Cen Zhisen had just said “okay” when the butler came out, saying that Cen Shengli wanted him to come to the study again.

Cen Zhisen, feeling helpless, instructed Ning Zhiyuan, “Wait for me a moment.”

In fact, there were plenty of cars here, and he could have the family driver take him. However, both he and Ning Zhiyuan seemed to deliberately ignore this, and it wasn’t brought up.

Ning Zhiyuan nodded, “Hmm.”

As Cen Zhisen entered, Ning Zhiyuan stood in the garden for a while and saw that second uncle had come out.

The man looked at him with some disdain, probably frustrated because he couldn’t borrow money. Ning Zhiyuan, this “illegitimate child,” could easily get twenty billion but chose not to, leaving this uncle feeling resentful.

With a disdainful “hmph” from his nostrils, the man walked away.

Ning Zhiyuan found it somewhat amusing—a case of being unjustly implicated.

Feeling a bit tired, he walked back towards the glass door, stopped, and relaxed his body against the wall, closing his eyes to rest.

To his left was Cen Shengli’s study, and occasional voices could be heard.

Cen Shengli proposed the idea of using Cen An’s name to purchase the assets of the second uncle’s company, and they would figure out a way to revitalize it. He asked Cen Zhisen if it was feasible.

Cen Zhisen calmly advised, “I can think of ways for the hotel and shopping mall, but Cen An, although he dabbled a bit in this area before, particularly in the early stages, dealing with commercial housing is indeed challenging. Spending hundreds of billions to acquire these non-premium assets completely contradicts Cen An’s strategic positioning. Dad, Cen An isn’t in charity; the shareholders won’t approve.”

Cen Shengli sighed deeply. As he aged, especially now that his health was deteriorating, he increasingly felt powerless. Particularly after discovering he had mistakenly embraced his biological son, he now valued the bonds of kinship even more. He couldn’t stand by and watch his younger brother face bankruptcy and death.

However, he also knew that saving someone couldn’t be done this way.

Cen Zhisen continued, “Directly lending money to the second uncle or helping him act as a guarantor for a bank loan won’t work. It’s best for the second uncle’s company to shut down. Sell the assets, liquidate and get the money. But Cen An isn’t a suitable buyer. Let me figure something out. Maybe I can find a buyer who can afford the price and is interested in what the second uncle has. However, the second uncle himself may not be willing to sell. Dad, you need to persuade him first.”

It had to be this way. Cen Shengli calmed himself, shifted the conversation, and brought up something else. “Lao Qin’s daughter has graduated with a master’s degree this year and returned to China. Just like her father, she studied law in the United States. She will directly join her father’s law firm when she comes back. The girl is quite pretty. You’ve met her before; Lao Qin and his wife brought her to our house for dinner seven or eight years ago. Although it’s an old matter, Lao Qin mentioned that the girl has always remembered you and suggested meeting you. You’re over thirty now; it’s time to settle down. Lao Qin and I have been friends for decades, and I know her background well. I think it’s a good match. What do you think?”

Cen Zhisen frowned and didn’t answer immediately.

Outside the study, Ning Zhiyuan, leaning against the wall, continued to play with the lighter in his hand, rubbing the metallic surface with his fingertips, tracing the contours of a sensuous man’s muscles.

Cen Zhisen’s voice echoed again. He said, “Dad, forget it.”

Cen Shengli asked, “Won’t you even meet her once? Do you already have a girlfriend? If you do, just bring her to let me meet her. As long as the person is good, family background and such don’t matter. I don’t care about those things.”

“None,” Cen Zhisen calmly replied. “It’s my own reason. My sexual orientation is towards men; I can’t marry a woman.”

Cen Shengli seemed to be stunned for a moment, looking at his son in disbelief. “You… like men?”

“Yes,” Cen Zhisen confirmed.

“Is it innate?” Cen Shengli asked.

“Innate,” Cen Zhisen affirmed.

“Can’t it be changed?” Cen Shengli asked.

“Can’t be changed.”

The flame from the lighter leapt up and quickly extinguished. Ning Zhiyuan touched the metal shell that still retained the warmth from his palm one last time, pocketed it, turned, and went inside.

Cen Shengli’s chest heaved; he seemed somewhat anxious.

Ning Zhiyuan approached and patted his chest, reminding, “Dad, it’s okay. Take a deep breath.”

Cen Zhisen halted his steps, standing where he was.

Cen Shengli took a couple of deep breaths and reluctantly drank the tea Ning Zhiyuan handed him. He barely recovered, looking at Cen Zhisen, then at Ning Zhiyuan. His eyes seemed a bit dazed, and it took a while before he came to his senses. He asked Ning Zhiyuan, “Did you know about your brother’s situation before?”

“I knew,” Ning Zhiyuan honestly admitted.

“You didn’t try to persuade him?” Cen Shengli asked.

“I couldn’t persuade him,” Ning Zhiyuan said. “Dad, what others say doesn’t matter.”

“But…” Cen Shengli hesitated, feeling that something was wrong. However, Cen Zhisen was already in his thirties. He could handle things on his own, and even though Cen An could do without him now, he couldn’t do without Cen Zhisen. So, when it came to Cen Zhisen’s private affairs, whatever seemed wrong was actually right.

Cen Zhisen said it was innate, unchangeable, and except for himself, what others said indeed didn’t matter.

Cen Shengli slumped back into his chair, physically and mentally exhausted.

Ning Zhiyuan supported his arm. “Dad, let me help you upstairs to rest.”

Cen Shengli wearily nodded.

