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High walls surrounded the area, with green tiles blending into the dusky twilight of the late evening. Antique wooden lamps, carved with intricate designs, emitted a warm yellow glow, adding to the nostalgic ambiance.
The two walked along the stone-paved path, one behind the other.
Ming Zhao felt that something was wrong with her body. Why did the places he had touched feel as though they were constantly burning?
Her waist, and last time, her cheek too.
She secretly pressed her hand against her waist, trying to dispel the lingering warmth and tingling sensation. Yet, her gaze unconsciously fell to his side.
This was the hand she had held since childhood.
Cool to the touch, pale and slender, always clean. When exerting force, faint veins would subtly show beneath the skin.
There was still a faint imprint of her teeth on the back of his hand.
Ming Zhao suddenly felt a wave of shame.
Lost in her wild thoughts, that hand suddenly extended toward her, palm up.
“Watch your step,” he said.
Ming Zhao paused for a moment, but years of habit were faster than her thoughts. While her mind was still untangling the mess of emotions, her hand had already reached out and rested on his.
Heat slowly crept up from her fingertips, and for some inexplicable reason, she felt as though her face was burning hot enough to steam.
She didn’t need Lin Zhiwei to remind her to look in the mirror—she already knew how embarrassing she must look.
Fortunately, night had fallen, and the autumn breeze of the capital was enough to blow away the heat during this short walk.
…
They passed through the courtyard and arrived at the living room.
Zhou Tingyun guided her around to meet people, while Ming Zhao followed closely, greeting them one by one.
The Zhou family was well aware of who Ming Zhao was. Even if their friendliness was only on the surface, they all smiled warmly, handing her red envelopes and gifts, calling her “Zhao Zhao” with exaggerated familiarity.
They had practically turned Old Master Zhou’s birthday into a grand meeting for the eldest Miss Ming.
Old Master Zhou was practically seething with anger. He gave a heavy cough, and only then did the various branches of the family realize their misstep and tone down their enthusiasm.
“What’s going on with you?” He turned sharply toward Zhou Tingyun, scolding him sternly. “You came back without even picking up your sister?”
Ming Zhao puffed out her cheeks, silently grumbling to herself—what sister? Zhou Tingyun clearly only had one sister, her!
Zhou Tingyun remained expressionless, but he cast a glance toward the second branch of the family.
Second Uncle, Zhou Yiyuan, stiffened and quickly spoke up, “Oh, it’s nothing. Siyu and Qian are together, they’ll be back shortly.”
Old Master Zhou’s chest tightened with frustration, but there was nothing he could do.
Back when Huayu Group was in a downward spiral and internal conflicts within the Zhou family were severe, the old man had been overwhelmed. It was during this chaotic period that he accidentally discovered the decisive and formidable President of Ming Yue Group, Zhou, was in fact, his long-lost eldest grandson.
He immediately negotiated with Ming Zheng.
Everyone involved was a seasoned veteran in the world of business warfare. Ming Zheng had clearly already spoken with Zhou Tingyun and secured his agreement, but she still used the situation as leverage to extort a hefty sum from the Zhou family before agreeing to release him.
Of course, Zhou Tingyun didn’t disappoint. In just a few short years, he managed to bring all the troublemakers under strict control.
However, whenever Old Master Zhou thought of the benefits he had to concede, he felt a sharp pang of regret, and his dislike for Ming Zhao only grew stronger.
In his eyes, if the mother was so cunning and deceitful, the daughter would surely be even worse.
Watching how Zhou Tingyun defended her, Old Master Zhou felt like he needed a respirator right then and there.
Not long after, the sound of a car door closing came from outside.
Zhou Siyu, Zhou Qian, and the others entered the room.
At the same time, a woman with an elegant demeanor followed behind them.
Her features were calm and composed, and her manner was clean and efficient.
The moment Old Master Zhou saw her, a smile finally appeared on his face.
It was Miss Fang —Fang Yuanshuang from Tongsen Group.
Ming Zhao recognized her. Ming Zheng had once praised her for being highly capable and resourceful.
