Zhou She stared at Ji Tan for a moment before calmly looking away. “Stop blaming me for your inability to tell people apart.”
Ji Tan’s little schemes were clear at a glance. If Zhou She admitted it was him and refused to marry Ji Tan, Ji Tan could tell Zhong Peiyi without any guilt that he and Zhou Wenbai were getting married because Zhou She did not like him. It would make himself look like he was being forced to compromise.
“Why didn’t you make it clear during the blind date?” Ji Tan accused him.
Zhou She remained indifferent and countered, “You couldn’t recognize your own boyfriend, and you think you are in the right?”
Ji Tan had no argument.
“Who exactly were you on a blind date with?” 523 asked.
Ji Tan replied, “I don’t know.”
“Oh,” 523 said.
“Who exactly was on that blind date with me?” Ji Tan asked curiously.
Zhou She replied coldly, “I don’t know.”
Ji Tan said, “Oh.”
523 remained silent. You could at least try to sound like you care.
The air grew thin due to the awkward atmosphere. Ji Tan broke free from the stifling mood and looked around. “Where is Mother Zhong? I want to tell her that I am leaving.”
Zhou She looked up and asked again, “What exactly did you come here for?”
Ji Tan hesitated for less than a second before choosing to be honest. “Mother Zhong wanted me to ask if you were willing to marry me. If not, she plans to find you another partner for an arranged marriage.”
Zhou She stared at Ji Tan intently. “Thank her for me.”
Ji Tan was speechless. Should I thank her? That doesn’t seem appropriate, right? Under Zhou She’s icy gaze, Ji Tan realized he was meddling and decisively compromised. “Pretend I didn’t say anything.”
Seeing that Ji Tan was truly uncomfortable being with him, Zhou She took his car keys from his coat. “I will take you to Zhou Wenbai.”
And so, Ji Tan, having been inexplicably brought here by Zhong Peiyi, was now being inexplicably sent away by Zhou She. Ji Tan followed Zhou She and asked, “Is he at the hospital?”
Zhou She did not ask, but he replied, “If a doctor is not at the hospital, where else would he be?”
That made sense. As it turned out, not every doctor spends twenty-four hours a day at the hospital. Zhou Wenbai had received news that Ji Tan and Zhong Peiyi had left, so he drove to the Zhou family home, just missing Ji Tan and Zhou She, who were heading in the opposite direction.
Zhong Peiyi was in the Buddhist hall, her hands clasped together in a compassionate gesture as she prayed to the statue. Zhou Wenbai did not believe Zhong Peiyi actually believed in this; it was merely a means for her to exert control over him and punish Zhou She.
“Why did you see Tuan Tuan?” Zhou Wenbai watched a wisp of white smoke from the incense burner dissipate in the air, seemingly dispersing against Zhong Peiyi’s gentle mask.
Zhong Peiyi opened her eyes and smiled gracefully at her eldest son, whose eyes were filled with defensiveness. “Are you afraid I might hurt him?”
“Mother.” Zhou Wenbai’s gaze was heavy, and every trace of emotion on his refined face was wiped away. “I do not like these kinds of jokes.”
The solemn golden Buddha suddenly fell from its pedestal, crashing down right at Zhong Peiyi’s feet. Zhong Peiyi’s expression changed, and she became as cold as water. Zhou She withdrew his hand and shook his head, as if he knew what was coming. “You just hate me and Zhou She.”
Zhong Peiyi let out a faint, scornful laugh and was forced to admit, “You are right, which is why I simply do not agree to him marrying you.”
“Are 15 percent of the Zhou family shares enough to make you change your mind?” Zhou Wenbai asked calmly.
Zhong Peiyi reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I thought the Zhou family members were incompetent, allowing an outsider like me to seize control for eighteen years after your father died.”
“I never expected them to be this incompetent. You are a doctor who has never had any contact with the Zhou Corporation, and they still dared to push you into the top position.” Zhong Peiyi flashed a motherly smile. “Wenbai, you know that everything I have now is meant for you eventually. Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Is that so?” Zhou Wenbai looked up. “I thought you wanted me to be a puppet in your hands for the rest of my life, maintaining the illusion of a perfect, happy family that you have constructed.”
The haughty professor father had died. Then, she had simply created a respectable doctor son. Zhong Peiyi acted as if she did not hear Zhou Wenbai’s sarcasm. She twisted her prayer beads and muttered something under her breath, saying with pity, “You should be grateful to me. Both you and Zhou She should be grateful to me.”
“You possess such a wicked father, so you should be atoning for his sins.” Zhong Peiyi said, “Healing the sick and righting wrongs are acts of merit that can cleanse the sins of you and your brother.”
Zhong Peiyi sounded like a bodhisattva, yet she was certainly not one out to save Zhou Wenbai or Zhou She.
“It is impossible for me to follow your wishes for the rest of my life.” Zhou Wenbai’s voice was soft but unyielding. “I will marry Tuan Tuan, and no one can change that.”
Zhong Peiyi’s gaze turned icy. “Zhou She is already beyond saving. I cannot let Tuan Tuan corrupt you as well.”