Ning Zhiyuan helped him up, and as they went upstairs, they encountered Xu Lan, who had just come out of the room. Seeing Cen Shengli looking unwell, Xu Lan hurriedly came over to support his other arm, asking with concern, “Shengli, what’s wrong with you?”

Cen Shengli didn’t want to talk about it and shook his head slightly.

Seeing that it was none of his business, Ning Zhiyuan let go, reminding Cen Shengli a few more times, and watched him enter the room before turning to leave.

Walking down the stairs, he paused on the staircase and saw Cen Zhisen standing at the staircase entrance on the first floor, waiting for him.

Cen Zhisen heard the sound and looked up, gazing at him from a distance.

Their eyes met, and both stopped in their tracks.

Then Cen Zhisen smiled first, gesturing to him, “Shall we go?”

Ning Zhiyuan descended slowly. As he passed by Cen Zhisen, he didn’t stop his steps, and the corner of his mouth maintained an upward curve. “Let’s go.”

At half-past nine, the car left the Cen family’s villa. Ning Zhiyuan asked the person beside him, “You’re going to the south with Dad tomorrow. Why not stay here for the night?”

“No need,” Cen Zhisen casually loosened his tie but didn’t untie the rose knot. Leaning against the seat, he looked somewhat lazy. “I’ll go back. There’s some luggage to pack.”

Ning Zhiyuan glanced at him, his eyes playful. “Didn’t expect you to directly tell Dad. Aren’t you afraid of upsetting him?”

“Dad isn’t as conservative as you think. He was just momentarily caught off guard,” Cen Zhisen said. “Thanks for the reminder. It prevents others from making a fuss about it in the future. Dad would find it even harder to accept if he hears it from someone else. It’s better if I tell him myself.”

“Oh, so it’s because of me again,” Ning Zhiyuan said.

Cen Zhisen’s voice sounded even more lazy than before. “Mm.”

Ning Zhiyuan couldn’t help but smile.

“On a serious note,” he said, “I just heard you telling Dad that you want to find someone to take over the assets of your second uncle’s company. It doesn’t seem that easy. Whether selling it as a whole or dismantling it for sale, it’s practically impossible to get a good price in the current market conditions.”

“No need for a high price,” Cen Zhisen said nonchalantly. “As long as it helps him repay the debt and leaves some money in his hands, it’s fine. In the future, I’ll make sure Dad stops him from causing trouble.”

“Do you have any ideas? Who are you planning to find to buy it?” Ning Zhiyuan asked.

“I haven’t figured it out yet,” Cen Zhisen admitted. “It’s really not easy to sell. I’ll have to explore more.”

“I can recommend a buyer for you,” Ning Zhiyuan said.

Cen Zhisen looked at him. “Who?”

“The owner of Hui Zhan Shipping,” Ning Zhiyuan explained. “In addition to shipping, their family is an old real estate developer in the city. They missed a previous opportunity, and now they’re planning to enter the mainland market, investing in large commercial complexes. However, they lack suitable resources. The biggest advantage of their family is having a lot of money. If you double your second uncle’s assets and offer it to them, they can swallow it. As long as they are interested, those non-premium assets for Cen An might catch their eye.”

“Hui Zhan Shipping?” Cen Zhisen was a bit surprised.

Last year, Ning Zhiyuan signed a cooperation and development agreement for a smart port project on behalf of the company with Hui Zhan Shipping. Originally, it was a project he was supposed to follow up on, but after he resigned, Cen Zhisen took over personally. Cen Zhisen had video calls with the owner a few times, a young man in his early thirties. His attitude turned cold after inquiring about why Ning Zhiyuan was no longer in charge, and each conversation was brief, with no pleasantries.

“Did you discuss all these things with him? Did he tell you everything he’s thinking of investing in?” Cen Zhisen asked, his tone somewhat unpredictable.

Ning Zhiyuan smiled, “It was just a casual chat during afternoon tea. He’s quite talkative, humorous, and ambitious. If you’re really looking for a buyer, why not ask him? Or should I ask for you?”

“I’ll ask myself,” Cen Zhisen said without hesitation. “You focus on your own matters. Don’t worry about these things.”

“Alright,” Ning Zhiyuan said indifferently. “He knew I resigned from Cen An before, and he even asked if I wanted to go to Hong Kong for development.”

Cen Zhisen asked, “And you didn’t consider it?”

Ning Zhiyuan turned his head to look at him again, saying, “It’s not that I didn’t consider it. Going to Hong Kong or abroad, I’ve thought about both.”

After saying this, Ning Zhiyuan’s gaze returned to the front of the car.

Cen Zhisen squinted his eyes, staring at his profile for a moment, then smiled, “It’s good that you didn’t go.”

Ning Zhiyuan’s lips remained slightly upturned. “Mm.”

Forty minutes later, the car stopped downstairs at Cen Zhisen’s home.

Ning Zhiyuan said, “I won’t go in. See you.”

Cen Zhisen asked him, “When are you coming back?”

“Probably after the seventh day of the new year,” Ning Zhiyuan said. “Depends on my parents.”

“I’ll be back on the sixth,” Cen Zhisen said. “See you then.”

Ning Zhiyuan looked at him. When he was about to start the car to enter the underground parking lot, someone suddenly approached and stood in front of their car.

Seeing the person clearly, Ning Zhiyuan clicked his tongue and gestured to the person beside him, “Your romantic debts are coming to collect.”

Cen Zhisen frowned, and the other person had already come over to knock on their car window.

“Mr. Cen, long time no see. Can I have a few words with you?”

The young man was frozen, his nose all red from the cold. He bent over, looking pitifully at Cen Zhisen inside the car.

Ning Zhiyuan recognized him at a glance. This young man was the one who appeared in the photos taken secretly, the one with Cen Zhisen.