Even during the court hearing, Zhang Zhijun had never once looked Zhuo Yue in the eye.
Even earlier, when Zhang Zhijun had declared in front of Zhang Nan that he would absolutely never acknowledge Zhuo Yue.
Zhuo Yue had never felt such utter despair as she did at this moment.
She had believed Zhang Zhijun’s coldness was merely a temporary tactic, a way to deceive others. But now, inside the car with no third person present, when Zhang Zhijun told her she would forever only carry the surname Zhuo, the final string in Zhuo Yue’s heart snapped. Covering her face, she burst into loud sobs.
“My existence has brought shame upon you.”
Although Zhuo Yue was only in her teens, her appearance was exceptionally striking. Even as she lowered her hands, her tear-streaked face in the midst of sobbing remained heartbreakingly beautiful. “If that is the case, then why did you ever bring me into this world? I had no choice in my own birth. I never wanted to be anyone’s illegitimate daughter…”
Even a heart of stone would have been moved by Zhuo Yue.
Yet Zhang Zhijun remained silent for a long while, saying nothing.
If he were to pity Zhuo Yue’s plight, then who would pity his own?
Zhuo Yue’s birth had been a mistake from the very beginning.
Zhang Zhijun gripped the steering wheel tightly and drove in silence all the way to the airport. His secretary arrived at roughly the same time, holding a plane ticket. “Mr Zhang, it was all very rushed. There were no business-class seats left, only economy.”
At a time like this, who cared about business class or economy class?
Zhang Zhijun took the ticket and stuffed it into Zhuo Yue’s hand.
“I will personally make sure you board the plane.”
Zhuo Yue had already stopped crying.
Tears were a weapon, and they should only be shed for those who would feel heartache on her behalf.
She did not take the ticket from Zhang Zhijun’s hand. Her eyes were full of disdain. “I have never sat in economy class in my entire life. Not before, not now, and certainly not in the future.”
Zhang Zhijun frowned.
Zhuo Yue pulled her coat tighter around herself and murmured, “I treat well those who treat me well. What does it have to do with me if your family cannot withstand any more storms? You refuse to acknowledge me as your daughter, yet you still expect me to consider your feelings…”
Zhuo Yue had always been an extremely selfish person.
She had come full of anticipation to find her father, only for Zhang Zhijun to refuse to acknowledge her.
If that was how things stood, why should she listen to him?
Without even glancing at the ticket, Zhuo Yue turned and walked away.
Zhang Zhijun’s temple throbbed violently. “Stop right there! Where are you going?”
Zhuo Yue gave a mocking laugh. “Where I go is none of your business, Mr Zhang. You are not my guardian.”
With that, Zhuo Yue simply ran off.
Zhang Zhijun’s secretary did not even dare breathe loudly.
This… this girl was practically rebelling!
Zhang Zhijun’s temples felt as though thousands of needles were stabbing them. Unable to hold back, he dialled a number. “What exactly are you trying to do? Can you not just behave yourself for once?”
…
“So Zhuo Yue just so happened to show up at the exact moment the Zhang family was dealing with Lu Meishu’s inheritance?”
When Wen Ying received the news, she was momentarily stunned.
It was almost unbelievable.
“It really was that coincidental.”
Xie Qian thought of the message Tai Wu had sent him, and a smile appeared on his face. “My father must have had a hand in it. He has been keeping a very tight watch on Zhang Zhijun lately, determined not to let him have a single moment of peace. After all, that girl is the cheap daughter he has raised for more than a decade. He understands her character well. A little nudge, and she becomes useful.”
Xie Jinghu targeting Zhang Zhijun was a certainty.
Xie Qian suspected others had also contributed to the matter, but since the outcome favoured his side, he was too lazy to dig into the details.
“Zhang Zhijun kept his word, though. He refused to acknowledge Zhuo Yue no matter what and insisted on sending her back to Shanghai. Zhuo Yue refused. She has now checked into a five-star hotel in Beijing. It looks like she plans to wage a war of attrition against him.”
Wen Ying pondered for a moment. “She really is Zhang Zhijun’s own flesh and blood. Are the father and daughter putting on an act?”
At first, Xie Qian had also suspected that Zhang Zhijun and Zhuo Yue were staging a performance.
A pitiful drama to make the Zhang family relent.
But he soon dismissed the idea.
Because Zhuo Yue had settled in Beijing and refused to leave, and the entire circle was now buzzing with gossip about the matter.
Everyone believed Zhuo Yue was the vanguard sent by Sara Zhuo to test the waters. First the daughter arrives in Beijing, and the next step would be Sara Zhuo herself coming.
After more than twenty years away, was that woman really planning to return in such a ridiculous manner?
Sara Zhuo was already a woman everyone scorned, yet the two men who had been entangled with her were equally the focus of discussion.
Xie Jinghu had been gossiped about behind his back for years. Now people were tired of talking about him, and the main focus of public opinion had shifted to Zhang Zhijun.