A child with emotional apathy, lack of morality, and born with an antisocial personality.
“It is already bad enough that you possess your father’s wicked genes, making it easy to go astray. Tuan Tuan will influence you negatively,” Zhong Peiyi said, acting as if she were deeply concerned for Zhou Wenbai.
Zhou Wenbai found it ridiculous. “You think Tuan Tuan is bad, and you view Zhou She as hopeless. If you let them marry each other, would that not be even more irreversible?”
Zhong Peiyi’s logic was full of holes.
“Or is it that you want these two ‘bad people’ in your heart to torture each other, so that you can achieve your goal of taking revenge on the son of the husband you despise?” Zhou Wenbai pointed out the most hidden thought in Zhong Peiyi’s heart.
Zhong Peiyi curled her lips and snorted. “And what if…”
Zhou Wenbai looked over, his tone calm as he interrupted, “Mother, do you dare tell Aunt Ji what you have done to Tuan Tuan?”
Zhong Peiyi’s expression froze instantly.
“Ji Shixin sent people to the villa Aunt Ji left for Tuan Tuan today. The proof of the Zhou family shares that Aunt Ji left for Tuan Tuan is inside.” Zhou Wenbai said slowly, “Was your meeting with Tuan Tuan today meant to help him, or was it to distract him for Ji Shixin?”
Zhong Peiyi gripped the beads in her palm tightly; the hard beads caused her fingers to ache. Zhou Wenbai asked again, “Do you really want to treat the child Aunt Ji loved as her own this way?”
As Zhou Wenbai finished speaking, Zhong Peiyi felt as if the breath had been drained from her lungs, and her limbs lost all strength. Ji Yuan was Zhong Peiyi’s best friend. Even if Zhong Peiyi were blinded by hatred, she should not and could not hurt Ji Yuan or the child Ji Yuan treasured above all else.
“I did not.” Zhong Peiyi’s throat felt blocked. She closed her eyes. “I did not conspire with Ji Shixin. Bringing Tuan Tuan away today was because I knew about Ji Shixin’s plans in advance, and I did not want Tuan Tuan to be harmed by Ji Shixin’s people.”
Zhou Wenbai breathed a sigh of relief. “Where is Tuan Tuan now?”
Zhong Peiyi no longer hid it. “In Zhou She’s room.”
Zhou Wenbai started walking immediately. Zhong Peiyi’s voice was very soft when she suddenly called out to Zhou Wenbai, who had reached the door. “If… if Tuan Tuan is willing, then go ahead and get married.”
Zhong Peiyi had relented for the sake of Ji Yuan. Zhou Wenbai’s eyes flickered, and after a long while, he said, “This is the only kindness I have received from you since I was eight years old.” Even if it still wasn’t for his sake, being able to marry Ji Tan made everything else unimportant. It was not worth caring about.
“I will arrange for the two families to meet.” Zhou Wenbai nodded politely but distantly. “I hope you will attend on time.”
Zhong Peiyi turned away in annoyance and waved Zhou Wenbai off.
Zhou Wenbai only learned that he and Ji Tan had gone to the hospital to look for him after speaking with Zhou She.
“Hurry up.” The voice from Zhou She’s phone was a bit chaotic, and Zhou She sounded hesitant. “The situation here with Ji Tan is not very good.”
“I am coming over immediately.” Zhou Wenbai’s heart tightened, fearing that something had happened to Ji Tan.
The forty-minute journey was compressed into twenty-five minutes by Zhou Wenbai. As soon as he stepped into Ji Enyi’s room, Ji Tan, who had been hiding behind Zhou She, rushed over while crying. Zhou Wenbai pulled him into his arms and wiped away the hot tears from Ji Tan’s eyes with his knuckles. “Tuan Tuan?”
Ji Tan turned his head while sobbing, large tears falling from his amber eyes. His nose was flushed, and he cried pitifully, “I am going to marry Dr. Zhou, and all my money is meant for Dr. Zhou to spend.”
“But didn’t Ji Yuan leave you twenty million?” Cheng Jiayan pleaded. “Ji Tan, please help Enyi. Without his medicine, he will die.”
Zhou Wenbai gradually understood the situation from Cheng Jiayan’s words. The Ji family’s capital chain had broken, and Ji Shixin had stopped the research on Ji Enyi’s heart medication. Cheng Jiayan, who treated her son as her life, would not accept Ji Enyi dying due to a lack of life-extending medication. However, Cheng Jiayan, who had made caring for her husband and ailing son her entire life since marrying Ji Shixi, had no say in the Ji family and no money to get the medication for Ji Enyi again. Ji Tan had become the only lifeline Cheng Jiayan could find.
Zhou Wenbai glanced at Cheng Jiayan, whose face was covered in tears and pleading for Ji Tan. Ji Shixin was clearly using Cheng Jiayan to restrain Ji Tan, trying to obtain the Zhou family shares Ji Yuan had left for Ji Tan. Zhou Wenbai stroked Ji Tan’s tear-stained face. Ji Shixin did not even want to leave the slightest bit of motherly love for Ji Tan.
