Chapter 69.1

Years had passed since Zhou Jiaren had ignored Zhou Jingyu, but now he wanted to reassert his role as a father in front of Zhou Jingyu, putting on an act as if he was concerned.

When Zhou Jingyu was six years old, Zhou Jiaren remarried and thereafter ignored him completely. When Zhou Jingyu was eighteen, he was sent to France, and Zhou Jiaren didn’t even learn about it until a month later. Ten years later, he even aligned himself with Zhou Jiarong and Zhou Jiaxin to obstruct Zhou Jingyu’s return to China, hoping he would never come back.

How could one respect such a father?

Now that Zhou Jingyu had become the true power holder of the Shengling Group and the Zhou family, Zhou Jiaren wanted to reclaim his role as Zhou Jingyu’s father. He was relieved from the constant suppression by his two younger brothers and benefited from Zhou Jingyu’s influence, which led to more social engagements than ever before.

The flattery he received daily had made this estranged father feel quite buoyant. However, Zhou Jingyu was unimpressed.

Regardless of whether he had made plans to dine with friends the next day, Zhou Jingyu had no intention of introducing Wen Tang to Zhou Jiaren.

“Tomorrow, I have other plans. We can discuss this another time.”

Zhou Jingyu said in a calm tone to the person on the other end of the phone. Without waiting for Zhou Jiaren’s response, he ended the call with a curt “We’ll arrange another time” and hung up, leaving Zhou Jiaren fuming on the other end.

*

The next day was Saturday, and Zhou Jingyu and Wen Tang went first to the nursing home.

Wen Tang had been deeply immersed in filming for the past few months and hadn’t seen Zhou Donghai. Zhou Donghai’s condition was still the same—he was in a state of deterioration that was hard to predict.

After the news of Zhou Jingyu’s marriage broke, Zhou Donghai had received numerous calls from friends, relatives, and even Zhou Jiaren and his two uncles. Some callers were trying to verify the news, while others were accusing Zhou Jingyu of hiding such a significant event from them and not considering them family.

Zhou Donghai, feeling unwell, chose not to engage in disputes and hung up on several calls, leaving him in a quieter state.

He had no idea about his grandson’s marriage until the marriage certificate was presented to him the next day. Otherwise, he would have thought they were joking with him.

He didn’t even tell him, so why would he tell them? Did they have a closer relationship with Zhou Jingyu than he did?

Zhou Donghai was typical of someone who supports family over reason. To him, Zhou Jingyu, whom he had raised, was far more important than his sons, who only caused him trouble.

Wen Tang had been busy filming, so Zhou Donghai hadn’t seen her for over three months. When they finally met, Zhou Donghai brought up the topic of their wedding.

“Since you’ve been married for over three months now, have you thought about when you’ll hold the wedding?”

Marriage is a major life event, and Zhou Donghai wanted to witness the wedding in person. Zhou Jingyu and Wen Tang had not yet considered this in detail when they first got their marriage license, but after over three months, they had discussed it.

Zhou Jingyu said, “We’re planning to hold the wedding next year. We haven’t set a date yet. We’ll just have a modest gathering with close family and friends.”

Zhou Donghai showed a disapproving expression. “Why keep it low-key? A marriage should be celebrated grandly and joyfully.”

Zhou Jingyu replied, “Tang Tang’s work is unique. Also, we prefer not to make a big fuss.”

Wen Tang preferred to keep their wedding low-key given her high-profile career. Zhou Jingyu would have liked to give her a grand wedding, but he wanted to respect her wishes.

After hearing this, Zhou Donghai nodded and advised Zhou Jingyu, “Make sure the wedding is done well. Don’t let Tang Tang feel slighted by joining our family.”

Zhou Jingyu agreed.

After spending time at the nursing home until 10:30, Zhou Jingyu and Wen Tang left hand in hand.

The dinner was scheduled for 6 p.m. at a clubhouse. Lu Yi, who loved to socialize, was out of the country, and his absence meant that the group of friends hadn’t gathered in a while.

Many guests arrived early.

Once seated, the topic of Zhou Jingyu’s marriage was the primary subject of discussion. However, despite much speculation, no one could determine who Zhou Jingyu’s wife was. Lu Yi remained tight-lipped, repeatedly saying, “You’ll find out when they arrive.”

Lu Yi stubbornly refused to reveal any details, so they had no choice but to wait!

Zhou Jingyu and Wen Tang arrived not too late, officially showing up at 5:55 p.m., five minutes earlier than scheduled.

