Chapter 37

Zhou Jingyu took Wen Tang to the old house where Zhou Donghai used to live.

After Zhou Donghai was hospitalized, the old house was left vacant, with only the butler and servants performing their routine cleaning.

After Zhou Jingyu’s mother passed away when he was six, he was brought to live here from his father’s place and stayed until he was eighteen when he went to France.

Every corner of this old house was filled with memories from Zhou Jingyu’s childhood.

The mansion was vast, located in a well-known affluent area of Lingcheng. After entering, one still needed to drive to reach the villa. It featured a swimming pool, a park, an outdoor sports court, and even had areas dedicated to raising various kinds of small animals.

Zhou Jingyu had called ahead to let the butler know he was coming. The current butler, Mr. Li, in his sixties, was addressed by Zhou Jingyu as Uncle Li.

Uncle Li, aware of Zhou Jingyu’s return, waited at the villa’s entrance.

Zhou Jingyu parked the car at the villa entrance. He first opened the car door, got out, and then opened the rear door.

Wen Tang stepped out of the back seat.

Two rows of servants stood neatly, bowing in unison as they greeted them, “Good afternoon, Young Master! Miss Wen, good afternoon!”

It was quite a grand welcome.

She had filmed many idol dramas and had lived in villas before, but compared to this place, they seemed insignificant.

No wonder female stars in the industry would go to great lengths to marry into a wealthy family; the underlying prestige was unmatched. No matter how much money one earned in the entertainment industry, it couldn’t compare to such an extravagant reception.

Zhou Jingyu first showed Wen Tang around the villa. It was so large, resembling a palace. Zhou Jingyu’s own room was several hundred square meters, including a dressing room, a lounge, a study, a media room, and even a dedicated piano room, as he had studied piano in his youth.

Having seen a lot over the years, Wen Tang wasn’t too surprised but gained a deeper understanding of the Zhou family’s opulence.

The Zhou family was among the top wealthy families in Lingcheng. Even Wen Tang, who had focused on the entertainment industry, was well aware of their reputation.

After the tour, Zhou Jingyu led Wen Tang to the family cinema, which was even larger than the media room in his own room.

On the way, Wen Tang curiously asked, “Since you grew up here, why didn’t you live here after returning to the country?”

Instead, he had ended up living next door, distant and sarcastic.

He often made her so angry with just a few words that she felt as though she might have a heart attack.

Zhou Jingyu replied, “This is Grandpa’s house. When I was young, I lived here under his care. But as I grew older, it became inconvenient.”

That was a rather tactful way of putting it.

In reality, the contention had already begun when he was sent to France. To protect him, Zhou Donghai had sent him to France and forbade him from returning for ten years. Now that he was back, he occupied the highest position, which no one was happy about.

The house belonged to his grandfather, who had three sons and one daughter. None of them would be willing to let him live in the house that should have been inherited by them.

Even though they themselves didn’t want to live there.

So, they pretended to advise Zhou Donghai that he was too isolated and distant from his father. After returning to the country, he should live with his father to repair their father-son relationship. Otherwise, after Zhou Donghai’s passing, he would be left alone and abandoned.

Zhou Donghai knew his own health was poor and that he didn’t have much time left, so he was persuaded by their manipulations.

When Zhou Jingyu returned from France, he was emotionally manipulated by Zhou Donghai and arranged to live in his estranged father’s house.

Wen Tang didn’t know these details and only understood Zhou Jingyu’s explanation at face value. She nodded and frowned, “It’s probably better not to live here.”

Zhou Jingyu looked at her.

Wen Tang said, “It’s too big here, and it feels empty.”

Zhou Jingyu smiled.

The family cinema was quite large. Besides the latest films, it had a wide selection of older ones, including horror movies.

Wen Tang’s curiosity was piqued.

She would never watch a horror movie alone.

She was scared of ghosts.

However, her fear was matched by her curiosity. She once dragged her crew members to watch a horror movie, only to be terrified for an entire month, unable to stay in a hotel alone until the filming was over.

But now she had Zhou Jingyu with her.

Wen Tang glanced at Zhou Jingyu and asked delicately, “Zhou Jingyu, are you afraid of ghosts?”

Zhou Jingyu raised an eyebrow as Wen Tang pointed to a classic horror movie cover, looking at him expectantly.

“This one, is it okay?”

She almost directly suggested, “Let’s watch this one!”

Zhou Jingyu was slightly surprised. He didn’t expect that after choosing from so many options, she would settle on a horror movie.

But he said nothing further.

He would watch whatever she wanted to.

“Then let’s watch this one.”

