman put on a double act.”
“…”
Xie Jinghu swore up and down that Sara Zhuo’s return had nothing to do with him.
In fact, it was precisely because he wanted to live properly with Zou Weijun and their son that Sara Zhuo was reacting so extremely.
“Big brother, believe me. What would I gain by lying about this?”
To convince Xie Yuping, Xie Jinghu even dissected his own scumbag heart in detail.
Xie Yuping sneered. “And here I thought that woman really did not care about anything. Looks like she is impatient now. Third, you cannot read people and you cannot manage anything. You cannot even control a woman you keep yourself. She is riding on your head now. How can someone like you run the company?”
He might as well retire early and hand the company to Xie Qian.
Xie Yuping mocked him mercilessly, and Xie Jinghu had no comeback.
After the scolding, Xie Yuping offered no solution. Xie Jinghu could only shamelessly beg the old matriarch for help.
To his surprise, the old lady chose her daughter-in-law over her son and showed no sympathy for his plight.
“You did not consult me when you cheated. Now you want me to clean up your mistress for you?”
Old Mrs Xie looked incredulous. “Third, you are over forty. Still not weaned?”
Xie Jinghu burned with shame.
Eldest brother would not help, his own mother mocked him. At forty-something, Xie Jinghu felt the cold cruelty of the world.
He had enjoyed the thrill of the affair for over a decade. Only now were the real troubles surfacing. For the first time, Xie Jinghu regretted rekindling things with Sara Zhuo.
Of course a scumbag would not genuinely reflect. His regret was only that he should not have chosen Sara Zhuo. An affair involving feelings was nothing but trouble. A purely transactional arrangement would have been far easier to end.
