Wen Ying vaguely remembered that before He Zhen’s call came in, Xie Qian had said he had something to tell her.
What could it be?
Wen Ying’s mind alternated between thinking of what Xie Qian had not yet said and the phone call from He Zhen.
With Xie Qian putting it that way, He Zhen would surely seek confirmation from Dai Chenglan. Mother and son would likely have a conflict, and after that… Wen Ying could not imagine what came next.
It was already quite something that He Zhen did not collude with his mother Dai Chenglan. For He Zhen to openly oppose her seemed somewhat unrealistic.
After all, in the previous life, He Zhen had always quite respected Dai Chenglan!
Wen Ying had thought wrong again.
She kept using the “Little He Boss” from her previous life to gauge the current He Zhen, which of course was inaccurate.
He Zhen was about to head to Britain to complete the final year of his undergraduate studies. Before leaving, he called Xie Qian and received Xie Qian’s reply, which set off a fierce internal struggle in He Zhen’s heart.
On the phone, Rebecca gave a soft sigh: “I warned you this was Pandora’s box. You opened it and released the demons. Now how will you face them?”
“I will not run away.”
He Zhen caught the worry in Rebecca’s tone: “If I fall out with my family, I will return to Britain as soon as possible.”
Rebecca of course welcomed He Zhen back to Britain. In fact, regarding He Zhen’s starting a business during his undergraduate years, Rebecca even felt he was a bit too hasty.
Family support was the icing on the cake. Without it, He Zhen should hold even more tightly to his studies.
Without family backing, He Zhen’s business acumen would be more apparent, provided he first secured his own livelihood.
Rebecca joked to lighten the mood: “If you need it, I can support you financially, but you must provide a detailed repayment plan!”
He Zhen chuckled: “So you are my fallback?”
Rebecca rejected the notion of a fallback. She insisted she was the descendant of bankers, innately shrewd like one, skilled at growing her wealth:
“Believe me, the interest will give you a headache!”
He Zhen was not the least bit afraid, and felt deeply moved.
Given Rebecca’s upbringing in that social circle, even married couples might not share their wealth, let alone boyfriend and girlfriend.
Her willingness to lend him money to tide over difficulties, rather than having him take out a bank loan for studies, truly showed how much she loved He Zhen.
With such a girlfriend, He Zhen’s heart warmed. The two exchanged some intimate sweet nothings. He Zhen had just packed his suitcase when He Zhinian and Dai Chenglan returned home together.
The couple had just finished entertaining friends.
Coincidentally, the dinner that evening had included the father of He Zhen’s childhood friend.
“You were right not to go, He Zhen. Seeing him would only have upset you.”
He Zhinian felt this friend was growing increasingly lacking in class.
At tonight’s dinner, all the bosses had brought their original wives. Only this friend brought his female secretary, making the other friends awkward, and the original wives unsure how to speak to her.
He Zhinian could not say much at the dinner, but once home before his wife and son, he voiced his true feelings and criticised that friend harshly.
Dai Chenglan felt her husband was too nagging: “Enough already. We have hardly any business dealings with him left. We see him less than twice a year, so just put up with it! Look, everyone else is putting up with it too. Better a friend than an enemy. No need to tear faces over something like this.”
In the past, He Zhen would have joined his father He Zhinian in criticising that “uncle”. Tonight, He Zhen was unusually silent. He Zhinian was surprised and could not help giving his son a couple of extra glances.
“He Zhen, are you worried about ‘Silan’?”
He Zhinian advised gently: “Father knows you have put much effort into ‘Silan’. It is normal to feel reluctant to let go all at once. But your studies in Britain are not yet complete. Father believes you can distinguish what matters more.”
He Zhinian hoped He Zhen would not rush.
The He family had only He Zhen as a son. The family business would eventually fall to him. ‘Silan’ did have great prospects, but he could not abandon his studies just to busy himself with the company!
That was He Zhinian.
Compared to that “uncle” who cheated with his female secretary, He Zhinian was truly too good. He had no time to safeguard his wife and children’s interests, let alone make them suffer for some woman outside.