Zhou Jingyu selected the movie Wen Tang chose.

The movie started with a chilling atmosphere right from the opening credits.

No matter how brave Wen Tang usually was, she turned into a frightened mouse when watching horror films.

Sitting on separate large armchairs with a wide space between them, Wen Tang couldn’t stay in her seat as soon as the movie began.

She wanted to maintain her composure.

But unfortunately, she was too scared.

Her hand instinctively reached across the seat and grabbed Zhou Jingyu’s arm.

Zhou Jingyu, who was focused on the screen, felt Wen Tang’s grip on his arm and turned his head slightly.

In the dimly lit cinema, the light flickering with the plot, Zhou Jingyu saw Wen Tang’s brow furrowed, her lower lip tightly bitten, her body tense, clearly frightened.

Her grip on his arm was tight, as if drawing strength from him.

The movie had barely started, and Wen Tang was already terrified.

Zhou Jingyu suggested, “This movie is quite old. How about we switch to another one?”

He even thoughtfully found a reason.

But it was too late. The reason this horror film was considered a classic was because it was high-intensity throughout. As soon as the subtitles ended, the film’s first iconic scene appeared.

A ghost with a twisted body suddenly appeared on the shoulder of a young man who constantly complained about shoulder pain and backaches. The ghost’s pale, bloodied face slowly turned around, its vengeful eyes staring at the audience with a sinister smile.

“Ah!!!”

Unable to handle the shock, Wen Tang immediately grabbed Zhou Jingyu’s arm and buried her head in his chest, frightened.

Zhou Jingyu looked down at the dark head buried in his chest, his expression unreadable.

He grabbed the remote and paused the film.

In horror movies, sound effects are crucial. Without the eerie, terrifying sounds, even the scariest scenes lose half their effect.

As the frightening sounds stopped, Wen Tang finally calmed down.

She peeked back, relieved to see the normal scene, and breathed a sigh of relief.

She had really overestimated herself.

Zhou Jingyu gently patted her shoulder and asked softly, “Do you want to continue watching?”

He thought she would give up, but unexpectedly, Wen Tang nodded firmly and resolutely, “Yes, let’s keep watching!”

Zhou Jingyu was perplexed. If she was so scared, why continue watching?

But since Wen Tang wanted to watch, he had to comply with her wish.

The horror movie was intense throughout. Wen Tang screamed frequently, spending more than half the film nestled in Zhou Jingyu’s embrace for comfort. Eventually, she moved to his sofa chair, sitting next to him. The chair was large, and since she was petite, it was comfortable for both of them.

Her fear didn’t stop her from wanting to follow the plot, so while hiding her face in Zhou Jingyu’s embrace, she asked him to narrate the parts she missed.

As a result, Zhou Jingyu watched the entire film and explained it in detail to her, leaving a deep impression.

Wen Tang watched and listened, peeking out from Zhou Jingyu’s embrace, startled by the scary scenes, and then gathering the courage to look again, only to be frightened once more, and continue listening.

It had to be said that this way of watching a film was quite unique.

Seeing Wen Tang like this, Zhou Jingyu felt both helpless and amused.

As the movie reached its climax in the last ten minutes, Zhou Jingyu’s phone lit up. Wen Tang was still nestled in his arms, shivering.

Looking at the phone, it was a call from Zhou Donghai.

A call from Grandpa had to be answered.

“I’ll take this call,” Zhou Jingyu said, lowering his head to Wen Tang.

Wen Tang, too frightened by the previous scenes to hear clearly, simply nodded in his embrace.

Unable to move because Wen Tang was holding onto him tightly, Zhou Jingyu couldn’t leave to take the call. He paused the movie and answered the phone.

The cinema instantly fell silent.

“Grandpa,” Zhou Jingyu’s cool voice sounded particularly pleasant in the quiet environment.

Wen Tang, hearing Zhou Donghai’s voice, immediately lifted her head from Zhou Jingyu’s embrace, her eyes wide with curiosity, staring at him.

Her eager and inquisitive look made Zhou Jingyu smile.

He reached out and gently stroked Wen Tang’s hair, which was silky and soft, with a pleasant texture.

Zhou Donghai’s health had been deteriorating recently, and even his voice lacked its usual strength.

“I heard you brought a girl home. Is that true?” Zhou Donghai asked on the phone.

Though Zhou Donghai’s voice wasn’t loud, Wen Tang, being so close, could hear the conversation.

Wen Tang couldn’t help but glance up at Zhou Jingyu.

Zhou Jingyu replied with a simple “Yes” and then confirmed, “Yes, Grandpa, her name is Wen Tang.”