“How pitiful.” Ji Tan seemed to be moved by Cheng Jiayan’s sincerity, his tears falling faster. Cheng Jiayan saw this and couldn’t help but step forward, clutching her hands tightly. “Tan Tan, Mother promises you, as long as you are willing to pay for Enyi’s treatment…”
Ji Tan interrupted him abruptly. “Aunt Cheng, I also want to help Ji Enyi, but Mom said that my money can only be spent on myself and my future partner; I cannot give it to anyone else.”
Cheng Jiayan was stunned.
Ji Tan wiped away his tears and suggested earnestly, “There are many ways to donate online; you could try that. If you are worried the websites are not legitimate…” Ji Tan pointed to the side. “He is a lawyer; you can pay his legal fees for a consultation.”
Zhou She, who had been named, lowered his brows and silently turned his head away. Cheng Jiayan looked at Ji Tan’s cold eyes and shuddered. Ji Tan had the same look in his eyes when he pushed Ji Yunxin down the stairs at six years old—like he was looking at an inanimate object, devoid of a shred of human emotion.
“Ji Tan, Enyi is your own brother.” Cheng Jiayan raised her voice in disbelief. “You wanted to push him to his death when you were young, and now you refuse to save him. Do you hate him that much?”
Cheng Jiayan was on the verge of a breakdown. “Are you even human? Enyi liked you so much after you moved into the Ji family. You wanted to kill him, he didn’t care, and now you want to do this?”
“As his brother, what is wrong with you saving him?” Cheng Jiayan shrieked. “If you feel Enyi stole the motherly love that should have been yours, and you are jealous of him, then would it be enough if I died? If I die, will you save him?”
Zhou Wenbai pulled Ji Tan behind him, keeping him away from the mentally unstable Cheng Jiayan. Ji Tan’s expression remained calm. “I am listening to my mom; I only spend my money on myself. Whether it is you or Ji Enyi, or even if you both die, I will not take out a single cent of the money Mom left for me.”
Ji Tan’s cold and ruthless words made Cheng Jiayan’s legs go weak. What kind of demon had she given birth to? How could he be this terrifying?
“Aunt Cheng.” Zhou Wenbai reminded her, “Ji Enyi is awake.”
Cheng Jiayan turned back, stunned. The pale-faced Ji Enyi had opened his dark eyes at some point and was looking in their direction. Cheng Jiayan wiped away her tears and stumbled back to the side of the hospital bed. Zhou Wenbai took the opportunity to take Ji Tan away to his lounge.
“Are you very sad?” Zhou Wenbai took out the tissue Zhou She had given him and wiped the tear stains from Ji Tan’s cheeks.
Ji Tan shook his head.
Zhou Wenbai pulled Ji Tan onto his lap. “Then what are you crying for?”
“Cheng Jiayan was crying while asking me for money, so I cried while refusing her.” Ji Tan nodded, affirming his own actions. “That is very reasonable.”
Zhou Wenbai smiled. “Do not pretend to cry anymore; it is heartbreaking to watch.”
Ji Tan curved his eyes and hugged Zhou Wenbai’s neck affectionately. “Really? Mom also said that my crying made her heart ache.”
Zhou Wenbai kissed Ji Tan’s cheek. “It is true. Tuan Tuan’s crying also makes my heart ache; I cannot stand it.”
“My mother has agreed to let me marry Tuan Tuan.” Zhou Wenbai stroked the corners of Ji Tan’s eyes, which were still flushed. “From now on, do not do things that make my heart ache, alright?”
Ji Tan’s eyes lit up, and he nodded happily. “Mom said I was bad and stupid, and that I should listen to her more.”
“I used to listen to Mom.” Ji Tan rubbed affectionately against Zhou Wenbai’s lips. “After I marry Dr. Zhou, I will listen to Dr. Zhou.”
Zhou Wenbai’s lips were being clung to by Ji Tan, his heart filled with sweetness. He could not help but let a richer smile fill his eyes. “Why did Aunt Ji say that? I think Tuan Tuan is both obedient and good.”
Ji Tan recalled, “When Ji Enyi was young, he said that his illness was very painful and that it would be better if he died. I wanted to help him, so I pushed Ji Yunxin, who was trying to stop me, down the stairs, but he was scared unconscious.”
Zhou Wenbai was stunned for a moment, then sighed and kissed Ji Tan’s soft lips in return. “Silly baby.”
Perhaps Ji Enyi did not truly want to die; he just wanted more of Ji Tan’s care. However, Ji Tan, who was born with a lack of emotion, could not distinguish the affection Ji Enyi needed in his words. He thought he was fulfilling Ji Enyi’s wish, unaware that it was something he should not have done.
Fortunately, Ji Yuan had appeared. Spending over a decade with dedicated effort, she had straightened out this little sapling, Ji Tan.
“Tuan Tuan, I have been thinking, you still need someone to discipline you.” Zhou Wenbai held Ji Tan’s lips and bit them lightly. “After we marry, will you listen to me?”
Ji Tan flinched slightly from the slight pain, but his reliance on Zhou Wenbai did not decrease in the slightest. He promised with a sweet smile, “Yes, I will be obedient and listen to Dr. Zhou properly.”