“Grandpa Zhou,” Fang Yuanshuang greeted with a smile as she stepped forward and took his arm. “How have you been feeling lately?”
“Same as always,” Old Master Zhou grunted. “It would be better if certain people stopped aggravating me so much.”
On the way to the dining room, the two people Old Master Zhou had indirectly referred to—Ming Zhao and Zhou Tingyun—were completely absorbed in their own world, oblivious to his sarcastic remarks.
Ming Zhao said, “I feel like it’s too bare here. It would look nicer if we planted a few ginkgo trees.”
Zhou Tingyun gave a small sound of agreement.
“And maybe some persimmon and pomegranate trees, so it wouldn’t seem so dull and gray.”
Zhou Tingyun nodded again and asked if she wanted to transplant some to her home as well.
Old Master Zhou: “…”
When they reached the dining room, Old Master Zhou took his seat at the head of the table.
Everyone was expecting Zhou Tingyun to sit in the traditional spot to the left of the head seat. However, to their surprise, he pulled out the chair and gestured for Ming Zhao to sit instead.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense and strange.
Old Master Zhou’s expression grew even darker.
However, Ming Zhao certainly wasn’t going to embarrass her older brother for the sake of what others opinion. She obediently stepped forward and took the seat.
Now, she was seated with Old Master Zhou on her right and Zhou Tingyun on her left. This created an awkward situation—the seat to the right of the head chair was left vacant, and no one dared to sit there.
Old Master Zhou took a deep breath, glaring at Ming Zhao before forcing himself to calmly tell everyone to sit wherever they liked.
Seeing this, Zhou Qian quickly claimed the seat next to Zhou Tingyun, beating Fang Yuanshuang to it, resolutely positioning himself to ‘protect’ his favorite pairing.
Old Master Zhou was on the verge of exploding with anger. He wished he could kick Zhou Qian for being such a clueless fool!
Under the table, Chen Lanfang angrily pinched Zhou Qian’s thigh with all her strength.
“Ah!” Zhou Qian howled in pain.
“Mom, why are you pinching me?!”
Chen Lanfang hadn’t expected him to cause such a commotion. Embarrassed, she felt like she had completely lost face. “You—”
“That’s enough!”
Old Master Zhou’s temper flared, his chest tightening in frustration. “Let’s eat!”
The world outside was chaotic, but the brother and sister’s peaceful moments remained undisturbed.
As the dishes were served, a few items rarely seen in the old mansion were placed in front of Ming Zhao. Old Master Zhou’s temple began to throb.
“What’s going on with these dishes?” he asked, clearly displeased.
Old Master Zhou tried his best to ask calmly.
The servant froze, glancing nervously at Zhou Tingyun.
“I-It was the young master who specifically asked me to prepare these for Miss Ming.”
…It’s just a few dishes, Old Master Zhou tried to reassure himself. There’s no need to be so petty, bickering with the younger generation over something like this.
Yeah, right!
When the meal ended and the servant nervously brought out a plate of dessert for Ming Zhao, Old Master Zhou could no longer hold it in.
He scolded, “It’s bad enough you’re a picky eater, but now—”
Ming Zhao blinked innocently and pushed the cake toward Old Master Zhou.
“Grandpa, happy birthday,” Ming Zhao said sweetly as she pushed the dessert forward.
Before she could finish her sentence, Old Master Zhou felt his breath catch in his chest—neither rising nor falling. Where did this sticky, cloying malt candy come from? It was too sweet and too hard to swallow.
Was this how she usually pacified that worthless grandson of his?
At this point, forcing a marriage alliance with Miss Fang would be rude. After dinner, Old Master Zhou apologized to Fang Yuanshuang.
The woman shook her head and explained, “Mr. Zhou already made it clear to me that he won’t pursue a marriage alliance. I’m just hoping for a chance to collaborate on business matters.”
Old Master Zhou sighed repeatedly. Look at her—so focused on her career.
A marriage alliance is just another form of partnership. Wouldn’t it be worth it to secure even more benefits?