Zhou Lin held Cheng Zhiwei’s hand in one of his while he slipped the other into his pocket, lips slowly curling into a sarcastic smile, "Third Uncle, to even have startled you."
Third Uncle Zhou Jinzhong waved his hand and said slowly, "Chenyuan is the head of our family. With such a big incident, of course, I have to co see him. Ah Lin, you’re not going to stop , are you?"
Zhou Lin pulled Cheng Zhiwei aside to clear the way, "Of course not, please go ahead."
Zhou Hui imdiately leapt to Zhou Jinzhong’s side, "I’ll help you."
Zhou Lin scoffed, not even glancing at Zhou Hui, only saying to Zhou Jinzhong, "Do you really think I would let soone with impure intentions enter?"
Zhou Jinzhong patted Zhou Hui’s hand, signaling her to step aside.
Zhou Hui’s face flushed then darkened, looking quite unsightly, but still reluctantly made way.
Zhou Lin released Cheng Zhiwei’s hand and softly touched her hair, his voice growing tender, "Zhiwei, help Third Uncle inside."
Cheng Zhiwei nodded, taking Zhou Jinzhong’s arm, "Please walk slowly."
Zhou Jinzhong scrutinized Cheng Zhiwei closely, his aged face showing faint emotion, "She’s a good girl."
Cheng Zhiwei, with downcast eyes and a submissive appearance, didn’t speak, just helped him walk inside.
She and Zhou Lin had married quietly. Over three years, she hadn’t appeared at any Zhou Family events, so she had not t any of these relatives.
Now, seeing them, none seed to be easy to deal with.
In the hospital room, Zhou Chenyuan wore a black coat, his face, sharing a resemblance to Zhou Lin’s, exuding a commanding presence. However, compared to Zhou Lin’s blatant sharp edge, he was more stable and restrained.
There was not the slightest sign on his face of the impact of illness.
Cheng Zhiwei called out "Dad," her eyes unavoidably reddening.
Zhou Chenyuan’s attitude softened a bit as he nodded, "How is Xiao Yu?"
"She said she’ll co to see you in a bit," Cheng Zhiwei replied respectfully, "Don’t worry, I will take good care of her."
"You have my thanks."
The two talked as if no one else was present, leading Zhou Jinzhong’s expression to sour. He tapped his cane on the ground and asked with feigned concern, "Chenyuan, what did the doctors say about your illness?"
Only then did Zhou Chenyuan look at Zhou Jinzhong and replied indifferently, "Why has Third Uncle co?"
Zhou Jinzhong was the youngest of the old master’s three sons and the only one still alive.
"Hearing you were ill worried everyone. Ah Lin blocked the door and wouldn’t let anyone in. They had no choice but to send ," Zhou Jinzhong said, his eyes downcast, his tone neither clear nor dark, "As the head of the family, you are not only the head of your small family but also of the entire clan. We can’t afford any slip-ups."
There was no warmth in Zhou Chenyuan’s eyes, "I understand your aning, but as you can see, I am quite well for the mont, and those matters need not be rushed."
Zhou Jinzhong rubbed the dragon head of his cane and cut to the chase, "Don’t take offense at what your Third Uncle is about to say, but the odds of recovering from your illness are close to nil. It’s better to make arrangents sooner rather than later. The entire family depends on it; everyone needs to eat."
This was a thinly veiled threat.
Zhou Chenyuan understood it well and didn’t get angry, just sneered lightly, "Third Uncle, I am not dead yet."
Despite his calm tone, it contained a thunderous fury that was suffocating.
Zhou Jinzhong, who initially had a strong stance, softened after the silence, clearing his throat, "Chenyuan, you’ve misunderstood . I don’t hope for anything bad to happen to you. The best thing is for nothing to happen to you. After all, we’ve all seen what you’ve done for the Zhou’s over the years."
"But this disease struck unexpectedly, leaving us unprepared. Zhou Lin is young and arrogant by nature, disdainful of family mbers, and we feared that once the Zhou Group fell into his hands, it would eventually belong to him alone. Where would that leave the rest of us in terms of making a living?"
They were afraid that once Zhou Chenyuan died, Zhou Lin would ruthlessly drive them all out.
Only then did Cheng Zhiwei realize that this Third Uncle was also here for the money.
However, to fra laziness and gluttony in such a seemingly innocent and refined way was sothing she had never witnessed before.
After all, Zhou Lin had never respected any of them, and it could be said that apart from his parents, he never grew close to anyone with the Zhou surna.
She felt a sense of suffocation and silently slipped out the door.
Outside in the hallway, aside from two waiting for Zhou Jinzhong, everyone from the Zhou family had already left.
In the distance, she could only see Zhou Lin standing by the window at the end of the corridor, smoking. His silhouette appeared lonely and desolate.
Her feet unconsciously turned in his direction, but she halted at the first step.
She bit her lip, forcing herself to look away. She and he were on the verge of a marital breakup, and she had no right to concern herself with him.
She turned and entered the next room. Lin Yu had already dressed and imdiately stood up when she saw Cheng Zhiwei, "Zhiwei, you’re back. How is he?"
"The Third Uncle is still talking with him."
"That old geezer ca too." Lin Yu’s expression turned cold instantly, clearly harboring grievances against Zhou Jinzhong.
Cheng Zhiwei thought of Zhou Jinzhong’s aggressive words and took Lin Yu’s arm, "Shall I take you over now?"
She thought Lin Yu must want to confront the situation with Zhou Chenyuan together.
"Alright," Lin Yu agreed cheerfully.
Approaching Zhou Chenyuan’s hospital room again, only Zhou Jinzhong’s voice could be heard from inside, "In those days, the two brothers caused an uproar in the family over Lin Yu. In the end, Chenyan went abroad... You two..."
Cheng Zhiwei froze, realizing that he was revealing secrets about the elders, specifically secrets regarding Lin Yu. For a mont, she didn’t know whether she should cover her ears.
But Lin Yu was already furiously pushing the door open, giving Zhou Jinzhong a cold stare, "Third Uncle, have you co here to wag your tongue because your days are too comfortable? Do you want your niece-in-law to find sothing for you to do?"
Zhou Jinzhong’s face turned stern, "When n are talking, won should not interrupt. Lin Yu, you are still as impolite as ever. And Zhou Lin’s wife, don’t you know to knock before entering?"
In just a few sentences, it was clear that he greatly disliked Lin Yu.
Lin Yu strode in with her back straight, standing close to Zhou Chenyuan and sharply retorted, "Third Uncle, society these days values gender equality. You should keep your stubborn old-fashioned ideas to yourself and take them to the grave—spare us the disgust."
"You..." Zhou Jinzhong was so angered that his chest heaved, and he said sharply, "Chenyuan, you can’t even control your wife. What she’s saying is outrageous. People might think that the Zhou family’s standards are low, allowing just anyone in."
With that comnt, he was criticizing both Lin Yu and Cheng Zhiwei.
Lin Yu stood up fiercely, her beautiful face frosted over, "You don’t need to worry about anything here. My husband is not going to die before you, and even if Chenyuan did die, Ah Lin and I would be first in line to inherit. The property wouldn’t go to him anyway."
"You..." Zhou Jinzhong rose shakily to his feet, leaning on his cane and trembling with anger.
Cheng Zhiwei was all ears but pretended to be invisible, secretly curious.
Who was he referring to?
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