The prerequisite for not letting his wife and children be pitied or bullied by others was that He Zhinian first kept himself clean!
Dai Chenglan then prepared to check He Zhen’s luggage. She also fetched a box from the room, inside which was a gemstone necklace:
“Take this to Britain and give it to Rebecca.”
Ever since learning that Rebecca could find technical support for ‘Silan’ abroad, Dai Chenglan seemed to have forgotten her earlier advice to He Zhen to consider his relationship with Rebecca carefully. With her mindset shifted, Dai Chenglan handled the role of “future mother-in-law” very well, occasionally preparing gifts for Rebecca.
Rebecca had not even noticed Dai Chenglan’s inconsistent attitude. She simply felt He Zhen’s mother was very enthusiastic and attributed it to cultural differences between the two countries. While happily accepting the gifts, she did not forget to mail return gifts to Dai Chenglan from Britain!
The greatest obstacle to He Zhen and Rebecca tying the knot seemed to have vanished.
As long as He Zhen continued to turn a blind eye and not pursue the behind-the-scenes dealings between the He family and Jin Hu Group, He Zhen would have the enviable family and relationship that others coveted.
Feeling his father He Zhinian’s concern and looking at the gift box his mother Dai Chenglan handed over, for a moment, He Zhen truly hesitated, unwilling to shatter this beautiful illusion.
Was it worth questioning his parents over someone else’s family affairs?
Perhaps it was not… But if he did not ask, that thorn would always stick in He Zhen’s throat, making him uncomfortable at every turn.
The transformation from boy to man lay in daring to take responsibility, and also in daring to seek the truth.
He Zhen did not take the gift box. Instead, he gently pushed Dai Chenglan’s hand away:
“Mum, do you know Sara Zhuo?”
Dai Chenglan was stunned. He Zhinian was also stunned.
The question was too sudden!
He Zhinian recovered first and understood the reason for his son He Zhen’s unusual silence tonight… Heavens, He Zhen already knew!
What rotten luck.
On one side, He Zhen already knew the He family had obtained the Jin Hu Group investment through Sara Zhuo. On the other, He Zhinian had just encountered that friend who cheated with his female secretary and expressed his disgust for such behaviour in front of He Zhen.
What was this called?
This was called inconsistency between words and deeds, an extreme rift!
He Zhinian felt both ashamed and guilty, his image in his son’s eyes crumbling by half. He turned to plead with his eyes for his wife to preserve the last shred of his dignity for him.
Dai Chenglan did not receive her husband’s plea for help.
After a brief daze, Dai Chenglan grew very angry:
“So that is why you have been acting strange all evening. There is a reason! What, do I, your mother, need to report to you whom I know and whom I do not?”
Oh, so she truly did know her.
Those guesses were all true.
“Because you know Sara Zhuo, that is why Jin Hu Group invested in our family business. ‘Silan’ was established with shares from our family and Zhao Dong, plus a mysterious shareholder holding 20 per cent, the illegitimate son of Jin Hu Group’s boss. I thought our family did not lack food or clothing and would not stoop to being someone’s lackey for money.”
Slap.
He Zhen did not finish his words before Dai Chenglan slapped him.
“Chenglan!”
He Zhinian was anxious. Dai Chenglan’s chest heaved as she panted: “Yes, lackey. You put it so well. Without parents like me and your father who are lackeys, what money would you use to study abroad? How would you have money to chase girls? You enjoyed the privileged life we provided, and now you can loudly denounce me and your father!”
“Do not scold him. Let me talk to him.”
He Zhinian wanted to explain to his son the difficulties of being an adult.
Accepting the Jin Hu Group investment, He Zhinian had been unwilling at first. It was truly because the He family business had run into trouble.
If the funding issue had not been resolved then, the He family could not have smoothly upgraded and transformed, easily falling into decline.
But He Zhen did not want to listen.
He did not argue with his parents. He simply picked up his suitcase and left home.
He Zhen’s back was straight. Dai Chenglan hurled the box in her hand with force. The gemstone necklace shattered into pieces.
“Go then! If you have the ability, never come back, and do not use our money again!”