He directly told Zhou Donghai Wen Tang’s name.

Zhou Donghai actually knew about Wen Tang already. The butler had informed him of everything and had conducted a brief investigation into Wen Tang. Zhou Donghai wasn’t entirely satisfied with her being a celebrity, but since this was the first time Zhou Jingyu brought a girl home, he felt a celebrity wasn’t entirely without merit, at least she was beautiful and had good genes for the next generation.

“When will you bring her over for me to see?” Zhou Donghai then asked.

Wen Tang was stunned!

This was moving fast—unveiling their relationship last night, confirming it by noon, and now meeting the parents?

She hadn’t expected to be thinking about a long-term relationship with Zhou Jingyu!

It wasn’t that. They had just started dating, and meeting the parents seemed too formal.

She wasn’t prepared at all!

In the past, her relationships rarely lasted more than three months…

Thinking about this, Wen Tang couldn’t help but glance at Zhou Jingyu. Zhou Jingyu was so handsome, better looking than any of her previous boyfriends. Though he was older, the feeling of dating him was different from younger guys.

If it was him… maybe it would last more than three months?

Wen Tang’s thoughts drifted far away.

Zhou Jingyu had no idea that Wen Tang was already thinking about when they might break up after just one day of dating. However, he shared some of her thoughts and also felt that since their relationship was still new, it was too early to introduce her to his family.

Knowing that Wen Tang could hear everything, Zhou Jingyu didn’t avoid telling the truth on the phone, “Grandpa, it’s still too early to introduce her to you. I’m afraid it might scare her. Let’s wait a while longer.”

Hearing this, Wen Tang couldn’t help but chuckle silently in Zhou Jingyu’s embrace, her eyes crinkling into crescent shapes.

To be honest, she was truly afraid of meeting elders!

She had no experience at all!

However, if Zhou Donghai could be easily deterred by just a few words, he wouldn’t be the formidable figure he was.

Zhou Donghai, unfazed and seemingly prepared for this response, said, “What, do I look so frightening that you’re afraid of scaring her?” He feigned anger.

Then he began to play the sympathy card.

“At my age, living in a nursing home, not knowing how much longer I have, my only wish is to see you get married and have children before I close my eyes, so I won’t die alone. Is this simple wish something you can’t fulfill for me?”

Moved by the sentiment, Zhou Donghai continued, “I’ve raised you from a young child until now. When you were eighteen, I sent you to France, and you’ve been away for ten years. I know you resent me for this, which is why you’ve gotten a girlfriend and haven’t even brought her to see me…”

His pleas became increasingly exaggerated.

Zhou Donghai knew that Zhou Jingyu was particularly susceptible to this kind of emotional manipulation because of his grandfather’s illness.

Zhou Jingyu listened, pinching his brow.

Here we go again.

This was how Zhou Donghai had persuaded him to return from France and to live with his family for three months.

When facing him, his grandfather always used his seniority and every possible means, making it hard to refuse. Even if he did refuse, it would be filled with guilt, as if he had committed an unforgivable act.

Wen Tang, who was pure and inexperienced, had never had such close contact with this legendary elder via phone, and was inevitably affected by some filter, especially since he was Zhou Jingyu’s grandfather.

Listening, Wen Tang felt a pang of sympathy for Zhou Donghai.

Once a powerful figure, now in his twilight years, he couldn’t even meet his grandson’s girlfriend. Wasn’t it heart-wrenching?

Despite this, Zhou Jingyu’s heart was as hard as iron. He didn’t immediately agree, only sighing helplessly into the phone, “Grandpa…”

As Zhou Jingyu was contemplating how to refuse, Wen Tang tugged on his arm.

Zhou Jingyu looked at her, seeing her gesture towards the phone and then nodding.

He frowned slightly, unsure if Wen Tang was agreeing. Was he misunderstanding her?

But then Wen Tang nodded again, silently urging him to agree.

Zhou Jingyu finally understood.

Though he didn’t understand why Wen Tang suddenly agreed, especially since she had been shocked when his grandfather first mentioned meeting her, Wen Tang was helping him out of a tight spot.

It was difficult for him to refuse his ailing grandfather.

Zhou Jingyu sighed.

“Alright, Grandpa, when would you like to meet her?” he asked.

Of course, the sooner, the better.

Zhou Donghai was eager.

“Bring her over tomorrow,” Zhou Donghai immediately said.

After signaling Wen Tang for her approval, and with a resigned sigh, Zhou Jingyu replied, “Okay, I’ll bring her to see you tomorrow.”