Wen Ying and Xie Qian were not mistaken in their guess. When Zhang Zhijun transferred Lu Meishu’s entire estate to Zhang Hua intact, Sara Zhuo was indeed driven mad with rage.
Sara Zhuo was not coveting Lu Meishu’s estate. No matter the circumstances, Lu Meishu’s estate would never fall to Sara Zhuo to inherit.
Wen Ying and Xie Qian had analysed at length, suspecting all manner of motives in Zhang Zhijun’s actions. Yet Sara Zhuo understood Zhang Zhijun better than they did. She knew this man valued money above all else. For him willingly to give the whole of Lu Meishu’s estate to Zhang Hua truly showed how deeply he loved that son.
Zhang Zhijun was generous to Zhang Hua, yet not a single penny did he spare for Zhuo Yue. In all the time Zhuo Yue had spent in the capital, she had received no material gifts from Zhang Zhijun, nor any emotional care.
Zhuo Yue was his daughter too.
Sara Zhuo seethed with anger, but Zhuo Yue herself was not so furious.
Zhuo Yue had long known Zhang Zhijun’s attitude.
Since he refused even to acknowledge her, how could he be expected to spend money on her?
These days, Zhuo Yue found herself missing Xie Jinghu more and more. What a pity. How wonderful it would be if she were truly Xie Jinghu’s daughter.
“Mummy, I don’t want to stay in the capital any longer. I have thought it through clearly. There is no point in being part of the Zhang family. Our Zhuo family used to be far more prestigious than the Zhangs. I am not interested in becoming a Zhang.”
Zhuo Yue feared being mocked by Zhang Nan and the others.
Zhang Zhijun had discarded her like an old shoe. Zhuo Yue had lost all interest in joining the Zhang family.
She could not be a Xie, and no longer wished to be a Zhang. At least she could still be a Zhuo.
Touched by her daughter’s words, Sara Zhuo smiled without knowing quite why. “Indeed, there is little worth in being a Zhang.”
The most influential figure, Old Master Zhang, was gone. The rest of the Zhang family amounted to nothing.
Even Zhang Zhijun.
He had made some money, but in terms of social standing, he fell far short of what Sara Zhuo sought. Had there been a better option, she would never have lowered herself to him.
Zhang Zhijun always told her to endure.
He complained that she acted too flamboyantly.
He always considered her less clever than himself.
If earlier he had been willing to lend her real support, how would she have ended up in this impossible predicament?
Xie Jinghu kept pressing Sara Zhuo to repay the money.
The new lawyer she had hired was capable. He had carefully analysed the case for her and concluded that the chances of winning were extremely slim. He advised either private settlement or dragging the lawsuit out as long as possible. After the court ruling, she could appeal, and back and forth it might drag on for years.
Who knew what the situation would be in a few years?
In that time, no one could touch Sara Zhuo.
In truth, the lawyer’s strongest recommendation was that she leave the country at once and never return to China. Most of her assets were overseas. Even if Xie Jinghu won the case, enforcement would be difficult.
Never returning to China was impossible. Certain matters were lifelong obsessions for Sara Zhuo. She had to see them through.
She had already considered settling with Xie Jinghu. He flatly refused her offer to pay part upfront and withdraw the suit.
All that remained, it seemed, was to drag things out.
Or perhaps there was another path.
Sara Zhuo booked tickets back to Shanghai while arranging to meet Zhang Zhijun. Whatever they discussed, Zhang Zhijun agreed to help her repay half the money.
Any more, he said, was beyond his means.
Sara Zhuo accepted it grudgingly and took Zhuo Yue back to Shanghai.
Zhuo Chen came to meet them at the airport. Sara Zhuo glanced behind him. “Where is Zhao Dong? Did he not come with you?”
Ever since Xie Jinghu and Sara Zhuo had fallen out and gone to court, Zhao Dong, that dog, had become far less obedient. The former attentiveness was gone. Now he would not even bother with surface politeness.
Zhuo Chen rubbed his brow, suppressing weariness. “Mr Zhao has other matters.”
“What matters could he have? You are helping at Silan. He has free time.”
Sara Zhuo was displeased.
Zhuo Chen hesitated, then said, “Aunt Dai’s son He Zhen has started a medical aesthetics company. Their products have only just launched, yet they have already taken a lot of business from Silan. Mr Zhao has been worrying about this lately.”
Silan had its own product line and its own high-end beauty salons.
In 2008, medical aesthetics products were mostly positioned at the luxury end. Ordinary people had little access. They were intended for the wealthy.
High-end salons built reputation, then sold products and became suppliers to other beauty salons and plastic surgery hospitals. That was Silan’s development strategy.
When He Zhen first announced his medical aesthetics company, Zhao Dong had paid no attention.
He thought He Zhen merely a youngster who could not make much splash, not worth fearing.
Unexpectedly, He Zhen had so quickly become a threat to Zhao Dong.
He Zhen’s company was smaller than Silan, yet its products reached market extremely fast, and without the heavy advertising bombardment Silan employed.
Seeing no major moves from He Zhen, Zhao Dong relaxed further.
To his surprise, He Zhen bypassed advertising altogether and secured endorsements from multiple authorities. More than one respected figure recommended the small company’s products. Compared to Silan’s, He Zhen’s offered greater safety. The phrase “greater safety” might seem simple, yet it could outweigh everything else. Beauty salons and plastic surgery hospitals that earned their money from medical aesthetics did not want trouble. Safety mattered more than short-term results.
Moreover, He Zhen’s products merely took longer to show effect. They were not ineffective.
For salons and hospitals, slightly longer treatment courses simply meant they could earn more.
Thus, three months after launch, He Zhen’s products had eaten into half of Silan’s sales market. Only then did Zhao Dong realise he had underestimated He Zhen.
Zhao Dong had no mood now to come pick Sara Zhuo up from the airport.
He had already wanted distance from her. With Silan facing a strong rival, Zhao Dong was genuinely busy.
Zhuo Chen summarised the situation. Sara Zhuo frowned lightly. “That Zhao is so useless he cannot even compete with a young man?”
Sara Zhuo knew little about Silan’s operations and understood even less about the medical aesthetics market.
Zhuo Chen knew more and explained on Zhao Dong’s behalf. “He Zhen bought patents from abroad. The products are genuinely superior. It is not Mr Zhao’s fault.”
“Did Zhao Dong not also buy technology from abroad?”
Sara Zhuo was puzzled. Zhuo Chen sighed. “The technology Mr Zhao brought back is already behind the international market. It is barely usable in China. He Zhen’s patent has leading-edge advantage even globally. With that patent secured, He Zhen could lie back and live comfortably for life.”
He Zhen may not have spent more money than Zhao Dong, but he had better judgement.
Sara Zhuo’s brow throbbed. “How could He Zhen obtain good patents?”
Zhuo Chen had actually looked into this specifically.
“I heard that while in Britain, He Zhen dated a girlfriend studying biology. She helped him connect with relevant laboratories.”
In short, He Zhen had professional guidance. His girlfriend was highly capable in her field and well-connected, enabling him to acquire truly valuable patents.
Zhao Dong, meanwhile, had paid for others’ discarded technology.
Sara Zhuo recalled a past conversation with Dai Chenglan. Dai Chenglan had said then that He Zhen starting his own venture was merely to spite the family. Dai Chenglan had lied to her.