Had Sara Zhuo brought her daughter to force her way in at Zhang Zhijun’s own instigation?
Was the Zhang family truly about to be forced into accepting that mother-and-daughter pair?
Old Master Zhang had been a proud man all his life. How could he endure such humiliation? One morning when he got out of bed, he fell and suffered a sudden cerebral haemorrhage. He was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.
It was the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month. Old Master Zhang passed away just like that, very suddenly.
Even if Zhang Zhijun were utterly ruthless, he would not use his own father’s life to stage a pitiful drama.
Wen Ying had initially felt a sense of schadenfreude when she heard Zhuo Yue had gone to the Zhang family. But upon learning that Old Master Zhang had suddenly suffered a cerebral haemorrhage and died, she fell silent for a long time. “Zhang Nan seemed very close to her grandfather.”
If everything in this world truly followed the principle of karma and retribution, then Zhang Zhijun had committed wrongs. Why should the retribution fall upon Old Master Zhang?
Xie Qian did not know what to say either.
…
The Zhang and Xie families had interacted for many years. With Old Master Zhang’s passing, Xie Yuping and the others naturally had to go pay their respects.
A few months earlier, when they heard that their precious grandson Xie Qian had been in a car accident, Old Madam Xie had nearly failed to pull through. Now that the old lady was gradually recovering, Old Master Zhang had left instead.
Old Madam Xie felt deeply that fate was cruel. She specially instructed Xie Yuping, “Tell Third Brother to put everything else aside for now and go pay his respects according to proper etiquette. If he causes any trouble at the Zhang family, I will have to go personally and apologise to Old Zhang!”
Xie Yuping nodded solemnly. “Rest assured, Mother. I will keep Third Brother under control.”
Old Madam Xie’s meaning was very clear. If Xie Jinghu wanted to anger her to death, he could go ahead and cause trouble at the Zhang family. If he wanted her, his old mother, to live a few more days, he had better behave himself.
Sure enough, Xie Yuping kept a very tight watch on Xie Jinghu, insisting that he accompany them to the Zhang family to pay respects.
Xie Qian thought about it and decided to go as well, together with Xie Tang and Hou Zhixiu.
This was the second funeral Xie Qian had attended in a short period. At the funeral, he did not see Zhang Zhijun, but he did see Peng Guoqing.
Peng Guoqing sneaked over quietly and very naturally took over pushing Xie Qian’s wheelchair.
The person who had originally been pushing the wheelchair was Xie Tang. When Peng Guoqing insisted on taking over, Xie Tang simply stood beside the wheelchair.
Xie Qian had been away from Beijing’s social circle for a long time. The Zhang family funeral marked his return, and many people were watching him. They had all heard rumours about him being in a wheelchair, but seeing it with their own eyes was far more shocking.
Could Xie Qian still stand?
What would become of the relationship between the Zhang and Xie families in the future?
Countless gazes swept over him. Some even worried that Xie Jinghu might cause a scene on the spot.
Nowadays, everyone outside was saying that Old Master Zhang had been angered to death by Zhang Zhijun. Presumably, the Zhang family thought the same. At such an important occasion, they had not even allowed Zhang Zhijun to appear.
Zhang Nan was dressed entirely in black, her eyes swollen from crying. Several times she nearly fainted.
Zhang Nan wept, and Tai Wu wept along with her.
The Tai family members who came to pay respects had their eyelids twitching.
This scoundrel Tai Wu was overdoing it. To outsiders who did not know the truth, they might suspect the deceased was someone from the Tai family.
Peng Guoqing clicked his tongue in wonder and whispered to Xie Qian, “Tai Xiao Wu really doesn’t treat them as outsiders, does he? Is he considering himself part of the Zhang family now?”
It might not be entirely appropriate to think that way.
But Peng Guoqing genuinely felt a little delighted.
Tai Wu had not been hovering around Sister Tang for a long time now. Peng Guoqing sneaked a glance beside him: one less rival pursuing Sister Tang. Wonderful!
Xie Qian gave Peng Guoqing a faint look, and Peng Guoqing immediately shut his mouth tightly.
Xie Yuping represented the Xie family, bowing before Old Master Zhang’s portrait, offering incense as required. With such a steady presence anchoring everything, Xie Jinghu did not dare cause trouble. Today, Xie Jinghu was actually somewhat guilty. Zhuo Yue’s running to Beijing to find Zhang Zhijun had been partly due to his behind-the-scenes encouragement. Who could have known she would end up angering Old Master Zhang to death?
How could Xie Jinghu dare provoke the Zhang family now? When he offered incense, he was trembling with fear, worried that the Zhang family might settle accounts with him!
The Zhang family had actually not allowed Zhang Zhijun to attend the funeral?
When Xie Jinghu bowed his head, the corners of his mouth twitched.
Had Zhang Zhijun been expelled from the Zhang family?
He deserved such an end!