The clubhouse was owned by a friend, and they had a large, fixed private room for occasions like this. When Zhou Jingyu’s car arrived, someone immediately notified the owner.

Upon hearing that Zhou Jingyu had finally arrived, everyone stretched their necks and eagerly looked toward the door.

Soon, the door was opened from the outside.

The first person to walk in was Zhou Jingyu. It was winter now, and he was wearing a black woolen coat that fit him perfectly, looking sharp and well-tailored.

The guests, however, were not particularly interested in him today. They all bypassed him and turned their attention to the person accompanying him.

When they saw this person, their mouths dropped open in shock, and their eyes widened in disbelief.

“This… this…”

The woman was very familiar to them, often seen on television, but now they could hardly believe their eyes.

Could it be someone who just looked like her?

Wen Tang stepped forward gracefully.

“Hello, everyone, I’m Wen Tang. You can call me Tang Tang, just like Zhou Jingyu does.”

She was entirely unruffled by the scene.

Others: “……”

Is this really Wen Tang????

Zhou Jingyu was not pleased with Wen Tang’s introduction. The room was warm, so Zhou Jingyu helped Wen Tang take off her coat. Then he glanced around at the group and said mildly, “You don’t need to introduce yourself to them the same way you do with me.”

This left Wen Tang speechless: “……”

Is he really getting jealous over this?

The others were equally astonished and amazed. They had never seen Zhou Jingyu in a relationship before, let alone imagined him married, and now it turned out like this?!

After the initial shock, the guests, accustomed to seeing such scenes, quickly regained their composure.

“Come and sit down! You two are the stars of the evening, yet you arrived last!” A waiter came over to take their coats and hung them up while Lu Yi guided them to their seats.

“I never imagined it in my wildest dreams…” After Wen Tang and Zhou Jingyu took their seats, some guests were still stunned and speechless at the news that the superstar Wen Tang was Zhou Jingyu’s new wife.

Their eyes shifted between Zhou Jingyu and Wen Tang, disbelief written all over their faces, which only amused Wen Tang.

She let out a soft laugh.

“Is it really that surprising?” she asked.

Others nodded in agreement.

Yes, it is truly astonishing!

Who is Wen Tang? Everyone present knew her well—she’s a frequent hot search topic, an outstanding actress, and nearly always in the spotlight. It’s hard not to recognize her given her prolific career and the numerous roles she has played!

However, that wasn’t the issue. The real shock was that this famous actress, known for being wild and a notorious “female heartbreaker,” was now married to Zhou Jingyu?

They weren’t doubting Zhou Jingyu. After all, he was handsome and had always attracted attention from girls. But Zhou Jingyu had always kept himself apart from romantic entanglements. There had even been private bets among friends about whether he would remain single forever or perhaps become a monk.

Yet, unexpectedly, Zhou Jingyu had managed to win over the renowned “female heartbreaker.”

This raised concerns about whether Zhou Jingyu could truly handle Wen Tang.

…

They had a meal together and spent the evening playing around.

Of course, there were the necessary congratulations.

Wen Tang returned home, and Zhou Jingyu, who preferred to sleep early, got up from his seat at around nine o’clock, hugging Wen Tang’s shoulders as they bid farewell to everyone.

The others stayed behind, as it was still early, and for them, the night was just beginning.

Zhou Jingyu drove them home.

“Is this how you usually hang out with your friends?” Wen Tang asked curiously.

They mostly played cards, drank, and chatted, which was quite healthy.

In reality, it was only like this when Zhou Jingyu was around. When he wasn’t present, they played more freely and did a lot more.

There was no need to mention this to Wen Tang, as it might taint her perception. After all, Wen Tang would likely encounter them often in the future.

So Zhou Jingyu simply replied with an “Mm,” tacitly agreeing.

Wen Tang returned home early, but it wasn’t for sleeping. After being apart for several months, one night wasn’t enough. Zhou Jingyu had just tasted the sweetness of reunion but had to endure frequent separations afterward. Now that he knew what he had been missing, there was no way he would let Wen Tang off easily.

That night, they were up very late before finally going to sleep.

And so it went, night after night, leaving Wen Tang sleeping until late morning every day. She felt like she was becoming incredibly lazy.

Although she was on vacation, as a major star, she couldn’t completely relax. She still had a few small advertisements to shoot, along with one or two interviews, variety shows, and promotional events. Her days were fulfilling, though not as busy as before.